If you missed it, check out Part 1 first.
10/06/2018 Nepal (International Christian Concern) – Then, the other two strangers attacked Yubak from either side. The assailants forced Yubak’s motorbike helmet off and continued beating him.
“I tried to put my helmet back on, but they threw it away,” Yubak said. “Then one of them grabbed a stone and hit me in the head. I fell to the ground and the other two continued to beat me on the head and neck. Before I lost consciousness, I remember them saying, ‘Your Jesus will save you!’ to mock me.”
Since Yubak was the focus of the assault, Pastor Om was able to escape into the nearby forest. After hiding in the forest for five hours, Pastor Om mustered enough courage to return to the scene of the attack. There, he found Yubak unconscious on the ground in a pool of his own blood.
Because the motorbike was damaged, Pastor Om carried Yubak for more than an hour to Sunduli town. When it became clear that the medical facilities in Sunduli town were incapable of properly treating Yubak, he was transferred to a trauma hospital in Kathmandu.
In Kathmandu, Yubak underwent surgery to reconstruct his broken nose and received treatment for a blood clot that formed under his skull. While these emergency measures helped, Yubak still struggled to obtain the full medical treatment that he needed.
“Different people gave me small amounts of money to cover the treatment,” Yubak said. “In the end, I needed to take out a personal loan to cover all the treatment. It cost over $3,000 USD.”
During my visit, Pastor Yubak, who had nearly completed his recovery and just restarted his ministry, still looked extremely stressed due to his financial situation. The compensation a rural pastor expects is barely enough to cover daily expenses. When we met, I could see that he was trying to work out how he would pay the debt he incurred to cover his treatment.
As I concluded the interview with Yubak, I asked if he had copies of his medical bills and documents regarding the loan. When he brought me a shopping bag full of receipts, I leafed through them, added up the total, and provided Yubak the funds he needed to repay his debt.
Yubak was stunned and wide-eyed as he received the money. Soon after, I prayed with Yubak, hopped back in the 4×4, and began the 12-hour drive back to Kathmandu.
When I finally arrived in Kathmandu, after hours of hairpin turns on the rural, mountainous roads of Nepal, I received a phone call from Yubak. He was crying. Seemingly still in shock, he said, “I don’t even know what to think. You never knew me, but you came, heard my testimony, and provided for my needs.”
Recalling our earlier conversation, I reminded Yubak that Jesus never abandons those who follow him.
For interviews with William Stark, Regional Manager, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: press@persecution.org
