“Then disciple them. Form them in the practices and postures that I have taught you, and show them how to follow the commands I have laid down for you. And I will be with you, day after day, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20
God’s presence was so evident throughout our entire time in South-Asia. Here are a few of our favorite moments when God answered prayer and made His presence known.
“Wow—so many prayers were answered during this time. The one that stands out most was our prayer to witness healing and miracles. We were hopeful and expectant for the Holy Spirit to lead—and He did. To see healing unfold before our eyes was such an honor, and it changes you. Even when the healing was for someone else, the Spirit moved and spoke to everyone present, reminding us that we were on holy ground.” – Jenna
“During the retreat there was one particular woman at my table who tugged at my heart strings fiercely. For the sake of this story, I will call her Nina. Nina was very timid. She would speak when spoken to and she would share when it was her turn, but she shared very little. When she spoke she kept her voice so low that even the interpreter had to ask her to speak up. During the first day of the retreat, she arrived late because of the distance that she had to travel and she commented that she didn’t know that much about God. At times throughout the retreat, she seemed tired and a little confused by the lessons we were teaching, but it was clear that she hungered for God deeply. On the evening of the first day, Brandy and I returned to the church to pick up a few supplies we needed to prep for the next day. When we entered, I noticed Nina sitting on the floor of the back of the church. She had her eyes squeezed shut with one hand raised and she was pouring out her heart to God in earnest prayer. All that night and the next morning, I prayed for her.
Near the end of day 2, we presented each of the ladies with an olive crown of peace. After presenting this crown, I prayed over the table collectively, but I felt led to hug, pray and speak into the lives of each of the women one on one. When I came to Nina, all I could do was intercede. I held her tightly as she placed her face on my shoulder and began to sob. We were hot, we were sweaty, and I could feel her tears hitting my shoulder…but neither of us cared. This shy, quiet woman was experiencing the love of God in a powerful way.
An hour later as the day was ending each of the women came up to us to give us one final hug and the traditional Indian salutation of “Namaste.” Nina came up to me, put her arms around my waist and squeezed with all her might. When she finally let go, she touched the bottom of my chin with her hand, looked deeply into my eyes and spoke to me in Telugu. I have no way of knowing what she said, I have no way of knowing exactly what God did for her, but I know in the deepest part of my heart that God changed her life that day. This woman who could barely look at me for two days freely embraced me and looked profoundly into my eyes with an understanding that had not been there hours before. I wish I knew what she said and exactly what God did for her. But seeing the understanding in her eyes and knowing in my heart that she had a distinct experience with the Father is an answer to prayer that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.” -Liz
“How did He NOT show up? Jesus was so evident the entire trip. One of the ways I loved seeing His presence was in the unity of our team. All 5 of us were in a spirit of discernment the entire time. We were able to move effortlessly together, completing tasks, listening to the Lord, praying over people, etc. We just seemed to have a rhythm among us that was peaceful and good. Unity among the team had been a prayer leading up to the trip and we saw Him bring this to pass. Although Jenna was a new piece of our team and she only knew me, it was as if we had all known one another for years. There was a cohesiveness about the 5 of us and it was beautiful. The way Holy Spirit flowed out of this unity was powerful and a complete gift to each of us! Only He can create unity and a bond like that.” -Christi
“On the first day of the retreat, a woman walked in late and sat down at my table in the back of the church. She looked downcast, weary. We would make eye contact and I would smile, but she would not smile back. With the help of the translator, I would attempt to make conversation with her, but she struggled to engage. She stood out to me the moment I saw her, and I began to pray for her and for her time at the retreat.
During our lunch break on that first day, our team was marveling at the fact that we got all of our sessions completed and would likely have more time that afternoon than we had originally thought. We decided to throw in an extra session, completely on a whim. Christi and Brandy would lead a journaling session, with Christi sharing about the importance of journaling and Brandy showing the attendees how to draw a simple picture in their journals.
When we returned to the church after lunch, my attendee at my table carried the same downcast expression. We launched into our journaling session and Brandy began to instruct the women the colors to use and the shapes to draw for our picture. Almost instantly, the attendee’s face changed. She began the session downcast and didn’t want to engage with anyone, but by the end, she was beaming and sharing her picture with anyone who would look. She carried her beautiful smile through the rest of the day and I saw her drawing in her journal every chance she got.
On day two, the same attendee came to me and excitedly showed me the drawings she had done when she had returned home the night before. She was still beaming, so proud of her artwork and happy to share it. I don’t know exactly what God did in her heart during that art session, but the change was so evident. She came in downcast and discouraged, afraid to share. She left joy-filled, proud, and eager to show everyone her creation. What a beautiful change only the Lord could do!” -Hailey