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“About a fortnight later, it was snowing heavily outside and I was feeling frustrated and bored of being stuck indoors. I picked up the Bible that had been left unopened since it was given to me two weeks previously. I found Matthew’s Gospel and began reading. When I got to chapter 6, the words of verse 33 really struck me: ‘But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well.’ I continued reading for several hours that day, and the next day, and the day after that. I was greatly influenced by the Bible’s message, and in particular by the name of Jesus.
“On the day before I was due to take my driving test I was very nervous. That night I prayed that Jesus would help me, and as soon as I spoke his name I felt very peaceful. I had followed the Sikh religion for years and used to take the names of many gods, but they had made no difference to my life. One thing was certain, I had never experienced peace like this before. That night I asked Jesus to come into my heart, and I knew he was there with me. The following morning, I was still very nervous about my driving test and my husband said I would never pass – but I did.
“In those days I had no Christian friends, and no-one to turn to for advice about my new-found faith. But I carried on reading the Bible and learning more about Jesus. I understood that he was my God, my Saviour and my Messiah, and I gave my life to him, without anyone explaining Christianity to me. As I look back now, I realise that the Holy Spirit was guiding me through all this, but at the time I did not know.
“That Christmas, we went to a party at my husband’s factory. I noticed an Indian lady sitting alone and went to sit next to her. It turned out that she was also new to the country. She asked if I had a job. I said no. Then she asked if I had a driving licence, and I said ‘Yes, and I got it through Jesus’ name.’ Her face lit up and she told me that she too was a Christian. She told me about her church and I asked if I could go with her – I wanted to thank Jesus for his help.
“The next Sunday, I went along to my first church service. I was introduced to the pastor, who prayed for me. He said I should pray the prayer of repentance, asking Jesus to forgive my sins, so I did. Now my life was really given over to Jesus. I found that after going to church, I had more peace and happiness in my heart, and I started attending regularly, along with my new friend.
“Since I have accepted Christ, I do not have any bitterness in my heart. I always forgive people, and I don’t get upset over things like I used to. If you had given me a million dollars previously, I would not have found true happiness, but with Jesus in my heart I have total peace. If I could tell the world the greatest thing I have learned from my experience as a Christian, I would urge people to seek the name of Jesus, because he is Lord of all.”
