By Mark Ellis, Special to ASSIST News Service
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (ANS - October 15, 2015)
-- Dr. Rochunga Pudaite, who rose from impoverished circumstances in a
remote village of former headhunters to become the founder and leader of
the global Christian ministry, Bibles For The World, passed to his
reward on Oct. 10, 2015. He was 87.
“Dr. Ro was an inspiration to
millions, and his life story and ministry work demonstrate how much one
Christian can do when directed by the Lord,” said Jeff McLinden, vice
president of Bibles For The World. “Because of his efforts, millions of
people around the world have been introduced to the message of the
Bible, and they understand what it means to be true followers of Christ.
Dr. Pudaite will be greatly missed.”
Pudaite was a member of the
Hmar tribe in northeast India, known by the British colonial government
as “the worst headhunters”. In 1871, they reportedly beheaded over 500
British soldiers.
In 1910, a missionary from
Wales, Watkin Roberts, inspired by the Welsh revival, arrived in the
area where the tribal group lived. Risking his life, he lived with the
people and taught them about God, specifically the Gospel of John.
Through Roberts, the father of Rochunga Pudaite, Chawnga, was introduced
to Christ and was born again.
Chawnga and a few tribesmen
became dedicated Christians. Chawnga believed that his son, Rochunga,
was God’s chosen instrument to bring the Bible to the Hmar tribe in
their own language. Rochunga became the first young person in his
village to attend school, finishing his graduate work at Wheaton College
in Illinois, where he completed his translation of the Bible into his
native tongue.
To help the largely illiterate
Hmar people, Pudaite and his wife, Mawii, established a series of
Christian schools, which today includes 85 village schools, seven high
schools, two junior colleges and a Christian college and seminary. The
largest school now has more than 2,600 students, and, today, the Hmar
have one of the highest literacy rates in India.
In 1973, he and his wife
established Bibles For The World, recruiting volunteers to mail
appropriate language translations of Bibles to households across the
globe, with special outreaches into Africa, South America, and the
former Soviet Union.
To help children in poverty,
Pudaite and his wife created a sponsorship program in India, which now
helps more than 3,000 children who receive assistance including medical
care, schooling, shoes and uniforms. They also founded Sielmat Christian
Hospital and Research Center in Manipur, India, to provide the region’s
poor with medical care and assistance.
“Dr. Ro was concerned for both
the spiritual and physical needs of thousands of poor people in India,”
said McLinden. “And his ministry has touched the lives of tens, if not
hundreds, of millions of people across the globe.”
Photo caption: Dr. Rochunga Pudaite.
About the writer: Mark Ellis is senior correspondent for the ASSIST News service and also the founder of www.Godreports.com, a
website that shares stories, testimonies and videos from the church
aorund the world to build interest and involvement in world missions.
** Yu may republish this or any of our ANS stories with attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net)
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