Marisa’s Story: Reaching the Overlooked
We all know the “big” needs in missions, but what about the people no one notices? God sees them every time. And when we see them also, we join Him in revealing just how vast His heart is for every person made in His image.
FAISAL AND SAMIRA:
Faisal has autism and doesn't go to school. In Tajikistan, families think that anyone with a disability is not worth teaching. That's why Samira, Faisal's mom, decided to work as a kiosk attendant instead of helping him.
One day, Marisa met Faisal and Samira at the park. Marisa offered to teach Faisal how to read and write. She would go to the kiosk every week to spend time teaching Faisal while his mother watched. Faisal started making progress, Samira saw he could learn, and she decided to get involved in his lessons as well. Now Faisal can read and write.
Because of Marisa's help, she's had many opportunities to share the Gospel with Faisal's family. She's the first person ever to tell them about Jesus and share her own testimony. Now, they've been hearing Marisa tell them Bible stories for a year.
One day, Samira said she wanted to pray. While Marisa listened, Samira prayed:
“Dear God, thank you for the good things you give us and for my friend Marisa. Forgive us because we have unclean hearts. We want you to give us clean hearts so we can be good children to you. We can do it with you, but without you, we cannot. Please help us. Amen.”
MADINA, ZARINA & THE DEAF VILLAGE CHILDREN:
On a trip to a town outside the capital, Marisa visited a community of children with disabilities. There she met Madina and Zarina, two deaf girls who attended a local school—though in reality it was just a small classroom with a few toys.
She learned that although the school had a program for children with disabilities, there was nothing for children with hearing loss, who were in great need. Even the few Christians in the country who worked with children with disabilities were mainly focused on those with motor disabilities, while the deaf community was largely overlooked.
“Who will share the Gospel with them?” Marisa asked herself.
Even though Marisa had been in the country for only a few months at that point, she doubled down on her language studies. Studying the language has been very tiring because she had to study it in English rather than Spanish, her mother tongue. She had been working with two different teachers to improve her Tajik and decided to find a new teacher and start learning Tajik Sign Language (TSL) as well. Marisa knew that Madina, Zarina, and their friends needed someone to share Jesus with them.
Sixteen months after arriving in Tajikistan, Marisa was highly proficient in Tajik and had earned her TSL certification.
Marisa now lives in Madina and Zarina’s village. She’s the only believer there who speaks TSL. To everyone else, the deaf community is invisible, but not to Jesus, and not to Marisa.
A VILLAGE IN NEED OF JESUS:
The village Marisa moved to is very religiously conservative. There are only four foreigners there. People were surprised that Marisa moved there since most locals try to leave. As Marisa learned more about her new community, she discovered that many of the men are alcoholics and beat their wives and children. You can walk down the street and hear screams from within the homes, and for the villagers, that is totally normal.
If men leave the home, women can’t work because they lack education. Many turn to prostitution to provide for their children. Many children, due to physical abuse or neglect, end up with physical or developmental special needs and are desperate for attention.
Marisa knows three believers in the community, but they are persecuted. The locals throw stones into their homes. They are afraid to share the Gospel, and so are the other foreigners. But so many people are in desperate need of the hope only Jesus can bring.
Marisa has asked God for boldness and opportunities. She has now studied the Bible with several families and groups of children.
MALIKA’S FAMILY:
One such example is that of Malika, a girl with a medical condition that made her very physically weak. One day, Marisa was sharing the story of Samson with a group of children, teaching them that their strength comes from God and that He is the only one who can give it and take it away. Then she met Malika. Marisa told Malika that her family can have hope in the truth that God loves Malika and cares about her condition.
TRUSTING GOD THROUGH DIFFICULTY:
This year, Marisa had to renew her visa, but her application was rejected. That happened twice. She reapplied a third time and didn’t hear back. The day her visa expired arrived, and she was supposed to leave the country. She was afraid because she’d submitted her passport for the visa application, and it hadn’t been returned. She couldn’t leave, but she also couldn’t stay.But she prayed, and God provided a visa that very day.
Many locals warn her that, as a single woman, the village may not be safe for her. But God is speaking to Marisa, telling her not to be afraid. She is encouraged that, because her salvation is assured, she can boldly risk and press on in sharing the Gospel despite any human or spiritual opposition.
*Pseudonyms used to protect the identity of the missionaries and local people