We live in the middle of one of the greatest harvests in the world. There are so many people who still haven’t yet heard the gospel, and we must reach them. Part of our strategy for reaching the lost masses here in India involves establishing regional bases from which we can focus on the unique people groups located in each region. As you may know, India is a nation of nations and each region of India has a variety of different ethnic groups; each with their own languages and cultural identities. Because of these vast differences, it is essential that we establish epicenters from which we can effectively reach out to each region.
We’ve been laboring to this end in Sikkim, India, where a strong local base has been established. A lot of work still remains, but we thank God for all the progress we have made over the years. As our Sikkim base becomes stronger and more established, we’re seeking the Lord for His leading for the next area to establish a base in. According to the Lord’s leading we believe it’s time for us to once again launch out into the deep.
Our next step is located about 4 hours away from our Sikkim base in the city of Siliguri, West Bengal. This is a strategic area, and a city we frequent often as it is the gateway of Sikkim to the rest of India.
I was recently in Siliguri making preparations for a large citywide outreach we’re hosting later this month, and during my recent visit I looked at some land where we could potentially set up a new Embassy of Hope campus. The ministry we’re partnering with for the outreach also has a desire to help us plant a new work in Siliguri; for that they’ve raised $10,000. While $10,000 will help us tremendously, the need is much greater. Ideally we would like to purchase enough land to accommodate not only a church building, but also a children’s home, a bible school, as well as a future academic school.
The price range for land in the area we’re targeting is about $4.00 – $12.00 per square foot depending on the exact location. The amount of land we’d like to purchase is a local measurement called 1 bigha, which equals 14,400 sq. ft. So, for the land alone, we’re looking at a minimum cost of $57,600 which we could probably negotiate down to closer to $50,000.
Here is some property we looked at. The small white structure you see in the left corner is a Rajbankshi temple. The Rajbankshi are an unreached people group of West Bengal whom we will be reaching out to from our new base.
We ask you to please pray for the launch of this new base. We are standing in faith for the $50,000 needed for the land, and we would like to put the $10,000 we already have right into constructing a building for the church.
This is a huge step toward further establishing the Kingdom of God in India. We are full of anticipation for what the Lord is going to do in the weeks and months ahead. Jesus is Lord in India!
If you’d like more information about this project, or if you sense the Lord leading you to help us, please let us know.
With Love,
Mike Van Buskirk