Jafri: Jesus Lifts the Weight of Anxiety
Growing up, Jafri’s family did not know about Jesus. Instead, they worshipped many deities—specifically the gods of nature. His parents were illiterate and earned a meager living as farmers, making their income dependent on the agricultural market and farming conditions.
Since the family lived in poverty, they survived one day at a time, and school was never a priority for the children. Jafri was fortunate to gain some basic reading and writing skills through a friend; however, he, too, toiled long hours in the fields.
With little supervision and a childhood spent working, Jafri developed many bad habits at a young age. He smoked, drank alcohol, and had very few moral standards for his life.
Eventually, Jafri married a woman named Rabwa, and the couple was blessed with four sons. As a husband and father, Jafri felt great pressure to provide for his wife and children. Since the money he received doing farm work was insufficient, Jafri continuously looked for other jobs to supplement his income.
At a time when Jafri was especially feeling the weight of his responsibilities, he met Church Planter Sanchit, who was ministering in the community. While Jafri had no knowledge of Jesus, he was open to listening and learning. Sanchit had compassion for Jafri and shared the Gospel with him, and then the two prayed together for Jafri’s anxieties and for his wife and children.
Sanchit then invited Jafri to join him at a local worshipping group, where he could continue to learn about Jesus while surrounded by Christian community. As Jafri heard the Good News preached, something inside him started to change, and he found a feeling of peace in his heart. Jafri returned each week to worship and learn more about Jesus. He was especially moved by the Scripture verses found in John 3:16 and Romans 5:8.
As Jafri learned more about Jesus, he decided to surrender his life to Him and received Christ as his Lord and Savior! Jafri’s wife also came to know and receive Jesus, and the two decided to renew their marriage vows in the presence of the one, true God.
Jafri has developed good morals since following Christ, and he now shows respect to others. He also opened a small grocery store to support his family, and his life continues to change for the better. Today, Jafri is growing in his faith and lives an exemplary life in his community as he walks each day with Jesus!
