Jesus Still Heals

Image of missionary couple in IndiaThis man used to persecute the church and his wife was demon-possessed. Now they are prepared to suffer persecution to take the gospel to the lost.

Jesus Still Heals

Jerry’s 1st trip blog from India and Nepal

Dear Family,

Taking over the National Missionary Ministry at Heaven’s Family was a challenge for me. I’m very big on developing relationships, but now I have all these new partners I’ve never met. How do I tell their story? What vision has God given them for their nation and how can I communicate that to you? How can we best help without fully understanding their ministry context? My recent trip to India and Nepal has helped to answer these questions. But even more importantly, it gave me time to build relationships with these giants of the faith.

We reached Delhi, India around 1:00 a.m. This was my first time in Asia. I was shocked as we stepped out of the airport and into a thick cloud of pollution. It smelled as if we were sitting next to a campfire. After that, our long drive to our destination enabled us to experience what driving without traffic laws is like (or at least that’s what it seemed like to me). The horn honking and lane changing were as common as the Hindu temples and idols along the way.

Upon arrival at our partner’s home, we were greeted with warm smiles, hot chai tea, and great conversation. This national missionary received his call to ministry in 1998. He had a vision of Jesus saying, “Go plant churches in places where there are none.” He chose to move to a place where the identified Christian population is less than 1/10 of 1%. This part of India is truly unreached and the government wants to keep it that way. There is an anti-conversion law that carries a three-year prison sentence and a $2,000 fine. Who signs up to be a missionary there? This guy! He has suffered beatings, a broken arm, and being pelted with rocks, all for the sake of the gospel. But his perseverance is paying off.

This brother has a big vision and is working hard to bring it to pass. His goal is to plant 5,000 churches in this unreached region before his life ends. He started a small Bible school where he trains indigenous missionaries to plant churches. He challenges each church to plant another one in a neighboring village within two years. You have been sponsoring some of these national missionaries, and so far 320 churches have been planted!

Over the next few days, I got to witness the incredible work God is doing in India through Heaven’s Family (which means through you!). Your choice to empower these missionaries with much-needed resources is changing lives. There is safe water for people to drink, reducing health problems. Women are being trained to sew and start businesses, helping them overcome poverty. Children in the lowest rung of the caste system are being loved, educated, and discipled, giving them hope for a brighter future. We saw 18 people baptized on a rooftop. A light is shining in the darkness.

Image of women with sewing machinesThree of the 20 women who will be go through the sewing and business training.

Image of new believers in India in line to be baptizedThe line of baptism candidates on our partner’s roof.

In each church, we heard multiple testimonies from people who decided to follow Jesus due to a miraculous healing. At one church, every believer had been a Christian for less than four years. As former Hindus, they had very little Bible knowledge, but they believed in the power of prayer. These new believers prayed for their family members and neighbors. Through their obedience in the face of persecution, Jesus healed people’s bodies and lives, adding to His church. There are now 80 Christ-followers continuing to display God’s love to that community.

One healing story was especially interesting. Our partner introduced us to a married couple who had just graduated from his Bible school. The husband had been a religious Hindu fanatic. Much like the apostle Paul, he was a persecutor of the church. He and his friends would go into churches and beat up the missionaries. But when his mother became very ill, she went to a village church where a missionary prayed for her and she was healed. He began to believe in Jesus but was still not committed to following Him. Then he got married and realized that his wife was demon-possessed. After visiting many Hindu temples and spending a lot of money with no results, he decided to go to the village church. He asked the pastor to pray for her and she was delivered. The man was shocked that such a small prayer could change everything. He and his wife committed their lives to Jesus and began to tell everyone in their village about Him.

This couple has identified 10 villages that need to hear about Jesus. Their desire is to share their testimonies and plant churches in those villages.

These are just a few of the many national missionaries who are ready and willing to go to the hard places. Through your generous kingdom investments, they are able to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. If the Lord is stirring in you a desire to support some of these faithful brothers and sisters, please email me at [email protected] or click here to find a missionary to partner with.

In my next trip blog, I will introduce you to more national missionaries. I will also share the second biggest lesson I learned on this trip. Thank you for your time and attention.

Grace and peace,

Image of the director of the National Missionary Ministry

Jerry Jefferson
Director, National Missionary Ministry

Image of two children drinking safe waterTwo children reaping the benefits of drinking safe water.

Image of girl who is receiving an educationOne young and talented artist from the slum who is receiving an education thanks to her sponsors.

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1 Recent Comments

  • JUDYBUTLER

    We should be very thankful for being able to love our Lord openly. Readings such as this should be eye opening to those that ask the guestion why do you want to do this job . Prayers for this ministry

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