In a small village in central India, Maniram spent every day learning how to earn a living as a witch doctor. 

One day he and his wife, Babita, visited Mithun, the son of a witch doctor, in the nearby city of Jalgaon. 

Mithun and his wife, Radha, were very hospitable people. While talking with the couple, Maniram noticed a difference in their behavior and talk. He began observing and listening to them more carefully, curious to know what this change was all about. 

In the evening after their dinner, Mithun and Radha gathered everyone in the household together for a prayer. Maniram thought it would be a witch ritual, but Mithun and Radha had become followers of Jesus Christ. They talked about Jesus and helped Maniram and Babita realize witchcraft was dangerous and wrong. 

Maniram wanted to know more about this new way of thinking and asked many questions. The couple invited Maniram and his wife to go to the Nazarene church with them, and they agreed. 

At the church, they participated in singing worship songs, Scripture reading, and praying for various things. As Maniram and Babita listened to the gospel, Maniram was highly impressed. He had more questions, so after the service, he discussed it with Pastor Sudhir Chakre, who helped them understand Christ and prayed for them. 

Later that evening, Mithun and Radha discussed the way of Jesus with Maniram and prayed with him again. He and his wife became fully convinced of their wrongdoings and gave their lives to Jesus Christ. They spent several more days in Jalgaon learning about Jesus Christ before returning to their village. 

Maniram was a changed man and wouldn't go to the witch doctor or practice any of the old ways. The witch doctor was furious and started threatening Maniram’s life. 

After Maniram refused to return to his apprenticeship, the witch doctor cast spells on Maniram and his family, but they no longer had an effect on them. 

Maniram had already started sharing about the Lord Jesus Christ to others in their village, and they were paying serious attention to him. Maniram would pray for them and their various needs, and people saw that God was answering their prayers. 

One day people of the village came to Maniram and told him that a disease was turning all the cotton crops yellow. This was a big loss for them. Maniram told them they needed to pray to Jesus about it, so they held a whole night of prayer for the cotton fields. Maniram led them in prayer and asked God to heal their crops and turn them white again. 

In the morning, they discovered the diseased crops were now white. There was no sign of any disease on the cotton. The families were overjoyed and gathered with Maniram to give thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Maniram continued sharing Christ with them and helped them realize that Christ not only heals diseases of crops and of the human body but most importantly, Christ promises a cure for the disease of the human heart: sin. 

Today, there are about 40 people in the village who believe in Jesus and regularly worship with Maniram.

Maniram and Babita were baptized and are successfully leading the congregation. They have three children: two daughters, ages 12 and 5, and a son, age 10.

--Engage Magazine