Dave Stravers, president of Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Mission India, explains that in the wake of the violence, "Promises were made to these tribal villagers by government officials, but really not kept. People are afraid to go back because there are still threats of violence and even continuing violence in the area."

Justice has been slow in coming, so nearly 5,000 victims and survivors of the 2008 communal violence in Kandhamal district, Orissa, lent their voices of protest at a public rally marking the fourth anniversary of the violence and call for justice, peace, and harmony.

The attacks, led by Hindu extremists, caused 55,000 Christians to flee their homes. They have little recourse, Stravers says, because "these tribal Christians would be considered the bottom of the social ladder, so they don't have much political clout. They're discriminated against anyway, so they're just basically being ignored by the powers that be."

Asia News reports bear that out. Of the 3,232 complaints filed by victims and their families, district police accepted 48% of the cases. A scant 828 were registered as a first information report (FIR).

The numbers from Asia News also show that out of 245 cases dealt with by the Fast Track Court, convictions were obtained in 73 cases. Another 267 cases are still waiting to go to trial. Of the thousands accused in the pogroms, only 452 have been convicted; all the others were acquitted of the charges. Six have been sentenced to life in prison out of the 30 cases involving murder.

Despite the slow journey to justice, the work of Mission India continues, notes Stravers. "We still continue to work in all of Orissa, in all the different districts, including the tribal districts–all those places where you have these incidents of violence and our partners continue to work."

However, teams have had to be more careful in the days since the 2008 riots. "Obviously in those places where there has been this violence and continuing threats, there are many Christian workers that just don't feel that it's safe to carry on ministry. For us, that's the big prayer request."

Then, this news came: the Himachal Pradesh High Court struck down two provisions of the anti-conversion law. Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reported the decision on August 30.

Stravers says, "The changes that the Himachal Pradesh High Court delivered are really good for Orissa because they struck down a section of the law which makes it mandatory for any person seeking to convert to go and give prior notice to local authorities before he actually would be baptized."

On the other, "The court decision of Himachal Pradesh did not strike down the entire law, and people are unhappy about that." Stravers goes on to add, "The prayers are that these anti-conversion laws will continue to be struck down piece by piece, if necessary."

Yet, because the legal precedence has been set, they're hoping for a similar response to follow in neighboring states. "Orissa has the same law. Technically, in Orissa if you become a believer and you want to be baptized, you have to go to the chief of police and receive their permission first to do this. Of course, this sets you up for all kinds of intimidation/threats of violence."

Stravers knows their team. Regardless of what happens with the anti-conversion laws, the Gospel will still go forward. In fact, so far, "People are baptized, usually en masse, without first seeking permission because they're going to do it whether they get permission or not. So this section of the law is not routinely enforced."

Disruption their partners endure isn't on the same scale as the anti-Christian violence of 2008. However, it comes regularly. One of their literacy class teachers and his mother were recently assaulted and warned to stop their work or be driven out of the village. Stravers says what happened next is a near-daily occurrence throughout India. "They were both told, 'Convert back to Hinduism within a week or else leave the village and stop your work.' They're praying. They don't know quite what to do. It's a real situation of severe persecution for anyone who is aggressively bringing good news to people."

Pray for patience in this situation. Once the villagers learn to read, they will see the benefits of finishing this class. Pray for patience and wisdom for the teacher and his family. It's only a matter of time before something good comes from the Gospel seeds planted.

Stravers sums it up this way: "Jesus said repeatedly to His disciples, even when He was predicting persecution, 'Do not be afraid. Speak boldly because Jesus reigns.' So that's what we pray for."

The orders were issued on the 3rd anniversary of a burst of mob
violence against Christian in Kandhamal.
Many of the refugee victims have not been able to return to their
villages because of safety concerns. 

Usually, when there is a new village, the government provides land
for the place of worship. Refugees who
relocated in the wake of the Orissa pogram were promised land to rebuild, but
the government never delivered. Then
came the order for demolition. According
to several media reports, five churches were affected by the ruling. 

