News / Thoughts

India: Healed, attacked, healed!

Kuldeep* lives in northern India, where he preaches and tells people about Jesus. He knows this isn’t safe. He knows better than most people – he was attacked with an axe for sharing his faith. Doctors didn’t think he’d survive but, thanks to God’s grace and your support, Kuldeep was able to recover and resume his ministry.

“I’ve been a Christian for more than 30 years. It started when I was ill and in a lot of pain. I come from an important Hindu family, but Hindu rituals weren’t healing me. Then someone said, ‘You should pray to Jesus and you will be healed.’

“I went to a nearby pastor. As he prayed for me, I felt prickly all over my body. It wasn’t a nice feeling and I left the church. I didn’t go again, but whenever the pastor came to visit me, I felt prickly and I warned him not to come again. But he kept insisting I come to him for prayer. Nothing else was working, so one day I decided to give his God one more chance.

“The pastor told me to get rid of all my idols and come back to his church. I did what he asked. The pastor anointed me with oil, prayed for me and I was finally healed. I felt very light. I wanted to read the Bible and to pray.”

“I’m now a pastor and an evangelist. There was resistance against my ministry among my neighbours. People would say, ‘Why did you leave our Hindu gods and accept Christianity? You were born in India, so how can you deny the Hindu gods?’

“I’d reply that I am telling them about the Creator – about the God whom I know. My God is the Creator of the universe.”

Attacked

“This resistance escalated one day, when I was physically attacked. It was the evening, and I was standing on our veranda. I was a little sleepy, but I still wanted to take an hour to pray and praise God. So I closed my eyes. That’s when I sensed someone coming up behind me.

“By the grace of God, I instinctively raised my hands. And the axe struck me. In total, he hit me six times. He only went away after I started screaming, and several villagers ran towards my house. I had lost a lot of blood and was unconscious. I didn’t even know who the man was.”

“At the hospital, the doctor said that I would not survive. When people saw photos of me, they thought I was already dead. But my family told the doctors to do whatever was possible. They gave me saline and 12 bags of blood. I barely survived.”

“You were the only ones who came to visit…”

“An Open Doors partner came to visit me. He was the only one who came, and he came as soon as he could. Because of my injuries, I couldn’t work and the other Christians are too poor to care for me and my family. He provided me and my family with the food we needed, and help from Open Doors partners meant I was able to go to a better hospital. This man prayed with me, and comforted and strengthened us.

“Thanks to your support, I didn’t die. Instead, I can continue to testify what God did for me. I will not be discouraged, no matter how bad the situation is. In fact, it has encouraged me to do more and more ministry. People need Jesus. I have a calling from God to lead people who are walking in the way of destruction and to bring light to those who are in darkness.

“I’ve forgiven the man who attacked me – but I know I am not safe. It’s all in God’s hands. Please pray for protection for me and my church. And pray for the salvation of Indian people.”

Pray now…

• Thank God for saving Kuldeep’s life. Pray that He will shield Kuldeep from further attacks as he keeps on declaring the good news of Jesus
• For wisdom and protection for Open Doors local partners in India, who often risk their own safety to reach persecuted believers with practical support and encouragement.

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