Participants:
Series Code: JFAN
Program Code: JFAN000178S
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00:00 (celestial upbeat music)
00:10 (celestial upbeat music) 00:18 (celestial upbeat music) 00:22 - Hello and welcome to "Jesus for Asia NOW". 00:24 I'm Natalie Wood, 00:25 and my husband Jon is here with me today. 00:27 Hello, love. - Hi darling. 00:28 How are you? - I'm doing well. 00:30 How are you? - Doing well. 00:32 - All right, I'm looking forward to finding 00:33 out where we're going today. 00:35 - Well, we're going back to where you 00:36 and I have first visited back in 2011. 00:39 - So how did we get involved 00:40 in this particular area? 00:42 - So this was way back early in the history 00:46 of Jesus for Asia. 00:47 And we were a small ministry, 00:49 had very few Bible workers, 00:51 and there was a big need in the western part 00:54 of the state of Gujarat. 00:56 - [Natalie] Okay. - And so the President 00:58 of the division at that time, 01:00 Pastor Ron Watts, volunteered Jesus for Asia 01:02 to sponsor 10 Bible workers in Western Gujarat. 01:05 And what they do is they'll have like a unit, 01:08 like it would be a region or a section 01:10 or a conference over an entire area. 01:13 And the work will grow in one part, 01:15 like in this case, it grew very rapidly 01:17 in the eastern part of Gujarat, 01:19 but nothing was being done in the western part. 01:22 And so they did what they call bifurcate. 01:26 They split that territory in half. 01:28 And in the western part, they sent a pastor, 01:31 the president and the secretary. 01:33 - Hmm. - And those three 01:35 would go there and start the work. 01:36 Just three. - Just three. 01:38 - [Jon] And this was in an area- 01:39 - I mean, millions of people. - [Jon] Yes. 01:40 - Wow. - And so Pastor Watts said, 01:43 "Hey, can you sponsor 10 Bible workers 01:46 to start this new area?" 01:47 - [Natalie] Okay. - And this was like back 01:48 in 2008, 2009. 01:50 And by faith we're like, 01:52 "I don't think we can afford it, but okay." 01:54 And out of those 10, 01:55 the work started to grow 01:58 throughout the state, throughout the area. 02:00 And then you and I visited 02:01 with our children in 2011. 02:04 And we landed in Mumbai, 02:07 and then we took the train, overnight train. 02:09 I think we got on at six o'clock in the evening. 02:11 - Yeah, it was something. 02:13 - And then all night long they had a sleeper car. 02:16 - Right. 02:17 - I think we rolled into station in Rajkot, 02:20 West Gujarat, like, I don't know, 02:22 eight or nine o'clock in the morning. 02:24 - Yeah, it was a long trip. 02:26 - Do you remember that experience? 02:27 - Yes. - I put some pictures 02:29 in here just for nostalgia. 02:31 - [Natalie] Okay. 02:32 There's a picture of some boys on the train. 02:34 - [Jon] This is in the morning. 02:35 You having worship with our two children. 02:37 - [Natalie] Right. - [Jon] And then we went out 02:38 and visited some villages while we were there. 02:40 And the experience was just phenomenal. 02:42 - [Natalie] Yes. - [Jon] Do you remember that? 02:43 - [Natalie] Yeah, this was fun. 02:44 Because they lined up to greet us 02:47 and to get their photo taken with us, 02:49 and then they would go around and sneak back 02:51 into the line and then come around again. 02:53 - Get another photo. - Yeah. 02:54 (both chuckle) 02:56 Very sweet. - [Jon] Yeah. 02:57 - Precious people. - They loved you. 02:59 They acknowledged me, 03:00 but they loved you. 03:01 And they loved our kids. 03:03 - [Natalie] Yeah. - Yeah. 03:04 - They love children. - [Jon] Yeah. 03:06 - Children are really 03:07 great missionaries. - [Jon] Right. 03:08 And so, fast forward a few years, 03:09 the work has grown. 03:10 It went through some difficult times, 03:12 but now we've got new leadership 03:14 and went back there recently to see 03:16 how the work was doing, and we found 03:19 that the local leadership had engaged 03:22 with some local students 03:25 and started forming a student church. 03:27 But these students are actually from Africa. 03:30 - Okay. - I was really surprised 03:32 to see them. 03:33 But this is a university town, 03:35 university city- - [Natalie] Okay. 03:36 - Where Mahatma Gandhi grew up 03:40 and went to school. 03:41 - Okay. - So these young people 03:42 from Africa that want to get a good education 03:44 will come to Rajkot 03:46 and enroll in the school there. 