“... for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him… “
(2Tim.1:12)
Prabhat Shobha Gulati was born in September 1931 in Bahawalpur, Punjab, the 7th in a respected Hindu family of 11
children. Due to the chaos of 1947 partition Shobha’s medical studies were in jeopardy, but she was admitted to Christian
Medical College in Ludhiana in June 1948. Sadly Shobha’s mother passed away in May 1950, leaving Shobha in her own
words heartbroken, the most unhappy person in the college, bearing the disappointment quietly under a big burden and
conviction which was becoming heavier every day”. Shobha writes the message of Isaiah 1:18 spoke to her heart “Though
your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow …” In deep distress on December 18th 1950 she prayed to God
saying “If it is so, give me peace”. She confessed her sin and trusted in Christ for salvation, leaving her previous way of
life even though it was a very costly decision for her with much loneliness and challenge.
After her graduation Shobha got a job as a doctor at St. Stephens Hospital in Delhi in October 1953. She was baptized on
Dec 23rd, 1953 and attended the Gospel Hall in Connaught Place. She married Alan Linton, missionary from NZ, in
Meerut in September 1956. Alan and Shobha were blessed with 3 children, Timothy, Joy, and Andrew who all attended
missionary boarding schools in the Nilgiri Hills, Tamil Nadu. In the 1970’s Shobha worked in the leprosy hospital in
Sankeshwar in South India. In December 1975 Shobha and Alan returned to New Zealand and home was set up in
Christchurch. In early 1985 when the children had completed studies, Shobha and Alan returned to India to continue Bible
teaching. They lived and witnessed in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh at Palampur, Kangra, and Dharmsala, then
retired to New Zealand in 1992. Alan suffered a stroke in December 2008, but they were still able to visit India again a few
years later. Shobha faithfully cared for him till his passing in Sept. 2016 after 60 years of marriage. These last 7 years
have seen Shobha adjust to declining strength and loss of independence, but she never lost her big smile, faith, courage,
and contentment. Shobha passed away peacefully in her sleep in her own home on the morning of Thursday 3rd August,
2023. Shobha’s life can be summed up in the words of Proverbs 4:19 which says: "But the path of the righteous is like the
light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day."
Editor’s Note: The Lintons were greatly committed to the Lord’s ministry in India. The late Dr Allan Linton and Dr Shobha
Linton not only supported the GFTI ministry in a large way while living, but left a legacy of Rs 7.9 million in the form of an
endowment fund under the name Ebenezer Endowment Fund ( the interest earned on this goes to Indian evangelists).