Baba Maroosa

 

This week I'd like to share with you a woman who calls herself Baba Maroosa.  As I was walking one day I met her, talked with her and gave her a tract.  She was surprisingly friendly and open to the gospel.  We did not come in contact with her again until one Sunday morning.  Because our van has been in the shop, we have been walking to church.  On our way, we pass out tracts to those we come in contact with.  Baba Maroosa was on the road and stopped to talk with us because of all of the kids.  When we gave her a tract and invited her to church, she said she would be there.  We continued on our way wondering if she really would come or not.  Church services were almost over and she still had not shown up.  Because Sammy was acting up, Jess took him out for a minute and there sitting on the doorstep was Baba Maroosa!  Jessica told her to come in and sit down.  After that, Baba Maroosa faithfully attended our services.  Jess has also had her over for tea (you can read about that visit here).

Baba Maroosa grew up in a very hard time and is part of the generation known as "a child of war".  She witnessed many things, including the death of her mother.  Because both of her parents were victims of the war, she was raised by her grandmother.  In her eyes, if Christ hadn't already "saved" her she would either be dead or an alcoholic like most of the other children of war.  She also says that she has seen Jesus and Mary, which she claims as proof of salvation.  At the moment, she is not interested in doing Bible lessons.  We are greatly burdened for this woman and pray that God will save her before it is too late.  She is in her 80s.  We recently saw her sitting at a friend's house.  Her face was all bruised and bloody.  They said it just happened because of an illness and she was living with her friend now.  We believe that her drunken son beat her.  She kept telling us that she was just going to die.  Please pray that God will save this woman.  Because of her "condition" she is not coming to church nor does she want us to visit.  We have found that many times when Ukrainians have something wrong with their faces they do not want to be seen and hide themselves away until they are healed.  Pray that God will either quickly heal her or that she will allow us to visit her.  How sad it would be if a bruise kept her from salvation!