ஓர் உண்மை கதை ... யசோதாவின் புதிய பாதை Tamil Christian Testimony.

Yashoda hails from Palakkad district of Keralam state, India. Coming from a poor orthodox Hindu family, she followed all the religious and social rituals meticulously. At the age of 15 she was married off and in five years she lost her husband in a bus accident. With two young children, she was thrown to poverty and had to vacate the rented house for want of income. The society did not help her much to survive. She built a small hut to live in and sent her children to the Government run Anganvadi, a child care centre where breakfast is provided to poor children. With no money to buy new cloths, she stitched bits of discarded cloth pieces together to make skirts for the children. Her children used to beg for snacks from their classmates in school and used to greedily peep into neighbour's kitchens where delicious food were being prepared. Such was the pathetic condition of Yashoda. Unable to bear the shame, starvation and agony, Yashoda decided to end her life along with the children and even stole a bottle of pesticide from a farm to commit suicide. It was then Yashoda was visited by a couple of Christian Evangelist from a nearby church and invited her to attend a prayer meeting. Unwillingly, Yashoda went to this Prayer Meeting and was touched by the message the pastor delivered. Seeing the poor condition she was in, the pastor family gifted her a small financial help along with a copy of the New Testament bible. Yashoda could not control her curiosity and started reading the bible from that night, under the street light. More she read, the more she was convinced of the teachings of Jesus Christ. Things started changing then on. Yashoda received an old sewing machine as a gift from a neighbour and another introduced Yashoda to a readymade garment unit, from where she got fabrics to stitch at home. Income stared flowing in and Yashoda joined a small savings scheme from were a small amount of money came as her share. Yashoda was able to buy a 2 cent land in that village to build a hut of her own and even dug an open well with her own physical labour. Children went to school and Yashoda slowly grew in financial stability and spiritual commitment. The two daughters of Yashoda, soon entered Nursing College and were employed in Government service there after. Both got married in a single year without any trouble and are settled in life happily. Thrilled with her success she gained after accepting Christ, she convinced her whole family – Father, mother & 3 sisters to accept the way of Jesus Christ. Now, Yashoda is doing the God's work in a Village Ministry consoling the sick and praying for the poor in villages around Coimbatore.