Freedom in JesusA JFA Evening School Story

As a young girl, Radha* was a happy, friendly girl. She did well in school, and her parents had high hopes for her future. When Radha went into tenth grade, however, she started to change. She struggled to study well and disliked being around people. She got angry quickly and hated just being alive. 

For the next two years, her condition worsened. Finally, Radha and her family realized an evil spirit possessed her. This experience is, sadly, not uncommon in Radha's homeland of India. 

Sometimes, when the evil spirit manifested itself, she ran around with her clothes not on correctly and acted wild. Afraid, her mother often called her father to help, but Radha's erratic behavior scared him too. 

Radha and her family wished her to be free, so they took her to many Hindu temples. The Hindu priests performed many rituals to expel the evil spirit, but nothing worked. In desperation, Radha's family even took her to some churches, but that did not help either. By this time, three years had passed, and her mother's heart broke for Radha's condition. 

Radha's cousin and his wife had recently become Adventist through the ministry of the JFA Evening School in their village, where his wife was the teacher. They had seen God answer many of the children's prayers and recommended that Radha seek help there. 

That night, Brother Baskar, the Evening School principal, was there. He comforted Radha's mother, saying, "Don't worry, we will pray to the Living God. He is mightier than the evil spirits. He will heal your daughter."

Brother Baskar and the children prayed for Radha. God answered and brought her relief. Radha and her mother were happy, but other Hindu relatives pressured them to return to Hinduism. Brother Baskar called them, and the mother expressed her struggle. "If you believe God, you have to believe Him one hundred percent," he encouraged her. 

Radha's mother determined she wanted to follow Jesus, and she and her daughter and son started Bible studies. As they chose to put their trust in God, He delivered Radha entirely from the evil spirit. 

"Now, I'm very happy and cheerful, and I talk to everyone. I even got my bachelor's in English, and now I'm working in a hospital as a receptionist," Radha shared.

Although her father was still a strong Hindu, Radha's father saw the change in his daughter and did not oppose his family's baptism. Gradually, God has worked on his heart as well. He has quit his job as a temple musician and is interested in being baptized.

"I pray all the time now," Radha's mother shared, "because I've tasted how good God is. Even as I work, I keep thanking and praising God. I want to thank Him a million times for healing my daughter completely."

Please continue to pray for Radha's family, especially her extended family, to know and accept the love of Jesus in their lives. 

You can watch Radha and her family tell their full story in this week's Jesus for Asia Now episode on 3ABN. See the ad after this article to find out how to watch!

JFA Evening Schools help provide food, education, and a knowledge of Jesus to impoverished Indian children. As we've seen in this story, the reach of the Evening Schools goes far beyond just the kids. You can cover the expenses of an Evening School student for just $7 a month. If God inspires you to give, please click the button below.

*Name has been changed.