Sometimes you read or hear something that moves you deeply, but you wonder if it’s really true. I guess a lot of us Americans have become skeptical and jaded by the hype of deceptively spun stories. That’s why when I heard the story I am about to share with you, I had to discover for myself first whether something so beautiful and convicting could really be true. Once I knew the facts, I could not keep it to myself and had to pass it along to you.
To quickly familiarize you with the background of the story that touched me so deeply, it concerns a part of northeast India called Mizoram. In 1894 there were two Scottish missionaries that entered the remote, landlocked, hilly and heavily forested area to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The people living there were an animistic people who had no written language and had never heard of the Gospel. So, the two missionaries developed an alphabet for them and translated parts of the Bible into their language in order to tell them the Good News of Jesus Christ. Today, the people they reached are called the “Mizo,” and the language they speak is known by the same name.
From the work of the two missionaries in 1894 there came one Mizo convert to Christianity that year. Not until five years later, in 1899, were the first two converts baptized from the area. But, by the time other missionaries arrived a few years later in the town of Lunglei, they found 125 believers already there. As the missionaries collectively worked together the result was that most of the Mizo people were converted to Christ within 50 years.
Those early missionaries taught their new converts the need to continue the work of proclaiming the Gospel. Even to this day, Mizo missionaries teach new converts about the importance of evangelizing others. In fact, one of the first two converts baptized by those early missionaries, Khuma, became the first Mizo evangelist of that part of India. He was reported to have gone from house to house with this simple invitation: “Come, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Today, Mizo Christians still consider the task of proclaiming the Gospel to the world their own personal responsibility. (That should really be the mindset of all believers in Jesus Christ.) What makes this story so amazing to me, though, is that the Mizo people financially support their OWN missionaries and evangelists from their OWN resources. That’s an amazing detail when you realize the poverty of the people in Mizo and the incredible generosity they model in missions. To get a feel for the true condition of this part of the world, listen to the words of Rev. Zosangliana Colney, leader of the Mizoram Presbyterian Church. He says that, "Mizoram state is the most backward state in India. And we are the poorest of the poor, but still we can raise funds for the ministry of the Lord." Just so you know, the average income of a person in Mizo is $300 per year, less than one dollar per day.
How is it possible that people of such meager means and simple living conditions could ever raise support for the cause of missions? The answer is found in a beautiful phrase that when I first heard it and understood what it meant, moved me deeply in my spirit. It is—"Buhfai Tham." Please, don’t forget that phrase! Even though it means nothing to you at this moment, you’ll soon understand why it is so important.
“Buhfai Tham” simply means a "handful of rice." However, this simple phrase explains the generosity of the Mizo people and their commitment to the cause of missions. Because rice is the main staple of their daily meals, families in the churches of Mizo set aside a “handful of rice” at every meal. When each family collects enough rice they donate it to their local church, which in turn sells it at the market to generate income. In this way they are able to financially support the cause of missions and the spread of the Gospel.
In 1914 when they first began this way of giving to missions they received from the sale of the rice the equivalent of $1.50 in U.S. currency. By the calendar year 2010, they were collecting and selling enough rice to raise the equivalent of $1.5 million dollars and were supporting 1,800 missionaries with their “handfuls of rice.”
In addition, over the years since the “Buhfai Tham” offering was first introduced, the people continued giving creatively by bringing not just rice but portions of their home grown vegetables, firewood, and other resources (all in addition to the tithes they give to their churches). These, too, are sold at the market to further the spread of the Gospel and the planting of churches in India and beyond.
In other words, the task of proclaiming the Gospel became such a central part of the Mizo people’s identity that they were willing to make sacrifices to advance the Gospel in spite of their own poverty. They heard the missionary call in the Great Commission and accepted it as their own personal calling from God. Let me remind you again, even today this area is among the poorest places on the face of the earth. That’s what makes this story so amazingly miraculous and beautiful to me. It also makes it extremely convicting, as well!
One of the leaders in the church in Mizoram said, “There are many ways of serving the Lord. Some people do great things. Some people are great preachers. Some people contribute lots and lots of money. But when we talk about this 'handful of rice,' it is very humble. The service is done in the corner of the kitchen where nobody sees, but God knows and he blesses it.”
A church member involved in the “Buhfai Tham” offerings said, "It is not our richness or our poverty that make us serve the Lord, but our willingness. So we Mizo people say, 'As long as we have something to eat every day, we have something to give to God every day.'"
WOW! What a testimony of commitment to Jesus Christ and the mission He left to His church.
Conversely, we live in the most prosperous nation on the face of the earth! We think nothing of dropping $50 to $100 for an evening with the family at a nice local restaurant, a ballgame or a movie. The fact is, we have more money invested in one or two of our electronic gadgets than many of the people in Mizo will make in income in five, ten or more years. We sometimes spend exorbitant amounts chasing our kids and grandkids from place to place for various “important” events, but too often we can’t find any money to give to the primary cause God left us on earth to accomplish.
When thinking about the “willingness” of the Mizo people to give a “handful of rice,” I think we’d all have to agree that many of us spend way too much time and resources trying to impress people we hardly know with things we don’t really need for reasons we don’t even understand. I mean, if you lived in Mizo today you’d be grateful for a roof over your head, clothes on your back, the rice you had in your storage containers, and you’d be giving a portion of that away to help others hear about Jesus.
How is it that people who have virtually nothing can demonstrate such generosity in advancing the Gospel when those of us who live in the “land of plenty” can’t seem to eek out even a little for the cause most dear to the heart of God? Could it be that we really don’t believe that Jesus is the only way to Heaven and consequently don’t think it’s important to get the message to the ends of the earth? Or, might it be that we have become so self-absorbed that the only people we think about are ourselves? Maybe we just don’t think Jesus meant what He said to us when He left the command to make disciples of all the nations of the earth (Matthew 28:19-20).
I actually don’t know the reason so many Christians give so little to the cause of world missions, but I know for me and my house we will sacrifice for what Jesus called His church to accomplish: The Great Commission! My heart has been stirred to action by the people of Mizo and their “Buhfai Tham” offerings. How about you? Would you take a “handful of your resources” and give them back to God to help our church take the Gospel to places like Mizoram?
