Category Archives: India

Dawa Singye Bhutia: Helping Children Trapped in the Red Light District’s Sex Trafficking in North-Eastern India

Rev. Dawa distributing the stationaries to the children

Dear Brothers and Sisters:
It is with immense joy and a heart filled with gratitude that I share with you the encouraging developments from the Red Light District of Khalpara, Siliguri. In the midst of challenging circumstances, on September 4, our Love Your Neighbor Initiative took a significant step forward by establishing The Child Learning and Social Centre for the children in the heart of Khalpara. This momentous occasion marked the beginning of a new era, one that is dedicated to providing a safe and nurturing environment for the children in our community, especially those living in the red-light district. The Child learning and Social Centre serves total 52 children comprising of 24 girls and 28 boys between the age group of 6- 18 years.

Stop Child Trafficking

Khalpara’s red light district, a place known for its harsh realities and social stigma, there exists a group of children with a history marred by adversity and hardship. These young souls are brought in from distant towns like Malda, Balurghat, Assam, Meghalaya, and a few were even born and raised within the boundaries of Khalpara itself. Their lives are intertwined with the shadows of poverty casting long and unforgiving shadows over their families. For many of these children, their parents found themselves reluctantly drawn into the unforgiving world of the sex trade. It was not a choice born of desire, but a desperate attempt to survive in a world that offered them few alternatives.

Children activities in the Centre

Living in the red light district brings forth a multitude of challenges. The children, with their innocent eyes and dreams yet to be unfurled, struggle to find access to quality education and healthcare services. The warmth of a stable home environment, so vital for their well-being, is often elusive, as they navigate through the tumultuous life of their upbringing. Perhaps the most disheartening is how society treats them. They are singled out and subjected to discrimination, simply because they live in a place scorned by society, but to them is home.

The world around them often refuse to see the potential within these children, overshadowed by the prejudices and biases that cling like a dark cloud over them. However, amidst this sea of challenges, the children of Khalpara’s red light district remain resilient. They carry within them dreams that shine like beacons of hope; talents waiting to be unearthed, and untapped potential yearning to break free from the chains of their circumstances. With the right support and opportunities, these young souls can defy the odds stacked against them. They possess the strength to rise above the darkness and carve out a brighter future for themselves, one where their past history is but a chapter, not the whole story.

Children from the Red Light District.

The inauguration of The Child Learning and Social Centre in the heart of Khalpara marks the beginning of a new era, one that is dedicated to providing a safe and nurturing environment for the children in our community, especially those living in the red-light district.. Our center is designed to be a child-friendly environment, a space where children can learn, play,and grow in a supportive, caring atmosphere, that every child will thrive and realize their full God-given potential.

During the inauguration, as part of our commitment to the well-being of these children, we distributed essential hygiene supplies and stationery to kickstart their journey towards education and personal cleanliness. Reverend Dawa graced the occasion with an inspiring message on the importance of moral living within our society. His words resonated deeply with all attendees, emphasizing the need for compassion and understanding. The highlight of the event was a cultural program featuring performances by our talented students. Their talents shone brightly, showcasing their potential and creativity.

Children doing Varies Activities.

We have taken a significant step towards ensuring a brighter future for the children in our community. However, this is just the beginning of our journey. The overall goal is to empower the children of Khalpara’s red light district by providing them with education, emotional support, and skills to break the cycle of poverty and prevent second generation prostitution and sexual slavery. Our commitment to bringing about positive change extends beyond education, alone. We are dedicated to holistic community development, addressing the various needs and challenges faced by the residents of Khalpara. Through the Love Your Neighbor Initiative, we aim to transform perceptions and uplift spirits, demonstrating the boundless love and compassion of Christ, that they may come to know Him!

Our Goals

Education:

To ensure that all children in the red light district have the opportunity to receive a quality education.
To work towards enrolling children in schools, providing necessary school supplies, and offering tutoring or after-school programs to support their learning.

Emotional Support:

To recognize the emotional challenges faced by children in the red light district.
To provide counseling and create safe spaces where children can express themselves, share their experiences, and receive emotional support.
To organize recreational activities and workshops to foster their overall development.

Skill Development:

To equip children with skills that can enhance their future opportunities.
To offer vocational training, workshops, and mentorship programs that help children develop practical skills, such as computer literacy, arts and crafts, or other relevant skills based on their interests and talents.

Advocacy and Awareness:

To raise awareness about the rights and needs of children in the red light district.
To advocate for the elimination of stigma and discrimination and promote a more inclusive and supportive environment for these children.

