Jyothi Nivas”, interpreted, means lighthouse...and it is a source of light for 270 of our children in India. One reflection of His Light is Suguna, a retired school teacher who leads the children for worship and prayer each night.
At Jyothi Nivas approximately 90% of the children come from Hindu families and background. While this fact would intimidate some, Suguna considers this her calling and opportunity. With great emotion, she spoke to us in broken English: “That is my burden. That is my burden. How can I lead this child to Jesus Christ? That’s why...even though I am not feeling well, I never stop come to prayer (6:00 to 7:00 p.m. with the children). Even in rain...or night...or anytime. If I can walk I can come.”
Jyothi Nivas is a lighthouse
About India
Location
Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan
Capital City
New Dehli
Area
2,973,190 sq km (slightly more than one-third the size of the US)
Population
1,147,995,904
Languages
Hindi 41%, Bengali 8.1%, Telugu 7.2%, Marathi 7%, Tamil 5.9%, Urdu 5%, Gujarati 4.5%, Kannada 3.7%, Malayalam 3.2%, Oriya 3.2%, Punjabi 2.8%, Assamese 1.3%, Maithili 1.2%, other 5.9%
Religion
Hindu 80.5%, Muslim 13.4%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.1% (2001 census)
