Balamdas D. Stephen was born in a village near Raipur, Madhya Pradesh, India, just after his mother had been widowed. She died in the famine of 1893-1894. B. D. was brought up and educated in the Methodist mission. After teaching in a Methodist school for some time, he entered government service as a contractor and moved his family to Birra near Mauhadih. There he met P. J. Wiens at an open-air preaching service at the weekly market and joined the group with his lusty singing. Wiens invited B. D. and his wife Ruth Bai, to join the General Conference Mennonite mission as lay evangelists. B. D. pastored a small worshiping group in Taldeori village for 10 years and kept up his enthusiastic witness until his retirement in 1950. He died of a stroke in his son Samuel's home.

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 5, p. 857. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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