Join us this summer as we serve alongside long-term workers in South Asia and share the gospel among some of the world’s most unevangelized people groups! Participants will be working with an organization that's a Christ-centered caste reconciliation movement committed to spiritual and social freedom for South Asia's oppressed. They focus on reconciling the world’s largest collection of unreached people groups to each other and to God and establishing the kingdom of Jesus amongst these oppressed castes.
In South Asia, two of the lowest castes in society—one of which is the largest collection of UPGs in the world—have been entirely neglected by the church but one of the castes has responded in mass to the gospel. The team works to reconcile the two caste groups. Throughout history, one caste group has been the primary persecutor of the other in order to lift themselves up and make them higher. The problem is that, according to Hinduism, they are slaves of the higher castes and they can never become upper castes themselves. By sharing the truth of the gospel with them, we hope for them to see the folly of their ways.
The basic message shared is that the caste system is a system of slavery and those in it can never aspire to be anything other than slaves in that system. To break free, they must build the kingdom of Jesus and that can only happen when they repent of their aspirations for upper-caste status and instead reconcile with the brothers and sisters they are persecuting.
To demonstrate this message, the ministry partners wash the feet of the lower caste and explain that Jesus modeled His kingdom by washing the feet of His disciples and that they should in turn wash the feet of those they persecute to overturn the caste system and fully establish the kingdom of Jesus. The team could do three to four foot washings over the trip.
Being a short-term mission trip leader is a rewarding experience. It makes you a part of the Great Commission, letting you respond to God’s call to the nations in a sacrificial way while also shepherding a group of people. Check out the benefits and expectations here. If you're interested in being a trip leader, you can apply through the application and complete the "Trip Leader" question section.
Safety protocols will be developed based on the guidelines provided by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US State Department posted on The Austin Stone trips website for regular access.
