THE GARDEN
Along with other youth, a Hindu girl living in an Indian village received the book called "The Garden" from a visiting minister. She heard a teacher give instructions about reading the book and answering the comprehension questions at the end. When the girl arrived home, her mother told her that she should not go to any Christian meetings because of the religious differences. The girl did not tell her mother about the book, but simply told her mother that they were not telling them to come to a church. Her mother said nothing.
I want to note that the mother's status in society is of the shepherd caste, which is a high caste. They are wealthy due to the large number of goat flocks that they have, and their dignity is strong. They consider Christians to be lower caste - "untouchables", and in terms of their social viewpoint, they do not make friends with Christians.
This young girl was so captivated by the story in the book that she secretly read it every night, little by little. Her mother finally saw the book and asked her about it. When the girl replied that the Christians had given it to her, her mother was not pleased. The girl continued by summarizing the story for her mother and said that she had learned how to respect her parents and elders more and all kinds of other values. This is interesting to the missionaries, because the book is a story that highlights clearly the process of a young person to learn about Jesus through working in a garden. It has some moral lessons, but not in terms of listing commands, and it does not mention specifically respecting parents. The mother asked the girl to read the story to her and after she read the first chapter, the mother had nothing to say.
The next time the minister came to the village, the mother came up to him and thanked him for coming to her village and said, "We always thought before that you Christians only wanted to come and convince us about religion, but you have brought values to our children."
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This is the kind of open door that is the purpose of writing, printing, and distributing books. Religious people are very wary of modern methods of evangelism and misinterpret them because of the teachings of radicals that promote fear.
These story books have brought the teachings of our Lord Jesus to thousands of youth in India. The gospel is clear in the books, but it is embedded in a story that captivates attention and we have heard many testimonies from the youth bringing the good news to their families. One of the most astounding parts of the above testimony is that the 12-year old girl was bold to speak to her mother about what she learned as this is unthinkable among Indian village tradition. Unless a parent asks a child a question, the child should not tell them anything. Interestingly, in "The Garden" book, the pre-teen boy is so changed by Jesus that he goes to his parents to share his testimony to them. We believe that the Holy Spirit is using the message of the gospel in this book to bring revelation of Jesus and His plan to youth in India.
These story books have brought the teachings of our Lord Jesus to thousands of youth in India. The gospel is clear in the books, but it is embedded in a story that captivates attention and we have heard many testimonies from the youth bringing the good news to their families. One of the most astounding parts of the above testimony is that the 12-year old girl was bold to speak to her mother about what she learned as this is unthinkable among Indian village tradition. Unless a parent asks a child a question, the child should not tell them anything. Interestingly, in "The Garden" book, the pre-teen boy is so changed by Jesus that he goes to his parents to share his testimony to them. We believe that the Holy Spirit is using the message of the gospel in this book to bring revelation of Jesus and His plan to youth in India.
We hope this testimony blessed and encouraged you. Please release a prayer for the thousands of youth in India who are receiving the seed of the gospel - that it would sprout and continue to grow to fruition.
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