One of Lokesh’s earliest memories is that of falling off a bridge and nearly drowning. Lokesh was the youngest of his siblings. His parents worked as field hands in a remote undeveloped village, despite suffering from mental illness. Being mainly without supervision, Lokesh often wandered near his home, playing in the mud on the riverbank or collecting firewood in the forest. He says, “I was warned not to go near the river. It was monsoon season. But I went to the river and sat on the bridge and fell asleep, and in my sleep I fell down into the river and just caught the branch of a shrub.Blood was coming from my hands. I was saved by my brother. He grabbed me and pulled me out, otherwise I wouldn’t be here.”

Lokesh says that at the time he did not know the reason why his life had been saved. He went to church because he was told to do so by his family, but he did not really understand the meaning behind it. He says, “I was just wasting my time and life. For my education, my parents were not able to send me to a good school, and at the same time both of them were mentally ill. But one of my uncles introduced me to the ServLife.By the grace of God I had the chance to come to Kathmandu at ServLife Children’s Home for education.” Lokesh was eight when he first came to the children’s home. “I made many friends and I started to know the importance of education, through which I can get maturity,” he shares. “This was a new life to me a new beginning too. From then on I started to grow physically and spiritually. I started to know the meaning of God and church. I learned to respect elders and to love the younger children. Here every day is a blessing for me.”

Lokesh believes that God saved him from drowning in order to give him this blessing. He is now 15 years old and studying in 10^th grade. He is growing into a mature and intelligent man of God. Lokesh is now confident that God has saved him for a reason. “Because of the support from ServLife through AS Nepal, I am trying to become a good person and I am getting a good education. Once again, thank you for your great provision in my life.”

August is ServLife Child Sponsorship Month. Would you support a child like Lokesh who is in need of education, nutrition, and loving care? Join us this month and ServLife will cover your first month of sponsorship. Visit http://servlife.org/sponsorachild/ for more information.