Chuck Jenson, director of the Nepal Field, and I enjoyed a wonderful two-week visit to Eastern Nepal in late October. We were so encouraged to find the members working together to fulfill Christ’s mission. First we went to Illam, on the far eastern edge of Nepal. We made some new contacts there through the Bible School. My wife, Rajani, who leads the Bible School, has been in contact with four students there over the past 18 months. After they completed the course, we sent a Bible and some … [Read more...]
Casting out the night man – Part 2
In part 1 of this story, a satanic force called the “night man” begins visiting Mariétou. Her family tries various ways to heal Mariétou from the curse of demonic possession—all to no avail. The family turns to a Gospel Outreach worker for help. Pastors and elders from the area, along with Glen Wintermeyer, Gospel Outreach regional director for West Africa, head to a chapel where they will meet with Mariétou and pray for her deliverance. About 30 minutes after we arrived, … [Read more...]
I was once blind
Jose Galleto, 54 years old, is a resident in the village of Alcala, which is in La Union, Philippines. Jose was the eldest of eight children, and at the age of 18 was diagnosed with typhus. It had been his ambition to attend a military academy, but the disease hindered him. At the age of 20, he was diagnosed with glaucoma and a cataract, and he lost sight in his left eye. That was the beginning of his miserable life. He developed many vices. He smoked and drank liquor. His life had no … [Read more...]
Casting out the night man
Five-year-old Mariétou was playing outdoors. A poisonous snake started in her direction. Her older brother saw the danger, grabbed a stick, and quickly killed the snake. What should have been a happy ending to the story turned into the beginning of demonic activity that lasted for nearly 15 years. From that day forward Mariétou began having severe headaches. Her brother also became sick. As the years went by, Mariétou continued having various physical problems and finally had to drop … [Read more...]
Delivered from the serpent
Help me! Help me!” cried Jeanne. “A snake bit me!” Jeanne and her husband, Moses, live in the village of Koutie-Tchatidor in the northwest part of Benin. The village is located far out in the bush. It takes about an hour to get to a hospital because of the bad roads. Jeanne was bitten by a serpent while in a field of ingnams (a giant root crop). At the time, I was attending a meeting in another town about three hours south of Koutie-Tchatidor. The church brothers called me on the … [Read more...]
Remember to pray before you travel
Yadhaiah, a Gospel Outreach worker in India, had purchased a new bike. He asked me to offer a prayer dedicating the bike to God. I read Psalm 121 and told him that the Lord would protect him as he came and went, but he should always pray before he traveled. One night he was traveling. Suddenly a bus loomed before him. With just inches to spare, it missed him. Yadhaiah knelt down beside the road and prayed. The next Sabbath he gave a testimony and thanked God for giving him a new life. … [Read more...]
Remove the idols
Shyam Hansda was from a Hindu background, but he wasn’t satisfied with his religion. He felt that something was missing from his life. He was still searching for truth and had asked his friends for suggestions. One day he saw a well-dressed man in his village and stopped to talk to him. He told the man that he wasn’t happy with his religion and wanted to know if the stranger knew of a religion that would make his life useful. The stranger was a pastor who wasted no time in telling … [Read more...]
Visit us again
As Beverly Thompson, a regional director for Gospel Outreach, and her companions rode in a taxi in eastern Jharkhand, India, she noticed that they kept passing thin men pushing bicycles heavily loaded with huge sacks filled with some lumpy material. “What is in those bags?” Beverly asked. “That’s coal,” answered the pastor in charge of the trip. “Each bike carries 1,000 to 1,400 pounds. These men make their living carting coal to sell.” About noon the taxi came upon … [Read more...]
Gospel spreads in dangerous country
Today we are discussing a country torn by poverty and violence. For security reasons, but in hopes of what this country could be, we will call it Shangri-La. Here Christians are virtually nonexistent. As we travel in Shangri-La, we see people waving placards bearing slogans that denounce peacekeeping forces. But underneath this show of support for militants is deep resentment in some quarters. The militants are not always liked. Despite the name we’ve chosen for this country, life here is … [Read more...]
‘Even the weather is in the Book?’
Karamial Hembrom is a Hindu man. He and his family did not like having Christians in their village. The Christians ate all kinds of things that the Hindus wouldn’t eat. On the day I met Karamial we talked about the weather, his field work and other things. Seeing me well-dressed, he asked where I was going and what work I did. “I am a preacher,” I said. “I tell people about the end of time, and that they should change their sinful ways and come closer to God and be … [Read more...]