Rose Oungh is originally from Nagaland, a state on the far northeastern side of India. Eleven years ago, Rose moved to the NCR and a year and a half ago she joined our team in India. She is serving beside Manohar, his wife Sneha, and Deepak at our headquarters there. Each of them are dedicated to working together with us to meet some of the needs regarding primary education, girls empowerment, maternal health education, and youth development. This past month, Rose came to visit family in the United States and spent part of her time at our headquarters in Nashville, TN. During her visit, Rose shared about her background, her faith, and work with our organization with our students at the Institute for G.O.D. and with members of our organization. The following are excerpts from an interview conducted by Joshua Nava.
Rose was interviewed by Josh Nava, a graduate of the Institute of G.O.D. Josh and his wife, Deb, have served with Rose in India.
Q: “Could tell us a little bit about yourself, where you came from, and what you currently do with G.O.D. India?”
A: “I am from India, specifically the northeast in Nagaland. We don’t have much of an opportunity to work, as it is only government services we can work for. There is no private sector. I moved to the NCR to work. I worked in two or three companies and then I met Manohar and Sneha and through them, I came to know about what G.O.D. is doing in India. So after especially Manohar and Sneha have been telling me about all these things, that is why I wanted to be in the ministry as well.”
Q: “I know that you and Sneha initially met when you were working together in a real estate company and you discovered that she was a believer. You said that is when you became such good friends. Can you tell us more about your walk with the Lord?”
A: “Nagaland is a Christian state, one-hundred percent, which is rare in India. But the believers are few. I grew up in a Christian family, going to Sunday school, youth group and everything. I thought, ‘I know the Bible. I know about everything.’ So that is how I grew up. I took knowing the Lord for granted. After coming to NCR, I prayed and went to church. Later Sneha and Manohar invited me to a lot of times of Bible study and fellowship.
Q: “Explain what it is like when a group of believers get together.”
A: “Right now, on Friday nights, we have a time of worship, Bible study, conversation and fellowship at the G.O.D. India office. We were not doing this consistently at first but when Gregg came to India, he inspired us. He shared the Word of God with us and talked to us about leadership. ‘You should let your friends come, talk with them, and eat together.’ We now have 15 people coming, some from very poor families. Some don’t have anything to eat so they are so happy that we are offering them dinner. There are two or three of them who are non-believers, but they continue to come because we talk to them, encourage them, and are good to them. So that is the reason they are coming and we are so happy to see them.”
Q: “For those who don’t know, the NCR in India is a large area, one of the largest city sprawls in the world and because of that, it has become the economic center of India. People move from all over India and other economically disadvantaged countries to try and get a job in the NCR. But many or most of those moving to the city are coming from small villages and don’t have much money. What we have seen is that those who relocate to the NCR may live with a bunch of other people in the same situation. But the cramped living conditions, congested city life, and crowded work environment does little to relieve the loneliness experienced in the city.”
A: “That is how I came to be lonely. There was nobody, no relative, nobody when I moved here. But eventually Sneha and Manohar were there to help me out and that is how we are now helping the other people living in the city. We used to have some people from Africa that would come to us and they were feeling like family. Now they have gone back home. But before they met us, when they heard India they would think, ‘it is not friendly.’ But after being part of our weekly fellowship, they go back as a happy man and woman.”
Q: “Can you tell us something about the work you do for G.O.D.?”
The participants in our organization pray regularly for our staff in India. We were blessed to have a time when we could pray with and for Rose in person. We prayed, worshipped, and had several bible studies together in the few days she was with us.
A: “The best part about the work that I do in India is working with a group of girls at a local school. There are two groups: 11 to 14 and 15 to 18. These young ladies, especially the younger girls, have no idea about what is happening to their bodies. Their mother has never told them about anything. They are so eager to learn from us, they ask many questions. For the older girls, once they are 17 or 18 they will get married and they also don’t know anything about their bodies. We educate them on their body changes. We have been pleased to get feedback from the girls, especially the young ones. The girls tell us, ‘Ma’am, my mother said it is very good to ask questions to your teacher.’ We understand because we were never taught that kind of education growing up. Our parents never talked to us regarding those things. So even we are learning as we teach them.” “This,” Rose proudly states, “is the kind of work Sneha and I are doing.”
Our organization is so thankful for the work that Rose is doing in India. We were elated for the opportunity to give her a first-hand experience of our work in Nashville, and in turn show her the ways that our work locally corresponds with our work abroad. At the end of her visit Rose told us that she had heard about the work being done by G.O.D. International in the U.S., but seeing it with her own eyes was inspiring. “I want to share all that I have heard and seen here with the staff in India and to keep working hard for the Lord.”
“Go and tell what you have seen and heard.” Luke 7:22
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