Dreams and Visions

Just finished seein Charles and two awesome brothers in Christ fly out of the jungle and back to the city of Paramaribo. Gary and Stephen, two dentists from the States, came down for a week trip to check in on three of the villagers that were trained in tooth extraction several years ago. Yep, jungle villagers pullin teeth. You know the common saying, "Give a man a fish and you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish and you have fed him for a lifetime." Several years ago, these dentists realized that it wasnt impossible, with the help of the Lord, to not just pull teeth in the jungle, but to teach a selected few, on how to pull teeth themselves. Now when the dentists are at home in their own practice, help continues on here in the jungle. So I guess you could say this was a little continuing education for the villagers this week:) The dental trip landed us in 6 different villages in a matter of 6 days. Although we didn’t pull teeth in all those villages, villagers came from all over seeking help.

A brother named Ba Ke, one of the four that were trained several years ago in tooth extraction, was one of the men that the dentists came to see this week, and he is the reason why I wanted to write this blog. One thing that I absolutely love to do, is sit down and just listen to stories about people, especially stories about how God has worked in their lives. Yesterday I found myself sitting in a 7 man circle, mixed with Americans and Aukaners, young and old, black and white, married and single; all with extremely different backgrounds, but all having one common bond…at some point in all our lives, Jesus Christ met us where we were and changed our lives forever.

Ba Ke and another villager shared their testimonies with us yesterday, and these are stories that I wont soon forget. I strongly believe that every child of God has a powerful story to tell, how the Lord rescued them from sin and shame and brought them into the light. We see in the story from the women at the well, just how powerful our testimonies are. For it says in John 4:39, “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony.” Did you catch that? She simply shared her testimony of how this man named Jesus met with her, even in the midst of her sin. And others came to believe because of that.

Ba Ke’s testimony is a little different than the women at the well. It involves a miraculous healing and a dream. Those two things are mentioned more than anything else when someone from here in the jungle begins to share their testimony....miraculous healings and dreams. So for those of you praying for the people, pray that God would continue to speak to people in dreams and draw them to Himself in the midst of their pain and sickness.

Without sharing all the details, Ba Ke’s story goes a little something like this: “I was sick, really sick. I tried finding help everywhere, including the spirits that our ancestors have worshiped for more than 350 years here in the jungle. Nothing. I found no help at all. I was still sick. One day, a believer in the jungle told me to come to church and warned me that God had revealed to him that something bad was awaiting me on the path. He told me to come to Jesus. I went to church, but that was it. I just went. And for three weeks the sickness was gone, but then it came back. I talked to my wife about us taking a step into this “new path”, the path of Jesus Christ. She said no way. I waited. The sickness was still there. I struggled with this “Jesus”, because I was the male figure who dealt with all the problems, sickness and spirits in my family. I had to consort and talk with the spirits when there were problems. I knew if I decided to follow Jesus, Id have to give this role up. My family depended on me and my brother. I waited.

Later, my wife got sick and then she came to me and brought up the idea to go back to church, to Jesus. I got mad. I was sick and wanted to go already and she said no. Now shes sick and all of a sudden she wants to go? I didn’t know what to do. She talked me into going back.

In April of this year, I heard about the Easter Conference that was going on at a nearby village called Pipa Konde. I wanted to go and I did. I prayed to receive Christ at this Easter Conference. The sickness is gone and I give God all the glory. Its not come back since. My hunting dogs, that had not been able to hunt anymore due to spiritual curses that were put on them, were also set free and were able to hunt again. God even cared about my dogs.

On top of all that, God gave me a vision while dreaming one night after I prayed to receive Christ. I was walking on a path in the jungle and a man and a woman where ahead of me. They were coming at me with a gun and a machete. I didn’t know what to do. Then a dove descended from above, and spoke to me and said, “Follow me.” We took another path. The dove then said keep following me. It flew high into the air and I flew behind it. Away we went. We flew higher and higher until we landed on a tree branch that turned into a path; but this path was a new path. The dove then said. Look down. You see that path below. That path is bad. They will kill you if you go back to it. Look at this path. This is the path of Jesus Christ. Those spirits do not have power over you anymore. Jesus is with you. Walk this path and don’t turn back.

Im walking that path still today and wont turn back.”

Amen! Please be praying for this new brother in Christ. He’s only a few months old in his new life in Christ. Pray for growth and for God to continue to work in mighty ways in his heart.

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