World Outreach lost one of its longest-serving missionaries this past November when our dear friend and colleague, Vijaya Chowdhuri, passed away.

Along with her late husband, Biswanath, Vijaya was born in India. She was a trained nurse and Christian. She met Bisu (as he was known by many) in a Mumbai hospital where he was recovering after been exposed to toxic chemicals in 1963, when serving as a scientist in an Indian army laboratory. At the time he suffered complete paralysis of his body.

While undergoing years of treatment and rehabilitation in hospital, he had an opportunity to read a Gideon New Testament where he found a new life in Jesus Christ. A former Hindu Brahmin, Bisu became a Christian.

Over time a beautiful relationship between Bisu and Vijaya grew. They married on January 11, 1972, and had three children, Sarah, Sunita and Samuel. As part of his rehabilitation, the Indian gov’t arranged for Bisu to receive further treatment in Perth, Australia. While there in hospital his story made the local news. Shortly afterwards a number of Christian visitors came regularly to visit them both.

After many years of rehabilitation in India and Australia, Bisu had only limited movement from the chest upwards. It was while in Perth that both felt the call of God to go and study at the WEC Bible School in Tasmania, Australia. Upon graduation from WEC, they knew the Lord had called them to serve as missionaries in Bangladesh, a very inhospitable country for a paraplegic confined to a wheelchair. Vijaya remained totally dedicated to Bisu’s health needs throughout their married life.

To Bangladesh they went with a vision and passion to teach and train couples and singles to pastor and evangelize in their cities, towns and villages. In 1979 Bisu and Vijaya co-founded Christian Discipleship Centre (CDC). As a non-denominational training centre, it is today well known in Christian circles throughout Bangladesh. Hundreds of graduates are now serving the Lord throughout the country in many different denominational churches and ministries.

When Bisu passed away in 2010, Vijaya was appointed director of CDC where she soon gained the respect of other ministry leaders. She not only kept CDC true to its original vision, but also implemented various community projects that she and Bisu had talked about, eg slum literacy schools, up-skill / job training for women, various mercy programs.

Vijaya’s perseverance and determination to keep working hard despite her own severe health issues in the later years of her life, won the respect of all who knew her. She was an amazing woman of God who will be greatly missed.

John Elliott

President Emeritus

World Outreach International