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S., Asia

August 19, 2013

Abraham P.’s Life Testimony 

Psalm 91:2,4 “I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge & my fortress my God in whom I trust.’ He will cover you with his feathers & under his wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield & rampart.’”

I. My Dream was to be a medical doctor!

I am Pradeep from S. I was born 1978 as elder son among two brothers and one sister. My father is Catholic and my mother a devoted Buddhist. My father did not care for us and only spent his salary drinking alcohol and gambling. Because my mother presided over our family affairs, I was raised Buddhist. I devoted myself to Buddhism and lived a quiet and lone life. I dreamt to be a medical doctor and studied hard to achieve this goal, but I failed two times to enter Colombo University Medical faculty – the best faculty in S. I experienced extreme distressed preparing my examination, but one day a Christian aunt came to me and prayed for me to get good marks and to become a doctor. By God’s grace I got enough mark to enter the medical faculty of Colombo University. It was the first touch of God’s grace in my life! But I forgot God’s grace soon and was busy managing my own life.

2. God called me to be Shepherd!

In 2004 a friend introduced me to Aroma institute. There I met shepherd Barnabas & Aroma who are the directors of the institute. They welcomed me with big smiles on their faces. After my first lesson shepherd Barnabas invited me to five minutes Bible study. My inclination was to first refuse, but I worried he might terminate my lessons, so I accepted. While shepherd Barnabas taught the bible I only wanted the five minutes to pass as quickly as possible, but God’s words worked in me through five minute bible study. Genesis 1:1, 2 touched my heart. I was formless, empty and dark. But the Spirit of God hovered in my heart through the Bible study. Gradually my emptiness filled with God’s love! Then I increased Bible study from five minutes to one hour, and then to one and half hours! I began attending worship service and wrote Bible testimonies!

Though I didn’t yet really know God personally, God helped me to experience his power and love in my practical life. I had kidney stone and was admitted to the hospital three days before my second year examination. The Doctor counseled me to undergo an operation soon, but if I was operated upon; I could not take my examinations. There was no way except prayer. I cried out to God for help. Then, I was introduced to an indigenous doctor who treated me and I got well enough to sit for my examinations. That was the first answer to personal prayer in my life.

In my second year, I fell in love with a junior girl of the same faculty. Unexpectedly she became pregnant. It is unacceptable in S. society to have a baby before marriage. Both parents scolded me and asked me to abort the baby. I would have followed them if I did not study the Bible, but Genesis 1 tells us life comes from God. I decided not to abort. To avoid social blame we married officially inviting my batch mates and relations. I worried how I could manage both study and self-supporting at the same time. I worried that my baby might be born disabled. I made a vow if God gave me a healthy baby I would raise my children Christians. God heard my prayer and gave me a healthy and handsome son. God provided my family necessities. By God’s grace I graduated medical study with 5^th rank in 2009. My wife had a hard time studying because of our baby. But with God’s help she also graduated in 2010. We had another son in 2010 but never told the story of my marriage to shepherd Barnabas. It was this way in the last eight years because I feared this will ruin our relationship if he knew? Although shepherd Barnabas did not know about my marriage, God used him to give me His word to overcome hard situations. Particularly, Matthew 6:33 touched me deeply, “do not worry what to eat, what to wear. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” I could overcome all hardship and blame, holding this promise.

From 2011 I began to feed one sheep named N. as my shepherd did for me. Through feeding one sheep I came to know how hard it was for my shepherd who fed me with the word of God and felt God’s unfailing love for me. My spiritual eyes opened. Then shepherd Barnabas and Aroma began visiting my work place every Sunday and served food and the word of God. I was moved by God’s unfailing love through them. I could no more conceal my hidden story. I confessed before them my secret marriage after 8 years. God forgave my sins and gave me peace. I need no longer hide but come out into the light and love of Jesus Christ! Then, God blessed me to be ordained as the first shepherd in S. ministry last month and my wife began one to one Bible study with shepherdess Aroma. God used even my faults and mistakes for my good and made the first house church in S. 

I’m really thankful for God amazing love! S. means a shining land. She is a suzerain of Buddhism. People are gloomed in fatalism and fear affected by nihilistic Buddhism, idols and demons. It is like a desert and wasteland in spirit. But God is doing a new thing here. God sent UBF missionaries from 1990. He made a way of gospel and disciple making. I pray that S. becomes a shining land with the gospel. I pray to be a professor in C. medial faculty so that God may raise one hundred house churches using my family.    

Ow: from a spiritual ignorant to the first shepherd in Buddhist nation.