Three stories from DTS outreaches 

Does God still do the things we see in the Bible? So often we read stories throughout the Bible that leave us in awe, or sometimes wondering “Is this real? Does God still do things like this?” We read about Jesus taking blind men and restoring their sight with mud. We read about people being set free through the power of the Holy Spirit. People who were declared dead being raised back to life. People whose legs had not worked for decades being able to stand up and walk home after a “roof raising” moment with Jesus. 

Are these stories in the Bible just exciting to read, or are they an invitation for us as believers to see, and be part of God’s power and love moving to restore people’s lives? We’ve collected some testimonies through the years from our Discipleship Training Schools as they’ve gone out to the nations. These testimonies speak of an invitation. Graydon from the United States shares about this experience in Ethiopia in 2019 with the 4WD DTS:

“My team and I were walking through a market in a little village in Ethiopia. There was a mute man who also had a bad hip and leg that made him limp. As I walked past, he grabbed my hand and signalled he wanted me to pray for him. I told him I pray to Jesus Christ and he shook his head yes. I put my hand on his hip and prayed a very short prayer for full healing. The man didn’t seem to be healed in the moment, but by the time we had gotten back to the compound where we were staying, the pastor and other members of the community had already heard from this man that he was healed. God healed his voice so he could speak, and his leg and hip where totally healed! He had run up to the main road and told everyone he could now speak and walk. A crowd of 200-250 people saw this all happen and saw the power of God. God didn’t only give a man the ability to walk without pain or a limp, but also a voice to speak. I love how the first words he was speaking was how God healed.”

God’s perspective of the world is so much bigger than ours--and He always sees the individual! People don’t get lost in big cities or forgotten in remote villages with Him. And God will send us to share moments with people so they can experience God’s care and love for them. Hallie from the United States shares this story from her 2019 Media Art and Photography DTS outreach. 

"While in Togo, we met people who were ready to receive God daily. One day, we met a woman who practiced witchcraft. Her husband had recently left her, and she was in desperate need of support and freedom. As we approached the house, the woman said she had already been thinking about receiving Jesus. Amazed at how God had gone before us, I shared my personal testimony of seeing God as a provider and having a relationship with Him. We then led her through a process of accepting Jesus as her Lord and Saviour."

Jesus is so present with people, He’s so kind, so willing to enter into people’s lives and be a part of every area of vulnerability and pain. There is no “set way” God chooses to reveal Himself to each person. He knows us individually and reveals Himself personally. Caleb from Singapore shares this story from his time in Japan on the Music DTS 2018:

"One of the many ministries we did while in Japan was minister to the homeless, giving them clothes, food, sharing testimonies and the gospel and praying for them. We had seen a man who was not able to stand straight because his back was damaged from all the work he’d done when he was young. We came alongside of him with a translator and asked to pray for his back, he said yes! As we prayed for the man with back problems who was bent over, he slowly moved from being bent over to standing straight in the space of one minute. He could not help but smile and we were able to share that this was the work of Jesus. God is moving in power still!" 

Wherever you are, and whatever you’re doing, there is an invitation from God to you, to all of us. 

It is an invitation to continue to receive the unconditional love of God into our own lives and then to let that overflow. An invitation to ask Him for His heart and perspective for the people around us: in our families, or workplaces, the streets we walk every day. Receiving the heart of God for people and trusting Him for direction on how to act on it isn’t something exclusive to a certain group of people. It’s for all believers, everywhere. There are so many people who are in desperate need for a moment with God where they tangibly experience His love and power in their lives. So what invitation is God giving to you? How is He inviting you show His restorative love for others?

By Leah Boland

Unsure of where to start? Our Discipleship Training School will help you set aside time to pursue God, so you can see the opportunities He leads you to and step out in simple obedience.