Nishantini was born into a devout Hindu family in Sri Lanka, a country plagued with social issues, especially for women. Her parents served the “guardian deity” and celebrated at religious festivals each year.

In 2006, she married Sritharan who worked in the temples selling flowers to those worshipping. Their marriage was far from blissful. “My husband and I fought daily,” she remembers. “We spent money on witchcraft to solve our problems. I was helpless.”

But the witchcraft didn’t help; things only got worse. For years, conflict between the majority Sinhalese Buddhists and the minority Tamil Hindus plagued Sri Lanka. Nishantini and her husband got caught in the crossfire; they were captured by the Sri Lankan army. “We fled to the nearby jungles and stayed in makeshift tents,” she remembers. “It was a daily struggle for survival.”

Thankfully, they did survive for years in captivity. Once released, they returned to their hometown and prayed for a miracle: to start a family.

“We were frustrated that we did not have children. It was considered a bad omen in our religion,” she says. “I had severe pain in my abdomen that got worse by the day. We approached many temple priests and native physicians. Their medicines did not help me.”

She continued to desperately search for answers. During her search, she met a Bible League-trained pastor. He took her to a doctor, and after several rounds of testing, they found a tumor. Nishantini had stage four cancer in her reproductive system. The doctors had no hope to save her life, so they sent her home. She was in such pain she couldn’t eat.

Her pastor would visit her often as she battled the sickness at home. He introduced her to Bible League’s Project Philip Bible study and encouraged her with Scripture, then God began to work in her heart. “I came to know Christ who saved me from my sins,” she says. “When I heard the story of the man who cried out to Jesus for healing, I too cried out to Jesus. That night, I felt that God was beside my deathbed.”

Nishantini woke up to a miracle. The pain was gone. Her appetite had returned. “Praise the Lord, God had healed me!”

Now, Nishantini and her husband are studying God’s Word and attending church together. “God did not give up on me,” she exclaims. “I thank my pastor and everybody for helping me. I also thank God for these books and the Bible so my husband and I can study.” Though healed, she has still not been able to conceive. She and her husband ask for prayers as they continue to long for a family.