Gospel for Asia missionaries took this opportunity to reach out to people who do not know Jesus, including many who came hoping to be born into a better station in their next life. India’s hijras are a group in society with specific religious duties. Most of these men, who dress like women, believe they were born this way because of sins in their past life. More than 500 hijras gathered at the Sitalsasti festival for two reasons : to discuss their problems as transgenders as well as hoping to gain favor from the gods.

“We are born eunuchs because of the sins we committed in our last life,” the Times of India website quoted Kamala, a hijra, as saying. “We have come here to earn some Puniya (salvation) by observing the gods. We believe that in our next life we will be born as normal human beings.”

According to the BBC, the number of hijras throughout India is between 500,000 and one million. For many hijras, their only work options are begging or prostitution. Some earn money performing classical dances. While there are certain religious ceremonies reserved for hijras to perform, in daily life they are not accepted. They feel their choice to act as women has brought them injustices, which is one of the reasons they came together at the Sitalsasti festival.

Amidst the dancing, rituals and celebrations at the Sitalsasti festival, 10 pastors of GFA-related churches distributed tracts and literature among the crowd of devotees, hijras and some westerners who came out of curiosity.

“Within three days, GFA missionaries distributed 50,000 tracts, 10,000 Christian booklets and 5,000 New Testaments,” our correspondent wrote. One pastor reported that at least 200 people seemed genuinely interested in the Gospel message. The pastors will be doing follow-up work in the days ahead.

Our correspondent asks for prayer that people from all parts of society who attended this festival will read the literature they received and turn to Jesus for salvation.

© Assist News Service