Testimonies

Kinlay's Testimony By Kinlay Dorjee 2 Tim 2:12. "If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him!.." Christians were persecuted throughout the history. They have been killed, tortured and rejected bykings, rulers, and society. But no power on this earth can destroy Christianity from this planet. Romans 8:35 "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" When I was in my mother's womb, my dad left home to join the Bhutan army and hardly earned anything, so my mother was fully responsible for taking care of us three children. My mother was illiterate and had no means to support us financially, so we went without food & clothing a lot.From my childhood, I always asked these questions, "what will happen to me if I die? Where do people go after they die?" I was afraid to die. I thought that I will give anything to avoid death in my life. Sometime I even though of going deep into the forest and spend my whole life meditating like Buddha. I tried to follow my religion strictly, but I never had assurance of salvation, nor peace and joy. During that time there were no Christians or churches in Bhutan. I never heard about Jesus, never heard the word Bible, or church. One day in another part of the country I heard that if I become a Christian I would go to heaven. That was what I was searching for in my life. Due to the lack of teaching the Word, I came to know Jesus personally after two years. During that time Christians were so few in Bhutan that we rarely met any. In 1982,Iwassearching for Christians for fellowship, but did not meet any. In 1983, I met one Christian couple with whom I started fellowshipping. I was hungry and thirsty to learn more about God. As soon as I accepted Jesus in my life, I started witnessing about Jesus to my friends, relatives and neighbors. This led me into fulltime ministry. In 1987, I was preaching in Sibsoo Bhutan, and I felt something in my spirit, that I needed to leave that place immediately. Later I came to know, that as soon as I left, the police came searching me. In 1989, my whole village people came to me and told me to leave the Christian religion or face the consequences. I told them that I cannot deny Jesus even if I have to face death. They boycott me from the society, but half of the village stood with me, so it did not affect me much. I have been Christian for more than 20 years now. I have never faced persecution like 2001- 2002. I was called by my village authority and asked if I am a Christian. I told them that I am a Christian. They told us to write an agreement that we are Christian. It was a privilege for me to wit ness Jesus to them. I wrote why I became Christian and what happened after I became Christian. After this, I left my village, my mom had to go through lot of mental harassment from villagers and the head man of the village. In the month of December 2001, we were again called for national census. When we reached our village, people were different. They started treating us like strangers. We were not allowed to enter our own house. My wife,Deoki and our two sons, Joel and Navin and myself, had to sleep outside the house in a single bed in the December cold. My second elder brother started scolding and shouting at me. He said everything bad that he could think of. But praise God, I could feel the love of God going out of my heart towards him. I did not say anything to him. The next day, we left our village without completing our national census work. After a few days, I had to go again for the census work which was incomplete. This time I went alone, I reached my home at about 4PM, as soon as I reached home my second elder brother disappeared. I was not allowed to enter the house. Later, my mother and sister came to me, and said, I was not to stay that night in that house. My brother has threatened that he would kill me or break my arms and eyes so that I would not be able to do any work. My mom and sister told me to go to one of my aunt's which was about 1.5 miles away from our house. I had to walk up hill to reach that house and when I arrived there, it was already dark. There is no electricity in the village and there was no moon in the sky and it was very cold. But to my dismay, even my aunt and uncle told me that I could not stay in their house, because I was Christian. I had to leave that house not knowing where to go. It was too dark to walk in such hills where there is no paved path. Anyhow Imanaged to reach another house which was not far away from that house. I asked them for one night shelter outside the house, but the man of the house refused. The lady of that house showed me a small shade where they kept corn covers. She told me to go and sleep quietly and to leave early in the morning without her husband's knowledge. The shade was so small that I could hardly sleep there. I thank God for such place. I felt the warmth of God. I told God that He is my blanket and mattress. I thanked Him that I had the privilege of suffering for Jesus. I thought of my wife and children who will be sleeping comfortably in the city. After about one hour, the man of the house came out and put a flash light toward that shade. The shade was about 50 meter away from house. But, as the shade was too small to hide me, he saw me sleeping there. He went inside the house and said in loud voice that he would call people of the village to come and beat me to death. I jumped off the shade and left that place in the dark without knowing where to go. They were the people that I grew with. That was my own village.They were my neighbors I was their friend. According to our culture they have to give shelter to the stranger. But I was not a stranger to them. Just because I was Christian they would not want to give me shelter, even in a cow shade. I went down the hill through the forest about one mile to reach my own house, because my mom and sister were the only help that I could get in that situation. When I reached home I was thirsty and exhausted. Moreover, I was mentally tortured, and called my mom from outside the house. She came with a lamp in her hand and I fell in her arms and cried. I could not control my tears. At this time, my brother, who was sleeping inside the house came out groaning like a lion to hit me. This time, I told him,that if he hit me, it is of no use. There is the law of the country that will decide what to do. When I said this, he shouted at me, and went inside. That night, I slept outside the house in cold. But praise God I slept soundly because I was so tired. I prayed to God that he would give me the privilege of repaying these village people 'good for the evil' that they did to me. Most of the people of this village have hardly anything to eat or wear. I am planning on taking some clothes to them. I spent about one week in this village. But all our former friends, neighbors and relatives treated me as their enemy. Later my wife, Deoki, came and joined me and we slept out side the house and ate outside. We were not allowed to enter our own family house. We became totally untouchable, outcast and low caste for them. But praise God that I had privilege of suffering for Christ. Matthew 5:11-12. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Bhutan is a country where preaching the gospel and converting to Christianity is prohibited by the law of the kingdom. My family members and relatives do not know that I am one of the active ministers of the gospel. We tell people about Jesus without telling that I am a preacher. We minister in the underground churches without telling people that we are the pastors. Whatever my village people and my brother did to me was because I am a Christian. If they knew that I am a full time minister of the gospel they would have handed me to the police. One of the things that I experienced, while going through such suffering, is that I still love these people and pray for them. I do not have a single evil thought toward them. Praise God that He has given me the spirit of love. This is my prayer that I would go back to this village again with the message of love and compassion. I am not going to preach with my mouth only, but will take clothes to them, demonstrating this love. Please pray for this great work God is doing in Bhutan.