This month, my team, Dunamis, along with teams Karis and Transformers were working in Northwest China. Our assignment for the month consisted of doing “ATL”, or Ask The Lord which basically means we don’t have any set thing to do. After arriving in a central location, our three teams split into different directions for the month. We each had 3 or 4 cities that we needed to get to and minister to. (which meant lots of travel by bus and by train!) Everyday we would seek the Lord’s face to see what His intent was for us for that day. We did a lot of prayer walking throughout the various cities we were in. Here are a few highlights:
1. The first day of ministry, we met “Mark”*. We had the opportunity to spend some time with him, and then take him out to dinner. After dinner we were talking with him, and he began to share with us about his life. He told us about how at one point in his life he really struggled with lonlieness, alcohol, and depression. He asked us to share with him what our meaning in life was, what was it we were living for. We felt God opening a door, and so we all began to share the gospel with him. He was so ready and eager to receive, he asked the Lord into his heart that night. We found out that God had prepared his heart 2 years ago through various people he had met. We then gave him a New Testament Bible and the Dunamis men were able to disciple him, showing him how to read the Bible, where to begin, and how to pray.
2. One day, Neil, Sara and I were walking through the city praying. Sara and I met a woman, and she invited the three of us into her home. (A huge honor to them). She served us tea, and just was so joyous of our prescence there. Before we knew it the room was packed full of people, all staring at us and asking what questions they knew in English. Upon leaving, Sara and I had the chance to pray over this ladies’ knees. She was limping around, and she kept rubbing her knees. So, Sara and I each laid hands on her knees and began to pray. After we were done, she (the lady) said something to a boy next to her that spoke some English. He looked at me and said, “She is asking you if you are a doctor.” I answered, “No, but I prayed that her knees would be healed in Jesus name.” He was unsure how to translate, so he answered the best he could I guess. I know she didn’t understand my words, but she connected with my Spirit. She was crying and told the boy to tell us, “You are warm hearted.” While we were there, we taught all of the children to say, “Jesus loves you!”
3. One day, in our 3rd city, I was with Brenda and Ben. On this particular day, I really felt the power of the Spirit resting on me. Earlier that day we passed a man on the street that was palm reading. You could feel the spiritual darkness when you passed by him. I felt led to pray against this man this day. So…I stood about 3 feet in front of him and prayed against his spirit of false religion for about 20 minutes or so. I was praying out loud in tongues, and people were looking at me weird, but I didn’t care. Shortly after I started praying, this lady came up and was standing beside me. At first I thought she was gonna cross the street, but she kept standing there, and I realized she was listening to me pray. After a few minutes, I felt led to lay my hands on her and pray over her. So I did. I prayed that the Spirit of the Lord Jesus would fall on her and change her life. I prayed that somehow she would understand and feel that something was happening. After I prayed for her, she grabbed my hand and wouldn’t let go, and she had such a look of peace on her face. I turned my attention back to the palm reader man, and prayed a little longer. I noticed that the lady hung around the whole time I was praying. After praying for about 10 more minutes, I realized that this battle (the palm reader) was too big of a battle and it wasn’t mine to fight anymore. As I made the decision to leave, I remember seeing the woman looking at a cart of books. As I was turning my head to leave (only about a 2 second time frame) I turned my head back to get one last glimpse of the lady, and found that she was gone. In the 2 seconds it took me to turn my gaze away she disappeared. I didn’t see her anywhere. I then realized that the Lord placed me there that day not to pray against the palm reader man, but His purpose was for me to pray for that lady. I don’t know her name, and I will most likely never see her again, but I know something Kingdom happened that day.
4. That same day walking with Ben and Brenda:
After prayer walking for a while, the 3 of us decided to sit in the open square near our hotel for a while, because it was a very busy place with lots of people. We sat down and almost instantly began drawing a crowd. Soon after sitting down, a lady came over and sat beside me and linked arms. We called her “Shoeshine lady” because she always sat right outside of our hotel shining shoes, and was very friendly to us. Some time later, another older lady came up to us. All month I had been praying that people would know I was a Christian without me having to say a word. I wanted them to SEE Jesus in me. So this lady comes up to me, and opens her hand and begins drawing a cross on her palm. I knew she was asking me if I was a Christian, but didn’t say anything at first. So then she touches her forehead, chest, and then both shoulders…traditionally a Catholic symbol. As if that were not enough, she then goes up to the flag pole and stands against it and sticks both arms out…Jesus on the cross. Seeing her intensity, I pointed up to the sky and then to my heart and said, “Jesus is in my heart.” She immediately nodded her head yes and got really excited. I knew she knew understood. So then I pointed to the sky and then to her heart and asked, “Is Jesus in your heart?” She got even more excited and nodded yes and repeated the sign language I had just used…pointing to heaven and then to her heart. So then I grabbed her hand and said, “Then we are sisters.” and she grabbed my hand with both hands and nodded in agreement. Then, Shoeshine lady did the same thing. So then, I pointed to Brenda and Ben and made the same motion. Here were 2 fellow Believers. And I stood amazed and in awe at God’s power. His power to bridge the gap between languages and cultures. This lady knew I was a Christian from the moment she walked up to me. I had not said one word to her beforehand.
God is good and His power is intense and I am parched for more!
