Mizo Church Welcomes New Pastor

Members of the Mizo church in Burtonsville, Md., recently welcomed Enga Khiangte as their new pastor during an installation service at the church on June 24. Eli Rojas, Chesapeake Conference ministerial director, was present to officially introduce Khiangte to the congregation and welcome him on behalf of the conference. 

Khiangte’s arrival at the congregation is the fulfillment of a year-long journey of faith. The process of Khiangte applying for a religious visa was complicated and slow. At one point, Khiangte and his wife, Marian, were told that the last step of the process was to attend an interview at the American Embassy in Aizwl, India. However, without an interpreter, the Khiangtes struggled to understand the questions and their visa was denied. They were informed in a letter that they would have to restart the entire application process.

According to Rojas, this setback provided an amazing opportunity for the church and the Chesapeake Conference administration to experience the power of prayer. Everyone began praying that God would provide a way for the Khiangtes to get through the process quickly, and in answer to prayer, the embassy agreed to grant them a second interview. This time, the visa was approved. 

The Khiangtes landed at Dulles International Airport on June 14 and were welcomed at the airport by their new church family.