My friend had just moved to Turkey with his family and they were learning life and the language in this brand new place. They were beginning to learn to walk as lights in this place of 79 million, where so few have heard about Jesus’ salvation. As you read this story, you’ve got to know that this is a place where almost everyone is raised to believe that Jesus never died.

So what happens when people full of Jesus walk into dark places??

My friends were sitting in the park one day, with no plans to do any kind of ministry, when a guy walked up who was selling bracelets with amulets to ward off the ‘evil eye.’

They declined and told Him they didn’t believe in the things he was selling.

“Oh yes,” he insisted, “you do need this. I didn’t have one to protect me, and look what happened to me.” He then showed them a scar on his wrist and explained how he got injured and his nerves were damaged so that he could not feel or fully open his hand and fingers.

He started showing us that there was no feeling by hitting his hand with the other. No movement or response whatsoever when hitting it.

They then told him that Jesus loved him and wanted to heal him. And they asked him if he wanted prayer. They prayed for him, but he was not expecting anything. After praying, they asked him to feel his hand. His whole facial expression changed. He got a little better! He said, “pray again!”

Then they explained the gospel to him. When they mentioned to him about Jesus dying, he replied, “He died!?” It was like he heard truth for the first time. “Yes,” told him, “but he rose again from the dead.” At this moment they were only a few months in the country, and they weren’t awesome in the language, so they had to use only a few simple phrases they had learned from worship songs.

They prayed once more, as they prayed my friend’s wife started laughing softly and smiling. The guy selling the bracelets was surprised and asked, “how can you laugh during prayer?” probably thinking it was inappropriate. They talked to him about the goodness of God and How Jesus is coming back as a good king.

He checked his hand and it was fully well!! He started freaking out. “What’s happening to me?? What’s going on?” He started to be able to move his hand fully again, and the feeling came back. His hand was healed.

And what’s the first thing he asked?

“So, you’re saying that Jesus really did die??”

And the last thing he said was, “Pray for my sould too.”

God has good works prepared for us to do, when we least expected them, as we walk forward with him.