MY ACCOUNT
At A Glance
- With your help, GCR’s partners distributed 12,500 Bibles where persecution in India is most severe.
- Sudha, a single mother in northern India, believed she was cursed because her son struggles with severe developmental and mental challenges.
- When a pastor gave her a Bible and told her about God's unconditional love, Sudha felt hope for the first time.
- Your support helps God’s Word reach people in their own languages and transform their daily lives.
Across India, people who know Jesus – or who want to learn more about Him – are encountering the Scriptures in a new way. And despite the risks that come from identifying as Christian in India, they’re seeing God move in their lives and communities.
But how can words on a page transform so many lives so completely?
How Bibles reach Christians facing Persecution in India
India is home to millions of persecuted Christians. But despite the unrelenting terrorism and attacks from religious fundamentalists, their faith is only growing.
The need for Bibles is great. Believers and seekers are desperate for the encouragement and strength that come from reading Scripture.
That’s why, with your help, GCR’s partners set out to distribute 12,500 Bibles across four states in India where persecution is the most severe.
And now, 12,500 people received Bibles, often from pastors who met them in secret and developed personal discipleship relationships.
Tragically, Christians often experience targeted violence, displacement and persecution in India from Hindu radicals and other extremists. Even when the persecution is not as great, they face harassment and discrimination, all because of their faithfulness to Jesus.
But with your support, Bibles can reach those who need them most.
Sudha’s story of hope and redemption
“The Bible became my strength.”
As a single mother in a remote village in northern India, Sudha* blamed herself for her son’s disability. It wasn’t until someone handed her a Bible that her mind began to change.
After her husband died, Sudha was left to raise her now 12-year-old son Arjun alone. Arjun struggles with severe developmental and mental challenges. In their superstitious community, these challenges are attributed to divine punishment or karmic retribution for past sins.
“For years, I believed I was cursed. My neighbors told me Arjun’s struggles were my fault, that I had sinned in a past life,” Sudha says. “I felt like I was drowning in shame.”
Sudha sank into despair and self-loathing, convinced that she was unworthy of love or redemption.
Meanwhile, a pastor named Ramesh knew of Sudha’s struggle. He hosts prayer meetings in her village, which is where another villager first brought Sudha to his attention.
Ramesh has faced more than his fair share of persecution, from verbal harassment from those accusing him of “corrupting” their community to vandalism of the space where he meets with believers. Nevertheless, he continues to enter the village discreetly, bringing Bibles with him to distribute to anyone interested.
One night, the pastor sought out Sudha, gave her a Bible, and told her about God's unconditional love for all His children. He continues to visit with her, explaining the Scripture and always reminding her of God’s compassion.
“When Pastor Ramesh gave me the Bible, I was afraid to even touch it, thinking it might bring more trouble,” Sudha says. “But as I read about Jesus, I saw someone who loved people like me – people everyone else rejected. I read Psalm 139, that Arjun is ‘fearfully and wonderfully made,’ and I wept. For the first time, I felt hope.”
The Gospel accounts of Jesus’ compassion for the marginalized – particularly His interactions with the sick and outcast – resonated deeply with Sudha. Sudha began to pray, asking Jesus to help her bear her burdens.
“Slowly, I began to see Arjun not as a curse, but as a gift,” she says. “Even when the village turned against me, I held [my Bible] close, knowing God was with me.”
As her neighbors scorn, shame, harass, and even throw rocks at her, Sudha continues to cling to her faith and the solace she finds in the Bible. They may tell her that she’s “angering the gods,” but now, she knows better.
*Names have been changed as a security precaution.
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Your support helps provide Bibles to believers and seekers across the Middle East and around the world, allowing God’s Word to reach people in their own languages and transform their daily lives. Send Bibles and support to your persecuted brothers and sisters today.
