A 73-Year-Old Woman Called for Prayer and Found Someone to Care for Her

Leela Wati, a 73-year-old woman in Fiji, needed help after a stroke and wondered who would care for her when her son emigrated. A call to the prayer number shown on Hope Channel led to home visits and contact with a local pastor who helped her find a place to receive care. Through the broadcasts and the people who prayed with her, she came to know Jesus and was baptized on September 19, 2026.

Originally from Nadi, Leela Wati had moved to Fiji’s capital to live with her son. Both Nadi and the capital city of Suva are on Viti Levu, Fiji’s main island in the South Pacific. Leela’s move to Suva came after a stroke affected the left side of her body, and she needed help with many things. When her son emigrated from Fiji, she needed another place to stay where someone could look after her.

“At that time, I was thinking, ‘Where am I going to go? Who is going to look after me?’” she said. During those difficulties, she watched Hope Channel on television. A discussion program caught her attention, and she began watching the broadcasts more often.

One day, an invitation appeared on the screen: “If you need prayer, call 813.” Leela shares, “I thought to myself, ‘Maybe I should call.’ So the next day, I called the number.” Pastor Mosese Nayavaki, Hope Channel Fiji’s Hope Bible School coordinator, answered the call to the school’s toll-free line and prayed for her. She said the prayer encouraged her.

Later, Nayavaki and Sushiel Jit, a Hope Channel Fiji staff member, visited Leela at home. She told them about her health and the difficulties she faced, and they listened and prayed with her. “They came and prayed for me several times, and every time they visited, I felt encouraged,” she said.

Nayavaki passed Leela’s phone number to Pastor John Singh, who leads the Brenstar congregation. When Singh contacted her, she explained that she needed somewhere to stay where someone could care for her, and asked him to help her find a place.

“I didn’t know what was going to happen, but I kept praying,” she said. “I prayed and asked God, ‘Please open a door for me. Please show me where I can go.’”

Through Singh, she found a place in the home of a woman in Davuilevu, near Suva, who now cares for her. “I am very thankful that God has provided this place for me,” Leela said.

Through the television programs and the people who came to pray, she said she began learning more about Jesus. She said she accepted him as her Savior, and Singh baptized her. Leela Wati is now a member of the Brenstar church, the congregation he leads at Cunningham Stage 4, just outside Suva.

“My health challenges are still there, but my heart is different now. I have hope. I know that God is with me,” Leela said. She credited God with bringing people into her life who cared for her: “He brought people into my life who cared for me. He provided a place for me to stay. And most importantly, He helped me come to know Jesus.”

“Every day, I continue watching Hope Channel. I watch the programs, I learn, and I pray,” she said. “I pray that God will continue to open doors for me and give me strength. I also pray for healing from my sickness.”

Sometimes she wonders what would have happened if she had never seen the number on the screen. “But I did see it, and I made that phone call,” she said. That one call led to prayer, friendship and support. Most important to her, it helped her come to know Jesus.