Loving Heavenly Father

To Sabbath School teachers: This story is for Sabbath, January 27.

By Andrew McChesney

K

arna was born in remote mountain village in eastern Nepal.

He doesn’t remember his mother very well. He remembers that Mother was sick all the time. Whenever she felt really bad, she fainted. She would suddenly fall down to the ground and lie very still. It was like she was asleep.

At first, Karna felt scared when he saw Mother lying on the ground. But then Mother would wake up.

The doctor couldn’t figure out what was wrong with Mother. The doctor gave many medicines to her, but nothing helped. Then one day, Mother fell down and didn’t wake up again.

Karna no longer had a mother. He felt very sad.

Father also felt very sad. He no longer had a wife.

Father felt so sad that he began to drink alcohol. He drank a lot. He drank so much that sometimes he fell to the ground and lay very still. It was like he was asleep.

At first, Karna felt scared when he saw Father lying on the ground. But then Father would wake up.

During the day, Father worked in the field, growing crops. But he began to drink instead of growing crops. He stopped coming home in the evening.

Karna sat at home, waiting for Father to come and give him supper. But Father didn’t come. Karna waited for Father until it was late, and then he fell asleep with an empty stomach.

Many times, Karna cried himself to sleep. He wished that he had a father who loved him. He wished that he had a mother who loved him.

But he had goats. In the morning, when he woke up, he took Father’s goats to the pasture. Then he rushed back to the house to eat whatever he could find for breakfast and ran off to school. After school, he returned home and took care of the goats again. The goats were his friends. He had no other friends. Karna wished that he had friends.

An auntie saw how Karna was living and felt sorry for him. She lived in a nearby town and couldn’t take care of him. She had two children of her own. But she mentioned the boy to the pastor of the Seventh-day Adventist church.

The pastor also felt sorry for Karna. He told the auntie about an Adventist orphanage that cares for children just like Karna. He offered to take Karna to the orphanage to live.

Auntie liked the idea very much. When Karna heard that he could live at the orphanage, he also liked the idea very much. Now he would be able to eat every day. Maybe he would even be able to have friends.

Karna’s life began to change as soon as he arrived at the orphanage. He made friends. He began to get to know God. He learned that God is a wonderful Heavenly Father who loves. Not so long ago, he gave his life to Jesus.

“I never thought that my life would change like this,” he said. “My life is good.”

Karna is a happy boy today. He has friends and he has a Heavenly Father who loves him very much.

Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help establish a school where children like Karna can study in Nepal. Thank you for planning a generous Thirteenth Sabbath Offering.