This is a story about an ex-vehicle driver, struggling for the survival of his family -- a husband and the father of a son and a daughter, both approaching their teenage years.
Seven months ago, he was travelling to a village for his younger brother’s wedding. He was not driving at the time but was sitting on the back of vehicle with a load of empty milk pots. He had been drinking wine before the start of the journey and sat there alone, not wanting to cause any trouble.
They had been traveling some distance when they reached some dangerous parts of the road. While they were turning a corner, he was thrown off the vehicle, on to the roadside, together with the milk pot he was holding. As a result of the accident, he was not able to sit nor was he able to stand and walk.
Someone took him to a medical college to be checked and get treatment. The doctor recommended a hip operation within 72 hours. The operation required a deposit of 1 lakh (100,000 rupees). Because he lacked the money, he was not able to make the upfront payment, so, without treatment, his right hip joint was left damaged, resulting in a decreased range of motion after 2 months.
Up until that time, he had not been ready to accept Christ, even though his two younger brothers, who had been Christians for 5 years, had shared the gospel with him and his family many times. He was just not ready to believe in Jesus, nor to acknowledge God; happy to drink wine and drive for a paltry living.
His second brother is a good evangelist and shares the gospel wisely. He invited a fellow Sower to their room to give encouragement to the elder brother who had had the accident. The Sower also shared the gospel and the love of Christ with him and spoke about both the spiritual and the physical sides of life, making clear to him his need for salvation by explaining the eternal consequences of dying without Christ. Finally, he realised the truth and he and his family all accepted Christ into their lives and their home.
They are growing in faith, learning about Christianity and God, and joining in church fellowship regularly, even though, with no source of income, he, and his family, face big struggles to survive daily. His progress is dependent on health services and follow-up visits to the doctor from time to time. As he was not able to sit or walk easily, he had to have an expensive hip replacement operation. He walks slowly, only for a short distance, with the help of a stick. His artificial hip will last for a maximum of 3-5 years then he will have to face further surgery.
The cost of one hip replacement operation is 3 lakhs (300,000 Nepali rupees). A local church gave some financial help for his operation, and they took out a loan for the rest of the amount. He is not able to travel in a vehicle for long hours, so recently a Sower bought an air ticket for him because he needed to go for follow-up with his doctor in Kathmandu. Kathmandu is where he had his hip replacement.
This man’s life is a big struggle. He has no way to earn money for his family’s survival. His wife is a simple and uneducated woman, and the children are growing and studying. Every day they face terrible hardship, but the good news is that they are saved in Christ and are preparing for baptism. Nabin