From Modern-Day Jonah to God’s Missionary (Part 2)

The Testimony of George Pappachen

Despite the nudge he felt to serve the Lord full time in ministry, George applied for a job in line with agriculture. A company offered him a position and he accepted it.  He started working there but  suddenly had a strange problem. There was severe pain in his legs and he could not stand after sitting! The doctor was unable to find anything wrong.

This condition negatively affected his sleep and caused major problems. Whenever George traveled by bus, he could not get off to his stop. By the time his legs could work again, he’d be quite a distance away from where he was supposed to get off.

One Sunday, he attended the church of a pastor he had previously met.  After one of the worship songs, a six year old girl began to prophesy. In her message, she said that there was someone there who was like Jonah.

Then to George’s surprise, she began to speak to him directly! The Holy Spirit said through her that he needed to leave his job and to do it soon. After the service, the pastor asked George to tell his story. The pastor also counseled George to obey God.

George went home but still did not know what to do about his career.

A friend offered him another job near his provice. George thought his legs would get better with the nicer climate in that area.

He resigned from his old job and took the new one. But before he left, George informed the church that he would be transferring to a different area. A lady began to prophesy and told him that he needed to obey God’s instructions. If he surrendered this aspect of his life to Him, the problem in his legs would leave.

But it took more time before George fully surrendered his life to God.

Jonah Returns to His Calling

Going to his new area for work, George found many Bible believing churches and regularly  attended Sunday services. However, the problem with his legs still affected him. After three months, he decided to attend one of the Pentecostal churches there. He sat in the back as one service took place. A prophecy was declared from the pulpit, similar to the ones George had received in the past. The pastor began to ask the congregation who the prophecy was for.

No one said anything.

George was so scared. He wanted to hide because he knew it was for him. Finally, the pastor saw George and told him to come to the front.  When the pastor asked him about the prophecy, tears started streaming down George’s cheeks. The church members stood and prayed for him.

The pastor told him the same message George had received previously— to leave his job and surrender to God. George fully surrendered. He declared that he was going to Bible school and that after graduation, he would minister to North India with his brother.

“I am going to do the work of the Lord until I breathe my last breath.” George promised.

 Suddenly, George felt something happening in his body. He was healed! The pain left his legs. That next day, George promptly resigned and went back home, not even waiting to claim his last month’s salary.

Jonah Pursues His Calling

On June 17, 1996, George joined the Mt. Zion Bible College Mulakuzha, which soon had two divisions for Malayalam and English. He graduated in 1999 from the English division, the India Church of God Theological Seminary (ICTS) in Thiruvalla, Kerala, India.

In those three years, a strong foundation of faith in his life was laid.  There, he also became the Dean of Students, serving in that position from 1999 till  2003.  He started the Bless India Mission with other seminary staff members and students. They conducted crusades and charity works around south India.

In 2003, George went to the Philippines and studied at the Asian Seminary of Christian Ministries (ASCM) for his Masters degree.  He eventually returned to India in 2005 to continue working with Bless India Missions. It wasn’t long before God called him back to the Philippines, giving him the opportunity to complete the Doctoral Program in Ministry at ASCM in 2012 and to put up the program of MERU, Missions Exposure to  Reach the Unreached.

At present, George is realizing his true calling—and that is to be a missionary.

“God has called me to preach the gospel all over the world,” George said. “ My desire is to go wherever it is that He calls me to go, and to be faithful to His call. I believe that all the training I have had up to this point has been preparation for this season of my life, and I am willing to use all that He has given me for the kingdom of God, wherever He may send me.”

Glory’s words to him did come true. George did become a missionary for God. He is now carrying God’s message to the nations around him.

About Meru

MERU is a missionary training program that lasts from a week to 3 weeks. MERU combines the theory and application of mission field work and allows its students to gain knowledge, strategies, and techniques while at the same time putting into practice what the students have learned. MERU conducts trainings all over the Philippines, India, Dubai, Fiji Islands, and Sri Lanka in hopes to ignite passion to reach the unreached people groups. MERU aspires to empower pastors and church leaders to participate in the completion of the Great Commission by giving them avenues on how to be involved in the mission field through mobilizing missions and raising up more missionaries both for short term and long term mission work.