Beena was an illiterate woman with no education. In her South Asian culture, she was entirely dependent on her husband for income and her sons for her future. When an earthquake and flash flood struck the Hindu Shrine where her husband and sons were on a pilgrimage, she was devastated by the news of their deaths. She broke down completely.
With her husband and sons dead, Beena saw no hope for her future. She had no desire to continue living. Beena kept thinking, “What will happen to me, a woman who is uneducated, who cannot work, and who has lost the breadwinners of my family?”
Each day, she awoke with a feeling of hopelessness. She was helpless, with no skills or hope of a way to support herself. She dealt with immense loneliness as well. She even considered suicide, but God had a plan for Beena.
Vikrant, a missionary, and his wife learned of her condition and visited Beena. They prayed, comforted her, and shared the Gospel with her. At the same time, Vikrant gave her practical help by hiring her to work in one of the schools his ministry runs, Prem Pathshala School. It is a free Hindi-speaking school. Beena worked as a janitor in the school, but she still was very lonely and despondent.
At the same time, an orphan in the area, Manju, needed a home. Her parents had abandoned her because she was born out of wedlock. Her father left the family, and then her mother abandoned her. A neighbor’s family took her in, and they did their best to help her, but keeping her was a temporary solution. They were apprehensive about what to do with her.
Again, Vikrant and his workers stepped in to help. He asked Beena to consider adopting Manju. This would give Beena a company and Manju a home. Beena took the little girl into her house and they both started to thrive. Beena found companionship with this new daughter that she adopted, and Manju was blessed with a mom and a stable home.
Vikrant also opened the doors of Prem Pathshala School for Manju to attend. Beena is a helper at the school, and her daughter is studying there. The students who attend the school have heart-wrenching stories such as violence in the home, broken families, drunk parents, abandonment, and other traumas. It offers an education for children from landless laborers and lower-class families with little opportunity for schooling.
After two years at Prem Pathshala, Manju showed such progress and potential that Vikrant moved her to Agape Mission School, an English medium school that his ministry also runs. Since Agape Mission School has K-12 classes and higher academic standards, Manju can complete K-12 without transferring. She’s well accepted there, encouraged by the teachers, and fully sponsored by Agape Mission School, as this school charges tuition.
The story of Beena and Manju illustrates a missionary’s impact on the lives of those who need Jesus and a helping hand. It also highlights adoption, which we celebrate every November, and reminds us that we are all adopted into God’s family.
As part of God’s family together, we can pray for missionaries like Vikrant. Prayer is often the top request from missionaries. You can have a guide sharing how to pray by downloading 7 Days of Prayer for Missionaries from the ANM website. Your prayers will impact the missionaries who are reaching people with the Gospel and offering them help for a better way of life, like Beena and Manju.
