D. Kumar's Story
Praise God for the power of the cross of Christ to change lives and eternal destinies.
One life profoundly changed by the cross of Christ was that of D. Kumar, who presently studies at India Bible College & Seminary for his Master of Divinity degree. Originally, he was born and grew up in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a tropical archipelago in the Bay of Bengal, geographically closer to Thailand than to India, but culturally and linguistically Indian.
D. Kumar was born into a fisherman’s family with one brother and one sister. His family were all idol-worshipping Hindus, but the year before D. Kumar was born, his parents heard the gospel from an Indian missionary family who lived in their neighborhood. His parents committed their lives to Christ, and from that point, the family changed dramatically.
When he was 12 years old in seventh grade, he saw the well-known Passion of the Christ, directed by Mel Gibson. The film made a profound impression upon his young mind, convicting him of sin, moving him to follow Jesus Christ. Immediately, he began to join with the Indian missionaries to tell others of Jesus. The missionaries impressed him for their dedication in saving perishing lives for Christ’s eternal kingdom.
A former Hindu, his mother became a strong prayer warrior and prayed faithfully for each of her three children to follow Jesus. With these strong influences, D. Kumar committed himself in 11th grade to serve his Lord Jesus for the rest of
his life.
In time, D. Kumar came in contact with a graduate of India Bible College & Seminary who had his own ministry. Through this IBC graduate, he applied to IBC, but it was not without difficulty. He and his family lived simple lives with few financial resources. But he sensed the Lord had called him to ministry, and by faith, he sent in his application. He was accepted, and God faithfully supplied all his financial needs.
After graduation in 2019, he will return to his beloved Andaman and Nicobar Islands where almost 70% of the 420,000 people are still Hindus and need to hear the gospel.
Like D. Kumar, many men and women at IGO training centers come for training with strong calls for gospel ministry but little in the way of financial resources. They come on faith that He who calls them will faithfully supply their needs.
You can help to supply the financial need for one or more students through IGO’s sponsorship program. For $50-$110/month, you can help support a student committed to preaching the cross of Christ and planting churches where there are no churches at all.
Pray that all IGO students will receive the financial support they need to become the next generation of India’s Christian leaders. Pray about your own involvement.
