December 21, 2005
India (MNN) -- A 15-year-old member of Gospel for Asia's Believers Church was killed in Assam, India, as tribal violence has erupted again. Vidya Singh and one of his friends were returning to their recently destroyed village to recover some food when they were ambushed and shot.
Speaking from India, Gospel for Asia's founder KP Yohannan says while this was tribal violence, Christians are feeling the impact. "People take advantage of this kind of opportunity to actually go after believers who have left their tribal customs."
Yohannan says this is difficult for GFA. "We have believers in both of these tribes, as a matter of fact. We have very strong work in the Karbi people, including a Bible college. We are very concerned, very troubled that some of our believers are brutally murdered."
GFA Bible college students and missionaries, who converted from these tribal customs, are sharing the Gospel, says Yohannan. They're saying, "Your tribal practices and all this is only destroying you. And again, this is an opportunity used by many of the believers to witness to their neighbors and relatives and people are turning to Christ."
Christians are being asked to pray for the situation that's seen men, women and children killed. Pray for peace and that the church will be protected.
Yohannan says there's a lot of pressure being put on believers in this area of northeast India. "The government officials are telling us, the Christians, you people are the only hope. Please do whatever you can to bring peace to this area, that's a strange thing happening there."
India (MNN) -- A 15-year-old member of Gospel for Asia's Believers Church was killed in Assam, India, as tribal violence has erupted again. Vidya Singh and one of his friends were returning to their recently destroyed village to recover some food when they were ambushed and shot.
Speaking from India, Gospel for Asia's founder KP Yohannan says while this was tribal violence, Christians are feeling the impact. "People take advantage of this kind of opportunity to actually go after believers who have left their tribal customs."
Yohannan says this is difficult for GFA. "We have believers in both of these tribes, as a matter of fact. We have very strong work in the Karbi people, including a Bible college. We are very concerned, very troubled that some of our believers are brutally murdered."
GFA Bible college students and missionaries, who converted from these tribal customs, are sharing the Gospel, says Yohannan. They're saying, "Your tribal practices and all this is only destroying you. And again, this is an opportunity used by many of the believers to witness to their neighbors and relatives and people are turning to Christ."
Christians are being asked to pray for the situation that's seen men, women and children killed. Pray for peace and that the church will be protected.
Yohannan says there's a lot of pressure being put on believers in this area of northeast India. "The government officials are telling us, the Christians, you people are the only hope. Please do whatever you can to bring peace to this area, that's a strange thing happening there."
