Week two in India, my team and I were on our second village trip and let me tell ya.. we were expectant to see God move. After spending one day in this village, it was quickly stealing our hearts. Everything about the village and the people were easy to fall in love with.
Late one night our host/translator, Jeevan, and village Pastor came and asked if a few of us ladies would like to travel into town to pray for a family. There was no further explanation or information given about them, only that we were going to meet a CCDC family to do another interview. Four of us began packing up some things from the church we were staying at and hopped in the back of a tuk tuk in a matter of minutes. We traveled about 2km before arriving at a small ‘apartment building’ where we would soon meet the family. I’m not sure if our host knew exactly what we were getting into but it wasn’t long before we would all find out.
When we entered the tiny apartment there was no doubt in my mind that something was off. I couldn’t explain it, but it was obvious to me and I couldn’t help but be aware of it. The boy was the first to catch my attention. He was quick to move by his mothers side, would not make eye contact longer that a few seconds, and seemed afraid. Then I began watching the mother. When she talked to us she had a smile that took up the majority of her face; a smile that was contagious to me and the rest of the ladies on my team. But when the husband spoke, the woman’s reaction changed. I shared with the rest of the team what I was feeling and observing and we ended up taking a minute to pray together and ask the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom and the words to speak.
The night went on and we interviewed each of the family members. The husband got up afterwards and it was at that time that the wife began to talk to us about some things that she was struggling with and needed us to pray for. Light was finally being shed on the tension that still remained in the room. She told us how her husband has a problem with alcohol and that he beats her daily. She said that when he beats her he always screams at her and demands that she give him money; which is impossible for her to do because she is a stay at home mother. We asked if the husband beats their son also and she said that it is only her he beats. The husband had entered the room while she was sharing but that didn’t stop her. She went on to tell us that she is a believer in Jesus and attends a church in a nearby village every Sunday which her husband refuses to attend or talk about.
Side note: They had pictures of other gods scattered through out there home. Though she believed in Jesus, her husband claimed to be a Hindu and believed in multiple Hindu gods.
It was at this time that a verse from Ephesians 6:12 came to my heart;
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
This battle that we fight daily as believers is NOT against each other or against the people around us; it is against the devil and the darkness of this world. – This man, this father and husband was clearly struggling with things that many other people in this world struggle with as well. We realized at this time that it was our obligation as Christians and as the body of Christ to speak truth and life into this man. We are not to judge or condemn but to encourage and build up those around us. We’re also called to share the Gospel! Though we were feeling some righteous anger in that moment, we needed to make sure that it was being directed at the real enemy, the devil.
After we interviewed each of the family members the wife/mother left the room to get each of us Thumbs Up as a gift. (Fun Fact: Thumbs Up is similar to Pepsi and is a common drink that people here in India love to give us at almost EVERY house visit me make). As she was in the kitchen getting this for us I started feeling intense pain in my right foot which was not there before. I began praying and asking God why I was having such intense pain and to take it away. I’m not sure how else to explain this besides describing the faint whisper in my heart that nudged me to ask Jeevan if he would see if any of the family members were having pain in either of their feet. When he asked this question the father immediately starting rattling off many words in Telugu. When I asked Jeevan what the father was saying he replied that he kept asking over and over again how I knew he was having this type of pain. The man explained to Jeevan that before we arrived, he went and changed into long pants so we would not see the marks on his ankles and feet.
This was all very new to me but I knew with all of my being that what was going on was from the Lord. The Most High God was pursuing this man. We ended up praying for healing for his feet in the name of Jesus and another girl in our group shared the Gospel! The wife also volunteered to sing us a song that she learned from attending church Sunday mornings. She sang wonderfully and ended the song in tears. This night turned out to be divine and something that not only this family needed but we needed. Before we left the husband shared with us that the pain in his foot had started going away. Though he was not completely healed he was curious and had lots of questions about the God we serve. I explained to him how I don’t have all of the answers but how our Father in Heaven does. He also had a long discussion with our translator and Christian friend Jeevan before we all left. I still find myself thinking of and praying for this family. I can only have faith that the father finds and pursues Jesus and the one True God. I have peace knowing that family is in Gods hands.
Here is a photo that we took with the family. One thing I’ve learned about this culture is that most of the time when we go to take a group photo, we are usually the only ones smiling. lol
But on a more serious note, please be praying for this family and for peoples salvation here in India! 🙂 God is on the move. Lets pray big prayers together!
