Thursday mornings in Zimbabwe means evangelizing in the vegetable market down town Bulawayo. We walk stand to stand asking people if they need prayer, and hope it leads to a good conversation about Jesus.
In this market we also encounter some of Zimbabwe’s leading issues—alcohol and drug abuse. Between the hardworking women desiring to sell their vegetables, exist several men stumbling around on the street confessing their love for you or asking you for money.
Despite the poverty and brokenness found in the streets of the veggie market, God’s presence is thick. During our time there this Thursday, we experienced God’s power in miraculous ways. We started out as a group with our friend and translator Nigel, but as the Spirit led we divided and pursued the people God placed on our hearts.
The first person that caught my eye was a women sitting on the ground behind one of the vegetable stands. I built up the courage to break off from my group so I could meet her. Her name was Tracy and she was making brooms out of straw. I told her that I was here with my group in the name of Jesus Christ and would love to pray with her. She asked for prayer for her business, and desired healing for her back because she has been experiencing pain for three years.
I am learning more and more about praying for physical healing. 1. We are never the ones with the power to heal. It is always through power of the Holy Spirit. 2. We are not the reason healing does not happen in the moment either because God’s plan and timing are perfect. We are simply there to present people to him and provide the hands as a conduit for his power. This takes the pressure off praying for others because I know it is not by my control or ability.
As I laid hands on Tracy, I asked God for healing and to reveal himself more in her life. When I was done, I asked her how she felt and she said she felt a little better. I could tell it was not the miraculous healing she was hoping for, so I asked if she wanted to pray again. She said yes. Again, I asked God to heal her from the pain in her back and to reveal himself more in her life. This time when I finished praying Tracy had a huge smile on her face. She said she felt a lot better and was so grateful that I came over to pray for her. God is good and he is faithful!
That was just the beginning of our miracles in the vegetable market that day. As I looked around I saw my teammate Kenadi leading a man to the Lord who has struggled with alcoholism for years. I saw Nettie on the sidewalk talking to an older man who had never heard of Jesus before. Kristie was praying for the healing of a man’s stomach, and Dani was encouraging others that Jesus is provider.
As we walked around we also invited everyone to a Bible study at 1pm under a tree on the sidewalk. I had the honor of leading the Bible study this week on the topic of loving one another. It was so much fun to see people stop by and ask us what we were doing. One woman walking by even accepted Jesus after talking to Nettie for just five minutes!
On our way back to the church we stopped for some Coca-Cola and swapped more stories of our experiences from the day. The man that Kristie and Kenadi prayed for, about healing for his stomach, came to the Bible study and said he was completely healed. Nettie met a Muslim man that ended up accepting Christ after finding truth in scripture, and some of us prayed over a woman and God took away a pain she had been having for ten years due to a stroke.
In a place filled with brokenness, drug deals, and alcoholism we saw Jesus’ light shine brighter than ever.
How often are we going into the dark places to uncover the light of Jesus? How often are we stepping out on faith to pray for others? How often are we putting the gospel before ourselves?
I guess that bus ride was worth it after all! 🙂
