Sons and Daughters of Bangladesh [1 ed.] 9780834133556, 9780834132047

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the curtain on the many ways Bangladeshi Christians are persecuted for their faith. In these chapters, she shares the untold stories of Ban-

BUMSTEAD

In Sons and Daughters of Bangladesh, Elaine Bumstead pulls back

SO N S A N D DA U G H T E RS O F

BANGLADESH

gladeshi children who must come to their own faith as they struggle to understand why their parents willingly suffer for the sake of Christ.

es, you will find more than biographies—you will encounter the God who strengthens the weak and oppressed to become passionate champions of his kingdom.

RELIGION / Christian Ministry / Missions

SO N S A N D DA U G H T E RS O F B A N G L A D E S H

Their testimonies paint a picture of unshakable hope. In these pag-

EL AIN E B U MSTEAD

SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF

BANGLADESH

2014-15 NMI MISSION EDUCATION RESOURCES X X X

BOOKS FOR WHOSE SAKE I HAVE LOST ALL THINGS A Family’s Story of Sacrifice by Timothy R. Gaines MIRACLE The Power of Persistent Prayer by Robert and Frances Collins SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF BANGLADESH by Elaine Bumstead TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH Growing the Global Church by Richard Gammill THE UNSTOPPABLE CHURCH Stories of Persecuted Christians around the World By Spencer Baggott, Andrew Bennett, Dolphy Biswas, Timothy R. Eby, Dave and Rosie Kerr, Sylvia Potter, and Fletcher L. Tink UNDERGROUND Stories of the Persecuted Church in Africa by Howie Shute X X X

NEW ADULT MISSION EDUCATION CURRICULUM Living Mission The Unstoppable Church

SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF

BANGLADESH E L A INE B U M S T E A D

Nazarene Publishing House Kansas City, Missouri

Copyright 2014 Nazarene Publishing House © 2014 eISBN 978-0-8341-3355-6 Printed in the United States of America All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior written permission of the publisher. If you have received this publication from any source other than an online bookstore, you’ve received a pirated copy. Please contact us at the Nazarene Publishing House and notify us of the situation.

Cover Design: Jared Dunn Interior Design: Sharon Page All Scripture quotations not otherwise designated are from the Holy Bible, New International Version ® (NIV®). Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.TM Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

D E DIC AT IO N To Nathan My much-loved Bangladeshi son who calls me his “Canadian mom”

Rev. Elaine Bumstead is currently Director of International Projects for Nazarene Compassionate Ministries Canada (NCMC). She oversees the international work of NCM Canada including food, food security, and nutrition programs through Canadian Foodgrains Bank and a host of other projects. She represents NCM Canada on the Board of Directors of Canadian Foodgrains Bank and sits on the Executive Committee of CFGB. For the past twelve years Elaine has traveled extensively throughout the world to visit NCM projects and meet with Nazarene leadership and Nazarene implementing organizations in their context. Elaine is an ordained Deacon (Compassionate Ministries) in the Church of the Nazarene. She is currently enrolled in Nazarene Theological Seminary in the Master of Intercultural Studies program. Elaine has researched the rapid growth of the Church of the Nazarene in Bangladesh and has written several papers and articles on Bangladesh. Elaine is married to Dennis. They have two children (Melanie and Andrea), three grandchildren, and two step grandchildren. They live just over two hours north of Toronto and attend a small rural local Nazarene church.

CONTENTS Preface 1. Punishment! 2. God Provides 3. No Money . . . No Education . . . No Future 4. Tragedy and Homelessness 5. Who Would Hire a Christian? 6. Refugees! 7. “You Are On Our Hit List!” 8. Kidnapped! 9. “They Will Treat You This Way Because of My Name” A Call to Action Pronunciation Guide Notes

PR E FACE I had traveled many times to Bangladesh before, but this time I was combining an ethnographic research project for my studies at Nazarene Theological Seminary with the usual visits to compassionate ministry projects in Bangladesh funded by Nazarene Compassionate Ministries Canada. As part of the research project, I was to interview many leaders of the Church of the Nazarene in Bangladesh, visit churches, speak with pastors, and participate in their daily activities and meetings as much as I was allowed. As the plane flew over Bangladesh toward Dhaka, the capital city, I prayed that God would help me capture some of the essence of the Church of the Nazarene in Bangladesh. I knew that this assignment would touch my heart deeply, but I was not prepared for the heart-rending accounts of the suffering of Christian leaders and their families as they shared their stories with me. This book captures some of those stories. (Names have been changed to protect their identities.) Through their stories I also learned much about the history of the Church of the Naz-

arene in Bangladesh. Parts of that story are in this book. Most of Nathan’s story was shared with me over a number of years as we worked together on compassionate ministry projects for Bangladesh. On the trips to the north and the south of Bangladesh to visit projects and potential project sites, we shared long hours in a van with other leaders of Bangladesh Nazarene Mission, weaving in and out of traffic at a speed that turns most visitors white as a sheet. However, over the years I had become accustomed to the crazy experience on Bangladesh roads and was quite comfortable sharing life experiences, laughing, and telling stories as we jounced along. I have sat many times in Nathan’s home around the table with his family. It is a special privilege for a visitor to Bangladesh to be invited into the home for a meal, and I cherish those times with his family. I learned much about Nathan and his family as we ate curries, rice, and dal. Nathan has also sat at my table in Canada and shared food with my family, though he finds Canadian food very bland and thinks our climate is much too cold for him! Over time, after many visits back and forth, Nathan began to call me his “Canadian mom,” a phrase that I cherish. He lost his own mother when he was about eleven years old. That story is in this book. He loved his mother very much and

continues to miss her presence and counsel. Sometimes for difficult decisions, he turns to me, his “Canadian mom,” to ask my advice. I am honored. I cherish the family of God in Bangladesh—my family. As the plane touched down on the runway, I thought to myself, “I am home. This is my second home.”

ONE

PUNISHMENT! Young Nathan stood with his thin, bare legs braced apart, staring upward. His small body was only covered by a piece of cloth wrapped about his waist. The hot Bangladeshi sun bore down on his upturned face as his eyes stared directly into its rays. A small coin had been placed in the center of his forehead, balanced on the area between his eyebrows that overshadowed his dark, intense little eyes. Nathan’s legs ached from standing so long in one place, but worse still was the burning of the bright light in his eyes. His eyes welled with tears which began to run down his cheeks, along with rivulets of sweat. At first his vision was only blurred, but he quickly became blinded by the intense light. He could no longer make out light and shadow—he could only feel the radiance of the rays burning deep into his head. He desperately wanted to shift his eyes away and close them against the brilliance beating down upon him. Frantically, he longed for darkness

and shade. He ached to sit down and cover his eyes with his hands, but he dared not. He was afraid to move—afraid to displace the coin that had been placed on his forehead—afraid that if the coin fell, his teacher would beat him again. Perhaps the next punishment would be even worse than this one. He struggled to keep his balance, to keep his head tilted, to keep the coin in its place. His neck ached. Pain radiated from his short neck down into his aching back. His whole body felt stiff, and soon, it no longer felt like part of him. But he dared not move. He did not know how long he would be forced to stand there in the hot sun. It was his punishment for giving the wrong answer in class. He suspected he was being punished not only because of his mistake, but also because he was a Christian. Other children in the class were reprimanded, scolded, and sometimes beaten, but usually because they misbehaved or disobeyed. Nathan and his siblings endured much harsher punishment, and the reasons for that punishment were often unclear. Nathan was strong-willed, and his teacher was determined to break him. It seemed that no matter what Nathan did, he was punished. He had endured such treatment before. In fact, shunning, harsh words, and beatings were all he could remember since he had started attending the village school. He

hated the school and the teachers who abused him and his siblings, but this punishment was something even more horrible than before. His thin legs shook and his eyes rebelled terribly against the brightness of the sun. As he stood mesmerized by the intense light and heat, he felt the moisture being sucked from his body. His mouth became dry and parched. His eyes throbbed with pain, and he entertained the terrifying thought that he might become blind. What if he had to walk with a stick and thrust it in front of him to navigate the muddy village paths? He had seen a blind man do so once in his village. Everyone had stared at the man, and when they realized he was blind, they had scattered out of the reach of his stick as he stumbled along. The blind man had seemed so vulnerable and alone. No one offered to help him. He was handicapped, and that made him an outcast. Nathan had watched as the blind man tripped over debris along the path. What if I become blind and stumble and fall into the river? Nathan thought. What if I can no longer see to read or go to school? What hope is there for an uneducated, blind village boy? Nathan thought of the beggars he had seen along the village’s main road. Would he become a beggar, sitting in rags by the side of the road, attempting to

