Biography

Read inspiring Christian Biography in Telugu & English. Discover life stories of pastors, missionaries, and believers who lived with faith, dedication, and courage.

Evelyn Brand

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Missionary to the People of Kolli Hills, South India

Early Life

Evelyn Brand was born in May 1879 in London, England, into a rich and comfortable family. As a young girl, she accepted Jesus Christ and was baptized when she was eleven years old.

At home and in church, Evelyn often heard stories about missionaries in India. One day, she read letters in a missionary magazine describing the people living in the remote hill areas of South India. These stories deeply touched her heart and stirred in her a desire to serve God there.

Call to Missions

Feeling that God was calling her to India, Evelyn gave her life fully to serve Him. In 1911, she was appointed as a missionary to India by the Strict Baptist Mission Society.

She arrived in Tamil Nadu in 1912 and began learning the Tamil language. Soon she started her ministry in Kolli Hills, a rugged mountain region often called the “Mountains of Death” because of its difficult terrain and poor living conditions.

Marriage and Ministry

While serving there, Evelyn met Jesse Mann Brand, a missionary who shared her love and burden for the hill people. They were married in 1913.

On their wedding day, amidst heavy rain, the young couple walked up the 3,700-foot high Kolli Malai to begin their missionary work. Together, they:

  • Preached the Gospel of Christ in remote villages.
  • Taught and educated local children.
  • Provided medical help to the sick and needy.
  • Built schools, churches, and orphanages in the mountain villages.

Their love and sacrifice made them beloved among the people.

Faithful Service After Loss

In 1929, Evelyn’s husband Jesse died of malaria, leaving her alone in the mission field. Though heartbroken, Evelyn chose to continue the work they had started together.

She became a mother to many orphans and abandoned children. Even in her old age and poor health, she traveled on a hill pony through the forests and mountains, carrying medicine, teaching the Bible, and caring for those in need. Through her work, five mountain ranges in the Eastern Ghats came to know the message of Jesus Christ.

Final Years and Legacy

When Evelyn was hospitalized with broken hips, she still shared the Gospel with other patients from her wheelchair. Her love for Christ never faded.

After more than 35 years of faithful service, Evelyn Brand went to be with the Lord on December 18, 1974, in the very land she had come to love and serve.

Quick Facts

  • Birth: May 1879 – London, England
  • Death: December 18, 1974 – Tamil Nadu, India
  • Mission Organization: Strict Baptist Mission Society
  • Mission Field: Kolli Hills, South India
  • Known For: Education, medical care, orphan work, and Gospel ministry among the hill people

Gordon Hall

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Early American Missionary to India
Founder of the American Marathi Mission

Early Life and Call to Serve

Gordon Hall was born on April 8, 1784, in Connecticut, USA, into a poor farming family. From a young age, he had a strong faith and wanted to serve God. While studying at Andover Theological Seminary, he met Adoniram Judson and other students who shared the same dream—to take the message of Jesus Christ to faraway countries.

He once received an offer to be a pastor at a rich church in Woodbury, but he turned it down. He said,

“I can sleep on the ground and bear hunger and hardship. God is calling me to preach to those who have never heard of Him; I must go.”

Mission to India

In 1812, Gordon Hall traveled to India as part of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM). He helped start the American Marathi Mission, also called the Bombay Mission, in Bombay (now Mumbai).

He learned the Marathi language so he could speak to the local people and translated the Gospel of Matthew into Marathi, making the Bible more accessible to them.

Work and Service in India

Gordon Hall preached in public places such as temples, markets, and streets. Some people laughed at him, but many listened and believed in Jesus Christ. New believers were welcomed into the fellowship of the church.

He also cared deeply about people’s education and health. He:

  • Opened schools and wrote lessons that included Bible teachings.
  • Used schools as chapels for Bible study and prayer.
  • Gave medical help to sick and needy people.

Hall’s love for the people was shown through both his words and his actions.

His Final Days

In 1826, a cholera outbreak happened in Nasik. Gordon quickly went there to help those who were sick. On his way back, he caught cholera himself. As people gathered around to help him, he used his last strength to preach about Jesus one more time. Then, with a prayer on his lips, he said:

“Glory to Thee, O God!”

