It didn’t seem fair to Tamasi. She loved her baby daughter and thought she’d get to see her take her first steps, graduate high school, get married and have children of her own. She wanted to spend years and years seeing her little one grow up. Instead, she and her husband were only given five short months to shower love and hugs on their baby girl before being torn apart by a physical illness.
Tamasi had a lot of questions for the God she served.
Why did you take my daughter away from me? she often thought.
She began to blame God, and anger welled up within her. The unanswered questions coupled with the deep anguish were too difficult to bear. Finally, she stopped going to church and turned her back on her Savior.
Tamasi’s suffering only increased when her husband quit his job because of some difficult problems that were going on. All these troubles weighed on the couple, so they moved to a different state to escape.
An Unwanted Visitor’s Persistence
In their new community, believers befriended Tamasi and told Gospel for Asia-supported woman missionary Miriam of Tamasi’s struggles. Miriam went to visit Tamasi to encourage her, but when Tamasi found out Miriam was a missionary, she tried to avoid her.
Miriam, however, did not give up her quest to share God’s love with this suffering mother. Whenever she had the opportunity, she’d tell Tamasi the Biblical stories of Sarah and Hannah and how God had blessed them with children after years of barrenness and suffering.
Miriam’s continual pursuit softened Tamasi’s heart, but she still had questions.
“Pray for my family,” Tamasi begged. “We don’t know why we are in such suffering.”
Mourning Turns to Joy
After prayers and continual visits, the Lord answered their pleas for mercy, and Tamasi and her husband were blessed with a baby boy. They named their son Emmanuel, who now serves as a continual reminder of God’s presence in their lives.
Experiencing God’s grace and faithfulness, even in the midst of her suffering, restored Tamasi’s relationship with her Creator. The Lord even used this painful time in Tamasi’s life and His answer to their prayers to touch the hearts of two other ladies, who have now committed their lives to Him.
