“Do not give up; keep on praying — prayer really works… because God never gives up on us.” These are the words of Gaisin Panmei, which testify to the extraordinary power of prayer that worked wonders in his struggle with addiction.
After completing his schooling, Gaisin left his family and went to Shillong to pursue higher education. Living away from his family, Gaisin led an unsupervised life where he indulged in alcohol, drugs, and other vices. This lifestyle negatively impacted Gaisin’s health and studies, and he was soon admitted to a hospital due to a failing liver and jaundice. Gaisin however survived the critical conditions and was discharged from the hospital. But even after hearing doctors’ mandates and his family’s pleas to leave his life of substance abuse, Gaisin refused to pay heed and continued to spiral into his addictions.
One day in January 2016, Gaisin returned home in a state of intoxication and started quarrelling and arguing with his family. Gaisin’s cousin, who served in a church, came to pacify and console him. Gaisin had expected harsh words of criticism from his Christian cousin who had never consumed drugs in his life. However, his cousin’s warm words overwhelmed Gaisin’s heart and at the same time made him guilt-ridden about the lifestyle he had been leading. Gaisin no longer felt worthy of being alive and decided to end his life by hanging from a noose in the kitchen.
Fortunately, Gaisin did not lose his life that day. He woke up in a hospital and started thinking about God’s plan for his life. He realized that if the God he worshipped was true, then he ought to follow Him. The following day, Gaisin was visited by the pastors and elders of his local church, who came together and prayed for his recovery. They asked Gaisin how he desired to move forward in life, to which he responded by saying that he wanted to serve God and learn more about Him.
Gaisin started pursuing a degree in theology and came into an environment where he was surrounded by sound preaching and friends who encouraged and counselled him towards a righteous life. All of this exhortation had an effect on Gaisin’s life, and before leaving for vacation from college, Gaisin received salvation and accepted Jesus as his Savior.
Gaisin now gladly proclaims that it is never too late; God is always ready to embrace us. He remarks that we can never fight our battles on our own and we need the prayers of our community along with our own. To all families with members suffering from addiction, Gaisin says that prayer is the most important tool they can use against the stumbling block of addiction. He quotes the saying “More prayer, more power — less prayer, less power” and remembers the fervent prayers done by his family, pastors, and well-wishers which were crucial in bringing about the change in his life.