gain the sympathy of passersby in hopes they would throw him some coins? He winced at the thought. He was young but strong, accustomed to helping his mother with household chores. He washed their cow every day, and as he poured the water over her tall, bony back, he liked to feel the slippery, wet hide under his bare hands. He remembered the first fish he had caught in the river and proudly brought home for dinner. What if he became dependent on others for everything? What if his siblings had to lead him wherever he wanted to go? What if he never saw his mother’s face again? At the thought of his mother, a new fear and sorrow gripped his heart. He wanted to cry, but the hot sun had dehydrated him so he couldn’t even express his misery. He dearly loved his mother. When she came near, he would grab the soft cloth of her sari1 skirt and follow her wherever she went. He wished that she were here now to rescue him—that she would wipe his tears and hold him close. He wanted to look down the path that led to their house, but the teacher was watching, and he dared not look away from the sun. After what seemed like forever, Nathan heard from his place in the schoolyard that the teacher had ended the lesson. The students began to gather their papers to go home. He heard their footsteps skipping

away from the school and along the dirt paths. He longed to run after them. Suddenly, heavy footsteps came close, and he heard the teacher’s jeering laugh. “Go home, Christian!” he yelled. Startled, Nathan jerked his head down and the coin slipped onto the ground. As he sensed the teacher picking up the fallen coin, Nathan wanted to run, but he couldn’t see. He started to move, but his legs were stiff from standing so long. He took a few awkward, wooden steps, but all he could see was intense light. He wanted to get out of the teacher’s reach. He took a few more steps and ran headlong into some branches, yelping as they clawed at his face and arms. Somewhere behind him, he heard the teacher laugh again. He remembered that there were bushes near the path—if he went right or left, he might find it. He stumbled to the right and soon felt powdery dirt of the path beneath him. It was midsummer and the path was dry and dusty, loosened by the feet of those who walked it. Nathan dropped to his knees and crawled along the road as quickly as he could, using his hands to gauge the edges of the path. Once he thought he must be out of the teacher’s sight, he slumped into the shade and waited for some sign that his eyesight was returning. Gradually he made out shadows, then forms. He closed his eyes and blinked over and over.

After a time, the forms began to take shape. He was certain someone was coming toward him. He could hear the footsteps and thought he recognized the outline of his sister. Yes, it was his sister! She must have hidden along the path and waited for him. She grabbed his hand and said, “Come.” He regained his footing and clumsily followed her down the path home. Miraculously, Nathan regained his full eyesight and there was no permanent damage to his eyes. But the torturous experience was forever etched into his soul. He was frightened by the brutality of his punishment and angry at the teacher. More than that, he was angry about being punished simply because his family was Christian. He hated that his grandfather had become a Christian. That meant that Nathan’s father, and subsequently, his father’s family (including Nathan) were also Christian. In the years that followed, Nathan experienced some of the dire consequences of being labeled a Christian in Bangladesh.

T WO

GOD PROVIDES From the time he was young, Nathan, along with the rest of his family, faced severe discrimination. Nathan’s father and uncle had moved to this remote village before Nathan was born, and they were the only two Christian families in the village. The villagers didn’t like Christians. The two families were not allowed to use the village well where the water was fresh and clean. Instead, Nathan’s mother and aunt were forced to walk long distances to draw water from a pond, where the water was unclean. It carried parasites and diseases, and most of the time, Nathan, his siblings, and his cousins suffered from fever and diarrhea. With the diarrhea came stomach cramps and weakness so severe that many days they could not even walk to school. There was also hunger. On good days, when Nathan’s father and uncle were able to get work, there was food to eat, and it was rationed with the men eat-

ing first, then the boy children, the girl children, and finally the mother. Some days there was no food at all. There was no money for clothing or shoes, and usually only the adults wore clothing. The children ran naked or wrapped a single cloth around their waists, and their feet were always bare. Nathan was fifteen years old when he got his first pair of shoes. There were no toilets in the home and very little furniture. Only the parents had a crude wooden bed, which wasn’t much more than a board covered with a thin blanket. The children slept on the mud floor on woven bamboo mats. They had a few pots and pans, and rice was cooked outside over an open fire, fueled by dried cow manure or sticks. Nathan’s father was a day laborer. Every day he got up early in the morning and went to the marketplace in the center of the village, where the landowners and sharecroppers came looking for laborers. Every day the landowners employed a group of men (and sometimes women) to plant, weed, or harvest the rice crops in the nearby fields. The wages were very low—often less than a dollar for a full day’s work in the hot sun. Everyone in the village knew that Nathan’s father was a Christian, and they would protest if a Christian were chosen over others for work. Consequently, Nathan’s father had work only sporadically. Most times he was passed over, and no work meant there was no money for food.

Nathan’s cousins were also hungry most of the time. Nathan’s uncle was a tailor by trade, but village people did not want clothes made by a Christian, so they only hired him if they couldn’t get clothing elsewhere. In an effort to bring in some meager income, Nathan’s father and uncle wove baskets and tried to sell some excess vegetables, but few people would buy from Christians. Sometimes they could sell their wares if they went beyond the village to places where they were unknown, but that meant walking long distances with the produce, clothes, or baskets on their backs. Nathan’s father and uncle were strict and expected their children to obey without question. They also wanted their children to have an education. Neither of them had completed primary school, and they saw education as a way out of poverty. They prayed that at least one of their children would get a college education and be able to provide for the rest of the family. So they insisted their children attend the village school, even though they knew they would face discrimination. From the time they started school, Nathan, his siblings, and his cousins discovered that they were not allowed to play with the other children. Nathan wanted to be friends with other boys, but he quickly learned that Christians played together and non-

Christians played together; there was no mixing. When he tried to play with the others, the teacher scolded him and the parents reprimanded the teacher for allowing a Christian boy to touch their child. Nathan and his family were placed alone at the rear of the classroom, apart from the others, and were either taunted or ignored by the teacher. Sometimes they were beaten when they could not answer a question. Nathan had many questions but few, if any, answers and no real choices. He depended on his family for survival—they were all he knew. He was particularly attached to his mother, the one person who gave him unconditional love and acceptance. In the midst of being shunned by their community, the two Christian families constructed a tiny brick church on their small piece of land. It was a solid building compared to their mud huts, constructed from their tithes and offerings over a period of many months. Every Sunday the two families worshipped together. Sometimes an evangelist passing through the village would preach, but most often Nathan’s uncle shared a meditation from Scripture. From time to time, a few curious onlookers watched from the windows or open doorway. The two families would sing songs and Nathan’s mother or aunt would tell a Bible story from a flip-chart of illustrations. They would pray, asking God for protection, for healings

from illnesses, and for their daily bread, trusting that God would provide. One Saturday night, Nathan and his family had a very sparse evening meal. When they were finished, there was no rice, no bread, no chilies—nothing at all left to eat. That night, as the children settled onto their bamboo mats for the night, Nathan’s father took the clay jar in which he hid money and turned it upside down. Nathan watched as only two small coins fell into his father’s calloused hand. “This is for the offering tomorrow,” his father murmured. Nathan knew that meant there would be no food for tomorrow—and maybe none for the next day. Tomorrow was Sunday, and Christians didn’t work on Sundays. Christians didn’t even catch fish on Sundays. What would they do? Nathan was afraid of the hunger he’d experience tomorrow. Was there really a God who cared enough to answer a poor man’s prayer for food? He was skeptical. He fell asleep wishing he could sleep all night and all day so he wouldn’t feel the hunger pains in his belly. His family slept longer than usual the next morning because with no food, there was no reason to get up. Eventually they roused and trudged down the path that led to their little church. It was dark and damp in the cramped building. Nathan shivered. Dull light glowed in the two tiny windows. There

were no Bibles, hymnals, or even storybooks. The family sang the few Christian songs they knew by heart as they passed a small cloth sack for the offering. Nathan’s heart sank as he watched his father place the two coins in the sack. He looked at his sister and brothers, but they only stared downward. He glanced at his mother. She seemed to be at peace. What was she thinking? It was time to pray. Nathan’s father thanked God for all his blessings, especially the gift of his son Jesus. Then he prayed that God would supply their daily bread. Nathan did not hear the Bible story that day. His empty stomach already hurt, and he thought about how he might find a raw coconut or green jackfruit growing in one of the trees along the path to the village. He tried to recall whether he had seen any fruit on those trees, but he couldn’t remember—maybe it was too early in the season. Then he wondered if he could sneak away while his parents were taking their Sunday afternoon nap and search the village paths—maybe someone would drop some half-eaten or spoiled food there. Nathan grew restless. He wanted to begin his search. Soon the service ended. The two families left the dark church and stepped outside into the bright sunlight to see a well-dressed man walking up the