Team HGNM along with the staff members and volunteers

From R.K.’s Corner

In the last few months, there have been increasing public media attention given to one of the fastest growing criminal syndicates in the world: the murky underworld of sex trafficking, especially among children.

The main focus of Dawa Singye Bhutia’s Himalayan Good News Networking Ministry (GNNM) has always been on bringing the Gospel to the unreached in the nations of India, Bhutan, Nepal and the Himalayan hinterlands towards Tibet. Then help train, educate and mentor the indigenous believers to become evangelists, pastors and teachers to plant churches whose members are actively reaching out to their communities by demonstrating the boundless love and compassion of Christ through various mercy ministries.

In this issue, Dawa presents their newest outreach: the establishment of a Child Learning and Social Centre which will help children trapped in their city’s red light district as sex slaves, be liberated and find a new, bright start in life.

Dawa Singye Bhutia: 2022 Ministry Report From the Himalayas

Dear Steve, R.K. and our Bridge Sponsors,

Warm greetings to you in the matchless name of our wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! I am delighted to share with you what the Lord has done in and through my life and ministry in the year 2022 for His glory and the extension of His Kingdom. I thank God for using this earthen vessel for His divine purpose in the Himalayas in India, Nepal and many other nations.

I also take this opportunity to thank you and express my heartfelt gratitude for your constant prayers, encouragement and financial support for my family and ministry. Without your precious partnership and support, it would not have been possible for me to reach the unreached and the lost with the message of hope and life eternal in Christ Jesus.

Thank you again for all your love and support for what we have been doing in this part of the globe for God’s Kingdom. My sincere prayer is that the Lord Almighty will continue to bless you and make you a channel of blessings for His Kingdom. I pray and believe that God will give us a bountiful harvest of souls in the days to come.

Yours sincerely in Christ, Dawa Singye Bhutia

Personal Evangelism

We keep on reaching the unreached and the lost people with the Good News of Jesus Christ through personal evangelism. Many people have heard the Gospel message and some of them have made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.

Pastoral Ministry, Church Planting and Leadership Training

I have been shepherding New Creation Fellowship in Siliguri as the Senior Pastor and extending the church planting movement with our church members and leaders.

In the churches in Nepal, Bhutan, India and other places we train young men and women in various types of ministries and leadership roles, like evangelism, church planting, mission work and second level leadership. So far, hundreds of young men and women have been trained and then sent to the remoter and unreached areas with the Gospel and planting of churches.

Social Concerns

We met the needs of the poor, elderly and sick with the love of Christ. During Covid-19 and lockdowns we brought and distributed provision into a variety of communities among those who had lost their jobs, resulting in lack of food and basic needs. We especially brought basic relief aid into the Tea Gardens which were shut down by the company for a long time, and distributed school stationeries and toiletries to the needy children in the slums.

Reaching the Children with the Love of Christ

We gave daily free private tuition and daily meals for the poor and underprivileged children in the areas where parents can not afford to send them to regular school.

Rural Evangelists Training in Solukhumbu, Nepal

We have been working and training rural evangelists in one of the most remote and least reached regions of the Himalayas in Nepal. Many rural evangelists have been trained for the work of mission to reach the unreached and the lost souls for Christ. Every year we conduct this kind of training to train and equip the local believers and leaders to reach their unreached in their communities and neighbors, friends and families.

Praying for and Counseling People

During my travels, I visit and meet many people suffering from various kinds of sicknesses and diseases and facing all different kinds of problems and issues in their lives. I pray for them and give them the message of hope, unconditional love and new life in Christ Jesus our Savior.

Present Outreach

It gives me great joy and pleasure to share the excitements of the Short Term Mobile Bible Training all the way from the Tanahu District of West Nepal. The participants were the Pastors and Leaders from the different districts of Nepal. The 4th Batch of the Mobile Training program was conducted from the 26th of January to 12th of February 2023. 29 leaders participated in the training from various districts consisting from Gorkha, Chitwan, Kathmandu, Sarlahi to different areas of Tanahu.

We were so pleased to see the transformation of lives and hear the testimonies by the participants, full of zeal and passion expressing they will continue to joyfully serve in the Kingdom of God!

Prayer Points

Please pray for God’s guidance and protection in my family and ministry.
Pray for us as we continue to reach the unreached and the lost people groups with the glorious message of the Gospel in the most remote and spiritually dark places of the Himalayas.
Pray that our ministry will be more effective and fruitful in the days to come.

