This morning we went out to one of the villages to meet Alphonse, one of seven disabled young people whom John supports. Alphonse is 23 years old. He was born with deformed legs and is confined to a wheelchair. Both his parents are dead, and his only close family is his younger brother Fredrick and his old grandmother, who is also disabled, having lost her right hand. There are also a couple of nieces, who live with the grandmother. Thanks to John’s support Alphonse has been able to attend school, and has become skilled in bead work such as jewellery, purses and mats. In the new year he will be going to a training and rehabilitation centre to learn shoe making and repair. John built a small house for him, where he lives with his brother. The grandmother’s house is nearby.
Alphonse’s dream is to have have a small shop where he can carry out his crafts and sell them to the public. I had the privilege of praying for him, both for God to open the doors for him to achieve his dream, and also for healing. Of course I would have liked to see an immediate miracle with him leaping out of the chair. That didn’t happen, but I believe that God has started a healing work in his life.
Later I was also able to pray for the grandmother, who was not feeling well.
Fredrick arrived a bit later. He is working with a local church and believing to become an evangelist, so I was also able to pray for him.
John had brought gifts of food and new clothing for the family, which were gratefully received by all. Then they decided that they should give me a gift. This is one that definitely won’t be going back to Australia … a massive bunch of bananas!
This afternoon we had a revival meeting at Lubao, about an hour’s drive from here. Unfortunately only a very small congregation, but God isn’t bothered by numbers. Those that were there received the message enthusiastically.