MISSION
UPDATES

February 2025

Dear prayer partners,

 

Please accept my apologies for not keeping up the updates for Shalom Native Mission and the work we are doing.  My family and I were busy in relocating to the greater Chicago, IL area for a good part of last year.  The first part of the year was busy with keeping up with issues in Manipur due to the ongoing ethnic conflict, repairing and restoring buildings on the property purchased in 2023 for Shalom Academy in spite of the conflict,  and continuing to oversee needs for our faithful pastors and gospel workers, many of whom were displaced.  As you can see, a lot has gone on this past year.  Below, let me give you a better look and review.

2024 began with picking up the pieces resulting from the ethnic conflicts, primarily Meitei Hindus attacking the tribal Kuki Christians, resulting in 46,000 displaced people, over 200 deaths, and 350+ churches burned and destroyed.  The conflict also affected commerce and travel restrictions, which resulted in the transporting of any goods into Manipur substantially increasing in price.  The ongoing conflict affected the ministry of our native pastors not being able to travel to reach unbelieving Hindus with the gospel, though the work among the Kuki and Nepali continued.  Resulting from the conflict, anti-Christian sentiment spread across the state as well as into the neighboring state of Assam, where many of the displaced ended up going. Side note— Assam, recently adopted an anti-conversion law due to the influx of Christian refugees from Manipur.  Pray for those who fled to Assam for refuge and are now targets. Furthermore, the State Government of Manipur issued travel restrictions, primarily on Americans but other foreigners were included too, hindering SNM board members from traveling to Manipur to encourage and monitor first hand what is happening on the ground as they had previously done.

Some bright spots in the ministry has to do with Shalom Academy.  In spite of the many trials, conflict, and hardship, the desire of the students to do well in school greatly   increased. The State Board Exams for Classes X and XII are important for entering into college level learning, attaining government or private company employment, or entering the military.  Both classes scored 100% passing, with a final tally of 60% finishing in the 1st division, and 40% in the 2nd division.  We praise God for this outcome and appreciate the dedication of our teachers who are paid the minimum, expecting the maximum, and all without complaint.  We appreciate the many who remember to pray for our students and teachers of Shalom Academy.  Many of the successes observed are the results of the faithful and dedicated prayers given on their behalf by you our faithful supporters. 

In spite of the conflict and disrupted school year, the thought was that Shalom would lose students, but that didn’t happen. Instead, there was a surge in the student number, so much so that there was a need for a dormitory for class X and XII in order to prepare for the State Board Exams.  This created a huge problem as finances were not available for building the two dormitories that were needed, one for the boys, the other for the girls. But God did not leave us without resources but provided through the giving of our faithful supporters.  We were able to raise $20,000 for the repair of some buildings and the building of a new combined dining /study hall. God also provided by some of the former refugees that were skilled in building, who provided the work and labor for substantially less than previously used companies for building projects at Shalom, as a way to express their appreciation for all Shalom had done for them in their time of need. 

When 2023 finished, Shalom Academy was being used as a refugee center, with many of the refugees camped on the new property that had been purchased that summer.  As 2024 commenced and school needing to be reinstated, many of the refugees were moved to other sites and villages.  However, there was much work to be done in order to make the new property ready for students and several refugee families were kept to help oversee the property and the building/repairing process. 

 

Reports from our Pastors and Gospel Workers

There are 16 pastors and evangelists that SNM is supporting on a bi-monthly basis. Of the sixteen, two are working the border towns between Myanmar (Burma) and India.  They have congregations in both countries. Because of insurgency and conflict, their meetings have been affected.  They are meeting whenever there are peaceful moments. The witness on the streets and market places continues though the response is indifference from the people. Ten pastors are still in Manipur, having regular services in the hill areas, but in Imphal, Manipur’s capitol, services are not held in church buildings, but in different houses. Many who work among the Kuki in Manipur experience uncertainty due to conflict eruptions which can happen without notice or warning.   

Our three Meitei pastors are careful in their presentation of the gospel to the unsaved Meitei’s, but God is protecting them and their flocks. Their church buildings were burned, and they were forced to sign letters stating that they would not rebuild their buildings.  Even in the houses where they meet, they are careful not to attract attention. The numbers are not big, but people are coming to the Lord through their personal witness in these difficult times. 

