God Gave Them Their Father Back: An Evening School Story

*Representative image

Mahilmadi, Yarni, and Evangeline are three teenage sisters living in India. They had a relatively good childhood. Their father was a painter, and he did his best to provide for his family. That is until he made some not-so-great friends. These friends convinced him to start drinking, and he lost himself in the habit. 

He started spending more and more money on alcohol for himself and his friends. Many of them were jobless and waited for him to finish work so they could go drinking together. So much of his money went to drinking that his family struggled to get enough to eat. When he was drunk, his personality changed, making him irritable and violent. 

The three girls and their mother did not know what to do. Where was the kind, loving father who cared for them throughout their childhood? How much longer could their family survive on so little food?

One day, one of our Evening School Principals met Mahilmadi's family and learned a bit about their situation. He invited them to attend the JFA Evening School in a nearby village, where they could get tutoring and a free, healthy meal. 

At first, the girls' mother hesitated. Christians were running this Evening School in a Christian church; her family was Hindu. If she sent her daughters there, would they force them to convert to Christianity?

The Principal assured Mahilmadi's mother that the Evening School would not force her children to do anything, so she agreed to send her girls. 

When the girls started attending the Evening School, they heard many songs and stories about Jesus. They were not required to become Christians, but they had the opportunity to learn about God's love and His power to answer prayer. They saw the other Evening School students pray for various problems in their village, so Mahilmadi and her sisters asked them to pray for their father too. 

They told their mother about their prayers and invited the Principal to pray with their family at home when their father was not there. The girls' mother was afraid of what her husband might think, but as she learned more about Jesus, she grew bolder. She started visiting the church secretly.

God heard the prayers of the three sisters and the other children. Slowly, their father realized how he had changed since he started drinking, and how much it had affected his family. Slowly, he began drinking less and spending less time with his drinking buddies. 

Eventually, he came and told his family, "I'm not going to drink any more." Mahilmadi, Yarni, and Evangeline were so happy. 

"It's an answer to prayer!" they said excitedly. 

Their father asked them what they meant, and they explained the whole thing—how they, along with all the Evening School students, the teacher, and the Principal, were praying for him. 

Their father went to the church to thank everyone for praying for him, and their whole family started taking Bible studies. 

Please pray for their family to continue growing in faith, and for more families to be transformed through the ministry of JFA Evening Schools.

With a gift of only $9 a month, you can give a child like Mahilmadi, Yarni, or Evangeline the opportunity to attend a JFA Evening School and receive life-changing education, food, and spiritual lessons. 

If God has put a burden on your heart for the Evening Schools: India project, and you'd like to get more involved, we invite you to check out our Evening School Partnership program. 

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