Every morning we pilled three teams (about 21 people) and
our translators into the back of a truck and drove for 20 to 30 minutes on
roads that reminded me a bit of the safari. Then we would pile out, pray and be
split into groups. The pastor always chose me to be in his group (Pastor’s pet
I guess). We made many visits throughout the week, but there were 3 that stood
out and that I’d like to share.
The first memorable visit was to a couple’s home. Their names
were Thomas and Leigha. As we
approached the small cluster of dirt and mud-brick structures I noticed an average
looking man, thatching pieces of wood to posts in the ground. He was
constructing a new building for sleeping and cooking. The space between the
wood formed squares that would later be filled with mud. Thomas took a break
from his work and we shared stories about Jesus and how He provides a way to
have direct relationship with God. Thomas and his wife were both Roman
Catholic, but had stopped attending church years ago. Thomas was so eager to learn more from
the Bible and he asked if there could be weekly teachings. I just so happened
to have one Kiswahili Bible in my bag and Charity, my evangelism partner, excitedly
asked me to give it to Thomas. I could see already that he treasured this
honored gift. He told us he would read it and have questions for us the next
time we returned. Charity suggested that we would teach him from the Bible and
in exchange he could teach us about African construction. He smiled, laughed
and cheerfully taught us how to tie the wood to the posts. It was surprisingly
strong when we finished.
The second memorable visit was to the Pastor’s cousin, the
witchdoctor’s daughter. As we shared the gospel with her she was shy and
agreeable. She did not have a desire to accept Christ, but asked for prayer.
Before we began to pray the pastor pointed out a leather bracelet wrapped
around her babies wrist. “She has been to the witchdoctor, ” he said. This
bracelet, filled with things, was a charm that was meant to help the baby to
overcome malaria and the other ailments she faced. As I prayed for the small
child, less than a year old, she stared deeply with her huge black eyes. You
could not see any definition between the center of her eye and the iris. There
was creepiness about the babies stare. It tore me up inside and left me uneasy.
The third memorable visit was to an older woman named Ester,
her granddaughter Jessica and Jessica’s mother. We shared the gospel, and some
stories from Jesus’ life with them and they seemed very committed to live for
Christ. I noticed that baby Jessica had a leather string around her waist that
had a coin on it. I asked about it and they explained that they had taken her
to the witchdoctor to heal her stomachaches. My heart sank and I was even a bit
angry. Another innocent baby is being subjected to demon worshiping spells.
After about 30 minutes of explanation of placing your whole trust in God and
how He wants us to be hot or cold and not lukewarm, we had convinced the mother
to let us cutoff the witchdoctor’s charm. A sense of relief came as the child
was released from the cord and we prayed for God’s healing. I’d like to request
that you say a prayer for Baby Jessica’s health. I hope that God will use her
continued health to build the family’s trust and faith in the Lord. I pray that
they will not have any reason to return to the witchdoctor.
Our evenings were filled with motivation to continue our
morning ministry. At the crusades,
I saw dozens of demon-possessed people. Seeing the anguish and pain they were
going through to remove the demons, fueled my fire to prevent the spread in the
village.
One evening there were over 20 people being held to the
ground of the “deliverance tent”. The shrieking and flailing about was a scary
sight, but not as difficult to watch as what happened when one of the people
attempted to leave the tent. First a man came full speed out the tent opening
and 6 or more men came running behind. They caught the man and dropped him to
the ground. He began to twist and flip over his head and in all directions.
More men came to hold him down and one held the man’s head, while another hit
the top of his head repeatedly with the heel of his hand. All the while, people
were shouting at him and violently praying over him. He continued to twist and
squirm as 8 or more men carried him back to the tent, dropping him several
times. The next to break out of
the tent was a
young woman. She ran toward the crowd and was tripped by one of
the ladies who chased her. She fell into the people and was also forced back
into the tent. I’m still processing all that I saw take place at the crusades.
When Jesus casted out demons He spoke firmly and the demons left. In all the
examples I’ve read, none of the demon removals involved violence like I saw at
the crusades. I do want to see the
people free from the demons, but done in such a way that they are remembering
that these are people who are possessed by demons, not demons themselves.
