The grace the Lord has shown to me continues to astonish me and cause me to stand in awe of the goodness of God.

I was born in abject poverty living in a 2-bedroom house with 12 people of an extended Hindu family. I was infected with tuberculosis at an early age due to the unhygienic living arrangement and malnourishment. As a child, I did not have a pair of shoes of my own and did not have enough to eat. I was once dismissed from 3rd grade because my parents were not able to pay the tuition fees. I went back to school a few years later and got promoted to the 6th grade. I didn’t touch a computer until the age of twenty-three and did not even speak English until the age of 26, but God showed great love to me and worked in such a way that I was amply prepared for my graduate program at Ohio University in the United States.

In 2009, I was living in Cambodia with an abusive philandering husband. I was distressed and unhappy when I started to serve with a local NGO established by a Dutch Christian organization. One day someone from the Netherlands HQ came to visit the country's projects. During his visit, he gifted a Bible to me. After a few months, I received an email from the person asking if I am reading the Bible. I confessed that I had not because I could not understand it. He stated that because he was married, it would be improper for him to spend too much time talking to another woman, but he would like me to connect with a woman from his church in the Netherlands who can help me. Given my circumstances, I was in awe and was impressed to learn that there are men of integrity and good character who respect their marriage and their wives. It made me want to know about the God he worshipped. He introduced me to a woman from his church who could teach me about the Bible and the Christian way of life. Since then, I have grown to know Jesus and his wonderful work.

As my distress continued to grow, so did my faith. While serving in Nigeria in 2013, I accepted Christ as my Savior in a local church in Katsina. The next day my ex-husband returned from his holidays with an “unknown” friend. That day I felt newfound courage. I looked into his eyes and told him that I accepted Christ. That was the start of the great struggles that I would face in my walk with Jesus.

In 2016, I got baptized in Athens, Ohio, U.S.A. When my family got to know about my faith, they were furious. Especially the last two few years as we stayed in India. With extremist Hinduism rising in the country, my son and I have been persecuted by my own family. My older brother and his family cut all ties with us on Christmas eve in 2020. The rest of the family still pushes us to go to the temple. It’s a constant struggle but the Lord has been kind to us and blessed us with some amazing believers who became our family.

The most tremendous joy has been seeing my son get to know Jesus, start to learn His Word, and worship Him! My son is home-schooled and studying at Veritas Academy, an American online Christian school where a major focus is to give students a solid Biblical foundation. It was hard when we first came back to India at the end of 2019 but over time, I was blessed by a few good Christian mentors and friends. I am so thankful to have met a few Christian mentors. They introduced me to the resources and importance of a Biblical foundation/education and invested in my spiritual growth.

Now that I do not have to hide my faith anymore, I am becoming bold to proclaim the love of Christ and the ultimate sacrifice He made for my salvation. Jesus paid for my sin so I can have eternal life through faith in Him. There was no concept of sin or forgiveness in my family. After becoming a Christian, I realized that sin has separated us from God, Jesus came, died, and paid for our sins so we can have a relationship with God and eternal salvation.

Moving back to India's pre-COVID era in 2019 was the toughest time but the greatest blessing in my life. All the churches were at least an hour's drive from where we lived. I met this family from America, who are living and serving in India. They have inspired me incredibly with their love for Christ and commitment to ministry. The Lord led me to an American family serving the Lord in India. We started a home church. Later two other families joined. This home church was another amazing provision and an incredible opportunity to grow in my relationship with Jesus and be further equipped for ministry.

Initially, nobody would care and appreciate it, but rather raised concern for my newfound life in Jesus. It was hard for them to accept my faith, but the more I allowed Jesus to shine through me, the more they were curious to learn about the source behind everything I am experiencing. However, in the past few years, with the Hindu extremists rising in India, my Hindu family demonstrated to my son and me great rejection and even threats. My mother, who once asked me to pray for her and her family, now tries to bring us back to idol worship. My brother, who himself is an extremist Hindu, cut all ties with me. However, through these rejections, the Lord has strengthened my faith. I continue to pray that the Lord will use me to show His love and salvation to my family, my closest mission field.

How I found Veritas

In 2019 when I was returning from Myanmar to India, I have been praying to the Lord to show me a way and help me meet Christians around me. I wanted to give my son classical education, so it was not an option to send him to Indian schools. I found a Christian School for him and went to see the school one day, but the school was an hour's drive from where we lived and was very expensive. So I was skeptical. The school informed me that another family is living near where I live and introduced me to them. Little did I know that this family will be the source of our spiritual and personal walk with Christ and a pillar of strength during our stay in India.

Home-schooling was another option but a bit challenging given that I am a single parent and work full time. Jane was home-schooling her children, and knowing my heart’s desire, She introduced me to Veritas. Initially, my son did history courses with Veritas. But the way he was enjoying and learning that required little attention from me, I thought to give live classes a try.

This year he is enrolled in two live and one self-paced course. It has been such a joy seeing him enjoy the live classes and be diligent with work and responsibilities.

This fits perfectly with our life now, he can do most of the work independently, and teachers are accessible when he is stuck. I help him check homework and upload it.

I had a call with one of my Christian mentors in the U.S recently, she was amazed that I have access to Veritas all the way in India and that my son has the privilege to study in a Christian school. For me, personally, Christian education is important and imperative- being born in a non-Christian family, and having no Christian background, I am beyond blessed to have the opportunity.