BYM ONLINE DESK Blessing Feb 2020 English E-magazine | Page 9

Voice of the Remnant
(Testimony of
Mariam Santa
daughter of late missionary Jhituku Santa
of Odisha)
Life was smooth and jolly till 5th April, 2013.
We are three sisters and we all were in school. Our
parents were missionaries with Blessing Youth
Mission. We had big dreams and ambitions. But on
that day it seemed as if the whole world had come to
a standstill. That was the day when my father,
Jhitku Santa went to be with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Since I was in my 12th standard, no one told
me that he had been diagnosed with a severe form of
blood cancer. I was hardly with him for a period of 1
week before he departed from us. As a family, my
Mom, my 2 younger sisters and I were very much
traumatized. It seemed as if there was no hope for
us. Our future was bleak. It was as if our dreams
were shattered. We just couldn't decipher where life
was leading us. I had just completed my 12th, my
younger sister, Sarah her 10th and my youngest,
Esther her 9th standard. Besides, all three of us
were in our teenage and were very much missing
our Dad's love and guidance. Mom (Indra) too found
it difficult to take up family responsibilities as she
was entirely dependent on Dad and was totally
unexposed to the outside world. And so the mantle
of taking care of the family fell on me when I was
only 19 years old.
I got admission in an engineering college at
Semiliguda, Odisha. It was difficult for me to
concentrate on my studies as well as carry out my
family responsibilities. I endured the queer looks
from people since I had to go to the ATM and shops
the role stereotypically performed by a male in our
culture. Many a times, I thought of quitting.
Besides, I found it difficult to cope up in an ungodly
college atmosphere. However, God enabled me to
graduate successfully in the year 2017.
Soon after graduation, I planned to go to
Chennai to pursue M.Tech, and prepare for
banking exams. Through Divine intervention, I
came to know about Indian Civil Services.
Miraculously, I secured admission in an IAS
Academy where I underwent coaching for free for
one complete year. Since the syllabus of Civil
Services was vast and new to me, I could not clear
the Indian Civil Services. But God was working in
my life. Though I struggled initially to understand
what He was trying to do with me, gradually I
started to learn His will. I was burdened to work in
Odisha. I learnt that my waiting (preparing) period
was not a wasting period. He was molding me and
drawing me more closer to Him.
By His Grace I was able to clear Odisha Civil
Services (OCS), 2018 in my first attempt. After
completing B.Sc., Computer Science, Sarah is
pursuing MSW and Esther has got a placement in
Infosys. Mom continues to minister through BYM.
Certainly He has not left us as orphans (Jn 14:18).
God is our heavenly and earthly Father. Our future
is secure in Him. From the bottom of my heart, I
thank all the servants of God who guided,
encouraged and supported me.
February 2020 | www.bymonline.org | Page 09