Tourists flocked to Shanti’s city year after year, enchanted by the snowcapped mountains reflected in a glassy lake. But while visitors dreamt of living in her beautiful city, Shanti lived in a fog of depression and frustration, weary of suppressing her lifelong desire.
Girl Kept Home from School
During Shanti’s childhood, most parents in her community believed sending girls to school was useless and a poor investment, since their daughters would only grow up to marry, move out of their home and never give back to the family income. Fear of their girls acting indecently and bringing shame to the family also hindered some parents from sending their daughters to school.
So instead of learning her alphabet and multiplication tables, Shanti learned to bury her ambition of going to school.
Years of Longing to Read
Although her community’s perspective on girls’ education has improved over the years, 35-year-old Shanti and many other illiterate women in her community still suffered from the influence those views held during their childhood.
“How unlucky I am,” Shanti often said to herself when she saw other women reading or using math skills.
Escaping the Gloom of Illiteracy
Shanti continually stifled her desire to read—until she heard about literacy classes led by a team of Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported Sisters of Compassion. The classes were perfectly timed, just one hour in the afternoon, and the Sisters of Compassion even provided the needed pens and notebooks! Shanti’s husband had no objection, and he happily encouraged her to attend the classes.
Shanti eagerly joined the classes and started learning the skills she had longed to know for so many years. Soon, her husband and children saw her reading books at home, and they proudly watched her steady improvement.
As Shanti worked through the curriculum used by the Sisters of Compassion, she put her new skills to use by reading portions of Scripture, learning how God demonstrated His love for men and women alike.
“I am really thankful to the Sisters of Compassion team for organizing this literacy class,” Shanti said. “Their hard work made it all possible.”
Because Shanti was no longer inhibited by illiteracy, her confidence grew drastically. She overcame the hesitancy that once infiltrated her conversations with friends and her trips to the bank or around town, and she discovered a new quality of life, free from the gloom of illiteracy.
Read how God worked through other Sisters of Compassion to touch the life of a leprosy patient.
Absolutely amazing! May God continue to abundantly bless your ministry to His people in Asia. These stories are truly inspirational and help to give the rest of the world a greater hope in the Lord!
Thank you for sharing them!
I am always excited when I have a new email in my box from GFA. I love to hear the stories of hope and healing. They encourage me and lift me up. They remind me to always be thankful to God for all I have been given, and also to pray daily for those in Asia who are struggling just to survive. I am so grateful that God has blessed our family with the financial ability to donate to GFA regularly. The thought that one day in heaven I will be able to meet the BOH child that we sponsor, or maybe someone who received a chicken or gospel tract that we were able to donate towards is so exciting! I love GFA. I love what you do for people and I love the heart this organization has for Christ. May God continue to richly bless this ministry!