03:48 And of course they're lonely, they miss home, 03:50 they can get into trouble. 03:51 And so the leaders there, 03:53 the church have reached out to them 03:55 and they're forming a church 03:56 with African students. 03:58 - Wow, that's neat. 03:59 So we have a video- - [Jon] Yes. 04:01 - About this. - [Jon] Yes. 04:04 (students singing) 04:09 - I came here three years ago, 04:10 and when I came, I found out 04:12 that there were five students here 04:14 that were Adventists. 04:15 At that time, we worshiped together 04:17 for an hour each Sabbath. 04:19 But as time went on, we ended up worshiping 04:21 almost the whole day, each Sabbath on campus. 04:25 It was a little bit tough though, 04:26 because this is not a Christian country. 04:28 So we had a hard time finding a place to worship. 04:31 We tried going to the local Gujarati church 04:34 once a month, but there was a language barrier 04:36 because we didn't understand Gujarati or Hindi. 04:39 (uplifting music) 04:42 Then we got a new director of our region 04:44 of Seventh Day Adventists, Pastor Rakesh, 04:47 and he really wanted to find us a good place 04:49 to worship where we could worship God freely. 04:52 After a while, we found a place, 04:54 and he also got us a pastor. 04:56 - It's been just six to seven months 04:58 that I have been stationed here in Rajkot 05:01 and right now I'm taking care 05:02 of the African English Church company. 05:05 (uplifting music) 05:08 - [Student 1] But the group grew 05:10 and the room became too small. 05:13 Some people didn't have anywhere to sit. 05:14 So we left that place and moved 05:16 into this place where we are worshiping now. 05:19 It is a little bit bigger, 05:20 but even now there are people sitting outside 05:22 because the number of people coming is growing 05:24 and the room isn't very big. 05:26 So that's our challenge right now. 05:28 Because we were the first group of Christians 05:31 to start meeting on campus, 05:33 there were Christians from other 05:34 denominations that joined us. 05:37 Then as we studied together, 05:38 some chose to join our church and be baptized. 05:41 We started with just five to seven people, 05:43 but now we have more than 40 people 05:45 meeting together each week. 05:47 - So we are looking forward for a church. 05:49 God willing, we are praying that we get a church 05:53 and we can worship freely 05:56 and spread the word of God. 05:58 (uplifting music) 06:07 - See. - Wow, what a blessing. 06:09 - Yeah. 06:10 And these young students were so sincere. 06:13 - Aw. - [Jon] And so earnest. 06:14 They were just really drinking up the word, 06:16 and it's very obvious 06:18 that they really want a relationship 06:19 with the Father. 06:20 - Awesome. - And so the director, 06:21 the pastor there and the director, 06:23 they're looking actively right now for a place, 06:25 a larger place where they can rent or purchase 06:28 so that they can have a permanent place 06:30 to do this campus 06:32 or off campus Bible study ministry. 06:35 - [Natalie] Okay. 06:36 Yeah, it's neat also that he said, 06:37 "We started with just five to seven 06:39 and now there's 40." 06:41 - [Jon] Yeah. - And that's really neat. 06:43 - Imagine how much it'll grow over a few years. 06:46 - [Natalie] Yeah. - Yeah. 06:47 - [Natalie] Yeah. 06:48 And as students come and students go, 06:49 there will be change, 06:50 but that's often good. - [Jon] Yes. 06:54 Well, they plant the seed in the student 06:55 and then he goes back to his country. 06:57 - [Natalie] Right. - He can be a witness there 06:58 with his community. 06:59 - [Natalie] Right, right. 07:00 Well, praise the Lord. 07:01 - Yeah. - So this next video 07:02 is a testimony from that church plant. 07:04 - Okay. 07:06 (uplifting music) 07:11 - [Student 2] I used to live in the hostel 07:13 at the university, but I had problems 07:15 with the school administration 07:16 because I was drinking. 07:17 And drinking isn't allowed on the school campus. 07:20 It's actually banned in this state. 07:22 So they chased me out of the hostel, 07:24 and I came to live in these apartments. 07:26 But my situation just got worse and worse. 07:29 If my family sent me any money, 07:31 I didn't use it to buy good things. 07:33 I used it to smoke tobacco 07:34 and weed and drink alcohol. 