Persecuted South Asians Refuse to Deny Christ

A Gospel for Asia-supported missionary, Padmesh Chopra, risked his life
to share the gospel with a woman in one South Asian village. After
hearing the good news, this woman, Gajra Dutta, and her family chose to
follow Jesus.

As is the case for many new believers in South Asia, Gajra’s decision
to follow Jesus was not easy; it brought her many troubles. Her fellow
villagers began persecuting her by keeping her trapped in the village
and preventing her from working.

One day they pressured her more than
usual to accept their traditional religion, but instead of giving in she
held firmly to her faith. They threatened to excommunicate her from the
village if she continued to believe in Jesus.

Later, when Padmesh returned to Gajra’s village to share the good news again, the police stopped him to ask about his relationship with
Gajra. During his visit, Padmesh also received opposition from the
villagers. They threatened to cut off his head or hang him if he
continued to share the gospel in the village.

Gajra asks for prayer that God will change the hearts of those in her
village. Also, pray that she will speak boldly and witness for the
Lord throughout her life, continuing to stay firm in her faith.

After the villagers found out that Akash Pillai gave his life to Jesus,
they still pressured him to perform the rituals of the gods and
goddesses that he used to worship. Akash replied to their requests, “Now
I have found Jesus: I will not turn back from Him.”

Before choosing to follow Jesus, Akash was a temple priest. Yet all
of his spiritual activities left him feeling empty. He had no peace in
his heart. Then he heard the good news and decided to leave his old
ways behind.

Akash used to have trouble sleeping at night and had many struggles
at home with his family. Thankfully, a Gospel for Asia Women’s
Fellowship team was out sharing the love of Jesus in the area where
Akash lived. The women read the Bible to Akash and his family and prayed
for them. After praying, he felt tremendous peace, and the disturbances
that kept him awake at night gradually went away.

After God blessed him with peace and healing, Akash chose to follow
Jesus, and his whole family now regularly attends church. Akash
received opposition from those in his village to return to his old
religion, but staying strong in his faith, he refused. Over time,
however, Akash began to experience disturbances at night like he had
before.

Akash would like prayer that he will have complete peace in his life and that his family will be strong in the Lord.