From some dear friends in India I have just received a wonderful report on how a Christian lady, Sushila, handled a very difficult situation when her believing husband died and his Hindu family wanted to give him a Hindu cremation. I believe that Sushila’s testimony will be an encouragement for all, and even help us to better understand some of the challenges that new believers are facing in India.

We have spent the last few days with Sushila
and her family. This has been a very special week for all of us.
Harish is with the Lord. A believer for just about three years, his
witness to Jesus continues through what he has done and the testimony of his
wife and family. Harish’s brothers are all  unbelievers, in fact the
youngest opposes them. But besides Sushila, three of his brothers’ wives are
believers!!!

On Wednesday afternoon Harish complained of
discomfort in his chest. He went to rest a little while in his rest room behind
his shop. He then did something that his younger brother Mohan, said he
had never done in his thirty years at the shop. He called his brother Mohan in and
held him by the arm, for just a second. He made him sit down by his side, and
then said Ok you can go. He applied a little balm to his chest, thinking it was
a chill from the early morning ride on his motor bike, going to his shop.

At the end of his duty at the shop, he got on his bike
with his 20 yr old son Manoj and came home. He did not allow his son to
drive the bike. But when he came home, the pain increased. He was offered
lunch but before anything could be said he collapsed with a heart attack. His
wife Sushila was not at home, she had just left some minutes before for the
cell group meeting .He died before he could be admitted to hospital.

Since there were unbelievers in the family, we usually
leave it to the family to decide whether they wish to cremate or bury. The
wives all said, it does not matter one bit, Harish is with Jesus in heaven! What
they do now does not matter.

You must understand that traditions have chained many
people and it is most difficult to break out of them, especially if some
of your family members are still unbelievers. Sindhi /Hindu traditions demand
that the family follow many rituals, which are virtually idol worship. This
goes on for 12 days and ends with a big meal by the family, for the
whole community.

But the family called the Brahman priest and told him,
that he could charge whatever fee he wanted, but there would be not any rituals
that would be akin to idol worship. Even the brothers acquiesced to the
request. Before Harish was taken for cremation, we were called into the
room to pray. So along with Job, Ram Singh and others from the church, we
committed his body to the Lord.

Normally, on the third day, yesterday, there will
be a community meeting not very different to our memorial service. This would
have normally been a long drawn out meeting, where the brothers and heirs
would be ritually recognized. The previous night, the Brahman pundit had
given a long list of things that needed to be bought, so that the rituals for
collecting the ashes could be done. Cost at least Rs 3000/-

But Sushila, had made up her mind that she was
not going to do anything that her husband would not have approved of and that
would not glorify God. She told her family of her decision and said if they
stood with her, she would be blessed but even they did not stand, she would not
do those things. The wives of Harish’s brothers immediately stood with her.
Sushila reasoned that if they did not break these traditions now, everyone who
came to the Lord through them would also have to continue doing them. Her
sisters told her that she was like the foundation and everything that came
after would stand on the decision she would now take. She and her children
stood firm.

They called the Brahman pundit and told him,
their decision. He agreed saying he knew that they believed in Jesus! They told
him that rather than mixing the sweets into the ashes, they would rather give
him the money to feed his family. He was more than happy! That night Mohan
called Job and said that they would like him to accompany them to the cremation
grounds and pray before they collect the ashes. They also wanted him to go with
them to all their places of business and pray and bless their businesses before
they could start their business again – since there had been a death in the
family. Job called me at night and checked it out with me. I said that I would
have no problem with that as long as it did not involve any idol worship. They
also wanted him to give a little message at the community meeting.

But the youngest brother was adamant – we are Hindus
and we cannot leave our traditions. He said: I do not want anyone but the
Brahman pundit to pray for my shop.

We looked at this as an opportunity. But I cautioned Job to be
careful as we did not want any accusations of bringing a person of a different
religion into their religious places to pray, especially as the new anti
Conversion bill in had just been passed amid great turmoil. I advised him to do
the praying at the family’s house before going to the cremation grounds rather
than at that place.

However the priest himself invited Job to pray at
that  place  while he did whatever he had to do!!!  In fact he
afterwards asked Job to pray for him so that he could get married!!! And even
the youngest brother had cooled down by the morning yesterday.

Wiser counsel prevailed and Job decided not to
give the message at the meeting but will be having meeting for three days at
the house where we will teach from the Bible. The meeting itself went off very
well and took just ten minutes – with no idol rituals and no reading from
their scriptures The speaker referred to Harish’s character and
service and belief in  Jesus!

Since Job had committed himself to another function to
translate there, he requested me to go to the places of business and pray for
them. I went with Ram Singh and all Harish’s brothers and some more. The
Scorpio came in handy to take all of them!!!! Eleven in all!! We went to all
the shops and prayed a blessing on their businesses and families, even at
the youngest brother’s shop.

In fact before I prayed I looked at him to ask
if he wanted me to do so .He said yes! God is so good He just brought
everything in line. Even Mohan, asked me to share a word at the shop
before we prayed! Which we did as Ram Singh had a word for him from the Lord.
Also we interpreted the action of his brother in inviting him to his room and
putting his hand on his arm. It was as if He was passing on the
mantle of his ministry to his younger brother Mohan.

God has done a great work in him. He was
listening intently to the word. He was the one closes to his brother, the way
he put it they were two bodies but one soul! .He is Parvati’s husband. She
always accompanies Sushila to the house church meetings and helps in leading
them.

Sushila said, last night after we returned from
the shops: We have broken the chains that have bound us. They would not have
anything now – no more rituals for 12 days. Jesus came to set us free .Then why should we continue in
these bondages.

Only if you are acquainted with the hold of Hindu
traditions can we understand what a bold stand this woman of God has taken.

What a wonderful God. He has truly done a work in
their hearts.