Testimony of Faith Ravind Narayan

PART II THE TESTIMONY OF BROTHER RAVIND NARAYAN

(Editor’s Note: In our last issue, The Newsvine gave the testimony of Sister Suman Narayan. Now read the testimony of her husband, our new resident missionary to India and the Fiji Islands. He receives the mantle from our faithful Brother Uday Narayan who for many years undertook many journeys to the Fiji Islands and India spreading the gospel on behalf of our church. Now they will. Read and be inspired!)

Here with their parents are the Narayan children. Can you guess which ones are Ravind, Atish, and Prenesh?

A MODEST START

Brother Ravind is the son of Brother Bhoop and Sister Uthura Narayan. He was born in October of 1969 on Waila, a rural community of Nausori on the main island of Fiji. His father was a farmer and a carpenter. Brother Bhoop would grow leafy vegetables such as bok choy as a cash crop on his leased land, as well as build and repair houses. He would grow different crops all year round. His mother was a homemaker. The Narayans had a modest income and lived a simple life. Sister Uthura’s stove was a set of bricks outside the home, heated over a fire. She grew her own herbs and cooked the food they cultivated as food was too expensive to buy in the market. Typical meals consisted of bananas, coconuts, and dalo which is like a yam. Ravind’s mother loved flowers and decorated their home with beautiful marigolds and hibiscus. She also stitched old clothing together to make things such as door mats. A devoted Hindu, Brother Bhoop read most of the Hindu religious books and filled his home with religious pictures and idols of brass and silver. He even made a room in his home dedicated for prayer which he filled with these religious artifacts.

Brother Ravind was the oldest child. As houses were far apart, he spent his time at home either helping his parents or playing with his siblings. He remembers climbing tall coconut trees, “We had no choice,” he said. “There were times we had no food.” Coconuts were a source of nourishment for the poor. “To this day,” he said, “I am afraid of heights.” When he was young, the children would play in the trees, jumping from tree to tree. Remarkably, none were ever injured.

School was over an hour’s walk one way, and Ravind would faithfully trod that distance by foot to the Methodist school he attended. Concerned about the compulsory scripture lessons they taught, Ravind consulted his father for his approval. He told Ravind, “Yes, Jesus is the god of the white people. We have our own gods. Our gods are more powerful. The Christian God is only 2,000 years old.” He cautioned his son about saying anything bad about the Christian god, so Ravind would obediently listen to the Bible teaching.

A WITNESS APPEARS

Ravind remembers when he was about 14 years old. A woman from a local gospel church would occasionally come to their house to bring them flyers, tell them stories about Jesus, and invite them to church. Ravind showed interest as he was familiar with the verses because they had learned the same ones in school. She started bringing Ravind Bible lessons weekly for him to learn. She invited Ravind to come to her church that was three miles from their home. Ravind became anxious, certain that his father would object. Ravind’s father overheard the conversation

and asked “Is she wanting you to go to church?” Ravind was surprised when his father suggested that both Ravind and Atish could go. “But how will we go,” Ravind asked remembering the distance. The woman quickly volunteered to come by car and pick them up for church.

The gospel church was in a rented hall. The adults had their services inside, and the children had their services outside on benches under a coconut tree. Ravind enjoyed himself as the songs they sang were the same ones he had learned in his school. When they arrived home, Brother Bhoop asked Ravind how he enjoyed going to church. When Ravind told his father that he liked it, his dad said, “You guys can go back again the following Sunday.” In fact, this time, Ravind’s father went to church as well. They all sat in the adult service in the hall. When the service was over, they noticed another church setting up for their 1:00 service. Brother Bhoop was curious and approached the men in charge.

AN ORDAINED TWIST OF FATE

This is when God changed everything for the Narayan family. God had seen the hunger in Brother Bhoop’s heart as he spent hours praying in his special room dedicated to prayer. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled!

Brother Bhoop approached one of the men, a preacher from the United States named Uday Narayan. Immediately Elder Uday Narayan asked Ravind’s father if he had been baptized. “No,” Brother Bhoop replied, “this is the first time we’ve come to church.” Sensing a hungry heart, Elder Narayan set up an appointment that Tuesday to come to Ravind’s house to talk. When he arrived, Brother Bhoop opened up his heart to the preacher. “I am a Hindu,” he said. “We worship many gods, and we are sick in our bodies.” He was frustrated because, although they had prayed to their gods and had even called on the witchdoctors for help, they were not cured. Ravind’s mother suffered from terrible migraine headaches, Atish had chronic sores on his feet, Ravind’s grandmother who lived with them had asthma, and Ravind was very ill with a heart condition. Ravind’s father had a bad habit of escaping life’s problems by smoking kava, which brings on a drowsiness. Elder Narayan explained that they had a sin problem that must be taken care of first. He told them they needed to repent of their sins, be baptized in

Jesus’ name, and receive the Holy Ghost. As they listened to Elder Narayan’s teaching about sin and salvation, God started making them feel conviction. Brother Narayan invited them to the next Apostolic service.

A REVELATION FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!

