Roobi (3), her sister Shruti (7), and their mother Diya crouched in the shed to eat rice. When Diya raised her hand to eat, Roobi stopped her saying, “We need to pray and thank Jesus for this food.” With childlike faith, Roobi thanked the Lord for their meal.
She and Shruti had learned this from native missionaries who cared for them while their mother worked as a prostitute. Diya’s interest was piqued, but she soon fell asleep with what she thought was the flu.
A Sad Turn of Events
Diya’s fever, cough, and severe fatigue persisted for weeks, then months that dragged into years. During that time, her daughters told her more about Jesus, showed her God’s love, and prayed for more than just meals.
The more they learned from the native missionaries, the more they shared with their mother. Then Diya began to lose weight and developed diarrhea. When her mouth erupted with white spots, and multi-colored rashes began covering her skin, she knew she was dying from AIDS. Before she contracted more serious diseases like pneumonia or tuberculosis, Diya requested her girls ask the native missionaries taking care of them to come and see her.
A Life Decision and Question
When the missionary couple arrived, Diya pleaded, “I’d like to pray to Jesus Christ. Please teach me how.”
They happily explained who Jesus was and how accepting Him as Lord and Savior would grant her eternal life in heaven with Almighty God.
“Yes! I want that!” Diya responded. “Please tell me what to pray.”
After she prayed the Sinner’s Prayer, her whole countenance changed. Her body relaxed, and a smile spread across her weary face. She rested in peace.
As the couple quietly chatted with Roobi and Shruti, Diya called the native missionaries to return to her bedside. She gazed into their eyes for a long time, then said, “I do not want my children to go to my relatives. Would you please take them and raise them as your own?”
The Answers to Life
What a precious privilege to be asked to raise Roobi, now 6, and Shruti, 10. The missionaries grasped hands with Diya and her two daughters and said, “Yes! We would be glad to do that, but we have no authority to do such a thing. We will try to get the proper papers so that can happen.” Knowing Diya did not have much time left in this life, they quickly secured the correct documents, and Diya gladly signed them.
Secure in her own destiny and confident that her daughters would be raised in a loving home and avoid the trap of her profession, she surrendered her body and soul into the hands of Jesus. The native missionaries arranged a Christian funeral, and Roobi and Shruti moved into their home. The girls overcame their low self-esteem and became steadfast believers in Christ.
Positive Outcomes
Today, Roobi is married and has a nursing degree. She shares Jesus’ love in home health care and will soon give birth to her first child. Shruti is married to a native missionary pastor, and they live in a village where they are the only Christians. They organized the first Vacation Bible School in the area, and 200 children attended.
Thanks to Jesus and these two native missionaries, the cycle of poverty and prostitution were broken. A suffering mother felt forgiveness and experienced salvation and peace before she died. And her daughters, who became followers of Christ, are now serving the Lord as missionaries to advance His kingdom. What a difference these native missionaries made in the lives of this mother and her two destitute girls!
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