From Tricked to Triumphant
Suvya, her husband Balay, and their son Daib lived a quiet life in a farming village. Balay worked hard to cultivate their crops, and he usually had an impressive rice harvest. However, whether they lived in plenty or in want was dependent upon what the trader paid for their rice. In the past, the trader had cheated them by paying below fair market value. Since Balay and Suvya were both uneducated, they couldn’t do the math to verify that they were being paid fairly.
The couple’s lack of education was also an obstacle in other settings. In the village market, merchants often took advantage of Suvya’s ignorance by giving her fewer goods than she paid for or charging her higher prices than what was posted.
Balay and Suvya desperately wanted to give Daib a better life than they had, so they enrolled him in school once he was old enough. However, the teachers insulted them because they were illiterate, and spread their disdain to others in the community. Overnight, their family went from respected and admired to belittled and ignored.
The next harvest was Balay’s largest ever, yet the trader managed to trick them again. When they figured out what had happened, Suvya knew he had intentionally preyed on them because of their illiteracy. She was determined to make sure it never happened again.
Soon after, Suvya’s neighbor told her about an Adult Literacy Class starting nearby and she enrolled immediately. She attended faithfully, completed all the lessons, and slowly learned how to read, write, and do math. As Suvya gained knowledge, her confidence grew, and people who had shown her disdain now afforded her respect and kindness. But Suvya’s true triumph didn’t come until the next harvest season.
As usual, when it came time to pay, the trader tried to cheat them by paying a lesser price per bushel than they had agreed. Yet this time, Suvya made her own calculations, and caught the trader’s deception right away. She stood firm, insisting that he pay them fairly, and he relented! Suvya and Balay are immensely grateful for the life-changing impact of education. Thanks to the Adult Literacy Class, they can provide for their son today and even save for his future.
Although Suvya learned about Jesus through the Adult Literacy Class, she has not yet received salvation or stopped worshipping her deities. Please pray that God would reveal Himself to Suvya and that she would receive the joy of life with Christ.
