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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: JOURNEY (01/13/22)
I am an Indian by birth and living in the suburbs of Chicago with my husband and kids. I grew up as an only child to my parents who barely got along with each other. We lived far away from all my cousins and so no one really knew how we had struggled to keep our family of three together inside the four walls. I got married and moved to Chicago as my husband worked here. The damage done in childhood was not easy to sweep under the rug of marriage. My relationship with my parents continued sour as I had become a fearful and insecure person with no self-esteem. My husband is very close with his family and yearned to be with them while I wanted to be thousands of miles far away from home. The chances of me making an initiative to visit my parents was zero. Every time my husband planned trip to visit family in India, I would dreadfully tag along with him, counting the days to return from the moment I land there.
In 2021, my mom told me that she was having continuous vomiting for a while. In couple months, she had lost so much weight and had become very thin. My husband’s family asked me to visit her once to lift her spirit up. I did not realize that it was the nicer way of asking me to visit her as she was in her last stage of cancer that had spread in and around her stomach. As I did not know about this diagnosis, I dreaded as usual about going to India by myself.
I had booked the ticket to go on a Tuesday and went to church that Sunday. The worship leader in English service quoted Joshua 1:9 NIV Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” I felt stirred in my heart.
After that, I headed to the Indian church in the same campus. The worship leader there was practicing the songs by himself while I sat down asking to God, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” (because I was looking for an excuse not to go, but decided to obey God). Just as I asked this to God, so unexpectedly, the worship leader started to sing a funeral song. It startled and shook me. I asked, “Lord, what are You saying?”. I felt like God was urging me to go, though I had no clue that my mother was in a very critical condition.
Eventually I did obey God and traveled to India, just as Jonah went to Ninevah. Because of the covid regulations, I was able to travel only two weeks later. As I had surrendered to God’s will by then, He prepared me and filled me with so much faith. I had boldness and courage like I never had before. The word “Mission Trip” kept coming to me. I didn’t understand then. I got to spend two weeks with my mom. God, in His amazing grace, gave me those two weeks to show love to my mom, ask for forgiveness, read her the Word of God every day, had so much faith that God will heal her and make her a testimony for Him. After two weeks of being in the hospital, as I was making the arrangements to take her home, she suddenly had breathing issues and was kept in the ventilator. As I was asked to make a decision, I came to the point of praying, “Lord, if it is Your will to take her, let Your will be done”. She went to be with the Lord peacefully, leaving behind a beautiful smile to which I hold on to, every time I remember her.
The God who gave me Joshua 1:9 three times, was with me and my mother in this journey. He was very faithful to my mother too. Though she had a miserable life all along, she had always held on to Him. She also had prayed that she should not suffer in sickness. Though she had terminal stage cancer, she did not go through any pain because of it. Though I was told that she was breathing only with the ventilator’s help, she breathed an entire day without the ventilator and peacefully left with a glorious smile.
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Noel Mitaxa 
01/21/22
You have packed a lot of detail and pain in this story, as you profile your growth in faith. I would recommend more para breaks to help us to take in the details.
Louis Detweiler 
01/22/22
I'm glad you were able to go back to India. Your story is inpiring. I often think of the passagae when God told Joshua, "Be strong and courageous." How often we hear the horrors of what parents do to their children. I'm glad you were able to overcome your childhood with God's help.
Thank you for sharing your story.