He passed away on March 20, 1826, finishing his mission on earth with faith and courage.

Quick Facts

  • Born: April 8, 1784 – Connecticut, USA
  • Died: March 20, 1826 – Nasik, India
  • Mission Field: India (Bombay and nearby regions)
  • Mission Organization: American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM)
  • Main Work: Founder of the American Marathi Mission; Translator of the Gospel of Matthew into Marathi

Robert Clark

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Pioneer Missionary in Punjab and Kashmir

Birth: 4 July 1825
Home Calling: 16 May 1900
Native Place: Lincolnshire, England
Field of Service: Punjab and Kashmir

Robert Clark was a devoted missionary who played a key role in spreading Christianity in the regions of Punjab and Kashmir. After completing his studies at Cambridge University, he was offered a well-paid teaching position at the same institution. However, Clark felt a deeper calling to serve God among the unreached people in foreign lands. He volunteered for the Church Missionary Society, which appointed him to work in the Punjab Mission in India.

In 1852, Clark founded his first mission station in Amritsar, Punjab. Facing many difficulties in India, he soon realized that the Christianity seen under British rule was not the true representation of the Gospel. Therefore, he focused on personal evangelism instead of public preaching.

Clark believed that local believers could share the Gospel more effectively than foreign missionaries. He trained and encouraged the early converts to witness to their families and communities. Despite strong opposition, within two years there were over twenty new believers.

After equipping and mentoring the local Christians, Clark started a new mission station in Peshawar in 1854. For the next decade, he journeyed through dangerous mountains and valleys, reaching people as far as Lahore and Tibet. During this time, he married Elizabeth Mary Browne, who became his faithful partner in ministry.

In 1864, Robert and Elizabeth moved to Kashmir to establish another mission station. At that time, Kashmir was under the rule of the Dogra dynasty and suffered from poverty, disease, and corruption. Although the King gave Clark permission to work there, he secretly ordered his men to attack the couple upon their arrival. God’s protection saved them, and through Elizabeth’s medical work, their enemies soon became friends.

Elizabeth’s healing ministry opened many doors for the Gospel, leading to the creation of several medical mission centers across Kashmir. The Christian community grew steadily, and Clark continued his work with great zeal, combining education, medical help, and spiritual teaching. He remained active in the mission field of North India until his death in 1900.

Robert Clark’s life was marked by faith, courage, and compassion—a true pioneer who brought both physical and spiritual light to the people of Punjab and Kashmir.

Mark Daniel Buntain

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A Missionary Who Served the Poor in India

Full Name: Mark Daniel Buntain
Birth: January 26, 1923
Death: June 4, 1989
Native Place: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Country: Canada
Place of Vision: Kolkata, India

Early Life

Mark Daniel Buntain was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, into the family of a Pentecostal minister. Growing up in a godly home, he was deeply inspired by missionary stories and dreamed of becoming a missionary himself. While working as a radio broadcaster, he felt a strong call from God to leave his job and dedicate his life to ministry.

After marrying Huldah Monroe, Mark left his broadcasting career and began serving as a pastor in Saskatchewan, Canada. Later, he ministered as a missionary evangelist in several countries including Taiwan, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Japan.

Mission Call to India

In 1954, obeying God’s call, Mark and Huldah Buntain came to Kolkata, India, with their one-year-old daughter. They began their ministry by setting up a tent on an empty plot of land and started preaching about the love of Jesus Christ.

One day, while Mark was preaching, a man interrupted him and said,

“Preacher, feed our bellies first, then tell us about a God in heaven.”

Those words deeply touched Mark’s heart. They made him realize that people needed to see God’s love through action.

The Birth of Calcutta Mercy Mission

That powerful moment led Mark to start the “Calcutta Mercy Mission” in 1964, a ministry dedicated to feeding, educating, and providing medical care for the poor and needy.

