Today, in our missions prayer time, let’s start with a question: Can art help people find Jesus? The answer is yes! Let’s pray today for one of our missionaries in South Asia. We’ll call her Lena. That’s not her real name because she is in a place where the Christian faith is strongly opposed. Our church supports her through the Cooperative Program.
Now back to the art question. Lena goes into public areas with her supply of henna, a dark plant dye that can temporarily look like a tattoo on the skin. In South Asia, women often get henna designs on their hands for weddings or other special times. Lena offers to paint designs on the hands of women with the henna. The design illustrated a Bible story, which Lena shares as she works. After a few Bible stories, the henna was forgotten. The women began responding to the truth; baptisms followed.
Some of the women endured beatings and harassment from their families for becoming followers of Jesus. But they stayed with their Savior.
One woman had her arm broken when her Muslim husband and brother beat her up. But she chose to be baptized anyway. Lena was threatened more than once. But she is still there. Let’s pray for Lena’s protection. Let’s pray for these new Christians risking their lives to follow Jesus.
