Family in India beaten for following Jesus, remain strong after witnessing miracles

From being healed of a skin disease to being beaten for their faith, one family in India is standing by their choice to follow Jesus.

Preetha and her husband Navin* were once devout Hindus. Navin made idols and Preetha prayed and fasted to their many gods. But nothing made a difference in their daughter, Mira's skin disease. 

That's when Preetha decided to try something else. She had heard Christians say Jesus could heal people. 

"If this God will heal her, I will serve Him for the rest of my life," Preetha said during an interview with Open Doors USA.

Waiting to be asked for money or some sort of sacrifice, the pastor simply prayed over Mira. The prayers were heard and Mira's skin became blemish-free, which brought Preetha to tears. 

The miracle she witnessed ended up changing the whole family and they decided to become Christians. Navin even gave up drinking alcohol and became a pastor himself. While the family was filled with joy from the change, people nearby were not so happy. 

Things turned violent when the family decided to go to a prayer meeting one day. Outside, during the meeting, they heard a commotion and someone shouting "Where are the Christians?"

After a group of men burst through the door of the house, the leader of the group grabbed Navin by the shirt. "We don’t want Christians here!" he yelled. The other men started smashing everything in sight.

Things turned physically violent and one man grabbed Preetha. Before she could do something, he hit her with a steel rod and things went dark. 

Being beaten within an inch of her life, Preetha woke up in a hospital that wouldn't treat Christians. Thankfully, the family was connected to a pastor with Open Doors. He transported them to a hospital that would help. 

"Had Open Doors partners not helped us, I would have died. I want to say thank you, not just to God but also to His people who have helped us. I am thankful for what God’s people have done for me. They helped, thinking of me as their own," says Preetha.

Despite being beaten for her Christian faith, she's found compassion for her assailants. 

"Pray for the persecutors who oppose God, that they may know the love of God."

*Names changed to protect the families identity.