I was enjoying a meal in the heat of the day when a young man named Devi walked over to introduce himself. As we exchanged greetings, I realized that Devi is the son-in-law of a friend of mine. I could tell Devi had something on his mind to talk about.

“Your mother-in-law told me about your new faith in Jesus,” I said as we dived in to what would become an hour-long conversation. “But you’re still wearing your red bracelet.”

Fear and superstition rule the people of this East Asian country. Most believe that the superstitious activities that they participate in — like wearing a red bracelet — will protect them from the evil spirits.

I glanced at Devi’s wrist wrapped in red yarn. “When you wear that bracelet, are you putting yourself above the evil spirit or the spirit above you?” I asked him.

“I haven’t considered that,” Devi said. The after some thought, he replied, “I’m placing the spirit above me.”

“When we trust in Jesus, we don’t need red bracelets to protect us,” I told Devi. “When we trust Jesus, we put ourselves over the spirits!”

We continued to talk about Devi’s faith, and by the end of our conversation, we came to one conclusion: Devi needed to be baptized. That moment, we got up, walked behind the restaurant to the watershed, and I baptized him. Tears welled up in my eyes as I poured water over Devi’s head.

When Devi and I met up again, his red bracelet was gone! This was a bold and courageous statement of Devi’s pursuit of God in the superstitious culture of this East Asian country. The words in Luke 15:10 resounded in my heart: “In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (NASB).

Pray with me that Devi will continue being bold in his faith and that God will use this as an example to his fellow people in his community of what it looks like to truly trust in Jesus.


Reese and his family make disciples in East Asia.


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