Last night I was woken up by some very strange noises. I have no idea what time it was, but the rest of the house was quiet, so I assume it was probably very early morning. The noises were a mix of music, voices, and animal sounds, and to be honest, it was scaring me. I knew the village I was staying in was incredibly safe, as it was within high walls and guarded. There were houses all around ours, so I was confused about where the noises were coming from, and why they sounded to close. They seemed to get louder, and that's when I sat straight up in bed and began praying. The more I prayed, the quieter the noises got, and I was finally able to lay back down and fall asleep.
That morning, I got to camp with the intention to talk to Felidah and Florence about them helping me more in talking to the girls- I really needed them to take leadership roles. I was praying all morning about that conversation and was blessed with the time and words. It was so much better during group and blessing time. Praise Jesus!
The girls arrived late- just minutes before we needed to start group time. They flew off the bus, running towards me. In fact, Anita ran and jumped on me, nearly knocking me over! Once all the girls arrived, we sat down and I allowed them to do a blessing time with me, asking me questions. They were shy, and after just a few minutes, I decided to give my testimony. I had been reciting this account I planned on sharing with the girls almost nonstop since landing in Zambia. I knew what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it, and I had no intention of crying- I never cried when telling strangers before. However, what I planned and what actually happened were two very different things. God placed all the words into my mouth, one at a time, and when I got to my darkest moment, I literally had to stop talking in order to collect myself. By the time I finished my testimony to talk about the healing power of Jesus, Doris, sitting next to me, was in tears, and Anita, across from me, had buried her head in her knees. I wasn't sure if they had experienced the same- but in the end, I didn't need to know, because He does. I told them to use their words when they feel in danger, to call out to Jesus for protection, and believe that He is there for them always. The girls were quite speechless, and before long it was time to go into the GO Center.
We all went in, ready to worship. Wednesday's skit was going to be scary- and I had prepared myself for what I was going to witness, knowing it wasn't real, but an act for the children. In today's skit, a witch doctor was portrayed. My girls has spoken so much about these people and their fears, but to see a small skit of this evil terrified me, and I worried for their safety. As the man acting as the witch came out onto stage, the noises he was making sounded so familiar . . . the strange noises of turkeys, growling, low rumbles, and a hint of music. My heart started beating harder and faster as I realized that these were the sounds I heard last night. The demonic qualities seen in this skit were so clearly evident. My girls seemed to understand that it wasn't real, but I noticed several little ones were trying to run, and tears were dripping down their faces. To think that these witch doctors live next to these children, visiting them in their homes late at night, it horrified me.
Afterwards, Greer and Pastor Raphael spoke about the power of prayer, and the power that it has over evil. As we had told the children for the past few days, they were royalty, which meant that they had access to the throne of God. The Devil will tell us every opportunity he gets, that we are bad people and can never be clean, however, with Jesus, we can come to Him, ask for forgiveness, and He will cleanse us of our sins. Something that Greer said, made an impact in my heart as it's something I do so often, "When you sin, don't run away from God, run TO God- there you will find grace, and He says, 'I love you. I forgive you.'" The children were taught three ways that we have power over evil:
1) Romans 12:2- Don't let evil conquer you. You have power over those who try to harm you- you must SPEAK! You have power in your words!
2) 1 John 5: 4-5 You have power over the evil of temptation. You will achieve victory by faith!
3) 1 John 4:4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Once the skit was over, I took my girls outside to discuss what we saw. They were all able to tell me about the power of prayer and the power just speaking Jesus Christ's name has over evil. Then we started talking about dreams. I asked them who had ever had bad dreams- and almost all of my girls raised their hands. Doris, who was moved by my testimony earlier in the day, said that sometimes she dreams she is being chased by a dog. I took a mental note of that, as I had not had my blessing time with her yet. All the girls wanted to know about my dreams, and I told them that in my dark times, there were many nightmares of being chased by men and attacked. It was very scary, and I could relate to that fear of falling asleep at night that many of them talked about.
Just as everyone was lining up for lunch, I went with my apostle, Florence to grab the bread and drinks. As we got closer to the kitchen, we realized that it wasn't ready to be picked up yet, but Megan, my cousin, was near and motioned for me to come over. She was inside a small room and introduced me to Pastor Mutalwe (a Zambian pastor). I didn't know it yet, but I was standing "The Prayer Room" where demons are cast out of children- yes, exorcisms. Megan had spoken with the pastor about my girls' dreams. He was concerned about Anita's dreams of eating, and wanted me to bring her in immediately. I mentioned Doris's dreams of being chased by dogs, and he told me that she needed to come, as well. I was having a hard time understanding the severity of these "dreams" because in my head they were simply nightmares. In Zambia, however, they are signs of demons.
I hurried back to the group, where Felidah, my evangelist, was sitting, and told her about Pastor Mutalwe's request. Her face matched mine, as we were both a little scared and nervous. I had been told by my cousin and her mother about the exorcisms, and I honestly didn't believe it really happened. But now that I was taking two of my girls, I began to question my own doubts. We took the two girls by the hand and brought them to the prayer room, where we sat down and waited. I spent that time thinking back to what Megan had instructed me previously about casting out demons. She told me to not allow their limbs to cross and to pray out loud earnestly- to believe the power in my words to save the child from the demons. She told me that I was safe, that the demon would not go into me, as it left the child's body, and that they wouldn't remember anything, as they were asleep. It all sounded so ridiculous and foreign, and I felt my hands begin to shake.
