Crazy Transformations

Two more stories from our trip to Losap Island this month

Sabine - Crazy Transformation:  

We heard about Sabine, who is known to be crazy and have violent outbursts and attacks people frequently for years.  So we began praying for him and a few days later we got to visit him.  He welcomed us into his empty living room and pulled out an old chair for me to sit in.  He sat just inside his bedroom doorway on a bucket.  He wouldn't make eye contact, and he picked up an old thesaurus and pretended to be looking through it like a Bible while he listened.  I figured I might only have a few minutes because I didn't know what his attention span would be like, and what other voices he might be hearing.  I just knew that he needed Jesus asap.  So Mama Rose and I shared the gospel in the shortest, simplest way possible.  (God really loves you and he wants to live in you and change your whole life.  And he sent Jesus to forgive all your sins.) And he just kept nodding his head and saying "Ewer. Ewer" (Yes. Yes.)  

"Do you believe that is true?"  Ewer.

"Do you want know the love of God?" Ewer.

"Do you want the forgiveness of Jesus?" Ewer.

"Do you want to repent and ask him into your life right now?" Ewer.

So we prayed with him.  And then he looked smiling and his whole face had changed.  He looked us in the eyes and started to have a normal conversation with us.  He came to the meeting that night and sat there smiling the whole time.  

Early the next morning we were baptizing several people, and waiting for everyone to gather.  I asked someone to go make sure Sabine was awake and let him know we were baptizing because he had wanted to get baptized.   When the locals heard me ask about him, they all just laughed in disbelief.  But Sabine came, and he was baptized that morning.  And every meeting after that he came, joyful and peaceful and no more attacking anyone.  Jesus really came to set us all free!  And he really changes lives!

Kevin climbs:

Kevin and his wife Kandice had been believers for a long time, but been kind of discouraged and asleep in their faith.  But they asked us to come pray for them because of curses that were being put on them by some other famliy members.  They were really eager to repent and learn about their authority as followers of Jesus over all the powers of darkness and even sickness.  We read Mark 16:15-19 and Kevin was so excited to hear it he asked us to read it again.  God healed arm from numbness and pain that day.  They were both baptized later that week, and went home so excited to share with each other for hours about what God was stirring up in their hearts.

A couple nights later we were teaching on the Holy Spirit and how he works in the lives of believers and I was really trying to activate the people to pray for one another to be healed of sicknesses.  But no one was willing to step out in boldness yet.  Except Kevin.  He came up to the front and was so excited to share that his arm had been healed but asked that we pray for his strength to come back because he still had generalized muscle weakness. (Most of the islander men can climb straight up coconut trees from the time they are young boys.)  So we prayed and asked if there was any way he could test his strength there.  He looked around and pointed to the pillar next to him. 

"I could climb this pillar right here."  "Ok sure, try that."  

So up he went, he climbed to the top of the pillar right there in front of the church meeting.  Hahaha.  He was so excited and I couldn't believe that I had just seen someone climb a pillar in the middle of a church.  He has the personality and faith like Peter, to just jump out of the boat.  So that night he was the only local man bold enough to start to pray for the sick, and they were healed too!