07:37 One day there was a very big black thing 07:39 that came and covered me in my bed. 07:42 When I said the name of Jesus, it disappeared. 07:44 But my whole body was shaking after that. 07:47 Then one night when I was very drunk, 07:50 I was planning to commit suicide. 07:52 I was thinking to jump out of a window 07:54 because I felt like I would never be able 07:55 to change and be a good person. 07:57 In the morning, I went over to my window 07:59 to see who was there because I wanted to smoke. 08:02 I had never met the people that were down there, 08:04 but something just came into my mind and I said, 08:07 "Hey, you men of God, come and help me. 08:10 Come and pray for me. 08:11 I didn't sleep well last night. 08:13 For about a week now, 08:14 a black thing has been coming each night 08:17 and covering me. 08:18 Please come and pray for me." 08:21 - We were able to hear some voice coming out 08:23 and I said like, "I will get late 08:24 if I go to that boy's place." 08:26 So I found few guys who were down there. 08:29 I told, "There's a voice 08:29 that's coming from upstairs. 08:31 Would you guys go up 08:32 and find out what's happening?" 08:34 - So they came to my house. 08:36 We prayed together, and then they told me... 08:38 - "Today's Sabbath and we are worshiping 08:40 on the other building. 08:42 Would you like to join?" 08:43 And he was like, "Yes, why not? 08:44 I will come." 08:45 As the Sabbath school was proceeding, 08:47 he just told, "I want to say something." 08:49 I said, "Okay, you can go ahead and tell." 08:52 And he went ahead and he said, 08:54 "I just want to share my testimony." 08:56 He shared his testimony for almost an hour, 08:58 and then later, like during my sermon also, 09:02 he was like, "Hallelujah. 09:03 Praise the Lord." 09:05 Then later he came and told me, 09:06 "Now I believe that there is a Lord 09:09 who is taking care of me." 09:12 (spirited upbeat music) 09:14 - [Student 2] What I learned from the church 09:15 here is love. 09:17 They love each other. 09:18 It's not the fake kind of love 09:20 where someone loves you 09:21 just to get something from you. 09:22 It's the real love from God. 09:26 All of my habits have completely changed now. 09:29 I don't smoke anymore, I don't drink anymore, 09:31 and I don't like to fight anymore. 09:34 God changed me completely from a bad person 09:37 to a better person. 09:39 I am so happy about everything 09:41 that God has done for me. 09:44 (spirited upbeat music) 09:50 - That's a beautiful smile. - That is a beautiful smile 09:53 - And a beautiful testimony. 09:54 - Yeah. - Wow. 09:55 I love what he said about them. 09:56 They love each other with God's love- 09:58 - [Jon] The real love. - It's not the fake love. 10:00 - Yeah. 10:01 But he was heading to a very dark place. 10:04 - Yes. - Might have even 10:05 committed suicide. - [Natalie] Yeah. 10:06 - If the people weren't there 10:08 that loved him with God's love. 10:10 - Yeah. 10:10 Our next video is a story 10:12 from one of our Bible workers that works 10:15 in that same city. 10:16 - Yep. 10:19 (soft gentle music) 10:26 (soft gentle music) 10:30 - This family is originally from Nepal. 10:33 Before they accepted Jesus, 10:34 they used to do idol worship in their home. 10:37 In fact, the mother used to have dreadlocks 10:39 and was like a witch doctor. 10:41 She would heal people and cast out evil spirits, 10:43 and the people that she helped 10:45 would become very successful in life. 10:48 So the people had a lot of respect 10:50 for this family. 10:51 - We actually had a son, 10:53 and he used to tell us 10:54 that we shouldn't be doing things 10:56 with evil spirits, but we didn't listen to him. 10:59 - Then when he was 15, he suddenly died. 11:02 He didn't know about Jesus, 11:04 but he knew that what they were doing was wrong. 11:07 And so the same evil spirit 11:09 that she was casting on people 11:10 and removing from people, 11:12 took the life of their son. 11:14 They ended up having four daughters 11:16 and were expecting another son. 11:18 But when she delivered the baby boy, he died. 11:22 That's when their lives completely changed. 11:24 They were so troubled. 11:26 All of their peace and prosperity disappeared 11:28 after the death of that baby boy. 11:30 It didn't matter where they went, 11:32 they couldn't find peace. 