Gayesh stood up and looked around at the people who had gathered to celebrate his decision to follow Christ. Many events in the past few years had paved the way for this day, but even so, this occasion marked just the beginning of his journey with Jesus.
Young Boy Talks to God
Seven years earlier, Gayesh’s family’s faith was limited to Sundays. They attended worship services, but nobody read God’s Word or prayed at home—not even when they struggled to afford three meals a day. Gayesh, 12 at the time, decided to try praying for provision. When God answered the very next week with special provision for the family, Gayesh understood that God is alive and he could talk to Him and ask for help in all things. Around the same time, Gayesh’s father became serious about his faith and dedicated his life to serving God as a missionary.
Gayesh started praying more and more as he grew up. He prayed for wisdom in school, and God helped him pass his high school exams. While Gayesh’s father studied in a Bible college, Gayesh participated in evening prayer times with his mom and four siblings.
Gayesh’s relationship with God helped direct him as he matured, and his parents’ relationships with God also guided the young man. His father and mother prayed over Gayesh many times to keep him from all the temptations they saw young adults encountering. God answered those prayers, too. As Gayesh grew older, he maintained a close, trusting relationship with his parents. Whenever he had a problem, he spoke honestly with them and listened to their biblical counsel.
A Problem Only God Could Fix
Gayesh’s desire for God’s ways guarded him from many problems, but at age 19, he developed a severe skin condition. Itchy, smelly boils spread across his body, baffling local medical workers and dermatologists. None of their treatments brought any relief for Gayesh. For more than one year, he suffered.
In the midst of his unresolved health problem, Gayesh delved deeper into his relationship with Christ, deciding to give his life fully to Jesus. When the day came to publicly share his decision, he felt God speaking to him and working in his body. Soon after the service, the boils started to shrink, and the redness vanished. By the time two weeks had passed, God had completely healed Gayesh’s skin.
New Passion for the Lord
This personal experience of healing further committed Gayesh to Christ. His heart grew toward ministry, and he desired to do his all for Jesus. Gayesh started leading worship during services, and he faithfully participated in the prayer meetings and Bible studies led by his father, now a Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastor. In addition, he kept cultivating his personal relationship with God through his private prayer times.
Soon, Gayesh received another blessing from God: a promising opportunity to learn a trade and join a construction company. He worked hard learning masonry, floor tiling and other aspects of construction. Gayesh demonstrated diligence, skill, a good work ethic and financial integrity in his job. If he was paid for a job in advance, he ensured the job was completed promptly and correctly, and if the materials cost less than originally anticipated, he returned the extra payment to his client, rather than pocketing it. Clients recognized his trustworthiness, which resulted in many more people wanting to hire him for their projects.
Now work demands much of his time, but Gayesh carefully reserves time to worship the Lord on Sundays and to attend the youth meetings. He recognizes training and his job as gifts from the Lord, and he attempts to live out his life as a good example in his workplace and among the youth.
“I praise God for all His blessings to me, and especially for divine healing,” Gayesh says. “I want to tell about God’s power and love to other young people and help them to experience [God’s] blessings. … I like to be a good example to the young people in our village.”