Lindsey, an American working for Family Legacy, came over to gather information about the two girls- name, age, village, dream details. Once Pastor Mutalwe was ready, he called us up and asked the girls in Nyanga about their dreams. After speaking with both them, he requested Doris be first to have prayers. Six of us- myself, Felidah, Megan, Lindsey, Pastor Mutalwe, and his assistant- stood around this sweet girl and placed our hands on her. We began praying praying for her out loud, all our voices speaking to God asking for protection. I had my hand on Doris's shoulder, and as we prayed, I felt her start to sway, and she began to lean back, with her eyes closed, even though no one was pushing her. The pastor's prayers got louder and then he yelled, "FIRE" pressing in her chest with his right hand. She fell slowly to the ground, where we caught her. I had my hands on both of her legs, while her arms were also being held by Megan and Lindsey. Her body convulsed, and I was in shock as all her limbs fought to desperately to cross themselves. Megan was right, and that was when I began to believe that this was real. Doris's eyes were closed, and her body was fighting a battle inside, as we prayed as loud as our voices would allow for the demon to leave her body. It was ten minutes later that her beautiful brown eyes opened, her body calm, and she was pulled up to a sitting position. I grabbed her hugging her close, and allowed her to cry. I raised her up, while Pastor Mutalwe placed a lid of anointed oil to Doris's lips. She drank freely, and was able to sit down, as we asked Anita to come forward.
After seeing how this was all down, and having the belief in this task, I felt confidence in praying for Anita's freedom. However, this little girl's demons- yes, that's plural, were a whole lot stronger than Doris's. Anita fell immediately once "FIRE" was yelled- no swaying at all. As soon as her body hit the ground, her legs crossed. I struggled to pull them apart, and sat down on her left leg, and placed both hands on her right. Megan and Lindsey were struggling with her arms as well, and I started to worry that we weren't strong enough. Anita's body began to slitter across the floor, as we all tried to brace ourselves onto this little girls, holding her still as best as we could. I was screaming for Jesus Christ to heal this little girl, and looked up to see she was spitting and foaming at the mouth. At one point, she spit directly in Megan's face, landing on my cousin's lip, which she immediately wiped off and went back to praying. Anita's legs were getting stronger and stronger, and I felt weaker and weaker, as we hadn't eaten lunch and my voice began to go out. We had been on the ground with her for at least 15 minutes, when Pastor Mutalwe stepped out, and a young American boy stepped in along with two other Family Legacy summer staff members. The two staffers went straight down to Anita to help us, and the boy stood with his mouth agape- as this was his first site of a real exorcism. He didn't stay long, as Anita began to throw up a very strange substance. Lindsey, who was praying near her head, looked away and said that was one demon, but there were more and to keep praying. My voice was gone, and the only prayers I could muster were in my head- when all of a sudden, my voice came back, and tears began to run down my face. I was terrified for Anita, as her demons were so much stronger than Doris's, and I wanted her to be healed from them. Pastor Mutalwe came back in and went straight down to her belly, placing his hands there, yelling, "FIRE" over and over again. Two people near Anita's mouth used their fingers to stroke her cheeks, trying to get her mouth open, and praying for the demons to leave. Finally, after what had to have been 45 minutes, my sweet Anita's body slowed down, and we literally had to wake her up. Her eyes opened, confused and in shock. My face was the first one she saw, and she flew to me in tears. I pulled her up, holding her close, tears down my own face, praying for thanks. She, just like Doris, took the anointed oil in her mouth, and we walked back to our girls. I watched them closely as we finally ate lunch- that in itself was so hard, I mean, how do you eat after that?? Both Doris and Anita were quiet, but there was something about them that was just different.
We went back into the GO center for more praise and worship, and those precious girls were alive with the glory of God! I finished the day with my last blessing time- sweet Doris. I traced her hand and asked her about her life in Kanyama. She was so open to tell me about her family- she was an orphan, living with her grandma, aunt and uncle, and loves to play soccer. I asked Doris if she knew Jesus. She told me it was her first time hearing His name, and she wanted to know everything she could about Him. I told her about how he came to this earth and a few stories about His heart, healing people, and accepting those he loved and wanted to help. Doris was nearly jumping in her seat when I asked her if she wanted to accept Him into her heart. Her voice was high and vibrant with a loud, "YES!!"
I ended the day, holding sweet Doris's hand as she prayed to accept Jesus Christ into her heart. It's so overwhelming to even type this out, knowing she had demons cast out of her small body just a few hours before sitting down with her for blessing time, and now she was taking Jesus into her heart. Praise be to God!
***I know for many of you who have just read this, it all sounds a bit far out and hard to believe. Exorcisms are portrayed in America in horror movies and on hokey television shows for entertainment. Before going to Zambia, I laughed and joked about these events, and even played with the idea of video taping it. I am forever changed by my experience, and I am not offended if you don't believe me, because I understand. I was just like you. If you want to hear more details or have questions, please ask me.***
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