With a little help, there is hope. That’s what Shanti and her OM team discovered when they visited a small village in South Asia.

In the village, they were shocked to see how the children lived. The children’s nails were long and full of dirt, a harbour for germs.  Their hair, too, was long and unkempt. It was in such a bad state that it had formed into filthy dreadlocks on many children.

Shanti and her team travel from village to village, reaching people who live in remote places. They had come to share about Jesus, yet perhaps there was more that they could do.

Working with the local community and the church, the OM team helped clear rubbish and tidy the village. They cut the children’s hair and nails and taught families about sanitation and good hygiene.

Some community members asked, “Who are you, and why are you helping us in this way?”  These questions created the opening Shanti had hoped for.

“We are Christians, and God cares about you, and we do too,” Shanti explained.

Growing up in the South Asian country and raised by Christian parents, Shanti, who has been serving with OM for four years, is familiar with the many hardships people living in villages face. The villages are farming communities. The homes are small; people grow rice or mustard for oil and own a few goats for meat. With limited education, their children may go to school to year 10 level or leave early to help in the fields.

Shanti and her team continued to share with the village what Christ had done for them, and with regular visits over the following weeks, seven people put their faith in Jesus.

Today, a house fellowship gathers weekly for worship, prayer, and Bible study in the village.  Shanti’s team continues to work alongside the local church to build up these new believers in faith, and the children continue to benefit from better health and sanitation.

Shanti and her team are thankful for the life-changing encounter – God used their efforts to care for the community, creating hope through small changes.

*Name changed