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TESTIMONIES
KINLAY DORJEE'S (Real name
concealed) TESTIMONY
DATED AUGUST 13 2002
Thanks for writing me. here is my Testimony:
2 Tim 2:12.
“If we suffer, we shall
also reign with Him…..” Christians were persecuted throughout the history.
They have been killed, tortured and rejected by
kings, rulers, and society. But no power on this earth can destroy
Christianity from this planet.
Romans 8:35 “Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine,
or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”
When I was in my mother’s womb, my dad left
home to join the Bhutan army
and hardly earned anything, so my mother was fully responsible for
taking care of us three children. My mother was illiterate and had no means
to support us financially, so we went without food & clothing a lot.
From my childhood, I always asked these questions, “what will happen to
me if I die? Where do people go after they die?” I was afraid to die. I
thought that I will give anything to avoid death in my life. Sometime I even
though of going deep into the forest and spend my whole life meditating like
Buddha. I tried to follow my religion strictly, but I never had assurance of
salvation, nor peace and joy. During that time there were no Christians or
churches in Bhutan. I never heard about Jesus, never heard the word Bible,
or church. One day in another part of the country I heard that if I become a
Christian I would go to heaven. That was what I was searching for in my
life. Due to the lack of teaching the Word, I came to know Jesus personally
after two years.
During that time Christians were so few in Bhutan that we rarely met any.
In 1982,Iwassearching for Christians for fellowship, but did not meet any.
In 1983, I met one Christian couple with whom I started fellowshipping. I
was hungry and thirsty to learn more about God. As soon as I accepted Jesus
in my life, I started witnessing about Jesus to my friends, relatives and
neighbors. This led me into fulltime ministry. In 1987, I was preaching in
Sibsoo Bhutan, and I felt something in my spirit, that I needed to leave
that place immediately.
Later I came to know, that as soon as I left, the police came searching me.
In
1989, my whole village people came to me and told me to leave the Christian
religion or face the consequences. I told them that I cannot deny Jesus even
if I have to face death. They boycott me from the society, but half of the
village stood with me, so it did not affect me much. I have been Christian
for more than 20 years now. I have never faced persecution like 2001- 2002.
I was called by my village authority and asked if I am a Christian. I told
them that I am a Christian. They told us to write an agreement that we are
Christian. It was a privilege for me to wit ness Jesus to them. I wrote why
I became Christian and what happened after I became Christian. After this, I
left my village, my mom had to go through lot of mental harassment from
villagers and the head man of the village.
In the month of December 2001, we were again
called for national census.
When we reached our village, people were different. They started treating
us like strangers. We were not allowed to enter our own house. My wife,
Deoki and our two sons, Joel and Navin and myself, had to sleep outside the
house in a single bed in the December cold. My second elder brother started
scolding and shouting at me. He said everything bad that he could think of.
But praise God, I could feel the love of God going out of my heart towards
him. I did not say anything to him. The next day, we left our village
without completing our national census work. After a few days, I had to go
again for the census work which was incomplete. This time I went alone, I
reached my home at about 4PM, as soon as I reached home my second elder
brother disappeared. I was not allowed to enter the house. Later, my mother
and sister came to me, and said, I was not to stay that night in that house.
My brother has threatened that he would kill me or break my arms and eyes
so that I would not be
able to do any work. My mom and sister told me to go to one of my aunt’s
which was about 1.5 miles away from our house. I had to walk up hill to
reach that house and when I arrived there, it was already dark. There is no
electricity in the village and there was no moon in the sky and it was very
cold. But to my dismay, even my aunt and uncle told me that I could not
stay in their house, because I was Christian. I had to leave that house not
knowing where to go. It was too dark to walk in such hills where there is no
paved path. Anyhow I
managed to reach another house which was not far away from that house. I
asked them for one night shelter outside the house, but the
man of the house refused. The lady of that house showed me a small shade
where they kept corn covers. She told me to go and sleep quietly and to
leave early in the morning without her husband’s knowledge. The shade was
so small that I could hardly sleep there. I thank God for such place. I
felt the warmth of God. I told God that He is my blanket and mattress. I
thanked Him that I had the privilege of suffering for Jesus. I thought of
my wife and children who will be sleeping comfortably in the city. After
about one hour, the man of the house came out and put a flash light
toward that shade. The shade was about 50 meter away from house. But, as the
shade was too small to hide me, he saw me sleeping there. He went
inside the house and said in loud voice that he would call people of the
village to come and beat me to death. I jumped off the shade and left
that place in the dark without knowing where to go. They were the people
that I grew with. That was my own village. They were my neighbors I was
their friend. According to our culture they have to give shelter to the
stranger. But I was not a stranger to them. Just because I was Christian
they would not want to give me shelter, even in a cow shade. I went down the
hill through the forest about one mile to reach my own house, because my mom
and sister were the only help that I could get in that situation. When I
reached home I was thirsty and exhausted. Moreover, I was mentally tortured,
and called my mom from outside the house. She came with a lamp in her hand
and I fell in her arms and cried. I could not control my tears. At this
time, my brother, who was sleeping inside the house came out groaning like a
lion to hit me. This time, I told him,
that if he hit me, it is of no use. There is the law of the country that
will decide what to do. When I said this, he shouted at me, and went inside.
