2025 Field Guide: N*
Twenty-five Years of Gospel Growth with the N*
For nearly 25 years, a small missionary team has lived faithfully among the N* people in the mountains of south Asia. Dependent on God and committed to reaching this community, the workers believe that the gospel will take root, even if slowly, in this frozen soil.
N*
Update from the field
Their work began with children, bringing in one child at a time from mountain hamlets where education was an impossible dream and spiritual hope was nonexistent. These children, many of whom had never seen a book and or heard the name of Jesus, were raised in a home filled with the peace of the gospel. They were given food, safety, and the rich stories of Scripture. Slowly, their hearts thawed, and they began first to believe and eventually to lead other children like themselves.
Today, more than two dozen of these young men and women have graduated from this education program. Twenty-three of them have come to a saving faith in Christ. Several are now leaders in a growing fellowship of native believers. Life springs up from the once-hardened ground!
One young woman, once on the verge of being sent to a monastery, now takes part in daily devotions and leadership training instead. Others have returned to their own people, carrying seeds of gospel truth back into mountain villages that have never heard this hope.
The team recently baptized four graduates, each one standing in faith to declare Christ as their Lord in a land where such allegiance can come at a high cost. “Are you ready to face persecution?” the pastor asked. Each graduate answered yes.
A few have begun working on a new frontier: scripture translation in the N* language. Partnering with others in the region, they are training for a three-year project to bring the Gospel of John into the language of their people for the first time. With music such a central part of N* life, others are composing original worship songs in their mother tongue, using ancient rhythms to carry these eternal truths.
Graduating from this program does not mean an easy life is ahead. Some of the graduates are struggling to find jobs in a challenging economy. Others are discerning who they might marry in a context where very few believers exist. The long-standing traditions of shame, caste, and spiritual warfare still run deep through the veins of the culture. But through it all, the gospel is sustaining and bringing new life in a place where that once seemed impossible.
There are prayers in these valleys, there is worship to the one true God rising in the native tongue, and there’s a faithful team teaching words of life that continue to take root and grow.
Prayer requests
- Pray for the 28–30 students in the education and discipleship program to encounter Jesus personally and be rooted in His love.
- Pray for the three graduates helping with Bible translation to grow in understanding and endurance.
- Pray for unity and capacity on the national team as responsibilities increase.
- Pray for the spiritual awakening of the N* people—that songs, Scripture, and student testimonies would break chains of fear and shame.
- Pray for wisdom as staff navigate family decisions, upcoming village trips, and long-term sustainability.
