Akalsukh now earns his living driving a rickshaw, just like the one pictured here. |
Akalsukh Bosi’s name implied that his life was perfect. In his native language, Akalsukh means “forever in peace and delight.” Yet, his life was exactly the opposite of that.
Akalsukh faced a never-ending series of financial setbacks and problems. He worked as a day laborer, doing whatever job he could be hired for. None of the jobs paid very much, especially for a man who had a wife and four school-age children to support. The family was crammed together in a tiny hut made of mud and bricks.
Of course, there was never enough money to buy food or clothes or to pay school fees and buy supplies for the children.
There were many days that Akalsukh could not find anyone to hire him, so he ended up back home, with nothing to do except pray that tomorrow would be different and that he could give his children a better life.
Akalsukh and his family had come to know the Lord, and they attended a small village church led by a Gospel for Asia-supported missionary Gurja Simbol. Gurja was heartbroken about the family’s situation and he prayed often for them while ministering to the family in any way he could.
When Gurja found out that his congregation had been chosen to receive gifts from the Gospel for Asia Christmas Gift Catalog, he immediately thought of Akalsukh’s family. The family received a bicycle rickshaw, and it literally pulled them out of financial ruin. The rickshaw is a type of bicycle-driven taxi cab that is a common form of transportation in the part of Asia where Akalsukh lives.
Now, rather than getting up and praying that he can find a job that day, Akalsukh wakes up, eats breakfast and gets on the road, driving passengers and cargo to and from their destinations. He never has to worry about spending the day at home with no work and no income. There is always someone or something needing a ride.
The steady income he receives is helping him care for his family and keep his children in school. For the first time in his life, Akalsukh has real hope that his children will have a bright future.