There are four pastors working among the Nepali Hindus, both in Nepal and India at this time. Their testimony and witness is praise worthy.  In December two men and one woman were saved from Hindu backgrounds. Also, two persons in the Khani Church were reconciled/restored to fellowship with the Lord and the church.  The  members are rejoicing and praising God for His enabling and sustaining grace in day to day life. 

Two people are working in Siliguri, India, among the Nepali and displaced Kuki people who have moved there. Both congregations are growing and in need of church buildings.  

In spite of the problems and trials, we can praise God that our pastors are giving out the Gospel to the people who need it. The trials of our pastors are two-fold:  1) opposition and conflict; 2) economic problems resulting from the conflict.  No longer able to travel freely to get the things they need, access bank accounts, stores, etc. and the rising costs of basic necessities (tripled to pre-conflict prices), especially in the hill areas, all these compound the problems our pastors are facing. 

After allowing the killing and destruction to continue for two years, the government of India is now ready to talk with the affected people--both Kuki and Meitei. In all fairness, we hope this will bring a fruitful and meaningful resolution that stops the killing and returns the area to peace and normalcy. Please pray for the leadership to be honest in bringing a solution. 

On the home front

As mentioned at the beginning of this letter, our family moved to Cary, IL, a small town 45 minutes west of Chicago (please make a note of our new address below). The move was a good one and our new Church, Quentin Road Baptist Church, a larger one from we are use to. Very active and alive Church and the people are involved. We came here after two years of sensing the Lord moving us elsewhere, the picture became clear after Chong and I made a trip to Arkansas, where we believed the Lord was moving us. While there, though we found two great churches that our family would fit into, we felt as if something still wasn’t right. Once home we asked the kids to join us in praying God to show us His will and where we needed to be.  Our family of four, which seldom agrees on anything (except rice for most meals!), all were in agreement to move to the Chicago area, an area we knew had several different ministry opportunities, and gets us closer to Rhoda’s family. 

After several months of God working in amazing ways (our house painted for free while meeting a need in India at the same time is just one example), we sold our house of 13 years, packed up, cleaned up, and drove cross country with the help of some faithful friends. That journey took place while much of the mid-section of the US was under blizzard conditions (I-80) forcing us to use I-90 for our travels, leaving WA January 3 and arriving in Cary, IL January 6.  We’re still adjusting to the brutal wind chills and 15-20˚ temperature swings every couple of days. Kamlen keeps mischieviously asking, “Remind me again why we moved here?” But God is faithful and good always to us.  About a week after moving here, we met a Burmese pastor from Rockford, IL.  We knew of a good sized Burmese group in Chicago, but not of the one in Rockford.  Cary is right between the two.  Our new home has a large back yard and backs up to a really nice community park--perfect for hosting one or both of these groups. We also are hoping to work with the 50+ international students at Dayspring Bible College, part of Quentin Road Baptist Church in Lake Zurich, IL, about 25 minutes away.  God has us where we need to be and we are grateful for His leading, His provision, and amazing protection (during our trip here) as we settle in.  We know that He will continue to meet needs both for us and for the ministry of SNM and the work in India. To God be the glory! 

Both Kamlen and Kimhoili, both 21, made the move with us.  Pray as Kamlen finds work, and for Kimhoili’s health to continue being stable as she finishes up her schooling which lagged due to her health these last 3-4 years. You can also pray for Chong’s health as he was sick the first two weeks we lived here, and his overall health took a hit.  He’s well now, but his stability and balance has not returned as we would like it to be. We no longer have the scenic beauty of the Pacific Northwest to attract, but if you are ever in the area, let us know--we’d love to see you. God is at work, here, in India, and wherever you our faithful prayer warriors and friends are. He never slumbers or sleeps, but patiently waits for us to seek Him.  May we do so each and every day, for His glory. 

On behalf of our faithful and weary workers in India, Burma, and Nepal,

Chong Singsit and family

 

PS Please pray for Pastor Jamthang as his health has not been good these last few months. He’s stable for now, but like  Chong, has lingering effects, while the work continues. He recently baptized six new young believers and disciple them along with a large widows group. 