winding path that ran by the church. He must be very wealthy to have such nice clothes, Nathan thought. The stranger approached Nathan’s father and began speaking to him. Nathan hung onto the skirt of his mother’s sari and leaned closer to hear what the man was saying. Then he saw the man hold out a handful of bills. His father and the man discussed work, and before walking away, the man placed several of the bills into his father’s outstretched hand. Nathan’s father turned back to his family with an awestruck expression. “Praise God,” he whispered. “He has answered our prayers. I have been paid for work in advance.” He counted the money and exclaimed, “There is enough for food for several weeks!” Nathan’s heart skipped a beat. God did hear the prayers of a poor man! But then Nathan’s heart dropped when he remembered that Christians do not go to shops on Sundays. Although there might be food for tomorrow, there would be none today. He still needed to search for food. Hunger pains tore at Nathan’s belly as he and his family reached their tiny mud hut. His mother was the first to disappear into the dark interior. Seconds later, Nathan heard her exclaim, “Someone has brought us food!” Nathan ran into the house to see a container of rice, some beans, and chilies. It was enough food for

the day. God had provided not only for tomorrow, but also for today! Nathan and his siblings cheered, and his mother rushed to prepare the meal. As Nathan impatiently waited for the rice to become soft enough to eat, he tucked one thought into his memory: when a poor man gives what he has to God and trusts God to provide for his daily needs, God provides for today, as well as for tomorrow.

T H R EE

N O M O N E Y. . . N O E D U C AT IO N . . . NO FUTURE As the years passed, Nathan did not forget the way God had provided food for his family. But he soon found it would not be the only instance of God’s provision to leave a lasting impression on him. Though the monthly fees at the village school were minimal, they were beyond the means of many poor families. Nathan’s parents were among those who struggled to pay the school fees for their children. Toward the end of the Nathan’s sixth-grade term, the teacher announced that all children in the sixth grade would be required to write the government exam. “Only those who have paid all the school fees to date will be allowed to sit the exam,” said the teacher. “If you pass the exam, you are allowed to proceed to higher education. Those who do not pass the exam or

who have not paid all their school fees will be forced to drop out of school.” Nathan’s heart skipped a beat. He knew that his parents had not been able to pay last month. The fee was four taka1 (about six cents), but his parents could not even afford that amount. Nathan dashed home after school, rushed into the house, and pulled at his mother’s sari skirt. “Mother, I need four taka for my school fees,” he said frantically. “I’m not allowed to write the government exam until all my school fees are paid. Please tell father he must pay the four taka.” Worry furrowed his mother’s face. “We’ll do our best, son,” she said quietly, “but I don’t know where we will get the money. Your father has not had regular work lately. The time of the rice harvest has not yet come. We have very little food and no money.” Nathan’s heart sank. How he hated being poor! How could he ever be anything but a day laborer like his father if he couldn’t get a higher education? He trudged out of the house and wandered aimlessly. It isn’t fair, he thought. It’s because we are Christians that we are so poor. That evening, Nathan didn’t feel like eating. Instead, he lay on a bamboo mat in the corner of the house crying softly. He did not participate in the family devotions. .

Later, as darkness fell, Nathan began to despair. He feared for his future. In the stillness, he could hear his parents’ low voices discussing the school fees. He heard his mother quietly asking for the money and his father’s angry voice protesting, “I don’t have any work. We don’t have four taka!” Nathan didn’t sleep much that night. As he lay awake, he dreaded telling his teacher that he had no money. The other students would bring their sharpened pencils and impatiently wait for the exam papers. He felt sick at the thought of bearing their whispers and the teacher’s jeers. He didn’t even want to acknowledge the possibility that it might be his final day at school. Nathan mulled over the possibilities for his future. If he was kicked out of school, he might have to drive a bicycle rickshaw or work in the fields like his father. He desperately wanted an education, even if he was taunted and abused in class. He needed to get a good job and earn enough money to ensure that he would never be poor! The next day, many parents came to the school to pay the school fees. Their children skipped alongside them and smiled confidently as the parents gave the money to the teacher. After the parents had left and the class was settled, the teacher scanned the list of names. He read out Nathan’s name and looked up inquiringly.

“When are your parents coming to pay the fees?” he asked. “You will not write the exam unless the fees are paid.” Nathan shrugged and looked down at his feet, burning with anger and shame. The teacher went on with the lesson, but Nathan couldn’t concentrate. Tomorrow was the exam. What would he do? His stomach churned. That night his father insisted he join the family for devotions. Nathan listened as his father prayed for work and for money for the school fees. Nathan prayed desperately too. As he remembered other times when his father had prayed and God had provided, he wondered if God would care about a little boy’s prayer for four taka. When Nathan entered the classroom the next day, all the children were buzzing with anticipation. They sat with sharpened pencils, nervously chattering about how much they had studied. A few glanced with pity at Nathan as he went to his usual place at the back of the class, apart from the others. He saw the pile of white examination papers on the teacher’s desk and waited as the teacher quieted the class. Then the teacher began distributing the papers. Nathan was surprised. He had expected the teacher to ask him again for the school fees then send him home before the exam. He watched as the teacher laid several pages facedown in front of each child,

one by one. Soon he came to Nathan, and to Nathan’s astonishment, the teacher laid pages in front of him as well. The teacher, noticing his hesitation, said flatly, “Someone paid your exam fee.” Nathan let out a long breath as questions flooded his mind. Who could have paid the fee? Who would help a Christian boy? He was astounded, but there was no time to waste. The teacher returned to the front of the class and told the class to begin the exam. Papers rustled as the students turned over the exam and began to write. Nathan quickly scanned the questions, wishing he had spent more time studying and less time worrying. One by one, he answered each question as best he could. When he was finished, he waited nervously for the teacher to mark his paper. He passed the exam! Some time later, Nathan learned that a teacher of a different faith had paid the school fees. The teacher had heard that Nathan’s parents did not have the four taka the school required, and since he knew that Nathan was a clever boy, he took pity on him. When he learned what had happened, Nathan knew that God had miraculously provided for him, as it was very unusual for a teacher of another faith to help a Christian student. God had seen his need and had used a teacher to answer his prayers! X X X

In Bangladesh, children of Christian families are often denied higher education, and they usually drop out of school early. Often it is because the families are poor and unable to afford school fees. Sometimes it is because the children grow ill from malnourishment. Sometimes it is because teachers and other students make life unbearable for children of minority groups. But the kindness of the teacher who paid his fees made all the difference for Nathan. He was able to continue his studies. Though he was not at the top of his class, he was usually in the top ten, and when he went on to high school, he was able to graduate. As Nathan watched his life unfold, he began to realize that God had a plan for him—and that plan required a good education.

FO U R

T R AG E DY A N D HOMELESSNESS When Nathan was a junior in high school, war broke out between West Pakistan (now Pakistan) and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). As the conflict escalated, all the foreign Christian leaders left Bangladesh. Worse still, every capable young Bengali man volunteered to join the freedom fighters. Christians were no exception. The Bangladeshi church felt abandoned. The freedom fighters were independence activists—a liberation army. West Pakistan insisted that all of East and West Pakistan speak their language— Urdu. East Pakistan spoke Bengali, and the Bengali people did not want to give up their language. So young men and boys joined the freedom fighters, battling for the independence of East Pakistan and for the right to speak their mother tongue.

