Unreached Paliyar Tribes In India Accept Christ!
Through the love and support of Independent Church in India (ICII) supporters, we were able to provide one of ICII’s missionary teams with a Gospel/medical van to reach distant and unreached tribal areas. On our trip to India during the month of March, Kathy and I spent a day reaching three Paliyar tribes with the team right after they received their new van.
First Tribe: The long, winding jungle road began to zigzag and hairpin up the mountainside as we climbed higher into the stark granite hills, with a wall of rock on our left and a steep slope dropping off on the right looking over fields and forest way below us. Gradually, the road deteriorated into a narrow and rough cow path on the plateau above, where the Paliyar makes their homes.
The blazing South Indian sun felt like a heavyweight bearing down on us as we walked toward a seemingly deserted group of rundown concrete bungalows, built here for a Paliyar tribe years ago by some government agency.
As we got closer, we became aware of curious and apprehensive faces peering at us from doorways and side alleys. Our missionaries began calling the people in their dialect, and they gathered in the shade of some trees at the end of the main street. The children were not the only ones staring wide-eyed at Kathy and I, for most of them had never seen a white-skinned person nor cameras like we were carrying.
These nomadic tribespeople traditionally live off the land, hunting, and gathering their food in the wilderness. As the wild forest areas are disappearing and more of their ancestral lands are being cultivated, the Paliyar are frequently oppressed, being made to do field labor by the landlords on whose plantations they are forced to live.
Our medical team quickly set up a station as Pastor John and the others coaxed residents to line up for a health checkup. As our nurse and her assistant did examinations and dispensed medicines, the pastors shared with them about Christ. When the team had tended to all who needed treatment, many heads were bowed as Pastor John led a prayer with those who wanted to accept Christ.
Second Tribe: After we left the little village, we began to climb even higher into the hills. When we could drive no further, we parked the vans and went forward on foot, with one of our team staying behind with the vehicles. We had a moment of apprehension on the trail when we found ourselves in the middle of a group of Hindus holding some sort of sacrifice in the jungle. We were relieved when they smiled at us and invited us to join their feast of mutton, but we declined politely and continued on our way. This Paliyar tribe were just a few families living under tarpaulin lean-tos in a valley surrounded by towering rocky peaks. Once again, we were met with curious stares, but the group welcomed us warmly and gathered to sit with us as the medical team unpacked their kits and went to work.
The Paliyar subsist on what they can gather for themselves, and they climb high up into the rocky hills in search of food. They showed us the yam-like roots that are their staple diet, along with whatever fruits they gather or small game they can snare. Their lifestyle is filled with primitive superstitions and immoral practices such as polygamy and even child sacrifice. The children never get to attend school but are taught the traditions of the tribe. None of them had ever heard of Jesus.
Once again, while the nurse did her work, the pastors shared about Jesus in the local language. Afterward, almost all of them were willing to invite Christ into their lives.
Third Tribe: As the sun sank towards the western hills and we made our way back across the plateau towards the winding descent, we made a final stop at another group of bungalows that were along the road.
Here most of the people seemed to be away from the village, but a few gathered to see why these strange-looking visitors had come. One man had an infected injury in his leg. As our nurse began to treat him, the rest of us greeted the people and gave them the good news about Christ. Though there was a greater language barrier here than for the others, many of them understood and prayed a salvation prayer with us.
As we finally headed home, weariness came over us. Once again we were amazed at the sacrifice of Pastor Mathan Raj and his team of pastors have had to make for God’s calling. They shared how for years before God had provided motorbikes through ICII, they would walk to these areas on foot, taking many days to go to places like we had gone just that day in our vehicles. Often they would spend weeks doing ministry among the Paliyar, sleeping in the open, drinking from dirty streams, and living with the tribes on whatever food they were given. Our loving supporters have made a tremendous difference in God’s work through their financial gifts. Through ICII, Mathan Raj and his team have their motorbikes and now this small van to travel to the tribal areas and to do outreaches like the one we were part of on a daily basis, introducing many more of the Paliyar and other tribes to Jesus!
ICII Missionary Beaten For The Gospel’s Sake
One of the main missions of ICII is to help those servants of Christ who have sacrificed everything for the Gospel and are suffering persecution for their obedience. In the month of March, one of ICII faithful missionaries named Chandra Naick was put in the hospital with a badly injured back after being mercilessly beaten by extremists for preaching the Gospel. The extremists were very upset because through Chandra’s preaching in their area many Hindus were accepting Christ. The doctors warned that if Chandra did not have surgery immediately, he would not be able to walk again. We immediately shared this great need and God provided for Chandra’s surgery through ICII’s loving sponsors. Now, her whole life six weeks after the operation, Chandra is up again and walking. Through ICII’s loving supporters, Chandra and his family did not have to endure this pain and hardship alone but instead it has made a way for him to get back on the mission field to serve the Lord.
