Renu's Song

Ten-year-old Renu peered out the door and watched as the two strangers walked toward her house. I wonder who they are? Renu thought. I’ve never seen them in our village before.

Ten-year-old Renu [RAY-noo] peered out the door and watched as the two strangers walked toward her house. I wonder who they are? Renu thought. I’ve never seen them in our village before.

The young man and woman smiled when they saw Renu. “Hi. Is your mother home?” the young woman asked.

Renu turned and ran into the house, calling, “Mama! Mama! Someone has come to see you.”

Renu’s mother wiped the flour from her hands as she walked out of the kitchen, where she had been rolling out chapatis for dinner. She greeted the visitors with the traditional “Namaste [NAH-mahs-teh].” [Demonstrate by placing palms of hands together as if in prayer.] 

“We are Sharan [SHAH-ran] and Sonia [SOHN-yah],” the man said. “We are visiting people in the village and praying for their needs. We heard that your husband is sick. Could we pray for him?”

Prayers for Father

Renu’s mother nodded, and then she led the couple to the bedroom, where her husband lay on a cot. “Some visitors have come to see you,” she said. He sat up and smiled weakly.

Renu sat on the bed beside her father. Her mother brought stools for the visitors. “I am Sharan, and this is my wife, Sonia,” the young man said. “We are Christian workers, and we are going from house to house praying for people. Someone told us that you have been sick, and we would like to pray that God will heal you if it is His will.”

“I have had a heart problem since I was 8 years old,” Renu’s father said. “Recently it has gotten much worse. The doctors cannot do anything to help me. They say I don’t have long to live.” Father stopped a moment and put his arm around Renu. “I love my little girl so much, and I feel bad that she will be left without a father.”

“We worship Jesus Christ, the Great Physician,” Sharan said. “He has all power in heaven and earth. If it is His will, and if you have faith, He can heal you.” 

“I believe in God,” Renu’s father answered. “I don’t know much about Jesus Christ, but I wish you would pray for me. I need all the help I can get.”

The young man prayed a simple prayer for Renu’s father, and then they left. They came daily after that to pray for Renu’s family. Father seemed to be getting stronger, but he still had to stay on his bed. Renu began to look forward to the young couple’s visits. 

Renu’s Songs 

One day Sharan told Renu, “We are going to have some special meetings for children in the village. There will be stories and songs and crafts and games. Would you like to come to our house for the programs?” 

Renu’s eyes sparkled. “Yes,” she said. “I will come if it is OK with Mommy and Daddy.” Renu asked her parents, and they gave her permission to go. 

Renu loved the stories, the songs, and the Bible memory verses she was learning. Every day after the program she hurried home and told the stories to her father. She recited her memory verses and sang the songs she had learned.

“Sing that song again!” her father often asked. “I love your songs. They make me so happy.” 

Father’s Dream 

One night as Father lay awake on his bed, he thought about the songs Renu had sung that evening. Each song had filled his heart with hope. He went to sleep with the songs ringing in his ears.

That night he dreamed that someone was standing beside his bed. The person reached out and touched his heart. It seemed that a bright light passed through his body. He sensed that the person standing beside him must be Jesus Christ.

The next morning Father told Renu and her mother about the dream. “I feel wonderful!” He said. “I don’t have any pain at all! I believe Jesus Christ has healed me!”

Later that day when Sharan and Sonia came to visit, they were surprised to find Father sitting up, waiting for them. They were thrilled as they listened to his story. Then he said, “My wife and I want to become Christians. Please teach us more about Jesus.” 

Not long after that Renu’s parents were baptized. Now every Sabbath the whole family worships with their friends, Sharan and Sonia. They praise God for physical and spiritual healing.