“Call to me, and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
Jeremiah 33:3
Today, many Christians think that the resurrection of Jesus and his meetings with several disciples are just great stories. They may even be old stories for many! But we have a new living testimony; Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
Daw Aye San[1] is a Buddhist woman who faithfully worships her ancestor’s spirits. The Shan, Daw Aye’s people group, are very devoted to both animism and Buddhism. Daw Aye is about 70 years old. As a widow, she depends on her children. She takes care of her grandchildren, the children of her son and daughter. All of them live in the same bamboo house. While the other adults are working in the field, Daw Aye usually stays at home with her grandkids.
In July 2020, a Jesus Film team started house meetings in Daw Aye’s village. The group visited her and invited her to join. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, Daw Aye was a faithful participant in the meetings. She loved to hear about God and watch the story of Jesus on the cell phone. Daw Aye would also bring her grandkids whenever there was a house meeting to watch Bible stories and listen to the teaching of Pastor Chris. She was the oldest one at the gathering. She never asked any questions but absorbed all the learning into her heart.
In September, Daw Aye encountered one of the biggest challenges in her life. Her son, the one she is dependent on, got sick. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, they were fearful of going to the hospital or clinic for a medical check-up. If he was suspected of Covid-19, Daw Aye worried that she might not see her son again. She decided to take care of her son until the very end. She called a witch doctor and a traditional physician to heal her son at home. However, her son’s illness got worse; his situation was hopeless. Daw Aye got up early in the morning and brought her best offerings to her Buddha and all the spirits in her shrine. She prayed earnestly to them daily for about two weeks, but they offered no help. The family’s savings were almost gone because of all ritual practices.
On October 8, the Jesus Film team came to visit her house and to pray for the family. On that day, Pastor Chris shared about the God who heals. He encouraged Daw Aye to call upon the name of Jesus.
The next morning at 5:00 am, she got up and brought offerings to her shrine. While she was meditating and praying to Buddha and the spirits, she heard an inner voice. “My daughter, why don’t you pray to me.” Then, she thought of the teaching of Pastor Chris. She called, “God, whom I do not know for sure, please help me. Please heal my son. If you are real, please show me so that I can pray to you.” It was a simple prayer from a broken heart.
When she rose, she saw a person sitting quietly in a plastic chair beside her shrine. The person was looking at her but shone with a soft light. Surprised, she thought that she had a vision problem.
Daw Aye called her daughter and her granddaughter. When they came into the room, she asked them, “Do you see a person there?”
“Yes,” they replied, “A person is sitting in the chair with a white robe, but we cannot see his face.”
That very moment, the person began to disappear. With her eyes full of tears, Daw Aye realized that Jesus is real. She had called upon the Lord, and Jesus visited her! From that very day, her son, who was dying, recovered from his high fever and was able to eat and drink. He was completely healed and able to work again.
When the Jesus Film team visited her again last week, she came to the house meeting and shared her testimony. Now, she is a believer in Jesus. The Jesus film team is planning to have a Bible study class for the whole family.
[1] Common name to hide the real name of the woman.
Article Submitted by Jubilee Thanga, Field SDMI Coordinator
To learn more about Jesus Film Harvest Partners, click the link below:
https://jfhp.org
