missionary

George Williams

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Life Story

Full Name: George Williams
Parents: Amos Williams and his wife
Birthplace: Somerset, England
Born: September 11, 1821
Salvation Experience: Accepted Christ at the age of 16
Died: October 6, 1905

Service and Ministry:

While working in the clothing business, George Williams was deeply concerned about the moral and spiritual life of young men around him. Out of this burden, he founded the “Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA)”, which became one of the largest youth organizations in the world. Through this, he worked to improve the spiritual and moral lives of young people, giving them a place for prayer, fellowship, and godly guidance.

Personal Testimony:

George Williams was born into a well-to-do farming family in Somerset, England. He received his early education for a few years and then began working on his family’s farm. Though hardworking, he lived without a personal relationship with God in his early years.

Later, he went to work as an assistant in a clothing business. His employer encouraged him to attend morning church gatherings, and through these meetings, his heart began to change. One Sunday evening in 1837, George was deeply moved by the Gospel message. He realized that Jesus Christ had died for his sins and surrendered his life fully to the Lord.

Speaking about that experience, George later wrote:

“When I first saw that Jesus Christ had died for my sins, I cannot describe the joy and peace that filled my heart.”

From that day onward, his entire life became a testimony for Christ.

As he continued working in the clothing trade, George moved to London to grow in his profession. There, he was saddened by the ungodly lifestyle of the young men working with him. Feeling a heavy burden for their souls, he and one of his Christian friends began to pray earnestly for them and made plans to reach them with the message of salvation.

Soon, God answered their prayers — several young men joined them for prayer meetings. Their workplace slowly turned into a place of spiritual fellowship and transformation.

Determined to expand this spiritual impact to other businesses as well, George started a small fellowship group in his own bedroom, with just 12 members. This small beginning led to the birth of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) — a movement that soon spread across the world, helping millions of young men grow in faith, character, and purpose.

The YMCA began organizing Bible studies, prayer gatherings, and moral training programs, focusing on the complete development of body, mind, and spirit.

George Williams always believed that,

“No work is small — what matters is how much we do for others in love.”

He lived as a humble, compassionate Christian and remained a faithful witness to Christ until his last breath in 1905.

🌿 George Williams’ life is a shining example of how one person’s faith and compassion can touch the entire world. Through prayer and dedication, he became the instrument God used to transform countless young lives.

Munganda Shantharao

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Life Story

Full Name: Munganda Shantharao
Birthplace: Tummalapalli village, Amalapuram Taluka, East Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh
Parents: Munganda Narasayya and Manikyamma
Year of Birth: Around 1956
Salvation Experience: Accepted Jesus Christ as Saviour at the age of 7
Divine Vision: At a young age, he saw angels in the sky writing the Word of God.

Personal Testimony

Munganda Shantharao was born in Tummalapalli village, East Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh, to Narasayya and Manikyamma, who were members of the C.S.I. Church. He was the fifth child among seven children. From his childhood, he attended Sunday School and learned about Jesus. At the age of seven, he accepted Christ as his personal Saviour.

One day, young Shantharao saw a heavenly vision — angels were writing the Word of God in the sky. Later, while studying in 10th standard (around 1972), he saw a bright divine light inside his classroom.

In 1975, while studying at the Manna Bible Institute, he was inspired by the life story of Purushotham Choudary, a man of God. This deeply touched his heart, and he decided to dedicate his life completely to serving God. Remembering his childhood vision, he made a special vow: to write the Word of God on walls and pillars everywhere, so that all people could read and come to know Christ.

He began by writing verses in his own village and nearby areas using paint and brushes. After completing his Bible training in 1978, he joined the Full Gospel Church of India at Machilipatnam and was sent as a pastor to Nagayalanka, in the Diviseema region (covering Avanigadda, Nagayalanka, and Koduru).

As he preached the Gospel in surrounding villages, he also continued writing Bible verses on walls. He decided to travel across the entire state of Andhra Pradesh by bicycle, trusting only in God’s provision.

Many times, he had no food or place to sleep. Once, when a pastor refused to give him shelter, he slept on a school veranda, hungry. Yet, he woke up the next morning and continued his work joyfully, painting Bible verses again.

When he was extremely hungry one day in Prakasam district, he prayed, “Lord, please give me something to eat.” While he was still writing a verse on the wall, a woman saw him, spoke kindly, took him home, and served him a meal.

Every day before beginning his work, he would pray for food, shelter, and paint. Miraculously, God always provided through unknown people. He experienced God’s care in every small detail of his ministry.

Later, he continued his Gospel mission in Kadapa, where a believer working in a government job gave him money to support his ministry. With that help, Shantharao travelled through many towns, writing God’s Word on walls and pillars.

He travelled throughout Andhra Pradesh, covering all major towns and villages by bicycle. Then, with a strong desire to continue his mission, he moved on to Maharashtra.

There, he faced many oppositions. A newspaper once published a warning saying that anyone writing Bible verses on walls would be arrested. Because of that threat, he moved to Madhya Pradesh and then continued his journey to Bhopal, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Goa, Dadar-Haveli, Karnataka, Odisha, West Bengal, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Arunachal Pradesh.

In every state, he would first learn how to write the local language by copying verses letter by letter onto paper, and then he would paint those same verses on walls. He wrote verses in Telugu, Hindi, English, and many other Indian languages — on bridges, pipelines, government buildings, and electric poles.

Because he wrote on government property, he faced legal issues and public opposition. To continue safely, he made a shirt printed with Bible verses on both front and back, and wore it while travelling.

In Haryana, some young men attacked him with bicycles, injuring him badly. Yet, with God’s healing and strength, he recovered and continued his journey.

He faced hunger, sickness, and rejection but never gave up. When he reached Madras (Chennai), he fell ill due to lack of food. A Christian nurse who noticed the verses he had written came to meet him, cared for him, gave him food and medicine, and regularly helped him.

Even when he had nothing but two boiled potatoes to eat, he kept writing God’s Word on walls across the city. His only goal was to make sure everyone could read the Word of God wherever they went.

After travelling across all of India, writing thousands of verses on walls, pillars, and bridges, Munganda Shantharao continued this divine calling until his last breath. He remained faithful to the end and finally entered into the presence of the Lord, completing a life fully dedicated to the service of God.

🕊️ Munganda Shantharao’s life stands as a shining example of faith, sacrifice, and tireless devotion — a man who literally covered India with the Word of God.