Wife Gambles Herself Away

Many in Bihar live below the poverty line and struggle to survive.

Shanti Devi gambled herself away in a game of dice in her home town in Bihar, India. Her husband then had to rescue her from the house of the man who won her.

The scandal in the Bihar village, reported in the Times of India, provides a glimpse into the state’s moral bearing, says a Gospel for Asia correspondent.

Shanti, whose name was changed by the Times, had won a string of games but, running out of luck, gambled herself to the winner. The man who won Shanti in the game “hugged her in public view,” according to the article. Even small public displays of affections such as this are unacceptable in Indian society.

“The above incident gives a crystal-clear picture of the people’s moral and socioeconomic life standard in this area,” wrote GFA’s correspondent in Bihar state. “Pray for our Pastor Bundu, that the Lord will continue to use him as a mighty instrument to deliver people … and bring them to His fold.”

Bundu is a GFA native missionary in Bihar who himself experienced the emptiness and desperation that drove Shanti to gambling. He was heavily involved in demon worship, and he began drinking liquor trying to find meaning in life. It was not until he met an old friend that he found the answer to his search.

“My friend shared the Gospel with me,” Bundu related, “and I understood that Jesus is the Prince of Peace. I put my trust in Christ.”

Today, Bundu shares that message with others in his state who are desperate for the message of love and forgiveness. Please pray for his ministry to reach many like Shanti.