When everything seems set against you, do your eyes of faith look for God to work?
This testimony from northeast India reminds us that hardship and opposition are no match for faith with vision.
When Fitan led a discipleship-mission training program for outreach, they went to a community with an unreached people—the Santal. About 7.6 million Santal are scattered across east and northeast India but only about 5% say they are Christian. Most follow traditional beliefs layered with Hinduism. Community leaders often oppose Christianity.
During the outreach, five families put their faith in Jesus Christ and were baptized. Fitan and his team were thrilled! The local priest and Santal headman were not.
At a community meeting, they decided to kick the new believers out of the Santal community, saying, "You have three months to leave the village, or to return to our religion."
Hearing this, Fitan and the church leaders involved with the training program joined the new believers in praying about this decision.
The families banded together, appealing to the police and the regional authority and requesting support against this unjust decision. God gave them grace with the authorities who upheld their right to choose their religion and rejected the order to leave the village.
Rejoicing, the five families gathered to worship and fellowship in homes together, growing in their faith. A year later, they invited Fitan to visit and help break ground on a church building.
As he walked around the lot and looked at the plans, he was surprised. "They were only five families, about 24 people including children," he said, "but their plans were for a much bigger building. So, I asked why they needed this much space?"
