Living legends: Manjula Shah

Wonders never cease.

The picture shows the senior leadership of Operation Mobilisation - the mission my parents are most closely associated with - having actively served with the movement over 3 decades. In the front row is my Dad. Around him stalwarts from what looks like the late 70s by the hair styles (and amount of hair on Dad's head).

On the left hand side of the picture stands a lady with a batik top, holding hands with a lady in a saree. The saree-clad lady is Mariam DeSouza, with her husband Joseph (the current OM leader) sitting in front of her. The batik-wearing lady visited us in Thane today. Her name is Manjula Shah.

I have grown up knowing Auntie Manjula. Or so I thought. There are certain things you know as a boy and others you do not. Today we found out more about Auntie than I did in all my adolescence.

We had our Positive Friends meeting this afternoon. Last Wednesday of the month. A time for our friends to be encouraged. To sing and share what they have experienced. To be challenged by God's words - and to pray with each other.

Auntie Manjula joined us for this meeting today. She sat beaming through the different sharings that our friends gave. One told how her husband is so much better now. Another about how she has been able to take her medications (she is being treated for multi-drug resistant TB). A third about how he had had his identity as an HIV positive man revealed to his family when a TV crew shot a short feature - and his family friends then found out that he was living with HIV.

I couldn't resist asking Auntie to tell her story. She did.

She started with the obvious. Having limped forward using her calipers - she shared about how she was born in Nairobi to a Gujarathi family who were followers of the Jain faith and how she was infected with polio as a 6 month old baby.

She also shared how she first came in contact with Christians - through attending meetings as a young girl - hoping for healing of her leg. In the process she met Jesus in a personal way and became His devotee. But the leg was still there - and she continued to ask for total and miraculous healing.

Matters came to a head in her late teens. Auntie Manjula was at a series of meetings where she was fervently praying for healing. Partly because she believed that God wanted her better - partly because she wanted her other family members to have proof of the power of Jesus. She fasted for 3 days and then gave God her ultimatum. "If you don't heal me today - then I think I will have to reassess what I know about you...."

God answered her - but not as she expected. During that climatic day - she opened her Bible and seemingly at random the passage she read was Paul talking about how he had asked God 3 times to remove the 'thorn from his flesh' - and how the answer he got was: "my grace is sufficient for you."

Manjula told those of us in the room today - HIV positive and negative alike - that God spoke to her so clearly through those words. And that she for the first time spontaneously told God: "thank you for my leg" and felt so much of the worries and bitterness drain away. And how she received God's promises to her that He would look after her. Her parents were worried about her marriage - and who would take care of her when they died - on that day God told Manjula that He was her Father - and would look out for her. She also received assurance about her other deep fear - that her other family members would be able to know Jesus. In that maelstorm of messages - God assured her that this too would take place - even though her leg was not going to be miraculously healed in the way that she wanted. And that in His time each of her loved ones would come to love Jesus too.

There are many more stories to be told. But here is the gist. After her family left East Africa and settled back in Gujarat - and in the UK - Manjula finished her college in Baroda. She then joined OM and served with my parents - eventually providing leadership for all the women's work. Her leg went with her everywhere she went. And her heart of love and compassion and her zeal for her loving Jesus too.

The last 20 odd years have been spent serving with local government in Britain. A sprightly 60, Auntie Manjula ended up her career with 4 years as a diversity officer which she thoroughly enjoyed.

And then she got cancer.

About 2 years ago we got an email and feared the worst. Our Auntie Manjula has mouth cancer. She cannot eat from the mouth any more. She cannot speak. She is in hospital and critical.

Today, Manjula Auntie filled in the story. It was all true. She was admitted for massive chemo and radio therapy. She developed severe infections. She did not know whether she would leave the hospital alive. After 32 days she was discharged. She did not eat food orally for 1.5 years. The thought of coming back to India was remote.

But today she stood in-front of our friends with HIV and shared the final bit of her story. The therapies have kicked in. She is being amazingly healed of her cancer. God is not finished with Auntie Manjula yet. A sprightly 60 - she is a survivor. Her cancer is in remission and she is able to eat. She speaks - something that she was not able to do as recently as January this year. She is full of the quiet joy of the overcomer.

Auntie shared her story which blended in with the other stories of hope. We are so proud to know this saint. We are so blessed to see God use His dear children in such amazing ways. A day well lived for us all. A life well-trodden for our Jesus-loving example.