India (episode 5-ish)

The day after the crazy tent meetings, i woke up with a wicked ache all over my body. I thought i'd finally caught something, you know, and started popping pills and begging God to spare me any more weird travel illnesses.

But then i went to Suresh's place and got started talking to Daniel (Suresh's older brother, an apostle and a leader in their ministry). Daniel told me some spooky stuff. He said that everytime he and his friends pray for Seikh people, demonic spirits begin to afflict them in their body.

He went on to describe the exact symptoms i was feeling...which was spooky...and the told me the only way to get rid of the symptoms was to live with them for a long time or to pray until they went away.

I didn't think too much about it (i was trying to discern how superstitious he was, and how overly-rationale i was), but as the day wore on my symptoms grew worse. It was like i began to suffer from every pain i had prayed for God to heal the previous evening. I started thinking that this must be where the myth of the sin-eaters came from (people taking the sin and sickness from another person and absorbing it into themselves).

Several hours later, i ran into Daniel again. He asked me how i was feeling and i told him i was alright. He looked sideways at me and told me that he could see i was bothered. He told me he had been praying for me ever since i left him, about four or five hours prior. He asked if he could pray for me, and i accepted.

Then he began to give me the torture prayer. He smacked me and slapped me and pulled me and pinched me. It was hilarious (and super painful), but i tried not to react because i didn't want to encourage him (i was afraid that if i said "ouch" he would think it was a demon or something...he's a little prone to spotting devils).


Anyway, he worked me over for about 15 minutes and by the end i was totally relieved that the prayer time was over.

But it worked.

I felt much better instantly, and completely better within the hour.

That night we did more ministry in the villages, prayed against dark spirits, called upon God for healing, and i felt electrified. Even after a very short sleep and a very early plane trip i feel fantastic.

This whole trip was been a massive collection of evidence for the power of prayer. The people at home are praying, my family is praying, the Christians here are praying (they told me they have prayed very hard, and fasted for a long time, so i would be protected while India...i think they were terrified that if something bad happened to me there would be *consequences).

One of the funny little details from last night concerns what one of the guys called (in very broken english) a "sexy devil spirit."

Now, the reality of an incubus or succubus is nothing to laugh at...last night there was some strange hoodoo...but i couldn't stop myself from laughing at the terminology.

That, and their mispronounciation of "witchcraft." you see, they have a hard time saying "ft," so it come out as "witch crap."

My dad used to describe it in just those terms when i was younger. God's sense of humor persists, eh?


Anyway, i had an incredible set of experiences in Aurangubad, and am now off to the Taj Mahal before heading home. I simply CANNOT wait to see Carmel and the kids.