Several WEC missionaries came to India around 1949-1950. They came to work in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, a very limited area. Norman Grubb, who was there as superintendent, came and visited them. He saw that they were not making much impact on India. He came in touch with Bakht Singh and he advised these missionaries to get in alongside Bakht Singh. So we did have an influx of WEC missionaries for a time, about 8, I think. Jeffrey Abbis, who ran the training centre in Hyderabad for a long time for the workers, was one of them. He and his wife were both primarily engaged in a Vacation Bible School (VBS) for children and young people. They did very well at it. They introduced VBS to the work of the Lord in Hyderabad. They joined our ministry in 1961. (Read Jeffrey Abbis’ testimony in appendix 4.)
For several years we worked together with Operation Mobilisation (OM). We were able to reach through OM areas that we could never have reached on our own. That was due to the fact that we lacked our own transport and OM has trucks, or a truck, that enabled us to go beyond the geographical limits that we had known. On the other hand OM lacked trusted local workers to help them go farther inland for gospel outreaches and book ministry. We had been working together very happily for several years, when suddenly our working relationship was broken. OM was not concentrating on Bibles and Christian books alone, but they were ministering with secular books as well. Some of our younger men got the idea that it was not right to sell secular books. They thought they were wise, but they were foolish and I think that is what caused the break. Younger men are an inspiration, but sometimes a hindrance as well. I never discussed it with them, because the thing was done before I had a chance to talk with the people involved, as I wasn’t there when it happened. It was because this exclusive idea had come in: we’ve got it and you must do things the way we do them. The break with OM was very unfortunate and it was a shame. OM was ministering to us and we were ministering to them. I was very sad when our work together came to an end. According to some people, several assemblies connected with our ministry were not happy about the fact that OM was working with other groups like Baptists, Pentecostals, and Methodists as an interdenominational organization. This might have been a factor too, I don’t know. It was never discussed with me, because it was fairly accomplished before I was there to help them.
There were two other lady missionaries with us; Miss Stanley and Miss Green and they worked together and they came and joined us. Miss Green was from the Baptist Mission and Miss Stanley was from the Open Brethren. They came and joined the fellowship of Bakht Singh and us. We developed the sisters’ ministries mainly through these two European ladies. We eventually had a separate home in Madras for them where they could have some sisters staying for training. The Sunday school teaching was usually left to the Indian sisters.