Marut’s heart raced as his feet tore down the dark road in front of him. It had been a weary day of labor, and now his lean body strained as he flew from the wild dogs closing the gap between them.
These were not domesticated animals. These were scavenger dogs, grown cruel by struggle for survival.
As the pack drew closer, Marut had to make a quick decision. He scanned the horizon before him looking for a way of escape. He saw an electric pole some distance ahead. He altered course, bolting directly toward the pole. As Marut reached it, he scampered up the metal pole just out of reach of the vicious pack of dogs.
From One Threat to Another
Marut climbed further up the pole, creating a more comfortable distance between him and the growling hounds below. As he inched toward the inky night sky, an invisible danger dangled just above, more destructive than the danger below. While Marut heaved his exhausted body up, a broken power line flicked his chest. A bolt of electricity engulfed his body, flinging Marut off the pole and onto the ground.
Marut lay immobile with huge sections of his body burnt and one leg broken. The dogs barked wildly around him, alerting nearby residents. Some sympathetic bystanders rushed him to a hospital.
A Desperate Phone Call
Two weeks later, GFA-supported Pastor Daha stood at a public bus stop. Currents of pedestrians passed by, some stopping to take literature from him. Many faces in the crowd showed the strain of unspoken cares and burdens.
In his ministry, Pastor Daha was often among hurting people. Twice a week he would visit those living with leprosy—cleaning and bandaging wounds, praying for pain to subside and offering love through a listening ear.
