by a Team Expansion worker in SE Asia
One day, 20 years or so ago, I was traveling down a dilapidated road from one city to another in Southeast Asia. This road was more of a parallel cow path through the mountains. I noticed a little side road, and felt compelled to drive down it. The road was cut from the mountain side, and once I turned a corner, I was overlooking a broad valley.
As the road descended into the valley, it led to a crystal-clear spring that flowed through the center of an idyllic village with thatched roofed huts and little children playing in the water. I stayed a little while and didn’t talk to anyone because I couldn’t speak the language very well yet. When I left and returned to the main road, I stopped and prayed over that valley and village. I didn’t know it at the time, but that village would become very important for this work.
Rising from the Ashes
A couple of years later, I was attending church in a city. During the service, the local minister said that a fire had swept through a village. The church took an offering to help rebuild the village. I also gave to help rebuild. Because the church helped with the relief, the villagers came to Christ. Though there was initial persecution, now half of those villagers are following Jesus.
After another 15 years, a local minister asked me to help another minister in a remote village to start an operation to dry grain, store it, and make feed for animals. We later named those little operations Harvest Centers. That village is the same village I prayed over years earlier.
As soon as we started a Harvest Center, we immediately faced persecution. The church and the Harvest Center grew in numbers and activities. The church started many cell groups. Now in the valley and surrounding area, there are over 1,000 believers.
A Shift in Opinion
About 12 years ago, the Harvest Center and the work associated with the Harvest Center was given an innovative farmer award by the national government. The government started to see Christians as a benefit to society.
Then eight years ago, the church from that village started a dormitory for kids who lived too far away from the school to walk to school and back every day. Initially, the government looked upon this dormitory with suspicion. The officials wanted to know if the dorm was going to be a benefit to the kids and society or if it was going to cause problems.
The families loved the dorm and this situation. Schooling is important to parents with kids everywhere in the world. We added an irrigation system for a large garden area, which now helps feed the kids who stay there. Seven years ago, I helped get water into the dormitory, so now the kitchen, bathroom, and showers have water. Everyone loved that; no more carrying water!
There are about 30 kids in the dormitory and roughly 10 come to Christ every year. They have optional Bible studies and meetings every night. This is all done openly and the officials have no concerns at this time.
Eventually, the government started to accept the dorm as a benefit to society. They started to have a different relationship with Christians. The officials no longer looked upon them with suspicion, but rather as a benefit.
A group of entrepreneurs in the church requested to start a business about three years ago. This can be a very difficult process, but the government officials ran the paperwork to start a value-added business quickly. They now knew that what the Christians do is a benefit to society.
This year, the government asked the Christians to solve the need for a little health clinic that could further promote products from the villages in the valley. The government has moved from persecution and suspicion to respect and cooperation.
How Many Chickens?
Recently, a husband and wife attended the church in the village. Earlier this year, the husband was attacked by demons. He could not walk or take care of himself. They sold their cows to pay for a shaman to come and drive away the demons, which did not work. They also took him to the hospital, but the doctors said that they could not help him because they couldn’t find anything wrong.
Eventually, the learned about the church. They heard that Christians are more powerful than demons. When the believers prayed for them, they learned that Jesus is more powerful than any spirit! After their prayers, he could walk and talk again.
They became interested in following Jesus. After coming to service, they began asking questions. The wife asked, “What is the number of chickens and cows it costs to become a Christian?” She also wanted to know how many cows would need to be sacrificed after their death for their atonement. They were amazed to learn that the price for their salvation had already been paid!
