by Carla Williams
The family was running out of options.
Laud was not well. She couldn’t take care of herself or her young family. She couldn’t even stand up.
The family had brought in the village elders to heal her, and then they brought in the Buddhist monks, with similarly ineffective results. They had sacrificed a whole flock of chickens. And a pig. And a water buffalo.
They were basically at the point of desperation. They were considering whether they should sell their daughters or divorce Laud and send her back to her own family.
Neither seemed like the answer.
Desperate for a Solution
Finally, with no other options, they decided to call in the Christians.
Laud’s distressed husband contacted the missionaries. Frantic for answers, he offered the only thing he felt he could. “My father’s given me permission, so that if you help us, our family will become Christians.”
Surprised, the missionaries assured him that they would help in any way that they could, but that conversion was not an exchange for services.
When they arrived at the house, the missionaries felt unqualified to give much medical attention, but they were fully equipped to pray. They interceded for Laud and her family and her debilitating illness, knowing full well the One who is able to heal the spirit and the body.
By the next morning, Laud could stand.
Later that week, the missionaries traveled with her to a nearby city for medical attention.
They continued to pray for her and love her over the next several months.
With the medicine from the doctors, Laud’s body began to heal. With the love from the missionaries, her spirit began to heal.
Finding True Healing
Soon, she was hanging around the missionaries, waiting for opportunities to be in Bible studies. And her husband sought out another local believer and began asking all the right questions.
Eventually, both of them were walking steadily in simple faith in Jesus.
When the missionaries met Laud and her husband, they could not have smiled if they wanted to. The fear and turmoil in their life had worn their faces until there was no longer any expression.
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