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From Chapter 5: Nibun’s Story

An illiterate man came with a strange request to the leader of a GFA-supported Bridge of Hope center. Would they send the “medical doctor named Jesus” to help his sick wife? He was dead serious and quite desperate in his pleading.

Here is the story. In this Bridge of Hope center, a first grader named Nibun was getting the opportunity to receive an education in mathematics, reading and writing. He also heard stories about how Jesus healed the sick, cast out demons and fed the hungry.

Nibun’s home was a mud hut where he lived with his parents. Like other poor families, they didn’t have the luxury of going to a hospital when they were sick; it was simply too expensive, and most doctors were several miles away. Five or ten miles may not seem like much while riding in a car or a bus, but it’s a long distance to travel on a dirt path through the woods, especially when sick.

Nibun’s mother had been very ill. His father did everything he could and even cried out to all his deities for help. But she continued to get worse, and soon her situation became critical. That’s when Nibun told his father about the amazing things Jesus did. And this poor man thought there was a medical doctor named Jesus at the Bridge of Hope center.

In response to his request, two workers went to extend whatever help they could. Often social workers provide hope and tools to help families with their particular needs. These workers talked with the family about God’s love for them and His mercy. They also laid hands on the woman and prayed that God would heal her in Jesus’ name. Just as we read in God’s Word, the Lord in His mercy healed her.

Through this healing, one by one others close to Nibun’s family came to understand the Lord’s loving and compassionate nature. They saw how the Bridge of Hope center cared for people from low castes and reached out to help them. And when Nibun’s mother was healed, they began to understand how much God loved them and that He cared to reach down and intervene in their lives. They were so thankful to God for the hope they found through this incident.

Think about it. What if Nibun had not been attending the Bridge of Hope center? Would he have been able to tell his father about the “medical doctor named Jesus” who healed his mother? Perhaps the villagers would never have realized the depth of God’s love for them. Without someone reaching out to his family, would they have known there was help and hope for their situation? How many people living nearby would still not realize their value in the sight of God?

All of those touched by Nibun’s mother being healed experienced a hope and a peace they had never known before. And this story of God’s touch on the life of a student and his family is not an exception; it is a daily occurrence.

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