Raina Miller with Mission India explains, “This time of year, we get really excited because 10-day Bible clubs are running in India, and this is a special program that’s 10 days long, and it’s full of fun, singing, games, and learning about Jesus.” 

Image courtesy of Mission India

She says that local Christians run these clubs during the summer to minister to children from poor families. Many of their parents are day laborers who work from dawn to dusk to feed them, which means the kids are left unsupervised all day. This increases the risk that they fall into drugs, theft, or just plain loneliness. The Bible camps step in to provide structure and, most importantly, the love of Jesus. 

The Good

Miller gives two very different stories about the response to these clubs this summer. The first came from the state of Odisha, where a retired ministry worker was asked by locals to organize a VBS program for nearby churches. Since he was familiar with Mission India, he used their curriculum. 

“There was a huge turnout,” Miller says, “and there were tons of kids from all across town that got to hear about the love of Jesus. This is happening beyond what we had even planned. It was just a matter of some local Christians [who] knew of our curriculum and decided to use it.” 

The Bad

The reception is not always so kind in other areas. In the state of Telangana, a very different response came to one of Mission India’s Bible clubs. 

“There was a 10-day Bible camp that was going well. Kids were learning about Jesus, and some anti-Christian activists showed up and surrounded the Bible club and intimidated the leader, who was a young lady named Mondi,” Miller says.

Image courtesy of Mission India

“They insisted that the kids hand over their Bible club books, their curriculum. The Bible club ended up having to be canceled.”

Pray for the Gospel to Spread!

Mondi is an indigenous believer Mission India equips to share the Gospel. Despite the camp closing, she can continue to have a quiet influence on the kids in her area. God is at work in India, even as it becomes more difficult to share faith now that 13 of India’s 28 states have passed an anti-conversion law.  

“So no matter what the legal situation is, the gospel is being spread. Passionate Christians in India are eager to spread the gospel — so eager that they’re going above and beyond, welcoming kids in unofficial formats to hear about Jesus long after their training with us has ended. That is something to celebrate,” Miller says.

Pray that Bible clubs happening the rest of the summer would see peace, direction, and open doors for the Gospel. Disruptions like the one in Telangana are always possible, so pray against these intrusions. You can visit Mission India to help make these 10-day Bible camps possible. Just $1 allows a child to attend the full 10-day club, helping to cover teacher training, leader training, club materials, and activities.

Header image courtesy of Mission India

If enacted, it could make life even harder for the state’s small Christian community.

The Gateway Of India in Mumbai, Maharashtra. (Photo courtesy of Sarang Pande/Unsplash)

Raina Miller with Mission India says, “What is interesting about Maharashtra specifically is that it’s less than 1% Christian in this state. So it’s really devastating to see that they would have anti-conversion laws in place that would make it even more difficult to spread the Gospel when we’re already starting with such a small population of believers.”

The Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Bill 2026 includes the requirement that anyone seeking to change their religion must give 60 days’ notice and obtain government approval.

For Christians, it’s another tool that could be used to silence believers and pressure those interested in learning about Jesus.

Miller says, “When there’s anti-conversion laws in place, it means that there’s that much more fear and intimidation being put towards our programs.

“So there’s a greater risk in that the people leading the programs have a greater chance of getting in trouble. There might be more of a legal risk of, ‘If I spread the Gospel in an anti-conversion state, I could be fined or imprisoned.’”

Amid the challenges, Mission India continues to see God at work.

“Every time that persecution increases, somehow we see the spread of the Gospel speeding up too. It says in Genesis, ‘What was intended for evil, God used for good.’ We refer back to that often in terms of persecution.”

(Photo courtesy of Mission India)

Miller shares, “Our partners in India have told us that their prayer is not for persecution to stop, but for God to give them the strength to keep spreading the Gospel.”

Pray that believers in Maharashtra would remain faithful and courageous as they share the hope of Jesus Christ. Ask God to strengthen His Church and open doors for the Gospel, even if the new law takes effect.

You can support Mission India’s critical Gospel work in Maharashtra and throughout India at missionindia.org.

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The clashes first came between the chiefly Hindu Meiteis in political power and the primarily Christian Kuki-Zo people groups. But today, a third people group is also entangled: the Nagas. On May 13, for example, three Kuki-Zo church leaders were killed in an ambush. Later in the day, dozens of Nagas and Kukis were kidnapped, though the majority were soon released.

