The Eric Metaxas Show - Paul Tangellapali (encore)

Episode Date: May 6, 2025

Pastor Paul Tangellapali shares a miracle monday story. More at: www.htwi.org  

Noble gold investments is the official gold sponsor of the Eric Mataxis show, a company that specializes in gold IRAs and physical delivery of precious metals. Learn how you can protect your wealth with noble gold investments. That's noble gold investments.com. Welcome to the Eric Mataxis show. Ladies and gentlemen, we ask you now to count down from 10, silently if you don't mind, and when you get to one, you'll hear one of the greatest voices on this or any. other planet. Three, two, one, Eric Mattaxas. Hey there, folks. Welcome back. This is Our 2. This is Miracle Monday, May 5th, 2025. I had to think for a second. I was going to say 1775. No, no, no. That's 250 years ago, 1775. So it's exciting. I know I've mentioned it, but I've started an Instagram account called, I mean, I have my own Instagram account, Eric Mattaxas, and I'm posting something.

stuff almost daily on there, which is kind of fun. But we've started a new Instagram account called Super Centennial 250, where every day we're saying what happened 250 years ago. So when I was a kid, when Keith Junta was a kid, we remember something called the bicentennial minute. 200 years ago today, this happened. Well, now it's 250 years ago today. So I'm posting something every day. Today, I mentioned it in hour one. 250 years ago today, Ben Franklin returned from England. Crazy story.

I won't share it again, but it will be on my supercentennial account today. Man, there's so much. I'm learning so much as I write my book on the American Revolution. It is so fascinating. I mean, I just, I can't. And Eric, if I could say, because you're a runner, I'm a runner,

I worked up in the Concord, Lexington Concord area for a while. And there is a trail that they have put in there that memorializes. I think you said it was two weeks ago that that battle. Yeah, I mean, it was April 19th, 1775. That's Lexington and Concord. And that's the day the battle is called Miriam's Corner. Miriam's Corner. That's exactly right.

And the trail goes from Lexington, Concord, and ends in Miriam's corner. And there are plaques up along the way. You know, it says here lies a British soldier. There's a big monument to Paul Revere. There's a whole area set up where the battle of the bloody angle was done. And you can stand in the very place as you're going through these trails. Anybody that's in that area really should go and just walk that trail.

It is, it's remarkable to be reminding. of the history that happened there. Well, I'm going to be visiting all these places. I'm going to be posting stuff, more stuff on Instagram. But in the meantime, folks, you can follow me on Instagram, Eric Metaxus, and you can follow my new account. It's called Super Centennial 250. And just about every day, a new, you know, here's what happened 250 years ago.

Or sometimes instead of 250 years ago, like I think the other day was the, it was the anniversary of President Washington's inauguration. Yes. That, of course, is 1789. So that's, you know, whatever, 240 years ago of something. What do you think? No, not even 230 something years ago. But anyway, most of the stuff is from 250 years ago or 249 years ago.

And it's exciting. Do we know, is Trump, is the White House, are they, I mean, I assume they'll be doing something to celebrate this milestone. own. Do we know yet what they're doing it? Are they announced anything? I've made inquiries. I talked to the president of Hillsdale, Larry Arne. I just interviewed him for Socrates' event in Lexington, Kentucky. And he is on some commission. I asked him, if possible, to put me on the commission or put me in touch with the commission because I obviously am living and breathing this, writing this book about the revolution. So I am so excited about this. And yes, you can bet that this president,

is going to have a celebration, a year-long celebration that's going to be probably unlike anything we've ever seen. If we know Trump's personal ambition and his ego in a good way, you want to make this, he's going to want to make the bicentennial look like a little joke. Yeah, I can already see the AI picture of him as Uncle Sam. I can see him as an Uncle Sam on the stilts. I feel like that was a thing that I used to see, you know,

He'll be up there, right? I mean, come on. Like, it's too much. So I just think that we are, we really are, by the grace of God, entering a golden age, where we're going to see things happen. We're already seeing things happen that most of us have, we had lost the faith to even dream that these things could happen. And the kind of resurgence of patriotism in this country is such a beautiful thing.

