Earlier this week we had the privilege of visiting a man in great
need of prayer. His name is Minos. He’s twenty-six years old, and has the most
joyous smile you’ll ever see on a human. Married, he lives with his wife,
two-year old son, and mother-in-law. Their home is simple. Two bedrooms are on
the upper level, each hardly big enough to hold the bed. The lower level is a
small, open room, housing their pet goat, and a few pots and pans. To get from
the lower level of their home to the upper level, you have to climb a wooden
ladder. Their home is made of dirt and clay, and has no electricity or running
water. It’s located at the very peak of a steep mountain. (Lots and lots of
stairs to get to him!)
Minos was born crippled and almost entirely mute. His legs
don’t bend and straighten properly, and walking is nearly impossible for him.
He was raised Buddhist, but three years ago, our Nepalese dad (Megh) shared
Christ with him and they’ve been worshiping God together ever since! Once Minos
joined Megh’s church, Megh started sending church members to pray for him. Over
the course of two years, Minos’ legs straightened enough for him to walk. His
tongue and mouth muscles relaxed enough for him to speak a handful of words
(still extremely difficult to understand his speech) and God began to restore
his body both physically and spiritually.
Megh brought us to Minos to pray for healing and physical
restoration. For the last three months, Minos’ legs have not been strong enough
to climb up and down the mountain to attend church. He’s confined to his small,
dark home, because he can’t walk anywhere. We laid hands on our brother and we
prayed. As the words poured from my mouth, tears streamed down my cheeks. I
tried to hold them back, but I couldn’t. I was overwhelmed by this man’s faith.
By his endurance. By his strength.
Despite his physical disabilities, he climbed up and down
his mountain to go to church (this took him HOURS to do!) for three years. I
was ashamed of myself. My church is a 30 minute drive from home, and there were
several mornings when I didn’t want to wake up early and drive to church in my
comfortable, air conditioned car. And here is Minos, severely handicapped, and
climbing down a mountain for three hours to attend a short worship service. Which
makes me wonder….
How eager am I to worship?
God didn’t physically heal Minos that afternoon. But He did
stir up a lot of challenges and questions in me. How EAGER am I to worship? How
far am I willing to go to glorify my Father? How much work am I willing to do
to witness to others? And most importantly…despite my deformities of sorts,
will I still carry Christ’s joy as I seek to please Him in all I do?
Please continue to pray for our brother, Minos. Strength and
healing are coming-whether in this life, or the one to come, we WILL see our
brother dance with joy before the Lord. Praise God.