Tragically, some of the recent attacks are occurring between the Kuki-Zo and the Naga, although both are predominantly Christian. (More on Manipur State’s sobering history here.)

Raina Miller with Mission India says attacks like these mean more grief and fear for local families. Nearly 60,000 people remain displaced since May 2023.

Gaman (Photo courtesy of Mission India)

“They’ve kind of adjusted to a new norm. So now to have this new break of violence come up, their lives are being disrupted yet again,” says Miller. 

But there’s another side to the struggles, thankfully. Kids caught in Manipur’s unrest are still receiving hope through Mission India’s year-long children’s Bible clubs. 

One boy named Gaman was in first grade when the 2023 attacks took place. He missed months of school. 

“He was so young that he just forgot everything that he had learned. So, once school picked up again, and it was safe to go back, he was behind,” says Miller.

Then Gaman joined the local children’s Bible club, where a club leader worked with him. 

“Not only was he able to get homework help and catch up academically, he also just got to be a kid again,” says Miller. 

“Our Bible clubs offer games, Christ-centered action songs — just fun activities for kids to get to be kids. And it’s especially great for those who have been through such severe tragedies like Gaman had.”

Find your place in the story

Pray for Mission India partners in Manipur State and across India. 

“India is the 12th most-persecuted nation in the world,” says Miller. “Our partners don’t pray for the persecution to end; they just ask us to pray for the courage to continue doing their ministry, and that the gospel would continue to spread.”

Pray also for peace between the ethnic groups of Manipur State. Find other specific prayer resources from Mission India by visiting missionindia.org/pray. 

“One of those [resources] is a daily prayer prompt that you can opt into, where every day we send just a one- to two-sentence prayer prompt to your inbox,” says Miller. “It’s very simple and quick, and you are able to pray for specific needs taking place in India as they develop.”

Visit missionindia.org/pray to learn more. 

Header image courtesy of Mission India.

Raina Miller of Mission India notes poverty is the root of India’s child labor problem: “India’s dealing with so much poverty that there are often times where we see cases of children being sent to work with their parents out of total desperation. So there are some parents who would love to give their kids an education, but if they’re not going to have dinner tonight, then they feel like the option is to send their child to work instead, just to make sure that kids aren’t going to bed hungry.”

Children can find themselves in a variety of jobs, such as selling balloons, working in tea stalls, or picking through trash to find things they can sell.

“This was the Bible club,” says Miller. “This was who the Bible club was reaching.”

Mission India’s Bible Clubs include singing, prayer, scripture memorization, and discipleship. They also offer holistic support, teaching children the importance of bathing, wearing clean clothes, and brushing their hair. Ultimately, as these children grow through the club, it can impact their entire families.

Atul

Atul is one of these Children. His father was a daily wage laborer who mixed cement in brickyards, and their family lived in a home made of bricks and tin sheets with water pooling on the floors any time it rained.

“If his dad couldn’t find work that day, the kids went to bed hungry that night, and as you can imagine, if you’re desperately hungry, it’s really hard to focus at school,” says Miller. “So Atul began skipping school. Pretty soon he was working alongside his parents and became a child laborer.”

When Atul found the Bible club, he discovered he was not alone—and so much more.

“All these kids struggled with poverty and fear and hunger, and yet at the Bible club, they could find joy, and they had each other, and they had community, and it was a place where they could just be kids again, unlike in their day-to-day lives. So Atul really grew and thrived in that environment.”

His confidence grew, he began helping to teach his little sister and others in the club, and he has been attending his regular school more frequently. Now, he wants to become a teacher, so he can help other children. When someone asked Atul what had caused this change in him, he told them it was because he went to the Children’s Bible Club every day, describing it as “another school that’s filled with love and laughter.”

Pray that Atul and his family, who have already experienced growth through the Bible club, would fully accept the salvation of Jesus.

As the school year is coming to a close, the year-long Bible clubs will also be wrapping up—however, more will start in the fall.

“We would love to welcome as many of India’s child laborers and other kids as possible to join year-long Bible clubs and to have an experience like Atul did,” says Miller. “A $24 gift would reach another child like Atul with Christ-centered love, Bible-based lessons, and a space to just be a kid and receive discipleship from a caring Christian leader.”

