Sometimes our missionaries get to be a part of amazing movements of the Holy Spirit. Their obedience to God’s calling brings them into situations where miracles happen. Austin Carroll found himself in one of these moments during his time on the World Race.
Can one child make a difference?
When one 12-year-old Indian girl followed three missionaries to a house in her village, she had no idea how her life was about to change.
Vashanti had learned life was hard. Beaten by her father and small for her age, she was accustomed to invisibility. Not expecting the visitors to notice her, she stood in the background and listened. She was used to the shadows.
As the missionaries continued to minister in the village, they came upon a woman with crippling back pain. Vashanti watched as they prayed for her. When they were finished, the woman said the pain was not as bad as before. She could bend over now, but it was still hard to move.
Austin turned to Vashanti and explained that she now had the Holy Spirit living in her and she could pray for healing, too. So she joined the group as they began to pray again, and the moment she placed her hands on the older woman’s back, the pain went away.
The woman bent over and touched her toes. She was healed.
The little girl who felt invisible and insignificant only moments before was now standing before her neighbors, full of God’s power.
As the team continued to walk from house to house, sharing the gospel and healing the villagers, they got to know Vashanti better. She explained that her parents were Hindu, and she told them how her father abused her and her mother.
Moved by Vashanti’s story, the team decided to do something bold: They wanted to visit Vashanti’s mother and explain how God was using her to heal people.
Austin and his group made their way to the little girl’s home, sharing with villagers and praying for healing along the way. And as they did so, a crowd formed around them. They continued to pray.
God continued to use the group to heal people through prayer. Many came to faith in Christ as a result of their ministry. But the team still hadn’t done the one thing they set out to do: They hadn’t met Vashanti’s mother.
By the time they arrived at the house, her father had already come home from work. Undaunted, the team told both parents what Jesus had done in the village through their daughter.
In one final miracle, the team had a chance to demonstrate what they were talking about when they prayed with Vashanti for her mother, who was experiencing chronic migraines. That day, both of Vashanti’s parents accepted Christ.
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these,” (Matt. 19:14). At age 12, Vashanti has come to Jesus, and through her, God brought healing to her village – and to her family.
Have you ever wondered if sharing Christ with a child makes a difference? Do they really get it? Vashanti did. Maybe others will, too.
When we least expect it, God can use us for the most amazing miracles. If you’re ready to see what God can use your hands for, check out one of our upcoming trips.
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