We've been living through decades of managed decline. You know, that was kind of President Obama's apology tour. And just a general sour negativity that comes from the left that's infected our educational institutions that infected the news media, a sour negativity that really touches everything. I mean, it even affects the story of Bonhopper. There was a biography a few years ago on Bonhofer that was so bad. It was so sour. And I thought, how can you write a biography of this great hero that manages not to be exciting,

that's somehow sour and negative? But that's the left. They don't believe in joy. They're anti-joy. They think joy is for suckers. And so it is amazing to have a president that gets this stuff. So next year, whatever is going to happen. I hope I'm involved somehow.

I would be honored to serve my country in this way. very much. I wanted to talk, since we're talking about this, it's so interesting, the negativity of the news. We know that the left, all they do is report negative stuff about President Trump. In other words, if they were fair, they would report maybe both sides. They would say, well, this is the upside and this is some questions that people have, but they don't do that. And front and center is Trump's imposition of tariffs, what he's doing. I think that if you have any wisdom, you bet on Trump. Even if you're going to get it wrong sometimes,

or if he's going to get it wrong sometimes, pretty much you want to bet on him. He's not stupid. He is smarter than anybody when it comes to most of the stuff that he's involved with. He's brilliant. He's thought it through. He's had time to think it through. He's thought it through his whole adult life,

a lot of this stuff. So I was reading recently that his play with China, and this is genius, genius, is that he understands, just as Reagan understood with the Soviet Union, this is our chief enemy, and we need to do what we can to deal with that. China will do literally anything they can get away with, just like the Democrats. They have no principles except power. So they'll do anything they can do to weaken us, to make us dependent on them. And Trump, among other things with these tariffs, what he is doing, and again, it is brilliant. He's isolating China. He is going to people, to people, to nations that Trump.

with us and with China and saying, hey, you want a good tariff deal with us, you want a good trade deal with us, you need to side with us against China on this stuff. Now, nobody else has had the guts, no president has had the guts to do this kind of stuff. But Trump is aware of the strength we have as America, that there is nothing that comes close to us in terms of a market. You want to trade with us. You want Americans to buy your goods, whoever you are, whatever nation you are. You want that? You should want that. Well, we're prepared to give you a good deal, but you've got to play ball with us. You've got to stand with us against China. So he is isolating China so brilliantly. I would not want to be the president of China when Donald Trump is president. I would not want that.

And there's a reason that China probably meddled in our 2020 elections. And I hope we get to the bottom of all that. But Donald Trump is so brilliant on this stuff that I am just, amazed that he knows how to use American power for America's purposes. And look, let me say this as a Christian. It's not about America. It's about God's purposes in history. So a strong America is going to bless the whole world. Now, I believe that. You can disagree with me. But the point is it's not about screw the other guy. It's a zero-sum game. We win. You lose. No, no, no, no. We want to bless the whole world. We would love the people in China to be free to have religious liberty. something I didn't talk about. Now I don't have the time. But the Pope made a deal with China in

2018, made a deal with China, giving the communist Chinese regime control over who gets to be a bishop in the Catholic Church in China. That is exactly like dealing with Hitler. It's the opposite of what Bonhofer did. The left in America doesn't understand this. Donald Trump seems to get this. He seems to understand what he's dealing with. Anyway, when we come back folks today, an amazing Miracle Monday story. Stay tuned. Mike Lindell and the MyPillow team want to say a big thank you for your continued support. This spring, they had a huge allotment of their famous bedsheets set aside for the big box stores. But guess what? The stores didn't come through again. So Mike's doing what he does best, passing the savings on to you. That's right. No middleman

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I don't care when you listen to it, but we're airing it on Monday because we do our Miracle Monday stories. But we have on a new guest, Pastor Paul Tangalapali. I think I'm a new guest, I think I said that almost correctly. Pastor Paul Tanglapali. Now, Keith Junta, you are the one to have introduced me to Pastor Paul's story. So say what you can before we bring on Pastor Paul Tangla Polly. Sure. This is an immense honor and pleasure for me because I love this man. We met in India. I was part of a team. I was a co-leader on a team. We brought a group of high school kids to India, and we got to serve the poor in some of the most rural, abject poverty areas you can imagine. We visited churches. We encouraged the church planters who risked their lives for the gospel. We put in some water wells. Eric, I was at multiple leper colonies. I laid hands on lepers and prayed for them. I experienced things there that were biblical in every sense of the word.

