We’ve been doing door to door ministry this past week. Each
of us will individually go with a translator throughout the neighboring areas
and villages of the church.
Yesterday, Joet (my translator)
and I walked into someone’s back yard the grandfather of the family is the one
who lived at the home and welcomed us with big smiles and handshakes. He and
his wife sat us down in small chairs so we could talk with them.
The man, named Elzephane, looked
about 60 to me, his wife looked older. I introduced myself, Joet introduced
himself and began to explain what we were doing there. The man told Joet that
he and his family were believers. So, Joet said we wouldn’t preach then, but
just pray.
Instead, the man says to me in
English, “No! God brought you here for a reason. He has something to say
through you.� This was so surprising to me, but what truth this man spoke.
Immediately God put something on my heart to share, but before I could get it
out, the man said to pray. So, I did.
Psalm 128:2 came to mind for
them. He sent the children from the neighborhood standing around us to get his
Bible from inside. Meanwhile, he begins to tell Joet and I stories about his
life.
Elzephane tells us he is 90 years
old and had been married for 60 years! This 90 year old has never taken pills
his whole life. I could not believe this. The guy can run, jump, shout, do
everything I can do. I had just seen an 86 year old who could barely move. This
guy couldn’t be 90… but he is.
The Bible finally came and he
read the verse God had given me to share. He read it several times over in
Luganda (the language they speak here). Then he had someone go get his English
Bible. He read that several times too.
I’ll be honest and say I was a
little intimidated to speak to him. I didn’t even have to know his testimony to
know that I was sitting in the presence of the Lord, I could feel it. After he
told me he was 90, I wanted to cry. I couldn’t believe that I was sitting next
to a 90 year old about to preach to him.
Nonetheless, I spoke what God was
telling me. He told me how he appreciated what I said to him and then began to
share stories with me.
One was about a little girl
raised from the dead. She had died at 11 pm one night, around 2 pm the next day he went to see the girl. He began praying
over her and called her name, on the third time he called her name, the girl
jumped up.
Then he shared about how the wife
of his son (not real son, but someone who looked up to him as a father) had
passed away and he was going to go to the funeral with him. Elzephane’s wife heard from the Lord
that he shouldn’t go to the funeral, but to send his condolences. And the next
day, that is what he did. But his son was upset and sad that he didn’t go. So,
he asked him to go later to the grave. Finally, Elzephane went. While he was on
his way, the Lord told him he was going to get into a car accident. Within the
next few minutes, the van he was riding in had a flat tire, began sliding on
the road and flipping over.
The old man recalls that somehow
he was lying on the ground watching the van roll and flip. After that, he
doesn’t remember anything until he woke up in the hospital. 11 people had died
in that accident and 6 were injured. He knew he had broken some ribs and had
scratches, but realized when he woke up his legs were badly broken. The front
of his foot was in the back.
He couldn’t walk and after a while of being in the hospital was using crutches to get around. When he was
finally able to go to church again after the accident, God told him to throw
his crutches out and get up and walk. And he did! He threw them away from him
and started jumping around! On his way home from church, God told him never to
disobey him.
Samim and Aisha, my girls
Elzephane was laughing a bit at
the end of the story, pointing at his legs and smiling at what God had done.
While he was telling me all these
stories, I was crying. I didn’t care anymore what it would look like to Joet or
Elzephane and his wife. I knew I was sitting in the presence of the Lord and
couldn’t help the fact that peace and joy were so overwhelmingly taking over my
thoughts.
I want to be 90 years old telling
stories like that. I want God to use me in such a way I raise people from the
dead, I see miraculous healings, and demons casted out. And here’s the thing…
Elzephane wants it for me too. He encouraged me so much and spoke truth over
Joet and I that we would see these things because of what we’re doing now – obeying God’s will for us. It’s not just this man who prayed for me to be used
by God to do these things, but God himself who has promised to use me for His
glory and purpose.
His ceiling is my floor.
**I wish I had pictures of Elzephane, but I don’t right now.