11:37 - It was because of my work 11:38 with the evil spirits that I lost my son. 11:41 The same evil spirit that I was casting 11:43 out of others took the life of my child. 11:47 - She had a lot of problems 11:49 while she was pregnant, but she didn't realize 11:51 what the reason was. 11:52 Only when she lost her baby did she realize 11:54 that what she was doing was wrong. 11:57 And that's when she found our community 11:59 of believers worshiping and praying together, 12:01 and I was introduced to her. 12:05 It was just a year and a half ago 12:07 that by the grace of God, 12:09 they came to know about Jesus 12:10 and accepted Him into their lives. 12:13 - The evil spirit cheated me. 12:15 I will never ever trust that spirit again. 12:18 Jesus has always been faithful to me, 12:21 so I need to be faithful to Him. 12:24 (soft gentle music) 12:32 - They had already done an operation 12:34 so that they couldn't have any more children, 12:36 but then they decided to have another operation 12:38 so that they could try to have more children, 12:41 even though the doctor was doubtful 12:43 that it would work. 12:44 They were so desperate though, to have a son. 12:47 Then about a year ago, 12:49 I decided to have a prayer meeting in this home, 12:51 and while I prayed and laid my hands on her head, 12:54 I saw that God was giving her a baby boy. 12:56 So I told her that in spite of all 12:59 that the doctor had said, God had shown me 13:01 that she would get a baby boy. 13:03 And after just one or two months, 13:04 she was pregnant. 13:06 Now she's eight months pregnant, 13:08 and they tested and found out 13:09 that she will have a baby boy. 13:11 This is the biggest miracle 13:13 that she has experienced 13:14 since she accepted Jesus. 13:16 Since then, the whole family has been growing 13:19 in their faith in Jesus. 13:20 At one point, the father's shoulder 13:22 was out of joint and he couldn't work. 13:24 There was so much pain in his shoulder. 13:27 So I laid hands on his arm and prayed for him, 13:29 and that same night he felt someone come 13:32 and pull his arm. 13:33 The next day his arm was all right. 13:38 - I couldn't move my left arm at all, 13:41 but it moves very easily now. 13:44 (spirited upbeat music) 13:50 - This Bible worker is like my father 13:53 and my mother to me. 13:55 If he had not come to us, 13:56 we would've never tasted Jesus Christ. 13:59 I would've never had another son at this age. 14:07 Whenever I have difficulties, I fast and pray. 14:11 Even though I'm pregnant, 14:12 I fast and pray sometimes, because I remember 14:15 that the Bible workers said that 14:17 as long as I fast and pray, 14:19 the evil spirits cannot do anything to me. 14:22 I know there is only a short time left 14:24 before my delivery, and I want to be as close 14:27 to Jesus as possible 14:28 because I know the evil spirit 14:30 will not leave me alone easily. 14:35 - We have found so much happiness 14:37 and so much joy in Jesus 14:39 that I cannot even express it. 14:41 I am so happy that I was introduced 14:43 to Jesus Christ through the Bible worker. 14:45 If it wasn't for him, 14:46 we wouldn't have known about Jesus. 14:48 And if it wasn't for him coming and praying, 14:50 there wouldn't have been healing in our lives, 14:53 especially in the lives 14:54 of my mother and my father. 14:57 (spirited upbeat music) 15:00 - [Worker] Those who are sitting in the back 15:01 have come to Jesus through the testimony 15:04 of this family. 15:05 They have also had a lot of difficulties 15:06 in their lives, but they believe 15:08 that if this family can find help 15:10 through prayer, they can too. 15:13 (spirited upbeat music) 15:24 - That's beautiful. - Isn't that amazing? 15:27 - Yeah. - Man, we think, 15:28 "Oh, we just need to sponsor some Bible workers," 15:32 and you don't know what's actually happening. 15:35 - [Natalie] Right. - And the lives being changed, 15:36 the families that are being changed, 15:38 the children, and it's like, wow. 15:40 - And the wider circle. - [Jon] Yeah. 15:42 - The people that were sitting 15:42 behind them in the video 15:44 have also started coming to Jesus because... 15:47 - [Jon] Yeah. 15:48 - Of what they've learned 15:49 and what they're living in their lives. 15:51 - Yeah, and so it's not 15:52 just a Bible worker program, 15:53 it's actual lives being saved. 