*Meera’s story is like many others the team in India often hear. She married young to a man her parents chose for her. They now have three children. Meera’s husband has a job. But whatever money he makes goes straight to pay for alcohol.
Alcoholism is a huge problem in India. Social drinking, historically, had no place in India. Alcohol had one purpose only – to get a person drunk. Today, social drinking might be on the rise for the urban elite, but everyone else drinks to get drunk.
One Sunday, Meera began crying during the Sunday worship service. *Sanjay asked why she was crying. Through her tears, Meera shared how tired she was of getting beaten by her alcoholic husband and then, about how hungry she and her children were. Since all the money was going to buy alcohol, they had no money for food.
The church gathered around Meera and prayed for her. Sanjay asked her about ways she could make some money. What about setting up some kind of roadside food stall? Meera admitted that, yes, she was good at making momos (the Tibetan version of Chinese dumplings) but she could not afford to buy a steamer.
Sanjay gleefully explained to us how the church members all pooled their money to buy Meera a momo steamer. These church members are poor. The small building where they meet for worship only has half a roof. Most of them live in one-room homes. In fact, many of the women live in the exact same circumstances as Meera. Yet, they gladly pooled their money until they had the amount necessary ($25.00) for Meera to buy a steamer.
This happened several months ago. Today, Meera’s husband still drinks. However, Meera has set up a momo stall right outside the door of her one-room home. Her sales each day total between $6.00-$9.00.
With no coercion from anyone, but simply out of sheer gratitude, Meera is paying a tithe of her earnings back into the fellowship of people who helped her when she so desperately needed it.
God is still in the business of stepping in and making a way. Meera is one such example. Please join us in praying for the Meera’s of India. As they are liberated, whole communities will be….and then states….and then the nation!
*pseudonyms
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