Christmas may be over, but its blessings are continuing to ripple out among the community of our ServLife partner in India. Our partners in Raxaul, Bihar face a lot of pressures from the predominantly Hindu community in the area. Bihar is one of the hardest areas for Indian Christians to live and work. Less than 0.5% of the population in the area is Christian*, and those who are often face persecution. Our India Director, Albert Das, has faced personal threats of violence multiple times from parties who want him to cease sharing the gospel and doing his work in the name of Jesus.

However, Albert refuses to relinquish the passion God has given him for his work. Beyond his work training pastors to plant churches and caring for over 30 children his children’s home, he also welcomes kids from the surrounding community to the ServLife International Missions School to receive an education at little or no charge. Many of these children are from Hindu and Muslim families, but are welcomed as brothers and sisters by Albert and his family.

This past Christmas, as he does periodically throughout the year, Albert invited the families of the Missions School children to join in a Christmas celebration at the children’s home. 70 children and many parents from the surrounding area gathered to play games, see skits, and sing together. Albert and his family shared about the reason they celebrate Christmas and later all the children received gifts and everyone shared a meal together. Albert shares, “it was a great time of fellowship with the community.”

Many of the families of the Hindu and Muslim children ServLife helps educate are reluctant to engage the gospel because of societal pressures and intolerant climate in the area. Nonetheless, many of the parents attending the Christmas program told Albert that they had “never experienced such love and were excited to hear the story of Jesus Christ.” Albert plans to visit these families in the coming months to continue to share Christ’s love with them and help them in areas they are concerned with, such as adult literacy and hygiene education.

Please pray that as Albert and our other partners continue to shower their community with God’s love that lives will be blessed and hearts will be opened to the good news of Christ.

To support a child in ServLife India Missions School visit our child sponsorship page.

*Source: “Population by Religion in Bihar”. Censusindia.gov.in.