When we returned from our furlough, a big surprise awaited us when we visited our villages of Ndreh and Srae Thom.

Before we had left on furlough, we advised them to take into their own hands the mission of Jesus without waiting for a foreigner or professional to do it. They followed our advice, and it had begun to show results.

So when we visited our brothers, there were three new families that we had not met before. Our brothers from these villages had reached them with the gospel. Some of the new families had already had their house dedication ceremony we perform in this culture to publicly demonstrate the abandoning of all sacrifices to demons and evil spirits. 

How satisfying it was to see how our Pnong brothers had become disciples of Jesus. One of the new families asked us to visit their mother, a very old woman who had been sick for a long time. We accompanied the group to pray for her so that God would help her heal. We asked this woman whether or not she believed in God, to which she responded no. It did not seem that she had ever asked herself that question. Therefore, our members began to share their personal testimonies and tell how the God of the Bible has the power to heal us from illnesses and free us from the demonic powers suffered from so often within this culture. We then sang, read some verses and prayed fervently for her healing.

It was incredible to see how those who had only been believers for a few weeks before our departure and who were not yet baptized were sharing with others their personal testimonies and the reason why they began to believe in God.
They had fulfilled one of the principles of discipleship: “If you know something, you should be ready to share it,” just as Jesus sent the one whom He had just freed from demons (Mark 5:18-19).

I have not returned to that home yet. I do not know if that woman has been healed. However, it caught my attention that after praying for her, she asked us, “Can you teach me how to pray?” Our brothers, even the new ones, began to explain to her how to pray by herself. It was so touching to see her repeat, “In the name of Jesus, amen. Right?” and the believers saying, “Yes, exactly, grandmother.”

Seeing our brothers become disciples of Jesus is the fulfillment we are looking for here. We do not expect members to be baptized so much as we expect members to begin sharing with others their personal experiences with God. As Matthew 28:20 says, teach others to obey. Baptism will come.

We were away from the project for four months. We did not know what would happen. But God kept working in their hearts so they would continue to be disciples of Christ.

It’s not about us and what we can do. It’s about Jesus and what He can do.

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