The picture is of John sitting with the Chief of the village and his mother, 400 miles in the bush in Africa.
In 1990 I went to Africa as a missionary. I was sent 400 miles in the bush to man the infirmary. A problem was that there were no supplies in the infirmary. All I could do was preach and pray for the people. I was so touched by the people, their respect for each other and their willingness to share the little that they had with anyone who needed it. It was during this time that I came to understand that I really can’t do anything spiritual or Godly in my own power. I had no tools, didn’t speak the language, except through an interpreter, no previous knowledge of the culture and I was in a little village 400 miles in the bush where the people struggled each day to find something to eat. Usually, it was cassava root smashed up.
I was in Africa for almost four months. What I discovered, is that in my emptiness, God would do mighty works. If I would be obedient to do what He asked, His Spirit would move through me to touch the people with healings, peace, joy and the love of God. It was one of the most memorable and enriching times of my life. I learned that God just wanted me to be an empty vessel which carried the Holy Spirit to where He wanted to go so that He could do the work of the Lord. I just had to be obedient to follow His lead. It took time, but the more I practiced, the more He could use me.
Then I got sick. I had cerebral malaria with a 105-degree fever for over three days and had an aversion to drinking water. My interpreter would take me out of my hut each day and lay me on the ground in the shade of a tree. On the third day, I saw a vision and heard a voice: it was a 20-foot-tall glass of water, and I heard a small voice saying, “If you don’t drink the water, it will be hard to get home.” The next day, as I was laying under the tree, I saw the vision again. Then I was set free from my aversion to drinking water. My interpreter was walking by just then. I motioned for him to bring me water. As I drank it, it was as if I was drinking life into myself. I was healed and sent home. I had no recurrences when I returned home.
Beside the miraculous healing, when I returned home, I discovered that during my time of illness, even though there was no way to communicate, one of my best friends and his mother as well as my brother felt compelled to pray for me. They knew in their spirits that there was something wrong with me and I needed fervent prayer, which is what they did. I believe it was their obedience to pray fervently for me which is what helped bring forth my healing. “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” James 5:16 NKJV
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