You can donate to the Children’s Bible Clubs at missionindia.org/single-gift-donation/?referral=MNN2605.

Header photo courtesy of Mission India.

Mission India regularly encounters adults who were trafficked as children and teens. Broken and abused, they are in desperate need of life skills and Christ’s love.

Mission India’s Raina Miller says, “In India, there’s not the hope of Christ, by and large. A lot of people don’t know who Jesus is. Ninety percent of the people groups are unreached by the Gospel. So if they’re living in hopelessness, they’re desperate.”

Nanya (Photo courtesy of Mission India)

That desperation often leaves children vulnerable. Miller shares the story of Nanya, a young woman who came out of bonded slavery.

“Her dad, who was an alcoholic and really struggling, he had sold her off into a bonded labor contract for two years,” Miller says.

“She was sent off to work for a family [with] crazy hours – like 5 am to 11 pm for two years straight. She just had no life outside of that…. When she was working, she earned none of the money. It all went to her dad.”

When Nanya gained her freedom at 18, she didn’t know where to go next and couldn’t read or write. Eventually, she joined a Mission India Adult Literacy Class.

“She learned, first of all, how to read and write,” Miller explains. “Second, she learned how to save and earn money in ways that had dignity and were something that she can be excited about.”

The best part? Miller says, “She also discovered the love of Jesus and received him as her Savior!”

Today, Nanya runs her own business as a beautician and shares her skills with other young women.

Adult Literacy Class (Photo courtesy of Mission India)

Miller says, “Adult Literacy Classes are meeting people in their hardest, deepest, scariest moments and helping them find a way out. Sometimes that’s trafficking; sometimes that’s other situations that they’re stuck in. But our Adult Literacy Classes also provide education around these issues to help prevent them in the future…. We’re really excited about that aspect of our Adult Literacy Classes and just the holistic impact that they make.”

This month, there’s an opportunity to help more people like Nanya.

Every donation to Mission India will be matched up to $300,000. Normally, $40 covers the tuition for one Adult Literacy Class student — but through the end of April, that same $40 will allow two students to enroll.

You can give today at missionindia.org.

Header photo courtesy of Deepak Kumar/Unsplash.

Raina Miller with Mission India says, “It’s so much more than an ability to read and write. It’s when they can read and write and when they can gain an education that affects every aspect of their lives.”

A Daily Challenge

The last census was taken in 2011 and showed almost one in four adults to be illiterate. While this number is projected to improve with the next census, there are still many people lacking this basic skill.

Miller notes that it affects almost every area of life. Mission India has heard of people who board buses for travel and then have trouble reaching their destinations since they cannot read street signs. Illiterate adults struggle to sign bank documents or open bank accounts to save money. People might be shortchanged in their paychecks or overpay for services, but because they don’t recognize numbers, they cannot prove disparities. Parents who cannot read face challenges even at the doctor’s office.

(Representative photo courtesy of Ted Erski via Pixabay)

“There’s other cases where a parent will want to take their child to the doctor, and there’s all kinds of barriers. They can’t read the bottle of medication to know how much medicine to give their child. Or we heard about one woman who took her child to the doctor, and they were calling everyone’s number when it was their turn to come back to the doctor’s office. She had taken a number, but she didn’t know what it said. So she didn’t know when she would be able to go back with her child, and she was too humiliated to ask.”

Disparity in Who is Affected

According to the last census in 2011, these issues affect significantly more women than men. Often women are expected to marry young and run the home, so education is seen as less significant. Or in larger families there might only be enough money to send a few children to school and so men are favored.

Additionally, there are more people from lower positions in society who struggle with adult illiteracy. However, with Mission India’s classes, all students are treated with dignity and respect.

“So many of them are from a low caste. They’ve been humiliated their whole lives. They’ve never been seen as able, and for the first time, they’re seen as beloved and welcome. Just the warmth of the teacher and the community is a huge, significant start in even building their confidence.”

A Bible-based Approach

Mission India uses a Bible-based curriculum to teach students to read and write at a fifth-grade level. This level is significant for finding work in India. They also offer health and hygiene training and special classes for entrepreneurship.

