Charges

1. Once-Jailed Nepali Christians Cleared of All Charges 2. India: Dara Singh Convicted of Murder 3. Hungry Russians Find Help and Hope 4. India: How the Good News Spreads 5. Special Notice: Mission Speakers Available 6. Photo of the Week: Village Evangelism

———————————————————————- These are the contents of today’s Missions Insider Report by Christian Aid September 18, 2003 Vol. 4 No. 437 Visit our website at http://www.christianaid.org ———————————————————————– John Lindner, Editor ———————————————————————– Note: Missions Insider refrains from mentioning names that could make the subjects targets of anti-Christian activity. Names are sometimes mentioned of ministries conducting work commended by authorities or located in areas of greater religious freedom. ———————————————————————–

1. Once-Jailed Nepali Christians Cleared of All Charges

Three Nepali workers who were jailed for four-and-a-half months on charges of proselytizing were finally cleared of all charges on September 11.

A gospel worker and two fellow-believers were apprehended by police and jailed in February on charges of proselytizing because Bibles and Christian literature were found in their bags. Even though no evidence of proselytizing was found and the defendants’ lawyer tried to convince the district judge that Nepal’s 1990 constitution, while barring conversions, still allowed every person permission to practice his or her religion, the judge sentenced them to jail.

A month later when five other believers went to visit them in jail, the police found Christian literature in their bags, and put them in jail, also. They were held overnight and released the next day.

Christian leaders in Nepal attempted to make appeals on behalf of the original three and once tried to submit a letter to the king, but were turned away by the secretary, who promised to phone the judges to authorize them to set the Christians free. Yet the brothers remained in jail until June 20, when they were released on probation by a higher court pending final resolution of the case.

The court decision on September 11 found no evidence that the brothers were preaching or attempting to convert others to Christianity. Not one person testified that he was preached to. So the court absolved them of all charges.

———————————————————————– 2. India: Dara Singh Convicted of Murder

Dara Singh along with 12 other suspects were convicted of murder Monday in the fiery death of Graham Staines and his two sons in January 1999.

An earlier court had ruled Singh not guilty, but the Orissa District Court on September 15 declared Darah Sing and 12 co-defendants guilty of conspiracy, unlawful assembly, burning of a vehicle and house, and murder. A thirteenth man was acquitted due to lack of evidence.

Australian Missionary Graham Staines and his two boys, Phillip, 11, and Timothy, 7, were sleeping in their Jeep station wagon in Manoharpur village in Keonjhar district of Orissa when a band of Bajrang Dal, worshipers of the monkey god, Hanuman, entered the village apparently led by Dara Singh. They poured fuel over the vehicle, set it on fire, and then prevented the occupants from escaping and other villagers from rescuing them.

Though some said he was murdered because he was converting people to Christianity, his widow, Gladys, said he never converted anyone but simply shared the Word of God as he ministered mostly to leprosy patients. She said, “I have forgiven Dara.”

The defense reportedly plans to appeal.

———————————————————————– 3. Hungry Russians Find Help and Hope

Even though Russia is experiencing an economic upturn, prosperity has not reached the majority of people. Many of Russia’s impoverished are suffering from alcoholism.

Ukrainian evangelist Slavik Radchuk told Christian Aid in August that Russia’s economy is improving and that those with jobs are now receiving $200 to $300 per month-a vast improvement over the $15 to $30 dole people received a few years ago. But not everyone is enjoying the new economics.

The leader of a missionary ministry stationed in European Russia said that the homeless and hungry are still around him and many are being reached by their regular feeding ministry.

“The last time 36 people came to eat, five of them were teenagers,” he told Christian Aid. “However, the teens don’t sit with the adults; the adults don’t consider them as people.”

The people are homeless and hungry for various reasons.

One young man was kicked out of his home because he was an alcoholic. He repented and asked forgiveness. His wife received him back and they began a new life all over again.

Another man suffered from epilepsy. This drove him to drink and his family kicked him out because he was always arguing.

One homeless man came with a big burn on his leg. The wound was festering with worms. A Christian lady doctor treated it. But it’s hard to keep doctors coming when they don’t get paid.

