Stories

Ashmika was invisible.

As the youngest daughter in a family with three sons, local village tradition taught that she should be neglected.

So she was.

At 18 years old, Ashmika had never been to school. She had worked in the local tea gardens her whole life, picking leaves for black teas like British Breakfast or Earl Grey for a little over $1/day. Her brothers had moved away, her grandfather was holding an old grudge against her father, and her relatives refused to visit, leaving her alone in a home where she was either abused or ignored, depending on the day.

Sometimes, she preferred being invisible.

Until she learned about a God who had made her for more than that.

When an Adult Literacy Class started in her village, the people around her whispered about it.

What if they lost their jobs for attending?

What if it wasted their short, precious free time?

But when Ashmika began attending—bravely, as one of the first in her village to take the step—she saw that it was nothing like that.

She learned to read and write, but for Ashmika, that was just the beginning. She learned about hygiene practices like washing her hands, nutrition practices like prioritizing protein, and entrepreneurial opportunities like small-scale sales. She shared these practices with her community, encouraging them to eat healthier, wash up, and try new things.

Within a few months, Ashmika felt that she had changed from an invisible person into a woman with dignity and purpose.

But she wasn’t done yet.

As Ashmika heard the Literacy Class’s stories about Jesus, something within her shifted. The idea of a God full of compassion for the broken and love for the forgotten moved her. She saw herself in His story.

So when Ashmika received Jesus into her life, it changed the way she lived.

She began hosting prayer meetings in the very home she felt invisible in. She helped lead worship on Sunday mornings. And every day, she practiced intercessory prayer for her fractured family.

Then, one day, her relatives reached out to her. After years of estrangement, they wanted to rekindle their relationship.

Best of all, her grandfather, who had held a grudge for years against Ashmika’s parents, contacted her.

Through Ashmika’s prayers, her fractured family—and the home that once made her feel so invisible and unsafe—is healing.

And she is so excited to see what’s next.

Pray

• Praise God for calling Ashmika by name! He called her out of the darkness that made her invisible into His marvelous light so that He could use her to bring hope and healing.
• Consider your own life. Ask God for healing in the places that feel fractured or dark, knowing that if He can answer Ashmika’s prayers, He can answer yours!  

Take Action

• Ask God who in your life may feel invisible right now. Consider forwarding Ashmika’s story to them, along with a word of encouragement!
• Right now, 1 in 3 women in India feel invisible because of illiteracy. But you can offer them a Christ-centered education and a dignified future: Your gift of $40 empowers one student like Ashmika—for a whole year! Give to Adult Literacy Classes today.