Ellen Finds Hope
A devastated bride finds freedom in surrender.
“Is anything too hard for the LORD?” Genesis 18:14. Have you ever prayed for the Lord to accomplish what seemed impossible? That is exactly what Ellen needed God to do. Praise God that Luke 1:37 answers the question: “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
Shortly after her marriage, Ellen’s young husband died, leaving her devastated—but that wasn’t the worst of it. According to the traditional beliefs of Ellen’s culture, the dowry that her late husband’s family had paid for her meant that after her husband’s death, the family could give her to any of his male relatives. The man they chose for her second marriage was as old as her father—and he already had a wife. She did not want the marriage, but all her efforts to avoid it failed. Feeling ruined, Ellen wept day and night, wishing she had her young husband back instead of this old man.
One day as we visited homes door to door, looking for people who might be interested in Bible studies, we met a young lady who asked lots of questions and seemed keenly interested in God’s Word. It never crossed our minds that this young woman could be a second wife in the home; we thought the older woman there must be her mother. But after we had answered her many questions, Ellen broke into tears and told us her story.
“God sees your affliction,” we tried to comfort her. “The Lord will see you through as long as you surrender to Him.”
Ellen wiped her tears. “You have changed my perspective,” she confessed. “I can see now that the incompatibility in my marriage is not so much the age difference but that Christ does not want me to be a man’s second wife. I am going to talk with my husband’s relatives as soon as possible.”
Ellen stayed true to her resolve. When she told her story of her encounter with Christ and that she had decided to leave the marriage because she wanted to follow Jesus, God graciously softened the family’s hearts. The old man finally let her go, and Ellen started personal Bible studies to learn God’s truth. Many of the subjects challenged her, such as the Sabbath and the state of man in death. She had many questions, but in the end, she accepted all the truths of the Three Angels’ Messages.
In the course of our Bible studies, the Lord convicted Ellen that she needed to surrender all and be baptized. She struggled with the decision, because it meant giving up all her traditional, superstitious beliefs—and that meant having many people turn against her. By the grace of God, she finally decided to go all the way with Christ and be baptized. We thank God for rescuing this beautiful soul. She has found such joy in the never-failing love of God that she sings the praises of what the Lord has done for her. Her life has shown us all that if we are humble, God will work in miraculous ways to change our situations. With God, nothing is impossible!
Please pray for Ellen’s newfound faith in Jesus to strengthen with each passing day. Pray that the Lord will lead many to Christ through Ellen’s testimony. There are many in the valley of decision, and to help them make their decision for Christ, we are planning to have five evangelistic campaigns to plant new congregations in 2021. Please pray with us for a rich harvest!
Location
Zambia
Author
Pastor Hillary Moonga pastors 32 churches in the Monze district of Zambia.
How You Can Help
Pray for Pastor Moonga’s evangelistic work in Zambia.
Pray for Ellen to remain faithful to the message that she has recently learned.
Give to the work in Zambia by sending your check marked “Zambia” to:
Mission Projects International
PO Box 151
Inchelium, WA 99138
To give securely online, visit:
www.missionspro.org/donate