From Prostitute to Evangelist
Nalima woke up in the morning preparing for her work as a prostitute. But by that afternoon, God had touched her life and she was an evangelist.
Nalime lives and works in rural Bangladesh, about five miles away from any other tiny village — which is virtually the equivalent of being about a world away when you have to walk everywhere. But that day, she did not have to go far. In fact, the world was coming to her, as her village was hosting the local celebration for a national holiday. The man who ‘owned’ Nalima and several other prostitutes anticipated brisk business that day, as the small village would swell with revelers from other places.
A man named Unnat was in town for the festivities whom Nalima had never seen before. Even though a small crowd had gathered around Unnat, she decided to try to seduce him. She was used to people looking at her with eyes of contempt and shame, so in spite of the people nearby, she touched Unnat’s arm without a second thought and asked him to come to her room. Unnat gently shook free of Nalima’s grip and continued talking to the crowd. What a strange man, she thought; he seems unfazed by my attempts to seduce him.
What Nalima did know understand at first was that Unnat was not visiting the town for carousing but for evangelizing. A church planter supported by FMI, Unnat is the pastor of the church five miles away. When he began concluding his gospel presentation with the penetrating question, “Where will be your place after you die?” Nalima blurted out, “The lake of fire.” Now filled with remorse, she continued, “You are obviously a godly man, but I am a sinner.”
“And Jesus Christ, who is God come among us in the flesh, loves you and has taken the penalty for your sin upon himself,” Unnat replied directly to her. “You can be free of your guilt and shame.” Nalima had thought she knew all about love, but as the love of Christ was explained to her, she embraced the gospel and immediately began sharing her decision with others. Through that afternoon and evening, she eagerly helped Unnat and the people of his church distribute more than 3,000 evangelistic tracts!
When you financially support indigenous evangelists and church planters like Unnat, your gifts help bring the light of the gospel to communities like his and infuse hope into the lives of people like Nalima! Please also pray for Nalima, as her ‘owner’ has been preventing her from attending church to grow in her new faith; ask God to deliver her from the bondage of evil men, just as he had already delivered her from the penalty of sin.
