India (MNN) — 350 people have been detained in the series of coordinated bombings that ripped through train cars in Mumbai, India killing at least 200 people. There are now suspicions that Al Qaeda may have moved into Northern India.
The attacks have had an impact on at least two ministries. World Vision’s Israel Nanda heads up their Street Children program. “Our ultimate goal is to make them responsible citizens and character formation. We find them all the time roaming around different railway stations. Somehow they try to make money. So we try to do some intervention. Seven children, or so, who are coming under this category of street children have been affected.”
Nanda says World Vision has been able to assist victims in a number of ways. “We provided them food, water as well as snacks and the people who needed medical aid (received it). We even had counselors there to help the people.”
All of it was done unashamedly in the name of Christ, planting seeds of the Gospel.
Dave DeGroot of Mission India of Grand Rapids, Michigan says one of their close partners in India was traveling with a group of people in a Mumbai train station when one of the bombs went off. “They saw what they described as unrecognizable victims and then were caught up in the stampede actually that happened after the blast. A couple of the people were slightly injured, but generally he was able to get out okay.”
DeGroot says this explosion just emphasizes the need for Christians to pray for believers working in the field. “Mission India has people traveling constantly throughout India. If not terror attacks, bandit attacks, attacks by separatists, drug runners are just a part of life. this was a terrible incident. These kinds of things happen in India and it’s part of the counting the cost of serving the Lord.”
Pray for boldness for Christians working with all ministries in the area that they be able to share the hope of Christ effectively.
