CHENNAI, India—Akkalu makes his living by transporting goods like fruits and vegetables in his small truck. This young man of 22 years knew of Jesus as but one of many gods, and he had never given his heart to the Lord. He didn’t want to attend church, and he collected many bad habits like smoking and drinking. Last summer, while carrying 20 people from Ongole to Chennai, Akkalu and his truck were struck by a van traveling at high speed. Everyone thought they would die as the truck flew … [Read more...]
Praying for baby
INAGALLU, India—Baby lived with her husband, Abraham, and her son in a remote village where superstition and sorcery are rampant. Some in the village could even cast spells of death and sickness on others. In 2008, Baby was possessed by a demon that caused her to scream, refuse to eat or sleep, and speak strange words. Her family paid 60,000 rupees (about $1,500) for a year of rituals, mantras and pujas to get rid of this evil spirit, but nothing changed. After two years of little food … [Read more...]
A daughter’s request
HATHIKUTA, India—Although raised among idols and gods, 17-year-old Chinki Hembrom grew up among Christian friends. She learned from them and began avoiding unhealthy foods. She even followed their way of keeping their homes clean and tidy. Hembrom also noticed that when the Christians got sick, they went to the doctor as well as prayed, but in her religion, the priest had to be consulted before any treatment. When her father became sick for months, Hembrom was frustrated that the priest … [Read more...]
Out of harm’s way
LOLA, Guinea—Odette Bamba, a visitor of the Lola Adventist Church, was often found selling her goods under a large mango tree. One fine day without any hint of wind, a large branch of that tree broke and crashed toward Bamba and her child. “It seemed to me like somebody pushed me out of the way with the child,” Bamba explained. People rushed to help, only to find Bamba and her little one miraculously unharmed. “We gave all the glory to God,” she said. “I am now ready to get … [Read more...]
Delivered from darkness
ZOUGUETA, Guinea—When an evangelist visited Jonas Roma’s village, Roma overheard his neighbor singing praises with this Gospel Outreach worker. Touched by the sound, Roma visited his neighbor and joined them. Roma never knew of the God who created people. His god was the village’s sacred river. But after several months of Bible studies, he learned about the true God and the Sabbath. God delivered Roma from darkness. Though he faces persecution from his parents, Roma is now a faithful … [Read more...]
Depending on God
SIVARAMPURAM, India—G. Marimma, a poor widow in Andhra Pradesh, India, had stomach cancer. A doctor provided medicine to treat her tumors, but when her money ran out Marimma had to depend solely on God. She went to the Gospel Outreach worker and asked him to pray for her healing. He agreed and, together with Marimma, prayed the cancer would disappear. One night after she prayed, Marimma fell asleep. During the night, she saw a man in white robes carrying a Bible appear and touch her. She … [Read more...]
A father’s answered prayer
UTTAR PRADESH, India—Banson Lal, who serves in the Aonla Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Upper Ganges Section, visited a local family for three months and introduced them to Jesus Christ. The parents accepted the gospel, but their eldest son did not. This son suffered from the bad habits of smoking, drinking and stealing, so his father asked Lal to pray for his son. Lal prayed many times for him. After a month of prayer, this boy’s life began to change. Gradually he quit smoking … [Read more...]
On fire for the Lord
BAGARPUR, India—Rural kutcha houses in northern India are made of mud, grass and bamboo. One summer, a village suffered devastating fires that burned 75 percent of these homes to ashes. And then, making the situation even worse, floods came and washed away all the crops. The people did not know the cause of these calamities, and the villagers panicked. When Pastor Rajpal visited and told them about God, he prayed about this problem. Prayer meetings were held in the village, and the … [Read more...]
Full freedom through God’s grace
BHOGPUR, India—A Gospel Outreach worker and his brother were worshiping with a family when someone came in and asked the group to pray for a Punjabi man who was sick and suffering from an evil spirit. After worship, they visited the sick man and prayed. While they were still praying, the man fell down, and the demon left him. Having received full freedom through God’s grace, the man is fine and growing in Christ. … [Read more...]
The desire of a wife’s heart
LEORA, India—Geeta Devi has been a church member for six years, but her husband opposed her faith. When he got drunk, he would beat her. She wanted to be free of this misery. Devi told her story to a Gospel Outreach worker, who offered to pray for her. The worker and some church members went to the Devi family home, where they met the husband. When they tried to talk with him about his wife’s concerns, he abruptly left. After the church members left, he came home and beat his wife once … [Read more...]