This is Chetan. He’s the kind of guy who you meet and he just clings right to you. He doesn’t have many friends. At first glance he seems like a normal kid. You watch him worship the Lord and you would think that his parents must be very spiritual people. When he worships he sings [yells] at the top of his lungs and he prays with a passion that many people (including myself), could learn from. But there is a story behind that smile that was unfolded to me over the past few weeks that is hard to forget. Chetan comes from a very conservative Hindu family. He is the youngest of 3 boys and about 2 years ago he came home from school to find his mom had packed up and left. His parents had been divorced for a few years and his father was living on the other side of town with not much contact. Chetan was forced out onto the streets until a friend of his from a strong Christian family took him in. He lived with them until he was able to find his father and stepmother. In the process of living with this family Chetan went to church and experienced great movements by the Holy Spirit. In this time he became a Christian… the story goes that he finally found his father and stepmother and moved in with them. He was eager to tell them about Jesus and the new things he had been learning while attending church. His family was not happy and upon hearing these things demanded that he stop attending church with his friend and her family. Chetan refused. That’s when his step-mom started beating and torturing him. At this point a usually talkative and thorough young boy starts to try and change the subject only saying “please pray for my family to know Jesus”. No bitterness. No anger. Only a broken heart for his lost family who for years beat and tortured their 14 yr old son for the faith that he refuses to give up on. He moved out last year to live with that Christian friend and her family. If you watch him worship you would never know his brutal past, or what he went through to get to where he is today, but if you look in his eyes you can see the hurt and the scars from what it has cost him to love and follow Christ. I think he experiences a deep and very real intimacy with Jesus. I will never forget Chetan.
2 comments:
A few (million) more Christians in America need to understand the precious freedom we have to worship as we choose. We also need to wake up to the fact that that freedom is rapidly being sacrificed on the twin altars of "political correctness" and "tolerance" (of every kind of sordid belief, but not of the truth as revealed in the scriptures.) It's time to wake up, American church, and be prepared for the persecution that is coming.
Just got that email! Every time you update your blog, I’m there reading and checkn up on all the new endeavors. But realized from your last email that I never post anything or leave comments. It occurred to me that this would probably helpful and encouraging just to know that you've got people reading and praying for you guys in your everyday encounters with people and sharing about relationships with Jesus all over the world. Reading over these last few blog’s you've posted breaks my heart for these people. When you talked about how they've stolen your heart Kell, I could completely relate. Reading about the crowds of people crammed into the cities puts just a few things in perspective. What a ridiculously cush lifestyle we live in. And not even that its wrong to live in a such a privileged country but the fact that we become comfortable and lazy and its very easy to forget how much we need Jesus in our life when it seems we have everything else goin for us. Its so easy to fall into the luxuries of life and feel like we are entitled to every little necessity while these people are living off little to nothing every day and have known no other way of life. Yet completely satisfied. Imagine that. Laina and Chetan's stories though were what really humbled me. Both of these kids have experienced more hardship in their young lives then I have through out mine, though I feel like I may have experienced hardship, I realize these kids have ten on me. Yet they still have an unfailing faith that Jesus loves them and will provide. In so may ways their faith is far more mature then many I know three times their age. These kids boldness and joy overwhelm me. I'm encouraged by their life stories and the fact that they can still find joy in a life that provides endless and daily hardships. God is sooooo good. Thanks for the stories and reminding us of this. Can’t wait to hear what’s up next! Humbling.
P.S. Kell, heard through the grapevine, that you might be moving to Denver? Its either Hawaii for me next or Denver. Hmmmm :)
Love you
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