Jayanthi* lives alone in a rural village in Eastern Sri Lanka. She’s 70 years old and has three grown children. But because she’s a Christian, they no longer take care of her. Open Doors partners heard about Jayanthi’s situation from a pastor in her area.
“She is old,” the pastor said. “She comes to church once a month, but her love for the Lord is great.”
Our Open Doors partners decided to visit Jayanthi to encourage her and ask how the ministry could support her and strengthen her faith. As they approached the village, they stopped the vehicle by a narrow road where Jayanthi was waiting by a rowboat.
“The road to my house is flooded these days,” she told them. The only way to reach her house was by crossing a small lake.
Her little house was located in an area prone to wild elephant attacks. A part of her wall was already damaged. The house only had one room and a kitchen area, unfinished floors, and clay walls.
She explained that her children have completely rejected her. This had begun about seven years ago, when a local Buddhist monk began supporting the villagers by building houses for everyone. She and her children were Christians, but that changed quickly.
“The monk told us that only if we renounce our faith and become Buddhist, we will get houses. All my children became Buddhist at once and got houses built for themselves.”
Although Jayanthi needed a house, she refused to give up on the Lord.
“The Lord will provide for me. I don’t need support from them,” Jayanthi said. “They tell me to become Buddhist, and only then they would look after me,” Jayanthi said.
They do not even give her food. “Even to this day, the villagers scold me for holding on to the Lord and rejecting the housing support project,” she said. Throughout all the hardships that Jayanthi has faced for more than seven years, she has looked upon
God for His providence and help.
Thanks to your gifts and prayers, Open Doors was able to support Jayanthi in renovating her house. The project took over a month. “Even when my children did not help, I thank the Lord for this great support,” Jayanthi says. Her life has now become an
example to everyone, a light to show her children, neighbours and the village that the Lord will provide.
*Name has been changed for security purposes.
