Life wasn’t kind to 73-year-old Damber Rai after he retired. Actually, it would be more accurate to say Damber wasn’t kind to himself, but we’re getting ahead of the story.
Damber lives in the village of Naretar in Nepal. He’s the father of seven children, all married. He lives with one of his sons, Milan, in a house that’s next to an Adventist church.
When Damber was born, his parents followed the beliefs of the Mundum religious sect, which later became the Kirat religion. This religious group worships forefathers and nature. They sacrifice animals, celebrate with festivals and drink alcohol during religious ceremonies.
The family was financially well-off, so Damber had the opportunity to study even though there was no school near his home. He went to another village and completed a high school education. Eventually he began working for the government. People respected him, and he was quite proud of his achievements. For many years, life was good.
However, when Damber reached retirement age, and with nothing better to do, he began to develop unhealthy habits. He started smoking and became addicted to alcohol. He fought with family members, beat his wife and often collapsed from excessive drinking, one time almost losing his eyesight when he fell.
Gospel Outreach Bible worker Hirendra Kumar Rai grew increasingly concerned about his uncle’s harmful choices and began to visit him every Sabbath after church. Hirendra and his wife tried everything they could think of to get Damber to change his ways. They spent hours in prayer, asking God to help Damber quit his bad habits and follow Jesus. Unfortunately, Damber refused to change.
One evening, as Damber walked home after a drinking binge, he fell down in a drunken stupor and broke his leg. No one was in the area, so he spent the whole night lying on the ground. He was almost dead when found in the morning. Admitted to a hospital, he stayed for two weeks before being well enough to return home.
Hirendra visited Damber again and read from the Bible. He prayed for Damber, asking God to help him understand the value of his life. Hirendra continued to see his uncle as often as possible, teaching him about the God of the Bible.
After a few weeks, Damber decided to quit his bad habits and live in peace with himself and others. He accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior and then chose to be baptized.
Now, Damber never misses a church program. He’s an active elder of the church, giving his time, tithes and offerings to the Lord. There’s peace and prosperity in his family, and Damber lives a happy and fulfilling life.