Nathan’s older brother was in his final year of college when the war broke out. His parents had high hopes for their eldest son—that he would graduate, find employment in the city, and earn a good income to support the education of his younger siblings. Such was the duty of eldest son in the Bengali culture. In a Christian family, it was especially crucial for the oldest son to do well. Christians in Bangladesh are a microscopic minority group, relegated to the fringes of society, and they have few opportunities to improve their economic status. The day Nathan’s older brother left home to join the freedom fighters, his mother cried and begged him not to go. He was not trained to fight, and she feared he would be killed in combat. Every day, news came to the village that the freedom fighters were being slain by the hundreds, that Bengali women and girls were being raped, and that the Pakistani army was looting as they advanced. Then word came that many civilians were fleeing their homes and crossing the border into India as refugees. Nathan’s parents considered leaving, but they were too poor to pay for transportation. It was many, many miles to walk to the border of India. And if they left, how would their son find them when he returned from the army? One day a man came running up the path to the family’s thatched hut. Nathan’s father had already gone

into the village looking for work, so when she heard the rapid footsteps, Nathan’s mother stopped what she was doing and went out to meet the man. When he finally reached her, the messenger said between gasps the words she most dreaded: “I am very sorry, Madam. Your son has been killed in the fighting.” She crumpled to the ground and let out an anguished cry that seemed to come from the depths of her being. Then her cry changed as she screamed in pain. Her face grew pale and she clutched her chest, gasping for air. Terrified, Nathan clung to his mother, yelling her name and crying. Within minutes, her body was limp and she was no longer breathing. Nathan tried to rouse his mother, but to no avail. The hard years of malnutrition had left her body weak and wasted. Her heart had been too weak to endure the shock. Nathan felt abandoned. How could he face life without his mother? What would become of him and his siblings? Often single fathers abandoned their children and left them to fend for themselves on the village streets. Such children were considered orphans and survived only by begging. But Nathan’s father was a Christian, and he considered his children gifts from God. Though he didn’t know how he would manage his family without a wife, he would not abandon them.

The war only lasted nine months, but in that short time, more than three million Bengalis were killed—both freedom fighters and civilians. Dark and difficult days followed for Nathan’s family as his father tried to look after the four children on his own. Nathan was now the eldest son, and many new responsibilities fell on his shoulders. He had followed his mother everywhere and learned from her, so he began to take his mother’s place as best he could. He did some of the household chores and cared for the younger siblings while his brother worked in the fields with their father. Three years after his mother died, Nathan’s father remarried. Nathan’s new stepmother already had two children of her own and resented having to care for four more. She knew that there was little money and that the small income would need to be stretched even further than before, so she favored her own daughters and made life difficult for Nathan and his siblings. When Nathan graduated from high school, it became his duty as the eldest son to leave his parents’ house, find work, and send money back to the family. On his final day of school, Nathan packed a bag with a few articles of clothing and fifty taka (about sixty cents) and said goodbye to his siblings. Though Nathan was glad to be leaving home and his stern step-

mother, he dearly loved his siblings and was reluctant to leave them behind. Nathan had never traveled outside his village before. When he arrived in the city, he was frightened and began to feel pangs of homesickness. On his first night there, he curled up on a park bench with his small bag of belongings tucked under him. Before he could fall sleep, a policeman chased him away and told him to sleep in the railway station. Nathan found the station and looked for a place on the dirty platform. Once he found a spot that had been abandoned by passengers, he settled on the hard boards with his little bag under his head. He slept fitfully through the night as trains and people came and went. When it became light, he jerked awake confusedly. Slowly, he remembered leaving home and being dropped off in this strange city. He rose stiffly to his feet and looked for his bag, but it was gone! In vain he searched the platform. It must have been stolen while he was sleeping. Nathan reached into his pocket and felt a few coins. When he pulled them out and counted them, there was only enough for a piece of roti.1 How would he survive? He went to a small shop across the street and counted out his coins in exchange for a piece of roti. Nathan tried to eat, but the dry bread stuck in his throat. Shyly he asked the man if he could have a drink. He explained that his money had been stolen

during the night. The man looked at him sympathetically and poured him a cup of juice. For several days Nathan wandered the city with constant hunger and thirst. After a time he found a Baptist church and asked the pastor for help, but the pastor already had a full house; there was no room for him. But the pastor took pity on Nathan and let him sleep in the church stairwell. Through the pastor, Nathan connected with a Christian mission that took him in and offered him work in a library. Over time, the organization also helped him enroll in evening college courses. For several years, Nathan worked for the mission compound’s library during the day, traveling to villages, organizing Bible reading groups, and visiting the groups weekly to discuss with them what they had read. In the evenings he attended college. He worked hard and always sent part of his earnings back home to his family. Despite his efforts, Nathan soon found that he was failing his English class. He had never learned it in his impoverished village school, and now he found himself floundering behind the other students. Without English, he could not graduate. One day when he failed a test, the English teacher took him aside and slapped him. Nathan was startled. With a lump in his throat, he told the teach-

er about his childhood, his life of poverty, and how he was now working all day to pay for his education. The teacher listened sympathetically, then said, “If you come to my house early in the morning before work, I will teach you English.” Nathan was determined to graduate, so every morning he got up at four o’clock and went to the professor’s house for his English lessons at five o’clock. The professor did not charge Nathan for the lessons. At the end of the term, Nathan was able to pass the English course and graduate from college. God had provided yet again.

FIVE

WHO WOU LD HIR E A CHRISTIAN? After he graduated from college, Nathan began taking evening extension courses from a theological college and was offered work as a church planter. They gave him a book about the gospel and sent him on a motorbike. His assignment was to go from village to village and home to home to tell people about Christ and disciple those who chose to become Christians. Nathan soon found that he had a way of engaging people and setting them at ease so that they listened to his descriptions of Jesus. He became a successful evangelist and church planter. During this time, however, he also became very disillusioned with the hypocritical lifestyles of the pastors he worked with. One day, after seeing some particularly offensive behavior from a fellow pastor, Nathan grew very upset. He didn’t want to be associated with the pastor,

but he didn’t know what to do. He began to ask God to give him another ministry. As he prayed, he began to gain a vision for the future. He had known poverty all his life; he would help the poor and share Jesus with them. He imagined integrating compassionate ministry with evangelism. He would do both! As he continued to pray, he believed that God was leading him to do social work. He told his friends that he was quitting his job to become a social worker. His fellow pastors thought he was crazy—he was already earning a living as a successful church planter. And who would hire a Christian social worker? Nathan had no idea how he would become a social worker, but he learned that a few of the nongovernment organizations (NGOs) in Bangladesh sometimes hired Christians. He applied to several different NGOs, writing down parts of his life history, detailing his education and experience, and knocking on the doors of their offices. But he didn’t get any interviews. Nathan was challenged to wait and trust God with his dream. In the meantime, one of his best friends became ill and was hospitalized. One day, while Nathan was visiting his friend in the hospital, a young nurse caught his eye. She was very kind and efficient, with a shy, engaging smile and a sense of humor. Nathan began to joke with her and learned that her name was

Rina. He visited the friend for several days in hopes of also speaking to Rina, and he soon learned that she came from a Seventh-Day Adventist family. Since Christians are a small minority group in Bangladesh, it is very difficult for Christian young people to find suitable mates. Many marriages were still arranged by parents, and Christian marriages were no exception. Nathan liked Rina and wondered if his family would approve. He decided to learn more about her, and in time, they visited each other’s families. Rina’s family liked Nathan, but there was one problem: he was unemployed. Rina’s mother was concerned for her daughter’s well-being and opposed the marriage. Though it was unusual for a family to allow their daughter to marry an unemployed man, Rina’s father saw potential in Nathan and encouraged his daughter to marry him. Like a good Bangladeshi wife, Rina’s mother gave her consent, though reluctantly, and Nathan and Rina were married. After their marriage, Rina, who had trained as a nurse, was able to find work in a hospital. However, she earned a low salary; women are typically paid much less than men in Bangladesh. All the while, Nathan continued to pray. He wanted to be a good husband to Rina, and he hated that he couldn’t provide for her. He continued to visit the offices of various NGOs, holding fast to the belief

that God had called him to do social work among the poor. As he searched for a job, Nathan took any work he could find, but most days he came back emptyhanded. As a child he had seen how the Lord provided in difficult situations, and those experiences had taught him to trust God. But it still wasn’t easy. Unless one has Christian contacts, friends, or family members within an organization, it is very difficult for a Christian to find meaningful employment in Bangladesh. Government jobs offer the highest salaries and benefits, but those jobs are usually denied to Christians and other minority groups. There are no laws against discrimination and no incentives to hire those who are considered “undesirables,” so employers favor candidates from the majority group. Nathan and Rina struggled to pay the rent on their small apartment and most days had only one meal. Slowly, Rina’s parents became aware of their dire situation and Rina’s mother offered them food, but Rina refused. She did not want her husband to be ashamed because he could not provide for her. One day, Rina’s father came to visit, and after the visit, Nathan and Rina found some money on the table. The money helped them through this difficult period. After several months, Nathan received a call for an interview from one of the NGOs. As he nervously sat across from his interviewer, Nathan knew he did not have the qualifications for a position as a social

