Pastor Sudhir Marak strolled into the village and immediately recognised its poverty.
It was seeping from the walls of every home and was evident in the children who ran past him to go to work in the fields . Families struggled for survival, with no education, medical facilities or transportation. Sudhir had good news to give them, but when the villagers rejected Sudhir’s message, it took just one woman for them to listen.
More than a year
Pastor Sudhir began sharing Christ’s love by visiting homes and encouraging people from the Bible. He prayed for those who were sick, leaving families that witnessed a healing wondering who Jesus is.
Yet for each person Pastor Sudhir prayed with, it seemed there was someone else accusing him and telling him not to come back.
Still, this did not discourage Sudhir and he continued to visit the families that would receive him. He prayed and saw miracles happen. But at the end of a year, those who had come to believe in Jesus were not willing to testify of his goodness in public, because they were fearful of the consequences.
Young woman sought healing
Sudhir pressed on and continued to share the love of Jesus with the villagers. He eventually met a young woman, Taseem, who suffered from a sickness that had her body itching for more than three months. Because there was no hospital nearby or money to buy medication, she stayed in bed, discouraged.
Listening to Taseem’s struggles, Pastor Sudhir kindly shared about Jesus’ love and assured her that, ‘If you believe in Jesus and depend on him, Jesus can heal you.’
Confident of Pastor Sudhir’s words, Taseem responded that she would open her heart to Jesus if she were healed from this sickness. Sudhir prayed with her and gave her a New Testament.
Sudhir continued to visit Taseem and pray for her, and one day she was able to get out of bed and was completely healed from the sickness. She recognised that Jesus is the one who healed her, and instead of fearing her neighbours, she decided to embrace his love.
Within a few months, ten other households also chose to follow Jesus.
Outgrowing meeting place
The new believers went to Sudhir’s home each week to learn more about Jesus and to worship him, but soon there wasn’t room for anyone else to join them. Each day that passed the congregation prayed fervently for a church building.
Before long the congregation began construction on a church building. But, as the walls went up, opposition from other villagers came.
They threatened to damage the building, harm the believers and even to build a temple on the site.
With the widespread attacks, the construction stopped. Yet that didn’t stop the believers from still praying for the church building.
Now complete
Eventually, construction began again, only to be stopped once more by threats, a pattern that would continue for years. Pastor Sudhir and the believers prayed for the church building’s completion for seven years.
As a result of their continuous prayers, those who opposed the construction relented from their resistance. The church building was completed on 26 August, 2012, and now Taseem and her fellow believers have plenty of room to grow and to worship God.
With all the joy of children, the congregation danced in the new church building, a testament that Jesus answers prayer.