And Paul is the nephew of Bishop Jacob, and Jacob was the one who we had the connection with. Jacob serves literally thousands of orphans. He has schools. He supports the elderly. He supports the handicapped. He feed, Paul can tell you the details. They feed more people than you can imagine.

And this is in India. In India. It's all in India. And so Paul, we met Paul on the trip. He traveled with us. And I can't wait for him to share and start speaking because the Lord, just like with Jacob, saved his life miraculously. So Paul would not be here had it not been for the grace of God.

And we traveled together and I got to hear his story. And Eric, I know how much you love for the listeners to hear testimonies of the glory and the miraculous of God. And so Paul is, I'm just so true. And I want to say just for clarity, since I wrote a book on miracles titled miracles, which I recommend because I think we'll encourage you. But in that book, I want to be real clear that when we're talking about miracles, every good thing is from the grace of God. So it becomes like a religious cliche when we say, oh, I'm here by the grace of God. I'm here by the grace of God. Yes, everyone is here and every good thing comes by the grace of God. But there are extraordinary times when the Lord moves miraculously, when people say, wow, that was a miracle.

So it's one thing to say, oh, my existence is a miracle. That's true. But there's a time when God gets our attention in a genuinely, overtly, miraculous way. And that's different. And God, you know, it's like when God parted the Red Sea, you don't go, yeah, well, God just does. God's always doing stuff. No, that would be stupid. Your mind was supposed to be blown. When the Red Sea is parted, you're supposed to say, oh, my gosh, wow, wow, wow. There's a time when God does miracles for our benefit. And it's different than just the general grace for which we should be thanking the Lord at all times.

And I know Pastor Paul has experienced at least once, which is the story you want him to tell. So Pastor Paul Tangela Pali, thank you for coming on and thank you for letting me mispronounce your name to the best of my ability. Welcome. Thank you, sir. Thank you very much. Really appreciate it. And first of all, you didn't mispronounce it. You did a great job.

Thank you. Wow. I'm patting myself on the back metaphorically. Well, so your story. Tell us your story because Keith told it to me, but I want to hear it from, we want to hear it from you. Absolutely. And first of all, Eric, thank you very much for having me on your show. It's a pleasure and it's a great honor to be here. And also, I just want to thank my girlfriend, Keith, for just corresponding and making this happen. Really want to thank you. Well, I always say when people thank me for stuff, I'm being self-serving because I want to bless my audience. I know that my audience longs to hear true stories of God doing great things. We need to encourage each. other. So I'm grateful that you're willing to come on here. And so where does your story start, Paul?

Well, Mr. Keith, it's like I was born and raised in a Christian family. And by the time I was born, my parents are already Christians and serving the Lord full time. You know, just there is actually believe that when you're born into your Christian family, you automatically become Christian. You know, in my case, that wasn't true at all. My parents are full-time pastors, our full-time missionaries to different religions. They travel around and preach the kingdom of God. preach the Word of God. But I was born into Christian family. I was, you know, traditionally, ritually, I was forced to read the Bible, forced to read the, you know, just biblical literature, and pray and going to Sunday schools and participate in church. Again, like, you know, my mom was

restricted. Like, if I don't go to church, then I'll be spank on my back, you know? So that kind of very strong Christian values are in my family. So as I was raising in that family, I was doing everything I could do just to read the Bible and go to churches and just organize different meetings and just speaking in different meetings just to please my parents. But I never had a personal relationship with Jesus. And after, you know, just a few years like this, I went to high school where I had made a lot of friends who are not Christians, who are just completely out in the world. They began to introduce me the pleasures of the world. Now, by the way, Paul, so this is in India. Yes, sir, that's right.

Okay, all right. You know, just as a teenager, I began to think, okay, I was missing so much pleasures. Like, you know, which means like Christianity is outdated. It's only for old people, not for young people, because it's always just restrict me to do a lot of other things. And now I'm in the world experiencing this exciting, experiencing this fleeting pleasures. And I felt like, man, the Christianity must not be for this generation. It's only for old people or generation, like my mom, my grandparents and all these people, they go to church. They're like, okay, it's not for me.

