*Wayan was known as a “wise man” or shaman.  He was accustomed to using his dark arts to harm others. In the neighborhood where he lived, he was highly respected and feared because people believed he possessed great “knowledge.” Many people sought his guidance, advice, and help with mystical matters. Wayan was also known for frequently challenging other shamans in a battle of skills. He always emerged victorious, which gave people good reason to fear him.

One day, Wayan’s wife asked him to pick some coconuts from the back yard.  He agreed without giving it much thought, and immediately climbed the 30-foot-high coconut tree. 

Suddenly, his wife heard a loud shout from behind the house. Wayan had fallen out of the coconut tree! His wife rushed to help him. He was lying there, weakened, feeling that several bones in his legs and hands were broken. He couldn’t walk or even stand. For the next three months, he needed assistance from his wife or someone else to carry out his daily activities.

During his illness, Wayan concluded that none of the knowledge he possessed, the teachers he followed, the beliefs he held, or his past good deeds could heal him. He became emaciated and close to death.

One day, he remembered someone who had come to their village a few years before he fell ill. *Ketut, a disciple of Jesus in the region, had tried to share the gospel with Wayan at that time. However, on Wayan’s orders, he had been rejected and expelled from the village. Now Wayan asked his wife to find Ketut’s address and invite him to come and pray for him. Wayan’s wife managed to find Ketut’s address through one of their acquaintances in the village. Two weeks later, Ketut visited Wayan and prayed with him.

Before Ketut’s arrival, all Wayan’s bones were stiff and immovable; he had been paralyzed and unable to walk for three months. Through the power of Ketut’s prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, Wayan miraculously recovered. He immediately became able to move his hands, legs, and other parts of his body, and he could finally get up from the bed where he had been confined for the past three months.

Ketut stayed at Wayan’s house for a week to pray and share the gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven. He shared not only with Wayan but also with his family and neighbors, who witnessed firsthand how Jesus had worked a miracle for Wayan. After a week of Ketut’s ministry, Wayan, his wife, and their four children and three sons-in-law all surrendered themselves to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. They were then baptized as a sign of their faith in Jesus Christ.

From that moment, Wayan dedicated his life to serving Jesus Christ, along with his entire family. They have testified and proclaimed the gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven to many people. Through their testimony and proclamation, many have been healed and saved. 

Today, Wayan is one of the leaders of a movement on his island in SE Asia. His ministry has birthed more than 2000 disciples, 285 small believers’ groups, and 28 small group leaders. And his ministry continues to grow!

*pseudonym

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