 

 

 

 

 

July 2024

Shalom Native Mission, Inc. PO Box 1851 Cordova, TN 38018 Chong Singsit 10508 NE 41st ST Vancouver, WA 98682 901.355.1216

Much has happened since I last sent out a newsletter. Some of this may be repetitive, but as it has been a while and the violence of May 2023 and ensuing chaos are still very much evident and affecting everyday life in Manipur and the surrounding states, I begin with a brief recap of what took place. A peaceful protest by the Kuki people, protesting the potential re-allotment of land benefiting the Meitei (May-tay), was disrupted by the Meitei when churches, businesses, and homes were destroyed, families displaced, and lives killed.

 360 churches and synagogues (mostly Christian) burned

 200+ villages burned
 7000+ houses burned
 41,425+ people displaced

 186 people killed

Six of our pastors were displaced, unable to return to their homes. All of our pastors and gospel workers are affected by the ongoing violence in Manipur. Shalom Academy was, for a time, a refugee center with 150 refugees. Shalom still currently houses several families living in the property that was purchased last summer, serving as caretakers until we can build the needed buildings to make that 2nd campus functional for Shalom’s growing needs.

What took place in Imphal, in May 2023, not only changed the lives of tens of thousands of people, but has changed SNM’s ability to serve those we help. The changes, mostly negative, have made daily life difficult for those displaced, created more barriers between the Meitei’s (Hindu) and the Kuki (predominantly Christian, though very nominal at best), has made the transfer of monies to India, especially Manipur, next to impossible (more on that later), and seen the costs of everything higher than ever. Electricity, which was always sporadic at best, was non-existent a good deal of the time, limiting email/phone communication making it difficult for our pastors and workers to report to each other, let alone back to the US. Our three Meitei pastors face great challenges as their churches were burned, and they had to sign documents stating that they would not rebuild.

Positive outcomes are that our pastors are more committed and bold in their witness. Reports that SNM collects show more souls are saved from Hindu backgrounds than ever before. Also, even among the Kuki peoples, people are returning to Scripture, prayer, and a life of faith in God. We also observed God’s seeming direct intervention on several occasions when Meitei attacks were thwarted and God’s people were spared.

Another positive outcome is that SNM has taken up direct support for 14 pastors. Previously SNM partnered with another Christian organization that raised support for native pastors to monthly support 14 pastors and gospel workers. This support unfortunately was dropped because of the pastors’ inability to keep sending reports after May 2023. Our workers have been faithful in the worst of conditions, God is blessing their faithfulness, and SNM through your faithfulness is seeing their needs met.

On the part of the SNM Board, it was a step of faith when we took on the monthly support of these 14 pastors, along with two more, with no assurance of monthly support coming specifically for their needs.

Previously the monies you, our faithful supporters, sent was used for building projects, such as constructing churches and school buildings, school building repairs, vehicle needs for our pastors and gospel workers, digging for and building a safe water supply, supplementing help for Shalom’s teachers and staff when needed, food and medical relief work, and the many other things we do. Basically, SNM has been a means of projects and specific needs, but God is choosing to use us to meet monthly needs for the pastors and their families during this especially trying time. We have for six months, without fail or delay, been able to meet the monthly commitment of $100US for 16 pastors and their families. God truly is faithful.

One of the difficulties with getting monies to Manipur right now is that all the accounts for those we send money to are through banks in Imphal. It is impossible for anyone who is Kuki to enter Imphal City, as it is under Meitei control, including the banks. The difficulties are two-fold. One, banking transactions must be through an approved FCRA account (an Indian government requirement to trace money transactions). After several failed attempts to send money, Chong went to Delhi while in India to oversee the purchase of the 2nd property last August, to speak with the Deputy Director of FCRA in the main Delhi bank branch. Even with directions given by the Deputy Director, things still took some time to get straightened out. The second problem is that most of the pastors’ bank accounts where money previously was transferred to after clearing the Delhi branch, are no longer available to them and they must get their funds as cash. The biggest problem is that the pastors must travel around Imphal in order to get their support as it is dangerous for them to go through or to Imphal where their banks are (a 4-7+ hour journey). Currently we have one person acting as point person for all the pastors, using his phone to communicate with us here in the US and the pastors in Manipur. He receives the monies for the pastors and distributes them per Chong’s instructions and sends us their reports. We are grateful for all that God is doing in the midst of hardship, and SNM will continue as long as God provides.

A combined summary of the reports from the pastors and church planters SNM supports from three countries (India, Nepal, Myanmar) are given.

1. Though several of our churches have burned and/or the congregation displaced, there are still strong churches and the pastors are doing what would be expected: preacing, visiting the sick, small group meetings in homes to teach and pray.

