As a new missionary on her field in Asia, Julia discovered that playdates were an ideal way to get to know new moms. And that’s how she met Kiri.

Kiri had recently moved to a new neighborhood and was lonely. Although unsaved, she remembered attending church programs when she was growing up. A church seemed like a good place to meet people, so she picked one close to her—the church where Julia and her husband, Tom, serve.

Although Julia and Kiri were from different cultures, spending time together bridged their cultural gap. And the more time they spent together, the more Kiri opened up to the spiritual truths that Julia gently sprinkled into their conversations.

“Only Jesus died for our sins!”

Although Kiri’s family has multiple religious influences, Kiri told her daughters that they were free to choose their own religion. Tom and Julia’s church made a profound impression on Kiri’s oldest daughter, seven-year-old Mai. In her bubbly but determined style, she announced to her mother one day that she had decided on her religion: she was choosing Christianity.

When Kiri told Mai that all religions were equally good, Mai firmly declared, “No, they’re not the same! Only Jesus died for our sins!” Kiri could not get Mai’s statement out of her mind. Not many days after that, Kiri had lunch with other Christian friends of Julia’s who had also been reaching out to her. During that lunch, the Lord answered their prayer—and Julia and Tom’s—when Kiri prayed to accept Christ as her Savior.

A little light that grew

Since that time, Kiri has become a regular attender at the church. When Tom taught in Sunday School that Christians should pray for God’s working in unsaved people, especially family members, Kiri was on the edge of her seat. She has become very burdened for the salvation of her husband and other daughter, who are also coming to church. Kiri is diligently seeking ways to shine God’s light in her home and to her extended family.

God used a playdate, Christian friends, and a spunky seven-year-old to transform Kiri’s life. Together, she and Mai are following Christ with all their heart, praying God will use them to shine light into the darkness of their family.

[All names are pseudonyms]