History of Ray of Hope Ministry

The splendour and beauty of the creation proves God as its wonderful designer and creator. The beautiful part is that, this powerful God has dream, vision and plan for each and every mankind. He created mankind in His own image and likeness. Although He is all powerful, He did not create each one of us randomly instead he took time in creating us all uniquely and wonderfully. That is why; God said to Jeremiah that before he was conceived in the womb of his mother, He knew him and appointed him as prophet to the nations. Logically thinking, how is this even possible to know someone when there is no trace of that person? Where was Jeremiah and how God knew and appointed him as prophet when he was not even in the womb of his mother? But for God everything is possible. Ps 139:16 clearly proves it.

Pslam139:16 says: Your eyes saw my unformed body;
                           All the days ordained for me were written in your book
                           Before one of them came to be.

The above verse opens up a complete new mystery, which explains that God has a book of design where He first designs a blue print for each one of us for our lifetime before forming us in our mother's womb. I truly believe that our Triune God gets excited seeing our design and it pleases Him more when we obey and fulfil what he has planned and designed for us. It is just like how we build our houses when we first prepare a blue print of our building and we can even see how our house is going to look way ahead of time,i.e. before we even start any construction. This concept helps us understand how every individual is so special to God that He wants to invest time in planning and designing each one of our lives before bringing us into this world. How much more God does for us is still unknown to us? That is why; we all are created so differently with unique divine plan and purpose. And this can be proved even scientifically, not even a single person's finger print and DNA match with any other human being that are living now or with those who have passed away. This is truly majestic and amazing.To God be the glory.

Hence He is the main designer, planner, coordinator, builder , director and source of our life and ministry. That is why, I will confess that whatever good has happened in my life is due to HIM and what ever could not take place is due to me. Likewise God Himself is the founder, source and builder of Ray of Hope Ministry. I myself (Jigmee Sonam Bhutia) was born and bought up in a lamaist Buddhist family who never knew about the plan and love of God. Hence i was a blasphemer, idol worshipper and worst sinner in this world. But God in His mercy revealed me his love and plan for me on year 1997 April through a vision and I received the Lord in my life. Gradually, He opened door for my family to enrol into a Bible college for three years program to prepare us for the work of ministry.

Then He led us to city of Shillong, capital of Meghalaya province of India where we witnessed the need to bring the gospel to Hindi speaking people as very few people were working among this people group. Hindi language has always been challenging for us as we belong to a completely different people group (tribal community) although it is our national language. I was not fluent in Hindi and never had any experience in making any sort of communication in Hindi, yet seeing the need i took the initiative depending upon God and started preaching the people in Hindi with very little knowledge I had. And as a result God helped us and finally by the end of December 1999, one Hindi church was started. Slowly some people accepted the Lord and the number of people started growing in the church.

On December 2000, brother Raman Zayats a belarusian brother who married an Indian girl sister Irene Syngai also joined with us and started participating in preaching the gospel along with us. He started helping me in preaching the gospel door to door. Meanwhile we also started working among the slum dwellers where majority of the population were migrants from another place and country working as low level labourers. Many of them were drug addict, and were involved in prostitution, alcohol and came from poor broken families. Due to poverty, they were easily pulled in the world of crime. We also extended the work in neighbouring state called ASSAM where we opened school and church among the poor Santhali people. But later this school was taken over by Baptist Mission from us due to lack of sufficient fund in order to run the school. But we praise God that many people were converted and children were blessed with education through the church and school.

Later I was ordained as Pastor of the church by the organization that was running Bible college during 2003. Brother Raman Zayats was working together with me, helping me in every possible way he could. But in the year 2005, God started speaking to me to move to the present city called Siliguri where I am today. He expressed His concern for the people of Siliguri where very less Christians existed during that time. Ultimately on March 7th 2005 I resigned from the organisation. Brother Raman Zayat and few other co-worker were made in charge of the church in my place by the organization as they do not want to move to this new place. After that on March 9th, me along with my family left for Siliguri responding to the call of our Lord.

Our first service is Siliguri was started on 13th March 2005 in Champasari with few people under the shade of a tree in open ground as we did not have the place. We conducted three such Sunday service under the tree. By then, God provided a place for us to gather and to worship HIM. After reaching Siliguri, we started the work all over again from the scratch. We then named ourself as Apostolic Outreach Ministry. Under this banner, the work grew and it started spreading to other provinces of India and neighbouring country NEPAL as well. Nepal was a little bit easier field for me to work since I spoke nepali fluently and later God also took me to Bhutanese Refugee camp where thousands of Hindus and buddhist were converted. These refugees brothers are today resettled in different developed countries like USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Denmark etc. Thus, wherever our brothers have resettled, they have started the church among themselves in those countries.

Siliguri is in very strategic location and also second largest city of province of west bengal next to Kolkata with over 1 million population. From Siliguri, it takes only one hour drive to Nepal border, one hour to Bangladesh border, three hours to Bhutan border and six hours to China border. It also connects North East India with rest of India by roadways, railways and airways. West bengal province has 100 million population with less than 1% christian presence. In the year 2007, Brother Raman zayat left the leadership of the Hindi church of shillong and we were reunited again. Ever since he started helping me in discipleship training and paying frequent visit to our place as we lived 700 kms apart.

By God's grace, we were able to host our first annual convention in Siliguri on year 2008. Pastor Leonid Biruk from Belarus and Ps Viktor Potapchuk of Voice Of Hope church, Portland and team were present in the event. The historic event of ordaining brother Raman Zayats into the ministry took place in our first annual convention on year 2008. Over the time, thousands were already saved and many churches were constructed.

In the year 2012, we renamed the ministry as Ray of Hope registering under Govt of West Bengal as Ray of Hope Charitable Trust. We renamed the ministry because many brothers in India misunderstood us as Catholic denomination when we addressed ourselves as Apostolic Outreach Ministry. But Lord blessed the work and now we have more than 60 churches in India and Nepal. Apart from these we have 18 small churches in USA, two in canada, One each in New Zealand and Denmark as well. On top of these three schools are under operation where more than 500 children are given education in very less fees. Out of these 500, almost 100s are studying freely as most of them are orphans, semi-orphans or children of very very poor parents and full time Pastors and missionaries. four churches are under construction In india including the main headquarter in Siliguri and three in Nepal. Three places in Nepal is also in need of building immediately as there is no place to gather for worship. The ministry is growing rapidly and each year we are baptising always more than 200 new converts.

We are also projecting for two main projects. One is NON-FORMAL SCHOOL and Homes where children born in brothels will be rescued and educated, child labourer and school drop out due to various reasons will be given opportunity to further their studies including orphans, semi orphans, street kids, rag pickers, abused children of alcoholic parents, tribal children and children from very very remote and backward villages. We are convinced that showing love to such underprivileged will honor God and will please HIM.

We also want to start another project for at least six month as missionary Training School to raise hundreds and thousands of local missionaries and release them to plant churches where gospel ha snot been preached. WE know that Gospel is the only Hope of India that can bring transformation in such corrupt world and system. As God was committed towards us to save Us and came as missionary to earth from heaven to die in our places, we are burdened to save India and neighbouring country by demonstrating the love of God in practical way and also bringing the Gospel of Hope to them under His grace and anointing. Now we are praying and inviting friends and partners to join with us to enhance the Kingdom of God and bring the Government of Lord Jesus Christ in India and Asia where people will be set free, rejoice and as an result will adore and worship the Lamb of God in spirit and Truth.

He is worthy. Worthy to be honoured, praised, adored, loved and worship by all tribes and tongues. All glory and praise to HIM alone and alone. Amen