In a mountainous Nepali village, as a new day dawned, Ramesh climbed from his bed, tired and weary from last night’s excursion with his gang of Christ haters. He was oblivious to the beauty that surrounded him and the vista which he and his family looked out upon every day. The anger which consumed him every day blinded him to the blessings he should have enjoyed.  The Christians in his village, his parents being two of them, created within him a rage that was never satisfied. His parents had been Christians all of his life and he despised them for their faith. He had done everything he could to get them to renounce their faith and follow the ancestral worship of spirits to no avail.

As he intensified his gang’s attacks on those villagers who were Christians, beating and torturing them, it appeared his plan was working, because the Christians were slowly moving out, fearing for their lives.  He knew that his way of life was heartbreaking for his parents because so many of the people he targeted were their friends, but no matter how wicked and evil his deeds were, he would regularly hear them praying to their Jesus to humble him and to save his soul!

His father was sending him to Kathmandu today on a business trip and although he did not want to do anything for his father, he would try to use some of the money he had entrusted to him to enjoy the vices of the city before returning home.  His mother had lovingly prepared a bag of food for the journey and as she bid him goodbye, she assured him she would pray for his safety on the hazardous roads. He scowled at her, unable to even thank her for the food or her concern. Sometimes he wondered why they put up with him or why they did not ask him to leave. How could they continue to show him so much love and concern? Were they afraid of him too?

A few days later on his way home, as the bus wound its way up the steep mountainside, a truck collided with it sending it and its 43 passengers over a cliff.  In the ensuing hours as he lay in the carnage awaiting rescue, he thought again about his mother and her prayers. He was sure that the people around him were all dead and yet he was alive!  Could her prayers have been answered? Was the power of Jesus Christ real after all? “You are the only survivor”, they told him, as they pulled him to safety. 42 souls and the driver had been killed yet he was alive.  At that moment he recognized that God had spared his life and that his mother’s prayers had been answered.  He freely submitted the rest of his life to serve and follow Jesus.

Today he pastors those whom he persecuted.  He and his lovely wife live to win souls for the Kingdom of heaven as they reach out to mountain tribes with the Good News of Salvation. He testifies that no matter what the hardship, his second chance at life is a gift from God, to whom he owes everything.

We have produced a free prayer guide to help you pray for the persecuted church in Asia. Click below to download.