My name is Jaibir. Jesus is helping me overcome fear. This is my story.
I grew up in a refugee camp. My grandparents fled Tibet on the heels of the 14th Dalai Lama, who now lives in exile in India. Growing up, I was taught Tibetan Buddhism. When I was old enough, I got a seasonal job at a business inside the camp. Its owners followed Jesus.
One day, my uncle came to visit. He brought a cassette film about this same Jesus in the language of Amdo, a northern region of Tibet. The movie made me interested in Jesus, but I was afraid that our gods would harm me or my sisters if I followed Jesus or sought to learn more.
Even so, I was curious. I stopped doing the same things as my family; I did not wear the tassels or gods on my clothes. I have a sister who has been disabled since birth. When she got sick, there was very great tension in my house. I was afraid that my interest in Jesus had caused her sickness.
Around that time, another uncle came and offered to sponsor me to go to the capitol to learn how to be a massage person. It is difficult here in the camp because we are not able to get citizenship for either Nepal or China. My parents have refugee cards, but the government has stopped giving even that. I am not normally able to get work outside of the village, so this was an opportunity I could not deny.
I went to work in the capitol and learned how to do massaging, but I was very unhappy. Finally I reached the point where I had two choices: I could either do drugs, or follow Jesus. I chose Jesus.
There was a Tibetan church nearby, so I went there on Saturday. To my surprise, I saw a member of my home community. I was reassured that there was at least one person who was familiar and continued to attend, but was afraid to commit. In our culture, community is everything. Being a refugee makes this stronger—people cling to their religion because they have nothing else. To follow Jesus is to turn your back on your heritage and your country.
My friend asked me if I wanted to go home or learn more about Jesus. I was afraid, but I knew that I needed to follow Jesus. I said yes to learning more, so my friend took me to a school of ministry. For three months I studied there. Every Friday we would go out and share about Jesus. It made my stomach twist with fear—what if I met one of my relatives? What if they found out I was a Christian?—but I did it.
Finally, it was the end of school. We had eighteen, nineteen days left when they announced that all of us would have to teach about Jesus. A week before the school ended I was called to speak… I left that night. The leader of the school called me to ask why. I told him that I will still follow Jesus, but I cannot come back to the school—I do not want to speak in front of people.
Instead of returning home, I went into the city and trained to be a barista. The owner of the business where I had been a seasonal worker ran into me in a coffee shop. On seeing the books I was studying—mathematics and accounting—he said, “Do you want to do this work?” I said yes, and that is how I became a bookkeeper in the camp.
The owners think I am an excellent witness, but I am still very scared. Though I have been a Christian for a number of years, I was only baptized two years ago. I am not a bold person, or a loud person, but I do share about him as I am working with others. Now, enough people know that perhaps my family also knows. I am not sure.
I am still very afraid, but I will continue to follow Jesus. And maybe one day I will have the courage to talk to my family.
Pray for me:
– For continued boldness as I step out to share my faith.
– For my family’s hearts to be softened to the gospel.
– To break spiritual strongholds over my people, and for the Holy Spirit to come in power!
– For Tibet as a nation. Pray specifically for freedom—physical and spiritual—for a scattered and repressed people!
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*names have been changed*