FROM R.K.’S CORNER

Some of you who have been with us for a while are familiar with Dawa Singye Bhutia and his ministry in the Himalayas from India, Bhutan, Nepal to the rural mountainous hinterland between India and Tibet, populated with a variety of small, ethnic minorities.

For background information on Dawa, his family and ministry Himalayan Good News Networking Ministry, you will find the three prior stories on our The Bridge website banner above under COUNTRIES—ASIA—HIMALAYAS

In a world full of despair and darkness, in spite of much resistance, Dawa and his team are fully committed to keep bringing the Light and Hope of Jesus Christ, our living Savior, to those who are hungry for truth and righteousness! He and his team are a great investment of your finances and prayers for the Kingdom of God!

Update from Indian Christian Fellowship – Andaman Islands and Mainland India by Varughese Mathew

Loving greetings from Andaman Islands to our beloved partners at The Bridge International. May God continue to bless and strengthen your husband Steve and you in the furthering of the Gospel. Thank you for your love and kindness toward my family and ministry! Our family is well, although my wife, Sarama, has problems with her neck due to a serious car accident a few years ago. Our two daughters are happily married and have one daughter each, the youngest is two years old.

Easter gave many opportunities to share the message of the Risen Lord Jesus Christ

In Port Blair (capital) we continue to care for needy children in two facilities; presently we have a total of 90 children in Bethany and Calvary Children’s Homes. It is going well. By God’s grace, in the Andamans, the ministry of ICF is slowly expanding. In Indira Nagar and Chouldari a few new families have accepted the Lord. We are opening worship and prayer fellowships among them.

Our main burden is sharing the Gospel and planting local prayer Centers in Andaman Islands, but also on India’s mainland. ICF has planted a new ministry in the state of Punjab among the Sikh people. The Lord is blessing Pastor Gagan who from there is reaching people in Jammu and Kashmir (disputed area between India and Pakistan) as well as in Himachal Pradesh (the northernmost region bordering the Himalayas). The ministry has grown to a point whereby we urgently need a facility in Punjab which could serve as ICF’s Regional Head Quarters for these three states and also include a Bible Training School.

In West Bengal, 2.5 hours train journey from Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) we started a ministry among Bengali speaking people, which has now expanded to 13 fellowship groups. We are facing the issue that the local ministry leaders are very poor who work long hours on other people’s farms to make a living. This limits the time they can devote to their mission work. A few months ago, I visited West Bengal and baptized 21 people. Now, several new believers are again ready for baptism, and some desire to attend Bible Training School.

Testimonies

In the last few months God has been so gracious to see a few young people come to faith in Jesus Christ. One of them is Mohammed Khan. He was born in the Middle Andaman. As a little boy, due to his parents experiencing an irreparable crisis, they placed Mohammed in an orphanage in Port Blair. While he was there, both his parents died but Mohammed was not told about it. At 16, after he had reached the time limit of his stay in the orphanage, he was dismissed.

During one of ICF’s outreaches, we met Mohammed and shared the Gospel of Salvation with him. Even though born into the Muslim faith and brought up as such, when he heard about the forgiveness of sin by a loving Savior and the gift of eternal life, his heart was deeply moved. He made a decision to accept Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and embrace the Christian faith. He has been baptized and is presently enrolled in a Bible training course. He is facing severe opposition from two of his sisters. Please pray for Mohammed Khan!

The second one is Shahrukh Khan and Reeta Kandulna. Shahrukh was born into a very rigid Muslim family in the village of Namunagar in South Andaman. His upbringing was not very pleasant. Soon after his father’s death, his mother married another man who was a drunk and very abusive. Throughout his childhood, Shahrukh lived with the terror of abuse and filthy language both from his mother and stepfather, so he grew up a brokenhearted man.

To sustain himself, he dropped out of his studies and began looking for work. During that time he got married to a women from a Hindu family, which caused more problems in his life. Opposition from his own family as well as from the Muslim community became intense.

A few months before our Mission Team was doing a Gospel outreach in Namunagar, I came across Shahrukh. He was processing large amounts of tobacco products. As I started to talk with him about the consequences of uncontrolled tobacco use, and continued by telling him about the marvelous life he could have through faith in Jesus Christ, God’s love flooded his heart and he came to faith.

His wife, Reeta was a radical Hindu, and at first would have nothing to do with her husband’s newfound faith. Gradually, as she observed the transformation from darkness to light in her husband’s life, she was also drawn to the love of God through him. After a while, she also accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior. So Shahrukh Khan and Reeta Kandulna are today an active, Christian family who boldly share their faith.

