We climbed a few steep steps and found ourselves in the yard of an older woman’s Himalayan home. Bayarmaa* was her name, and I asked her if me and my translator could stay for a while to talk.
She conceded and gave me the seat of honor.
I sat and launched into the stories I’d spent the week sharing—my testimony and the gospel—alongside a team of short-term missionaries. She had never heard about Jesus before and seemed engaged … until it was time to respond to the message.
Distractions ensued as neighbors cut through her yard, chickens clucked, and my teammates sang as they passed by on their hike to other homes.
I tried to get our discussion back to Christ. She launched into tangent topics.
After a few minutes, we returned to discussions about the differences between the Christian and Hindu faiths, and I had high hopes that God was softening her heart to His life-giving message. But I was wrong.
I asked if she wanted to follow Jesus. Her response broke my heart.
“I’m too old to let God into my heart.”
Bayarmaa said she would have considered Christ had she heard the gospel sooner in life. In her old age, she wasn’t willing to change faiths. I left her home saddened and wondering how many others have bought the lie that it’s too late to trust in Christ.
“The gospel is only good news if it gets there in time.” –Carl F.H. Henry
Please join us in praying that God would continue pursuing Bayarmaa and that her heart would soften to accept His gift of grace.
*Name changed for security reasons.