The Paralized Hope
One day, after my team had just finished up teaching a six hour English class in a “Learn English from American Teachers” camp, we all went home and crashed on our little sleeping pallets. We were exhausted. But the day was not over yet. The pastor wanted to deliver some food that he bought from the money that we donated to him. And he wanted a few of us to go with him to help give it away. Everyone groaned when they heard the news that someone must go. I along with two other t-mates picked ourselves up off the floor and dragged our feet to volunteer to go with him. We were so tired and not excited to be going but we knew it was the right thing to do. We sat down on some huge bags of rice in the back of the pickup and headed down the road. We did not know where we were going, why we were going, or even what we were going to do when we got there but we were with the pastor so all was good. Twenty minutes into what seemed like forever into the wilderness, the truck stopped. We got out and grabbed the 20lb bags of rice expecting to see some children to greet us or a hut or something. There was nothing. Just more jungle wilderness. Then the pastor started through the trees; giving us the unction to follow him. We limboed, ducked, and hiked for ten minutes with the bags of rice over our shoulder until we came to a grass hut. A man wearing nothing but a towel around his waist stood outside to greet us with a sompeah. We sompeah back to him and followed him into his hut. The pastor spoke to him for a while and I took that time to scope out his place from where I was seated in the customary cross-legged position on a large banana leaf. The walls were sticks of bamboo knitted together with strips of grass and his roof was dried palm leaves piled closely together. There was nothing around that would indicate electricity being needed or used. In the middle of the hut was a circle of rocks and ash the size of a car tire; assuming that was considered his fire cooking space, aka: ‘kitchen’. Near the entrance was a sheet hanging from the walls as a hammock for sleeping. Pair of chop-sticks, a tin plate, and some other random objects scattered around made up this mans life belongings. After the pastor introduced my t-mates and I, he asked if we all would share a short testimony with the man. We each took turns testifying of the Lord’s goodness, faithfulness, and love in our lives. And after we all finished, the man took the time to share with us what the Lord did in his life. He began his story from the time when he was married. This is his story… Saconmeg but my Bible name is Peter. A few years ago I had a beautiful family. My life and five kids lived with me and I provided for them very well. But after time, something came over me that I could not explain. I started to feel sad and worthless. Life felt meaningless. And all my efforts felt as though I was running in circles. I started to buy things that would make me feel better like my favorite beers and sometimes the family went without because of my spending. Then I tried to follow Buddha’s laws even more closely and I took my family to the Buddist services almost everyday. But my feelings inside kept getting worse. I began to get more angry with my kids and wife and would often hurt them. Soon after that time I began to get very ill. I could no longer work because of my illness inside. That is the time when my wife and kids left me. They moved away and I do not know where they went. My feels inside got even worse as my hurt and anger built towards my family. And my drinking got worse also. One night I got drunk and took my motocycle speeding down the road. I crashed into a tree and fell off the motocycle; hurting myself very badly. I could not move. I could not feel my body. Then I remember waking up in a bed in the hospital. But I still could not move. The doctor told me that my whole body was paralized and I would never move again. I laid there in the room by myself and cried. Life felt even more meaningless to me as I thought to myself that I would never move again. And at that time, I heard someone speak but I did not know who it was. The Voice asked if I would give my life to Him. The Voice then proceeded to explain that if I gave my life to Him, then He would restore my life and my heart. I did not understand any of this but I felt so comforted by the Voice. I talked back to the Voice and said that I wanted to understand and I wanted what He was telling me. Soon later a man walked into my room. He said that God told him to come here. The man began to talk to me about Jesus and healing and salvation. My heart was hurting; I wanted Jesus more than anything. I accepted Jesus on that day into my heart. And Jesus changed my life on that day. I now believe that the Voice that I heard on that day was Jesus’s voice. Because Jesus changed my life just like the Voice promised. On that same day after the man prayed with me and left, my body began to move. I began to pray like the man taugh me and I felt my body moving even more. Jesus was hearing me and healing me. And by the next day, my body was able to move. I was not paralized anymore and the doctor was amazed. The doctor asking me what had I done to get this way. I remember when he said, “What favor from Buddha did he have on you!” I was so excited and full of joy that I shouted at him and said, “It was nothing from Buddha, It was Jesus and the Voice who came to help me! They are the ones who have shown me this love.” I left the hospital that day totally healed. But because of my life before, I had ruined everything I owned. My family, my house, my job. So even though I felt like a new man, I had nothing, so I came here, to the land of my cousin. I have been staying in these trees for a few months now and am praying for everything to be restored.
Pastor Ekachi has been ministering to this man from the jungle for a little over two months. Please pray for this man as he begins his new life as apart of our family in Christ. The Lord has called him out for a purpose in giving glory to God and bringing Kingdom. Lets pray that the Spirit of the Lord will continue to minister and transform this Peter, for life.
