I am Tibetan. Tibet is a country, which was occupied by China in 1959. So, my mother at the age of 13 escaped from Tibet to India with her family risking their lives. Her father even died on the walk over the Himalayas. While my mother was working in the refugee camp as a stone cutter, I was born in India as a second generation refugee. My family was very poor. When I was 3 years old, my mother put me into a Boarding School because she could not afford to feed me. Till today I do not know who my real father is. Through all of my childhood I was looking for identity. I was physically and sexually abused by older boys in our hostel. I was terrified of the older boys and abusive wardens but there was no one to defend me. I cried through many nights but there was no one to comfort me. After finishing my studies, I became a teacher. I am also a musician and had my own band. Life became a party and I went through many relationships with girls. But I was not satisfied with what I achieved in my life. I was very lonely, desperate, helpless and hopeless. I tried to find peace through all kinds of religion but I could not find an answer. I was born in a Buddhist family and I practiced all the tradition of Buddhism. I sincerely searched for peace but what ever I did it did not quench the thirst of my soul and spirit. I followed some Hindu Gurus and I learned to smoke hashish from them. I worked in a Muslim school as a teacher but there wasnt my answer either. I was searching for something. It was the longing for lasting peace and a fulfillment of my soul. But instead of finding peace I ended up being lost in drugs and alcohol for more than 10 years in a vicious circle of guilt, shame and addiction. I so much hated myself that I several times tried to commit suicide.
At a point where I was almost dying of a liver infection, I suddenly got a chance to go to Israel. There through some amazing ways I found a Bible. I read through it many times and I was very confused. But one day, when I was really desperate to get an answer from Him and to hear personally from the God of the Bible, He spoke to me through John 14:6. There Jesus says, I am the way, and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through me. This scripture was a revelation to me and I knew I had found what I had been looking for all my life. The God of the Bible turned out to be the father whom I had been looking for. I am his child and my identity is in Him. Since then this scripture has become a key for me to know Jesus personally. Jesus didnt only forgive my sin and heal the many wounds of my heart but also gave me a new life which is full of Hope. He has helped me to forgive those who hurt me in the past and get reconciled with my past. My loneliness and emptiness is over and I do not only have the father to hold on to but he has given me many new and meaningful relationships with others. He has given my future a clear direction.
Previously I had never thought that it is possible for a Tibetan to become a Christian because our life is so much bound to our tradition. But now I know that equal with all other human beings we have access to our creator God and can meet him through the Bible. He has made us and wants us to meet Him. He is the Father of the prodigals and of the orphans. He is the loving God who loves our refugee nation.
A Morning Prayer for God to Be Near - Your Daily Prayer - May 14
God’s Word tells us that His nearness is good for us (Psalm 73:28) because with His nearness, which is wonderful in itself, we also receive His goodness.