We spent the last week together as a squad in east India. We visited many different villages during our stay. We would usually arrive to a village and be greeted by the local church. We would pray over our time in that place and then split off into our teams along with a translator and a local, to lead us around and go house to house praying over people. This months focus for our squad is prayer and worship so we are making it a habit from the start.
I still am amazed at the power of prayer and how so often it becomes a last resort for us when it truly aught to be the first!!! We got to see God move through these villages. One night I particular really stood out to me. It was a day that we were supposed to have as our day of rest. However halfway through the day we were told that a village was expecting us and we needed to go. I was exhausted and really wanted the day to rest but did not want to not show up to this village who had prepared things for us. So we went.
One of the first houses we came to, there were a few women there all asking for prayer for different things. So we paired off to pray over them. My teammate Leah and I were praying over a woman who was asking for blessings for her home and her family and that they would follow Jesus. We began to pray. It didn’t take long before the woman began to cry. As we finished she was still crying and kept thanking us. Leah and I both felt the urge to hug her (but we did not know if it was culturally acceptable) and tell her how much Jesus loved her. Our teammates had moved on to the next house but we could not bring ourselves to leave. We prayed again that she would know how much God loved her and that she is seen, and known, and valued. Our translator came back to check on us so we got to tell her all those things in a language she could understand. We asked if we could hug her and as I did she embraced me much more than I expected. I prayed that she would know that it was God embracing her not just me. The crying intensified and she began to smile in the midst of her tears. I literally got to be the hands of Jesus in that moment to this woman. And I got to share that moment with my teammate what a blessing.
During another interaction we approached a woman in her home and our translator asked her if there was anything she needed prayer for. She didn’t respond. He asked again by now another young woman came up and said she can’t hear you have to get really close and yell. So she yelled in her ear and the woman responded and said pray for her ability to hear better and blessings over her home and family. My teammate Ariel and I laid hands on her and began to pray that her hearing would be restored. When we finished our translator asked how her hearing was in a normal volume she said she could her him he kept talking to her but slowly stepped back further and further away from her and she continued to respond and was able to hear him. Praise God!!!
We then headed back to the church where there was a swarm of kids. They all would run up and ask your name 50times and wanted to shake your hand. That was quickly followed by shouts of “play with us.” “Dance with us.” “Sing a song for us.” So we did, we got to embrace our inner child and be silly with the kids. After about an hour we were sweaty and exhausted! We entered into a time of worship, even sang a song in their language for them. Some of my squad mates shared a message, a testimony, and a story for the kids. The night ended with them serving us a delicious meal! I realized how awesome the night was and how at first I didn’t even want to go but I am so glad I did!!! God is good all the time, He is faithful even when we are weak!!! I challenge you to place an emphasis on prayer and worship in your life this month as well. I know nothing but blessings will come from it!
