(Photo courtesy of Crossroad Bible Institute)
India (MNN) — Since its launch in 2012, Crossroad Bible Institute‘s India campus has made a radical difference in giving hope to those who had none.
It’s founder, Mathotmi Vasha, had an existing prison ministry in the city of Manipur but incorporated CBI’s Bible study and discipleship courses in late 2012. He started out with 23 students, and it has only grown from there.
Last year, Vasha baptized 46 men who gave their lives to the Lord after hearing Vasha’s preaching. Many of the prisoners who Vasha works with, both at Sajiwa Central Jail and the Shine Rehabilitation Center for drug addicts, are CBI students.
Most recently, on November 8, Vasha baptized six more men. Three CBI students also received their certificates for graduating from the Great Truths of the Bible course, then they all took Communion. Vasha described it as a joyful celebration of what God is doing in India through Crossroad.
“Let us rejoice together,” Vasha said, according to a recent article by CBI. “God is working through our humble ministry. We thank God for all these inmates who are doing CBI courses.”
But it’s not an easy job. India is home to a powerful drug epidemic. And because substance abuse is on the rise, so are diseases like HIV, tuberculosis and Hepatitis B and C. Women married to the drug abusers are especially at risk, as they face domestic abuse, infectious diseases, and financial hardship.
“The drug abuse problem is very high in India, especially in my region,” Vasha said, according to a 2013 CBI article. “Of the 600 male inmates in the jail, most are ex-drug users and ex-alcoholics.”
But that doesn’t mean CBI is giving up. In fact, it’s planning to expand–to the women’s prison and two halfway houses–in order to meet a wider array of needs. Can you help this ministry thrive? Click here to see how you can help.
