Cross-legged on the floor, David is unfazed by the buzz of talking and laughter around the room. After an intense day of learning, most of the men and women are eager to exchange notebooks and pencils for a cup of warm, Indian tea and fellowship. But David is still diligently copying lecture notes from a fellow church planter trainee.

The tenth child of a Hindu priest, David—as he is now known—is truly a miracle of God.

A child born deformed
He was born with polio, and both his mother and father were disgusted with his physical deformities. In an attempt to end his life, David’s mother poured boiling water over his tiny body. Then both mother and father were astounded when their infant miraculously survived. His father said he was a pearl of the gods—they had brought him into the world deformed, but he survived the water, and thus, was an indestructible gem.

The trauma of this experience left David with both physical and mental scarring. Over the years, his mind did not develop in the same manner as normal children. He was dismissed as “retarded” by both his family and the people of his village. As a teenager, he contemplated suicide often, but he never followed through with the plans. Occasionally, he would encounter Christians, but he became infuriated if they tried to share their faith with him. If God was indeed God, why would he allow me to live such a miserable life?

The God who heals
One day, David came across an advertisement from a Christian organization in the area. They would provide food, shelter and 25 rupees each month for anyone interested in studying the Bible. David could not care less about the lessons, but the tangible benefits were definitely appealing. After being accepted in the program, David spent most of his time mocking the Christian students. He told them, “I will serve any God who can heal me.”

Little did he know, that was exactly what God—the LORD—intended to do. After teaching David from the Bible, a man of God prayed for his healing. David says that God cleared his mind for the first time—at age 20—and he cried out in repentance. David says he remembers very little from before that moment, but now, in addition to eternal life, God has given him the ability to learn.

A new life used by God
For the past few years, David has done everything he could think of to share the Word of God. He calls himself “David,” because he says he is the lowest in the eyes of men, yet great in the sight of God.

He has had ministry among disabled persons, in jails and in some of the least accessible to reach villages in India. Now, David is studying with the Bible League to establish churches where there is none.

On this, the eve of his Church Planter Training graduation, he wants to soak up every idea he can from the man who led the training. He fears he might have missed some information, so he is copying a friend’s notes word-for-word.

But the pending graduation is merely a formality. In reality, God has already been using David to build His church for quite some time. In a few months, David has led more than 700 people through Bible studies, planted five churches and baptised more than 450 people.

Unbreakable vessel
David’s accomplishments are amazing in any case, but especially in the face of extreme difficulties and persecution.

When a small group completes a series of Bible studies, David takes a bus to the Bible League to get Bibles for them. He lives about two miles from the bus station. He must carry the boxes of Bibles back by himself. Furious Hindu radicals have watched David each time he has returned on the bus—sometimes with one or two boxes of Bibles balanced on his head. One day, while David was away in another village, they beat his wife and children and broke all the vessels in his house. Without these precious vessels, they cannot carry water from the well to drink, wash clothes or even cook.

These same Hindu radicals gathered about 90 new believers from David’s area and demanded that they make offerings at the local shrine. Some submitted, but more than half of them refused and offered themselves to be beaten.

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