single pages. - International Pentecostal Holiness Church

More documents

Recommendations

Info

From Physiology to Theology Missionary Vijay Balla shares his journey from the laboratory to the mission field. by Sara Ray Vijay Balla has been exposed to IPHC missions his entire life. Veteran IPHC missionaries Hobert and Marguerite Howard brought Sunday school and stories about Jesus to Vijay’s village in South India the year he was born, and his parents became some of the first people in the region to be converted. “My parents were the first ones who joined hands with the International Pentecostal Holiness Church missionaries,” says Vijay. “They were the pioneers of the IPHC in South India.” Family ministry: The Balla family serves the people in Bangladesh. As a child, Vijay watched his parents minister alongside the Howards. He was also sponsored by People to People. Although he was impressed by the lifestyle of these missionaries, who gave up the comforts of the U.S. to minister in remote villages with no electricity and only minimum basic facilities, Vijay felt no desire to work in the mission field himself. Instead, Vijay’s heart was in science. Sponsored by the Indian government, he earned a doctorate in reproductive physiology. He was offered a postdoctoral fellowship in New York City by the U.S. government, but God had other plans. In 1994, Vijay and his family accepted God’s call to devote their lives to full-time ministry in their home country of India. The transition from the comfort and security of a full-time job to the uncertainty of full-time ministry was not an easy one. Vijay and his wife, Aparanjani, a teacher with a master’s degree in English, compare giving up their high-level educations to Abraham laying his son on the altar. Although such a sacrifice was certainly a challenge, Vijay says God has consistently rewarded their faith, just as he rewarded Abraham. “The Lord was faithful in providing at every step what was needed,” says Vijay. “He did not give us more. He did not give us less. He did not give before. He did not give after. He gave when it was needed.” In 2002, God again tested the faith of the Ballas when he called them to leave India and become the first IPHC missionaries in the neighboring country of Bangladesh. “We did not know anyone in the nation of Bangladesh before going there, except Jesus,” Vijay recalls fondly. God gave Vijay a vision to see church-planting movements established throughout the Indian subcontinent. He founded the Bangladesh Theological Institute in the capital city of Dhaka to train church planters and leaders. In the past decade, 32 IPHC churches have been established in Bangladesh thanks to the ministry of the Ballas, which Vijay describes as being “grassroots.” “We are not legally cleared to hold crusades and big events, so we grow through relationships,” says Vijay. “When they see us as the people 20 August 2012 | iphc.org/experience
of God with the love of Christ, they are attracted to us.” In an effort to reach the largely Muslim population of Bangladesh, the Ballas also founded Holiness Academy, a primary school for poor families, and the Frances Carter’s Boarding School, which houses 50 village children sponsored by People to People. Working with the school gives Aparanjani the chance to put her teaching experience to use. “The kids come in from the Muslim community because the education is good, but we have every opportunity to tell about Jesus because they are coming to us,” Aparanjani explains. “The parents do not have any objection to that because they like the education.” Free medical clinics offer similar opportunities. “When people come to take medicine, we introduce them to the Divine Healer and pray for them,” says Vijay. “They appreciate prayers. Sometimes people invite us to their homes to pray for the sick.” Other ministries of the Ballas include associations for teenagers, women, businesses and the elderly. A program called “Every Friday Free Cup of Tea” (EFFCT) allows them to strike up casual conversations about life, family and faith We are not legally cleared to hold crusades and big events, so we grow through relationships. When they see us as the people of God with the love of Christ, they are attracted to us. with members of the local community over a cup of tea on Friday, which is the national weekly holiday in Bangladesh. “Through these social and charitable activities we do, we are gaining entrance into people’s homes,” Vijay says. Although the Ballas have achieved great success with this ministry method, they have also faced their share of challenges, including safety, finding committed local workers, and competition between religious groups working in the same area. “Learning a new language is always a challenge,” Vijay adds with a laugh. “There Legacy of leadership: The Ballas with veteran missionaries Hobert and Marguerite Howard. are some words which have almost the same meaning. The way you pronounce [them] makes the whole difference.” For example, Vijay recalls confusing the word “guru,” which means “teacher,” with the word “goru,” which means “cow.” Rather than causing offense, slips of the tongue like these have helped endear the Ballas to the local people. “They take it in a very positive way,” Vijay says. “They laugh at it. They enjoy it.” In addition to directing ministry in Bangladesh, Vijay now travels throughout the region to give oversight to IPHC works in Nepal, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. “The vision God gave me in coming to the full-time ministry was India and its neighboring countries,” Vijay says. “We feel our call is an apostolic call, going to the new places where there is no work and establishing it.” Vijay and Aparanjani are currently based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. They have two children: Andrew, 22, graduated in May from Oral Roberts University with a degree in computer science engineering, and Roslin, 20, is a junior communication major at Emmanuel College. Reaching the lost: Vijay with the children of Frances Carter’s Boarding School. To learn more about Vijay Balla’s ministry, visit iphc.org/directory/vijay-andaparanjani-balla. iphc.org/experience | August 2012 21
Page 1 and 2: HEALED FROM CYBERBULLYING VIJAY BAL
Page 3: Editor in Chief Dr. A. D. Beacham,
Page 6 and 7: God’s Got My Back A devastating e
Page 8 and 9: Bishop Carpenter passes the crosier
Page 10 and 11: Learning from the best: Veteran mis
Page 12 and 13: COVER STORY A Graceful Transition A
Page 14 and 15: The 2009 General Conference was his
Page 16 and 17: COVER STORY A Graceful Transition A
Page 18 and 19: What is your vision for the office
Page 22 and 23: ook Grow: Maturing Believers Throug
Page 24: ISSN: 1547-4984 LifeSprings Resourc

single pages. - International Pentecostal Holiness Church

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?