Testimony
Focus:
Call & Discernment
1. Few Details of mine , childhood, schooling, college & church Knowing
2. My Achievements & Failure About
3. Challenge & aim in my life God
4. Coming close to God through church activities
5. Listening to call of god through people and later turning my aims / goals
6. Family relationship breakup
7. Job Search
8. Jesus Youth activities
9. Initial God experience
10. Become active in Jesus Youth Encountering
11. Fulltimership with
12. Listening to voice of God clearly and getting different spiritual signs God
13. Finally convinced about Call after time of discernment
14. Following the path of holiness
Walking
15. Joining priesthood
God /
Conversion
Name & Surname: Vignan Das Gangula
Qualification:
Professional Experience:
Worked in different responsibilities in IT Sector,
Software Engineer by profession – 4 years
Retired as Assistant Manager (Quality).
In Jesus Youth:
Aware of JY from 2001,
Part of JY Family from 2004
Active in JY from 2005,
Super active in different ministries in AP 2006
JY International fulltimer (2nd batch) 2007-08, Thailand
Central Fulltimer for India (16th Batch)
Studying for Priesthood from 2009 (for & through JY)
Nationality : Indian
State : Andhra Pradesh
City : Vijayawada
Mother Tongue : Telugu
Family
•when I was one year old, I was very sick and my parents thought I will die soon, they
had took a photo also thinking I will be no more, but miraculously I was healed and back
to health.
•When I was 4 years old I fell in water pond in church campus and I was fully
drowning, I felt I am about to die, I think I was there in water drinking water and going
down and down for few minutes but somehow God rescued me by bringing out from
water through one person.
1st prize in
running
competitions as
part of
Christmas
celebrations ‘83
Altar Boy
From 4th to 7th Class
Due to my mother’s pressure in 4th standard I joined as altar boy
and continued till 7th standard.
Once I was holding Bishop’s staff during the mass (as altar
boy) somehow I fall down on bishop holding the staff and
after some time I came to my senses when people took me
behind the altar.
I can say it’s like Charismatic Experience
During my degree 2nd year (2001) I came back to church activities as choir leader
and I was singing for evening mass and I started learning Guitar, Keyboard and
sometimes play cango etc. I was elected as liturgical secretary and I refused to be a
president of YSM as my interest is only in spiritual activities. While I was singing many
people came and told me I am very spiritual and singing nice and most of them told me
to think about to become priest and those time I was also attracted to charismatic
spirituality and use to go to retreats as a singer to help the team etc. and this is the time I
also came to know about Jesus youth too. After listening from many people, I started
thinking serious about priesthood.
I have sung many songs for Devotional Albums and I sung for TV channel also in 2005
I even uploaded many catholic songs in Stage.fm site in 2006 but from 2009 onwards
that domain stopped working. I have uploaded many Gospel videos in YouTube site
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8X1qaAGJ8U
Video of the above if possible
I repeat, no one should consider me foolish; but if
you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast
a little. What I am saying I am not saying according
to the Lord but as in foolishness, in this boastful
state. Since many boast according to the flesh, I too
will boast. 2 Cor 11: 16-18
But, My Dad don’t want to send me Hyd to search software Jobs, he is afraid
that I may straight away go to Seminary from hyd. He stopped me for few
months and in Jan 2005 I came to Hyd with Rs.4,000 in my hand and my dad
told me if you get Job with before finishing this money stay back in Hyd or else
come back to Vja and do small job.
But I took this as a challenge and I believe that God can give me Job and I
started my faith journey. My plan is very simple. I have 40 hundreds in my
hand, it is easily understood 1 day 1 hundred will finish in hyd and I planned
within 10 days, I will try to get Job and on 11th day I will start working,
even it is small Job of min Rs.3,000/- (But a office Job and relating to IT etc..).
And after 30 days they will give salary and by this time 40 days will finish and
40 hundreds also finish and I can live with my salary on 41st day.
Denny’s photo
After attending 3 hours JY
program in 2004, I continued to
go to JY prayer group In
sanathnagar and in Oct 2005, I
got opportunity to attended first
complete JY Program. JY
National Conference ‘05.
Immediately I stopped confronting God and begin to say “I am sorry Lord” and after
that “Thank you Lord & Praise You Lord” etc…
This is my Initial God Experience, Where I heard God’s Voice Speaking to me.
This incident happened in the month of June 2006.
From here my spiritual journey starts and I can say this initial God experience as
“Corner Stone” for all my other spiritual experiences which happened & happening
after this experience
I wrote an E-mail telling my Initial God
Experience first time with Sub: My Testimony,
Dated August 15th 2006 to JY in Hyderabad
and CC to India@jesusyouth.org
Later again I shared the same God
Experience and also other details like (About My
self & family details, My, How I came to JY, My contributions to JY, reasons
, & sent mail to
why I don’t want to take one year commitment etc)
I even shared once again in JY Vocation application form on 17th May 2009
Recorded Telugu Catholic Bible (New Testament) in Audio format and each
books (27) by chapter wise.
