Sitting on a mat on a rooftop, Uma,* an Indian Christian, shared stories about Jesus.

The day before had been her final day with the Southeastern team that had come to Mumbai; now it was her turn to share with others. She had gone with her mentors into homes, shared her testimony, and told the stories from creation to Jesus. At the completion of that time, Uma and her friends tearfully promised to use what they had learned and to continue to share the stories with the lost.

Now, with one of the Southeastern students sitting next to her, Uma was leading this rooftop session.

An elderly woman, who earlier was brought to tears listening to the story of the demon-possessed man, was slowly sharing her testimony.

“Did you understand that?” Uma asked me after every phrase. She knew I did not fully understand what the woman was expressing, but Uma was patient with me as I tried.

Uma’s goal wasn’t to test my knowledge of the Hindi language; she was simply taking to heart what she had learned the past two days. She wanted to give everyone in the circle an opportunity to learn and grow in their storytelling — just like the model the Southeastern team had showed her.

These women left their housework undone so that they could become stronger disciples of the Word and could learn how to tell the stories of the Bible to others. In only a few days, they witnessed people they had just met hear the stories and then make decisions to follow Christ.

As we sat on that rooftop, I noticed that Uma didn’t need a lot of prompting or guidance from her mentors. Uma knew the importance of these stories in her life. During the workshop, she had seen others’ lives transformed by the simple telling of the same story that had changed her life.

Now it was her turn to teach other Christian women and help them capture a vision of what sharing the stories of the Bible can do for someone’s heart.

*Name changed.