India (MNI/MNN) — Last month, you may remember MNN asking you to join Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Mission India in prayer for a new believer named Vijay.
(Photo courtesy Mission India)
For the past 10 years, Vijay was a respected Hindu priest in his small village. He had strong influence over his fellow villagers, and he openly persecuted Christians. But inside, Vijay felt that something was missing. He took drugs to try to numb how wretched he felt inside.
Last summer, Vijay met a *Church Planter who gradually shared with him about Jesus.
Vijay suddenly stopped going to the temple and instead began to attend church. When he received Jesus as his Savior, there was a great uproar in the community. Villagers began to threaten Vijay. Even his friends and family turned against him.
They gave Vijay a choice: return to the Hindu priesthood, leave the village. Vijay fled and went into hiding. Not even his family knows where he went.
The community plans to report Vijay “missing” to the police. If he is found, they plan to punish him–maybe even kill him. Please continue to pray for Vijay and his community.
[*Mission India’s Church Planters are going into India’s remote villages, urban slums, and cities to share the love of Jesus. During their year of combined classroom training and “hands-on” fieldwork, Church Planters have a goal of planting 2 churches. The impact of a Church Planter’s ministry is far-reaching and long-lasting. Whole families and communities are being set free through the truth of the Gospel.]
