Dearest Friends,
SIGNS AND WONDERS
We are hearing some of the most incredible stories. At home, when people are sick, their first thought is to see a doctor. However, here these options do not exist. Often times, both Christians and non-Christians will pray about it before considering anything else. Tonight in a village, a mother brought a daughter for prayer because she was not growing like she should. The mother had AIDS and it was unclear what could be wrong with the child. Please pray for this mother and child, whose greatest need is Jesus Christ, because this mother is a Hindu.
My friend told me tonight about a prayer meeting they had in the same village. The believer rented her home from a wealthy woman who came to visit while they were praying. The lady asked them to come to her home and pray for her. She said that her husband did not trust her, and even though she was a mother and a grandmother, he thought she was not faithful. For over 40 years, he had been beating her. The problem was not with her behavior, but with the husband’s desire to hurt his wife. The men prayed for her. It never crossed their minds to do anything other than pray for her. They bowed their heads and called on the one true God, asking for her husband to stop beating her. That very night, the husband came home and fell at her feet. He begged for forgiveness and has not beaten her since. She said, "Truly the Christian God is the one true God". Her husband will not allow her to attend church, because he is a Hindu. Please pray for God to turn his heart.
In the same village, it had not rained for 6 months. The people in the village came to 2 of our friends, and asked them to come and pray for rain. The presence of water in these small rural villages is the difference between life and death. They had a special day of fasting and began to pray. Before they finished their prayer, it began to rain. It continued for 10 days. Finally, people in the village came to our friends, and asked them to please ask God to stop the rain.
In this village, there was a lady who was demon possessed. Neither she, nor her husband, were believers, but he even recognized that there was something wrong with his wife. He came to the pastor and asked him to come and pray for his wife. They went to his house, and found her rolling around on the floor half-dressed. She was very wild to look at, and was mumbling unintelligible. They prayed, and instantly she was delivered. She got up, got dressed, and made them all tea. She is a Christian now, and her life is changed. Everyone can see the change. Please pray for his husband, as he has forbidden her from the church.
All of these stories are true. You have to ask yourself why we don’t see God doing signs and wonders where we live. Sometimes I think the answer is simple. We do not ask God. We do not believe. Please pray for this village. They have a Sunday School that meets there every week and soon , a church will be planted there.
This afternoon, we went to the same village and did a puppet show. Children, teenagers and adults gathered, and when we finished, they did not want to go home. Even taking the stage down and packing up the equipment was entertainment for them. We also saw wonders today in the village. We heard so many children praying out loud, calling on Jesus to be their Savior. We had such a wonder time and I struggle to find the words to describe how incredible our time with these children was to us. They crowded around us, just wanting to touch us, to smile at us. They were also in awe at how white Alli was, and laid their arms next to hers to see the very different skin color.
We have a very special opportunity here. God is opening doors to some very dark places and by His grace, we are allowed to be light. These wonderful things that we are seeing God do will only happen if you will stay faithfully on your knees. Pray!
Love in Jesus,
Linda, for the team
Sam Shaw-Assistant Director
Silvana Shaw
Will & Ali Jackson