Daisy Howell (1918—1998)

Country of Origin

India

Countries/Regions of Ministry

India

Traditions

Pentecostal

Ministries

church planter

In January 1965, Daisy Howell, a nurse and matron of the Railway Hospital in Firozpur Cantonment, Punjab, India lay seriously ill with vertigo and brief blackouts. At 339-C, Railway Hospital Compound, her family waited anxiously. The woman accustomed to comforting frightened patients now faced weakness and the fear of death herself.

An unexpected visitor, Brother P. D. Benjamin, arrived for a courtesy call. A retired railway employee, he had heard of her husband from a Hindu station master but knew nothing of Daisy’s illness. Beside her bed, he prayed quietly to Jesus. Afterwards, Daisy said, “I feel light and good.” She rose up. Her family received her recovery as God’s mercy.

Brother Benjamin stayed for two months, leading morning and evening Bible reading, prayer, and worship. The whole family experienced conversion from inherited Christianity to personal faith in Jesus. David, Daisy, Ronald, Reginald, Robert, and Ramona all entrusted their lives to Christ; their twelve-year-old, Richard, responded last. Hearing John 3:16, he realized that God’s love included him, asked forgiveness, and surrendered his life to Jesus. Their home became a place of living faith.

During worship, Daisy experienced a powerful filling of the Holy Spirit. She spoke in an unfamiliar prayer language and later gave an interpretation. For two days, she remained immersed in prayer. The lasting fruit was deeper love for Jesus, hunger for Scripture, courage in witness, and compassion for suffering people. Her natural shyness remained, but it no longer silenced her testimony.

Back in the hospital, Daisy’s nursing became a calling renewed by grace. Faith did not replace medicine; it strengthened responsible, compassionate care. She listened patiently, noticed lonely patients, sang hymns softly, and prayed whenever prayer was welcome. Those who declined received the same respect. A Hindu doctor, noticing her peace and joy, invited her to his home, where she shared Christ through friendship rather than pressure.

After duty, Daisy visited families in Bharat Nagar and nearby colonies, offering practical help, prayer, and companionship. During the war of 1965, her home welcomed frightened Hindu, Sikh, and Christian neighbors. She led prayers for protection, peace, soldiers, wounded people, and grieving families. The woman once overwhelmed by fear now helped others find courage without pretending that danger had disappeared.

Daisy’s ministry helped gather a fellowship in Bharat Nagar. David shared fully in this work, bringing generosity, practical responsibility, and steady leadership. Initially serving as a layman, he was later ordained by the Rev. Christe Liddle of Doon Bible College, Dehradun. Daisy nurtured the community through prayer, song, testimony, and care. David provided stability and structure.Their different gifts strengthened a shared calling.

Through David’s generosity and the believers’ collective labor, a modest church accommodating approximately 150 people was built and named the Church of God. In 1977, the fellowship was formally registered as the Evangelical Church of God. What had begun around a sickbed had become a worshipping, witnessing community. The building gave the fellowship a gathering place, but its mission continued beyond its walls.

Daisy formed a women’s team that included her daughter Ramona. They travelled across Punjab and as far as Manali, singing, sharing scripture, praying for healing, and encouraging women to bear witness. Sometimes travelling by bicycle, Daisy and fellow believers visited villages and opened the Bible with families. They listened and taught, making room for questions and helping ordinary people discover that Christ welcomed them.

These were the beginnings of a Spirit-empowered movement. The fellowship shaped witnesses including Rev. Kali Das, Rev. Karam Chand, and their families. Ministries arising from it spread across North India and overseas, continuing today. Daisy’s enduring testimony is not simply that she received healing, but that grace transformed her family, strengthened a church, empowered women, and multiplied through lives offered to Jesus Christ.

Richard Howell
The Caleb Institute, India

This article has been adapted from Richard Howell, Living Water in Indian Cups (Haryana: Caleb Institute Publication, 2026), 34-88.

For Further Reading:

Webster, John C. B. A Social History of Christianity: North-west India Since 1800. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 299-300.