Saving lives in India, now and for eternity

India (MNN) — India: the land of a thousand gods, and a billion uniquely-created lives.

Many of India’s 1.2 billion citizens believe in reincarnation: after you die, you begin a second life as a different person. Therefore, not much worth is placed on present-day lives, especially if they’re unborn.

But Vinita Shaw, one of LIFE International‘s partners, is bringing a different message to India’s airwaves–one of preborn value and a Savior who died to redeem all mankind.

“They are receiving the sanctity of life message, understanding how to give life and make life-giving decisions for themselves and for their unborn children,” explains LIFE International’s Melinda Delahoyde.

A well-known author and former CEO of Trans World Radio-India, Vinita Shaw founded the Disha Foundation to fulfill one of her God-given desires: saving unborn lives.

As stated on its website, Disha’s goal is “to encourage and empower the economically-weaker sections of the Indian Society, particularly girls and women.” Through weekly programs aired on All India Radio, an estimated 80 million listeners receive life-giving information from the Disha Foundation.

“Every time one of those broadcasts take place, they [Disha] receive–through text or through phone calls–300 to 500 messages from people around the country.”

Radio isn’t Disha’s only focus, though. Shaw and her organization also reach out to local churches. This summer, Christian women in one of India’s megacities learned about unborn lives and how to save them through four special training sessions.

“Every time Vinita trains a leader of women in a church, in a city, that woman then goes back and trains others,” Delahoyde explains.

In this way, “the message of life, along with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is multiplied out, in-and-throughout that church and throughout that city.”

LIFE International partners with Vinita to hold training sessions like these and sends her life-giving resources when needed. LIFE International has also sponsored some of the Disha radio programs.

This partnership is a “fantastic” example of how LIFE International operates worldwide, Delahoyde says.

“We help leaders in their country really ‘train the trainers,'” she states. “It’s much more effective if we can train those [leaders] who can, in turn, train others.”

See how you can help LIFE International “train the trainers” here.

In 2016, Shaw is hoping to begin a pregnancy resource center (PRC) to help young women facing unplanned pregnancies. Right now, she is helping 90 young women through Disha and she hopes to build a new facility so she can help save more unborn lives.

Here’s how you can partner with Shaw and LIFE International in prayer:

• Pray for the funding needed to build and operate a PRC.
• Pray that through this new facet of ministry, more people will come to know Christ as their Savior.
• Pray that hundreds, if not millions, of unborn lives will be saved.