Since before I was born, my family had lived in a small village outside of Kathmandu, the capital city in the northeastern part of Nepal. I was the oldest child, with a younger sister and a younger brother. My mother was a housewife, and my father was a dogmatic Hindu priest. He was the chairman of the local Hindu Welfare Trust and the Chief Priest in charge of the famous Hindu temple in our district. Our family owned land and other properties, and the local Hindu Trust provided the priestly facilities where we lived.

I was born in 1968, and by the time I was 25 years old, I had learned most of the rituals and services of a Hindu priest. Being the firstborn son of my father, I was in the line of succession for becoming the main priest. Because of this, the local Hindu Trust appointed me assistant priest at the same temple as my father.

Gods That Don't Hear

But in my family there was no peace. My mother had fallen ill about the time that I was appointed assistant priest, and every day, every month, for an entire year she was ill. We tried various methods of healing for her, but all were in vain. As a result, my mother died. Next, it was I who began to experience illness. My left leg became partially paralyzed. Even though I cried out to the gods and goddesses that the Hindu people worship—and even to those that the Buddhists worship—none of these idol gods responded. I got nothing from them to heal my body—or my heart and mind.

Sensing I had no hope for a bright future, I became very rebellious. I often broke images which were named for the Hindu gods and goddesses. I spat on them, kicked them, and sometimes threw them away. But the gods never responded to my rebellious actions. I got no response to my situation. This led me, from time to time, to have suicidal thoughts. But even in my lowest moments, my heart never denied the existence of a God. I just didn't know his form or how to reach him.

A New Spirit

Having attitudes incongruent with those of a Hindu priest, I left home for the western part of Nepal. I found a job teaching in a high school and worked there for several years. One evening in December, 1998, I was on my way to a small restaurant to wipe away my hopelessness with alcoholic drinks—my customary way of life since living in this area. By the wayside I saw a small booklet, which I stopped to pick up. It was a gospel tract with the title “Life and Peace in Jesus Christ.” I stood and read it through, amazed at the hope and encouragement that came to my heart as I read the Bible verse, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30).

The next day I went to the address of the church given on the tract. People there were rejoicing in worship. They were praising God, crying out to Him, and also praying humbly. This touched my heart, and I felt as if I were experiencing some kind of new spirit. Suddenly, I burst out into a heavy flow of tears, and I uttered for the first time the name “Jesus,” the name that had been on the tract. And I prayed my first prayer, which I will always remember: Lord Jesus, I am tired. Hold me!

Right there, that night, I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and Lord. An incredible peace and joy filled my mind and heart. I truly had never experienced such a wonderful peace—never during the years I had meditated in worship to the Hindu gods and goddesses. At the same time, I was completely healed of the partial paralysis of my left leg. It was an incredible experience. I felt total inner healing. My despair was gone. I was filled with joy.

God Never Fails

Unexpectedly, a bitter situation developed for me. Once the local society knew of my conversion to Christ, I was forbidden to enter my birthplace and visit my father's house. I was the first convert in the entire village—probably in the whole district—and I was from a priest's family! The evening I tried to return home, I was attacked by the villagers, severely beaten, and chased away. This, however, did not thwart the peace, joy, and hope I had in following Christ. I experienced renewed physical health and continued to grow in my faith.

After my conversion, I discovered I was a different man from my past. Before, little things would make me feel worried, especially about what my future was going to be like. But I found that when I knelt down and prayed, God's Spirit would comfort me. Bible verses would speak to me: …I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble (Psalm 91:15b), and Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know (Jeremiah 33:3). The Word of God became like my friend, with God speaking to me face to face.

I also had been a smoker for many years and used to drink alcoholic beverages every night. Slowly I began to hate these habits, and after a few months, I avoided them altogether. My thought life changed too. It was Jesus, my Lord, who changed my attitudes and thoughts and gave me a new vision of my life.

Having experienced the joy that comes from having a personal Savior—One Who had paid the price for my sins and Who loves me—I could not stop myself from sharing about Jesus with my father and my brother and sister. It took almost 11 years of consistent prayer before God gave the victory over Satan, and they professed Christ as Lord too. As a result, our family lost all the property given to priests' families since our great-grandfather's time. This created some problems for us for a few years, but we never looked back to the world to meet our needs to survive. Though we have had some ups and downs, by putting our trust in the Living Lord, we have never lacked anything that we truly needed.

One day God spoke to my heart to start a church to raise up leaders to bless the unreached people in the land of the Himalayas. So, in 2005, I started the New Vision Church. God has blessed every year and has raised up a few leaders who preach the gospel throughout different districts of Nepal and Tibet. Our vision is to help people know that Jesus is the risen Lord—Victor over death. Only He can deliver us from sin and death. He gives eternal life to those who believe in Him. He is The Way, The Truth, and The Life (John 14:6).

(Since 2005 Deepak Giri has trained leaders to do evangelism to unreached people groups in remote areas of Nepal and west Tibet. After the April 2015 earthquake, God opened doors for him to minister to his home village, where 17 years earlier he had been boycotted from entering. Pastor Deepak lives with his wife and two daughters in Kathmandu, Nepal.)