This month, we’re celebrating men in missions — men who have left their norm to advance the Gospel and share the love of Christ wherever they step.
While in China with his Kingdom Journeys team, World Race Alum Pat Stiller walked up to a crippled man in the middle of a busy plaza and prayed for him to be healed — despite the security guards and police walking by.
On our first week in Asia, the Kingdom Journeys Men’s Team spent time in Beijing, crisscrossing the city on the subways, exploring big tourist spots, and settling into life in China.
We arrived in China without a detailed itinerary. Our plan was to listen to the Lord and be obedient to whatever he led us.
In this case, life in China was a lot like life in the States: some days we seemed to walk step by step with the Lord, and other days we seemed to forget that he was with us.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, God moved in a way that left no doubt of his presence or his power.
My teammate Luke came downstairs and said to the team, “Pat, pick a color; Kyle, pick a number.”
“Yellow,” I said as Kyle called out, “four!”
Turns out, the Lord had told Luke to ask us where to go on the subway, so we went to stop number four on the yellow line.
Before we left, I specifically asked God to lead us to someone in need of physical healing.
When we arrived at the station, we first explored the nearby streets, scouting to see what was in the area. Walking into the main plaza, I saw a young man with a crutch struggling to walk.
Before I really thought about it, I found myself standing before Lee*, telling him God loves him and was going to heal him. I was so compelled by the love of Jesus, I had forgotten how dangerous it could be to speak his name in public.
He responded with excitement, declaring, “I believe in God!”
I began to pray, and instantly felt God’s presence all around us. Lee kept saying, “Whoa,” and it was clear God was doing something in his heart.
Then I asked him to walk without the crutch.
He did, but said he still had pain. So we continued to pray.
Then I felt the Lord tell me to bend down and touch his foot.
To be honest, I was afraid. What we were doing is very much illegal in China, and my team doesn’t exactly blend in. But I bent down, placed my hand on his foot, and prayed again.
He took a step, and then another. There was a clear difference not only in his balance and strength, but in his countenance as well.
God not only healed Lee’s foot; I sensed he also healed his heart!
The entire time I spoke and prayed with Lee, I had complete tunnel vision. Though people streamed past, hurrying to work, to the market, to their homes, their voices faded around me.
It didn’t seem to matter that I prayed and shared Christ publicly in the middle of Communist China … because no one even noticed us.
My teammates told me later that three armed guards and two policemen walked by our group without even blinking.
God literally blinded them to our presence.
Other moments thus far on the trip have not been so dramatically miraculous, but in their own sense they have been miraculous, too. I have struggled to love my team, host families, the Lord, and myself. I have missed his voice more times than I have obeyed. I have caved to fear in both my personal and spiritual life.
At times I have had nothing to pray and no such desire.
But even when I haven’t felt him, God has always been there. He was always at work.
It’s easy to think life on the field is different from life in the States, but in reality, it’s not. Life as a missionary is the same no matter where we are; by belonging to Jesus, we are all missionaries.
I am thankful to serve a powerful God who heals the lame, blinds the eyes of Communist government officials, and sees, hears, and meets me wherever I am in this great big world.
Are you ready to see the power of God at work on the mission field?
Click HERE to find out how you can go on the World Race in 2016, including the April Expedition: 10/40 Window or the NEW October Routes!