(Photo courtesy of Mission India)

Miller says, “In John 10:10, Jesus says He came that we may have life and have it to the full. And we see all of this as part of that. So equipping students with practical skills that meet their everyday needs is a way to bring them life to the full here on earth, not just in heaven, but along the way.”

In addition to opening up the world of education to their learners, Mission India shares the truth of Scripture. Their curriculum uses the Bible as the basis for their texts. This helps students not only learn to read, but learn how to read God’s Word.

Most people who attend the classes do not come from Christian backgrounds. However, Miller shares that on average about 40% of those who graduate the adult literacy classes become followers of Jesus. For those who joined the classes already following the Lord, the ability to read opens up doors to study Scripture on their own.

Join the Work

These classes have the ability to change lives, both now and for eternity.

(Image is courtesy of Mission India)

“One of our biggest prayer requests for adult literacy classes is that as students gain an education, that they would see that it’s Jesus that is providing for them, that it’s through Him that they find joy and hope, and that He is giving them this incredible opportunity. So our prayer is that students find stability, find dignity, find confidence, and that ultimately they see all of that is from Jesus.”

The adult literacy class costs $40 per person. From March 1 to April 30, some friends of Mission India are matching every dollar given to adult literacy classes up to $300,000. So paying $40 for one person to attend classes will actually send two adults to class.

If you’d like to join this work, please visit MissionIndia.org/read.

Representative header photo courtesy of Tep Ro via Pixabay.

“The reality is, if you look at this year’s list, compared to last year’s list, Syria jumped from a ranking of number 18 up to number six, which just bumped everybody else down one. So from our perspective, India’s just as troublesome for Christians. It’s just Syria got even worse. We’ve got story after story from 2025 of severe persecution that’s really concerning and dangerous for our partners and for other believers in the field, and we just don’t see India becoming any safer for Christians.”

Persecution Reports to Mission India

Open Doors lists persecution in India as “extreme”. This includes pressures from almost every side for the believer. Miller notes that this corroborates the report they’ve received as well.

“Unfortunately, persecution comes from all different directions in India. So there are state level laws that make it difficult to spread the Gospel. There are local leaders, like village leaders, who mistreat people who become Christians and prevent them from getting work in town. [They] even chase them out of their home and make them leave the village, make it impossible for them to get access to water. That’s kind of more on the higher level. But then on the personal level, there are people who their own family kicks them out of the home, or their own relatives stop inviting them to family weddings, or they’re not allowed to come to a family funeral. Things like that.”

(Photo courtesy of Mission India)

One Monday in September Miller heard about eight churches who had been disrupted the day before. That was just on one Sunday and just the churches that their partners reported to them. The month before, an extremist group interrupted a  class training teachers – including several teenage women – to teach their own literacy classes.

Miller says, “They took videos, demanded to know what was going on, grilled them with questions. Keep in mind, this is a literacy class, but because it’s Bible-based, it’s attracting attention from extremists. Long story short, the adult literacy teachers ended up being escorted to sleep in a railway station that night, because everything else was so out of hand.”

Supporting the Church in India

However, despite the persecution Miller says that their partners don’t pray for an end to the persecution. They pray for God to continue to allow the Gospel to spread.  They know that often the Church grows in times of great trouble and they want to see God move. Please join them in prayers.

Miller says, “Pray for their protection. Pray that the Gospel continues to spread. Pray that God strengthens them and gives them the right response when they get interrogated and that people would continue to receive Jesus, even with the possible consequences.”

If you want more specific information on how to pray, please visit Missionindia.org/pray.

Header photo is a representative stock image courtesy of  Eddy Pellegrino from Pixabay.

Sarani grew up battling serious heart problems that made her very weak and sapped her energy. Life was difficult for Sarani and her parents.

Sarani and her manger coloring scene. (Photo courtesy of Mission India)

Raina Miller with Mission India says, “The family spent every rupee they had on her treatments, and nothing was working. Her mom tried going to temples and praying to their gods, desperate for help — and of course, none of it worked.”

Then Sarani was invited to a Children’s Bible Club run by Mission India. There, she heard stories about Jesus, and especially how He healed the sick. Those stories stayed with her.

“So her Bible Club leader…encouraged her to pray, and Sarani prayed her very first prayer,” says Miller. “It was just the simple words, ‘Please, heal me.’ This time she was praying to the God who hears, not to idols and visiting temples and doing rituals.”

