SEND! magazine First Quarter 2008: She Takes Her Role Seriously

She Takes Her Role Seriously

GFA Missionary Wife
Name: Samya
Location: Uttar Pradesh, India

Samya's heart ached to see the pain etched on the face of the young mother who stood before her, holding her baby. Samya knew the lady was a Muslim and had made a special trip, along with tens of thousands of other pilgrims, to visit this pilgrimage site during its annual festival, in hopes that her problems would be solved.

Samya and the other women on her church's ministry team were handing out Gospel tracts to people in the crowd, but when Habibah planted herself in front of the missionary group, it got everyone's attention.

Samya began talking with her, and the troubled woman shared her sad story: Habibah's husband had been imprisoned because of accusations made against him, leaving her to care for their two children.

Habibah had traveled to the pilgrimage site to offer prayers for her husband's release. She wept as she shared her struggles.

Samya responded by sharing the Gospel with Habibah and offering words of encouragement. Then Samya and her team joined in prayer for Habibah's husband to be freed. And Habibah's fears were replaced with great joy that day when she chose to personally follow Jesus and become a new creation in Him. Before the two women parted ways, Samya gave Habibah her contact information.

A few weeks later, Samya received a phone call from Habibah with exciting news: Habibah's husband had been released from jail—and he, too, had received Jesus! When Habibah expressed their desire to grow in their Christian walk, Samya directed the couple to a nearby church.

As one of thousands of GFA missionary wives who share in their husbands' calling, Samya is always looking for creative ways to spread the Good News. And she believes she is also called to equip others for evangelism. Samya disciples the women in the GFA-related church where her huband is pastor, teaching them from God's Word and organizing outreach opportunities.

Samya takes her role seriously, for she sees how her sisters in Christ have much greater access to reach out to other women—such as Habibah—than a male missionary ever could in Asian culture. And she prays that Habibah, as she learns to follow Jesus, will also gain a burden to reach the lost in her own religious community.

Read more about how Gospel for Asia's Women's Ministry is impacting the lives of women like Habibah and their families.