They still live in the village where Shahrukh grew up. The villagers are staunch Muslims and hostile to the Christian faith and Christians, so the family is facing severe threats from them. Please pray for Shahrukh and Reeta and their two small children!

Preaching, teaching, training, baptizing, worshipping, feeding, comforting… India Christian Fellowship with Varughese Mathew and his team are reaching out to the orphans, the marginalized, the hungry for Truth, with the Good News of God’s love! YOU ARE INVITED TO PARTNER WITH THEM… JUST CLICK ON THE Donate BUTTON ABOVE, AND HELP SPONSOR THEM AND THEIR OUTREACHES!

From R.K.’s Corner

We live in a culture where big is always considered better. It is quantity over quality. “How much” or “how many?” are often the questions we ask to evaluate that which we seek to validate. This attitude has also saturated our Christian communities. “How many church member does your church have, how big is your ministry?”

The Lord’s measurement is very different. In Luke 15, Jesus presents several parables by pointing out the eternal value of each individual human being. One is the shepherd who leaves the 99 sheep in the safe enclosure to seek out the one that is lost. Jesus concludes in Luke 15:7, “There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.”

Varughese Mathew and his wife are among our partners who have forged a road less traveled, seeking to care for one individual at a time. In 1988, this young Christian couple living on India’s mainland heard God’s call, obeyed, walked away from life’s securities. Instead they brought the Biblical message of a loving God through the forgiveness and redemption of Jesus Christ to unreached poor and destitute peoples living in the Andaman Islands, an archipelago situated 1,000 miles from the mainland coast in the Indian Ocean. There, they have lived and served the Lord for 33 years.

In 2005, while seeking to find a reliable source for direct distributing of humanitarian relief funds among victim living near the epicenter and seriously affected by the massive tsunami, we came across Pastor Mathew and his Indian Christian Fellowship (ICF). Andaman Islands were close to the massive underwater earthquake which caused the catastrophic tsunami disaster which flooded the coastlines of the countries situated along the rim of the Indian ocean and beyond. Pastor Mathew was highly recommended by our evangelist friend in Norway, Aril Edvardsen who knew him through his own ministry Troen’s Bevis. They had sponsored ICF for a number of years. Since then, at times we have helped sponsor some of ICF’s individual missionaries and various projects. Pastor Mathew has visited our home in South Florida, so Steve and I have come to know him personally.

In addition to managing their two children’s homes on the island, and evangelizing, training and sponsoring indigenous fellowship leaders throughout the archipelago, the Mathews have expanded their ministry on the mainland of India by establishing small missionary centers and prayer fellowships in Northern India near Pakistan, the border region of Kashmir and the Himalayas, as well as in Southern India near Bangladesh. In this Bridge Report, there is a brief update on ICF’s activities, as well as a few testimonies of individuals who have come to faith in Jesus Christ.

For more background information and to familiarize yourself with the Mathews, ICF and The Bridge’s participation, copy and paste links in your browser of prior Bridge Reports on our website:

https://www.bridgeinternational.org/pdf/january2005.pdf
https://www.bridgeinternational.org/pdf/march2006.pdf
https://www.bridgeinternational.org/pdf/november2010.pdf
https://www.bridgeinternational.org/pdf/august2012.pdf
https://www.bridgeinternational.org/2015/06/

Andaman Islands Update – Varughese Mathew

FROM R.K.’S CORNER

A couple of weeks ago, Steve and I had a delightful visit from one of our Bridge partners, Varughese Mathew, longtime missionary in the Andaman Islands, India. This was his third visit with us.

We first met Varughese a few months after the December 2004 earthquake/tsunami which devastated the region around the Indian Ocean. He visited our home while on a fundraising trip in the States on behalf of his ministry, Indian Christian Fellowship (I.C.F.). Our supporters had began donating toward relief aid for the victims, so we were looking for a good indigenous ministry through which we could funnel the funds. Upon the recommendation from a trusted partnering ministry in Norway who had enjoyed a long standing relationship with the Mathews, we sent the donated funds through I.C.F. to help the most needy tsunami victims. Since then we have at times helped support the various parts of his ministry outreaches.

