Taalia Finds Jesus and Eternal Life!
Taalia is married and has a son and daughter who are both studying in primary school. Her husband works in the fields along with most other people of her village, who either farm or fish for a living.
Taalia worshipped many deities with the people of her community. Her husband actually belonged to one of the highest clans, which gained them a lot of respect. Each morning, they started the day with prayers to their gods and goddesses. They ended the day with rituals paying homage to their gods.
Despite following all of these customs, Taalia was not very religious on the inside. She only went along with the practices for the sake of her husband and to appease her mother and father-in-law.
One day, Church Planter Tahib was talking to locals about Jesus. Knowing how firm Taalia’s family was in their religious practices, he had never visited there before, but on this particular day, he met Taalia. After their conversation, Tahib gave her literature that shared the Gospel and talked about life after death.
Taalia took the booklet home but didn’t look at it until months later. When she finally read it, she found the messages to be very intriguing! The topic of life after death especially caught her attention. Until then, she never thought about what awaits us after we die, and this began to trouble her. Taalia found Tahib’s phone number on the back of the literature and called him to get more information.
Tahib answered Taalia’s questions, and slowly, all her doubts went away. Tahib prayed with Taalia and she received Jesus as her Lord and Savior! Taalia developed an entirely new perspective on life, and she found a local worshipping group where she could continue to grow in her faith.
Initially, Taalia attended without the knowledge of her husband, knowing he’d likely be opposed. But he later found out where she was going and did not strongly object to her attending the worshipping group. He did, however, warn her of the repercussions of breaking with family traditions, especially since he was among the highest clan. Taalia understood, but she confidently continued to pursue her life with Jesus.
Taalia began reading the Bible, and the first verse she memorized was John 3:16. With these words firmly in her heart and mind, she no longer wanted anything to do with the rituals she had practiced.
This is when Taalia’s father-in-law learned of her new faith. He came immediately to speak with Taalia and warned her not to hurt the family’s reputation. He asked her to forsake Jesus, but by then her faith was deeply rooted and there was no way she’d ever leave Christ. Despite his repeated warnings, Taalia would not change her mind.
God has been good to Taalia. Though her father-in-law was outraged about her new faith, Taalia’s husband never pressured her to leave Jesus. Today, Taalia is happily walking with her Savior and knows this is just the beginning. She looks forward to sharing the Gospel with her family and in her community as she continues to enjoy fellowship in her worshipping group.
Please pray that Taalia will be a blessing to many in the coming days, and that she will have great courage. Pray also for Taalia’s husband and her in-laws, that they might turn from their idols and choose to worship Jesus, too.
