Nepal (MNN) — In 2002, Mission Network News told you about Gospel for Asia missionary Manja Tamang from Nepal. He was serving as an evangelist when he was falsely accused of murdering a foreign man, who Tamang discovered along the road.
He was sentenced to 20 years in prison but was released late last year. Now, Tamang along with his wife, Rati, are telling their story to the world.
Together they talk about Manja's imprisonment and even torture on false charges. He talks about life in prison, including a miracle that happened in jail. While declaring, "I will never stop serving God," Manja tells of his discouragement in jail–and his determination to continue on.
He also thanks Christians around the world who remembered and prayed for him.
All through his imprisonment, Manja continued to be a joyful witness, sharing the Gospel with the other prisoners. He organized and led Bible studies and worship services, with at least 30 inmates attending many of those services. And several men in his little "prison congregation" chose to follow Christ. Manja also taught social studies classes in the prison's education system.
"Manja's patience in bearing all these difficulties and injustices is a lesson for all of us to learn," said N. Sharma, GFA's leader in Nepal. "Whenever I saw Manja in prison, he was always smiling. He reminded me often of the Apostle Paul's own statement from priso: ‘rejoice in the Lord always.' This is a quality that can only be developed through bearing pain from within, such as our brother Manja has done."
Manja's story also inspired a song written by Shannon Wexelberg and sung by Charles Billingsley, "The Pleasure of My King," which was featured on the Better Than Life project by Discovery House Music in 2007.
If you'd like to see the video, click here. If you'd like to get a copy of Better Than Life, Today's Stories of Faith, click here.