Because I began to feel something, the world is offering a freedom that I've never seen before. And I became addicted to those freedoms. And I just went far from God. I stopped going to church. I stopped reading the Bible. I completely pull myself away from the Christian roots. And I almost gave up on, I completely gave up on God. You know, Eric, but one person that never gave upon me is my mother.

She always come to my room after I fall in his sleep and lay her Bible on my head and pray with tears. And I could hear her tears that, you know, every night just whispering in my ears just like, man, Lord, just save my son. Lord, just bring back my son to you. Bring back my son to your presence. And I was thinking I pitied her. I just said, okay, this old lady is praying, let her pray if that's making her feel better. But I never knew that her prayers were shaking heavens. You know, just in India, education is considered as a, considered as a very, how would I say, a very important.

And also, it is correlated with honor and shame. When you're doing better in school, it is always just related to, okay, now my son is so proud. but my son is doing so well and it's always just related to families honor, families, you know, just name. So as I was enjoying the world and enjoying the pleasures of the world, I began to neglect my education. And I started failing in my education, not once, not twice, but three times. So one day I just came home and my dad told me after I failed, Paul, it looks like you're bringing great shame on our family. You know, those words as a teenager cut me so deep and it pierced my heart so deeper and I never felt so worthless. And at the time, I have, I don't know what to do because because of me, my family is going through shame.

Because of me, my family is going through pain and guilt and because my parents are pastors, they had to be with people and everybody's asking them, hey, how is your son doing? and they're ashamed to say over and over. My son is failing over and over and over and over. And now since I came to America, it's not a big deal. Okay, if you fail education, you're going to do something. But at the time, in the culture, and the people, they were so just making me feel guilty, making my family guilty. And at the time, I had no idea what to do.

And I told myself, what if I were to disappear? Just, and no more guilt, no more pay, no more discomfort. and I just would disappear somewhere. As I was thinking, a thought came to my mind, what if I die? If I die, my parents may just feel bad for me, I'd cry for me for a few months, but there will be no more pain, no more guilt,

no more shame on my family. Everything will be wiped out because of my death. As I began to think about that suicide, death, and killing myself, I felt like somebody was forcing me, The spirit of suicide was forcing me to, you have to commit this act now. You have to, it's like a rushing wind that is actually just forcing me to commit that act right now. So I couldn't control myself, but I listened to it. I began to, I was in, now I firmly believe that there is a spirit of suicide that actually attacks people,

takes them from their logical mindset, and the spirit of demon will overtake and making them act in such a way that they're not supposed to. So I was under the demonic and demonic impression and then I just listened to those thoughts and okay, now I have to die now and my mind is giving me no choices and I would just begin to think like I have no choice but die, kill myself. Hold on one second

we have to go to a quick break folks. It's the Eric Metaxa show. Don't go away. Folks, welcome back. It's Miracle Monday. I have the privilege of talking to Pastor Paul Tangola Polly. Paul, you are telling us a really amazing story. You felt this compulsion. How old were you exactly 18, 19? I was about 17. 17 years old. And you feel a compulsion to take your own life. There's so much shame and you just

decide I'm going to do this. But you say you felt like you're being pushed by a demonic power that you must do this immediately. So keep going. Yes. I actually just now I understand there's a demonic power at the time, I looked around what could I do? But my mind and my heart gives me no choices but to kill myself. And this is what I end of my life. This is the better option for me. This is the greatest option for me at this time. And I just walked towards the bank of the river and just, you know, as I was walking, as I was thinking, there's something so rushed that somebody was forcing me to come into act. And I should do what? To drown yourself? What were you going to do? To jump from the bank of the river and kill myself.

But I'm saying you don't swim or it's not clear. You're not jumping from a bridge. Especially the river where am I about to jump is not just with a fill of water but filled stones. So big rock. So when I'm jumping, I'm not only jumping on water but jumping on big stone so that it can break my body into pieces. That's the plan. So I would just walk to the bank of the river and I stood at the bank of the river. I completely understand here like, hey, why don't you swim?

