Barun’s life was in ruins long before the earthquake ever struck his country of Nepal in 2015. When he was younger, his mother died and his father got remarried to a woman who treated him harshly. Because of the ill treatment, he never finished his studies.
When Barun married, he and his wife moved away to avoid the conflict with his stepmother, despite the cultural norm of staying near his parents. But this didn’t bring the peace he hoped for. Barun and his wife, Parbarti, argued all the time. Their son often fell ill, which only added to Barun’s growing depression. Discouraged and disheartened, Barun found it difficult to work or provide for his family. His wife took up work sewing clothes to maintain the family.
Believers open their hearts
After the earthquake, Barun and Parbarti found themselves, along with thousands of others, bereft and in need. Their home, now ready to crumble from the numerous aftershocks that shook the nation, offered them no comfort in the night. They slept outside, fearing another quake would finish off the destruction.
Thankfully, a local body of believers opened their hearts to this struggling family in their time of need. They offered more than just physical assistance. They prayed, and God moved in many ways.
Barun and Parbarti found help from the local congregation, which was led by a pastor named Karunamay. They provided Barun and Parbarti with food, clothing, comfort and prayer. Their very lives impacted the couple.
‘When I saw the activities of the believers, I was impressed a lot,’ Barun recalls. ‘I liked them. Especially when I saw their joy and happiness, even in the midst of fears and shortages, and the way they were praying for all of the earthquake-affected people. When they prayed for me, I felt a kind of freshness.’ Parbarti was also blessed as she saw the love of God displayed so beautifully through his children.
Fresh start
Barun and Parbarti found a fresh start with Jesus. Although the trials of this earth may continue to bring challenges their way, even destroying their physical home, they now have an eternal home with Jesus Christ and the lasting peace he brings.
‘For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens’ (2 Corinthians 5.1).
