Two East-West missionaries and a group of local believers in Southeast Asia wanted to take a day trip to a nearby waterfall. It was supposed to be a day of fun and bonding, though they never knew when evangelism opportunities would arise.
The trek from the parking lot to the waterfall was a bit of a hike, and one of the believers decided he would stay behind and wait for the group. The rest of the group went on while their friend sat down at a roadside food stand.
When the group returned, their friend was talking to the woman who owned the food stall. The group asked the two of them what they were talking about, and the woman, named Putri, said, “He’s been telling me incredible stories about this man.” She turned to the man whom she had been talking to and asked, “What’s his name again?”
“Jesus,” the man answered. Putri had never heard about Jesus before.
Because Putri was open to learning more about the gospel, the group of friends looked for any reason they could to go back to that waterfall. While a group of them hiked, someone would stay behind at the food stand to talk to Putri about Jesus. After a few meetings, Putri professed faith in Christ, and the believers began discipling her.
One day, a group of believers visited Putri’s house to share the gospel with her husband and daughter, and they professed faith in Jesus that day. The believers asked the family if they had any prayer requests. As it turned out, Putri’s granddaughter was in another room of the house, sick with a fever. The family was really worried about her and asked the believers to pray for her. The believers taught the family how to pray in Jesus’ name and prayed for the granddaughter’s health.
Moments later, the granddaughter walked into the room, unaware of what had just happened, and told her mother that she was feeling better.
The family’s newfound faith and the granddaughter’s healing were only the beginning of the miraculous things happening in Putri’s village. More people have come to faith in her community, and Putri was recently baptized. The missionaries are continuing to meet with these new believers and hope to start the first house church in Putri’s village soon.
Names have been changed for security purposes.
Stories From the Field
God is moving among the unreached worldwide. Eyes are being opened to the love and grace that Jesus offers to everyone. Read stories of incredible life change, miracles, and softened hearts on the East-West blog.