worker. Instead, the NGO offered him a job cleaning the classrooms of schools in the slums of Dhaka. Every day, Nathan prepared the classrooms for the teachers and the children by sweeping the floors, picking up garbage, and cleaning the blackboards. As he worked, he was moved by the needs of the children and identified with their poverty. Nathan didn’t realize it, but through this simple job, God was working on his heart and preparing him for a ministry beyond his wildest dreams—a ministry that would eventually bring help and hope to thousands of impoverished children. Nathan’s hard work, keen mind, and way of engaging people caught the attention of the senior management where he worked, so when an opportunity for a promotion arose, they gave it to him. In a short time, Nathan worked his way up from cleaning classrooms to a top management position, where he worked directly under Vanu, a tall, serious man who was also a Christian. Soon Vanu and Nathan became close friends. When they were first married, Nathan and Rina decided to attend a small Baptist church in Dhaka because they felt that they could be of help the struggling congregation. There were larger Christian churches closer to the apartment, but they felt led to help the smaller church, though they had to walk almost two miles1 one way to reach it. Many of Na-

than’s friends saw his commitment to ministry and teased him by calling him “pastor.” Though Nathan was not a pastor,2 it was obvious to others that God had called and gifted Nathan for pastoral ministry. He loved working with children and youth and led the youth ministry at the local church. During that time, Nathan and Rina were blessed with a baby boy. Nathan’s sister helped with the household chores along with caring for the baby. After a time, a husband was chosen for her—a Christian pastor.

SI X

REFUGEES! Ramon pastored a small but growing church and strongly believed in telling the story of Jesus to anyone who would listen. Every day he went into nearby villages to talk to people, and one day, while going door to door, he met a lovely young woman named Jharna. He discovered that she and her family were Christians, and when he learned where she lived, he traveled to visit her family. It was time for Jharna to marry, and her family members were looking for a husband for her. They approved of Ramon, so the marriage was arranged. A bride in Bangladesh usually moves into the household of her husband’s family, but if the couple is fortunate enough to have their own home, they might live close by. After their wedding, Ramon and Jharna moved into their new home in the same village as Ramon’s parents, where Ramon pastored his small church.

The couple immediately faced opposition, but Ramon was familiar with suffering. After he graduated from a Christian college with a degree in theology, he was employed as an evangelist at a time when religious minority groups were under attack in Bangladesh. Churches and temples were vandalized and burned. Christians and other religious minorities were assaulted and their properties destroyed. Christian women and girls were sometimes kidnapped and raped. The police turned a blind eye to these incidents because minority groups were considered second-class citizens. One day, when Ramon was sitting in his office preparing a sermon, he heard a commotion in the churchyard. Looking out the door, he could see that a group of angry men had gathered, and they were carrying clubs. When the men spotted Ramon, they yelled his name and ran toward him. Ramon tried to run away from the church, but two of the men caught him and held him down while the others began beating him with clubs. Ramon struggled and cried out. A crowd had gathered, but no one intervened to help him. The clubs came down on his body again and again until finally, Ramon lost consciousness. His attackers flung him into the dirt, went into the church, and used their clubs to smash everything in sight. One of them spotted the open

Bible and tore out the pages. The pages scattered across the floor and blew across the churchyard. No one attempted to stop them. When they were satisfied with the damage they had done, the men left the building and yelled threats at the crowd, which quickly dispersed. Ramon soon regained consciousness and awoke to unbearable pain. He wondered if any bones were broken. Slowly, he stretched out his limbs. He looked down and saw that his clothing was torn and bloody. He was rapidly losing blood from his many wounds. Fortunately, another Christian pastor had heard of the attack and gathered a group of Christians. After running to the church as quickly as they could, the group hired a bicycle cart to transport Ramon to an urgent care clinic several kilometers away. Ramon was fortunate. He had suffered no broken bones—only bruises and wounds. During his weeklong stay in the clinic, his Christian friends informed the local police of the incident, but the police just shrugged. No officer visited Ramon at the clinic to question him, and no attempt was made to find his assailants. Ramon was angry that his enemies could beat him so mercilessly without consequence, and he decided to join an organization that works for the rights of religious minority groups in Bangladesh. But joining the organization only brought more trouble for

Ramon. Time and time again while he was preaching, thugs disrupted the service, and sometimes they threw homemade cocktail bombs into the middle of the crowd. Once people stopped coming to the meetings, the thugs turned their attention to harassing Ramon. As Ramon walked from house to house visiting Christian families, his enemies often found him and threw stones and bricks at him. Once, when he was returning from the market, they waited for him at the church. Again they beat him mercilessly, and again he was hospitalized. It was into this environment that Ramon brought his new wife. Despite the persecution, the church was growing and Ramon looked forward to having Jharna by his side in ministry. As the couple began working together, they were delighted to learn that twenty-five new believers who had been meeting together to study the Scriptures were asking to be baptized. In Bangladesh, public baptism, as the outward testimony of conversion to Christianity, brings with it immediate marginalization and persecution. The date, time, and location of the baptism were kept secret so that word would not spread to those who sought to disrupt it. On the day of baptism, the new believers were lowered into the river and baptized one by one. Ramon was pleased that in spite of the hardship they

would most certainly endure, these new Christians had chosen to be baptized publically. But he also knew that word of the baptism would quickly spread and incite trouble. The next day, as he walked through his village, a Christian brother came running toward him, frantically whispering, “You must hide. You are not safe here.” He told Ramon that there were posters throughout the village with his photo on them. Ramon soon learned that a hostile group had begun spreading the rumor that Christians were bribing people of other faiths to convert. The group had then printed posters declaring that Ramon was an enemy and that he was wanted dead or alive. Ramon feared for the safety of his family. He and Jharna had just learned that she was pregnant with their first child. Ramon didn’t want them to be harmed, so he took Jharna to stay with relatives in a distant village. In the meantime, Ramon lived alone in a church office in another village. One day, after returning from a long day’s work leading Bible studies and encouraging fellow Christians, Ramon rounded the corner of the block where the church office was located to find that a mob had gathered outside the building. His heart jumped, and he quickly slipped into the shadows. They were waiting for him to return. As Ramon watched them, he remembered the brutality of the former beatings.

This time, he was sure that they would not spare his life. Ramon wept. It isn’t fair! he thought angrily. He was obeying God’s call to preach the gospel and had remained faithful to that calling even when it brought him suffering. But he could not allow Jharna or their unborn child to endure this. He was certain that if the mob could not find him, they would start looking for Jharna. He had to go to her immediately. Ramon traveled throughout the night to find Jharna in the distant village. When he found her, he told her about the mob, and together they wept, prayed, and discussed their options. With broken hearts, they decided that they had to leave Bangladesh. Ramon loved to preach, he loved his people, and in his heart, he wanted to serve God in Bangladesh. But it was no longer safe for him to do so. The process of leaving Bangladesh is very tedious and difficult for Bangladeshi nationals. Ramon and Jharna stayed at one relative’s house, and then at another’s for several months. They did not appear in public as they assembled the documents and saved the money they needed to leave the country. At last, the day came when the papers were in order and they were able to go. With heavy hearts, they packed up their suitcases and went to the airport. Jharna wept incessantly. She did not want to leave her family, and she feared for their safety—es-

pecially for the safety of her brother, who was a pastor. She was afraid that they all would be harmed when their enemies discovered that Ramon had left the country. As the plane lifted from the ground, Ramon and Jharna prayed for the protection of the family members they left behind in Bangladesh.

