Samir’s family moved to a bustling city similar to this one.

Gospel for Asia-supported missionary Samir Mistry knows that God cares for families. During his life and ministry, Samir has seen that God can transform a family’s state from sorrowful to joyful.

Growing up, Samir experienced a sad and peaceless family environment himself. For one thing, his parents did not follow Christ. Samir’s mother staunchly adhered to her traditional religion and led the family in worshiping idols through rituals. Samir’s father, who came from a Christian family, didn’t participate in his wife’s faith rituals, but neither was he a strong believer. Although he told his children the story of Jesus’ birth at Christmas time, he did not live a Christ-honoring life during the rest of the year.

After Samir’s three brothers and one sister each got married, the rest of the family (Samir, his parents, and his other sister) moved to a large city. There, Samir’s father worked in a textile factory, but he was spending his earnings on alcohol. His frequent drunkenness led to fights at home.

To earn a livelihood, Samir’s mother sold flowers, making just enough money to take care of the family. After completing the tenth grade, Samir started working in the textile factory where his father and sister worked so that he, too, could help make ends meet.

“…one day as he was praying, he felt the Lord tell him, ‘I will take care of your family.’”

Eventually, Samir’s sister found a job tailoring for a Christian organization. A pastor there shared the Gospel with her, and she gave her life to the Lord. She began attending church services every Sunday, which angered her mother and relatives. On Christmas day, she stayed at church for a long time, so the family sent Samir to bring her home. At her church, Samir had the opportunity to speak with the pastor.

From that Christmas-day conversation, God formed a connection between Samir and the pastor. The pastor began to visit Samir’s home every week, getting to know both Samir and his parents. Whenever he visited them, he prayed for them. He told Samir about Jesus and gradually shared the Good News. One Sunday, Samir joined his sister for the church service, and ended up going week after week. Soon, he experienced the peace and joy that comes from knowing Christ.

Transformation and Service
After Samir began to follow Jesus, God worked more miracles in his family. His father began attending worship services with him. Over time, he stopped drinking and chose to give his heart fully to Jesus, as two of his children had done. Not only did God transform the life of Samir’s father, but He also healed Samir of a chronic chest pain. One day Samir told the believers in his congregation about the pain, and they all prayed for him. It diminished over time, and ultimately, God healed Samir completely.

Much like the young man on the left, Samir grew in his faith because an older Christian man discipled him.

Having tasted and seen the Lord’s goodness, Samir pursued spiritual growth and ministry, with the help of his pastor. Every day he prayed with his pastor at 5 a.m., cultivating a lifestyle of abiding in the Lord. He also traveled with his pastor to different villages to share the Gospel.

By testifying to God’s greatness, Samir was filled with joy. He desired to study God’s Word formally and eventually commit to full-time ministry. However, he felt that taking Bible courses might prevent him from serving his family. His mother still didn’t believe in Jesus, and his sister was planning to get married. Samir prayed about these things, and within a year, the wedding had taken place, and his mother had opened her heart to the Lord!

In spite of God’s answers to his prayers, Samir still wavered with doubt. He was concerned about his family’s financial situation. But one day as he was praying, he felt the Lord tell him, “I will take care of your family.” He believed what God said. With that faith and the guidance of his pastor, he enrolled in a Bible college in his city.

A Promise Fulfilled, A Ministry Begins
After three years of study, Samir graduated from Bible college and started ministry work. He participated in various activities, including children’s ministry and leading worship. As Samir heeded God’s call on his life, the Lord fulfilled His promise to take care of his family. His mother suffered from joint pain, but the whole family prayed for her, and God healed her! A doctor said that Samir’s father needed to have an operation, but God healed him. And although they had long lived in a rented house, Samir’s family was finally able to buy their own home.

Samir found out about Gospel for Asia and became a GFA-supported missionary. While sharing the love of Jesus, Samir has witnessed God’s power to transform lives as He did in his family.

Another Family Touched by Jesus
Ratnabali’s story is one such testimony of how God has used Samir’s ministry. Samir was visiting a believer’s home when he found out about a woman afflicted with paralysis. He went to her home, where he saw the difficult state of her family. Because Ratnabali could not work, her already-poor family suffered even greater financial hardship.

Samir began visiting Ratnabali’s home regularly to pray for her healing. Gradually, God infused healing into her body, and before long, He had totally healed her. Ratnabali and her parents chose to believe in Jesus. But Ratnabali’s parents were slow to attend worship services because they feared some neighbors who persecuted Christians. However, they continued to welcome Samir into their home and allowed him to conduct prayer meetings there.

What God did in Samir’s family changed his life and made his family a beacon of light and peace. He now has the faith to boldly proclaim the message of Jesus’ love to families like Ratnabali’s.