The largest dhobi ( a human laundromat ) in the world .
Photo credit : Joseph Chean
ELISABETH COCHRANE — NEPAL & INDIA
Elisabeth came to Singapore in 1980 during her School of Evangelism ( SOE ) outreach from Kona , and ministered with the Church of Singapore . She returned in 1981 , en route to a scouting trip in Nepal and India , where she eventually pioneered a YWAM base .
Elisabeth Cochrane was only 23 when she was thrown into jail . She was more than 12,000 km away from her home in the United States and was charged for a crime that she did not commit . Her team , comprising 8 other foreigners and 5 locals , were accused of proselytising and killing a cow , of which the penalty was a 3-year term in prison . On both charges , they pleaded not guilty for the villagers they visited were already Christians and they were only there to teach . But the police were adamant . Lis , as her friends call her , remembers vividly , “ It was a very small jail cell . We slept on the floor , nearly touching each other . Almost every day we had to walk in handcuffs to the courts .”
Lis ’ journey to the Indian subcontinent in 1982 was a response to God ’ s call into the mission field . “ Many told me I was crazy . But I had a word of the Lord to go , from Esther 1:1 : This is what happened during the time of Xerxes , who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush . When God calls you , He gives you grace .”
Lis did not expect her obedience to lead to a brush with the law . But when the lock-up opened doors into the country , it confirmed for her that God can be counted on . “ Because of our court case , the governments got involved . This put pressure on the local authorities . The laws were then changed and for many years after , there was a lot of freedom .”
The story of God ’ s grace would continue to unfold in all her subsequent ministries . After being released , she pioneered training schools for the locals with a team . Today , the international missions organisation that Lis is a part of has 400 local missionaries , with projects in 13 locations in the country . This year , they will have 31 local discipleship training schools that will reach 120,000 locals . This growth has come from more than 3 decades of persevering . “ Perseverance is a very good trait to have as a pioneer ,” Lis says . “ When you keep obeying God , He can make growth happen . It has been very fulfilling to see that my one life has affected so many others .”
“ It ’ s also important to have a team ,” she adds . “ There will always be problems , so it helps to pray together and not focus on the problems , but on God ’ s vision of what He wants to accomplish .” Lis has spent more than half her life in Asia , leaving the comforts of home to reach UPGs she did not know . This is where she calls home now , a place she has grown to love ; where she is committed to bringing the Gospel to those who have yet to hear of God ’ s love .
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