Asia report from an Elijah Challenge-trained servant of God in the US who formerly served as a hospice chaplain as well as the headmaster of a Christian school
“About 160 people show up, 60 ‘students’ from the previous two days and more than 100 people wanting to be healed. An hour of lively worship and deep prayer was followed by a review of our teaching, then another hour of barely organized chaos moving all of the “patients” out of the tiny church building and breaking the 60 students into eleven “healing groups,” five groups of sari-clad women and six groups of men. Another brief prayer, and volunteers began to guide sick people one-by-one through the door and into chairs, one chair set down in the midst of each group.
It started off slowly and in somewhat of a subdued atmosphere, but within minutes these people transformed into tigers, and people started being healed all around the room. Women who had hobbled in were dancing for joy. People were carrying out their canes and walkers over their shoulders. Pain simply evaporated. One man was carried in by four others and set in a chair, unable to stand up at all, but 45 minutes later he left the building walking slowly but without pain or strenuous effort. His family and the “students” in his healing group were awe-struck; one of the students actually fell on his face in prayer for several minutes before he could continue. Women wept for joy over freedom from joint and back pain. Three mute men spoke, one before he even entered the building. A boy about eight years old who had never spoken began speaking clearly.
One man in particular came in complaining of body, neck and head pain. As soon as the group began to command darkness to leave him, he went into a seizure, grabbing his head and neck, writhing in pain, then collapsing into a chair, his whole body rigid, eyes wide and fixed, but completely unresponsive to the voices or touch of the group or others present. I leaned over him and commanded several times for the demonic power to leave him — ‘Get out! Get out! In the authority of Christ, I command you, get out!!!’ Suddenly his consciousness returned and he began to weep, rubbing his arms and head and realizing that his pain was entirely gone. He wept in the chair for moments and then stood slowly to collapse again on my chest, overcome with joy. He walked all around the room, hugging the people who were working and effusively thanking us, weeping the whole time over the peace and comfort he felt in his body.
It continued for 2 1/2 hours without break until all were served. In the interim, we fed all those who were outdoors under tarpaulins suspended from bamboo in the church yard — chicken curry, great mounds of rice, hot lentil dahl and a spicy “veggie mix” of diced potatoes, green chili’s, carrots and cauliflower. Exhausted students ate last.
In the end, all of the cold stoicism, the emotional reticence was simply like it never happened. Beaming men were staring at their hands and rejoicing over the power that had manifested through them. Several itinerant evangelists hugged “Mike” and I several times, already aware that the very nature of their ministry had suddenly shifted into a new realm. Old women approached us cautiously and then simply hugged us or stroked our faces and arms with their fingertips thanking us for our work there. Teenagers excitedly compared notes regarding their experiences and pulled us into group selfies. Mothers with children had their little ones tell us “Thank you” in English and held our hands warmly.
We left the celebration early, exhausted but with only a 25-mile ride back into India to the bustling city of Silighuri. Wow! We are exhausted, wiped out, but soaking in deep, deep joy.”
February 2018