Suffering for the sake of Christ: 2 Tim 2:12. "If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him....."

In the month of December 2001, local authority called us for national census. When we reached our village, people were different. They started treating us like strangers because we were declared Christian now. We were not allowed to enter our own house. My wife, our two sons 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. 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, which was incomplete. This time I went alone. I reached my home at about 4 PM. 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 and make me handicapped. My mom and sister told me to go to one of my aunt's house who lived about 1.5 miles away. I had to walk up hill to reach house, and when I arrived there, it was already dark. There is no electricity in the village, 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 down hill where there is no paved path. Anyhow I managed to reach another house where I asked for one night shelter outside the house, but the man of the house refused. The lady of that house showed me a small shed 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 shed was so small that I could hardly sleep there, but I thanked God for such a 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. After about an hour later, the man of the house came out and put a flashlight toward that shed. The shed was about 50 meters away from the house. But, as the shed was too small to hide me, he saw me sleeping there. He went inside the house and said in a loud voice that he would call the people of the village to come and beat me to death. I jumped off the shed and left that place in the dark without knowing where to go. They were the people that I grew up 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 shed.

I went down the hill through the forest about 1.5 miles to reach my own house, because my mom and sister were the only help that I could get in that situation. I fell on the stone and ditch so many times that my whole body was aching. There was a point when I thought that I am going to die. 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 the cold. But praise God I slept soundly because I was so tired. But all our former friends, neighbors and relatives treated me as their enemy. We were not allowed to enter our own family house. This is the same house where 1 was born and brought up. We became totally untouchable, outcast, and low caste for them. But praise God that I had the privilege of suffering for Christ. Matthew 5:11-12. 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 those 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 and some clothes to distribute to the poor people of this village.

Silas Thapa