Raju—whose only income came from picking through garbage to find rags and plastic to sell—trusted Jesus with his life and received training to start new churches. He became a catalyst for change in his community!
Beyond starting a church and sharing Jesus with many of the villagers, he worked tirelessly for his neighbours: procuring property deeds, getting electricity run to the village, and having the dirt road leading into the village graded and covered in gravel.
That was five years ago, and Raju said then, “If you come here in five years… the transformation will be beautiful.”
Well, today a visit to Raju’s village indeed shows God’s faithfulness to this community!
The road is pavement. With streetlights! And in place of ramshackle houses made of tarp and tin, the families in the neighbourhood have built concrete houses. When the government decided to provide a multi-family apartment building with shared facilities, Raju lobbied for single-family homes with private bathrooms.
Raju and his wife have opened a small shop to sell food and basic necessities. On Sundays, everyone comes with their Bible, and the shop becomes the neighbourhood church.
Raju remains an advocate for his neighbours, and a spiritual rock in his community. He is not just preaching the Gospel message of Jesus Christ, he is living it in his community.
Praise God for His work through Raju, and through you!