Mission to Baron- Junior's Story- Part THREE

As I said in my last post, although the work that was to be done in Baron was very important- the growth of each individual on this trip was MOST important- and Junior focused on that throughout the entire trip. God calls us to BE with Him- and through being with Him we can then DO His will!

God Speaks and They GO!

They read different Scriptures each day and Junior encouraged them to ask God to reveal something to them as they read and reflected on His Word... after a few days of spending a lot of time with God and reading through the Scriptures, each person felt led to go out into the community and study the Bible with the people.  God called them each to disciple others- no plan, no agenda- just listening to God and being obedient.  

They also had services each night at the church... some were successful and some were not.  Some people just came to dance and listen to music and were not there to learn more about God or to have fellowship with other believers.  Sadly, not everyone comes to God’s house for the right reasons... but now they knew what was happening in the community.  

Junior offered to lead a Bible study at the church on a Saturday morning but no one showed up.  They decided instead to break up into groups that day and go to the people and begin to share with them.  They shared with many people, even with a voodoo priest.   During their trip they had lots of opportunities to go from house to house sharing the true Gospel, sitting with people in discipleship. It was a blessing!

Bernard’s Deliverance and Healing Ministry
(This next part may seem a bit silly… but hang in there- its GOOD stuff!)

After they returned from visiting house to house they all told each other about their experiences, and spent time having fun and joking and laughing.  While they were talking, there was a strange smell in the tent (and the guys began to accuse each other of being responsible for it)... but no one admitted to it!  The smell was very foul, and after eating the meat they were offered, they thought it must have been one of them!

… but then God told Junior that they needed to pray because the smell was associated with spiritual warfare, and NOT with any of them.  They all began to pray and the smell got worse- there was something outside of the tent- circling the area.  Someone came up to the tent and called them to come out... it was a person who worked alongside of Ezekiel in the church.  He told them that there was a person in the church whose son was possessed by a demon.  Junior called the group together and they prayed.  God told him to chose 3 people to go with him and he asked the others to stay back and pray!   When they arrived at the house, they found the man rolling around on the ground making the sounds of different animals and trying to bite them.  While they were praying for him Junior asked for his name and he told them it was Toby... but that was not his name.  They continued to pray and lay their hands on him and later when they asked his name he said it was Bernard.  He became like a normal person.  But he was still possessed by demons... God told him that they needed to take him to the church- and he began to pretend that he wasn’t able to walk and he refused to go with them.  But Napo told him that they were going to take him, even if they had to tie him with ropes.  He decided to go with them and fell on the ground in front of the church, making animal sounds again and refusing to go in.  Junior then began to pray and God told him to only pray in silence, not out loud... and at the same time Ezekiel called the man from the church and told him to have the group do the same thing- pray in silence.  In the silence of their prayers- the demon could not stand it any longer- he began to say “It’s too hot in here, it’s too hot in here!” and he left the man’s body. Praise God!

(Bernard)

(Bernard and his family with the mission group)

Another time during their trip an old man came and started talking to the group. He was not able to walk, and was using a walking stick for support.  They gathered around his body and prayed for healing.  He left there healed, not needing the walking stick anymore!  A few days later he sent his wife for healing and she was healed too!  

God continued to use this group to accomplish His purposes- to help deliver these people from both physical and spiritual problems!



The Water Project is Completed

There were a lot of people in Baron who had infections as a result of drinking the dirty water for so long.  Many of the people blamed their ailments on voodoo, but the group helped them to understand that it was the water that was hurting them.  

They worked tirelessly to install the new pump… 

...from digging the hole…

…to forming the clay reservoir for the water and placing it in the hole…

…to collecting rocks and getting the pump in place…

…to adding the final purifying elements and getting the hand pump to begin working!

Look at what God provided the people of Baron through this mission group…

What a blessing the new water pump is for this community!  A place for everyone to come together, in the center of the community, a place for healing to happen by drinking clean water, an opportunity for unity for those people.  Praise God! 

After spending two weeks in Baron, accomplishing so many things for God, they left because they knew that the work God led them to do was finished… for now.  God made it clear that it was time for them to go.  

And even their walk home was a surreal reminder of God's presence with them in Baron!

A couple of the guys returned a few days after the trip to add pipe to the water pump so that it would function better, and to check in on things.  On their way back, some people met them along the road.  They asked what they were doing there and they shared the story of the water pump.  An old woman in the group of people began to shout and praise God and thank them for what was accomplished!  She shared that she grew up in Baron and that they have never had a clean water source before.  What a blessing to continue to see how God uses us for HIS redemption plan for other people!

We had the AWESOME opportunity to have the entire group over for dinner to share about their experiences and all that God taught them during the trip.  It was a beautiful time of fellowship and sharing! 

I am so thankful and beyond blessed to be a part of the ministry that happens here at Emmaus!

Now (3 months later!)...

Junior continues to instill a desire for missions in the hearts of the students here at Emmaus.  Currently he is finishing up his Missiology course and is planning another mission project for next summer.  He is already getting excited for what God has planned!