15:54 - Right. - Yeah, 15:55 not just for this world, 15:56 but for eternity. - Right, right. 15:59 And that's the most beautiful part. 16:01 - Yes. - All right. 16:02 We've got another testimony. 16:03 - Okay. - From a sick boy 16:05 being healed. - [Jon] Okay. 16:08 (soft gentle music) 16:16 (soft gentle music) 16:21 - When this boy was five years old, 16:23 they believed that there was an evil spirit 16:25 that attacked him, and because of the noise 16:27 of the evil spirit, 16:28 he went unconscious for 24 hours. 16:31 That happened when he was five years old 16:33 and now he's 21. 16:35 They went to a lot of exorcists 16:36 and mosques and magicians. 16:39 They went everywhere, but nothing changed. 16:41 Then his father heard about Jesus 16:43 and how He can heal people, 16:45 and because of that, he contacted me. 16:48 Now, it's been two years 16:49 since they accepted Jesus Christ 16:51 and they come and worship with me regularly. 16:54 Two years ago, he was in a worse condition 16:57 than now, but after two years, 16:59 we have seen a lot of improvement in him. 17:03 - Sometimes he still has problems 17:04 where he suddenly collapses 17:06 and becomes unconscious. 17:07 So we need to continue to pray for him. 17:10 We believe that he will come back 17:11 to his normal health, 17:12 but only our faith and trust in God 17:14 can bring that healing. 17:16 Doctors have said that there is no way 17:18 that medical treatment will heal him. 17:20 It has to be an external power. 17:21 Only the God who created him can heal him. 17:24 So we have given up on hospitals 17:26 and we believe that Jesus will heal him. 17:35 - They feel that there have been similar things 17:37 happening to their younger son also. 17:39 - Our younger son was also getting fits, 17:42 but after we accepted Jesus Christ, 17:43 nothing has happened to him. 17:46 - He's completely normal 17:47 and that's why they believe in Jesus Christ. 17:50 What happened with their first son, 17:52 they don't want that to happen 17:53 to their second son. 17:55 They have two other children who were normal. 17:57 They're both in Nepal and going to school there. 18:00 It's only their first and their last child 18:02 that have problems. 18:03 But we need to keep praying 18:05 because there are other people 18:06 in this community who believe 18:07 that if there is healing in this home, 18:09 there can be healing in their homes as well. 18:13 This lady who is the father's cousin, 18:14 used to experience a lot of anxiety 18:17 and health problems, 18:18 but then she started coming here 18:20 to join us in worship, and now she believes 18:22 that there is peace and comfort in Christ. 18:25 Now she joins us every time I come here. 18:28 I have a group of Nepali women 18:30 who meet each evening, and this lady helps a lot 18:32 with those meetings. 18:34 I wanna work like Paul. 18:35 I'm not from this country, but like Paul, 18:38 I want to go around and spread the gospel. 18:40 And I want many people to come to the truth 18:42 through the healing of this boy. 18:45 (soft gentle music) 18:51 - Such powerful things in their lives. 18:53 - Right, and so much faith. - [Jon] Yes. 18:55 - The father expressing the faith 18:57 in Jesus to heal him. 18:59 - Even over years 19:00 of not seeing immediate results. 19:02 - [Natalie] Right. - His faith is still strong. 19:04 - [Natalie] Yeah. 19:05 So it's interesting 19:06 that even though they're not from India, 19:08 they're still being reached out to. 19:10 - Yes. 19:11 - And God is working for people from Nepal. 19:14 - Yes. - Through the Bible workers 19:15 as well. - That's right. 19:16 Now our part is that we can join them in prayer. 19:18 - [Natalie] Right. - We can join them 19:19 in agreement. 19:20 And Matthew 1819 says, 19:22 "If there are two or more gathered on earth 19:25 and ask for anything in agreement, 19:28 agree on something and ask God for something, 19:29 God will surely do it." - Right. 19:31 - [Jon] So we can join them. - So we can pray 19:32 for that young man. - Yes, absolutely. 19:35 - So they said he's 21. 19:36 So it's been a lot of years of dealing 19:38 with the evil spirits and the results 19:40 of what they've done to him. 19:42 - [Jon] Yeah. - We will definitely 19:43 be praying and eager to hear 19:45 how God works in his life. 19:46 - Yeah, they said that when we were leaving 19:48 from after filming that 19:50 that they saw an improvement 19:52 and that he was starting to interact 19:54 with people in ways he hadn't done before. 