Sonu has a heart for ministering to others. I interviewed Sonu, South Asia Regional Director Monoj Mohanty’s wife, about her ministry role. Her face lit up as she explained, “I always go with Monoj to different places. I am always involved in the women’s ministry, mostly talking to the pastor’s wives. I go to villages. I love going to different places and regions and talking to the women.” She shared, “I love to speak on the parables and small stories. I tell them I am married, and then I relate my life with their life. I tell them how to live a godly life, to love God, and to build a personal relationship with Jesus.”
A Degree Helps Her Reach People
I asked Sonu about getting her Master of Divinity degree. She related to me why she had worked to get her degree: “I wanted a deeper knowledge about the Bible. Apart from that, when people were asking me questions, I was thinking I should know the Bible well so that I can answer them properly.”
Struggles with Her Faith
Sonu struggled with her faith in Jesus because of family rejection and persecution. Her father died when she was in middle school, which led to her questioning her faith. She said everything changed, as he had been the one who brought in income. Sonu’s aunt told her that their local god had cursed her father and killed him for being a Christian. So Sonu stopped reading the Bible and praying.
A Promise Kept
Thankfully, Sonu’s mother kept her promise to her husband to arrange their daughter’s marriage to a Christian man. Monoj and his family impacted Sonu and helped her grow in her faith. During a bout with pneumonia, she had a dream. In the dream, she was on her knees crying. She asked the Lord for a second chance to serve Him. After that day, she began to read her Bible and pray. She started to draw closer to the Lord.
Seeing the Potential in Sonu
Sonu’s friend, Vinita, greatly impacted her calling to do ministry. At a lady’s prayer meeting, Vinita challenged Sonu, saying, “Sonu, tonight there are a lot of women coming to the prayer meeting. So you have to stand with me, and you have to pray over the ladies.” Sonu said that ladies were coming for prayer to receive healing, for deliverance, and expecting miracles. Sonu was unsure she could pray effectively, but Vinita insisted, “I’m telling you, you come and stand with me, and you have to pray.”
Sonu prayed for one woman, Rachel, in particular, and later, Rachel let her know that God had healed her that night. Vinita’s insistence that Sonu help her pray was the beginning of Sonu’s ministry to women. She realized that God had chosen her and empowered her to help people.
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Ministering to a Friend
One woman Sonu told me about, Kirti, was a lady she met when she was in Delhi. She and Kirti began chatting, and Kirti asked about Sonu’s family. Sonu shared about how her family believed in local religions but she came to know and love Jesus. Sonu had noticed her sadness, and Kirti finally confessed that her husband, who was a government employee, was having an affair. Slowly, Kirti began to share about her life.
Sonu later asked Kirti’s neighbor about the situation and found out that Kirti’s husband abused her. Gradually, Kirti began to open up more about her life. Sonu prayed over her after sharing about the love of Jesus.
A Timely Visit
One morning, Sonu decided to visit Kirti and give her a Bible. When Sonu knocked on the door, Kirti came running and quickly opened the door crying. She exclaimed, “Sonu, I was thinking of killing myself, but I think it is God who has sent you as a messenger to save me!” That was when Kirti accepted Jesus as her Savior. She knew in her heart that He had kept her alive, and she loved Him.
Ending the Abuse
Sonu was able to help Kirti by connecting her with a prominent elderly lady. When the elderly lady heard about the abuse from Kirti’s husband, she stepped in to help. She told him, “You are a government employee. If your boss learns of your abuse of your wife, you will lose your job.” After that, the abuse stopped.
Faith is Needed
Sonu talked about how hard it is for women who become Christians to share their faith and to take the step of obedience to be baptized. Kirti’s fear of rejection from family and friends, as well as abuse from her husband, kept her from openly confessing her love for Jesus. Many Christians are fearful of being open about their faith in India. It takes them a lot of prayer, training, and encouragement to change.
Her Faith is a Challenge
Sonu told me about her friend Manju, who has become a believer from a family that believed in another religion. Manju has been baptized but would not openly say she is a Christian. Sonu talks and prays with her over the phone. They also meet to pray but have to be very careful. Sonu said that God knows Manju’s heart, but not openly living her faith is a strain and a challenge for her.
Simple Faith
Sonu told me that life in the villages is different. The villagers seem to embrace their faith and live it out instead of living in fear of rejection and persecution. The people are simple and not very intellectual. They respond well to parables and short stories from the Bible, which penetrate their hearts. They love Jesus and are more accepting of answers to prayer. She said, “They are very simple people, and they love Jesus. It is a very different atmosphere. They are very Godly. I mean, they love Jesus.”
Prayer is Needed
Sonu made it very clear that there are many challenges to sharing her faith and leading people to know Jesus. Family pressures, being identified by your family name as a different religion, persecution, and more lead many to hide their faith. These challenges make it difficult to grow in the Lord and share their faith with others.
One way to help the situation is for people to pray. Pray for new Christians to stand up to their families. Pray that they will not give into fear. Pray that the government will stop the persecution of Christians. Pray that the missionaries have the patience to train and encourage the new believers.