What happened next surprised everyone.

“Within two months, her strength returned — after a lifetime of these heart problems! Her physical heart got stronger, and her heart was also changed by the love of Christ.

“She had joy again, and she was so grateful to Jesus for healing her that she received Him as her Savior.”

Today, Sarani’s faith is spilling over in creative ways. She recently drew a Christmas manger scene — and Mission India turned her artwork into something families around the world can enjoy.

(Photo courtesy of Mission India)

Miller says, “We actually turned it into a coloring page so that kids here in the US and their families can color it together. You can download a copy, print it off, make as many copies as you’d like, and you can color along with Sarani to celebrate with her!”

Download Sarani’s Christmas manger coloring page here!

While Sarani’s story is joyful, it’s also a reminder of the spiritual need in India.

“There are millions more children like Sarani who have never heard of Jesus, and they’re still waiting for hope.”

Mission India is inviting believers to respond through prayer and giving during a year-end matching challenge.

Miller explains, “If you’d like to give toward the matching challenge, you can go to missionindia.org/double, and every gift you give toward 10-Day Bible Clubs will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to December 31.”

Please pray that more children in India would hear the Gospel and experience the hope Sarani found in Christ.

Header photo courtesy of Mission India.

If you have a passion for spreading the Gospel, India is one of the most critical mission fields — and now is a key time to support Mission India as they touch kids’ hearts.

(Photo courtesy of Mission India)

Raina Miller with Mission India says, “Giving Tuesday falls during our 10-Day Children’s Bible Club matching challenge, so it’s a great time to take advantage of that…. Every dollar that you give to 10-Day Children’s Bible Clubs is currently being doubled — so $1 is doubled to reach two children with the good news of Jesus!”

India is home to 1.4 billion people, and 96% have never heard the Gospel. Mission India works with local Christian partners for these Children’s Bible Clubs — even as believers face intense persecution.

“India is actually the 11th most dangerous nation in the world for Christians,” Miller explains. “There are people who are ostracized from their communities, they are facing violence, they’re facing intimidation in all different forms for following Christ…. And yet, we’re finding that the more persecution increases, the more the Church grows.”

(Photo courtesy of Mission India)

You can donate to Mission India’s 10-Day Children’s Bible Clubs today at www.missionindia.org/double.

This Giving Tuesday, help make an eternal difference for children in India.

Miller also asks, “Pray that the kids who are reached through the Bible Clubs that are being sponsored during this match would have their hearts changed in a way that pushes them to lead others to Christ as well. [Pray] that it just creates a domino effect where the kids reached through this match then go on to reach entire communities!”

Header photo courtesy of Mission India.

Like many kids in India, she grew up in a home filled with idols and rituals. Worship was familiar — but Jesus was not. Still, something about the songs, stories, and kindness of her Bible Club leaders drew her in.

Rohitha’s life was changed forever at a 10-Day Children’s Bible Club. (Photo courtesy of Mission India)

“She loved hearing about Jesus healing the sick, and His sacrifice on the cross really resonated with her,” says Mission India’s Raina Miller. “So by day seven out of 10 at the Bible Club, she was reflecting on her life and the concept of forgiveness, and she couldn’t stop thinking about Jesus.

“On day nine out of 10, Rohitha invited Jesus into her heart, and she received Him as Savior — and on day 10, she declared her faith publicly!”

Now, Rohitha is part of a local church and prays daily for her parents to know the same hope she’s found.

Stories like hers are why Mission India continues to host 10-Day Children’s Bible Clubs across the country — and why their matching challenge that launched today matters so much!

From now through December 31, a generous partner will match every gift toward Mission India’s 10-Day Children’s Bible Clubs up to $1.1 million.

“Normally, one dollar lets one child attend a Bible Club,” Miller explains. “But through this match, one dollar reaches two children. So this is giving them the chance to attend a Bible Club where they can hear about Jesus — many of them, for the first time.”

Miller adds, “It’s just incredible to see what can happen in the span of only 10 days. You would think that’s such a short time, but kids’ lives turn around in that short amount of time, and they’re introduced to Jesus. It changes their lives forever, and it gives their parents the chance to have their lives changed as well.”

You can double your impact and help reach twice as many children with the Gospel at www.missionindia.org/double!

Header photo courtesy of Mission India.