Stories

When Vidhi walked to the market, she could hear the women of the village giggling around her. Sometimes they’d point. Sometimes they’d even be bold enough to outright mock her.

But there wasn’t much Vidhi could do. She had done the best she could for the people around her… for her whole life.

Have you ever felt like that? Maybe people outright mocked you for your failures. Or maybe no one mocked you, but they began treating you differently.

It can feel isolating.

Vidhi felt isolated, too.

When Vidhi was young, she was one of the oldest children in a large family. To help her parents, she began working as a child laborer. She never went to school.

Her father incurred significant debts as she grew into an adult, and with seven children to marry off, these debts only got worse. To help, Vidhi never considered marriage until after all her siblings were happily settled.

Eventually, Vidhi married a man whose first wife had passed away. He made it clear that he only accepted her—dowry-less—because he had two children that he needed her to care for.

By the time Vidhi’s stepchildren were adults, Vidhi had lived in shame for decades. The situations surrounding her birth, her childhood, her marriage, and her illiteracy were sport for the whole village—even her husband joined the fun.

One day, as Vidhi began planning her stepdaughter’s marriage, she realized that their financial situation was bad—and they may not be able to pay a dowry. But Vidhi refused to condemn her stepdaughter to the life she had lived—so she joined an Adult Literacy Class.

There, Vidhi learned to read, write, and count. She attended special trainings on health and hygiene, as well as entrepreneurship.

And as she learned, she brought others with her. Those who used to mock her began asking for help with their letters, math, and even their health problems. People began walking with her to the market, rather than laughing at her as she walked alone.

Soon, Vidhi had a community of Adult Literacy students around her. And she wanted to do more.

So she opened a small shop in her front room, and invited the other women in her Literacy Class to run the shop with her. Together, they made household products and sweets to sell—and business boomed.

With her portion of the earnings, Vidhi arranged a wonderful marriage for her daughter, purchased land, and built a new home.

But beneath all of it, Vidhi still carried the shame she had felt for years.

One day, she noticed a fellow Adult Literacy student walking home from church. They struck up a conversation, and her friend invited her to come learn more about Jesus.

Vidhi went. Then she went back.

At church, she had found a piece that she’d been missing. Though her neighbors appreciated her now, church offered a God who had loved her all along.

Soon, she received Jesus into her life.

Now, she is walking in faith, prayer, and freedom—and without any shame.

Pray

• Praise God for loving Vidhi! He saw her even in the midst of her years of isolation—and brought her to true freedom in Him.  
• Read Isaiah 41:10. Then: Pray, receiving His promise of love and faithfulness to you in whatever situation you face today.

Take Action

• Which of your friends may feel isolated today? Consider sending over Vidhi’s story and offer to pray with them.
• You can reach isolated and lonely women across India with an Adult Literacy Class. Your gift of $40 can change a life.