A dear friend of mine had come to Burundi for a visit. I arranged for him to preach in a new church plant that we had started some few months previous. My Kirundi wasn't good enough to translate for him so I arranged for my language tutor Olivier to help him.
I knew Olivier to be a very gifted instructor and translator who loved Jesus; what I didn't know was just how great of a man faith stood beside us that day As the service moved forward, he would translate the message with uncanny capability. The faster and more animated my friend became the easier it seemed for my translator to keep up with him. The people absolutely loved listening to him. It was one of those days where the translator preached better than the preacher. My friend, the speaker, had a great word on the goodness of God.
God's presence was really thick in the little church as my friend moved towards the prayer time. He gave a simple invitation for people who needed Jesus to come forward for prayer. Many responded. We began to lay hands on people and pray.
When I opened my eyes, there was a lady leaning on a cane with one of her arms and a crutch with the other. She had a hideously swollen leg. It was clear that she was miserable.
Being the great missionary of faith that I am, I took one look at her and thought to myself: "not much hope for her." Everyone in the church had turned their attention to her so I prayed for her quickly and moved on to the next person.
My friend also came over to pray for her. Nothing happened. And everyone in the church knew it.
As my friend finished praying for her Olivier started to talk to her. I knew just enough Kirundi to follow the conversation.
"Do you want to be healed?"
"Oh yes," she said.
"Then let's take a step in faith."
She winced as he took her arm to help her take a step. Clearly, her leg was inflamed and every step was agony. My heart went out to her in compassion. I could tell that she was starting to regret coming to the front. Olivier asked her to take another step. Again she moaned. Now the whole congregation was fixated on Olivier and the unfolding scenario. Olivier asked for another. I wanted to tell him that this probably wasn't the best idea, but I didn't want to create more of a distraction.
What happened next made me mad. Olivier decided that she wasn't exercising her faith enough so he suddenly grabbed her crutch and pulled her forward to take another step. Again she winced in pain as her face contorted. She was hurting.
Then he did the unthinkable. He took away her cane and said, "You don't need it either. Now take another step." She almost fell over on her face as he reached over to steady her stride. Before I could do anything he grabbed her by the hand and had her hobbling out the back door.
I stood at the front of the church unsure of what to do. I finally whispered very sheepishly, "well, let's keep going." We prayed for a few more people, sang a few songs, and continued to exhort the people present. After about 15 more minutes I closed the service. Curiosity was killing me. Where was Olivier and what was he doing with this poor woman?
Just as abruptly as he left, he reentered. He continued to lead the woman by the hand who now had a huge smile on her face. Her leg was completely back to normal. And she walked as normally as anyone else in the building.
Being the very perceptive person that I am, I asked: "What happened?"
He looked at me rather strangely as if to say I thought you were a missionary before adding, "God healed her."
My faith soared. My Kirundi teacher taught me more than Kirundi that day. He taught me the importance of holding on to God's power and promises even when the situation looks impossible. A lesson that has helped me many times since.
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