Knocking at Every Door
By Pastor S E
Taken in Bombay
Ram, his mother, his wife and five children lived in a small cardboard-assembled shed near the footpath of the bazaar. His mother was ill. My best friend and I visited the family and saw that the room was about 6ft by 8ft, with a small kerosene stove in a corner. I noticed a small rat running from a pile of plates to the door. In another corner, on the only bed in the room laid an old lady, curled up in a fetus position. All eight of them lived in this tiny place. When I left, I was filled with sadness seeing the poverty they experienced.
Mumbai (Bombay), India. Photo: Unsplash.com
I often asked myself, “God, where are you? Why are you not providing for them?” This question was magnified to a greater extent when one of their daughters was lost! She just did not come home and Ram started looking for her in the bazaar. After many prayers and asking around the shops, Ram met a shopkeeper who told him that he saw her being taken by someone, and they boarded the bus heading for Bombay. His heart sank.
Bombay? She must have been taken to be sold in Bombay! Taking all the money he could find, for one who had never been out of his home, Ram decided to travel to Bombay to search for his daughter. It seemed like a drop in the ocean, to find a needle in a heap of hay! Armed with prayers of fellow believers, some addresses of Christian organisations in Bombay that could possibly help him, and with all the courage and hope he could muster, Ram started his journey to Bombay.
Friends from Bombay showed great sympathy for his family and went all out to help him. They brought Ram to some of the red-light districts and he would comb the streets and knocked at every possible door, with the hope of seeing his daughter. One day, when he was tired of searching, standing at a nearby alley, tired and praying, suddenly a voice called out, “Baba, Baba…” The voice sounded familiar, and he looked up. To his surprise, it was his daughter! She signalled for him to remain quiet and not give away the fact that they had made contact. With great haste, he went to get help and in a couple of hours, Ram and his friends brought the police, and many girls were rescued, together with his daughter.
My previous doubts on the ‘absence of God’ suddenly seemed myopic. This miraculous rescue work would not have been possible without God’s intervention. No matter how unpleasant and terrible the situation may be, God showed that He has never left them. Today, Ram’s daughter is married to a pastor and has two lovely children. Their church ministers in the slum areas. They now own a small house and they open their doors to those in need.
Ram is only one of the many who has touched my life. Time and again, God has proven Himself to be real and watchful over us.
Building Churches, Growing Branches
I started my ministry in Nepal in the remote regions of the Himalayas, and also the plains of the Terai. Over the years, my team and I have planted more than 300 churches through Grace Missions’ direct support across Nepal, West Bengal, and North-East India. From these 300 churches, more than 400 branches have been established as well.
Missions work brought us to the mountainous areas of Nepal, the South of Nepal, and the plains of the Terai, where we visited villages. There were many ethnic groups who had never heard the Gospel and we were glad to have brought the Good News to them. In 2007, we reached the seven sister states in North-East India and ministered to the coal miners working in the Jaintain Hills of Megalaya. A church was started and a congregation gathered very quickly. Members comprised tribal groups of Tripura, and the poor and needy from Arunachal. In 2008, we expanded into the Himalayan Region of West Bengal, India and we ministered to the workers living in the hills and working in the tea gardens. Our focus was to spread the Gospel and reach as many people as possible living in the hill areas.
A Journey of Adventure and Faith
I have seen the impact of Grace Missions in my journey. We have helped to build churches, conduct children’s programmes, provide water pumps, build toilets, distribute food relief, train pastors, equip medical camps, and conduct other spiritual and social activities.
What seemed impossible with men is possible with God. Churches have grown from a small congregation to a mother church with many branch churches. This would not be possible without the giving spirit of many new believers, who had donated family land to construct churches. We were also encouraged by the transformation of inexperienced young men, who eventually led hundreds and thousands as pastors. Indeed, it is not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord.
Ps. S E joined Grace Missions in 1996 and is currently the Country Director of Nepal.