From Gospel for Asia (www.gfa.org) -- For Immediate Release
WILLS POINT (ANS – Jan. 16, 2015)
-- When the two women moved into the small town, the people whispered.
They wondered and passed comments among themselves. Because these women
didn't live with any of their elders, the villagers decided they must be
morally loose and not worth talking to. No one wanted to talk to them
or listen to what they had to say—Amrita included.
Women Missionaries Face Opposition
Kanti
and Reva, two Gospel for Asia women missionaries, moved into Amrita's
town with good intentions, but they didn't receive a kind reception.
At the same time, a team of men
and women around the world faithfully upheld Kanti and Reva through
prayer and financial support, and the Lord encouraged these women
missionaries and helped them stand strong. They drew strength from God's
Word and reminded each other of Romans 8:31: "If God is for us, who can
be against us?"
Husband Comes to Know the Lord
Kanti and Reva took any
opportunity to help the villagers, including making regular visits to
pray for anyone who became ill. As men and women observed their good
conduct, many began to realize these women weren't morally loose after
all. Soon, people wanted to hear what Kanti and Reva had to share about
Christ's death, burial, resurrection and offer of new life. Through the
testimony of these women, a man named Vinoo gladly embraced Christ's
offer.
Amrita wasn't happy about her
husband, Vinoo's, decision. He didn't want to worship at the shrine in
their home anymore, and he kept telling her about Jesus—someone she
didn't want to hear about. But Vinoo couldn't contain the love he had
found in Christ. He wanted his wife to experience the same love and
freedom, so he asked Kanti and Reva to meet with her.
Wife Listens to the Women She Dislikes
Amrita wasn't pleased when she
saw Kanti and Reva. She knew her husband had asked them to come. But she
was a polite woman, so she didn't tell them to go away. She listened to
them patiently and kindly, all the while ignoring their every word
about Jesus.
When
they visited again, she again patiently listened. She still didn't want
to hear them the next time they came, or the time after that, or the
time after that one. But Vinoo continued to ask them and Amrita
continued to welcome these women into her home week after week.
Kanti and Reva invited Amrita
to attend worship services, but Amrita made excuses, saying she needed
to take care of the home or her children were sick. Despite Amrita's
outward politeness, Kanti and Reva started realizing she didn't like
them.
Kanti, Reva, Vinoo and the
other believers continued to pray for her, and the Lord gradually worked
in Amrita's heart as she watched the way they conducted their lives.
Women Missionaries Continue to Reach Out in Love
During their many visits, Kanti
and Reva encouraged Amrita to taste and see the Lord's goodness. They
gave her some literature about the life of Jesus, which Amrita politely
accepted, though she was not interested in reading it.
As the weeks passed, Amrita
realized Kanti and Reva weren't the morally loose women she first
thought. Rather, they were very peaceful and fully trusted in the God
they followed. She realized the other believers in the village,
including her husband, had a joy that surpassed anything Amrita had ever
seen before. Amrita discovered she wanted this joy in her own life, so
Amrita picked up the New Testament Kanti and Reva had given her—and God
spoke to her through His Word.
God's Word Touches Her Heart
As Amrita read the Word of God,
verses like John 3:16 and Romans 10:9–13 spoke to her deeply. She
recognized her own sinfulness. When Kanti and Reva came again to visit
her, it was as if she heard them for the very first time. Through God's
Word and the testimony of Kanti and Reva, Amrita understood that Jesus
is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Today, Amrita has the same joy
as Kanti and Reva, a joy she gladly shares with those around her. Just
like the women she once despised, Amrita shares the hope of Christ with
any who will listen—and she happily visits her neighbors time and time
again.
You can help more women like
Amrita experience the joy of renewed life in Jesus by sending women
missionaries like Kanti and Reva. Millions of women have yet to hear of
the new life Jesus offers.
Send a woman missionary today? http://www.gfa.org/women/sponsor/.
100% of what you give for sponsorship goes to the field.
Captions:
1) Kanti and Reva reneted a
small home so the could minister to those in Amrita's village. The
villagers ignored, teased and mocked them, but God helped them stand
firm despite their fears.
2) A
man named Vinoo asked two GFA women missionaries to visit his wife and
share the Word of God with her. His wife, Amrita, was uninterested, but
she listened politely to all they had to say.
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