By Noel Solomon
In our church’s Touch A Life® program, there is a four-year-old boy named Edwin Raj, who is cheerful and active and always has a smiling face. When I met his mother, I learned his story.
His father is Mr. Raja, and his mother is Mrs. Valli. She is from the state of Tamil Nadu and was part of a Hindu family. She accepted Jesus as her Savior when she was in her twenties through the witness of a friend. At first, her family opposed her conversion, but later, her sister and mother also accepted Jesus as their Savior. Since she was following Christ, the arrangement for her marriage was delayed because she wanted to marry a Christian man, so she waited upon the Lord for his proper time.
Edwin’s father, Raja, is from Bengaluru (Bangalore) and is from a Hindu family. When one of his sisters came to church, she shared the Gospel with him. He has four sisters and is the family’s only son. In his teenage years, he did not study well. Because of his bad friendships, he started terrible habits like smoking and drinking alcohol.
Valli’s marriage had been delayed. After a long search, through the recommendation of a relative, Raja met Valli, and they accepted an arranged marriage. Before the marriage, she could not get to know him personally, and his lifestyle was misrepresented to her. She was told only that he was a Christian.
Valli was disappointed on the first day of her wedding when she discovered her husband was an alcoholic. Seeking counsel, she went to her pastor, who told her to be strong and pray. Time passed, and after two years, Valli had not conceived, so her sisters-in-law started to taunt her. She and her church prayed, and God blessed her with Edwin.
Raja was so happy to have a son and began to drink much more, which resulted in him losing his job and being unable to find employment. The family now had no money and could not pay their rent or bills. Sometimes, Raj would have painting jobs but would drink his wages. Valli would borrow money from her friends and neighbors to provide for the family and could not repay them. When they would seek her husband for payment, he began to hate her and blamed her for their financial situation.
Feeling hopeless, Valli decided to commit suicide. Still, she could not because she knew that God hates suicide, so she planned to leave Bangalore, her in-laws, and her husband and take Edwin and go back to Tamil Nadu. Hearing her intentions, the owner of the house and her creditors stopped her, demanding her to repay the funds. She could only cry with desperation.
It was then that one of her neighbors, seeing her desperate plight, shared with her about the tuition-free Touch A Life® program that provides a free evening meal program. So she came to the church and shared her pain with our volunteers, who prayed for her. God blessed her with a housekeeping job so that she had hope that, bit by bit, she could pay off the family debts.
Every day, she brings Edwin to the TAL program, and while he eats, plays, and is tutored, she enjoys fellowship with the church members.
As the days passed, Valli started attending worship services and Bible studies. She began helping in the kitchen, washing vessels, cleaning the kitchen, etc. After completing her work, she eats leftover food prepared for the children and is allowed to take some home.
They live in a tiny house. Upon entering, they have a hall where they sit and eat, and there is a small room next to the hall where they store their clothes and other things.
They have a small kitchen attached to the hall where Valli cooks. In the same building, two families use a colony (neighborhood communal) toilet.
They do not usually have proper facilities and experience frequent power cuts. Every second day, or whenever the government opens the tap, they have to fetch drinking water from outside.
Sometimes, she also invites a few ladies from the church to pray for a change in her family situation. They don’t have proper food or clothes, and the father is not supportive of the family. Due to all these things, Valli didn’t have peace of mind, but as she came to the church, she started to experience peace in her life.
The church is praying for Raja and counseling him. He has become motivated to quit alcohol and keeps himself busy by looking for jobs. As a church, we continue to pray for this beautiful family and help them overcome these hurdles.
This story was written by Noel Solomon, whose father, Babu, is the Final Frontiers/Touch a Life Director for the Bangalore region of Tamil Nadu, India.
Please Remember Us in Your Prayers: Please pray for a change in the family situation. The Touch A Life program has dramatically impacted Edwin’s life.
