As told to Robert Masih
By sharing my testimony, I hope that everyone reading will grow stronger in faith.
My name is Sarika. My son and I live in the village of Shezadpur. I run a beauty parlor and a small boutique where I stitch clothes for the ladies. I was born into a Hindu family, but I recently left Hinduism when my husband died because the religion allows poor treatment of widows.
Sunday worship
When I stopped practicing Hinduism, I noticed that I missed religion in my life. I began to attend church in Ambala, a village far away from our home. I would travel there each Sunday to worship and visit my parents.
About a year ago, I grew very busy taking care of my son and running my shop. I didn’t have much free time, so I stopped going to church in Ambala. I slowly lost touch with the Christian community there.
Party planning
Five months ago, my son’s birthday was coming up, and I wanted to have a prayer meeting for him in my home. Unfortunately, when I called the priest in Ambala, he was not interested in leading a prayer meeting because I was no longer coming to church. I asked around, hoping to find a priest who was willing to pray with my son.
Eventually, someone gave me contact information for Robert Masih, a Gospel Outreach Bible worker with a church in Akbarpur, a village much closer to my home than Ambala. I called Robert and requested a special prayer meeting for my son. He accepted and told me that because he regularly visits my village he would be willing to continue worshipping with us.
On my son’s birthday, Robert, his wife, and a few other church members came to visit us. Our worship meeting was much better than the one in Ambala. We sang songs and read the Bible together. Robert gave us a Bible written in Hindi as a gift. My son and I were very happy.
Throughout the next few weeks, Robert and his wife began visiting our home frequently. We enjoyed his messages, Bible studies and prayers.
Ever since we first started hosting prayer meetings in our home, we have been so blessed. My shop started getting lots of good business, and I received a contract for stitching clothes for a big company. My health improved, and my depression left me. My son grew happier and stopped getting sick as often as he did in the past.
God takes care of me
I am now enjoying life. I am no longer concerned about money, and I am not afraid of the future because I know that God is with me. The same people who used to say bad things about me being a widow now respect me.
I go to church each Sabbath at the Seventh-day Adventist church in Akbarpur. My mother is living with me and helping to take care of my shop. Sadly, she is against my going to church and keeps pestering me about it. My prayer is that my mother and the rest of my family will realize the love of Jesus and begin to follow the truth, enjoying life with God every day.