Born on 1975 in Bangalore India, Benny Prasad grew up being called useless before meeting Jesus and rising to become a world-acclaimed musician.
On October 20th, Benny Prasad arrived at the shore of Malaysia to share his life story at the Le Quadri Hotel Ballroom of the UCSI University North Wing Campus, organized by the B&P ministries. Rumah Sayangan Orphanage was also invited to the event.
Rough beginning in childhood
Benny’s father was an esteemed scientist at the National Aerospace Laboratories, and only had high hopes for his son to follow his footsteps. But Benny was not like his father, dashing his father’s hopes and everyone’s expectations. Everyday, Benny would wake up to a barrage of how useless he is from his father, teachers, and church members.
“They thought that I had no feelings,” said Benny.
Benny also suffered from severe asthma since he was two years old, for which he had to take corticosteroids. By the time he was 16 years old, he suffered side-effects related to the medication, including rheumatoid arthritis, lung damage (60%) and a depressed immune system. To make matters worse, the doctor told Benny he had only six months more to live.
“While people that age plan for their lives, I was planning my funeral,” said Benny. He contemplated suicide, but his mother persuaded him to go to a youth retreat.
Encountering God
On the second day of the youth retreat, Benny heard God’s voice.
“God said that even though everyone said I am useless, He still need me,” said Benny. Although Benny did not understand how God would need a useless person, Benny accepted Christ because Christ wanted Benny although Benny had nothing to offer.
Benny was interested in music and prayed to God to teach him to be a musician. With very little money to live by, Benny took a thrown-away broken guitar and attached found guitar strings to it. There, he would practice playing it every day for seven hours.
“When I had no talent to offer, nobody wanted to be my friend. But when I did my biggest performance in front of 73,000 people, those who ignored or rejected me suddenly wanted to be with me,” said Benny.
God multiplied Benny’s five loaves and two fishes
“Friends, God will not forget about your dream. Even if you forget, He will remain faithful,” said Benny.
Benny dreamt of becoming an Olympic runner when he was a child, running three hours a day. However, a javelin accidentally hit Benny’s back when he was 12 years old and destroyed his spine along with his dream.
But God remember Benny’s dream. In 2002, Benny was invited to perform for the 2004 Olympic games. He wanted to share Jesus in the Olympics but he was rejected by the organizer. So, Benny prayed to God to help him design a guitar that would attract attention and questions about his guitar. Hence, he created the world’s first bongo guitar, and later a 54-string guitar called the Bentar. Mayors and athletes would ask question about his bongo guitar, allowing him to share Christ.
Up-to-date, Benny had performed before presidents and crowds of the recent 2012 Paralympic Game in London, 2007 military world games, 2006 Fifa World Cup and 2004 Olympic games. He has traveled to more than 218 countries by March 2008, breaking the record of the most traveled Indian musician in the Limca book of records. By November 2010, Benny has traveled to 194 sovereign countries and 51 dependent countries, including Antartica, in 6 years, 6 months, and 22 days, earning him the fastest man ever to visit all 245 countries in the world.
Benny also recalled traveling to an exotic country located in an island. The travel took him two days to reach the island in a once-in-three-months boat. The whole population of the island was 66 people and his concert would be the first concert there in 200 years. Eighty percent of the population came. Benny was able to share the gospel with them.
Two months ago, Benny learned to play the flute. He had reservations in playing at first due to his 40 percent lung capacity but God told him otherwise.
“God said, Benny, do you remember the two loaves and five fish I multiplied for the 5000 people, don’t you think I can use your lungs?” said Benny.
God had taken Benny’s life and turned it completely around. Depending wholly on God in everything, Benny is not afraid of even losing his life for the gospel.
“Like Paul, if I die, I get to see Jesus. If I live, I get to talk about the gospel. I win both ways,” said Benny.
Today, Benny is still traveling to 40-50 countries a year, sharing the gospel with music to thousands of people.
“If Jesus could take the little that I have and multiply it. Today, he can take your life to touch more people,” said Benny.
Information about B&P ministries:
Started in 1994, Businessmen and Professionals (B&P) ministry was created to help businessmen and professionals walk the talk of faith in their workplace.
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