When You Exchange Religion for Jesus: An Interview with Miriam da Silva

Today I’m chatting with Miriam da Silva—a mother of four (Mariah Hlatywayo’s Mum!), grandmother to one, former journalist who is now a Primary School teacher. Miriam was born in Sri Lanka and grew up very religious in the Catholic church. She described having faith in God, attending daily mass and reading her Bible, but not understanding the good news of the gospel or having a relationship with Jesus Christ. She migrated to Australia in her forties with her husband and four children after civil unrest in Sri Lanka. Not long after migrating, she lost her job as the family breadwinner, had a shoulder injury at work, and experienced financial difficulties, but in the process she met Jesus. ### **In today’s episode, we explore:** - Growing up very religious in the Catholic faith in Sri Lanka, working as a journalist, having faith in God but not understanding the good news of the gospel or having a relationship with Jesus Christ. - Migrating to Australia in her forties with her husband and four children after civil unrest in Sri Lanka. Not long after migrating, she lost her job as the family breadwinner, had a shoulder injury at work, and experienced financial difficulties, but in the process she met Jesus. - Miriam explained how she came to have a relationship with Jesus, how God provided for her and showed her she is not alone, and the peace this bought to her life. - Miriam has a “job that no one gave me,”—a ministry of phone calls to people who are isolated or going through a hard time. I am obsessed with the intentionality of this ministry and encourage you to consider who you might be able to call and listen to in your own life You can check out the show notes for everything mentioned in the episode. If you enjoyed this episode, sign up for honest stories in your inbox on Wednesdays (March through November) from local Christian women. It’s all free 💛 If you want to send us compliments or constructive suggestions, get in touch at [rebecca@storiesidtellyouatdinner.com.au](mailto:rebecca@storiesidtellyouatdinner.com.au). If you love the podcast, writing a review on Apple Podcasts or leaving a five star review Spotify helps other women find us. Thank you! *Music*: Come Back by Ketsa. Licensed under a Creative Commons License Non-Commercial, No-Derivatives 4.0 International License.