A woman came to the feeding station because her husband was in prison. Her mother-in-law was drunk most of the time and wouldn’t let her stay in her home. She was a good cook and now assists with the food preparation.

The ministry offers soup and porridge for dinner and provides hair cuts and shaves for men. While they are being treated, they listen to the Word of God. Slowly their lives are changed and some repent and accept Christ as their Savior.

The ministry is helping those who come regularly to find work, and some help with church construction. But many wander off and don’t come back again.

So far the feeding program has taken place outdoors. With cold weather approaching the leader said he doesn’t know how they can continue the ministry unless they can obtain an additional building.

To learn more write and put MI-437 361-WOF on the subject line.

———————————————————————– 4. India: How the Good News Spreads

A mission leader from India tells how members of his missionary team shared the gospel during a recent convention. It was not just in organized meetings.

“We shared the good news with people standing on the street corner, in the bus stand or in a tea shop,” he told Christian Aid. “If anyone showed interest, we invited him to attend the worship meetings.

“In the worship time the person hears the Word of God. He commits his life to the Lord and accepts Jesus as his Savior. After that we instruct him, and then he is baptized.

“Each saved person shares his or her testimony with family and friends. We watch how they do that and select the best to train as gospel workers. Then we train each one from the Bible until he is able to share the gospel. He then becomes a village evangelist. Through him the good news is spread among his own people, caste, and culture.”

The leader also shared his experience of getting an early morning cup of tea.

“While conducting the convention, I often went out early in the morning for a long prayer walk, along with two local believers. We came to a tea shop, so the three of us sat down on a common bench and asked for some tea.

“We were the first persons to visit the tea shop that morning, so it took the shopkeepers 15 minutes to heat the tea water over the fire. When the water was hot, the owner poured the first cup of tea and offered it to his idol. He poured a second cup of tea into the fire. He then took a third cup of tea and dribbled it along the roadside by the shop. After all these preliminaries, he then offered us tea to drink.”

“This is how the people worship their thousands of gods and goddesses,” the leader said.

The son of a carpenter, the leader grew up aware of the helplessness and poverty around him. He abandoned his empty Communist ideology for Christ in 1977 and organized his ministry in 1981. Now more than 500 workers have joined him in evangelizing, planting churches and reaching out to children in the tribal villages of India. Together they have planted 482 churches with a total of 13,400 believers across 10 states of India.

The ministry also operates an elementary school with 145 children, an orphanage that cares for 50 needy children, and a Bible school that trains 30 workers annually. To learn how you can help write and put MI-437 637-CFI on the subject line.

———————————————————————– 5. Special Notice: Mission Speakers Available

Following Christian Aid’s GATEWAYS International Conference on Indigenous Missions October 16-18, a score of indigenous mission leaders from third-world countries will be available for speaking in churches in the Niagara Falls area and beyond. If you are interested in having such a mission speaker in your church on Sunday, October 19, please contact Lynda Jamieson at Canadian Christian Aid at 1-800-871-0882. A list of possible speakers may be found at http://www.christianaid.ca.

———————————————————————– 6. Photo of the Week: Village Evangelism

http://www.christianaid.org/pow/pow-4-37.asp

A missionary in Orissa State of India teaches the Bible to willing listeners. Indian missionaries recently saw 60 villagers accept Christ. Only the stout-hearted will take the next step of baptism since that often means ostracism from relatives and the community. Yet 40 took this bold step. The missionaries constructed a new church building and 300 people gathered for its dedication. A church meeting hall about 20 feet by 30 feet can be constructed in a rural village of India for about $4500. To learn how you can help, write and put MI-437 600-WMN on the subject line.

———————————————————————- Mission Statement:

Missions Insider is a free weekly email report from Christian Aid Mission, your link to the world of indigenous missions. We seek to establish a witness for our Lord in every tribe and nation (Matthew 24:14) by supporting highly effective native missionary ministries based in poorer countries overseas, or where believers are persecuted. Christian Aid has contact with more than 6000 indigenous ministries that have a total of 300,000 missionaries on the field or ready to go when support is available.

———————————————————————– Permission to Republish

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