Mathew 1 Revelation 22
Took initiative to translate the JY material into Telugu and many JY Songs too.
Uploaded many JY Videos (including Full Rexband program) in You tube &
other Internet sites – I can claim that I’m the first one who up loaded JY Videos
in Internet, until Apr 2006 there is no JY Videos available in You tube or any
other sites etc. http://vignanvideos.blogspot.com/
www.jyvja.blogspot.com
www.jyhyd.blogspot.com
http://teluguaudiobible.blogspot.com/
I have surrendered Telugu Catholic
Audio bible to APBC Bible commission
And for that and for creating Telugu Catholic
Presence in Internet uploading Devotional
Songs and making Web sites and youth
Activities, Fr.Don Bosco nominated my name
For Best Youth award in APCYM 2009
After my Initial God Experience (where god
asked me Jesus youth ki yenduku cheyatledhu?)
I felt God is asking me to do something (promote) to
Jesus Youth in AP. I became very active in JY in AP
from August 2006 onwards and I was trying to
please God by my initiatives or work in JY
thinking God will be pleased with my work and
answer my prayer of becoming priest.
I was running very fast and none of JY in AP could run along with me and
there are so many negative comments on me (I was doing like this … Like
that etc.) Many suspicious looks on my works thinking whether I am
doing all these things for my own glory etc.
There are many discussion only about me in JY Hyd Service Team and One
fine day, Prakash chettan, first JY Hyd coordinator had a personal talk with me
and I explained him my God experience and why I am doing all these things with
this much speed, pain and zeal.
After listening to me he gave me
another insight which turned my
thinking pattern , “ Vignan, may be
God is asking you to become like a
Jesus youth (to live a life style of
Jesus Youth ) and not to just work for
Jesus youth. This insight really put
me in thinking and finally I said,
alright I am ready to change myself
and become a JY.
Annette, JY Hyd fulltimer (2006-07)
challenged me that I am not able to Love my
Dad and even she also has same problem
but during fulltimership there is lot of change
etc. And many times she told me that I don’t
know what is a JY and what it means to be a
fulltimer (come and stand in my shoes, then
you will know what I am going through etc.
Whatever it may be I took Prakash and
Annette’s challenges and thought of trying
once. It’s just matter of 40 days (only training,
not thought about of one year commitment)
And I thought with this fulltimership training
I may gain the trust of JY leaders , which in
turn help me to work for the ministry more
effectively with out much resistance.
So these insight led me to take up
fulltimership training and some how due to
some reasons (because I wrote that I will
only attend 40 days training and will not
take commitment as I was alredy doing in
AP and also I don`t want to loose one year
because I want to spend that year in
seminary) I was not allowed to take part
in English batch But,later I was offered chance to go to
Taize in France through JY India for
spiritual experience and I couldn’t utilized
that opportunity (because I didn`t get
passport in time).
When I join all these verses (Isaiah 61:1-2, Mathew 19:29 & Romans 8: 28)
Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear
a son, and shall name him Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14
This verse didn’t give me any meaning, I didn`t understood and asked god, Please speak
To my plainly and this is my life`s decision, I closed bible and asked god to speak to clearl
When I opened again, same verse and I was all the more troubled (what god is speaking
Because I am not able to understand), I was reading Good News bible and after some
Seconds, I turned to left side of that bible and my eyes went to Isaiah 6:8
Isaiah 6:8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom
shall I send? Who will go for us?" "Here I am," I said; "send me!"
Even though God gave me so many confirmations / signs in many ways , I was
still not able to digest his call and still thinking whether to accept his call or not
and training completed and everybody left to their countries and Manoj Sunny (JY
Internationl Coordinator) and myself left in Thailand and I got some time to spend with
him and after the sharing.
I decided to commit myself and with that conviction and I returned to India.
But still I have some doubts and just told God “ If you are speaking to me,
a) Speak to my dad who is stopping me from many years from joining seminary and also
b) speak to my Manager (Office) as I am under 2 years Bond period (Still 6 months left).
9th August 2007, I reached India but I don't have enough courage to speak to my dad
and tell him about this. Some how after 5 days I went to Vijayawada.
13th August 2007, 8 PM my dad was waiting for my arrival and he started talking to me
and told me I can go for Fulltime commitment and he don't have any problem with my
decision" and everything happened with in 15 minutes by 8.15 PM .
Dad asked me “Did you went to Office after coming from Thailand?"
I said no, I will go after going from Vijaywada to hyderabad, may be on 16th or 17th Aug
Dad asked me one more question
“Which Country they are going to send you as a JY fulltimer? "
Then, He Moved and took one Book, It is 10th standard Catechism Book.
