Neighbors Abroad // mother of nine, India

When Sneha asked Rajeshri about her past life, Rajeshri's face darkened. Sneha, a Gospel for Asia woman missionary, had reached out to Rejeshri at her lowest point, near death, but Rajeshri had faced many other difficult times too. 
Rajeshri, a mother of nine, endured a nightmarish life with her cruel husband for more than 35 years. She patiently suffered -- until he brought home his mistress. The woman wouldn't allow Rajeshri to touch anything in the house without permission and prohibited the children from attending school. Rajeshri and her children felt like prisoners in their own house. Humiliated, Rajeshri decided to leave. Three of her adult children had already moved out, so she and her remaining six children relocated from their village in the mountains to the bustling capital city. Through the help of a childhood friend, Rajeshri started a manual labor job at a construction site and rented a small apartment. As she and her family gradually adjusted to their new life and community, Rajeshri was able to start sending her older children to school. It was hard work to pay the rent and provide food, clothes and her children's school fees, and to make matters worse, Rajeshri had weak health. Despite the hardships, though, Rajeshri considered her life a thousand times better than what she'd left behind. She didn't know things would soon fall apart. One day, Rajeshri woke up and was unable to get out of bed. Pain engulfed her whole body, and she shivered with cold. One daughter brought her some medicine for a fever, but Rajeshri couldn't even raise her head to swallow it. She was no longer able to work, and though she visited many doctors, the remedies they prescribed had no effect. Her friend brought a sorcerer and then a witch doctor, but neither succeeded in healing her. Three months slipped by. "It seems to me that I am going to die," Rajeshri told her friend one day. "If I die, who will look after my children?" Rajeshri's friend finally went to the right place for help. She brought two Christian woman, including GFA missionary Sneha, to pray for Rajeshri. They told Rajeshri that Jesus loves sick people and makes them well and that when He came to earth, He healed the sick, raised the dead and died on the cross to save all humanity. Sneha and her co-worker prayed for Rajeshri and promised to visit often. Filled with hope by their words, Rajeshri started to attend church with her friend's help. After a few months, she was completely healed and able to begin working again!
Today, Rajeshri has found new life in Christ. Because she experienced Jesus' love through the miracle of healing and the care demonstrated to her by Sneha and her fellow missionary, Rajeshri chose to follow Him. Now she participates faithfully in church activities, grateful for God's work in her life.
Thank you for helping send missionaries like Sneha to bear the light of Christ to women oppressed by darkness. As these servants lift up the name of Jesus, women like Rajeshri are finding new lives full of hope and purpose.

// Testimony from the February issue of 'Harvest', Gospel for Asia's newsletter. Sponsor a woman missionary and continue the work of encouraging our sisters in Asia here.