S E V EN

“ YO U A R E O N OUR HIT LIST!” In 1990, two leaders from the Church of the Nazarene came to Bangladesh after receiving a letter from a Christian layperson who worked as a chief residential administrator for an international NGO in Dhaka. The layperson’s grandfather had been a great Nazarene pastor and evangelist in Samoa who loved his church and prayed that the Church of the Nazarene would come to Bangladesh. As the layperson met Christians through his work, he told them about the Church of the Nazarene, but most were not interested. They didn’t understand why they would want to be part of a church that was foreign to Bangladesh. But the man persisted. He became friends with Vanu, Nathan’s immediate supervisor. One of Vanu’s close relatives became interested in what the man said about the church, and when he learned more,

Vanu’s relative decided he wanted to help start a new work in Bangladesh. As the layperson continued talking with others, he assembled a group of people who wanted to know more about the Church of the Nazarene. Together, they wrote a letter to the Eurasia regional office asking the church to send leaders to Bangladesh to meet with them. They prayed, but for a long time there was no response. They later learned that somehow, the letter they sent to the regional office had been misplaced. It remained in a file for many months before someone discovered it and gave it to Dr. Franklin Cook, whose grandparents had served as visiting church leaders in Bangladesh before the war of liberation. Dr. Franklin Cook and Dr. Steve Webber responded to the letter and arranged to meet with the Bangladeshi group. The original plan was for Drs. Cook and Webber to meet with the group of Christians, then send in a foreign family to begin the work of the Church of the Nazarene in Bangladesh. As time went on, several other Nazarene leaders visited Bangladesh, and Vanu and Nathan continued corresponding with the Church of the Nazarene. Ultimately, however, the leadership of the Church of the Nazarene decided to do something entirely new: employ a national (Bangladeshi) to begin the work. The church leaders who visited Bangladesh had observed Nathan over a couple of years and

noted his leadership gifts and pastoral heart. After much prayer, they decided to ask Nathan to be the founding leader of the Church of the Nazarene in Bangladesh. The leaders arranged to meet with Nathan and Vanu in a hotel in Dhaka. When they met, Cook told them of the church’s proposal. But Nathan adamantly refused the offer. He left the meeting very upset. As a child, Nathan had seen several Christian denominations become established in Bangladesh. He had also seen the denominational leaders leave the country when the war of liberation was declared. He felt that those outside organizations had abandoned the Bangladeshi Christians in their time of greatest need, and he was not convinced that this new organization would be any different. That evening Vanu and his wife invited Nathan to dinner, and Vanu implored him to consider the new opportunity. “If you become the leader, I will be your righthand man,” Vanu promised. “I’ll stand by you.” Eventually, with Vanu’s encouragement, Nathan agreed to consider the offer. But first, he demanded to know the doctrines of the Church of the Nazarene. He received recordings of sermons by Rev. Stephen Manley and a book on the church’s beliefs. As Nathan pored over the resources, he was very moved by the church’s doctrine of holiness. He es-

pecially appreciated the belief in a lifestyle of holiness—a belief he felt was missing among the pastors he had worked with in previous years. Nathan embraced holiness, and God gave him a desire to be part of the new work in Bangladesh. But Rina was not so easily persuaded. By this time, Nathan a senior manager at a company in Dhaka and was earning a good salary. He was able to provide well for his own family, as well as his extended family; they all depended on him. Rina, from her pragmatic perspective, feared that they would experience hunger and poverty again. She didn’t know much about the foreign denomination, but she was skeptical about starting over again and depending on an organization unknown in Bangladesh. Like Nathan, she had seen various Christian denominations and their leaders come and go. She also knew that her family would be skeptical. They would gossip about how her husband had abandoned a good job to start something new and unknown. And they would not be happy with the decreased support. As Rina wrestled with the decision, Nathan waited and prayed that she would join him in the new ministry. After much thought and prayer, Rina finally agreed that though the path ahead was uncertain and the risks were significant, God had called them to be obedient to his voice. With that, Nathan

and Rina became the first members of the Church of the Nazarene in Bangladesh, and Nathan became the leader of the denomination’s work in the country. Soon after their decision, the threats began. Nathan began receiving calls at work. The voices on the other end of the line told him that there was a hit list of Christians who would be murdered, and that his name was on the list. Nathan changed his phone number, but the phone calls soon resumed. The threats often grew more intense with the baptism of new believers. Nathan and Vanu went from village to village talking to people about Jesus and starting Bible studies. Over time, some would decide to follow Christ and ask to be baptized. Once when Nathan was about to baptize a new believer, he received a threatening phone call from the man’s brother. “If you proceed with the baptism, I will be hiding in the bushes with a poisoned arrow aimed at your heart,” the brother told Nathan. “And I will kill you.” Nathan and Vanu prayed and asked God to protect them. They knew they could not back down. The next day, Nathan waded into the river, where a group of Christians had gathered on the bank and were singing Christian songs. The new believer walked out to join Nathan.

God, please protect me, Nathan prayed. He glanced toward the bushes on the riverbank, but he didn’t see anyone. Slowly, Nathan lowered the man into the water. “I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” he proclaimed. As the man rose from the water, the Christians on the riverbank cheered and sang. Later, a number of others were also baptized. All the while, Nathan felt peace and was unafraid. Somehow God had protected him that day. In fact, God used the baptism to make a lasting impression on the brother of the man who had been baptized. A short time later, Nathan’s persecutor surrendered his life to Christ. X X X

Once, a cyclone struck southern Bangladesh and destroyed roads, trees, homes, and livelihoods. Cyclones and flooding were very common in Bangladesh. To meet the needs created by such disasters, Nathan and some colleagues formed a humanitarian organization called Bangladesh Nazarene Mission, which was involved in many compassionate ministries in Bangladesh, including disaster response. The organization grew as donors learned of the work they were doing, and Nathan worked hard to secure funding for the organization’s many services to the poor.

When the cyclone struck, Bangladesh Nazarene Mission responded to the disaster victims with food and water purification tablets. The relief effort lasted several weeks and impacted several thousand cyclone-affected families. After a time, Nathan and two visitors from the United States decided to visit the area to see the relief efforts. They took a flight with Mission Aviation from Dhaka to the south of Bangladesh. Though their flight started normally enough, the weather quickly deteriorated as they flew. The sky grew dark and threatening as the little seaplane approached the river where the pilot had planned to land. As the rain began to pound and the thunder claps became louder, the pilot became very nervous. “When I land, you will only have a few minutes to disembark the plane before I take off again,” he told Nathan. “I can see a boat waiting for you. You should go to the shore as quickly as you can. The waves are getting high.” The plane splashed down onto the water and came to an abrupt halt. Nathan threw the door open, and he and the two Americans jumped out on the pontoons to the waiting boat. Once ashore, they looked for shelter and saw a nearby school. They ducked into the doorway of the school to get out of the driving wind and rain. As they huddled together, Nathan noticed that the school was still full

of students. Peering into a classroom, he could see the teacher holding knife and using it to point at various parts of a sketch of a man that had been drawn on the blackboard. At first, Nathan was puzzled. But as listened, he realized that the teacher was explaining how to use a knife to kill a man quickly. Fear gripped Nathan’s heart. This was not good; they might be in grave danger. Since the Americans didn’t know the language, they didn’t understand what was happening. Nathan didn’t want to frighten them, so he prayed silently. After a time, more people joined them in the doorway. Nathan calmly began to talk with them, asking about the recent cyclone. He learned that some of the disaster victims had received food from various agencies. He asked them who had helped them and which organizations had done the best work. “Bangladesh Nazarene Mission stayed and provided food for six weeks,” they told him. “The other organizations only brought a little food once and then left. Bangladesh Nazarene Mission did the best job.” Nathan smiled at them and said, “I am the director of Bangladesh Nazarene Mission.” The people thanked Nathan over and over for the food, and when the rain stopped, they offered him and his friends transportation to the nearest church.

God has a plan for his church, including the church in Bangladesh. He protects his people in miraculous ways!

EIG H T

KIDNAPPED! In Bangladesh, being a leader of a minority group, especially a minority group that has ties to the West, brings danger not only to the leaders, but also to their families. When Western Christian leaders visited Bangladesh, they were viewed as extremely wealthy because they had resources the average Bangladeshi did not have. They were able to travel internationally, pay for their children’s education, and give money for hospitals, schools, churches, and disaster response. There seemed to be no end to the funds. Since it was widely believed that anyone with ties to a Western country had access to such funds, the leaders’ enemies supposed that an easy way to get some of the money was to kidnap a child, particularly the eldest son. The son was held for ransom, and when the ransom money was dropped, sometimes the child was released unharmed. Often, however,

the child was abused and traumatized before being released to the parents. Sometimes the ransom was paid, but the child was never returned. X X X

One of the new Nazarene church leaders had a son named Arif. When young Arif began attending school, he found that because he was a Christian, no one wanted to be his friend—the other children avoided him as though he were cursed. Arif was very lonely, and he walked alone to school every day. One day before Arif went to school, his father told him, “Our country’s situation is bad right now. You must be careful going to and from school and never walk alone. We will arrange a ride for you to go to school. You must wait at the school until someone picks you up.” Arif did as he was told. Then one night, a call came to the house late in the evening when Arif’s father was out of the country. Arif answered the phone. The man on the other end of the line said that he was the father of Jack, one of the boys in Arif’s class. He told Arif to meet him at a nearby candy shop the next day after school, and he promised to give Arif some candy. Arif didn’t tell anyone about the phone call. Maybe Jack would be his friend—and he liked candy. He couldn’t wait to go to the candy shop.

