By a Pioneer in Southeast Asia
Daniel, a partner of a Pioneer, was out in an unreached district with a worker that he has trained in church-planting movements.As they walked through a village, they came across a group of people standing around a coconut tree. They eased into the crowd and began to chitchat about coconuts and God's creation, skillfully weaving spiritual statements into everyday life. One man responded positively to their overt spirituality and shared that his Mom has been sick in bed for months now, unable to get up. But he didn't know what was wrong with her. Daniel asked if they could stop by and see her.
As they entered the man's house, they were surprised to find that though this lady had been on the pilgrimage and was quite religious, they had also been taking her to the village witch doctor (which is prohibited by their faith). Apparently they had been to medical doctors but they could find nothing wrong so they concluded her sickness was spiritual, thus they took her to the shaman. However, the Mom confessed that after going there, her troubles had increased as she was now having dreams every night of a goat-man with red eyes, giving her night terrors.
Daniel and his partner told them they were followers of Jesus and would like to pray for her in Jesus' name. But before they did that, they wanted the family to see who Jesus is in the Quran. They opened to chapter three and read with the family where it is recorded that Jesus is the Word of God, a worker of miracles, able to raise the dead and most amazingly, the "greatest name in heaven and on earth" (3:45). As they discussed these things, one of the daughters and her husband left the room to discuss whether they should allow this discussion to continue. (These things about Jesus are so unsettling!) Eventually they decided since it was in their Holy Book it had to be ok, so they finally gave their consent. As a result, all the family as well as Daniel and his partner prayed together for the Mom, in the name of Jesus.
The following week Daniel and his partner returned and found the Mom up walking around! Apparently after their prayer, she immediately began to feel better and was soon up and walking. What's more, she had not had any more bad dreams!
Daniel took the opportunity to again open their book and show how the Word of God cannot be changed and that their book also says they should read "the other holy books, the Torah, Psalms and Gospels." Praise God, the following week they were reading Genesis 1 together with Daniel and his partner, in the living room of Mr.New's house! Most encouraging to me is that not only was the Mom healed, but they are now meeting together each week on Fridays as an extended family: the Mom, her two daughters and their two husbands! This is truly a household being evangelized together, right in the middle of their neighborhood.