I Knew They Were Just Human Beings, But They Still Felt Superhuman

Eight years ago, I experienced just a taste of the mission field. I walked through grimy slum alleyways to reach a cheerful Bridge of Hope center; I walked along dusty village paths to a place known as “the miracle church” because of the mighty acts of God witnessed there; I pumped the handle of a Jesus Well that was the answer to many prayers; I worshiped alongside believers whose language I didn’t know, but whose God I did know.

Each of those experiences is precious, but the one that stands out most vividly, even years later, is an interaction I had with a missionary whose name I do not know.

I call him the brother from the window.

While in Asia, I visited a place that was familiar to me—not because I had been there before, but because I had prayed for that exact place just months earlier. We had received a report that a group of Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported missionaries had been attacked and beaten. It was due to some huge misunderstanding with the community, but it resulted in a few brothers being injured. We prayed, and then just three months later, I was standing among some of those same brothers.

The brother from the window - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia
These are just a few of the Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported brothers whom God is working through to transform lives. “The brother from the window” is pictured far left, in purple.
I heard the testimonies of a few who endured the beating—and they spoke with smiles on their faces. That experience was not something that made them bitter or hardened against those who hurt them. Rather, they overflowed with joy and thanksgiving that they had personal relationships with Jesus and could suffer for His sake.

Although the language and cultural barrier was quite real, I connected more with this place and these brothers than anywhere else I visited. I didn’t want to leave.

But I had to. I did not belong there. It was clear how inefficient I would be ministering in that area. My distractingly pale skin and total dependency on a translator would hinder their ministry more than help it.

As we were driving away from this place that had captured my heart, I remember praying a simple prayer, “Lord, I really don’t want to leave yet. Can’t we stay a bit longer?”

Then our vehicles got stuck in the mud from the recent downpour. Really stuck. My prayer was answered!

I had heard about these national missionaries my entire life. I knew how dedicated they were, how they endured hardship for the sake of their Savior, and how God was working through them so powerfully. In my head, I knew they were just human beings, but they still felt superhuman.

Gospel for Asia’s National Missionary Program - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia
These humble servants of God are just a few of the national missionaries who are enabled to do ministry through Gospel for Asia’s National Missionary Program.
Now I saw these life-long heroes come running out of buildings, rolling up their pant legs and jumping between mud puddles to push our cars out. If you’re like me and have ever helped push a few cars out of the mud, you know how covered you can get as the stuck wheels spin. But I saw these brothers—these missionaries—joyfully laughing as they got muddy and wet from the rain, and I realized these are young men like we have in the States. They like getting muddy sometimes; they are strong; they revel in a challenge; they have a bond of comradery and love to aid those in distress, like this helpless American girl who was in a stuck car!

They got our vehicle free after a few attempts, and we drove a few yards to drier ground. Then I met the brother from the window.

While the other missionaries started heading back to the buildings (to clean up, I imagine), one brother ran up to my vehicle. He poked his head through the open window, looked me in the eyes and said:

“Pray for us. Don’t forget us! Pray for us.”

His words echoed in my mind as we drove away. Pray for us. Don’t forget us. The dots started connecting. I had been in America months earlier and had heard these specific brothers needed prayer, and I prayed. And now I saw the fruit of those prayers. I had been part of sponsoring missionaries through Gospel for Asia for years already, and I had been part of encouraging many other people to sponsor and pray too.

That’s what I was supposed to keep doing, that’s what my role was. Everything I had heard about national missions over the years was confirmed: My role—and many other people’s roles—was to support national missionaries as they did what I couldn’t do in Asia. And one day, probably in heaven, I’ll see the fruit of that too.

I left that precious place knowing that’s what God was telling me to do. Keep praying for these missionaries, and help others remember them too. Don’t forget them.

So I encourage you today: Pray for these men and women, and don’t forget them. And remember how human they are—humans doing extraordinary things for the Lord, by His strength.

What does God want to do through you?

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