After school, Arif found the shop. As he approached, a man came toward him. “Jack is here too,” the man told him. “Come to our house.” He took Arif by the shoulder and led him behind the shop to a house. Jack wasn’t there, but the man asked him to sit down. Then he began asking questions about Arif’s father. Where was he? Why did he travel out of the country so regularly? Arif tried to answer the questions. After a while the man took him back to the shop, bought him some candy, and told him to go home. When Arif told his mother what had happened, she became afraid. She wouldn’t let Arif go to school until her husband returned. When he did, Arif’s father was also very concerned, but he decided that he couldn’t keep his son from going to school. Arif needed an education. A short time later, Arif’s father received a call in the middle of the night. At the breakfast table the next morning, Arif’s father told him that a man had called threatening to kidnap Arif if he did not deliver fifty thousand taka to a particular location. Arif started to cry. “We will have to move,” his father said regretfully. “We’re not safe here.” They moved to another neighborhood and changed their phone numbers. For a while, there

were no threatening calls. Arif began to feel safer, and one day, he asked his mother if he could go to a nearby playground and play cricket. Without thinking much about it, she gave him permission. As Arif walked home from the cricket game, he was stopped by a group of unfamiliar men. “Your mother has sent us to take you home,” they told him. Arif stood there uncertainly for a moment. Suddenly, the men grabbed him, forced him into a baby taxi,1 and put a sack over his head so he couldn’t see. Arif felt like he was suffocating. He began to cry as the taxi bumped along the road. He couldn’t tell where they were going, but it seemed like they traveled for hours. Eventually his captors pulled him from the taxi and took him into an unfamiliar house. There the men began to hit Arif, asking him endless questions about his father and why his father left the country regularly. Arif was terrified. He couldn’t answer their questions. They struck him again and again, and the more they hit him, the more Arif cried. Finally they stopped hitting him and left him sitting alone in a corner while they spoke together in low voices. After a moment, one of the men thrust a cell phone into his hand and ordered him to call home. When Arif heard his mother’s voice, he again burst into tears. He couldn’t speak.

One of the men grabbed the phone from Arif and said to his mother, “If you want your son alive, bring fifty thousand taka to us.” He described a meeting place. The sum was enormous—far beyond what Arif’s parents could gather on short notice. They cried and prayed that God would help them. They contacted relatives and friends and liquidated some of their assets. Just in time, they were able to gather the ransom money. The kidnappers returned Arif to them, and they praised God for his safe return. However, Arif was psychologically traumatized and continued to have vivid dreams of the kidnapping. He was afraid to leave the house. As the threats against Arif continued, his parents changed their location again and again and bought new phones. For a few weeks, there were no threatening phone calls, but after a time, the calls started again. Arif began to miss a lot of school. He got sick to his stomach from fear and dropped far behind in his classwork. His parents didn’t know what to do. Finally, they decided that the only way for their son to get an education was to send him to relatives in another country. They took him to India to live with relatives there. In India, Arif missed his family. The city was strange, and just as in Bangladesh, the children at

school didn’t want to be his friends once they learned that he was a Christian. Arif continued to have nightmares. Again and again he was sick and missed school. Soon he was sent back to his parents in Bangladesh. With no other options, his parents decided to arrange to send Arif even further away to another country where another relative lived. It was a costly trip, and Arif’s parents saved their money by doing without things they needed. Eventually they gathered the documents and money for the trip and put Arif on a plane. Once he arrived in the foreign country, Arif was granted refugee status. Today, he continues to live and study abroad. X X X

In Bangladesh, it is not only the children of church leaders who are threatened; there are also threats against children in general. Every day children are kidnapped as they walk to and from school. Some are taken while running errands for their parents. Sometimes strangers approach the child or the impoverished parents with money or other bribery, promising the child a good education or a good job. The gullible, poorly-educated parents often believe the promises of a better life for their child. They know that their children have few options and will

likely end up in the same state of poverty, so they grasp at any hope of providing their children with a better future. Children who have likely never been away from home before are then taken from their parents and smuggled into larger cities in India and other nearby countries. There, they are forced into prostitution or used as beggars and made to earn money for their master in exchange for food and shelter. Beggars are often physically mutilated to prey upon the sympathies of the passersby who tend to give to those they perceive to be the most needy. The life of such children is horrible beyond description. They are often given drugs so they become dependent on their owners for the next fix. Their lives are usually very short. Disease and abuse wreck their minds, bodies, and spirits, and they die alone. Nathan was well aware of these dangers, and he protected his children as best he could. He also had a passion for other vulnerable children; he knew what it was like to be born into a poor family and live from day to day not knowing if there would be enough food. But Nathan also remembered that during his times of greatest need, God had provided. He and his family had hope because of their faith in God. Nathan yearns for all Bangladeshi children to have that same hope. Along with planting churches, he now works with his fellow church leaders to

establish Child Development Centers (CDCs) in churches across the country. The CDCs offer education and health checkups for children, as well as skills training and income-generating activities for parents. In this way, Nathan and his colleagues seek to break the cycle of poverty and protect vulnerable, impoverished children from those who would prey on them. The desire to give hope in the name of Jesus is what sustains Nathan and other Bangladeshi leaders in the midst of threats against their own families.

NINE

“ TH EY W I L L TR E AT YO U T H I S W AY B E C A U S E O F MY NAME” “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name.” —John 15:18-21a

Christian leaders and their families endure many forms of suffering. Sometimes that suffering is inflicted by strangers, sometimes by their neighbors, and other times, by their own family members. X X X

Rashed and his family lived in a tribe in a remote area of Bangladesh. One day, a foreign leader from a Christian church came to the village. Many of the villagers had never seen a person with white skin before. Curious, they gathered around the stranger. The church leader came again and again to the village and became friends with some of the villagers, particularly the children. After a while, he started teaching the children stories from the Bible. Rashed was among the group of children who gathered to hear the leader’s stories. Several of the mothers, including Rashed’s mother, also gathered outside the perimeter of the circle to listen to the white man. After some time, Rashed’s mother decided to become a Christian. When a few others became Christians also, some of the village elders grew angry. They opposed this white man who was making converts, and they drove him out of the village, along with all those who had become Christians. Rashed had lost his father when he was just a baby, and Rashed’s mother was very poor. Driven from their village along with other Christians, Rashed and his mother wandered the countryside begging for food. Every day Rashed’s mother prayed that God would provide bread for them, that God would speak to Rashed, and that Rashed would become a Christian.

Rashed and his mother walked from village to village and found a little to eat here and there. Finally they arrived at the home of a relative who gave them a place to sleep in the corner of his mud hut. He told Rashed’s mother that she must work in the fields to pay for their food. Though the work was difficult, Rashed’s mother was happy to have food for her son. She continued to pray daily that Rashed would become a Christian. Rashed, however, did not want to become a Christian. He saw how Christians were treated, and he did not want to live in fear. He wanted a home of his own and a good job. He wanted many things that his mother did not have. But Rashed still loved and respected his mother, and he often heard her praying for him. And after several years, God answered her prayer. One day, when he was sixteen, Rashed heard his mother pray for him once again, and at that moment, he decided to become a Christian. With the help of some Christians in the village, Rashed finished his education and was accepted to seminary. At seminary, he discovered the purpose of his life—God was calling him to become a pastor. Rashed answered the call, and today, he pastors a village church and works with other pastors to plant new churches. X X X

Arman was born into a Christian family. Though he had known about Christ from childhood, he was not happy being labeled a “Christian.” He refused to join in family devotions. As his resentment grew, he began making fun of his family and joined with other village boys in making trouble for Christians. One day, one of his friends appeared with a gun and said he could get more. Soon Arman’s entire group of friends was armed. They began using the guns to get things they wanted. First they pulled the gun on an elderly man and took all his food. Then they became bolder and began to rob shops in the village. They enjoyed wielding power over people. One day, as the young men were robbing a shop, the police arrived and arrested them. The officers put handcuffs on the young men and transported them in a van to a dark building with heavy doors and bars. Arman was frightened; he had never been arrested before. As Arman sat alone in the damp, dark cell, he began to feel ashamed. No one knew he was there. He thought of his parents and he was even more ashamed. God, he prayed, if you save me from this, I will follow you. When Arman was released a few days later, he remembered his promise to God. He returned home and told his parents that he would stay away from his

old friends. With their help, he managed to find work distributing books for the Bible Society. Every day he went door to door encouraging people to take the books and read them. But Arman sometimes grew tired of delivering books. When people discovered the books were Christian, they mocked him. His friends also pursued him. “Forget about the books,” they told him. “Come with us and have a good time.” When Arman grew tired of distributing books, he hid away in his parents’ house and read them. As he read, he learned more and more about Jesus. One day, he was particularly moved by what he read and decided to become a follower of Jesus. As soon as Arman became a Christian, he wanted to be baptized. His parents were delighted. Arman was filled with joy about his new faith and wanted to share it with others; however, his parents’ church did not believe in evangelism. Arman was frustrated, but he prayed that God would give him opportunities to share the gospel. Soon afterward, Arman heard of a group of young men who went to surrounding villages showing a film about Jesus. Arman found the young men, and they told him that they were compelled by the Great Commission to make disciples. As they spoke, Arman knew in his heart that he wanted to join in their work.

