Mesha had a lot of questions, and every answer led her to Jesus. |
UPDATE: 04/04/2011
Praise the Lord for the positive changes in Mesha’s life. Her mother and sister also chose to follow Christ and now she is able to worship Jesus freely. Mesha also got married—to a Christian man! They attend church together and are a great witness to the power of Jesus Christ to change lives.
Update: from 02/01/2011
When Gospel for Asia-supported missionaries Dempa Lanarpe and Tren Karhark arrived in a remote village to show a film about the life of Jesus, the first person they met was an 18-year-old girl named Mesha Kumar. She was intensely curious about what they were doing and boldly began asking them questions.
“What are you doing?” she quizzed them.
They told her they were hanging a large white sheet to use as a movie screen. That led to another question.
“What film are you going to show?” she asked.
When they told her the name of the movie—Dayasagar—she had yet another question.
“What does Dayasagar mean?” she asked.
Dempa and Tren patiently explained that Dayasagar (Man of Mercy) is a film about Jesus Christ. They encouraged her to come watch the movie later that night—and she did.
After the movie was over, Mesha had even more questions. She wanted to know everything about Jesus. So Dempa and Tren shared the Good News about Jesus and His love with Mesha. When all her questions were answered, Mesha made a decision—she wanted to follow Jesus.
Unfortunately, Mesha’s family is not happy about her decision. They are from an area where traditions are important, and one of those traditions is following their tribal religion. Her family scolded her harshly when they found out what she had done.
Mesha, not wanting to bring any more shame to her family, is attending worship at a nearby Christian fellowship in secret for now. She is growing in her faith but is asking for prayers.
Family relationships are very important in South Asian cultures. By worshiping Jesus, Mesha is risking excommunication from her family. She is also at the age when her family will arrange her marriage, and she could be forced to marry a man who is not a believer.
There are thousands of believers throughout Asia in Mesha’s same situation. They are having to choose between their families and Jesus.
Pray specifically for Mesha, that her family will come to know Jesus. Also pray for her to grow strong in her new faith and that God will provide a Christian husband for her.
Also pray for other believers in South Asia who are being forced to choose between their faith in Jesus or their family.