Dave Stravers is president of Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Mission
India. He says while it's discouraging
that such a decree was issued, the clamor it prompted has an "up side." 

First, senior government leaders said they'd overrule the junior
leaders on the implementation. Secondly, "Obviously there is an ongoing
public conversation about this persecution, and there are people who are now
standing up and saying, 'No, we're not going to permit this.' Where the story
has a good ending: it's often the Hindus who rise up and defend
Christians." 

Even more interesting is the number of people who are turning to
Christ in the process. Mission India
focuses on training church planters, teaching literacy classes, and holding
Children's Bible Clubs. Each aspect of
the ministry is reliant upon the other for growth.

For example, church planters complete a year of combined classroom
training and supervised fieldwork. During this time, they share the Gospel and
establish new worship communities. Church Planters often open doors to
communities through Children's Bible
Clubs.

Mission
India also provides training and materials to their partners who are teaching
illiterate people how to read and write as they share the love of Christ. During their 52-week Adult Literacy program,
a class of 30 students meets for 2 hours a night, 5 nights a week.

The
program is designed for instruction by volunteer teachers who have little
formal education themselves. And the Bible-based curriculum introduces students
to Jesus Christ.

At
the end of the year-long literacy program, 80% of students on average graduate
at a fifth-grade level of reading and writing. Many graduates make a decision
to follow Jesus and are in need of a church body and pastor–full circle to the
church planters.

So, the persecution doesn't mean the Gospel is failing. Rather,
it's growing. Stravers says, "The
forces that are opposed to Christianity are just desperately tryin, somehow
to reverse the trend that's around them." Boldness in the face of persecution is challenging. Pray.

During the pogrom, Hindu extremists brutally murdered at least 100 Christians,
raped and pillaged 300 houses of worship and burned 5,000 homes. The riots also led to the displacement of
over 56,000 Christians.

Dave Stravers
with Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Mission India says while the buildings are no
longer ablaze, the scars remain. "The overt violence is not continuing,
except now in isolated cases. In several of the places, the villages are still
empty. People have not returned to their homes; they're permanent refugees
because it's just not safe for them to go back."

Hindu nationalists named the anniversary of the attacks (which began August 23, 2008) as the day of
"Protection of Religion." They
handed out leaflets that reminded Hindus that their faith is under attack by
Christians. Stravers says the plan to eliminate Christians is not
surprising. "Over the last year, persecution has
probably worsened from what it was just a couple of years ago all over the
country. We feel that it's a confirmation of all the reports that we hear from
all over India of people coming to Christ."

These nationals represent a militant action in a secular
country, but it's not one to be discounted, says Stravers. "It's a small
minority of people who are concerned that, for the first time in history, their
traditional religious beliefs are being challenged. People are getting new
hope. They're hearing the good news about Jesus and they're open."

According to Stravers, the same group is trying to get the
anti-conversion laws implemented in more than the half dozen states that
already have them. "There have been
members of Parliament in the capital that have advocated nationwide
anti-conversion legislation. This has not gained any massive support among the
politicians."

Stravers explains that the laws that are in existence are
not enforced uniformly, but they do cause disruption among their workers. In fact, just two weeks ago, "Fifteen
people were baptized, and they were all arrested. The person who baptized them
was arrested. They were charged with violating the law. They were in jail for a couple of days,
then released on bail. Their case has not been settled. "

Stravers adds d that "this kind of intimidation and
harassment is intended to discourage people who are considering Christ." Still, "It's not stopping
the movement at all' in fact, we see the response to Christianity accelerating.
The general population is all very open to the Gospel."

Their ministry comes alongside church leaders with training
to help them not only share the hope of Christ, but also plant churches and
disciple new believers.

Children's Bible
Clubs are also fast becoming the foundation of ministry due to the 4/14 Window, a time when a child between the ages of
4 and 14 is most open and responsive to the Gospel.  

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