Vijay Masih was embarrassed to welcome his guests in such uncomfortable conditions. He had borrowed his sister’s cottage; his own being under construction. His wife, Preeti, prepared a chai to provide warmth in the icy atmosphere of late December. In the spring, the evangelical pastor and his family had moved to an informal village just outside Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, a state in northern India. There’s no electricity, no sanitation, no asphalt. He sleeps on a makeshift mattress outside on the dirt. But at least he feels safe in this all-Christian community of over 300 people.
This story was originally published in lemonde.fr. Read the full story here .