Reaching Hearts in Veiled Cities

Global Mission pioneer Pradeep Singh and his wife, Angeleena, faced a seemingly overwhelming challenge when they moved into a city in southern Asia where only 0.74 percent of the people are Christian.

“We heard about this difficult-to-reach area three years ago,” Pradeep said. “There was no Adventist work here. No members, no church building, and no one to share the three angels’ messages. We felt God calling us to work in this mission field.”

Pradeep and Angeleena knew it would be difficult to reach people who seemed to have no interest in Jesus, especially in an area where it is forbidden to preach or teach about Him openly. But they trusted God to help them find creative ways to reach hearts.

The first thing they did in their new ministry was to go door to door to meet their neighbors and ask them about their concerns and needs. The couple quickly realized that poverty and poor health were huge problems. Many families were struggling to provide for their children’s basic needs, and they couldn’t afford to send them to the government schools, which are expensive. As a consequence, dozens of children wandered the streets with nothing to do.

Pradeep and Angeleena made helping these children a priority. They turned their home into an Urban Center of Influence (UCI) and started a literacy program that provides free basic education to any who want to learn. They provide the students with food and clothing and hold Vacation Bible School (VBS) programs, which enable them to share Bible stories with both the children and their parents.

“We ask the children to have their parents help them draw some of the Bible characters that they’ve learned about in VBS, such as David and Goliath,” Pradeep said. “Afterward, the parents come and ask us, ‘So, who is this good man named David and the tall, bad guy?’ They’re eager to hear the Bible, and we invite them to join our Bible classes held throughout the week. Many have accepted and attend regularly.”

Many who attend these Bible classes have shared what they’ve learned with relatives and neighbors and invited them to join the classes as well. Some people travel long distances to ask Pradeep and Angeleena to tell them about the Sabbath and the three angels’ messages.

Angeleena is a nurse, and in addition to helping Pradeep at the UCI, she treats a multitude of health problems. She invites her female patients to join her women’s group, in which she shares principles for healthful living, childcare, and building strong family relationships. The women sing and pray together and offer each other encouragement.

“I tell them that if at any time they are struggling with problems or a need, to call me,” Angeleena said. “As a nurse and the wife of a Global Mission pioneer, it’s my duty to care for people both physically and spiritually.”

Through their various ministries, Pradeep and Angeleena have been able to raise up a group of believers. Some 100 people now worship together at the UCI each Sabbath and share their newfound faith with others. “We’re multiplying ourselves,” Pradeep said. “We’re making disciples, and they have started their own new groups of believers.”

In addition to leading the Bible classes and the church plant, Pradeep sends out hundreds of social media messages each day. “I have a great burden for Total Member Involvement,” he said. “People I’ve never touched on the ground, I can touch through the internet. I can mingle with them while they’re traveling on a plane or lying in a hospital and create online communities. Some of them come to the center and sit and talk with us. They’ll show us the video they watched and want to take a photo with us. Then we invite them to join in our Bible discussions.”

Initially, Pradeep and Angeleena experienced a lot of rejection when they tried to reach out to people in their community. But slowly, as they followed Christ’s method of outreach, people have opened their hearts to them. “When people see these positive things happening in their community, they appreciate the Adventist work and want to join us. Through engaging in service, we’ve entered unreached areas and people have come to Christ.” Please pray for Pradeep and Angeleena, their UCI, and the ministries they engage in to share the love of Jesus. And please continue to support the ministry of Global Mission pioneers, who are sharing God’s end-time message all around the world.

Global Mission pioneers are sharing the gospel and God’s end-time message in many countries around the world. Please help them reach the 66 percent of the world’s population who haven’t had the opportunity to experience Jesus.

Ways to Give

ONLINE

Make a secure donation quickly at Global-Mission.org/giving.

PHONE

Call 800-648-5824

MAIL

In the United States:

Global Mission, General Conference

12501 Old Columbia Pike

Silver Spring, MD 20904-6601

In Canada:

GlobalMission

SDA Church in Canada

1148 King Street East

Oshawa, ON L1H 1H8

Please remember us in your will and trusts. Visit Global-Mission.org/PlannedGiving or call 800.648.5824.