Tanvir was drawn to the Savior through music, and now he’s filled with a new song in his heart.

As a child, Tanvir had to drop out of school and grow up far too quickly. His family depended on it.

But today, this young man is a Gospel for Asia-supported missionary who has a joyous song in his heart—and a church of believers he leads in weekly worship and teaching.

Tanvir grew up in a remote village in Andhra Pradesh as the second oldest of four children. Both his father and older brother worked for their landlord, and his mother worked as a day laborer. Yet for all their hard work, their meager earnings were barely enough for the family to get by.

And things got even harder.

When Tanvir was in fourth grade, his father fell off a roof, injuring himself so badly he could no longer work. This left the family in even greater financial struggles.

Tanvir dropped out of school and got a job tending to buffalo. He worked around the house from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. each day, then took care of the buffalo the rest of the day.

Over the course of a few years, he worked for various people, tending to animals. He was very interested in singing, and while doing his work, he would sing.

Tanvir dropped out of school and got a job tending to buffalo.

Tanvir came from a Christian home but rarely attended church. One of the few times he went, Tanvir heard a song talking about how important it is to know Jesus while there is still time—because life is uncertain.

Even though he didn’t really understand what the song meant, Tanvir really liked the tune. So he started singing this song.

Then Tanvir started going to church just to hear the songs. When he started attending regularly, friends and neighbors mocked him and tried to entice him away from church, telling him that he could not “enjoy life” if he lived as a Christian.

But God had a strong hold on Tanvir and protected him from these temptations. Hearing the Scriptures taught at church, Tanvir was drawn to a vibrant relationship with Jesus and soon testified publicly that he had put his faith in Him.

When his pastor shared from Jeremiah 1, Tanvir sensed God speaking directly to his heart and calling him to serve Him in full-time ministry. Tanvir yearned to serve the Lord. But he had never finished school and had already been out for four years. He could not read or write properly. He also was expected to keep working to provide for his family.

Then Tanvir started going to church just to hear the songs.

But Tanvir waited—and prayed. He often served alongside his pastor and began sharing Jesus with the man he worked for. One day, his boss told him to bring his pastor and have a prayer meeting in his home. Two other pastors came to the prayer meeting as well.

Marveling that they could have this meeting in the home of a non-Christian, one of the pastors asked how it had come about. The pastor then spoke with Tanvir and asked to hear his testimony. He asked Tanvir if he was willing to serve the Lord in ministry and to be trained in a Bible college.

This was music to Tanvir’s ears, and he was very excited to hear of this opportunity to study God’s Word. But as he was still the breadwinner for his family, his parents were not willing to let him go away to Bible college.

But by God’s grace and provision, things worked out and Tanvir was eventually able to join one of GFA’s home Bible schools where he was able to learn the Scriptures and even learn to read and write better. Then he enrolled in a GFA Bible college.

He graduated in 2006 and serves as a GFA-supported missionary. Many have come to know Jesus through his ministry, and the believers in the church are active in sharing the Gospel. He recently had the opportunity to train one young man he led to Christ who has a special heart for the ministry.

Praise God for sustaining Tanvir through a difficult childhood and putting a wonderful, new song in his heart. Pray the Lord continues to use this dear servant mightily for His kingdom.