“In my childhood, one of my family members struggled with alcohol. It got worse when I was about 14 years old and that’s when I started to have questions. Why did that person drink so much? What could I do to help?”

“At the same time, we had Christian friends in our village. They used to help us when we were in trouble. They would pray for us and call us to have a meal with them. We were so close. Then one day, my mother had a vision. She saw a man in white clothes and his arms were opened wide. It was Jesus.

“So my mother went to church the next week, and then after that, I went with her. I became a Christian and I finally had peace in my heart. I was in ninth class and I have been studying ever since. First, I did my Bachelor in Sociology and then I got work with a Christian non-government organisation.

“I’ve been working with people with drug and alcohol problems for 13 years. Now, I’m doing my research Masters, in the field of substance abuse among teenage girls in Nepal. It’s such a hidden problem here … and there is so much need. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by it, and busy. But I always pray and I read Psalm 32:8 – ‘I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.’

“I know that God is with me and that he will help me, to help them. He cares so much.”

Pratima’s story is part of Eternity’s Faith Stories series, compiled by Naomi Reed. Click here for more Faith Stories.