When Peru missionary Dorothy Budd’s phone rang, she had no idea God was giving her an opportunity to change someone’s life.

Dorothy picked up and one of her church members asked her to come explain the way of salvation to her cousin, Norma, who was dying of cancer. Dorothy and her ladies Bible study had been praying for Norma for months, but it was becoming clear that she didn’t have long to live. 

When they arrived, Norma’s family gave Dorothy the freedom to fully explain the way to be saved from her sins and receive Christ as her Savior. As Dorothy shared the gospel in the dim light by Norma’s bedside, God supplied Dorothy with His Word, and by the time she left, Dorothy believed the Word had penetrated Norma’s heart. Six days later Norma passed away, but not before telling her cousin that she was ready to go and her sins were forgiven. 

The following Sunday, Dorothy accompanied Norma’s family to the cemetery and ran into a young man who had come to her church as a teenager. His wife was Norma’s sister-in-law, and when Dorothy informed the couple that she had the privilege of giving the gospel to Norma before she died, his wife burst into tears. She told Dorothy she had been praying for Norma’s salvation but was not allowed to talk with her because she was an evangelical. Norma’s family is Catholic and leaving the Catholic Church is perceived as a betrayal, but since Dorothy wasn’t family, she was allowed to speak with Norma.