Rusma is an amazing young woman. Born the second child of eight children, she had to take responsibility at a very young age, tending to her siblings and helping her mother in the garden. When she could, Rusma went to school. She loved it. She was quite shy, but she was a bright, studious girl. She came to know the Lord during her school days, and she looked forward to entering the mission high school and seeing where the Lord would lead her life.
However, a young man became infatuated with Rusma and insisted that they must marry right away. If he couldn’t have her, he said he would kill himself. I talked with him and advised him that, if he truly loved her, he should give her time to finish her studies and follow her dreams. But he insisted that he simply couldn’t wait, and apparently her parents agreed. Rusma was disappointed not to attend high school, but she didn’t insist on her own way. Rusma is a self-sacrificing young lady. She wanted to obey her parents, and she knew the dowry money would help them.
It wasn’t long before the young man started drifting away and eventually deserted his family entirely. Rusma gave birth to their second child, and little Hannah had severe birth defects. Rusma was sad but stoic. I was concerned that she would reject or neglect Hannah, knowing she couldn’t live long. But Rusma and her then two-year-old son Marki took good care of little Hannah. She never complained. She read her Bible, she prayed, she sang, and she clung in faith to her Lord.
It was a red-letter day when Rusma was shown to the house that the elementary students had built for her with some funding from the mission project. She was so touched to have a decent place for herself, her children and her sisters to live. I was touched by the students’ and teachers’ initiative and generosity.
As Hannah’s health failed, Rusma remained unflappable. I wondered whether she understood the gravity of her condition. But during the final days of Hannah’s 14-month life, I came to understand that Rusma was fully aware and yet completely dependent on God. She was heartbroken when Hannah finally breathed her last. After the service, we stood together at the graveside as she and little Marki held each other and cried and cried. I was amazed at how deeply even little Marki felt the loss. “Mama, Hannah is sleeping now,” he said.
Rusma replied, “Marki, we must be faithful to Jesus so we will see our little Hannah again.”
Part of a budding home church, Rusma has been a consistently cheerful learner and leader. Just this evening we were having a home church potluck, and Rusma and I were chatting about her other missionary work. She is helping with the group in Emrang, several mountains over from where she lives. She wants to learn more to be more effective in ministry. She has a true missionary spirit.
Rusma’s parents have moved out of the mountains, which means she now faces more challenges. Five of her siblings are dependent on her as they attend the mission school. She doesn’t receive help from her parents or from her estranged husband, and her work as a laundress doesn’t pay much. But when I asked her about some of her many trials, she said with a genuine smile, “I don’t really look at them as difficulties. I know God is helping me. He is providing.”
