India (MNN) — It’s an area that’s still considered unreached, but an evangelist supported by India Partners is making inroads. It’s called Royal Island. It’s an island in the middle of the Krishna River in Andhra Pradesh. 1,500 people were antagonistic to Christians.
India Partners’ Brent Hample says their partner traveled there, “They ran him off the village and said, ‘don’t come back or we will kill you.’ But, he prayed and he felt he needed to go and touch these people with the love of Jesus.”
According to Hample there was no school or medical clinic and no Gospel witness. As he continued to travel to the area, making new friends, he was able to convince the village elders to allow India Partners into the village.
Hample says, “Over the course of the past four years, we’ve sent some teams there to do medical and dental work, build a community center there that is used as a church, and hopefully in the future, as a school.”
This building has done more for outreach than anything, Hample says. “(The) Krishna River flooded and the villagers were able to save themselves and their families in the church, because it’s two story and it’s strong. They really were saved physically by the church.”
The gratitude they have has opened doors for ministry. “The majority of the people on the island and in the village are still not Christians, but they are open to it now. The elders of the village are not opposing the pastor, who is now coming to the village and planted this church.”
Since many villagers lost everything, India Partners is doing something about it. “We have a project going on right now to help them re-cultivate their soil and replant their banana crops and grain crops, to provide buffalos and goats and to open a Christian school.”
It costs just $64 to replace one goat. Go to the India Partners website to donate online.
