Yesterday was a visit to a public school in India. Ashley Costley Minkel taught them English playing human battleship. So much fun! The kids loved it. Afterwards we visited a church where the pastor has taken in ten children in whose parents have either deceased or can't care for them. (Every pastor we visit has decided to adopt 5 or 10 needy children from the village they minister in). Almost 40 kids show up to play crazy games and learn about Jesus for the entire afternoon!
These children's faith is so great. In the evening right before leaving, a small boy approaches me. He says "Please pray for my mother. She has much pain in her body." At the time I thought his mother was nearby so I tell him "one of the sisters can pray for her". I ask him if he wants prayer and he say's "of course!" As I'm finishing the prayer he starts to whisper "my mother, my mother, please pray for my mother". Then I realized that he understands that God can hear our prayers whether we pray for them in person or in spirit!
People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them (Mark 10:13-16).
Earlier in the evening before dinner an elderly woman walks in the church. She is completely blind. She asks for prayer for her restoration of sight. We all look at each other and get super excited! The atmosphere in the room gets filled with rejoicing and anticipation of what God is going to do in this woman's life. We surround her, the ladies lay hands on her head, and us men lift our arms in worship. After praying she tells us that she can see light as she scans the room and seems to be identifying where we are standing by her moving eyes. We pray again as scripture reminds us of what Jesus did with a blind man.
They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into[a] the village.”
As we were praying the Lord told two of our teammates that He was going to restore her sight. Bring her vision back over a period of time and not only to build her faith but the faith of the community.