For ten months, Arman followed the group of men from village to village. He lived with them as they sought shelter in the homes of believers and shared their stories with him. Every morning they studied the Bible together, prayed for each other, and prayed for the people they would meet that day. For Arman, the life of continual fellowship and dependence on God was a turning point. He resolved to devote his life to sharing the story of Jesus. One day, as he and his friends were showing the film in a local village, a group of men emerged from the darkness. They shook their sticks and clubs at Arman and his friends and threatened to beat them. Frightened, the young men stopped the film. The crowd of people who had been watching protested, “We want to see the end of the story!” But when they saw the men with clubs, they scattered. Arman felt his knees, shaking as the men advanced toward the film equipment and turned it over. As the equipment tumbled to the ground, they raised their sticks and clubs and came toward Arman and his friends. They began to pray fervently for protection. Suddenly, a village leader arrived with some of the people who had been watching the film. They ran into the middle of the conflict and stood between the young men and their assailants.

“Stop!” the village leader shouted. “Go home. These are good people. They have done nothing wrong.” The village leader had authority, so the men reluctantly lowered their weapons. The people crowded around Arman and his friends to protect them as the men backed into the darkness. But the attackers continued to utter threats. “You will not leave this village tonight,” they shouted. “We will follow you.” The village leader and his people knew it would be unsafe for Arman and his friends to leave the village that night, so they took Arman and his friends to their own homes and gave them a place to sleep. The villagers had observed the young men since they started coming to the village; they knew that the Christians were kind and had given help to some of the needy in the village. The villagers had listened as the men shared the gospel. They had been moved by what they had already seen and heard, and they wanted to learn more, so they did not want the young men to be harmed. Though the villagers were not Christians, God used the village leader and his people to protect Arman and his friends. Arman didn’t sleep that night. Instead, he and his friends prayed all night long. “Lord, you can do anything,” they prayed. “Please protect us. Please help us to continue sharing your gospel.”

When light finally came, the young men prayed with the families that had protected them. The villagers walked with Arman and his friends until they were a safe distance from the village. As Arman and his friends continued to pray for the people who had protected them, they knew that there were people in the village who wanted to learn more about Jesus. The more they prayed, the more Arman and his friends felt that they could not abandon those people. Three days later, they decided to return to the village. As they approached, the villagers ran to meet them. “Please show the film again,” they begged. “We want to know the whole story.” Miraculously, over the next few weeks, Arman and his friends were able to show the film several times and talk with those who wanted to know more about Jesus. Forty-two people became Christians, and a church is now thriving in the village. Today, as he reflects on their experiences there, Arman says, “From this I know that God can do anything. Nothing is impossible with him.” X X X

Sujan grew up in a village where no one cared for others. He felt that no one cared for him either.

What sort of society is this that no one cares? Sujan asked himself. In 2002, Sujan met a pastor who came to his village. As Sujan observed him, he noticed that the pastor was different from others—he truly seemed to care for people. The pastor returned to the village again and again, and each time he came, Sujan went to meet him. Over time, the two became good friends and the pastor told Sujan about Jesus. Sujan listened intently as the pastor told story after story about Jesus helping and healing people. When he learned of Jesus’ great love, Sujan decided that he wanted to follow him. When Sujan went home and told his family that he wanted to be baptized, his father’s face grew red with anger. “If you insist on becoming a Christian, you are no longer welcome in our home,” he shouted. Sujan was upset and pleaded with his father, but to no avail. Sujan now had a difficult decision to make. Would he be loyal to his family, or to his new God? All his life he had longed to feel valued and cared for, and in Jesus he had found both purpose and love. He would not give it up! When Sujan told his family of his decision, they rejected him. His father threw him out of the home and forbade him to return. His brothers mocked him and spit on him. Everyone in the community turned

their backs on him as well. There was nowhere in the village that he was safe. Since he had no food and nowhere to sleep, Sujan found the pastor and asked him for help. He was able to stay in the pastor’s home for a time. All the while, his family continued to ostracize him. Every day, Sujan prayed that God would speak to his family and that they would become Christians. He yearned for them to know the love and compassion of Jesus. One day, Sujan learned that his father had died and that his brothers had inherited the home. He also learned that his brothers did not want to care for their elderly mother, who could no longer work. Sujan immediately returned to his village and found his mother. Though she was ill and very weak, she was happy to see Sujan. As soon as Sujan’s mother saw him, she embraced him and begged him to help her. With the help of the pastor and the church, Sujan was able to get his mother to a doctor and buy her the medicine she needed. Gradually, her health improved, and as she recovered, Sujan told her about Jesus and how he loved and cared for people. When the truth of the gospel touched her wounded heart, Sujan’s mother decided to become a Christian. Together Sujan and his mother returned to the family home and talked with Sujan’s brothers. At first the brothers were hostile and resistant, but

over time, God softened their hearts and they listened. Eventually, they too decided to follow Jesus. Through prayer and faith, Sujan’s family has been reunited and is now serving Christ!

A CALL TO ACTION Christian families in every context suffer some form of marginalization, discrimination, or even persecution for bearing the name of Christ. In some contexts, the suffering is slight. In places like Bangladesh, it is more severe. In other places, Christians are often imprisoned or killed for their faith. Statistics show that more Christians have been persecuted in the last century than in all the previous centuries combined. As the church, we need to be aware of our suffering brothers and sisters. We need to hear their stories and let them know that they are not alone in their suffering. So what can we do? 1. We can pray. Pray for those who suffer, particularly for those who live in countries where suffering is a daily reality. Pray for those who are imprisoned and for those who risk their lives daily to share the gospel. Throughout the year, keep abreast of incidents of persecution in church news. Bring these incidents to the attention of your local church and remind them to pray specifically for those who are being persecuted.

2. We can become educated about persecution around the world. We can access this information through our church missions department, Web sites, and various publications. There are also organizations whose sole purpose is to address the marginalization and persecution of Christians around the world. 3. We can educate others and create awareness. We can share what we have learned with our churches, and we can tell the stories in our missions meetings and worship services. Real stories put faces to the suffering and enable us to identify with persecuted believers. 4. International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church is the first Sunday in November. Make sure that your church recognizes this day and joins in prayer for those who suffer. 5. Listen to the stories of those who suffer. When missionaries or other church leaders visit your church, ask to hear their stories. On short-term mission trips, ask the local church leaders, pastors, and Christians you work with to share their experiences. 6. Support church leaders and pastors by providing for their families. Many pastors are bivocational, yet pastors and their families are expected to provide for many needy people in their churches and communities. These

demands on their resources often put pastors in situations where they cannot provide for their own families. For example, in Bangladesh, if you provide goats, cows, or chickens to a pastor’s family, it gives them both food and income. 7. Provide scholarships for the children of persecuted Christians. In countries that are hostile to Christianity, education (especially higher education) may be nearly unattainable for Christian children. 8. Support programs that supply Bibles, books, and evangelistic tools to pastors and other Christian workers.

PR O N U N CI AT IO N GUIDE Chapter One Sari

SHAR-ee

Chapter Three Taka

TAH-kah

Chapter Four Urdu Roti

ur-DOO ro-TEE

Chapter Five Rina Vanu

REE-nah VAH-noo

Chapter Six Ramon Jharna

RAH-mun YAR-nah

Chapter Eight Arif

AR-eef

Chapter Nine Rashed Arman Sujan

RAH-shed AR-mun SHOO-gun

NOTES Chapter 1 1. A sari is a long piece of cloth that women in Bangladesh wrap around themselves to make a dress.

Chapter 3 1. Bangladeshi currency.

Chapter 4 1. A flat bread typically eaten for breakfast.

Chapter 5 1. Between two and three kilometers. 2. Nathan was not a full time pastor of a church. He worked primarily with youth.

Chapter 8 1. A baby taxi is a three-wheeled cycle which is partially closed in with a metal back, a roof, and a seat behind the driver.