I didn't know how to swim until I was 25 until I came to States. And my mother was so protective of me and she never even let me touch the water until I was just 17 or 18. So I stood at the bank of the river crying like a baby and thinking that I will be no more from the next moment. And as I closed my eyes to jump into the river, a person came to me, pulled me back from the river and laid his hand on me. and making me walk with him and just laid his hand on me and taking me with him and explaining the scriptures from the word of God and explaining the scriptures and talking to me and telling me that my life has a purpose and telling me that I was born to do a God's will and he was explaining the scriptures because I know there are scriptures because I was raised as a

Christian child just reading the scriptures. So after spending time with them, after receiving an encouragement from him, He was there with me six hours. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. This is why I'm here, Paul, because this is too fascinating. I'm going to have to interrupt to ask some details. You're telling me you're on the verge of taking your life. You're just about to jump in. You've made the decision. You're weeping and you're ready to go. Suddenly, someone puts his arm around you, a stranger. Yes, sir.

And starts telling you that your life has purpose. did you this was this someone you knew what in other words what what is going through your mind suddenly at this moment i was at the time eric i was completely out of myself and by the time he laid his hand on me i was all already depressed and he he was wearing our cultural clothing like a far looks like a farmer and i never even saw his face correctly because by the time he's laid his hand on me my face was down completely like this by the time because i was filled with shame and gills and gills and just I was just ashamed of myself and then I had no intention to see the person

or just just just even that I wasn't that in that feeling of you know just to seeing his face and looking his face and talking I was just completely miserable and weeping but but did you did it make sense to you at the time in other words does it would it look obvious to somebody walking by that this young man is going to take his life you said he starts telling you about your life and your life has meaning it's like he can read your thought

Yes, sir, that's right. And he just explaining scriptures and telling me and encouraging me, just encouraging me from different various scriptures and bringing out various scriptures and just telling me that, son, you will not die, but you will live. That's the major words that actually struck in my mind, because I was there to kill myself and die. He spoke to me and encouraging me. And after I was there with him about six hours,

and he walked me to my home. I still have to ask you before we get to this moment. Yes, sir. Did you have any sense during this time, these hours that he's speaking to you, of who this really is? No, sir, I did not, honestly. You just thought it was someone who is a Christian who lives near there who saw you about to kill yourself? I have no idea who was that at the moment, like, whoever it is, who cares, you know, just at the time, like, I didn't even know. that was a person or that was actually just, I was so completely out of myself.

So, like, whatever the person who was, like, he would just pulling me back and he was not just letting me do what I want to do. And he was just laying his hand, not just the hand, like he was controlling me. He just hold my shoulder and just making me walk with him. So at the time, I didn't know he was a Christian. He was my neighbor. I have, I've never seen that man before for for sure and he was wearing our culture, forming clothing. And I was walking with him at the time. Yes, sir. And as you're talking to him over these hours,

does it occur to you? I mean, you were only 17, but does it occur to you to think about who this is or you're simply listening to what he's saying? I was just simply listening to what he was saying. And so he walks you all the way back to your home. Yes, sir.

That's right. So then what happened? He walked me to my house and he left me by my door. And by the time he leave me by my door, when I see my familiar senses like my home and just and my gate and my door, and I was like, oh, I'm home already. And then I didn't know that I was six hours just he was walking with me because I came back and I saw the time, okay, this is the time that I got out of the house and this is the time Mike came back. So that was only my count at the time. So he left me by my door and I wanted to say

thanks to him because he was there for me. He was encouraging me and he was explaining the scriptures. I read the same scriptures before, but I never felt anything powerful. But as he was talking, those scriptures, I felt alive. I felt so powerful. Those scriptures came to life. Paul, forgive me for interrupting again. We'll be right back. folks welcome back talking to pastor paul tangalopali this is an amazing story we haven't gotten to the punchline so you just said as he's speaking these scriptures something inside you is coming to life i mean he has literally saved your life but something inside you that had been deeply depressed and suicidal is coming to life as he's reading you as he's speaking these scriptures to you and he takes you back

