Hutha is a dead man come alive who risks all for the sake of Christ.
The FCA India leader holds tight to the words of Jeremiah 1:5: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
God set Hutha apart to be a messenger to the nations, and he enthusiastically follows the call. After all, if it were not for Jehovah Rapha, he would not be touching the lives of hundreds of villagers throughout his country by his story and a soccer ball.
As he began to know God in 2004, Hutha fell mentally ill in a spiritual attack. While he prayed for healing, his village ostracized him, thinking he was drunk or wild, calling him “Mental Man” and refusing to use his real name.
He remained in a hospital for one year.
His family, steeped in black magic and the Hindu culture, sought help from witch doctors, who suggested they use the blood of a chicken as sacrifice. Hutha refused and said he would rather die in the name of Jesus.
Then, in 2005, doctors in the healing center told his family to stop the black magic and be born again. While refusing in times’ past, they were now willing, and rid themselves of Hindu relics. Three days after their baptisms, Hutha was completely restored to his right mind and the attacks ceased.
Word spread of his miraculous healing and the God who brought him back to life. His reputation preceded him in his home village, and Hutha shared his testimony and preached the risen Christ. The people of his village were astonished.
Said Hutha, “Before, people knew me and would never have believed. But through my miracle, many people became Christian.”
He began traveling to other areas in the region. One day, Hutha was in a nearby village when a man brought his sick son. The man was Buddhist, but had heard of Hutha’s story and healing ministry.
“The father asked me of healing. I said that it is not me, it is God,” said Hutha. “I prayed, ‘If this boy is healed, let it be for ALL to see that You are the living God.’”
The boy arose and started running around, and skeptics became believers.
Hutha attended Bible college in 2006, and prayed for where God would send him. “I said to God, ‘On the sea, in the city, on the mountain, wherever You want to send me, I am ready to go,’” he said.
When he realized preaching could be combined with his passion for sports, Hutha began volunteering with FCA in 2009. He joined staff two years later, certain that God wanted him to do sports ministry.
Hutha is known throughout his region of India as one who was healed by the living God. He rides from village to village on his motorcycle, bringing along a soccer ball to break the ice with residents.
“I juggle a soccer ball and teach children games,” he said, “I build friendships.” People ask Hutha to teach them soccer skills, and he meets with the gathered crowd for a lesson the next day.
A second visit will occur, and he prays for a few people he can have closer meetings with. After he makes new friends, he invites them to his home for tea and talk about soccer, asking questions and sharing more of his story. Many put their faith in Christ and are baptized.
He cannot begin talking about God straightaway, but sport is an imperative gateway to beginning conversation. “Without sport, we cannot get in and make friends,” said Hutha. “When we are playing together, I am showing Jesus Christ.”
“Through sport, you reach and share Christ. It begins with soccer,” he added. When he unpacks a soccer ball, it is instant connection.
Hutha’s unwavering confidence in the God who brings life from death is a powerful testament. “My family was born into the witchcraft of the world, and I was a dead man,” he said. “I was healed because of faith.” He stands steadfast and continues to rely on God in surrender to the great works and plans He has prepared in advance.
Much of it turns up on soccer fields, as he lives as a walking testimony to the good news of Christ.
Said Hutha, “I will live for the living God, because I was lost and now I laugh again.”
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The God of healing is restoring hearts through sport, and there is even more of His work to be done. The vastness of Hutha’s region in India requires resources to travel and gas to power Hutha’s motorcycle. Please pray for volunteers to join Hutha in his work, and for finances to be able to go where God sends him across the region.
Click here to support Hutha’s ministry, and visit fcaworld.org to learn more about what FCA is doing in India.