Almost 200,000,000 Muslims live in India! Even though Indians 1.4 billion inhabitants are largely Hindu, 14% of the country follow Islam.
Meanwhile, for 2.3% of the population that embrace Christianity, persecution has grown worse during the last couple of years. The countries Hindu nationalist government is exerting tremendous pressure on Christian believers and is trying to stop all evangelistic activity. Most of the individual Indian states have even passed anti-conversion laws, outlawing, or making it very difficult to change religions.
Our co-workers have reported the recent arrest of dozens of missionaries and pastors on the charge of engaging in missionary activities. Also, our teams often have to endure increasing harassment and even beatings during their evangelistic outreaches. Still, our Indian brothers and sisters are zealous and passionate about reaching Muslims in India with the Gospel, and many Muslims are coming to faith in Christ!
For some of these new converts, especially women, the decision to follow Christ can carry with it great risk and danger! To support and encourage these women, Call of Hope has focused strategies to reach, empower, and uplift, marginalized women in Muslim countries.
In India, female economic participation is among the lowest in the world. The situation for former Muslim women, now following Jesus, is even more dire.
One of our graduates sharing and reading from the front during graduation ceremonies last month.
At Call of Hope sewing schools in Pakistan and India, women are learning tailoring and alteration skills, as well as the economic basics of effectively operating a small business! Around fifty women graduate from the school each year, and most go on to start successful businesses, and many become followers of Christ!
Join Us In Prayer This Year
As we prepare for the next class of young women to come learn and grow in our tutoring centers, please join us in giving thanks to our Heavenly Father for last month's graduating class. Please also pray for:
Guidance and protection for last year's class as they go forth with their sewing machines and new skills.
Daily safety in India for our coworkers and students as anti-Christian attacks increase.
Continued good relationships between our coworkers and the families of the sewing students.
Further interest fostered in the hearts and minds of the students as they worship and study the Gospel in our centers.
Lastly, if you would like to offer a young lady a brighter future, as well as provide her a sewing machine, prayerfully consider a gift to support our efforts to empower young women, and touch their lives with the love of Jesus! They need your help today!