to your house you said and you say and you said suddenly you realize your home. And I mean, the whole thing seems almost like an out-of-body experience because of the state you were in. Yes, sir. And he left me by my door. And I wanted to, I just, by the time I saw my familiar senses, I felt like I came like, oh, I'm already at my house. And then I just wanted to say, thanks to this man, I don't know this man. When I turned back to see this man, and I could see no one. And as a, as a teenager, and I know, know that as my parents are full-time ministers, they always deal with demonic possession people and people and just dealing with the witchcrafts. So which means we're very familiar with the spiritual

realm and spiritual world. And as I just turned around and looked around, just walking towards the street and just see if there's anybody who I could find anyone. And I couldn't find anyone. And because I can see at least a less than a half mile around my house if somebody's walking around. and I was just shaking, my body was shivering, my body was shaking because I didn't know who that man was. I feel him, I heard him, and I just heard that he was encouraging me, and suddenly just I wanted to say thanks to him, I turned around, and I could see no one. And it really just made me, I wouldn't say just afraid, but nervous. And it first started my mind was, was this a demon? and I began to think if that is a demon

and then I just came to my sense if that is a demon then why does demon explain me the scriptures from the word of God if that is a demon then why does demon save me from death why does demon give me the purpose of my life so demon are supposed to kill people torment people torture people but this man didn't torture me this man actually saved me from my death that moment Eric I began to understand that is

someone from God are God. I don't know exactly. But I know that there is a supernatural experience and that stirred in my heart. I knelt down by my door and accepted Jesus Christ. And that was my transformation story. And I wanted to say one more thing, Eric, this is because I'm here actually sharing with you this story because only solely of prayers of my mother. If my mother, who thought, who thought I was actually who thought I was actually just a crazy person who would never pray for me, who would give upon me, I wouldn't be here where I'd say, share my story.

So I just wanted to, you know, your listeners, if any of the mothers were praying for their children, and maybe they might be thinking that their children have gone too far, and now there's no more salvation, and whether God really works in supernatural miracles. And I wanted to let them know that, you know, a man like me who marked Christianity, even though born and raised in Christian family, now carries the gospel to different nations and travel around carries the gospel.

And God's hand can still reach your children. I just want to encourage you, never give upon your children. If my mother would have given upon me and I wouldn't be here sharing this story. And my mother's prayer definitely shaking the heaven and I don't know. There's so much here, Paul. I mean, first of all, thank you for sharing this story. This is, I mean, I've heard many people tell stories of angels. This realm is real.

And the stories of angels are often they end with, and then he was gone. Then I looked around and I could not make any sense of where he went. He was right there and then suddenly he's gone. I think I have a few stories, even in my, I mentioned my miracles book. It's the same thing. I'm miraculously saved from death or something, and I look around, he's not there. You hear these stories. It's interesting that you had an innate sense that this is a supernatural being.

At first, you think it's a demonic entity, but then you think, well, that makes no sense because he saved my life. He's encouraging me from the scriptures not to kill myself. Very few people have had these kinds of experiences. experiences with angels. But it's so beautiful to hear this, to know what God can do, what he does in people's lives. I know there are many people listening right now who have had experiences similar. I know there are many people listening who've never had any story like this. And I want to encourage you folks, this stuff is real. And it doesn't happen, you know, exactly when you want

it or whatever. But I just want to encourage people, this is real. And God wants us to desire a supernatural personal relationship with him. He wants to speak to us. He does speak to us. I had someone very recently tell me a dream that a few days later came true. You know, utterly miraculous. You just shake your head and you say, God is real. I've had many experiences.

I don't write about most of them in my Miracles book, but I will eventually write about my experiences. I've talked about some of them. this stuff is real and it's beautiful. And to think, Paul, that you were 17 years old and God intervenes this way. And you said it was because your mother's prayers. There's no doubt about it. There is no doubt about it.

What an encouragement to us to pray for those that we love who are not where we would have them to be, to just keep praying. So many people come up to me. You know, I'm on the road. I give speeches. People come up to me and they tell me about their kids. And I say to them, the story's not over. The story is not over. Do not despair.

So what happened? Did you tell your parents about this right away, Paul? No, sir. I didn't actually just, you know, this has happened to me. And then like my thoughts and because I was a rebellious kid and I was just feeling guilty, I was just, you know, just experiencing all this shameful things. And now I was just liberated. Of course, it didn't happen all night.