That night, I slept outside the house in cold. But praise God I slept
soundly because I was so tired. I prayed to God that he would give me the
privilege of repaying these village people 'good for the evil’ that
they did to me. Most of the people of this village have hardly anything to
eat or wear. I am planning on taking some clothes to them. I spent about one
week in this village. But all our former friends, neighbors and relatives
treated me as their enemy. Later my wife, Deoki, came and joined me and we
slept out side the house and ate outside. We were not allowed to enter our
own family house. We became totally untouchable, outcast and low caste for
them.
But praise God that I had privilege of
suffering for Christ. Matthew 5:11-12.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and
persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my
sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven:
for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Bhutan is a country where preaching the gospel
and converting to Christianity is prohibited by the law of the kingdom. My
family members and relatives do not know that I am one of the active
ministers of the gospel. We tell people about Jesus without telling that I
am a preacher. We minister in the underground churches without telling
people that we are the pastors. Whatever my village people and my brother
did to me was because I am a
Christian. If they knew that I am a full time minister of the gospel they
would have handed me to the police.
One of the things that I experienced, while going through such suffering,
is that I still love these people and pray for them. I do not have a single
evil thought toward them. Praise God that He has given me the spirit of
love.
This is my prayer that I would go back to this village again with the
message of love and compassion. I am not going to preach with my mouth
only, but will take clothes to them, demonstrating this love. Please
pray for this great work God is doing in Bhutan.
END
TESTIMONY
Name : Mr.
Dal Jit Rai
Age : 42
years ( now 50 years)
STATEMENT
I was an
assistant village headman of Kikhorthang block, Chirang district. Since the
past few years, I had been serving the people of my block. Bit, by an order
from the “Dzongda,” ( meaning Chief District officer of District
Magistrate) I was removed from my position as assistant village headman two
months ago on grounds that I was a Christian by religion.
I along with
neighbours were celebrating Christmas. All Christian families of our
neighbourhood had gathered in my house and were busy with prayers and,
later, feasting . A former policeman, along with Mr. Him Nath Koirala and
Mr. Jit Bahadur Mongar suddenly appeared. The ex-policeman took a number of
photographs while we were saying prayers. There after, all three
disappeared. Mr. Koirala came back and told us that we had been called by
the village headman.
On hearing
that, we panicked and stopped our celebration. We then went towards the
house of the village headman. When we arrived there we enquired why he had
called us. He angrily responded: “I had been telling you all not to follow
Christianity, but you didn’t heed my words. Now, I can’t help. We all should
proceed to the “Dzongda’s” place” ( Dzongda means Chief District Officer)
We proceeded
there. The “ Dzongda” Mr. Sherub Dorji himself and the District
Superintendent of Police (DSP) were waiting for us. Immediately the Dzongda
and the DSP began questioning us. They asked: “ Why did all of you gather in
that House? Are you forming a new party?”
We responded
that such was not the case. We had simply been celebrating Christmas. The
“Dzongda” replied: “Don’t you know that Christianity is banned in Bhutan and
you are not allowed to practice it? You know very well that even in Dzongkha
Yargye Tshokchhung (DYT meaning Village Development Committee), it was
resolved to strictly ban Christianity.” There after, three friends— Mr.
Harka Bahadur Ghimerey, Mr. Raju Lama, and Mr. Bhim Thapa were taken to a
nearby place, one by one, then questioned and beaten by the DSP.
After the
torture-cum-questioning session was completed, Mr. Dorji ordered all to
report to his office on Monday with documents such as land tax receipts,
citizenship identity cards, etc. We were also ordered to submit an appeal
requesting that we may be allowed to leave the country. In total distress,
we returned to our respective homes,
On Monday, all
the Christian families reported to the district office along with the
relevant documents as ordered by the “Dzongda”. When we reached the
“Dzongda” office, we found that a meeting was being conducted. At the
meeting, a village headman stated: “There are two kinds of religions in
Bhutan, i.e., Hinduism and Buddhism. Because of the diversity of these two
religions, there is already misunderstanding and confusion. If we allow a
third religion to be practiced in Bhutan then it is sure to create even more
misunderstanding and confusion in the country. As such, we must evict all
Christian families from the soil of Bhutan.”
Upon hearing
this, a Christian friend, Mr. Dal Bahadur Rai, said: “I am ready to give up
Christianity, but I don’t want to leave my country.” To that, Dorji replied
“Hi, old man, Do you think that taking up and then giving up religion is
like chewing tobacco? All you Christians must leave Bhutan and go
elsewhere.”
With no
alternative, we wrote an appeal to Dorji stating “We Christian families are
leaving Bhutan because Christianity is banned in the country and its
followers are not allowed to reside in Bhutan.” On reading our appeal, Dorji
became furious and stated that we ought to write thus: I am leaving the
country willingly and do not mention anything about Christianity.”
We then changed
the context of our application as ordered by Dorji. On February 5, 1993 we
were evicted by the Royal Government and reached a refugee camp in Nepal on
February 13, 1993.
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