Thanks to your prayers and generous support, Christians in India have received food aid to help them through the pandemic. These gifts are a testimony of God’s goodness and provision to the believers' neighbours and communities.
The Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns have left persecuted Christians in a grim situation. Many rural believers were already facing discrimination from their communities. And now they have been left with even fewer opportunities to earn money. Often, they are deliberately ignored as government aid is distributed, because of their faith.
But thanks to you, Open Doors partners have reached them with relief packages. They were overjoyed! Below, they share how your support has made an enormous difference to them.
Kiran and his family of seven chose to follow Jesus 13 years ago. The have since suffered persecution from their neighbours, and now they are struggling financially. “The neighbours and the whole community would spit at us when we crossed their path,” says Kiran. “They mocked us, as we were struggling financially. During this pandemic, each day, morning and evening, we were struggling to afford two meals. They said, ‘You claim that your God will provide for your needs, but now where is your God? Call Him, we want to see if He comes to your help!’
“Thank you for standing alongside us in our hour of need.”Kiran
“These words hurt me,” admits Kiran, “but all I could do was pray and hope for a miracle to take place. And in an unexpected and great way, God showed His mercy and favour upon on us by sending your organisation to help us with groceries. This stands as a testimony for my family amidst the mocking and questions. I am truly blessed and honoured by your timely help. Praise God for your lives, kind works and thank you for standing alongside us in our hour of need.”
Pray for Kiran as he pastors a church and continues to reach people with the gospel.
Vikas and his family accepted Christ two years ago. But their newfound faith attracted hate and opposition from their Hindu community. Every day, they had visitors to their house telling them to renounce their faith.
Thanks to you, Open Doors local partners are continuing to reach Vikas and other believers in India
Vikas explains, “Previously, people never visited our house. Now, as we have accepted Jesus, we had non-stop visitors who came to warn us, threaten us and make us feel guilty about accepting Jesus. A local leader warned us that our house would be burned if we did not renounce our faith. They also held gatherings against my family and plan to boycott and excommunicate us from the village. Everyone has their eyes on us and our whereabouts, who we meet and what we do.
“I used to work outside the village since no one offered me work. This pandemic has made my situation even worse as there was a lockdown and no work. I prayed to God, ‘Let this situation not be a reason for people to mock me and bring a bad name to You.’ God heard my prayers and immediately the required grocery need has been met through your organisation. God isn’t blind to the situation of His people, and those who look to Him will not lack any good thing. Thank you for the help and encouragement.”
Kual grew up as a nominal Christian. Though his parents identified as Christians, their faith was mixed with practising witchcraft passed down from their ancestors, and they didn’t really understand the gospel.
At one point, Kual fell sick and his parents took him to a witchdoctor for treatment. Rituals were performed which resulted in nothing. Kual says, “I still remember those days where I wanted to know more about Jesus, so I never stopped going to Sunday school. Being naïve, I tried to do good without loving God, assuming I would go to heaven.”
“God remained faithful and sent us help through your organisation.”Kual
It was later at a children’s camp that Kual’s life was transformed and he understood that he was a precious child of God. A year later, he was baptised. Growing up, Kual saw a vision: “A fire like a burning bush and in the midst of fire I saw words written, ‘Go into the world and preach the gospel’. From that moment with this vision in mind I started to serve the Lord. But nothing seemed easy for me and my mother. In this pandemic it was difficult to meet our daily basic needs with no offering or financial support.
“But God remained faithful and sent us help through your organisation. I thank and praise God for the provision and also express my gratitude to the Open Doors partners who risked their lives in reaching us with the aid and helping us keep our faith among the oppressors.”
We have changed all names in this article to protect our church family’s identity.
Your support helps persecuted Christians continue to courageously follow Jesus.
Together, we can reach those where persecution hits hardest.