All I want is to know Christ and to experience the power of His resurrection, to share in His sufferings and become like Him in His death. Praise God, I did share the power of His resurrection.
It was the afternoon of Easter Monday (8/4/96) while I was driving our taxi, I started getting a migraine headache. I had been suffering from this painful sickness for about 5-6 years and it got worse as time passed.
My head become very groggy and the attack got stronger.
To describe this headache is like someone piercing a needle onto your brain and twisting it. These painful ordeals used to last for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
I tried many things and ways to cure it but to no avail.
Some of the things I used to do was pray to idols, since I was a Hindu. Hindu priests use to hold my forehead and chant something in Hindi. I did not understand what they were saying, and whom they were chanting to.
I also tried acupuncture treatment which involved needles stuck in my forehead, cheeks and above my eyelids.
I lost count of my visits to hospitals and doctors who did no more than inject pain killers and send me home to rest.
That Easter Monday was another of those painful times in my life. Immediately I took two painkillers which I kept in my taxi. As I left for home, I thought of going to a Hindu temple where I used to go and pray to the idols. I stopped and prayed there crying to the idols telling about the pains and begging to be healed.
I must have spent approximately 15 to 20 minutes, crying and praying. I remember how I put my head where I lit the incense and cried for mercy.
But no one heard my cry.
Then I drove back home and told my wife what I was going through. I took 2 more painkillers which were much stronger then the ones before. I asked my wife to pray for me and she did. Then I asked her to phone her uncle, Rev. Epeli Buarua of A.O.G. Naboro and living in Tacirua.
We went and visit him, crying and hoping that miracle might happen. When Rev. Buarua saw me crying he asked me what happened. He had never seen me before in that situation.
I told him about the headache and his reply was "do not worry, Jesus still takes pain away". I said, "please uncle pray for me." His next question was "do you believe Jesus can cure your sickness?" I said "yes." Then he anointed my head with oil and commanded the sickness in the name of Jesus to leave and within a few seconds the pain left my body. It is something I have never experienced before.
As soon as the prayer finished, I cried but this time it was with joy. I told my wife and Rev. Buarua I wanted to become a Christian. That night I asked my wife and aunt to get rid of all the idols in the house and even told them that I will not come home until the house is cleared of all those things.
As soon as I made my personal commitment to the Lord, I could see the joy in their faces.
My wife, Theresa, sons, Joshua and Andrew have always been Christians. I can remember joining their prayer meetings and hear my name mentioned in their prayers "Dear Lord, touch Papa's heart that one day he comes to know you", I understand what they meant.
After I surrender my life to the Lord. I was baptised at Calvary Temple on the 14th of April. 1996. I praise God for blessing me with my spiritual father and mother and my wife and Joshua and Andrew for tirelessly praying for me. Philipians 3:10
Text as originally printed, and republished here by permission of Binay Ram.