When they attended the Pentecostal service, Ravind thought the worship was too wild. Everything was so strange. They sang English songs he had never head before, and he longed to attend the gospel church under the coconut tree that was familiar. Bhoop, however, was hungry, and wanted to go to Elder Narayan’s service. When Elder Narayan came to their home again, he taught them more about water baptism. “If you are not baptized,” he said, “you are not saved, and you do not have God’s protection.” They asked Elder Narayan, “How much does it cost us to get baptized?” In the Hindu religion, you have to pay for priestly service and favor. Elder Narayan assured them it was free. There was a nearby creek filled with weeds. Ravind’s father asked, “Can we be baptized in the creek? I want to be baptized.” As they lined up at the creek to be baptized, Elder Narayan’s wife who came with him for this visit spoke to Ravind’s mother. “I don’t want to be baptized,” she said. “This is not our religion.” She finally relented, and the whole family was baptized, with Ravind being the first. “I felt very light in my spirit,” said Ravind, “when I was baptized. Miraculously once they were baptized, they all were healed! Their symptoms of illness disappeared! Convinced of the power of his new faith, Bhoop removed all the idols from his home. They were Christians now.

On Sunday, Elder Narayan told them that they could not go to any other churches because now they had the truth. When they arrived early for the 1:00 UPC service at the rented hall, members of the other gospel church were still there. Angrily the pastor complained to Elder Narayan that he had stolen his sheep. Elder Narayan answered back, “They are not your sheep, they are God’s sheep.” The newly baptized family attended the Apostolic service and worshipped. Now that Ravind was baptized, he felt different. Their whole lives changed. They would read five Bible chapters every day, as well as wake up for an hour of prayer at 5:00 each morning. To this day Ravind and his wife kept that commitment. Elder Narayan told them they must pray on their knees in their living room so they would not fall asleep while praying. Ravind and his family started praying for the Holy Ghost.

A month after being baptized, Ravind was overjoyed to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues. He started earnestly reading the Good News Bible. He was so hungry, that one day he stayed home from school and read the entire New Testament. “While I was reading,” he said, “God was speaking to me.” Ravind’s family received the Holy Ghost as well, and they started learning more about their new faith by studying the Search for Truth lessons Brother Uday Narayan had provided them.

WITNESSES FOR THE TRUTH!

The Narayans had to walk three miles to the church no matter the weather as they did not own a car. It was a challenge because they had to wear a necktie and a white shirt and had to carry a Bible. Ravind’s father would hide his Bible wrapped in newspaper to hide it because he knew his neighbors would be upset that they left the Hindu faith. However, they could not hide their conversion for long and the persecution began. People would yell at Brother Ravind and his family as they faithfully marched the long trek to the church service. Every Tuesday night the Narayans started having Bible studies at their home. Their neighbors stopped coming to their church because they were Christians. “They would not even drink water at our house,” Ravind said.

Soon it was time for Elder Narayan and his family to return to the

United States. They had spent a year in Fiji preaching and witnessing. Elder Narayan told the Narayans that when he went back to Modesto, they would have to preach this gospel, bring in more people, and build a church.

Slowly people started coming to the church. They had one family start attending who were members of a Methodist church for 26 years. More people started coming. The Narayans shared their testimony of healing and conversion. The Narayans had services with Pastor Levi, the UPC preacher of their town and had Tuesday night Bible studies in their home. In the next few years, Brother Bhoop started a church in his house. In 1987, they erected a big shed in their front yard for services. It was at this time that Brother Randy Keyes and his wife Sister Sharon Keyes came to visit the works in Fiji that Brother Narayan had started. The Keyes saw they had five faithful families attending their church.

The Lord continued to bless the family and Brother Bhoop Narayan’s ministry. They were blessed financially, obtained a building, and acquired a van to transport new converts to the church.

A YOUNG GIRL JOINS THEIR CHURCH

Sister Suman started attending the Narayan’s church. Brother Ravind immediately noticed her. He was eager to drive Suman and her family home from church services as she, the eldest sibling, sat up front with Ravind and Atish. They would also have opportunities after church for fellowship at the Narayan’s home. Suman admits she knew Ravind was interested in her from the first day they met. The two of them would work at the church together, do Bible studies, and clean up after services. People would tease them.

After one of the ladies in the church told Suman that Ravind was interested in her, they began talking. He was the first boy to like her, but she did not have feelings for him because in their culture marriages were arranged and relationships must have parental approval. They continued talking for six months during which he was a great comfort to her after her father died. One day after church, Suman came home and her mother told her that she needed to get married or stop talking. Sister Suman started praying and fasting for God’s will. She was eighteen; Ravind was nineteen. One month later after their parents talked and agreed to the match, the two of them felt it was God’s will for them to marry. Brother Ravind told her, “We will marry, have a church, and work for God.” They were married by General Superintendent Leroy Sherry. Suman’s relatives did not join her family to attend the marriage, but the church members attended the joyful occasion.

Brother Ravind Narayan and his wife Suman

Today Brother Ravind and Sister Suman are members of Revival Center, Modesto, and are being used by God. May our Lord Jesus Christ bless their missionary work for His kingdom.! AMEN!