A Better Answer than Poison
Note: The following report came from a CLC bookstore in a country in Central Asia which we will not identify because of security concerns.
An older woman was standing outside the shop one day, looking into the front window, so a CLC staff member motioned for her to come inside. She explained that she was just killing time as she waited for visiting hours of the nearby hospital to start so she could visit her sister. Then she told her sad story of being a refugee from the occupied area of the country and how her daughter had lost her hearing as a child because she had been too near the explosion of a bomb. She also shared that her grandson had been born blind, which led to her daughter’s husband abandoning them.
This lady told of how she had lost so much hope that at one point she had prepared some poison and poured it into 3 cups that she intended to give to her daughter and grandson and then drink one herself. But just as she was taking the cups of poison to them a bunch of dogs and cats startled her by running right in front of her. With that interruption of her thoughts, she finally realized the great evil that she had been about to do. She then thought that her wicked plan must have been from Satan. She threw the poison out and rushed to hug her dear daughter and grandson.
The CLC staffer began to share the gospel with her and he was surprised to see her on the verge of tears as soon as he mentioned the name of Jesus. She explained that sometimes her daughter sees a figure near her who says he is Jesus, but his face is always hidden. She had never believed her daughter and had angrily told her to stop talking about him. But now she saw that He really was from God and that He must care deeply about them.
The bookstore worker told her to tell her daughter that she had been right, that Jesus really was alive, and that He gave people new life in Him. He explained more about the Lord and invited her to church. She was excited to learn more and said she’d come back to the store as soon as she received her monthly pension so she could buy some books to better understand this Jesus.
