Sarah

In our recently mailed newsletter I promised a picture of Amudha who changed her name to Sarah, we did this to save the cost of color printing, and to lead people to the website. Sorry I do not have a great photo I will make up for it by linking to some other photos. Sarah is on the right and her daughter Chellam is on the left.

Sarah has a husband, Ramiah, and two daughters, Chellam and Radha Subramani.

To start at the beginning Amudha has some construction tools that she rents out. Many people come from the rural area to the city during the dry season to earn extra income before going back to the farms later. Take a look at this picture, and this one, and this image, or even do your own Google Image search. There is a good chance that she rents out basic tools such as baskets as well as more advanced tools also.

For 15 years she has had swelling in her arms, this would happen whenever she ate certain tubers or vegetables, and if she touched cold water. She had to wash and bathe in only hot water. Doctors and requests of healing at temples was unable to heal her. (She was active in her Hindu faith.)

She joined a Growing Opportunity trust group 2-1/2 years ago along with her daughter Chellam. A year later Chellam (Chellam was introduced to the Christian faith in 1999) and the GOF Client Relation Officer, Anuradha, prayed to Jesus for healing of Radha Subramani's daughter who had Bone Tuberculosis. After seeing her granddaughter healed she asked Anuradha to pray for her healing also. Soon after she was able to eat food that had caused pain before, she can now wash with cold water also.

Amudha began attending a local church, learning more about Jesus and then followed in baptism to become a Christian. And as is common with many low caste believers she changed her name to Sarah. She removed her Hindu shrine from her house, with her husbands permission. And while he has not changed faith he told her that on the job as a construction worker he was saved from a deadly fall by her new God.

I want to step back and point out how GOF was involved. They did not ask Amudha to change faith to get a loan. But given the request to pray they did not deny. They let the supernatural power of Jesus be a strong witness to Christianity.