Living for the Gospel—Faithfuls journey on despite trials

Dimapur | November 30 : Religious violence in parts of India has occurred repeatedly in recent times and these outbreaks have been between the Hindu and Christian communities. The issues have centered on questions of conversion, poverty and growing influence of Christian and Hindu groups among tribal population etc. On many occasions, Christians have been accused of luring people with gifts of land, money, food and clothes. However, Christians have denied it now and again, refusing to abandon their religion in spite of beatings and attacks on their homes and churches.
Mani Kumar Tamang, a converted Christian from a Buddhist background was chased out of his village and it is now one year since he met his parents back home at Kalimpong in Darjeeling. Nobody preached the gospel to this 20 year old man but he went to a Church where he was anointed by the Holy Spirit. Mani witnessed the first fruit of his Christian faith when his parents stopped drinking alcohol, which they were addicted to earlier, as he started praying for them. “No one forced me to change my faith. There was no farced conversion,” Mani says. Today, he is in Sikkim serving in a Church working mostly among the poor people.
Next meet Sukraj Subha, staying at his uncle’s place who is a devout Christian. Sukraj Subha never liked listening to his uncle’s preaching but gradually he ‘realised it and accepted Christ.’ Originally from Takbya Basti situated at Darjeeling, Sukraj was earlier a Hindu. Some months after converting to Christianity, Sukraj returned home as his mother was seriously ill and she was taken to many doctors but her condition did not improve. Sukraj’s father, a well-known witch doctor in the village tried all that he could for his wife’s good health but failed. Later, Sukraj brought some Church pastors and leaders to pray for his ailing mother. Both his parents were ready to accept the gospel but their villagers did not allow them, especially his father as they feared he would stop practicing his ‘witchcraft profession’.
Shortly afterwards, Sukraj faced his father’s wrath who started to drink and picked up fights forcing him to reconvert into Hinduism. “My father disowned me because I refused to give up Christianity,” Sukraj recollects as he shares his testimony.
For Pratiman Dorjee he had no idea that one fine day while out for shopping a new chapter in his life would dawn. “I went for shopping to some other town. There I heard little about the gospel but what I heard was enough for me to believe and I accepted Christian faith,” Pratiman says as he recollected that day’s event. It did not take long for the villager to make out that Pratiman and his wife was no longer Hindu. “The villagers came and beat me up without any reason. That night itself my wife and I had to leave our real village Dhakana at Bhutan, all empty handed,” Pratiman says.
Years later when Pratiman and his wife had children grown old enough to go to school, seeking admission was a problem for them. “They were refused admission to schools and I was also sacked from my job because we are Christians,” Pratiman says. At present, Pratiman is serving as a Pastor in Paro Area in Sikkim where he has to pay the price for being a Christian. He ends up paying more than the actual rent for his house besides other injustice frequently experienced because of his Christian tag.
Mani Kumar Tamang, Pratiman Dorjee and Sukraj Subha are among many Christians who have a similar story to narrate about their difficult journey in life as faithfuls. Miles away from home 72 such Christian missionaries and church leaders mostly from Bhutan, Sikkim and Nepal have come to Dimapur to attend a special programme on leadership and Bible School called ‘Autumn Rain Bible School, 2008’. For one entire month they are together camping at Life Spring Corner attending the Bible school which is hosted by Jesus Loves Gospel Ministry under the directorship of Rev. Robert Singh.