Answered prayers and timely support for believers affected by Manipur violence

Three years on from the eruption of violence in Manipur, India, we introduce you to a handful of the many Christians who have been greatly impacted by your prayers and support. With tensions still simmering in the state, please continue to pray.

This month marks three years since violence erupted in the Indian state of Manipur. What started as a dispute between the Meitei and Kuki communities over local issues quickly escalated, with hundreds killed and thousands displaced.  

While initially seen as an ethnic conflict, the growing number of destroyed churches and reports of pressure on Christians to reconvert to Hinduism have highlighted its increasingly religious dimension. Each side continues to accuse the other of violence and killings. 

The Metei are predominantly Hindu and the Kukis are mostly Christian, but believers on both sides have been gravely affected, and that’s why your support for an emergency appeal has been so crucial – not just practically, but emotionally and spiritually.  

Here are just a few of the brothers and sisters you’ve come alongside in their time of desperate need… 

An answer to prayer 

Forced to hide in a forest, foraging for food, Lalcha* was so overcome with sadness and anger that he considered joining an insurgent group. “I felt completely lost,” he recalls. “I questioned my role as a father, and I even questioned my faith. I blamed God.” 

What made it even more traumatising was seeing his wife, Hohoi*, give birth to their third child just days after fleeing. “The whole experience was a nightmare – watching my wife go through the intense moments of pregnancy and labour in the middle of a forest, with nothing, and helplessly watching our village burn from a distance.” 

In search of food and medical care for Hohoi and the baby, the family travelled to a nearby Christian village, where they were cared for by a pastor and his family. In gratitude, the couple named their daughter after the pastor’s wife.  

The experience had a profound impact on Lalcha. “I realised the depth of God’s goodness and sought His forgiveness. In difficult and joyful moments, it is God who has plans for our lives. In that moment, we surrendered our lives to Him and trusted Him completely with our future.” 

The family later received emergency aid from Open Doors local partners, together with a sugarcane machine for Lalcha to build his business. “Without the support from Open Doors partners, I don’t know how I would manage. I am deeply grateful for your support, which has allowed me to pay my children’s school fees. This truly feels like an answer to prayer.”  

Unceasing worship  

For Thoibi* and her family, displacement had tragic implications. Given the threat of discrimination from campmates and aid organisations, they kept their faith secret, whilst Thoibi’s husband worked as a daily wage labourer. However, it all took its toll on him last year, as he suffered a heart attack and died. 

The family’s grief was compounded when they were unable to give him the funeral they wanted. “I helplessly watched my fellow campers making funeral arrangements and cremating his body. I could not honour his death with a decent burial, as per the Christian norm,” Thoibi recalls. 

Thankfully, Thoibi and her three children later discovered a church nearby, which they attend discreetly. “We leave the camp pretending to attend to personal work so we can go to the house church,” she says. 

It was through this church that local partners came to the family’s aid, giving her the support to start her own grocery shop from the room they live in. 

“I do not want to leave God. He has given me all things whenever I was in need,” she says. “Even now, through you, He has sent me this help. I am able to provide for my children. God is sustaining me. I cannot stop worshipping Him.” 

Thoibi has even led another widow to faith in Jesus, and she’s discovered three other Meitei Christian families in the camp. Some of them regularly gather in Thoibi’s room for prayer and fellowship.  

A baker’s blessing 

Muan*, Thoinu* and their toddler were amongst those forced to flee their homes as the riots broke out. Over the months that followed, they spent time in refugee camps and people’s homes before finding a small home to rent. However, they struggled for everyday essentials.  

“We received blankets, mosquito nets and groceries, including toothpaste,” Thoinu says of your support. “It was so difficult for us financially. I used clips to secure our torn mosquito net to keep my baby safe, away from mosquitoes and bugs, before we got a new one from you. Such things may sound funny for others, but the daily essentials we received from your ministry have helped us immensely.” 

It’s not the only way you’ve helped the family. “We received baking equipment,” Muan says, referring to the oven and dough mixer that Thoinu has used to build her bakery business. “It’s been a huge relief for us. With your help, now we are making more products.” 

With Muan getting a promotion at work, the family’s income is now stable, enabling them to support pastors back home in Manipur. “Compared to others’ suffering, my problems might be small. But God is bigger than my problems. I cannot go and preach to others about God, but I can help the pastors who are doing that work. From my earnings, I want to give all benefits back to God and this is one way that I can ,” Thoinu shares.  

Overjoyed at timely support 

Although Bembem* and her family were not displaced by the conflict, the opposition they already faced for their faith has worsened because of it. At one point, they struggled to find food because the community refused to employ them. Whilst Bembem had the skills and tools to weave, she couldn’t afford any yarn –  until you stepped in.  

“Your timely help is God-sent for us,” she says. “My heart leapt out of joy to see the material you’ve provided me in various colours. I can earn enough to enrol my daughter in school and support my husband in providing for the family.” 

The support had another unexpected blessing. Neighbours who also struggled for work in the wake of the riots noticed Bembem weaving all day. It sparked their interest, prompting Bembem to give them yarn so they can earn money for their families. It’s softened their attitudes towards Bembem, building goodwill and giving her the opportunity to share God’s love. 

Tears of joy 

In the fight for survival, many families have been separated. Mawite* and her son were forced to a neighbouring state, whilst her husband, Chaoba*, remained at the camp to look after the displaced community. Their daughter moved to a nearby city for work. 

Learning of the family’s struggles, local partners provided Mawite with a sewing machine and helped them relocate to suitable housing. She now has enough regular customers to meet their daily needs. 

“I am now able to pay the rent for a better home, all through God’s provision. I have entrusted my business and my family into His hands. Wherever He leads, I am happy and content,” Mawite shares. 

Your support has helped ease the family’s suffering, even as they remain separated. “I believe we survived only because help came at the right time from the partners who took notice of my wife’s struggles,” Chaoba says. “When I heard about my wife receiving a tailoring machine, that very moment, I fell on my knees, thanking God for the provision, with tears of joy.” 

*Names changed for security reasons