But just, you know, I have to put that into practice. Everything right after this incident, I just. because I couldn't believe in what I experienced, and I just waited for a few days and just wanted to make sure that I came back to my senses. And then I spoke to my parents about it. And they were first, like, little, like they were asking me all kind of questions, what happened, and how was it happened?

Then I just shared with my uncle Jacob and Keith Neum, Keith is a good friend of him. So, and then they were all just miraculously surprised when I shared with them. And I felt like, man, just at the time, it was completely surreal. It's completely just, even now, it's hard for me to believe that has happened to me. So it's such a beautiful story. And I just wanted to thank God for this wonderful,

you know, just opportunity to experience such a supernatural experience. I mean, listen, it's, it is, it's amazing. We're supposed to be amazed. That's the point. When God does things like this, it's to get our attention in a way that, it's overwhelming. We'll be right back. Folks, welcome back. I'm talking to Pastor Paul Tangalapali,

who has just told us a miracle story. You know, it's funny, Paul, because you know how many people don't believe in this stuff. They just shake their heads, whatever. And I think it's preposterous. There are so many stories like this. So for people to say, oh, I just don't believe in that stuff, it's irrational. I mean, what does everybody think that, you know, everyone is making these stories up? You're making this story up. You were ready to take your own life.

That's where you were. That's where your brain was and your life was. And then God does this thing and it completely changes everything around. And I know, again, many people have had similar stories, but oftentimes we don't hear these stories. So it's one of the reasons we do these Miracle Monday segments. I said, people want to get people encouraged. God is alive and he wants to speak to us in big ways and small ways. Now, what is the ministry that you run now?

It's hope for the world international. Yes, sir. This is the ministry that God has laid in my heart for a long time. You know, after I had supernatural experience with God, and I completely surrendered my life to serve Jesus. And I wanted to give and not give, like show the hope of Jesus to people who did not have the, you know, just the hope. So I went home.

And after this, I went to Bachelors of theology, and I went home and started two churches and serving along with my family. And I began to understand my heart was longing more to know more about God at the time. So I came to states to do my master's of arts in theology in states. In 2018, I came here, finished my master's in 2020. And my heart filled with that, you know, the calling to start something, just to give hope to people, not only in India, but, you know, if the Lord allows, we want to do. I have some friends in Africa that we help occasionally, and we want to help in Myanmar. We want to help in Malaysia, Southeast Asia, African countries. So I felt the call of God so, so strong.

I shared this calling with some of my friends, and we came together and started a ministry called Hope for the World International. So this ministry helps orphans, underprivileged children, support native missionaries, drill fresh water wells, and help leprosy people, help a widow, and help medical aid for poor and needy, just for one reason, Eric. We do all these things not because we want to be great, but one reason. These charitable activities open the doors and hearts of people to see who Jesus is and experience the love of God.

That is our main goal, to preach the kingdom of God, to give the hope to people, and to touch the broken heart people through our charity, through our activities, just to make Jesus known to people who never heard the God. gospel of Jesus Christ before. And Paul, it's so beautiful. Go ahead. I might even jump in. I know this is a shorter segment, but Paul, doing what you just said in India is not easy because you've got the government working against you. There's persecution against Christians. And you have to be very coy in how you go about this because in your origin country, they don't want you helping the orphans,

correct? They don't want you helping the lepers. They don't want you helping the elderly, right? So it's a very hard work that you're doing. Yes, sir. And just I would like to share more, but probably I encourage you just what I'm sharing may not be put it in the public space. So, you know, currently we're facing tremendous persecution from the government. The government always tried to come after us and look for every opportunity that they can close and persecute us. And they've been trying that for years. and only by the grace of God were able to survive. And the bigger organization is like a compassion

and just even just world vision and just bigger organizations are already kicked out of India because they are actually sharing the gospel of Jesus. They're still world. What is the website before we go to the break? It's www.

htwI.org. H-T-W-I. That's hope for the world international. H-T-W-I-O-R-G. Yes, sir. H-T-W-I-R-G. We'll be right back.