Bisma Betters Every Area of Her Life
Bisma’s story is all too common in poor communities of India. Fortunately, because of the support of people like you, hers has a happy ending! As a girl, Bisma dreamt of going to school and being educated, but her parents had very traditional beliefs and education was not a priority. Instead, Bisma spent her childhood doing domestic chores, like cleaning, laundry, dishes, and more.
Bisma’s shame about being illiterate continued into her married life. Her husband worked in the fields as she raised their three children and managed the home. Bisma’s children attended school; however, she couldn’t help them with their homework.
All too often, the family faced unexpected financial hardships which caused them to borrow money at very high interest rates. Bisma knew she was being taken advantage of but had no idea how to protect herself from these loan sharks. Bisma couldn’t utilize the available welfare programs because she had no idea how to access the information or apply it. This made her feel even more hopeless and unhappy with her life.
One day, as Bisma found herself longing to be educated, she heard about a new Adult Literacy Class in her community and signed up immediately! From the start, she was highly committed to learning and actively participated in class. Bisma enjoyed interacting with the other students and never missed a class. With hard work and determination, she was soon reading, writing, and performing basic math.
The Literacy Class offered several special programs where Bisma learned about health and hygiene and how to manage her finances. Now the family no longer borrows money. They have started boiling their drinking water and have implemented many new cleaning routines that promote health and well-being. To ensure nutritious food, Bisma began growing her own garden, too!
Each night, Bisma shares what she learned with her children, and is now able to help them with their schoolwork. Being able to read street signs and bus schedules opened a whole new world for Bisma! She now attends family weddings and other events without worrying about taking the wrong bus or ending up in the wrong place.
Everything about the Adult Literacy Class was life-changing for Bisma, but most of all was learning about Jesus! Bisma loved reading Bible stories, and after seeing God’s miracles in her personal life, she received Jesus as her Savior. Today, Bisma encourages her children to pray to Jesus and they attend church together every Sunday.
When Bisma successfully completed the year-long course and held the certificate of completion in her hands, she said it was one of the happiest days of her life. Please pray that God continues to use Bisma to bless her family and community in many ways.
