Right outside the home I stayed in Visakhapatnam, I saw a barefoot young woman ironing. Every day, and every time I saw her, she was at her table hard at work with an antique hot coal iron. She worked quietly and all alone, scrubbing piles of laundry by hand. She must have worked twelve hours a day. Her sweet smile and elegance drew me to her, and every time I walked past her, I would smile as I silently prayed that I would get a chance to speak to her.
I asked my host, “How much will she make in a day, doing all of that laundry?”
"About 300 Rupees, if she's lucky," he replied. That’s not even $5 US for a long day of scrubbing, ironing, bending, and lifting, all the while standing on a hard concrete floor. Both my back and my heart ached for her. I prayed for her as I fell asleep that night.
The next day, I felt compelled to give her a gift. On my way out of the house, I stopped and handed her about a week's worth of wages. I told her that it was a gift, and that I didn't need her to do any laundry for me. She graciously took the money with a slight smile on her face. I explained to her that I serve the God named Jesus, and that He sent me to give her the gift. I told her we didn't have to earn his love, just like she didn't have to earn the gift I gave her. She told me her name was Uma and said to me, "Now I have many gods, but I used to worship the God called Jesus, but now I am married to a Hindu husband. I walked away knowing I’d been obedient and hoping my host could build on our conversation.
The following morning, during breakfast, Uma knocked on our door. After a brief conversation, she just stood and stared at me as if I had something else for her. I knew I needed to offer her something worth more than any amount of money. “Do you want to return to serving the 'God named Jesus' and worship only Him?" I asked.
“Yes,” she said. And then asked if it's okay to worship Jesus when she goes to the temple with her husband. I said, “Yes, I’m sure Jesus is quite big enough to understand your culture, and is at work in your husband, until he can have his eyes open to the One True God named Jesus.” She smiled and we prayed to have the God named Jesus to reveal Himself again to her as He once had and to forgive her for following other gods. She prayed for her husband and children to see her as an example, and that her husband would have his eyes opened when he goes to the temple. After our prayer, we hugged and she allowed me to take a photo with her. She smiled when she realized what she looked like. What a great breakfast with my new friend and my God named Jesus!