Read Part 1 of Phea’s story: When Do You Know It’s Jesus?

Caught in heavy rain, we stopped for refuge at a neighbor’s house before reaching our destination — the village home of my friend Phea’s grandfather. He had been sick for several months and spirits had possessed his body. Now he lay desperate for help but with no hope. With no other option, Grandpa agreed to have Christians come pray over him.

My friend Jamie and I had no experience with situations like this, but we could not find a pastor or local believer available to make the three-hour trip. So we went in faith, trembling at first, and then finding strength and trust in the Lord.

When we arrived with Phea at Grandpa’s house in the village, Grandma showed us to Grandpa’s bed — a wooden table — where he lay with his legs bent close to his body. His frail body and protruding bones showed through the thin piece of fabric covering him.

“Are you here to pray for me?” Grandpa asked.

We asked what he would like prayer for, and he said, “To be healed!”

Jamie asked if he and Grandma had heard of Jesus. They hadn’t. So Jamie explained how God created the world and sent His Son to save people from their sins. “He is the One who is powerful over spirits, nature, and people, and He can heal,” Jamie said.

We prayed with Grandpa as many neighbors and family members watched and listened to us, the only two white women in their quiet village. We prayed for God to heal him, and for all the spirits in him to leave in the name of Jesus. When we finished praying, Grandpa lay in the same position. But he said he felt encouraged, and he asked us to come back.

We left Grandpa and returned to Phea’s family house, and a few hours later Phea’s sister asked us to tell her more about Jesus. We shared the gospel with her, and praise God, she believed! Under the rays of one lone light bulb with tons of bugs flying around us, Phea’s sister prayed to receive God’s salvation. Sitting nearby was her husband, who was interested in hearing the story of Jesus also.

We returned to Grandpa’s house the next day as he asked. He had asked Jesus to help him, he said, and he felt Jesus had. We talked and prayed to ask for God’s help once more, then we left. In 24 hours we had shared the gospel with many of Phea’s family, and Phea’s father was reading the Bible we left behind.

Two days after we left, another friend of ours traveled to Phea’s village to follow up with Grandpa and the family. Though Grandpa was still sick, he answered with certainty about one thing: “The evil spirits left me when those two ladies prayed for me.”

As our friend spoke with Grandpa and Grandma about Jesus, they both expressed the desire to receive Jesus’ salvation, so they prayed together asking for His forgiveness!

I could never have imagined what would occur in those 24 hours. It is beautiful to see God draw people to Himself, and what a privilege it is to be His child.

Within just a few weeks of that day, Grandpa passed away. We so wanted to see Grandpa healed, but we didn’t … at least not in the physical sense. But we did see our Father work a miracle in the spiritual realm. God freed Grandpa from the spirits and led him to repentance before he passed away.

And God isn’t done yet! After our visit, Phea’s father began listening to Bible stories in earnest. “Many years ago, a group came to our village and talked about Jesus, but I didn’t want to hear about it,” he said. “Now I think God is giving me a second chance.” Please pray for Phea’s father, who has great influence among his family and his village, to give his heart to Jesus and lead many others toward Him also.

Avery and her husband live and make disciples in East Asia.

The people in this story are real, but their names have been changed to protect their privacy.