AS A SMALL boy, Tseten wanted to be a soldier like his dad. Now he has enlisted - but in the Jesus Army!

In July 2005 Tseten's time in London was coming to an end. It hadn't worked out, so he was off to Hong Kong.

"Work wasn't any fun. I wasn't enjoying going to clubs any more. I was really fed up," he says.

Tseten grew up in a boarding school in Kathmandu as his dad, a soldier in the British Army, was often abroad. On leaving college, he moved in with his parents - there was no work in Nepal after the 2001 palace massacre.

DOPE HABIT

Tseten felt lost: "I was going in the wrong direction. I was having fun but it was empty. I was into dope - that really messed my head. I had to ask my parents for money. Every day was the same."

Tseten came to London - but within two years the same things happened.

"Dope was a habit," he says. "Every night, I used to smoke it. Before, it was a bit of fun; now I had to buy it just to chill out. I was losing control."

Even lack of money didn't stop him; he just got hooked on alcohol which he could get free at his job in a West End restaurant.

"I was really frustrated. What was I going to do in my life?"

So, when Tseten met a Christian on the streets of London, he created a powerful impression.

CHRISTIAN

"I thought Jesus was just a prophet for western people," recalls Tseten. "But Barry explained that He was a Middle-East person - and that Jesus is for everybody."

Tseten stood and listened for half an hour. When he heard Barry say, "Jesus died for you," he started crying.

He went to Trafalgar Square, sat down and started thinking to himself.

"What Barry said about Jesus was so meaningful. He told me, 'when you are alone, go to your room and ask Jesus into your heart and He will come to you.' "

So Tseten went home and did just that. And Jesus came in.

The following Saturday was Tseten's first sight of 'Church', at the Jesus Army Festival on Trafalgar Square: "The people were so joyful. I could feel Jesus."

Within three weeks Tseten was baptised as a Christian.

Drink and drugs are gone - as his friends can see:

"I say my life has changed because of Jesus. They believe me because they can see the change in me."

IN THE ARMY NOW

"I find it really blessed to wear the Jesus Army badge," says Tseten. "It's an honour and privilege. I just salute Jesus and wait for His commands."

One command he already has is to let people know about Jesus:

"Jesus is the life. He loves you. He can change your life, if you want. You don't have to do anything. Just believe in Him.

"Barry said I could accept Jesus alone in my room and I did. You can too!"

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