Raised by a Catholic mother and Hindu father, I grew up reciting the Lord’s Prayer, the Apostles’ Creed, and Hindu prayers as a young child who slept with his parents. 

I’m not sure when exactly I stopped praying, but it likely happened before the age of 9, which was when my dad got a job in Beijing, and my sister and I got our own rooms.

Having no personal relationship with God and loving math and science, I became a self-proclaimed atheist.  I’d concluded that if I can’t see God, He doesn’t exist.

Strangely enough, however, I firmly believed in soulmates as a teen, which in retrospect required incredible faith in a God of Love--an omnipotent “Higher Power” able to orchestrate the coming together of two souls as husband and wife.

Nevertheless, fast-forward a few years and I’m in Irvine, CA, oceans away from my parents, and have been sucked into the world of narcotics.  Alcohol and marijuana eventually led to ecstasy, cocaine, etc.

I was living with my friends Ray and Jon in an apartment, which became a homebase for all our drug addicted friends to come over and get high.  Deep down some of us wanted to quit, but we were all in bondage to spirits much stronger than ourselves.

Divine Encounters

I was at a rave sitting in a speaker when the Lord put me into a trance and spoke to me saying “Hey Ashwin, you know the girl you want to marry and have a happy life and family with…  I have her mapped out for you.”

I came out of the trance and found myself on my knees thanking God.  I was no longer an atheist.  I didn’t just believe in God.  I now knew without a doubt that He exists. 

But is He one of the gods of my Hindu dad, or is He the God of my Catholic mom?  So, I asked “God, you spoke with me once… You now need to show me who You are.”  Thus began my walk with the Holy Spirit.

Around the same time one of Ray’s friends overdosed.  Jon also had an encounter with God in a series of dreams one night, the three of us decided to quit drugs and told all our buddies that they were no longer welcome in the apartment (to do drugs).

The Holy Spirit had instantly delivered Ray, Jon, and I that night from the spirits of drug addiction, because we had no withdrawal symptoms whatsoever moving forward.  Glory to God!!!

A Happy Life

He enabled me to complete my Computer Science degree, and as I traveled around Asia for work, God led me to Bible based churches where I learned to worship Him in Spirit and grow in knowledge of Him.

I’m also happily married to my soulmate, Tolkun, for 13 years and counting, and have a beautiful daughter, Emma, who is also a friend of the Holy Spirit!

Disciple of Christ in the Power of the Holy Spirit

As He’s done for countless souls in the past, our Lord Jesus chose to enter my world and meet me where I was all those years ago at the rave, knowing exactly how to speak to my heart.

Since then, His loving Holy Spirit has been discipling me so that I can be used by Him to help bring the Kingdom of Heaven down to Earth. 

My role is to surrender and obey Him (daily), and in doing so He will empower me to complete my unique assignment in His Redemption Story.

I’m committed to spread the Gospel so our unbelieving Brothers and Sisters (for whom Lord Jesus already shed His precious blood) may be born again.

Finally, I pray that we all grow and rise to our full stature in Christ Jesus as Sons and Daughters of Yahweh.  To Him and Him alone be all the glory, in Jesus’ mighty name!  Amen.

[1] Ashwin Ram, a visitor from Goa, India, worshiped with us in August 2025.  He found us via CCCGW’s website.