Not a moment to lose
Being a mother offers many opportunities to tell others about Christ, writes Sapvengi Zaidarhzauva.
Sapvengi Zaidarhzauva
I was born and brought up in a Christian family in a Christian state in the north east of India. The state of Mizoram is one of the smallest and least known states in the vast sub-continent of India, but God has chosen us to be his tools in spreading the gospel within and outside of India. I am among them, placed in the beautiful, prosperous island of Taiwan.
In spite of my upbringing I never had the desire to become a missionary and least of all married to a church minister.
My dream was to become one of those prominent government officials in our country. But it was his desire for me to have spent the better part of my married life in a land I had never dreamt of putting my feet on, and he has never let me down nor have I ever regretted being what I am and doing what I do.
Trial
We came to Taiwan as CWM missionaries to work among the aborigines of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan. We came as a family of four. That increased to five with the birth of our daughter seven years ago.
The first years of our time here were not very easy. We had to take up Mandarin language classes and at the same time we had to fulfil our duties as parents for our little boys who were one-and-a-half and four months-old.
There are times when I would regard myself as only playing the role of a mother fulfilling the needs of the family.
On the other hand there are so many things women like me can do in the ministry of God's salvation. We have the freedom and independence to do things we want to do. We are not bound by an office or company rules, nor are we under the authority of bosses. So it is our choice to be useful in the ways we want.
As a mother of young children I had more opportunities to meet parents, particularly the mothers and grandmothers of my children's playmates. Most of them happen to be non-Christians. Befriending them, being open with them and having them in our home for talks can build up good relationships and allow them to experience a Christian environment.
At Christmas time I would gather the neighbourhood kids to make cookies and have fun. At times I took the opportunity of sharing food, such as Indian cooking.
"You Christians seem to have more love, and are honest."
Nothing wasted
It is hard to win the hearts of these people who are very sincere in their traditional religions. However, if the good news is witnessed with honesty and sincere hearts it will never be in vain, though it might take a longer time than we expect. Motivation comes from the comments often heard from these friends when they say: "You Christians seem to have more love, and are honest."
It is my habit to sing to myself when I do work at home. One day I was doing laundry at the back of our first floor apartment, singing as I worked. Our neighbour heard me and we started to talk, and the first comment he gave about my singing was: "You must be a happy person because I often hear you singing Christian songs." With that neighbour we became very close and I eventually ended up tutoring their twin daughters in English, thereby opening an opportunity to witness to them.
I often have friends of all kinds come to our home, some for casual talks, some for English conversations, some because they have troubles or they are lonely.
Some also come to express their anger at some family member or their husband. I cannot solve their problems but I can listen and be in solidarity with their joys and troubles. It is very helpful to have our home open for those who want to come.
There are many times that call for the sacrifice of my own time, but this is the way I feel I can witness to Christ.
Sunday school is very much part of my life too. I just love being with the children in the Sunday school of which I am in charge. We began our class from nonexistence and now there are an average of six to 12 children attending.
A mother does not merely play the role of a housewife. One can be a very useful servant of God by taking advantage of the freedom of being a "stay-at-home-mum". We can connect better with our counterparts and find time to share in the company of others.
Asian Church Women Newsletter