19:56 - Wow. - So they were seeing 19:57 these small improvements 19:58 and that's just strengthening their faith, 20:00 knowing that God will 20:01 make their boy. - [Natalie] Continue, right. 20:04 - Whole. - Right. 20:05 He will continue 20:06 to do the healing that's necessary. 20:07 - Yes. 20:08 So this next Bible worker, 20:09 we're gonna learn a little bit about him, 20:12 and then after that we're gonna hear the story 20:14 of the family that he's ministering to, 20:16 and it's a really cool story. 20:18 - Okay. 20:19 All right, the Bible worker first. 20:20 - Yes. - Alright. 20:22 (light airy music) 20:28 (light airy music) 20:34 - Back in 2001, 20:35 there was a huge earthquake in this area. 20:38 A lot of people died 20:39 and a lot of people got sick. 20:42 Then shortly after the earthquake, 20:44 there were a lot of missionaries that came 20:46 to help in the areas where the earthquake 20:47 had done a lot of damage. 20:50 One day when my daughter was very small, 20:52 one of the missionaries came to pray for her 20:54 because she was sick. 20:56 After that, she got well 20:57 and because she got well, 20:59 we gave up Hindu worship and became Christians. 21:02 Now my daughter is 24 years old 21:04 and my whole family is baptized. 21:07 About nine years ago, I started feeling a burden 21:10 to share the gospel in this area. 21:12 And so when I got the opportunity 21:14 to work with Jesus for Asia, 21:16 that's what I started doing. 21:18 And it's been five years now 21:19 that I've been a Bible worker. 21:21 I've been so blessed and my faith 21:23 has really grown as I've worked 21:25 in these villages. 21:26 When I visit people, I pray for the sick 21:29 and I explain to them 21:30 why worshiping idols is wrong 21:32 and tell them about Jesus. 21:34 Some of those people choose to believe in Jesus 21:36 and are blessed because of it. 21:38 Then other people see that 21:40 and they too accept Jesus. 21:43 (soft gentle music) 21:52 - Okay, so that was the Bible worker. 21:54 - Okay. 21:55 - And now the interesting story. 21:56 - Alright. - Okay, so there's a small 21:58 group in a certain caste that lived in a village 22:02 and a certain area in this state, okay. 22:04 - Okay. - Now the castes 22:06 cannot intermarry. 22:08 They have to marry from within their caste. 22:10 But since the caste is small, 22:12 they were intermarrying 22:13 and they were getting birth defects. 22:15 And so they were looking around, 22:18 "Who can we find to marry our sons?" 22:22 And they couldn't marry locally, 22:24 but they looked out, as you know, 22:26 they looked out to another part of the state 22:28 up in the mountains and they found some tribes 22:30 and they says, "Okay, we can marry them. 22:33 And since they're not from another caste, 22:34 they're more like outcast, 22:36 then they will not pollute our bloodlines." 22:39 - Okay. - And so they went 22:40 to these villages and asked the women, 22:41 "Would you be willing to marry our sons?" 22:43 And the women said, "Well, we would, 22:46 but we're Christian." 22:48 And the Hindus said, "That's not a problem." 22:53 And the women says, "But we would have 22:55 to raise our kids as Christians." 22:57 And the man says, "That's not a problem as long 22:59 as you're willing to marry our sons." 23:01 - Okay. - And so this family, 23:04 the woman, the mother is a Seventh Day Adventist. 23:07 - Okay. - And she is now 23:09 in the center of this family, 23:11 in the center of this village 23:13 that is all Hindu from a very specific caste. 23:17 And she's a sweet lady and an excellent mother. 23:20 And they've got wonderful children 23:23 and the husband's happy. 23:25 And the village is now asking if we can set 23:27 up a school there. 23:30 - Okay. 23:33 Alright. 23:34 So let's watch the video now. 23:35 - [Jon] Okay. 23:40 - I have a friend that is from the same area 23:42 as this lady Preeti. 23:44 And he told me that she and some other ladies 23:46 from that area were living here 23:48 because they married men from this village. 23:50 He also told me that she believed in Jesus. 23:53 So I started visiting her. 23:56 - I've known about Jesus 23:57 and been a Christian all of my life 23:59 because my parents were Christians. 