World Racers Justin Marshall and Zach Cobos of January 2012 E Squad collaborated to tell a beautiful story of revival that they got to be part of in India.
As we approached the concrete house I noticed the stains and wear of the shoddy worksmanship. The floors were made from sleek granite from the local area. Depending on what time you were in the village, you might be able to hear the dynamite exploding just outside of the city limits at the granite mines all around. A family of around 10 members greeted us at the doorstep and invited us to come under their porch. They generously offered us sweets and cups of chai.
In the middle of the family stood a shy young girl of around 16 years of age. She wore a floral dress coated with royal blue and dotted with white and sky-blue flowers. As per the village custom the dress covered her upper arms and shoulders and cascaded down to conceal her ankles. Her black hair was pulled tightly back into a ponytail. A shiny gold-chained earring hung loosely from her ear.
Her name, we learned, was Subashani and she had a story that she needed to tell us. Her shyness caught her, however, as she brought her hand timidly to cover her mouth, so a tall man standing next to her with a bristly black mustache began the tale for his daughter.
Abraham explained that Subashani had been born with a weakness. She had only one kidney. A month before we arrived at their door tragedy struck the sweet child and she was afflicted with numerous kidney stones that inflicted excruciating pain to her body. They say the pain endured by passing kidney stones is equivalent to the pain of childbirth.
The family hastily rushed her to the hospital. After they saw her, Subashani fell into a coma. She was in that comatose state for seven hours, lying limp on a table in some shanty care center. The doctors decided there was nothing they could do, and they pronounced Subashani dead and sent her home with the family.
On the ride home, her father explained, the village church prayed diligently for the girl and Subashani’s family cried out to their father to bring their daughter back as the tires below them bumped and skidded along the rough dirt road. When they arrived at home, the praying did not cease. They continued to call out in faith to God, knowing all things were possible through him.
Suddenly, someone noticed a strange movement coming from her body. It happened once more. Subashani was moving!
She opened her eyes and began to awaken. The family’s joy was palpable, and they raised praises to the God of creation who brought their daughter back to life. Her family brought her back to the same hospital to have her checked once more. What they found was impossible. The stones in Subashani’s kidneys were completely gone. The doctors were baffled. It was a miracle that only the Creator of the universe could have been responsible for.
“Because of God’s grace, I am alive.” Subashani began courageously. “I will be a witness to God. Before, I did not know the purpose of my life, but now I want to be a testament to the grace and mercy of Christ! That he can bring you from nothing to something.”
