Jennifer, a 12-year-old girl from northern India, starts and ends her day with heartfelt prayers to Jesus, expressing gratitude and seeking blessings for her family, school, and daily activities. Despite facing challenges, her faith remains unwavering, and her prayers are a source of comfort and connection.
Jennifer is 12 years old and lives in northern India. More than anything, she likes to pray.
At home, Jennifer prays as soon as she gets up in the morning. “Thank you, Jesus, for the good night’s sleep,” she said on a recent morning, sitting on her bed. “Thank You for the new day,” Jennifer said, praying in Hindi, her native language. “Please bless me throughout the day. Please also bless my uncle, my aunt, my cousins, and our neighbors. Please especially bless my father and mother. Amen.”
When Jennifer sat down for breakfast, she prayed. “Dear Jesus, bless this food. Amen.” Then she ate her breakfast of rice, dahl lentils, and chapati flatbread.
When Jennifer was ready to leave for school, she prayed.
“Dear Jesus, please bless the day.Please help me as I learn in school today. Help me to remember what I have studied for my quiz. Amen.”
At school, 450 children gathered in a big room for morning worship. Jennifer led them in prayer from the stage as she often did. All the school classes are in English, and she prayed in English. At 1 p.m., Jennifer unpacked her lunchbox in the school classroom and prayed. “Dear Jesus, bless this food. Amen,” she said, again in English. She had been studying in English all day, so it was easy to also pray in English. Then she ate her lunch of cabbage, cauliflower, potatoes, and chapati flatbread.
In the afternoon, she had a math quiz. She prayed, “Dear Jesus, please help me to remember what I have studied and to get a good grade.”
At home, her father prayed for supper. He joined Jennifer and her mother for the meal of rice, paneer cheese, and vegetables. Jennifer liked to hear her father pray. “Dear Lord, please bless this food,” he said in Hindi. “Bless the hands that prepared it. Bless those who have provided us with the food, and please give us good health as we eat. Amen.”
At bedtime, Jennifer prayed with her parents at family worship. “The Creator of heaven and earth, we thank you for keeping us safe throughout the day,” Jennifer said in Hindi. Then she prayed for the family, for relatives, for neighbors, and for a good night’s rest.
After that, she lay down under her bed sheet and closed her eyes to sleep. It had been a good day. It had been a day spent talking to Jesus.
Part of this quarter’s 13th Sabbath Offering will help construct a new school building for Jennifer and the other students in India. The 450 students now study in an old building that was built by a German missionary who founded the school nearly 50 years ago. Thank you for helping give Jennifer and her classmates a new school building.
