Mohendra Harijan was brought to one of Compelled’s orphanages, Barnabas Home, when he was just 12 years old. His father was addicted to alcohol and was very abusive at home. He did not take care of the family or any of the needs of the family. Living with an abusive father was a tormenting experience for Mohendra and his elder brother. Mohendra had never seen his mother happy, let alone even smile. One morning when Mohendra got up from his sleep, he found the house very quiet. He did not see his mother in the house. He began to look here and there but could not find his mother. In the evening when his father came home drunk, he told both his children that their mother had left them. Mohendra was heartbroken. His mother was his only support. Both the siblings faced traumatic conditions with no proper food and no one to take care of them. Their father took to more drinking and eventually he stopped coming home. Mohendra and his brother became dependant on the neighbours for food, and with time the neighbours also stopped helping them. The local school was their only comfort as they got a mid-day meal from the school. Soon, his elder brother was sent away to a hostel by their father. Mohendra became lonelier. To make matters worse, his father took a job in another city, and, without having any concern for young Mohendra, went away. When his brother came home for vacation he fell sick and because of lack of money and proper treatment, he died.
With no one by his side, young Mohendra had no option left but to quit his studies and look for work to survive. He became a child laborer. One day when Mohendra was working as a labourer, a Compelled missionary saw him. When he enquired, he came to know that young Mohendra was on his own with no one to look after him. The missionary took Mohendra back with him to our orphanage, and since then Mohendra has been part of the Compelled children’s home (orphanage). His life has been completely transformed since he came to the children’s home. He got an opportunity to know the Lord and was baptised. Spiritually and academically, he is now doing well. He leads the worship in the children’s home during the meetings. Mohendra says that he wants to become a pastor when he grows up.