Sohanlal’s* older brother died tragically in a road accident at a young age. His untimely death caused endless grief to his family and had a deep impact on Sohanlal’s life. Sohanlal began to smoke with his friends as a way to cope with his declining mental health.
“The sudden death of my older brother profoundly changed my world. I went through a long, dark depression and my condition worsened each day. Sometimes I hurt myself, and my parents had to look out for me all the time. They took me to enchantress practitioners and to the village health centres, but my condition did not change.”
His parents were worried, thinking that they might also lose their second son. In their desperation, they heard about a social worker in the neighbouring village and went to visit him with Sohanlal. To their surprise, the social worker introduced them to a life filled with a kind of joy they had never known before⏤a joy found in Jesus.
“My life changed wonderfully because of the good news of Jesus, and today my goal is to become a light in the lives of those in darkness,” says Sohanlal.
Sohanlal has since started teaching motivational classes for children and began a faith gathering in his village which brings together 60-70 people regularly. He has also inspired ten women and ten men to begin attending our partner’s training centres, empowering them to share the good news within their own communities.
This story is from our partner in South Asia and is representative of the stories from church planting students who attend the training centres. Our partner is one of the ways we're rethinking missions in South Asia and you can learn more or support the work here.