(From God Reports, Godreports.com, December 31, 2024) Evangelizing is prohibited in Bhutan. Being a Christian is also illegal in the Buddhist nation. But Pastor Rajiv, who lives outside the country on a border town, has been reaching Bhutanese for Christ for over 10 years.
“Christianity is not a permitted religion,” Pastor Rajiv explained on a Voice of the Martyrs radio show. “In a way, it is illegal to be a Christian.”
The first way Rajiv reached them was through Bhutanese merchants. A landlocked Himalayan country without much manufacturing, Bhutan imports heavily.
The second way he reached them was via outreach to students who travel outside the country. His third approach was to enter the country as a tourist and, visiting different colleges and schools, consistently praying for a Bible study at each. And God answered: Bible studies have been initiated at all 15 universities.
To launch a Bible study at a certain prestigious science and technology university, Rajiv was “praying and wondering” when the fruit would appear.
He was holding a food and volleyball fellowship at his home one evening (outside Bhutan) and a first-time visitor, a freshman, enjoyed himself so much that he pledged to start a Bible study in his senior year.
It came faster than that. In his sophomore year, he was playing Christian music in his room to see if anybody would come to him identifying as a Christian. A freshman came in his room and said, “I like this music.”
“So you are a Christian?” he asked.
“Yes,” he replied.
Next the freshman gathered all his courage to kneel and pray before turning in for the night. After he prayed, to his surprise he saw the three other roommates were praying and kneeling – they too were believers.
The Bible study was born! You can read the full story here: