When Gopika found a peace she had never known but always wanted in her life, she put her faith in Jesus. Then, she told others.
The Himalayan range, a place with towering mountains, steep hills and hot plains, is home to numerous different people groups, many of whom have never heard the good news of Jesus Christ. In these remote places, OM disciple makers are sowing seeds that produce eternal fruit.
Gopika* lives with her husband, two sons and daughter Nanda* in one of these least-reached villages. Many years ago, there was a fellowship of believers in the village, but over time, they each returned to their former Hindu beliefs.
Gopika didn’t know much about Jesus and had no time to think about Him. Her family life was not great; her husband was an alcoholic and occasionally beat her. In response, Gopika tried to make herself as small as possible. She also suffered from strong spiritual attacks that shook and hurt her. Sometimes, she wandered around aimlessly, unaware of her surroundings or that she had left the house. Desperately, she searched for a cure, paying large amounts of money to witch doctors, shamans and priests — a common practice in the Himalayas. Goats were sacrificed, rituals performed and offerings given to various gods, yet nothing helped Gopika.
In the midst of Gopika’s search, her daughter, Nanda, went to stay with her cousin Anjali* in another area to attend high school. Anjali had recently come to faith through the discipleship of an OM team in the area.
Alone and far away from home, Nanda couldn’t sleep; she was worried about her mother. Seeing the peace and joy Anjali had, Nanda wondered what she was missing in her own life. Watching Anjali pray before eating and enjoying her quiet time with Jesus, Nanda started asking questions. Happily, Anjali told her about Jesus and invited her to attend a fellowship next door, where some of the OM team lived.
In those fellowship times, Nanda learnt about God’s love for her and saw His power with her own eyes as people were healed through prayer. In her heart, Nanda felt that in Jesus she could find peace and hope. When she told her parents about her decision to believe in Christ, her father grew angry, but Nanda remained steadfast and, for the first time in a very long time, slept peacefully.
The faith of one woman
After committing her life to Christ, Nanda continued to be discipled by Anjali and to attend the fellowship next door. She started praying for her family, especially for Gopika, who was still sick. Nanda shared with her mother about God and encouraged her to seek prayer from Christians because she knew Jesus could heal. At first, Gopika resisted, but after a lot of persuading, she relented and invited a few believers living in her area to her home to pray and share with her. After a while, she started to feel better.
Gopika did not change overnight; it was a slow process, and the turning point occurred when Nanda gave her an audio Bible. She listened to it while cooking or cleaning, not thinking much of it, until she realised that whenever she listened to the Word of God, she felt indescribable peace in the whole house. A peace she had never known but always wanted in her life. So, Gopika put her faith in Jesus.
Her daughter, full of joy, started teaching Gopika everything she had learnt from the OM team and Anjali. Gopika’s husband, on the other hand, grew angry. He did not stop his wife from learning, but he refused to listen to anything about the Bible. Gopika started to intercede for her family — fasting, praying and slowly sharing with them. At first, her sons and husband did not want to listen, but as they saw the change in Gopika and Nanda, they started opening up. In early 2025, all of Gopika’s family members came to faith, and her husband was baptised, which led to a complete change of character. He stopped drinking and joined his wife in sharing the good news in their village.
Knowing there used to be Jesus followers in her village, Gopika went to visit those who had once believed in Jesus. At first, they were angry with her, declaring: “It is our choice. We can do what we want.” Gopika did not give up and kept visiting them, sharing from the Bible.
Through Gopika and her family, over 15 people returned to Jesus and many non-believers heard the gospel and repented. Now, over 30 people attend the fellowship and the village has completely changed. Today, both mother and daughter work with the OM team as church planters and disciple makers, sharing with those who have never heard of Jesus and discipling new believers in the remote areas of South Asia, bearing fruit 30, 60 or 100 times as much as was sown.
*name changed
Pray for OM's disciple makers who travel to remote villages in the Himalayas to share the good news of Jesus. Pray for their safety and for the ministry. Give thanks for Gopika and her family and the transformation in their village.