roland william jean 2000 india

8/11/2019 Roland William Jean 2000 India

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The following is a powerful Christianwitness. It was taken fromNewsroom Support, anorganizationthat reports Christianrelatednews around the world. We - William JeanRoland - knew the Staines family while we were in India. Pray that their loss willlead tothe salvation of many in India.

W ID OW S A CT O F F O R G I V E N ES S R E V E R BE R AT E S I N I N DI A

A courageous act of forgiveness in the wake of overwhelming sorrow stunned thispredominantly Hindu nationlast year andcatapultedthe widow of a murdered mission ryinto the limelight she never sought. But in the year since AustralianmissionaryGrahamStdnes, 57, and sons Philip, 10, and Timothy,6, burned to death outside a home for lepersin a remote village600 miles south of Delhi,Gladys Staineshas discoveredthat thepowerful act of forgiving the killers continuesto reverberate throughout this nation of1 billion people. Everywhere I go peoplerecognize meand ask me why I did that , sheto ld Newsr oom in a n exclusive interview. Even s om e H in du s a n d o t h er non Christians

have stopped me and asked me how andwhyI did that. But that is the Christianity we areasked to practice.

Graham Staines, who had worked with lepers in the eastern state of Orissa for nearly 30years,and his sons,were sleeping in theirstationwagonoutsidethe hospital in Baripadanear the village o f Manoharpur on January 23 when Hindumilitants attacked. Armedwithbows and arrows, sticks and clubs, the mob prevented father and sons from fleeing whilesome in t h e c r o w d s tuffed s t ra w inside th e c ar a nd se t fire to it. Under immen s e

international pressure to bring the killers to justice, policehavearrested more than twodozenpeople,all of them llied with milit nt indu nationalist groups. But the manbelievedto be the ringleader, Dara Singh, continues to elude capture, despite frequent

sightingsand an interview on national television.

.Christians are planning a two-day memorial service on January 22 and 23 in ManoharpurandBaripada that will includelaying the foundation stone for a memorial m Manoharpurand memorial services at Graham Staines'grave in Baripada.Leaders o f India's 23 millionClTi'istians-and-flie-govemmentare expected^o attend

Gladys Staines, tall, blonde, and blue-eyed, speaks with measured words as she describeshow she has been sustained and inspired in the last year by the kindness of many people,such as the hundreds o f Hindu lepers who took part in the funeral procession for herhusband . L e t t e r s continue t o a r r iv e f r om al l o v er Ind ia a n d a b ro a d - f rom C h r is t ia n s a n d

non-Christians - expressing sorrow and support. That's a great encouragement , she said.

The account of one witness to the murders has been especiallycomforting, the 48-year-oldwidow said. There was a great light from heaven that came down and took them away ,she said. This was revealed to me by somebody who witnessed it. I recall ho w theprophet Elijah was taken up to heaven. That picture of the great blue lightthat came downis in my mind.


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Not long afterher husband and sons were killed a delegation of religious leadersrepresentingmany faiths came to visit. Oneofthe Hindu leaders, Swami Agnivesh,wasmoved by Staines ability to forgive the killers. Gladys Staines hasreached a spiritualheight whenshe said thatthe killers of Graham Staines should be forgiven , he said.Another member of the delegation promisedthat a school wouldbe built where theStmnes family died. Thereare nearly 60 villages inthe areawitha population of60,000, but there is only one school withfewerthan30 children. The delegation also toldGladys Staines that local villagers wantedher to remain, andthat outsiders,notthemselves, were to blame for the deaths.

The affection ordinary Indiansfeel for the Staines family was apparent in numerousmemorial servicesheldthroughoutthe country in the months after the incident. During anOctober service in a Bangalore cathedral in south India, so manypeople attended thartheaudience overflowed to the groundsoutside.Nodding toward Gladys Staines at thatservice. Bangalore policecommissioner Revanna Siddaiah, a Hindu, remarked, Sheis a

remarkable one ~ a great Christian . During the serviceBangalore Archbishop EmeritusAlphonsus Mathias calledher the first disciple of Christ .

Although family in Australia have urged Staines to leave India, she remains committed tocontinuing her husband s work and raisingtheir daughter, Esther, in the country she hascome to love. She cares for about 60 leprosy patients, bandaging their wounds andteaching skills likebasket weavingto help them remainproductive. Her husband, she said,often talked about how Jesus healed the lepers. We have to work and show that Jesus isworth dying for. We have to show in action what Christ s teachings are , she said. Mymission is to continue my husband s work. I want to stay in India and finallybuild a 40-bedhospital, an extension of the leprosy home to which Graham had dedicated his life. The

home will continue the service it is rendering and patients who have nowhere to go willstay there. It is amazing to see how the Lord leads you day after day and the amazingstrength that he empowers you with.

