Pankaj Chettri was baptised on Easter night at the community house in Latvia. He shares his journey of faith, from his encounter with God to his baptism.
By Pankaj Chettri, Latvia
I am a child of the only living, loving, almighty God the Father. Quite an entrance to the testimony right? Well, I had a whole other perspective and understanding about myself, of people and of God before I met my main character of my life, Lord JESUS.
I come from a place called Sikkim, a small place in between Nepal, Bhutan and China. Since May, 1975 we are part of the India. My mother-tongue is Nepali and I am the only son of my family. Though a small place, we are welcoming and open for well, kindness and have a good-soft spot for a good talk over a cup of tea or coffee or, food in general. Oh how we love good food. I studied in a Catholic School, Don Bosco School, Malbasey West Sikkim, but me with my friends just used to go to Chapel to skip classes and throwing flowers in the arms of our Holy Mother during our examinations with a hope that she will walk us through. I am also super happy and blessed to have my parents who trusted me and always supported me, even if everyone looked down on me when I was on my teenage years. I am happy of the fact that they were open for people, how during Christmas people all around us used to send us again good food and again during our festivals we used to do the same. I am also happy that how God always looked after my parents and me since childhood, how he always blessed us with peace and with everything more than we can every hold or rationalise. Heard from my Godfather that God is bad at maths and well, it was clear even before he found me. Maybe he already knew, or say he already knew that there will be a black-sheep, to one he saves, to one he anoints and to one he uses to share the good-news, to share his glory and to give him praises through testimony.
My testimony, it started when I was back at my home when I took one of the not so wise step i.e., to have a tattoo of one of the hindu-diety. He made it evident that it was not a good-choice because the same night I saw one of the two only vivid-dreams of my life, where I saw myself with my parents on the back in a place where it was green, and light and a lake full of flowers and Incense-sticks which was clear as a crystal and I see a man with a white-robe, hair until his shoulders sitting at the first step of a stair that led to a big building that was white. The man was not looking at me but was looking away from me as if he was hurt.
Fast-forward, I came to Latvia, EU from a small place but with big dreams and also burdens on my shoulder, wanted to give good life to my parents and also for my people, wanted to be able to serve them to be able to provide aid for their child’s education in good-colleges, or opening some clinic and other dreams. Well also to get a Porsche 911 Turbo S. I landed here on 6th March, 2022 lost and afraid. My cousin from Nepal, she was studying in Riga Stradiņš University, came to know about Latvia from her. I came also to know the community-dormitory which I ended up staying for 3 and half years, through her, I have such a big love for Chemin-Nuef Community for the support and love and for everything that has happened in my life. The community and the members have played a super big role and I am grateful for them.
So, to a new place, free, followed the world, like a Prodigal Son, searched happiness in places that made me more empty, regrets as big as the ocean and my youth and inner sins poured out like water. Lost in everything, love, relationships, studies, career, faith or imagine one thing and that too I lost, so it was this bad. The darkest year of my life, 2023. Would I like to re-live this year? nope but at the same, blessed were those time that made me kneel in front of God. All the plans that I had made were like the castle made out of cards that caught fire midway when building it, well if God wanted to change my clothes so he had to remove my old clothes. I know it break his heart as well when his rod was correcting me and his staff was comforting me. I was like Bartholomew, under the fig tree crying hopelessly. Then ? Grace poured out, he anointed my head with oil, my cup runneth over.
Saw another dream about me holding an old book had seven pages, on the left of all pages was our Lord’s Prayer and on the right was Jesus where at the seventh page I could directly see just his face, closed my book and saw a carving on the back of the book of a cross radiating light. All the dreams, wishes started to be fulfilled, and nothing made sense, I think that is how we know that it was him because love doesn’t makes sense, His love saw me and when all logic on my head rejected him, he said Nope that is mine and 70 times 7 is a lot of times for a heart to get broken but his reckless love found me, took me on his shoulders and carried me home. When? Well when I had an encounter with an angel, I call her angel whom I met in a church St. Jacob’s Cathedral, Riga. Where all my dream came together on this day, the man I saw sitting on the stairs, I could see that on the right-icon on the side of the altar, it was Jesus and that day 22nd of January, 2025, I saw his face and his sacred heart. The cross that I saw engraved on a book was actually the cross right behind the main cross. I saw an elderly woman at her 50s who came to me, knew all the pain-points on my body and she prayed for me. She also prophesied about me and said she has one of the 9 gifts of the Lord Holy Spirit. I felt totally and utterly broken, feeling of unworthiness was over my head. The feeling of getting electrocuted on the back of my neck was super new for me so as the inner voice that I heard when my angel came in the Church and all the other things.
As St. John said in the end of his written Gospel that, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” Similarly, a lot of things happened that led me to read the word of God, and then when coming back from my home, when I confessed my faith to my parents and how they were broken, and how it broke me everything feeling unworthy of God’s love, when I came back, one thing led to other and came to Liepaja community house for a week and ended up staying there for 6 months. He brought me even closer to him and prepared me and blessed me with the people and my relationships and for my next chapter of my life. I am atm sitting on my apartment, reminiscing the memories and what is happening now in my life with my relationships with people and with God is just nothing but Grace, Love and Mercy. May the peace of our Lord Jesus be with you all. Peace be with you all and I wish you for the revival of your body, your soul, your spirit and your faith in the name of our Lord and Saviour, our awesome God JESUS.
