On this day in Kathmandu, Nepal, our prayer walk had brought us to a small park in the middle of the city. We prayed that God would guide us to someone who needed to experience His love. Howard, Jody, and I took off with our translator, Anoop, to talk to people around the park. After some wandering, I spotted a group of teenagers sitting and chatting on the grass. It’s not like I heard the audible voice of the Lord, but I like teenagers, so off I went. Most often the Lord’s gentlest nudge leads to the biggest exhibitions of His power.
We sat down in the grass with the group, and slowly all the teenagers dispersed, leaving just one adult that was with them. This small woman’s name was Bobby and she was probably in her thirties. She leaned forward, eager to speak with us. We began with basic introductions, and shared about what we were doing in Nepal. Through the course of the conversation, we found out that she had attended a Christian church with her best friend, 15 years ago. Her friend got pregnant out of wedlock, and feeling that she had shamed her family and her village, she committed suicide by burning herself.
Her best friend’s suicide left Bobby feeling devastated and betrayed by the Lord, so she left the church. For many years after, Bobby was tormented by demonic attacks and nightmares. She lifted her sleeve to show us a tattoo of a cross on her forearm, marred by scars from cutting. This was a result of the demon attacks that compelled her to harm herself. Desperately searching for freedom from the attacks, she visited a witch doctor, who gave her a protective charm to tie around her waist. She showed us this charm, which was simply a small wooden square tied with yarn. This seemingly insignificant thing had protected her from attacks and nightmares for five years, as long as she was wearing it.
Though no longer attacked by demons, Bobby still felt unsatisfied, obviously curious and hungry for the Lord. She said that one of her recurring dreams was of a man with a long beard riding a horse, and she believed that to be a picture of Jesus. In the past, this dream had been a comforting reprieve from her usual nightmares. She told us that because of our conversation, she was beginning to believe that God was calling her back. If that wasn’t enough of a sign, Bobby had the same dream of Jesus the night before she met us.
Bobby was thankful to have met us, and admitted that the Lord had plans for her life, but she was terrified. She was frozen by the fear of taking off the witch doctor’s charm and being attacked again. As our conversation came to a close, she allowed us to pray over her. As we prayed, we asked the Lord to break the power of Satan over her life. I told Bobby, confident in the Spirit, that if she took off the charm and called out to God, He would protect her. I think she knew this, but unfortunately, she was paralyzed by fear.
As with much of our ministry on the World Race, I don’t know the ending to this story. So I apologize to my readers, for leaving you hanging. But you’re welcome to join me in praying for Bobby, knowing that there is so much hope in her story, because the Lord is calling Bobby to himself.
