My name is Jivan. I grew up in a pastor’s family, but I never took God seriously until I failed in my first year of college because life was good and I always had what I needed. When I failed, I went through depression, and at that time, I committed my life to God. He showed me that I should enter ministry, so I pursued a Master of Divinity degree from Asia Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary.
I wanted to be a youth pastor, but God had different plans. In my last year of university, God called me to serve with my skills and education in another country. As I was learning about the process and training, God was preparing my heart to sacrifice all my desires like Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself for our sins. Jesus became a servant for us and came into this world. Jesus served us by making an eternal relationship with the Father possible through his own life, death, and resurrection. And therefore, I chose to sacrifice my comfort zone and become a volunteer in Manipur, India.
When I began, there were many challenges. Still, I always reminded myself that Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). I truly understood what it meant to take up the cross. Taking up the cross means giving up our desires and still rejoicing in the sufferings as Jesus Christ himself did. And I also learned that when we take our cross and surrender ourselves, we are not alone, Jesus Christ is with us in the form of the Holy Spirit, guiding us in our every step, and moreover giving us God’s peace that the world cannot give. (John 14:27).
Let us look to Jesus as He took the cross for our sins. Let us take up our cross, deny ourselves, confess our sins, repent, and follow Jesus.
– Eurasia Region Church of the Nazarene Facebook
Newsletter for November and December
Hello, dear friends and family, greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hope you all are
doing well. I am doing great here, where I have been serving as a volunteer for the past two months.
Many of you will not have an idea of the situation here, so I will briefly tell the history and current
situation.
The Violence in 2023:
In May 2023, deadly ethnic violence erupted in this area, as the two tribes clashed over the former’s
demand for tribal status and the affirmative action policies that come with it. The proximate cause
of the violence was a row over an affirmative action measure. On 3 May, the tribal communities
held protest rallies against the demand for Scheduled Tribe status, while the other community held
counter-rallies and counter-blockades. After one of these rallies, clashes broke out between groups
followed by house burning.
According to government figures, as of 22 November 2024, 258 people have been killed in the
violence, and 60,000 people have been displaced. At the start of the 2023–2024. Some mobs
burned down 200–300 churches, and prohibited pastors from rebuilding them.
The current situation is a stalemate. People from this community cannot go in the other community
and vice versa. The people displaced live in relief camps. No churches are allowed to have worship
services in these areas. The churches are burnt and abandoned, and pastors have been kicked out
of the community. Gospel sharing and conversion are also not allowed. There is always a risk of a
mob attack on Christians. Still, Christian people meet on Sundays in houses for worship services.
My Ministry
My ministry is in a Christian English school. In the school, there are around 1200 students, mostly
non-believers. I stay in the boys’ hostel where there are 70 students, some of them are Christians.
Most of the school staff and on-campus people are non-believers. And no direct gospel sharing is
advised.
I take the evening moral lessons class of the hostel children, where I share with them a bible story.
On Wednesdays, we have Bible study for on-campus Christian staff where I have shared my
testimony. On Sundays, we have a Sunday worship service in the girls’ hostel, where I have shared
a couple of times.
I am also doing volunteering in sports and music, through which I can bond with the children and
share with them the good news. I also counsel the hostel children who go through anxiety and
depression, and also give career guidance to them.
Thank you for your prayers and your support. God has been faithful and merciful to me here and
has given me good health. Last month, I had a severe cold and cough, but I have recovered now
by God’s grace.
January – March Newsletter
Hello, dear friends and family, greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hope you all are
doing well. I am doing great here, where I have been serving as a volunteer for the past five months.
The current situation here
Although there is a new government formed and the president’s rule
has been lifted, there is still no peace between the two communities. People from this community
cannot go in the other community and vice versa. The people displaced live in relief camps. No
churches are allowed to have worship services in these areas. The churches are burnt and
abandoned, and pastors have been kicked out of the community. Gospel sharing and conversion
are also not advised. There is always a risk of a mob attack on Christians. Still, Christian people
meet in houses on Sundays for worship services.
Just today, there was fresh violence in my district, and the internet has been shut down, and curfew
has been imposed. But I prayed to God to let my internet start, and God has done a big miracle that
internet has started working here.
My Ministry
My boys’ hostel and girls’ hostel ministry are going on well. The children are getting comfortable
with me and asking many questions, and I am happy to mentor and counsel them through the Word
of God. I would like to share some testimonies of non-Christian boys who told me that they believe
in Jesus Christ and they are daily praying and reading the Bible. These testimonies were also an
encouragement for me that God is working in the hearts of these children. Also, I took a Bible
study on the importance of reading the word of God, and ten boys from the hostel have asked me
for the Bibles. I would like to share some more testimonies of the boys who just gave the 10th
standard exam and went home from the hostel. Two non-believer boys shared with me that they
believe in Jesus, love Jesus, and want to know more about God, and they showed interest in having
fellowship on Sundays to learn more about God. I am planning a fellowship with the 10th standard
boys who have gone home from the hostel.
God has opened new opportunities for ministers for me. I also took Bible studies on topics like
love, marriage, sex, dating, and relationships, which the boys and girls liked a lot. They also had
many questions on these topics, which I answered from the Word of God. Now I also sometimes
teach at the school, and I have started sports coaching for the school’s extracurricular activities. I
praise God for all the work He is doing in this school.
Thank you for your prayers and your support.
Deputation link: https://give.nazarene.org/pledge/jg
His Prayer Requests
Please pray that the conflict between the two tribes, should also be resolved soon.
Pray for the Sunday school and youth meeting plans to work out in Sunday fellowships.
Pray for the school children, hostel children, and all the teachers of the school.
Pray for my health and my ministry.
Next year, I am planning to get married to my fiancé. Please pray for my marriage.
My laptop is not working properly. I need a new laptop, please pray for this need also.
