In a cold corner of Asia, where icy peaks form the backdrop to her village, Nyima* makes her way down a mountain path. Each year, she spends the winter in a lower-altitude valley; her village simply becomes too cold. And so, once again, she makes the trek downhill. But this year her knee hurts. Little does she know, this pain is about to serve a greater purpose.

Sita*, an OM partner, had just arrived in the same area. She had heard about Nyima’s village and the people who live there. Due to government restrictions, it is difficult to visit Nyima’s area for any reason — let alone as a Christian. That’s why Sita went to where people from the village stay during the winter. But even there, doors seemed to remain closed. “I tried to connect with the mountain people,” Sita shares, “but they didn’t want to talk to me.” 

Then, the night before Sita was due to return home, God opened a way. “We saw Nyima walking around the shrine, praying for her knee. I asked her if I could pray for her. She agreed, I prayed, and we talked for a bit.” Sita was grateful for this small opening. Yet God was about to do much more. 

A few weeks later, Sita returned to the valley, hoping to reconnect with Nyima — and it didn’t take long. “As soon as I arrived, Nyima ran up to me,” Sita tells us. “Her knee had been healed. Now she wanted to know more about Jesus!”

As she needed to go to the city anyway, Nyima travelled with Sita and stayed at her house. To Sita’s surprise, Nyima also spontaneously brought a friend along.

Nyima and her friend stayed with Sita for two weeks, and God continued His work. Day by day, they heard about Jesus, and toward the end of their stay, they both accepted Christ. The drive back to where they were staying for the winter was filled with joy. Then Nyima spotted a river and remembered the Bible stories they had just learnt. “What’s stopping us from getting baptised too?” she exclaimed. So Sita stopped the car — and there, in a mountain stream, Nyima and her friend were baptised. 

Now, Nyima and her friend are back in the mountains they once descended from. Life is not easy in this isolated place. Sita struggles to find ways to visit this restricted area, and Nyima and her friend are the only believers there. They face persecution from their community, and their faith is fragile. On top of that, they cannot read. Pray for them, that they may grow in their faith.

*name changed