Early on while raising her sons, Sameera began to feel constantly sick to her stomach, as well as suffering from insomnia. She went to physicians, but they could find nothing wrong with her. She eventually branched out to seek the help of witch doctors and spiritual healers, but none could help her. Her ailments continued. And her husband, Raj*, was getting tired of supporting a sickly wife, which resulted in physical and verbal abuse in the home.
“I was desperate to find inner peace and physical healing,” Sameera says.
Hearing about Sameera’s health, a Christian woman from the village approached Sameera and asked her to attend church. She got Raj’s approval and picked a Sunday to go.
“You would not believe it, but as soon as I entered the church, I felt calm in my mind. My heart was full of unexplained joy.”
Seeing the change in his wife, Raj dropped her off at church every Sunday for six months.
However, Sameera’s in-laws and other villagers began to question her church attendance. Feeling the pressure of the community, Raj demanded Sameera stop going to church. But Sameera couldn’t stop. Her life had been completely transformed. She says, “I knew God and nothing could separate me from him.”
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Raj filed a police case against the church’s pastor, saying the pastor had lured Sameera into becoming a Christian. The police refused to get involved, seeing the case as a family matter. Raj took matters into his own hands and hired men to disrupt church services with chanting and yelling. Then came a painful blow: Sameera learned her husband had taken on another wife.
Through all the opposition from family, villagers and even her husband, Sameera continued to grow in her faith.
Getting frustrated with his wife, Raj continued to physically and verbally abuse her, which led Sameera to file a complaint with the police. She moved out of her home and took her two boys with her. “I did not bring anything with me, but the Lord provided us with basic necessities and a means of living. How good our God is!”
Sameera was even provided with a sewing machine and beauty parlor to begin working. While serving her customers, she shared the hope of Jesus with them. Many started to attend church because of her ministry.
Now Sameera is a full-time evangelist in her church. She is a known prayer warrior. She is even pursuing Biblical training from a Bible college. When asked about how God has intervened in her life, she joyfully responds, “The Lord has provided me with what I need and will provide in the future, too. I am happy.”
A verse that has come to mean a lot to Sameera is Matthew 16:26: “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” She now has perspective. Even though pressured to abandon God and church, she refused and put her faith first. And God has blessed her in many ways.
Sameera has passed along some prayer requests. Join us now in prayer for this dear sister.
Lord God, we come before You inspired by the way You’ve worked in Sameera’s life. You’ve radically healed her and changed her life. We ask that You continue to bless her and her ministry.
We think of her family members that don’t yet know You. Let Your Word settle in their hearts and open their eyes to the love that is You. And we think of her schooling. Help her finish her degree as she becomes more knowledgeable in Your Word. Amen.
*Representative names used to preserve security
About the authors
Peter O. and Tim Dustin write for Global Christian Relief where they share inspiring stories of faithful believers out of India and the rest of the world. Get the latest blogs and prayer requests at GlobalChristianRelief.org