That strength is shared by 13-year-old Esther, who told a stunned nation in numeroustelevision, radio and newspaper interviewsthat, God thought it worthy to take myfatherhome . Still, the loss o f husband and sons, father and brothers, has been traumatic. GladysS t a in e s m i s se s h e r h u s ba n d a n d children O f te n w h en s o m e d ec is i on s have t o b e taken I

say I must ask Graham or check with him, and suddenlyI realize he is not there ort h e k i d s a r e n o t t h e r e

An Australian like her late husband, Staines grew up on a farm in Ipswich reading theBible and hearing missionaiystories that gave me a visionto serve the Lord . One o fthose stories, about a motherwhose son died o f kidneyfailure, has been a source ofcomfort. When the mother asked the Lord why hetook the son away, God told her that hehas the power to give and the power to take. It was a painful lesson but I had to askwhether I was vdlling to givemy all to him , Staines smd, because he has the power togive and to take .


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Staines was raised in the Brethren Christian Assemblies - her husband was a Baptist- andbecamea Christian at age 13. She studiednursing and e to beUeye that the Lordwanted me to work amongleprosy suflferers. That show I joined an international ministry.During one of their outside visitsI landedin India,where for the first time I met Graham,another fellow Australian . Although the two had lived only30 kilometers apart inAustralia, they did not meet untilboth were in India. Graham was a great missionary ,sherecalled. Afterour first meeting Graham saidthat he feltthat God was pointing meto him as his future wife. Through the intervention of mission leaders we were laterunited in holy matrimony. He was a great husband, a great father.

The boys seemed interested in theirparents workwithlepers, recalled Queeni Philippswarden o f Hebron Academy in Ooty in south India who looked after the Staines boysPhilip was a sensitive, compassionate and disciplined child. Histeddy bear was special tohim. He would help me while I was busy. Most of our conversations were centered on hishomeand the work amonglepersin Orissa. Timothy was home-schooled by hismotheratBaripada. Esther continues to study at Hebron Academy.

Sincetheir deaths, Gladys Stainessays that she identifies with women who have lost lovedones in plane crashes, road accidents, or caste-related violence. God has let me think onthese lines so I canbe suflfererswith them. But ofcourse I do miss Philip Timothy andGraham so often that I just pour out my heart to the Lord.

Staines sofar h ^ not commented publicly onthe repprt ofthe Wadhwa Commissionaboutthe killings but privately expressesher feeling that the alleged ringleaderDaraSingh ~ is linked with extremist Hindu groups. SupremeCourt Judge D. P. Wadhwa didnot connect Singh to any militant groupsin hisreport, despite widespread beliefthat Singh

is affiliated withthe Bajrang Dal, which hasbeen blamed for much of the anti-Christiananti-Muslim violence in India in the last two years.

Different questionsgo through my mind Staines said. Why do these things happen?Why are the culpritsstillat large?Sometimes I amovercomewith sadness.... I cannotshare-the^sadness witlirGrahamor even play with my boys. But every day I open the daywiththe Bible praying. Evenbefore going to bedI talkto God. EarlierI used to talktoGraham. I just pour out myheart to him.

Wadhwa who inquired into the deaths commendedStaines for her forgiveness: By herconduct she has putto shame if they have any shame not only the perpetrators ofthecrime butallthosewho directly or indirectly may have sympathy for them.

Staines said the good news ofthe Gospel isfor everyone including members ofthe mobthat killed her husband and sons. And despite warnings that her life also may bein dangerStaines is unafraid. Although death stares at my face I know that Christ lives in me and Ilive because of Him. And as long ashe continues to give me life I will carry onthe workthat is ahead o f mein Baripada. I amnow an Indian at heart, and thisis where I will askt h e Lo rd t o cal l m e h o m e


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To ^Voodard Larry L Subj^ I i News Note

Biso n K S< i c t e b e r 2 0 0 0

Gre^ings in Christ

Just a short note to let you know we are both well by God's Grace. We wishan d pray th e same for you.Jean's home dialysis Incontinuing, an d all seems to be OK. Tes ts a re done

every other week. So far ail haN come out positive. Besides thefour-times-daily fluid exchange sh e also ha s to maintain a strict low-sodiumdie t .

William's hearing loss has cleared up. Hearing is back to what it wasbefore th e problem with the inner-ear infection. He continues dailyexercises that were prescribed. A recent hearing test indicated that hestill doesnt need hearing aids.S u m m e r travel took u s to Louisville KY fo r th e North American Christian

Convention and Angola IN for Lakes James Missions Week. Both were veryenjoyable and profitable. We se t up a booth at both places to advertise th eMadras India Lakeview Bible College. A lot of acquaintances were renewed,an d m an y n ew ones made.After Missions Week w e w en t to Baltimore an d spent a few days with so n

Charles and family. Then, after some days at home in Bison, we went toPittsfleld IL for William's high school graduating class reunion. Out of aclass of about 100, 27 of us, along with some spouses enjoyed an evening ofreminiscing. While in that area we visited Payson IL for a worship time atth e Church where William spent 10 yeare of his early life. Continuedfaithfulness of God s saints there and th e minis try of a ne w an denthusiastic minister and family is encouraging.Nowwe are making plans for the big Fall travel experience - to Knoxville

TN for th e National Missionary Convention. Reports indicate it is going tobe one of the best yet. We plan to have a booth - 434 - for Lakeview BibleCollege. We would love to have you stop by an d visit.

May (God) give you the desire of your heart and make ail your planss u c c e e d - P s 20 :4 .

In th e Love of Christ

Th e Roland family at BisonCk,

Pr in ted fo r Miss io n Services Associa t ion

roland william jean 2000 india

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