The word spread that miracles were happening. While in Muterere, a beautiful bush village in Uganda, people flocked to us asking for prayer for healing.
An older woman came to where we were staying and asked for prayer. She showed us the swelling all around her belly and going to her back. She has been afflicted with this pain for 18 years. We asked her if she was a Christian and she said no, and that she was only going to believe in Jesus if she got healed. We said alright, and Ashley went on to tell her of the love that Jesus has for her. Then we prayed. After we prayed we asked how she was feeling and she explained how she felt moving inside of her and that some of the pain went away as we prayed. I asked if she believed that what she felt was the power of Jesus that took away some of the pain, she said yes, but still refused to accept Jesus until she was totally healed.
I shared with her that the pain she is feeling in her body, while it is awful and very unfortunate, is only temporary. Our lives on earth are just a short time. It is awful to have pain, and I am sorry it has been afflicting her for so long, but it would only be for a short time while she is alive on this earth. But I told her that our souls are eternal. Our souls are always going to feel, for all of eternity. She has a choice. Jesus offers our soul life, love, joy, peace, comfort, hope, and every good thing. She has a choice for her soul. Her soul can either be with Jesus after this life and experience pure joy and love, or she can choose to not have her soul with Jesus. And that other place is a place where she will feel eternal pain and agony, much worse than any pain she is feeling now. She still didn’t want to accept Jesus, and I just told her to think about it. And then she left.
A few hours later I heard some commotion outside so I went to check it out. I saw the woman we had prayed for earlier. She came back to us saying she wanted to accept Jesus. The commotion I heard was celebration and cheering because she came back and gave her life to Jesus. There was a young boy, 13 years old, who came running, with the biggest smile I have ever seen, he came arms out and jumped into that woman’s arms. We all started praising Jesus. It turns out that boy was her nephew and a strong Christian. He has been pursuing his aunt for some time and said that if he can get her to us, the Mzungus, that she would be saved. That day she was saved.
I shared that testimony in church and it hit me that we don’t always see the results of what we do or say. There are many people who receive what we tell them about Jesus and want what Jesus has to offer. But there are others that turn us down. It is hard in those moments because we want them to feel the love of Jesus, and we want them to experience the truth and the freedom that Jesus offers. But this story gives hope. We don’t know the end result, we don’t know what they decide an hour, a day, or a week after we leave them. God didn’t have to show us that this woman ended up accepting Him. But I believe He showed us to give us hope. That even when we share His story and people deny it, they may accept it later on. So keep sharing the Love that IS God, keep telling of the Freedom God has to offer, keep spreading the Good News, that He loves more than we will understand, that there is so much grace, that He is just wanting our acceptance and love because He loves US so much!
