We just returned from our second trip to India and it was another unforgettable experience. I’ve been blessed to have been able to participate on quite a few mission trips over the year, but as powerful as each of those trips have been and as many God-glorifying organizations I’ve worked with, nothing compares with these trips to India.

Through a series of providential connections, New Life has connected with Mission Voice Network, an organization of indigenous church planters in Southern India, where fewer than 2% know Jesus. Mission Voice Network’s heart is to plant churches where 80% of India’s 1.2 billion people live: in the rural communities of India. This is needed because 80% of funding for church planting in India is being sent to India’s cities.

This vision is being carried out in a country with significant persecution. A month ago Open Doors released their latest ranking of the most persecuted countries for Christians and India ranked #10 with the additional designation of being the country in the world with the worst physical or mental abuse directed at Christians.

Mission Voice Network packs our time from morning to late in the evening, allowing us to visit many pastors and congregations. We attended pastors’ homes, evangelistic outreaches, baptism services, evangelism training services, church services, regional pastors’ gatherings, and Mission Voice Network’s Director’s conference. Every pastor has a different story, many converted from Hinduism, and many highlighted by God’s miraculous intervention. I shared a few of these stories last year.

One of the sweet blessings of a return trip is reconnecting with the many godly pastors and digging deeper relationally. We were also able to visit many new churches. One of those pastors, William, is one of the few second-generation Christians in the network. But that doesn’t mean William’s[i] life has been easy.