Prisoner of Hope

Name: Jose Luis Cayo Level: V -VI Sometimes hope can come through what seems a hopeless situation. Today's Spotlight tells a story of sadness and hope. A man was murdered. Another man was imprisoned for the murder, but was he guilty? Many people believe he was innocent. How would you feel if you were locked away for a crime you did not do? Where would you find hope? And could you lead other prisoners to find hope too? Our story begins in the year 2000, in a valley near Kathmandu, Nepal. It is a lonely place. A river flows close by - fed from the melting snows of the white-topped mountains. Four men are fishing in the river. The scene is peaceful. But wait, something is floating at the edge of the icy cold water. One of the fishermen goes to look. He is shocked. It is the dead body of a man. The fisherman runs to tell the police. The dead man was not from Nepal. He was an Englishman named Tim Prentice. Tim was an experienced visitor to Nepal. On this visit he was travelling with a friend. But the friend had to leave earlier, so Tim had been alone on this part of the trip. The police examiner said that Tim had severe head injuries. That was the cause of death. He also had a rope around his neck. But who had killed him? The police made a surprising arrest. They arrested the fisherman and his friends. Yet these were the people who had found the body and reported it to the police. The official police story was that the four men had murdered Tim and thrown his body into the river. It said that they had killed him to steal his money. The men were taken to court, found guilty and sentenced to twenty years in prison. Tim Prentice's friend was a woman called Judith McIntyre. Years later, she said: "Tim was a very friendly person. We think of him every day - especially if we are having a good time and his favourite music comes on. We think 'Tim would love this'." But Ms McIntyre also said that she did not think that the four men had a fair trial. She believed the police needed to accuse someone - so they blamed the four men. One of the four men had a strong religious faith. Many people knew him well - as a good man. They did not believe the police version of the story. The man's name is Manja Tamang. Manja has always said he was innocent. He says that the police arrested him, tortured him, and put him in prison. The twenty year prison sentence was a severe shock. And Manja had a wife and two children. This was a tragic situation. While Manja was in prison he had time to think and to pray. He was a Christian, but his faith was severely tested. At one time he thought about taking his own life. But then he realised this would be a sin against God. He asked God many questions especially, "Why am I in prison for a crime I did not do?" As the months passed he came to believe that God had permitted him to be put in prison for a good reason. There were many other people in prison with him, and most of them needed help. Some of them were very sick. Manja prayed to God and asked God to heal the sick prisoners. When they got better, it seemed that God was answering Manja's prayers. Many prisoners wanted to follow God in the same way as Manja did. Manja told them why he believed in Jesus Christ. He believed that trusting in Christ is the way to find God.

Manja says that people listened to his teaching especially after one incident. It concerned a man who could not walk. "There was this particular man who arrived in the prison on a bed. I told him why I believe in Jesus. I told him that if he believed in Jesus and we prayed, God would heal him. Well, this man believed, and we prayed, and God healed him. When he left the prison, he could walk, just like us. Seven or eight hundred prisoners all saw the change in this man." Manja says that many people in the prison wanted to know more about Jesus Christ. So Manja asked people in a local church to send him Bibles, books and films. He gave these to the other people in prison. Manja was often lonely in prison. Then he would read his Bible. He tried to obey what it said. He also tried to obey the prison rules. So people trusted him - both prisoners and the prison officers. Several times Manja appealed against his prison sentence. Every time the appeal failed. Sometimes it was not even heard. Manja had to remain in prison. Finally, in June 2009, Manja was released from prison. He had been a prisoner for nine years. He was one of over a hundred prisoners released after the government in Nepal had changed. Now that he is a free man, Manja Tamang says that he wants to find a way to continue helping people who are in prison. He says he will not try to find the people who tortured him. But he says that if he does meet any of them he will forgive them and tell them that God loves them. Manja Tamang believes that God used him in the prison to bring hope to needy people. For that to happen, he himself needed to have faith and hope. He says he wants to continue sharing hope. As he looks back on his time in prison, he remembers: "If I had lost hope, my life would have been ruined. I did not allow anything to put out the fire of hope."