This past week, I’ve had the privilege of getting to know an amazing young man of God, Ezekiel. No, I’m not talking about the Biblical prophet, though I do believe Siaya’s Ezekiel was prophetically named. From afar, Ezekiel is not easy to miss. Standing at six foot seven, Ezekiel is often mistaken for a Maasai warrior when he is in Nairobi, but Siaya knows him as its own, a full-blooded, dark-skinned Luo from birth.
Ezekiel’s testimony is powerful: as a child, he was raised in the Legio community, a local cult that has twisted Christian beliefs with indigenous spiritism. He shared stories about how his mother, a devout Legio follower, would make him bring offerings of water to the shrine in their home. He also shared of how the members of the Legio community were (and still are) strictly bound by legalistic practices that dictate everything from what type of clothing can be worn to what food is appropriate to be eaten.
Ezekiel was only educated up to the US equivalent of eighth grade. Beyond that, he was a self-taught businessman, who quickly excelled as a salesman of car parts. Soon, however, he realized that there had to more to life than just making money. He had married a beautiful woman named Dorcas and had begun a wonderful family together, but still, something was empty within him. Even though Ezekiel didn’t recognize it at the time, God was already stirring something new in his heart.
One early Sunday morning, Ezekiel turned to his wife and, filled with an overwhelming urge to meet God, asked her to prepare his suit. He went to the nearest church he could find to look for God. Sadly, they turned him away, saying the service was too full. But Ezekiel was undeterred. He went on to the next church he knew of, eager to find God. That day, Ezekiel had a powerful encounter with his Maker, and he gave his life to Christ.
Life as a young Christian wasn’t easy. In fact, it became wrought with challenges. Ezekiel’s family was upset that he and his wife Dorcas had become “born again” Christians to the extent that they refuse to have any contact with their son. Pretty soon, Ezekiel’s sales began to wane. A manufacturer in Dubai had started distributing the same car parts locally, but at a fraction of the price that Ezekiel had had to sell them for. Soon, Ezekiel was forced to close his business in Nairobi and return to his hometown in Siaya.
But God had already begun orchestrating something new in Ezekiel’s life. Within a short time, Ezekiel had met Pastor Joseph Osundwa, the pastor with whom we’ve been staying. Pastor Joseph spoke words of encouragement and healing into Ezekiel’s life, proclaiming that God had mighty plans for Ezekiel. Through God’s provision, Ezekiel’s wife began selling second-hand shoes to support their children’s education, and Ezekiel took a leap of faith and entered Bible School in Kitali, where he met other pastors-in-training from across Kenya.
Today, Ezekiel is a bold warrior for Christ. A couple of my teammates and I had the sweet pleasure of doing ministry with him in preparation for the open air crusades we did this past week, and we were each challenged and encouraged by his story. Ezekiel feels a strong calling to minister in the world’s newest nation, South Sudan, and believes God will make a way for him to take his family there.
Two days ago, as we were heading out to do door-to-door evangelism with Ezekiel, we made a brief stop at his modest home, where his daughter, Barbara, was feverish due to an infection caused by a puncture in her foot. Curled up in pain, Barbara was on the verge of tears as we knelt beside her and began to pray for her. Her frail body was nearly too hot for me to place my hands on, but as Sabrina and I prayed, I asked that God would remove the infection from her body and bring her fever down. We left her, still curled up on the couch, but promising that we would continue to pray for her.
This morning at church, a little girl came up to me and grabbed my hand, grinning from ear to ear. It took me a moment to realize that it was Barbara, and not only was she fever-free, but she was actually running around, her once swollen foot now safely protected in a pair of nice tennis shoes. I nearly started crying as God’s overwhelming joy filled my heart. He healed her. My God is a God who heals, and it’s such an incredible thing to be a witness of that. Hallelujah, Amen!
