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A Light in a Dark Place

By Vicki Ivester, Project Coordinator of WORD Ministries

Robbing the Cradle

Years ago, in central Europe, a young lady eagerly anticipated her coming wedding to a handsome young man. The marriage had been arranged by their parents, but both were happy with the match. Just weeks before the wedding, however, the young lady's fiancé died suddenly. To her horror, his family insisted that the wedding go ahead - she would be forced to marry her fiancé's younger brother, a boy of 14.

The wedding did, indeed, take place, and the couple had their first child the following year. Born to an unhappy mother and a 15-year old father, C grew up without much strong religious training and with an unhappy home life.

Her Own Wedding

At a young age, C married a nice but sickly young man. They soon welcomed their own son into the world, but C's husband often had to travel across borders to seek medical attention. Then came the trip from which he did not return. Weeks later, C learned that her husband had died, leaving her to raise their son on her own. 

Then the War

C and her son had to move back home to live with her parents, but war soon broke out in their unstable land. In a war of sniping, C's father was one of thousands shot down in the street while trying to buy food for his family. Alone again, C, along with her mother and son, survived the war, but lost most of her earthly possessions. 

The Aftermath

Like many other women in that culture, C was not prepared to support her family. She went to work teaching orphans at one of the many humanitarian aid projects in her country. But unlike many, she looked to the future and began right away to study law, with the dream of becoming a lawyer. Teaching all day, studying at night, and raising her son, C struggled for several years. But always she continued smiling, and seemed to be the "life of the party." Her pain was not evident to the casual observer. 

Eternal Fruit

While teaching in the orphanage school, C heard the gospel message again and again. An intelligent woman, she had numerous questions which were answered over many months of patient teaching and witnessing. She studied much on her own, and finally, after hearing the testimony of a man of similar background who had accepted the truth of salvation through Jesus Christ, C understood the Gospel message. She believed and was saved. 

A Light in a Dark Place

Few believers in C's country are willing to go against the tide, to speak out and openly proclaim their faith in a place where the vast majority of people are unbelievers, where persecution of the faithful is common. But C
is not an average woman.

She is one of eight teachers who were trained recently to teach literacy to adults.  Their goal is to teach war widows to read and write, thus giving them the abilities they need to raise and support their families. After several days of training, C and the other trainees were ready to practice their literacy teaching skills on illiterate widows.

As C sat with her student, a widowed mother of four who had never been to school, God gave the perfect opportunity for C to share her new-found faith. The student invited C to join the widows' group that meets at the aid center each week, adding that each meeting includes a Bible lesson, "but, of course, I don't believe the Bible. . . ."  C immediately explained that she DOES believe the Bible is true and that its teachings are true. She added, "I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior."

What faith, what courage, what love! God has chosen C to be His own and is already using her to bring light to a dark place. We are blessed by her desire to share her faith and thrilled by the opportunities she has daily, as both a teacher and a beginning lawyer. Pray for her and her son and for C's faithful testimony in a difficult place.

Word Ministries Up Close

WORD Ministries exists to promote translation, literacy and ESL (English as a Second Language) on ABWE fields, all as a means to planting churches.  Bill and Vicki Ivester serve as Project Coordinators, and Dr. and Mrs. Michael Pasquale as ESL Coordinators.  Reid Minich, as an ESL consultant, works closely with Dr. Pasquale in the ESL ministries.  Last year, Dr. Lynn Silvernale began her work as WORD's Translation Coordinator and Resource Center Coordinator. 

Much of the work done by WORD Ministries so far has been with the Togo translation and literacy projects, as well as the central Europe literacy work.  WORD has also offered consultation services to several other fields.  Please pray for all involved with WORD, that as a result of this ministry, more and more people around the world will become lights in a dark place, as C has.

Read more about WORD Ministries here.