“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” – John 15:8
In 2019, God graciously provided two opportunities for the disciples in India to send out mission teams. One of them was to the city of Gangtok in the state (province) of Sikkim. A picturesque state, Sikkim is known for adventurous treks and holiday destinations. A part of Eastern Himalayas, it is notable for its biodiversity, including alpine and subtropical climates, as well as being host to Kangchenjunga, the highest peak in India, and third highest on Earth. Gangtok is the capital of Sikkim.
This is the story of how God used the mission members to build and nurture his family in Gangtok.
The missionteam arrived in Gangtok in September 2019. Since then God has been workingpowerfully to draw many towards him. The work in Sikkim was already in progressprior to the team’s arrival.
Kiran Lama livedin Gangtok along with his family. He became a disciple about 20 years agoin Kolkata, but later had to leave the fellowship to settle down in Sikkim, hishome state. He and his wife Lucky Lama studied the Bible and were restored tothe fellowship of our churches, even before the mission team arrived. They bothbegan reaching out to families in their neighborhood. Therefore when themission team arrived, people were eager and ready to study God’s word. Three ofthem made the decision and were added into the kingdom on 5th October 2019. Oneof the three was Jennia Lama, Kiran and Lucky’s daughter, who is a campusstudent.
The nextmonth the Gangtok church saw three more souls being saved by the Lord.
After many months of struggle and doubts, Ujjal, a postgraduate student of political science, decided to put his faith in Jesus as brothers of the mission teamhelped him through his journey. He was followed by Rita and Tipat, who were metthrough a friend of the team.
Lakocheringwas met on the famous Mahatma Gandhi Road by brothers and he made Jesus hisLord. Nawamit Lepcha and her husband were invited with a church invitation card, and she came to the team seeking help for a friend whom she believed was”demon-possessed.” Soon Nawamit Lepcha began to study the Bible andgot baptized. She believed that God had answered her prayer to be part of afamily where she could belong. Recently, Lakchung, Lakochering’s youngerbrother studied the Bible and got baptized.
These victories in Gangtok have built the faith of the mission team tremendously. The School of Mission trainees, who are part of this team, have been working hard along with the other disciples on the team, using what they have learned in SoM to support and serve. Everyone has been studying the Bible with many people in the last four months and together they have seen 12 souls brought to their family.
The church in Gangtok is also hospitable, loving and adventurous. They love hanging out with each other, cooking meals together, and going on nature hikes. The team consists of disciples from many parts of India and Nepal. God had also brought people to their fellowship through social media, as people surfed online for churches to attend on Sundays.
Please continue to support you brothers and sisters from all over the world through prayer!