Today, a few pink scars on Banda’s hands are the last reminders of a skin disease that until 2022 ravaged his whole body.
“It was not small like that,” he said, showing his hands. “It was … everywhere … inside my mouth, over my face … and I had severe pain.”
The rashes and sores became open wounds, the itching was extreme, and movement was difficult. He kept his job as an overseer at a tea plantation by masking his disabling condition. He wrapped his raw hands in bandages, hid them in his pockets and had one of his three sons take notes for him about the operations of the plantation. Banda’s wife, Rajeswary, fed him by hand because he could not handle the food himself. He needed help with basic tasks like dressing and bathing.
“I suffered because he was furious with the pain,” Rajeswary said. “He would shout at me all the time, from morning until evening. He would shout at the children. At times I was really discouraged because of the words I heard [from him].”
Banda went to dermatologists in Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo, but found no relief. He sought help at a Buddhist temple where he was a major donor, and nothing changed. Then he ran into a Christian relative at a funeral who pointed him to the one true God. “There is nothing impossible for God to do,” the man assured him.
Banda decided he had little to lose. He recalled thinking, “I have to try this and see, because I have been to all the other places but not to a church.”
Three generations of Banda’s family attended a church service together, and afterwards the pastor spoke with them and prayed for them. “The burning pain was lifted up,” Banda said, “and I thanked God for that first encounter.”
For three months, Banda travelled 90km on a motorbike each week to attend church. During that time, his wounds started to dry up and heal.
As Banda’s physical healing progressed, he eventually placed his faith in Jesus Christ. Through his new faith and reading a Bible he received at church, he found that his soul was also being healed. Rajeswary saw an amazing transformation in her husband; there was no more shouting and no more anger, just a hunger to know God better.
“All these years I have followed my [Buddhist] faith … and nothing has happened,” Banda said, “but in these three months this God has done something. I decided that I am not going to leave this God.”
The whole family agreed that they too wanted to follow Jesus Christ. When they told a monk in the local Buddhist temple, he was not immediately opposed to their decision. The monk seemed to view it as a logical transaction: “This God healed you, so you must worship Him,” he reasoned. He was assuming that their worship of the Christian God would be temporary; however, Banda knew that through faith in Christ, he belonged to God for eternity.
The pastor of the church they had been attending soon introduced them to another pastor who worked closer to their home and to the plantation where Banda worked. This second pastor visited them week after week, teaching them about the Christian life. He also encouraged them to share the gospel that had transformed their lives. Banda and Rajeswary took his encouragement to heart, even attending a short evangelism training camp the pastor had recommended.
After completing the training, Banda decided a good place to start sharing the gospel was the tea plantation; he knew that the impoverished workers on the estate led very difficult lives and badly needed the hope of Christ. “I wanted to share what I had received with them,” Banda said. “I went and started sharing the gospel with them. It really gave me joy and peace.”
Banda and Rajeswary continued to tell people about Christ, until soon more than 70 people were gathering in their home to hear the Good News. The pastor joined them for these meetings and taught the people from God’s Word.
When they made plans to show The Jesus Film in their home, however, the estate owner prohibited it and banned the pastor from the village, even though their home was not on the estate. Though Christian activities are permitted under Sri Lankan law, the Buddhist majority often opposes Christians in the southern part of the island, where Banda lives.
Determined to carry on even without the pastor, Banda and Rajeswary continued to host Bible studies and worship services in their home. But one night when more than 50 people had gathered for worship, the estate owner alerted the temple monk. The monk and local police then went to Banda and Rajeswary’s home and chastised them for their Christian meetings.
“The monk was really harsh on us, saying this is illegal, that we can’t have [Christian worship] in our houses,” Banda said. “I was his main [donor] at the temple … he didn’t want to lose me. It was a commotion at that point, and the police [told] us not to have these meetings in the village.” Many of those who had been attending the worship service scattered in fear, but a few Christians stayed, sharing their testimonies with the monk and police officers.
The pastor, though he could no longer lead worship in the village, still visited Banda and trained him for ministry. Banda, in turn, persisted in teaching the new believers who gathered at his house. In seven months, 32 new Christians were baptised in the village.
The estate owner continued to exert his influence, striking at Banda more personally. Without warning, he hired a replacement overseer and left Banda without a job just as his oldest son was about to start university. Banda and Rajeswary sold off family heirlooms and jewellery to survive, but the money was gone in a few months.
Then, Banda’s pastor contacted some other front-line workers with an idea to help Banda continue his ministry to the estate workers. With assistance from the global body of Christ, Banda was able to purchase equipment for processing the region’s valuable cinnamon and other spices. A Christian friend taught him strategies to help him grow his small business, which now supports the family’s ministry work in the village.
Banda said the church changes locations and meeting times to avoid detection, and they don’t do anything in the daytime. But their work has blessed many in the village. When workers living on the estate were affected by severe flooding recently, Banda and Rajeswary showed them the love of Christ by inviting many of them into their home while they cleaned and rebuilt their houses. Banda’s spice business provided the funds that enabled them to help their neighbours.
The first lesson Banda ever taught in their church was about Jesus’ compassion towards Zacchaeus. The story held special meaning for him. “There is so much similarity between me and Zacchaeus,” Banda said, “and it … brought change to my life.” He used the story as a way of encouraging Christians to learn more about Jesus Christ and then go tell others what He has done for them.
Once suffering physically and bound by idolatry, the former plantation worker now serves the One who healed his scars and set him free. “I trust God and serve God,” Banda said, “and it brings joy to me.”
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