2. There is a focus on reaching the young people through youth conferences, Vacation Bible School, and Sunday School. VBS, though limited to the hill country instead of in the churches in Imphal, is fruitful - more than 60 saved. Pastor Jamthang’s son, Goa and a few of his class mates in Bible College, helped out with some of the VBS’s and youth conferences as speakers and/or counselors.

3. Two of our pastor’s and their families are still displaced with safety concerns for them: J. Singsit and R. Chetri

4. Several of our pastors/church planters are dividing their time in Siliguri, West Bengal, and reaching up into Nepal while being displaced from Manipur.

5. Ministry to displaced refugees and those along the tribal military front lines continues in multiple ways: gospel outreach, sharing of food and medical supplies, 61 displaced students are getting free schooling at Evergreen school, Jangngam Singsit’s school in Ka-manbi, about 15 km from Motbung and Shalom Academy.

6. Evangelist Inaobi Singh has 10+ house churches started and does an online service each Sunday. His home was destroyed by hail and heavy rain after the initial violence and unrest, and needs to be rebuilt.

7. Natum Singh continues to reach out to the Meitei community, but with a small house church approach.

8. Berea Bible Baptist Church, located in Ka-manbi, is still intact and transitioning to a Nepali focused ministry (Hindu, but Nepalese people group rather than Manipuri).

9. Many prayer requests from the pastors for ministry growth, discipling believers, personal and church member health needs.

10.Jangngam Singsit is asking prayer for God’s guidance and wisdom for plans to start a church plant and school ministry in Karbi Anglong, Assam, a neighboring State in India.

11. Fifteen people were saved during this period, beside the 60 in the VBS mentioned above. God is bringing souls to Himself and using faithful men and families to do this.

Closer to home

Recent activities include three of our SNM board members attending the Grace Conference organized by Quentin Road Baptist Church in conjunction with Day Spring Bible College and seminary outside of Chicago. This was the second year SNM attended the conference with a display table for attendees to see. This time we were better prepared and organized to take advantage of the many opportunities the conference offers: inspirational and challenging messages and sessions as well as making good contacts. Numerous conference delegates stopped by the mission display booth to check us out and allow us to answer their questions. The display board and new brochure were a great help in communicating about Shalom Academy and SNM objectives. The brochure was critical to accomplishing the goal of educating those who would like to help SNM financially. (*A copy of the new brochure is attached along with this newsletter. If interested in physical copies, please let me know how many you need and I can mail those to you.) The launching of an updated website with online donation/payment through paypal was also unfolded during the conference. One SNM board member and his pastor worked tirelessly for the past year to see this come to fruition. We appreciate all their hard work and are thankful to the Lord for the fruit of their labor which we pray the Lord will use for His glory in the coming days. To see the website go to shalomnativemission.org

One other note concerning the Grace Conference--Hoinu came to the US for a brief visit arriving just in time for the conference. Every year the conference recognizes and honors someone with the James Scudder Servant’s Heart Award. Hoinu was the recipient for 2024, honoring her for her many years at Shalom Academy, but especially for the relief work at Shalom Academy and throughout the region during the turbulent times in Manipur this past year. We are thankful to the Lord for His safety over Hoinu and all our faithful workers in India.

On the home front

Those of you that have been with us for many years remember when we adopted our children in 2007. Those scared, little, 3 1/2 year old children turned 21 in July! Kamlen is still unsure what is ahead for him and is seeking God’s will for his future. He currently is working at Hobby Lobby (along with Rhoda). He knows HL isn’t his future, and after attending the Grace Conference along with Chong is revisiting thoughts of missions. Pray for the Lord’s leading in his life.

Kimhoili has had several medical needs since 2019. Last mid February she spent six weeks in the hospital. Currently she is on several medications, but little by little she is improving. God knows, has allowed, and will use this for good in her life as she learns to lean hard on her Good Shepherd. Though we don’t always understand the ways of God, we do know that we can always trust His heart.

On that note--especially trusting God’s heart for all that is happening here at home, in Manipur, India, the USA, the world--we thank you for your faithful giving and praying for us, Shalom Academy, the pastor’s and their families, and the many works that God is accomplishing in India, Nepal, and Myanmar.

On behalf of our faithful pastor’s and their families, Chong Singsit