"By day, I worked as a florist. By night, I was a rickshaw puller in a large mega-city in India. I worked hard to provide for my wife and five children.
Then one day, my life as I knew it came to a haunting end. As I looked down at my arm, I noticed the white spots. After this discovery, it was only a matter of days before I was banned from my town and from my family because of my leprosy—condemned to spend the rest of my life as a part of a community of ‘outcasts.’
Although I considered my life hopeless for many years, an unexpected visitor who came to our leper community brought a message that has changed my life forever. Mary [an East-West short term mission trip participant] came to visit my small village one day with several others who had come all the way from the United States. I could not believe they had come from so far just to visit our community of ‘outcasts.’
Mary captured our attention as she shared the story of a man named Jesus. She explained that this man could forgive me of my sins and make me new.
I gave my life to Jesus that day, and now I have hope and a reason to live! Leprosy has stolen my humanity . . . but in heaven, I will be made new.”
– Babar, a leper and follower of Jesus in India
Babar is just one example of how lives are transformed when the Body of Christ goes into the world to share his love.
The leadership of East-West has always been passionate about mobilizing the Body of Christ to be a part of God’s work around the world. In recognition of the strategic importance of engaging the entire Body of Christ in worldwide ministry, mobilization is now a unique strategy focus within East-West’s mission statement.
East-West will engage the Church to penetrate darkness with the gospel through long-term missions, church partnerships, short-term mission trips, and daily prayer.
Read more about our strategies and goals to mobilize the Body of Christ over the next 5 years.