And he was telling me. From last 10-15days, he was going through that book and he got
so many answers from that.
My Dad was telling that " Why God Created Human , What is the purpose of Man, What
the Role of Parents, Why and How God Calls a Person, And Man is Free etc., "
He told that after reading all that, he felt that his role is to up bring me and he should not
direct and he should leave me free and so on.....
I was simply listening and now time is 8.12 PM
After that he concluded saying,
I won't Stop you.......... You are FREE Now, Don't be Afraid ,,, Go Ahead...
Now time is 8.15 PM............... With in 15 minutes My Tension was freed..............
I didn’t say any word, my dad himself spoke everything. And with out me asking
regarding one year commitment he himself told me you can take up your fulltimership.
This experience was shared with few with subject: Big Miracle on 16th Aug 2007
If you are speaking to me,
a) Speak to my dad who is stopping me from many years from joining seminary and also
b) speak to my Manager (Office) as I am under 2 years Bond period (Still 6 months left).
Some how I was not able to digest and My HR Manager told me to Put my
papers (Resignation E-Mail).
Then only they discuss and take decision (accept or not)
God spoke to my Dad and also to my manager and every door is open and I
have to cross each door. And at last, I said YES to his call.
And I reached in Kochi, Kerala for fulltimership (as a Central fulltimer for India).
And these days I have most painful experiences, humiliations etc. (of course they all
are part of formation) But still there are many thoughts running in my mind I was telling
God, Lord I was doing all these things Just to know whether I will become a Priest
or not and I was asking God in prayer,
Lord, at least by the end of this fulltimership,
Please reveal me whether I will become Priest or not.
Something beautiful happened on 7th Dec 2007.
I was attending the Retreat in Divine Retreat Centre,
Pota and I prayed to God ,
And during the 2nd & 3rd day of the retreat I even
Thanked god (thinking that I was ordained as a priest
according to the Bible Verse mark 11:24 & Phil 4:6-7)
Prayed according Mark 11:24
Priest Image
Prayed according Mark 11:24
Fisher’s of men – priest
Carol – bishop
videos
Bishop Image
Last day of the Retreat, I came early to hall and was sitting in Personal prayer.
I took bible and asked god, Lord, Give me one Promise Verse for this Day
(And this became my routine after the Bible messages which started from Thailand
Training messages like Isaiah 61, Mathew 19: 29, Romans 8:28 and Isaiah 7:14 & 6-8,
which compelled me to take the one year Commitment)
But I was asking God .Lord, please give me Clarity whether you
are calling as SINGLE or PRIEST and prayed and opened Bible.
This time God Showed me
Jeremiah 32:27
I am the LORD,
the God of all mankind!
Is anything impossible to me?
But, still there is no clarity in this verse also and I was asking God
and thanking him and asked him finally 3rd time to give me
confirmation for my call and I prayed and opened the Bible.
I shared all these events in JY Fulltimership Feedback forms and to some JY friends
Reasons for me becoming a JY priest
During my traveling when I came to Nagpur, I meet
Br.Vinoy OP (Now priest from Dominican in Mumbai) and he
told when he decided to go for priesthood, he sat with his
Spiritual director and Elder and discerned which
congregation to join.
Fr.Shaji
At the end of the sharing father told me, vignan I suggest you 09944188041
not to join in any congregation which is already established.
Start a new congregation for Jesus youth and I smiled and Fr.Satish msfs’s
told who am I to start, immediately father told the same Parish priest
sentence in another way “what I meant is join in a new satismsfs@gmail.com
congregation which is relating to youth ministry”. Finally we
both had a photo and I still remember the words of that priest
“let this photo remain in History”.
d) And more than that when I come back to my “Corner Stone “
my Initial God experience, Where God is asking me
“Jesus Youth ki Yendhuku cheyatedhu?”
Which means “for Jesus Youth why not doing? “
(Why are you not doing for JY)
My 1st Interpretation “Why are you not working for Jesus Youth?”
My 2nd Insight “Why are you not like Jesus youth”( Life style)
Now 3rd understanding “Why can’t you Ordain for Jesus Youth”
After discerning all these things, I was fully convinced, that God is
asking me to ordain for Jesus Youth and that’s why my Vocation got this much
delayed for 8 years as Seminary which I should be formed is not yet started
and even after fulltimership, I have to wait for my priesthood for various
reason .
But now is the time and I am have fully
convinced that God is calling for
Priesthood through Jesus Youth
Movement/Community for Catholic
Church to serve Him and His Children.
1.PALS 2004 program dairy 30th Dec 2004, where I took Decision to join JY
3. About My self & family details, My God Experience, How I came to JY,
My contributions to JY, reasons why I don’t want to take one year commitment
etc, I sent mail to India@jesusyouth.org on 14th May 2007.
E-mail : vignanjy@gmail.com