Clean a House, Get a Cow

Her son’s homework was piled all over the table. Again.

The young widow started to tidy up the mess left by her eighth-grade son but suddenly stopped when something caught her eye: It was a piece of paper that had nothing to do with school work. As she picked it up, she saw it was covered with information about Jesus.

‘Leave Me Alone’

Eyes glued to the pamphlet in her hand and all efforts of housecleaning forgotten, Trisha read about Jesus for the first time in her life. She remembered the day she had met the GFA-supported pastor and his wife months before; she had taken the pamphlets from them and heard about Jesus’ love.

“Leave me alone,” she had told them. “You’re wasting my time. I am not interested in the religion and beliefs of others.”

But even though she hadn’t been interested, Trisha hadn’t been able to throw away the information she’d taken from them that day

And now, as she intently read about Jesus, she couldn’t help but feel the author wrote the pamphlet specifically for her.

‘I Want to Know More . . .’

As Trisha read about Christ, she longed to know more about Him but didn’t know where to turn. From that day onward, she prayed a simple prayer to Jesus in her heart: “I want to know more about You.”

Little did Trisha know that Pastor Sarthak and his wife were remembering her in their prayers as well, and they had even asked other Christians in the area to pray for her.

Their prayers were answered when Trisha met Pastor Sarthak and his wife again one day. She told them about her experience with the pamphlet, and through many subsequent visits and conversations, they helped her understand the fullness of Christ.

Life became more difficult from there.

Challenged for Trusting Jesus

Trisha, age 28, had already experienced her share of hardship and rejection. She used to live with her husband in a home of their own, complete with a paddy field to grow food for the family, until her husband fell sick and died. They had borrowed a huge amount of money to pay the medical bills, and the only way Trisha could repay the loan was to sell her home. Sadly, after her husband died, her brothers-in-law took her paddy field and told her to go back to her parents.

Her mother and father had compassion on Trisha and let her and her son live in their home, helping out as they could.

But after Trisha decided to walk with Jesus, they almost walked out of her life.

Trisha’s parents scolded her for trusting Jesus and pressured her to recant. What’s more, they stopped helping her when financial needs arose. Trisha found it very difficult to face their continual ridicule and rejection.

The Love of God Through a Pastor and a Cow

It hurt Pastor Sarthak to see Trisha treated so harshly, too. He wanted to help her somehow, and God gave him an idea: Give Trisha a cow. Thanks to the generous donations of GFA friends, he was able to do just that.

Within a few months, the cow made a difference in Trisha’s life and in the lives of her parents. Through this simple animal, Trisha was able to care for her family.

Witnessing the kindness of Pastor Sarthak and the other Christians, Trisha’s family started to change their view about followers of Jesus. They felt bad for thinking Christians were selfishly trying to change Trisha, and they even began listening when Trisha or her pastor would share the Word of God with them.

Now, this young widow who wanted to have a clean home now has a clean heart as well.

Thank you!

Trisha’s story is not over, and neither is her parents’. Someday, when we get to heaven, we will see all that the Lord did in and through their lives—and yours.

Whether you gave directly toward Gospel literature; prayed for a national missionary; or donated toward the GFA general fund, enabling us to share opportunities for involvement with even more people like you, you are helping to make stories like this possible. Thank you for helping to change lives in Asia!