East-West Blog

Faith in the Foothills

Written by East-West Staff | Feb 5, 2015 5:29:14 PM

When Lalika* woke up one morning, something about the day seemed different. On a whim, she decided to stay home instead of going to school.

Around noon, Lalika saw two men—an East-West short-term trip participant and South Asian translator—appear from the wilderness surrounding her home.

They asked if they could share a story with her, and Lalika conceded. After all, she was curious about the foreign man’s purpose for visiting her rural village in the foothills of the Himalayas.

The short-term trip participant pulled out an illustrated cube and used it to tell a story about a God who loved His children enough to sacrifice His only Son—Jesus—for the sins of His wayward sons and daughters. The man shared that Jesus died, resurrected after three days, and made a way for people to personally know God.

Lalika knew she had skipped school to meet these men and hear this message. 

The men asked if she wanted to accept the free gift of grace offered by God to all who trust in Jesus. She experienced a tug on her heart and was confident their words were true.

In that moment, she believed that Jesus died for her sins.

The men taught Lalika to pray using the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6 and gave her a Bible to learn more about her Savior. Today, she is being discipled by a local church worker and maturing in her newfound faith.

*Name changed for security reasons.