Experiencing the Healing of God

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Darrel’s father gave his life to Christ several years before his birth. As a Balinese Hindu the fallout from this decision proved to be heavy on him and his family. Continuing prayers and rituals for a family’s ancestors and gods is considered one of the highest duties of a Balinese person. Now that his father renounced these practices, he was expelled from his home, community, inheritance, and work.  Darrel was born into a home where Christ was present and taught, but also the severe consequences of leaving the Hindu faith were also ever present.

Hardships and Persecution

Darrel grew up in difficult circumstances. His family moved to the big city to find work. Finding work, housing, and food were common struggles for the family.  Darrel remembers having to walk the woods to collect greens to boil to eat for their meal. These hardships were mostly because of the result of persecution upon them. Sympathy was not to be found from family and community, this was their karma for not doing their part as a Balinese family.

Darrel understood his parents’ decision and would even tell others that he was Christian. He was, however, ashamed and embarrassed by his faith and life situation around his fellow Balinese friends, and he would often shrink away when pressed or picked on about his faith identity.

Life stabilized a bit for the family, even to the point that they bought a small plot of land near the city and started building a small house.  Darrel started showing signs of illness and fatigue at this point. Each day he started feeling worse and eventually was paralyzed. Doctors could not tell them what was happening and the community just pushed them to become Hindu again. For weeks his condition worsened. Pastors and ministers came to pray for Darrel, but no change occurred. A foreign doctor visited and informed them that he was suffering from Guillain-Barre. His condition was so severe that the doctor told them that chances of survival were slim.

Surrendering to God

Darrel’s father was tired and hopeless. He knew God was present and cared, but he felt hopeless for his child. They sat together in the one room house they built and prayed. This time it was a prayer of surrender, “Lord my child is suffering. Please take him to end his pain.”

Immediately Darrel seemed more alert. His father said, “Darrel, I think God is working. I think he wants to heal you. Try sitting up.” From laying, Darrel went to sitting, from sitting to standing, from standing to taking small steps, from small steps to walking, from walking to running. Darrel and his dad were in tears of disbelief at what was happening. In the course of five minutes, Darrel went from helpless on the bed to running circles in the house. God had healed and saved Darrel.

Darrel was no longer ashamed of his and his family’s faith. He had experienced Christ’s power personally, and now has no doubts about his position in Christ. He now shares with his fellow Balinese about how God is with us through Jesus Christ.

“Most Balinese need to experience God’s miraculous hand personally as I did in order to be open to the Gospel. Pray for them in Jesus name and let God do the work.” – Darrel