It was June 1983, and I had a godly friend by the name of Joel Hakim Din. Joel was quite a bit older than me, maybe twenty years older. But he was my good friend; he always encouraged me.
There was an evangelistic convention in Youngsonabad in the district of Sheikhupra. This is a totally Christian village. All the people there own their land for agriculture. This village came into existence with the help and hard work of Scotch missionaries more than a hundred years ago. This is a well-established village and the people from Youngsonabad are well educated and have moved into different cities of the country for their jobs and studies.
Joel spoke to the management of the convention and suggested my name as one of the keynote speakers. Many older people did not like the idea. They said, “He is too young, he has no experience.” (Although I was thirty-one years of age at that time, I had just three years’ experience in the ministry. Age plays a very vital role in our culture.) There were other speakers who were thirty years older than me.
Joel insisted; he was very persistent. The convention management finally agreed. Joel took the risk and the Lord used me by His grace. Many people got saved that day, and believers were blessed. New doors of ministry were opened in different parts of the country.
God used Joel to introduce me to a larger group (the convention). The Lord has his own ways of doing things. The ways of the lord are perfect. We cannot fully comprehend the plans for our lives which He has set aside for us. I thank God for Joel that Lord put this thought in his mind. It was also a great encouragement for me to stand before so many people with the word of God in my hand and preach face to face to them. So I found that The ways of the lord are mysterious.
Glory to God!