For more background information, click on the links to prior Bridge Reports:

https://www.bridgeinternational.org/pdf/january2005.pdf

https://www.bridgeinternational.org/pdf/march2006.pdf

https://www.bridgeinternational.org/pdf/november2010.pdf

ANDAMAN ISLAND UPDATE REPORT

Close to thirty years ago, a young man from Kerala, India packed up his life and, with his wife and baby daughter, moved to one of India’s most remote outposts, the Andaman Islands. In his youth, Varughese Mathew had had a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ which brought him to faith, and changed his future goals from a pursuit of a self-centered, secure life, to a life laid down in serving others. “After attending Bibleschool and graduating from college with a degree in theology, the Lord asked me, ‘Are you willing to go to a place where no one, not even missionaries, will go?’ I responded, ‘Yes, Lord. I will go’”.

With meager means, living in a hostile environment for Christians—“Yes, we were beaten and shunned more than once,” —Varughese, and his wife, through hardship and persecution by devout Hindus, endured. They simply believed that the Lord who had called them, would also provide their needs. From their base, Indian Christian Fellowship (I.C.F.) in Port Blair, they established two orphanages, presently with a total of 160 children, 37 pioneer mission churches in outlying districts, and a training center from which local ministers are trained and sent out as pioneer missionaries to plant new churches.

A recent picture of some of the 160 children presently being cared for at ICF’s two children’s homes. In total, the Mathews have cared for app. 800 children and seen most of them mature into productive, well-adjusted adults of faith. The majority of ICF’s pioneer missionaries and staff are former orphans and neglected children of the Children’s Center.

TESTIMONY OF A YOUNG MAN WHO GREW UP IN CALVARY CHILDREN’S HOME OF I.C.F.

Praise the Lord – my name is v raja Sekhar. I was born into a Hindu family in Andaman Island. As a little boy I lost my parents. Somehow I was admitted into Calvary Children’s Home in the city of Port Blair. In the Children’s Home I grew up in a Christian atmosphere of love and care and came to faith in Jesus Christ. But as I grew older, I slowly walked away from God. I began drinking and taking drugs and exposing myself to a dangerous life.

Instead of rejecting me and expelling me from the Children’s Home, Pastor Mathew and his family embraced me and took me into their family. They removed me from my bad situation in the Andamans, and brought me to their homeland, the State of Kerala on India’s mainland. There, I was given the opportunity to pursue higher education, and I also got a chance to study theology. The time I spend in Kerala was a great turning point in my life. I was baptized in 2008. In 2013, I graduated from a good quality Seminary with a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology.

Presently, I am working with Pastor Mathew in his ministry in the Andaman Islands. I am deeply thankful to God for everything He has done for me, and I am grateful to Pastor Mathew and his family for bringing me this far. I am looking forward to continuing to grow and move forward in the ministry according to God’s will!

THE I.C.F. GOAT PROJECT

In 2010, Varughese visited our home, again, looking for the more long-term needs for his mission. An entrepreneurial businessman, as always, Steve gave generously from our own finances in support of our visiting missionary. And – as usual – Steve also helped Varughese define, and establish projects and micro-businesses from local resources which would make his family and the mission financially self-sustaining. Steve inquired, “What about goats?”

During Varughese’s most recent visit a couple of weeks ago, he asked,“Steve, do you remember the funds you gave which helped us buy a piece of land and you suggested we start a goat farm?” He then showed us on the map their northernmost mission station, located in a remote region 220 miles due north of Port Blair. There they have purchased 10 acres of land, located next to a vast national forest. The property has a small building which houses the two ICF missionary families, and on the land they have now 10 goats and a number of chickens which are being cared for by a young man raised in the Calvary Children’s Home, with plenty of water and forest for the goats to roam and graze. Each goat gives birth to 3-4 kids a year. “We would like to expand the flock to 160 goats, one for each of the children in our care, which would make us and ICF fully financially self-sustaining.”

One goat costs $120.00. Would YOU help finance this project by buying one or more goats? Please mark your gift: Andaman Islands Goat Project.

FOLLOWING IS A REPEAT FACT SHEET ON THE REGION

The Andaman & Nicobar Islands constitute the remotest part of the Indian Union. This archipelago spreads along 490 miles in the Indian Ocean – the southern tip of these islands located only 91 miles from Sumatra – consists of 572 islands with a population of app. 350,000 who live on 38 inhabited islands in 537 towns and villages.

Most of the people are ethnic Indians, many of whom are descendants of freedom fighters and criminals who were sent to penal institutions built by the British during their rule of India. The Nicobar Islands are also home to six stone-age tribes, who, being isolated from, and hostile to, the outside world, have maintained their traditions unchanged for thousands of years. We know that Marco Polo encountered these tribes during his voyage through South-Asia. They are unreached by the Gospel. The islands inhabited by the six tribes are off-limits to the public, requiring special visitation visas by the Indian government.