Gouthamlal hated Christians. He hated them so much, he opposed them sharing their faith with him.
Then, failing a grade in high school left him fearful and feeling like a failure. During this time, hearing stories about Christians made him even more angry.
Meanwhile his mother received a Gospel tract while out shopping one day. But she was illiterate. Curious to know what was written on the little piece of paper, she brought it to Gouthamlal. Could he tell her what it said? she wondered. But instead of reading the tract to her, Gouthamlal took one look at it and angrily told her it spoke of a foreign religion—not meant for them.
Disappointed that she couldn’t find out what was written on the piece of paper, his mother hid it in a sack filled with books. Time passed. Then one day, still disillusioned with life, Gouthamlal discovered the tract while flipping through some books. It was now dusty and colored on the edges.
This time, Gouthamlal wanted to read it. As he read, a ray of hope replaced his long-felt emptiness. The Holy Spirit worked in the young man’s heart, calling him to a relationship with the living God. He was able to get in touch with a GFA missionary in a neighboring village for encouragement in the Lord.
When Gouthamlal shared the Gospel with his mother, she, too, received the Lord Jesus. Others in their family came to the Savior as well. In their village, they are the only Christians. One Sunday, the rest of the people in their village met to decide whether to throw them out of the community.
In the meantime, Gouthamlal had begun attending a GFA Bible college. Other students and staff interceded with him for God’s supernatural intervention. God answered in a miraculous way by allowing a dispute between the villagers: They argued amongst themselves and dispersed without making a decision. The incident left Gouthamlal and his family encouraged in the Lord.
Pray for these newborn Christians to remain steadfast in the faith and a light to those around them. Pray the Lord will raise up a missionary who can reach the rest of the community with the Good News and disciple new believers.
Far from hating Christians, today Gouthamlal eagerly continues his studies at the Bible college and desires to evangelize an unreached village of his native Rajasthan, India, after he graduates. May God get the glory.