Chandra Naick shared his gratefulness with those who sponsored him; “After this incident happened my wife and I were praying with tears of desperation that someone would help us… At the right time, God helped us through you… Now you gave me life that I can walk again and I am so thankful. Now I can go to ministry again and I will reach many souls…”
ICII’s mission is to continue to stand by those who are being persecuted for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Students Complete First Year At Book Of Life Bible College
Independent Church in India’s mission is to train, equip, and send missionaries out all over India, Pakistan, and Africa. Again this past year, the Bible college in India was a huge success with many students learning the Word of God and applying it to their lives and their ministries.
Some of these students had already been doing ministry out in the field without much training, so it was most fruitful and helpful for them to take some time to educate themselves more so they can be more effective when doing ministry.
Many new village home churches, Bible studies, and children’s ministries have been pioneered in many different areas in Tamil Nadu through the training of ICII’s college. The students expressed how much the school has benefited them. One student named Joseph shared with enthusiasm that though he was already doing ministry, he wanted to learn more about the Word of God. Joseph said; “As far as with my situation, I’m young but at the same time the people who teach [us], they teach the word of God from experience also with the evidence of the Gospel. It’s very easy to understand. So it is very useful for us to learn the will of God, so we will be very clear at speaking the Word of God and certainly, we will win many souls through this training.”
ICII’s students have finished their first year of training now we want to give them a second year of training. Our goal is to start their second year of training in the month of June.
The Living Death
There is a disease in India that is feared above all diseases. Leprosy… often called the living death. People who are diagnosed with leprosy are totally rejected, cast out, and thrown away from their society, their own families, and friends. It is as if someone has entered a living nightmare.
One day on my last trip to India, as I and the ICII gospel team were visiting a leprosy colony, we met a totally heartbroken woman named Malliga.
I felt my heart shatter to pieces as I listened to Malliga share her sorrowful story as tears rolled down her face. For her whole life, she had suffered beyond anything humanly imaginable. Even though we were strangers, she began to pour out her heart to us.
She was desperate to tell someone who was willing to listen about how her life has been since contracting leprosy. I realized that her testimony was one of the thousands who have this horrible disease, but have never been able to tell anyone their feelings…
A Woman With Leprosy Shares Her Thoughts…
Malliga shared with tears, “I once lived a normal life. But when I was just 15 years old I was diagnosed with leprosy. Leprosy has ruined my entire life. Leprosy has caused me to lose everything that is important to me. I lost my whole family and all of my friends… They would no longer touch me because they were scared they may get this disease. I could never get married or have a family. At this colony, my room has no door and men have come inside and have even abused me without mercy… I have been totally hopeless. My only heart’s desire is death. I am hoping for the day I die. Why did this leprosy have to happen to me? Why would God punish me like this? But even death I am unsure of. My pain is indescribable. All bad things have happened to me my whole life because of this leprosy. There is no purpose for my life. The only thing that remains in my life is this leprosy…”
For someone whose every day of her whole life has been extremely sorrowful, what words of comfort are even humanly possible? There are no human words… but there are only God’s words that can heal the severely broken-hearted like Malliga.
That day I was able to wrap my arms around Malliga to express Christ’s love for her. Best of all, I was able to share the amazing, transforming Gospel message of Jesus Christ with her. Malliga was shocked that anyone would want to even touch her, much less give her a hug. But she received my hug that day. That day was the first day that she again had hope… that day, her life was totally changed from death unto life.
When she received Jesus as her Lord and Savior she expressed to us with joy that she was very happy to know that she would be in heaven one day and that she would have a glorified body.
Through the ministry of ICII many broken-hearted people just like Malliga have found hope that can only be found in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Salvation Comes To Malliga’s Colony
At Malliga’s colony, the ICII team was able to provide a good hot meal that day. Afterward we shared the Gospel plan of Jesus Christ. Many people with leprosy humbly bowed their heads to receive Christ. Not only was Malliga set free by the glorious Gospel message, but many in her colony as well. ICII wants to give a special thanks to all of you who make it possible to continue doing leprosy ministry in India.
For more information please contact us:
Independent Church in India
PO Box 238
Fredericksburg, PA 17026
Email: info@indchurch.org
Phone (717) 865-7885