Elijah J. is a pastor and seminary teacher in a difficult area where people are resistant to the Gospel. Elijah was raised a Christian and turned from the teaching of his parents and became a drug addict as a young man. However, Elijah was radically converted and has dedicated his life to pastoring and training other men in the faith. 

Testimony of Conversion

I was born to a pastor family in 1983, and I am the eldest of six. My parents dedicated me to the Lord at my birth. I was brought up in a Christian community and enjoyed attending Sunday school class and bible training courses from childhood to teenage. However, I was disobedient and drug addict in most of my teenage years. It was only through the beautiful work of the Holy Spirit that I came to know Jesus Christ personally and received Him as my personal Savior and Lord and baptized by immersion in water. I believe that the Holy Spirit prepared my heart to come to genuine faith in Christ. God has finally answered my parents’ prayer that I would be His lifelong servant as Hannah dedicated Samuel.

Testimony of Call to Ministry

Two years after I had been born again, God called me to train at a bible college in 2003. During my theological study, I was appointed to pastor a local church in my hometown. I also involved in youth training and in gospel trips where we proclaimed the gospel village by village. After I completed my B.Th program, I served as pastor for one year (2005-2006). I also served as a full-time teacher at a Baptist Bible School in my hometown after I had completed M.Div. Course (2009-2010). I preached and taught bible study courses in different local churches. After attending London Theological Seminary from the UK, I led the setting up of a Bible Training Center. Now I am a faculty staff and teaching full-time at both schools. I am burdened for training future ministers, rightly dividers of the word of God, in the local area as the demands for equipped pastors and trained Christian workers are high.

God has done many great things in our organization and through my ministry. I also served as an assistant pastor to my father in a village. But since I have not been able to settle down in my hometown, I have become more involved in our organization’s leadership than in this local church. I believe that God is going to use me even more mightily in future ministry seeing that He has open the door to China outreach and translation works in partnership with the HeartCry. I hope and pray that His will accomplished to us for His glory.

Spouse’s Testimony of Conversion

I was a nominal Christian until the age of 17. It was in a summer bible training course that I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord. Since then I have been actively involved in my church activities. I taught Sunday school classes and youth classes in my church and led women’s prayer meetings. However, my understanding of God’s saving grace was deepened after Elijah and I got married in 2013 through his preaching in my church and his ministry in our family. Previously, I had been a member of a liberal church. Now I believe that God chose me before the foundation of the world and that salvation is God’s initiative. I thank God for His wonderful work in my salvation and in my family. 

Note: For security reasons, a pen name is used for this missionary.