Besides my storytelling ministry, I'm also pastoring a small church in a village 25 miles from the town where we live.
On our way home each Sunday, my wife and I began stopping to visit and pray with a particular family. We'd done this for two years, and they were still the only believers in that village.
But now this family was getting discouraged. They said, "Pastor is coming and praying with us each Sunday, but we are the only family who are believing in Jesus. We are not growing in numbers." That was very upsetting to them.
I answered, "Don't be discouraged. Just like a single lamp can give light to many people, in the same way your one family can become light to many others in this village."
Soon afterward, a woman came to them and said, "My small son has been affected by seizures."
The old man in the family told her, "Bring your son to the prayer service and God will heal that boy." The next Sunday when I came, he went to bring that sick boy and his mother to our service.
So I told them the story from the Bible about the boy who was suffering seizures and how Jesus' disciples were not able to heal him. But then Jesus came, and he healed the boy. After telling the story, I applied oil and prayed for the boy. I told the mother, "Just believe, and God will do these things."
She said, "We have taken my son to so many doctors and witch doctors, but nothing has helped. If your Jesus will heal him, then definitely we will believe and we will come to your prayer meetings."
The next day before returning to our home, we prayed for the boy again.
The following Sunday when we saw her she said, "Sir, my boy has started improving. He's not like he was before!" Since then, she and her son are regularly coming to our prayer meetings.
By seeing this miracle, another family has also started attending. So within two months, 13 people in that village have come to Jesus Christ through this one incident!
The boy is still not able to speak, but he has stopped constantly crying and his condition is improved. We are believing for him to be able to speak soon.
So we could celebrate our Christmas program in a very wonderful way this year. Six people are now ready to take water baptism!
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