The Wilkes Team

Last Saturday evening during staff meeting, we had the privilege of hearing a profound testimony from a man who truly understands the Providential hand of God. This is his story.

Imagine living in a small mud hut, not much larger than a hotel room. You are one of 10 children born to parents belonging to one of India’s lowest castes, the Banjaras. As a member of the Banjaras, your future will entail serving as a servant/slave to upper caste Indians. Though your father is a chief in the town, your family has only enough resources to provide food for maybe one meal a day. Malnutrition and hunger run rampant. Such were the circumstances of young Christopher Boda.

One day a kindhearted minister entered the town, saw the depravation, and offered to take young Christopher to a nearby boarding school for education & food. Father Boda agreed, relieved that he no longer had to provide additional food. No religious teaching was to be taught, simply academics. All went well for a time. Until one day when, while playing soccer, Christopher was severely kicked in his right leg and thereby afflicted with a grave wound. Poor treatment resulted in a terrorizing case of gangrene.

Through the Providential hand of God, Christopher was taken to a Christian doctor. For the first time in Christopher’s life, he experienced true love at the hand of this dear doctor. Through the prayers and love of his new found friend, Christopher not only received Christ as his Savior but was miraculously saved from the “incurable” gangrene. He walked away from the hospital with two legs and a cleansed heart.

Overjoyed by this new peace, hope, and relationship with Christ, he returns home as an older young man. However, his family’s response was one of rejection. Not long after arriving home, Christopher was forcefully placed on a train with his family destined for one of India’s false temples. He could not fathom worshipping this false god and so jumped off the moving train.

Enraged, Christopher’s father tied him to a whipping post and brutally whipped him. No pity was offered by fellow siblings. When his mother sought mercy for him, the father’s wrath emerged upon his wife. With wrists and ankles firmly attached to the polls, he stood resurrect for hours. Unless he recanted and stopped following Jesus, Christopher was to be killed by his own father the very next day. Risking her life, however, Christopher’s mother slipped silently out to the whipping post, severed the ropes, wished her son a warm farewell, and urged him onward: warning Christopher not to return.

A dear lady from America, whom Christopher never had the opportunity to meet, began supporting young Christopher with $7 a month through a program much like World Vision. Doors for ministry began to open as Mr. Christopher Boda took the opportunity to serve the Lord & preach His Word. Many difficulties continued to cross Christopher’s path. With hardly any income, he had to depend upon His all sufficient Savior for daily needs. A dear lady

One day, Rambai (Christopher’s wife) brought home 5 orphan children. Christopher was quite surprised and a bit perplexed over the prospect of providing food for 5 additional children. Imagine his response when she brought several more children a couple days later. Their one room home (not much larger than a hotel room) was filling up fast. He would come home from work and have to gingerly step around all the sleeping bodies spread across the floor. Christopher told his wife that for now these would be all they could take care of. However, a couple days later Rambai pleaded with her husband to allow a few more. Weeks began ticking by and months turned into years. Trusting the Providential hand of God, the Boda’s continued welcoming children to their home. The Lord provided more space. Now 14 years later, the Boda’s have over 80 staff who assist in caring for almost 2500 orphaned children. The children receive two meals a day (rice, 1 piece of fruit every week, & 1 piece of meat every two weeks), a full education up unto the age of 18 when they have to leave, and an opportunity to receive Christ as their Savior.

The Bodas have a goal of eventually housing 5000 orphans. They live by faith and constantly see the Providential hand of God at work in their midst. Click here for more info on this work – Banjara Tribal Ministries.

We never know the lives we may impact. The dear American lady who financially supported Mr. Boda in his younger years had no idea the impact her little act of faith would have. If the Lord should lead you to begin financially supporting His work across the world, either Banjara Tribal Ministries or World Vision would be two wonderful places to consider.

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 8th, 2008 at 1:33 pm and is filed under HIS-story, Ministry Reports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.