24:01 We were Pentecostal Christians. 24:03 But now I am a Seventh Day Adventist. 24:10 When I moved here, I was the only Christian. 24:12 All of the people around me, 24:14 including my husband, were Hindus. 24:16 So I was all alone and I didn't know 24:18 how to go about telling people about God. 24:21 But then one day, Labu Bhai, 24:22 the Bible worker came to my house 24:24 and talked about Jesus. 24:25 And I told him, I already know about Jesus, 24:28 but I've just been keeping quiet 24:30 because I didn't know who to tell about Jesus. 24:33 Now I'm so thankful that Labu Bhai came 24:35 because through him I got the courage 24:38 to share about Jesus with my neighbors. 24:41 - She and I would go together 24:42 and visit each house in the village 24:44 and I would pray for the people. 24:46 And because of those prayers, 24:48 there are a lot of changes and many people 24:50 have experienced healing in those homes. 24:53 So now the people 24:54 in this area respect both of us. 24:57 (crowd chanting) 25:08 - It actually all started with my father-in-law 25:10 who has passed away now. 25:11 He was very sick, so I called Labu Bhai, 25:13 and asked him to come so we could pray for him. 25:16 Before we prayed though, we told my father-in-law 25:19 that while he was physically sick, 25:21 he could have eternal life. 25:22 He could pass away any time, 25:24 but if he accepted Jesus, 25:25 he could have salvation. 25:27 And there in his sickness, he accepted Jesus. 25:30 We could see the change in his life. 25:32 And because of that, 25:33 the whole family started accepting that the God 25:35 that I serve is the true and living God. 25:40 As I walk around in this village, 25:42 I am always smiling and happy. 25:44 So some people ask me, 25:46 "Why are you so happy all the time?" 25:48 I tell them that it's because I have faith 25:50 in Jesus Christ. 25:52 And then when they ask who Jesus is, 25:54 I get to share with them. 25:58 I go to every home in this village for prayer 26:00 because every home 26:01 has its difficulties and challenges. 26:03 And I tell people, 26:05 if you worship the true creator, 26:07 the one who made the heavens and the earth, 26:09 the living God, all of your problems 26:12 will be solved and you will be blessed. 26:15 And because of this message, 26:16 they have started coming together 26:18 and worshiping together. 26:21 Jesus Christ is my personal savior 26:24 and I want to tell others about my savior 26:26 because I don't want God to save just me. 26:29 I want others to be saved as well. 26:34 - Please pray for me and the ministry I'm doing 26:36 here so that many people can come to know Jesus. 26:41 (spirited upbeat music) 26:48 - Isn't that the coolest story ever? 26:50 - That's very nice. 26:52 You know, it's interesting what she said, 26:54 "I pray for every house 26:55 because every house has problems." 26:58 And I think many times we forget that, you know? 27:00 - [Jon] Yes. - Even in our daily lives, 27:02 we can drive through our neighborhood 27:03 and think, "Oh, there's the neighbors," you know? 27:05 - Yeah. - But we don't think 27:07 they might have a family member 27:08 that's really sick, or they might have 27:10 some other crisis, 27:12 they might have lost their job yesterday. 27:14 We don't know anything about these people 27:16 most of the time. - Right. 27:17 Yeah. - And so, it's very important 27:20 to learn from her, to pray for every house. 27:22 - Yes, but I just love her smile. 27:25 She says, "People are asking, 27:26 'Why are you so happy all the time?' 27:28 It's 'cause of Jesus." 27:29 - [Natalie] Right. 27:30 What better testimony could there be? 27:32 - Absolutely. - [Natalie] Than the smile 27:33 on her face. - Absolutely, yes. 27:34 - The proof of joy. - Yes. 27:36 - All right. 27:37 And I would like to invite you to be involved 27:39 with these projects, first of all by prayer. 27:42 And if you would like to learn more 27:43 about our Bible worker program 27:45 or these school projects, 27:46 please contact us at Jesus for Asia, 27:49 PO Box 1221, Collegedale, Tennessee, 37315. 27:55 Call us at (423) 413-7321 28:00 or visit our website at jesus4asia.org. 28:04 May God richly bless you, 28:05 until we see you next time 28:07 on "Jesus for Asia NOW". 28:10 (celestial upbeat music) 28:20 (celestial upbeat music) |
Revised 2025-01-23