You guys, God is A W E S O M E. One day during ministry in the slums of Nepal, where many Indians from Northern India now live, my friends and I were invited into a woman’s house. As we sat down on mats covering the dirt floor, the woman began making us chai. Her cutie pie son of two years old ran into the room, plopped down onto her lap and gave us all a big grin. I looked up at the wall and noticed a shelf that seemed like some sort of shrine. Candles and incense sat in front of photos of Hindu gods.
Our translator explained to us that a few months ago, the lady’s son was unable to walk, constantly falling from his legs giving out for no apparent reason. The team of missionaries there at the house that day laid hands on the boy and prayed for healing — and you know what? He was healed! He got up, walked with no problems, and even began running. Gosh, I wish I could’ve witnessed that miracle with my own eyes!
So after this woman experienced her son’s sudden healing, she was very curious about Jesus. Now, another team of missionaries (us and a YWAM team) were back again in her house and she was so ready to hear the Good News we had to share with her. As we began walking through the gospel with her, a man entered the doorway: her husband. Immediately, he pulled up a chair and asked to hear about the message of God that we were sharing. I couldn’t help the smile that was growing on my face because I could sense the Holy Spirit’s presence so tangibly in that small space. This Hindu family was searching and seeking the truth, open to hearing what a relationship with Jesus looks like, and asking questions.
A half hour and many Bible verses later, we were done sharing and without even extending the invitation yet, the man said he wanted to accept Jesus. So did his wife. Before taking the next step, I clarified with the translator that the couple understood that that meant saying yes to God alone and leaving behind their Hindu gods. They said they understood. As my friend led them through a prayer of salvation, I peeked my eyes open and looked up at the husband and wife. They were holding hands, with their child in the mother’s lap, and tears brimmed in my eyes. When we all said “Amen,” the man stood up and did something that I will never ever forget. He went over to the little altar of Hindu worship in his house, and began taking down the photos of gods one by one. At this point I was crying, so moved by what the Spirit was doing, and exclaimed to one of my teammates, “He gets it! He really gets it!”
I can’t even describe the encouragement that filled me up witnessing this family’s salvation. I just know, for a fact, that the Lord is going to use this family of new believers to reach the surrounding community with His light. From my time in India, I realized how rare it is to see both a wife and her husband identify as Christian. Many of the churches my team preached at last month were made up of congregations of predominately women and children. So to see this husband and wife both accept Jesus together and say goodbye to their previous religion was the biggest encouragement!
A week later we returned to their home and when I looked up at the wall where the Hindu shrine used to be, in its place a Bible sat alone on the shelf. Hallelujah! Christ is moving within Nepal, one family at a time.
