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Joshy Tewes is an incredible Indian woman. She’s found her Samaria in the slums of Chennai. In response to the leading of the Holy Spirit, she began reaching out to women in the slums just five minutes from her home.
For Joshy, the story of Jesus and the woman at the well in Samaria has inspired her “to share God’s love in this Samaria.” Since that one conversation with Jesus changed a woman’s life, she started introducing women to Jesus so that He would change their lives, too.
Isaiah 55:13 has inspired her –
“Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree,
and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the LORD’S renown,
for an everlasting sign,
which will not be destroyed.”
One day a woman came to her because her son had been hanged by the mafia in the slums. The women’s group began to pray for the salvation of this man. Two years later, a Christian man brought this murderer to church and he surrendered his life to Jesus Christ. God had answered their prayers!
After reading Exodus 2 and the birth of Moses, she was challenged by God to entrust her vision to the Lord. Today through women’s self-help groups they have helped over 30,000 women. Her vision is to bring transformation to women’s lives and they are seeing it happen right before their eyes.
In Acts 1:8, Jesus tells His followers – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Start where you are.
What’s your Jerusalem? It’s your family, your friends, and your co-workers. That’s your Jerusalem. You start with the people closest to you. You don’t have to go somewhere else first. You start with the people in your own sphere of reference. Being a witness starts by being on mission right where you are!
Then Jesus says you are to go to Judea. Judea was like the county. What is your Judea? I live in LA County with 10 million people. And most of them still need to hear the Good News, and, no doubt, there are many in your Judea (county) who also need to hear the Good News.
Then Jesus says you’re to go to Samaria. That’s like the county next door. But the Samaritans were culturally and ethnically different from the disciples. The third place you take the message is to people of a different culture, language, ethnic group than you.
In Castaic, California where I pastored for sixteen years, there are over 5,000 people who speak Spanish in their homes. That’s about 1 out of 4 people in our zip code. There are 20 different languages spoken within our small town.
All of us know people from a different country and culture. Here in Southern California, I’ve been told that there are 187 different languages spoken within driving distance of our church!
You don’t have to go very far to find your Samaria. It’s right next door.
Where’s your Samaria? How are you reaching those without Christ there?
Let me know
