Mohansingh Rufus Asna, b. 3 December 1883, d. 30 April 1960, came to the mission at Janjgir from the German Lutheran Mission in Bihar Province, India. After some years of resisting the claim of Christ on his life, he finally said yes to go to the Mennonite Mission in Madhya Pradesh (Central Province) to become an evangelist.

In July 1903 he and his wife arrived in Janjgir where they were warmly welcomed. Soon he became a dedicated Christian worker. He was ordained as a deacon in the Janjgir congregation in 1914. In 1929 he became the first Indian evangelist to be ordained an elder in the General Conference Mennonite Church.

His first wife died in 1912 and his second wife died of cholera in 1914 after a brief marriage. In 1918 he married again. Through it all he never lost his love for people and he showed many a young person the path of life which leads to faith in and commitment to Christ.

Bibliography

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 5, p. 39. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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