Ordinary People, Transformed Lives, and a New Challenge

These stories have been featured in our recently released SIU 2025 Annual Report, and we also have a new challenge from one of our supporting foundations:

Ordinary People. Extraordinary Effect

A bank manager living in India attended a Bridges training. He wasn’t sure how he could use the tools, since he was not a pastor or church planter. He prayed and realized he had daily interaction with his bank employees. He told one Bible story each day during lunch to whoever was eating with him. Over the course of six months, 30 people came to faith and were baptized through hearing the Bible stories.

A lady who worked in the rice fields attended a Bridges training. One of the tools she learned was to create songs from Scripture stories. At first, she was not sure how God could use her. After the training, she created songs in her own cultural style from these stories. She intentionally sang these songs while working in the rice fields. Soon, all the other ladies were singing the songs along with her. They loved them! Through these Scripture songs, many women came to know Jesus and were baptized.

Living Waters

A remote village had long been marked by demonic activity, sadness, and a deep heaviness. While most local churches had deemed them unreachable, a small team of believers provided water pumps and shared Bible stories to meet their physical and spiritual needs. As the team shared Scripture stories, hearts began to open. Forty people followed Jesus and decided to be baptized—the very first believers in that village’s history.

Their decision drew intense attention. The rest of the community watched closely, wondering what would
happen to those who abandoned their traditional gods. Would they fall ill? Would misfortune strike their families? Instead, the opposite happened. These new believers thrived.

Part of the tribe’s religious practice involved wooden totems half buried in front of their homes, where they burned incense and offered sacrifices. These totems symbolized their allegiance to their local demon.

Without anyone instructing them, the new believers felt convicted to remove these totems. They dug them up and burned them in the sight of the whole village. Their neighbors watched in horror, anticipating consequences for the whole village. However, God protected them, and no harm came.

During the baptisms, many villagers who were not yet believers came to watch. One believer recited the story of the prodigal son in their heart language. Many clearly heard the gospel for the first time, and seeds were planted throughout the crowd. One man testified that as he came up out of the water, he felt a heavy weight lift from his chest—a release from years of spiritual bondage.

Now, when the team visits this village, once marked by demonic control, sadness, and a deep heaviness, they find a completely different atmosphere. People who carried visible despair now smile, and joy radiates from their faces. The transformation is undeniable.

A New Challenge for 2026

We are truly blessed to be associated with some faithful, generous foundations. One of them has just challenged us with a $30,000 matching grant for every new donor to SIU!
Historically and conservatively, each group of 20 trained leaders who receive our Bridges training has led to 60 new believers and 12 new house churches within the first year alone!
Please share/forward this opportunity with those you know who might be interested in joining our efforts to reach and engage the lost living in oral cultures. They can give here: Matching Grant Challenge 2026.

Finishing the Task

Our God is on the move! He is advancing His Kingdom among oral cultures. Thank you for being a part of finishing the task of the Great Commission that He has called us to.