The sun beat down on Alyssa and Luke as they hiked through a tea field toward a rural village in South Asia. It was their final day of sharing the gospel on an East-West short-term mission team, and their minds were replaying the interactions they had earlier that week. They had spoken to dozens of people who had never heard the name of Jesus, and most embraced the gospel enthusiastically. Some smiled with relief; others cried grateful tears. Alyssa and Luke were struck by how encouraged people were to hear the good news when they had gone their whole lives hearing no news of Jesus.
The air was thick and humid as the pair approached the first home of the day. They shared the gospel with the woman who lived there. She was so excited by what she heard that she led Alyssa and Luke to her neighbor’s house. The neighbor also accepted Christ, and the two women led the short-term team members to a third house. It seemed like this final ministry day would be an easy one.
But as they arrived at the third house, the atmosphere changed. A Hindu altar stood in front of the house, and the windows were boarded up. Through the boards, they could see a woman holding a baby, and the woman did not want to talk to the Christians. She was as closed off as her home. But her neighbors eventually convinced her to let Alyssa and Luke in the house. Inside, Hindu gods adorned the walls. The woman, Edha, reluctantly talked to Alyssa and Luke and explained that, remarkably, she had heard of Jesus. In fact, someone had given her a Bible at one point, but she never read it. After meeting so many people who had no knowledge of the gospel, Alyssa and Luke finally met someone who had access to it, yet she didn’t know what Jesus had done for her. The two shared the gospel with Edha, but she wasn’t ready to accept it.
When it seemed like Edha’s heart would not open up, Alyssa and Luke prepared to leave. Before they did, Edha went into another room to find the Bible and brought it back to the team members. Alyssa and Luke opened the Bible and read a verse in Edha’s language.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” –John 3:16
Edha became quiet as her eyes filled with tears. Hearing those words in her own language from a book she had never read was the proof she needed to believe that the gospel is true. Suddenly, her demeanor changed from closed off to joyful, and she decided to follow Christ.
Edha was the last person Alyssa and Luke talked to before they rejoined the rest of their team. As the team members tallied the ministry numbers from the week, they realized something amazing. Exactly 316 people professed faith in Jesus that week—just like the verse Alyssa and Luke had read to Edha.
Stories From the Field
God is moving among the unreached worldwide. Eyes are being opened to the love and grace that Jesus offers to everyone. Read stories of incredible life change, miracles, and softened hearts on the East-West blog.