As part of this mission:

  • He founded the Assembly of God Church School in Kolkata, which gave thousands of poor children a chance for a better future.
  • He also established a small medical clinic that later grew into a multi-specialty hospital, offering hope and healing to countless people.

Growth of the Ministry

For many years, Mark pastored the Assembly of God Church in Kolkata, which became the center for the growth of over 900 churches in North India. He also shared the gospel through radio broadcasts in Hindi, English, and Bengali, reaching millions across the region.

Even after Mark’s death in 1989 due to illness, his wife Huldah Buntain chose to stay in India and continue the mission they had begun together. Under her leadership, the Calcutta Mercy ministry expanded and now operates in over 21 countries, continuing to serve the poor with love and compassion.

Legacy

Mark Daniel Buntain’s life is a powerful example of obedience, compassion, and faith in action. He not only preached the gospel but lived it by serving those in need. His vision turned into a global movement that still touches lives around the world — feeding the hungry, healing the sick, and giving hope to the hopeless.

David Brainerd

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David Brainerd – The Weak but Mighty Missionary

Full Name: David Brainerd
Birthplace: Haddam, Connecticut, USA
Parents: Hezekiah and Dorothy Brainerd
Date of Birth: April 20, 1718
Date of Death: October 9, 1747
Born Again Experience: At the age of 21

Life and Ministry

David Brainerd was born in Haddam, Connecticut, in the United States on April 20, 1718. From his childhood, he used to think deeply about the soul and life after death. He always longed for peace in his heart and desired to reach heaven after death.

At the age of nine, he lost his father, and when he was fourteen, his mother also passed away. Becoming an orphan at such a young age, David felt lonely and sad. Yet, he stayed away from bad company and spent most of his time in secret prayer and Bible reading.

When he turned twenty-one, he experienced a deep spiritual change. He realized that salvation is not by human efforts but only by God’s grace. From then on, he dedicated his life completely to serve Christ.

Calling and Mission

David Brainerd was a man of prayer and great devotion. Many churches invited him to serve as their pastor, but he refused because his heart was burdened for the Native American “Red Indians.” He wanted to take the message of Jesus Christ to them.

He traveled into the dense forests of America and reached the tribal people after great hardship. Those people were wild and known for cruel practices, but Brainerd decided to live among them, pray for them, and preach the Gospel day and night.

Though he did not know their language, and they did not know his, he never lost hope. God provided him a translator — a man who was once a drunkard and idol worshipper. While helping Brainerd, that man heard the Gospel, repented of his sins, and became a believer. Soon, many others followed him and accepted Jesus Christ.

Life of Sacrifice

Brainerd lived in the forests under harsh conditions. Many times, he had to ride 10–15 miles on horseback just to get a piece of bread. Often the bread was moldy and hard, yet he thanked God for it. He drank dirty water from pits and slept on straw laid over a wooden board.

He had no close friends to comfort or encourage him. Whenever he felt lonely, he found strength in prayer and the presence of God. His diary tells how he prayed with tears for the salvation of souls and how God answered him with miracles. His writings still inspire many servants of God today.

Brainerd’s ministry was like a battlefield. He fought like a soldier to free people from the traps of Satan. He labored for souls with great passion, both in public and in private. Jonathan Edwards, who later wrote about his life, said, “David Brainerd is a guide to all who wish to serve God successfully.”

End of His Life

Brainerd never cared about comfort or health. He suffered from sickness and weakness, yet continued to preach. His body became very weak due to the hardships of missionary life, but his spirit stayed strong.

He once wrote in his diary, “Even if I am weak and suffer much, if I can lead many to Christ before I die, that will be worth ten thousand lives.” He also said, “If I had a thousand souls, I would give them all to God.”

Finally, on October 9, 1747, early on a Friday morning, as the sun was rising, David Brainerd said,

“Jesus has come. He delays no longer. Soon I shall be with Him in glory, praising God with the angels.”

And with those words, he peacefully went to be with the Lord.

Though he lived only 29 years, and served actively for just 4 years, his ministry impacted the world far more than many who lived long lives. His faith, prayer, and sacrifice still challenge and inspire believers even today.