Several weeks ago I mentioned that one of my dear friends is IN INDIA! I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to get her to share some of her thoughts with us so she’ll be guest blogging this week and sharing some of her pictures. When we talked about this following aspect of her trip Ansley was both shocked and uncomfortable with the superior treatment she has received. Ansley thank you so much for sharing what you’re seeing and feeling on this trip with all of us. Much, much love to you!
The word for white folks here translates as into “white lords” (for centuries Indians were servants to white masters). Still today, the Indians see white people as “higher” than them. We are also perceived as being closer to God. A stream of villagers tried to sneak in so Americans could pray for them. They asked for healing, rain, or education, and some asked us to pray for oil to anoint their sheep who all had a sickness. Once when I was praying, a lady told me to pray for the oil that she would put in water to dump on her buffalo so it would produce much milk. After I prayed for the oil to have healing powers, I dumped the whole jar of oil in the water. It was made very clear to me that this was not what she had intended. A drop would have been sufficient . . . oops.
We went to church with the villagers and were obliged to sit up front in chairs facing the audience, having been warned in advance that we would be called on to pray over the congregation, share a sermon, or participate in whatever way we were asked. Again, we were treated as literally lords, superior.
As we were walking around the village praying for the villagers in Saravaram, and they truly believed I could heal them- I began believing it as well. If I have the same Holy Spirit that the apostles had who healed the sick, why couldn’t God heal someone through me? I earnestly wanted to see the sick healed, but was it for their good- or selfishly did I want the power?
Lord help me to pray fervently for these people even when I don’t have the words. May I speak your word with boldness. I believe that you can heal them.
“Speak your word with boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” Acts 3:29-31
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