This Is Anastasia

"When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. "Lord, have mercy on my son," he said. "He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him." "You unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me." Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment. Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, 'Why couldn't we drive it out?" He replied, "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:14-20 

On a Friday night in Zambia, this passage was read over and over again by my teammate Kyle as we sat around the fire. What began as him just reading the Bible and trying to understand and process it, turned into our whole team listening in as he continued to repeat this passage. Little did we know, this very part of the Bible would come to life the very next day.

This is the beginning of a story that might make some people uncomfortable. A story that shows the realities of spiritual warfare in this world. A story that shows the power and goodness of our God. A story that changed our lives. A story that makes no sense and is just as crazy and nearly unbelievable now as it was when we were in it. This is the story of Anastasia. 

It was a Saturday afternoon during our time spent in Ngangula. Our team drove to a neighboring village, Chikombola, where we found an old lady standing in her doorway. We began talking with the woman, and it was easy to tell that our CORE team and other teams had been here before. We asked if she wanted prayer for anything and she said she did not, but that a family member of hers in the house was sick and that we could pray for her. As our team turned to walk up the steps into her home, our CORE team leaders told us that this woman is the witchdoctor.

Back story for the sake of everyone understanding the culture and terms a little better: Witchcraft is common in this culture and is practiced in many homes. They have and use charms, which can be any object that they believe will bring them some sort of benefit, such as protection, prosperity, good health, etc. The charms that we saw were commonly the roots of plants and other items from nature either soaked in water or crushed up and wrapped. The charms can be consumed, burned, or simply placed in a household. Charms are a foothold and doorway that satan and his demons use to enter peoples lives. The witchdoctor is considered a very spiritually powerful person, credited with powers of healing, protection, etc. 

Not knowing what to expect, we entered the house, to find a teenage girl sitting on the floor with her right hand wrapped in gauze. The look on her face was one of despair, pain, and brokenness. The look in her eyes was something I can't fully explain, it was as if she looked empty. To me, it looked like an awake dead person. I know that makes no sense. What we were seeing was not a teenage girl, it was something else.

As we began speaking with the girl and her family, we learned her name is Anastasia and that she has been sick since she was a child. This is not the kind of sick that is what we are used to seeing. No, Matthew 17 came to life as she and her stepmother explained that she very frequently has fainting spells and that she was possessed by demons. Before she faints, she hears voices (demons) that tell her to fall into fires. This had just happened to her a few days before and that is why her hand was bandaged. I know, it sounds crazy but this is not a joke. This was so so real. Her whole right arm is composed of scar tissue and there are spots on her head where hair had been burned off.

Almost immediately, we prayed as a group for physical healing from the fainting and the burns as well as for all evil spirits to be cast out and leave. As we prayed out loud, our prayers slowly shifted from physical healing to something much more. Everyone began praying for Anastasia's heart and that she would come to know Jesus. We continued to sit and talk with her for the afternoon. We learned more about her life, the beliefs and practices of her grandmother, and what she thought about God and Jesus. Most of the time, we would speak words of life and encouragement to her, telling her about Jesus and the freedom, healing, and grace that He offers. She would sit there with her head down and nod slowly. We explained that we loved her. We were not there to force her to do anything, to change her beliefs, or to make her uncomfortable but that we truly love her and want the best for her. We told her that we know a guy who can heal her and free her from this sickness and that we all had faith that He would. Long story short, after hours of spending time with Anastasia, praying, and encouraging her, she made the decision to accept Jesus into her heart and life!

As the pastor who was with us prayed with and for her, she repeated every sentence. Some did not come out. Others came out incorrectly. The demons inside of her were trembling at the name of Jesus Christ and they were trying to fight it with everything they had. But God already won that battle 2,000 years ago! So Anastasia would say it over and over again, in Tonga, until it came out right. And on May 27th, not only did the Bible come to life in front of our eyes, but a teenage girl, possessed by demons, living with a burden and illness came to know her Savior Jesus on the floor of the witchdoctors house. 

Talk about life transformation. I can't fully explain any of it, but the change that we saw in Anastasia was immediate and like nothing I've ever witnessed before. We saw her smile, for what was probably the first time in years. We saw her eyes go from being empty and dark to being lit up with joy. We saw the way that she carried herself change. She sat up a little straighter, made eye contact a little more, and she talked a whole lot louder. Our whole team spent more time sitting with her, encouraging her more, and telling her that she can smile now because she has Jesus and nobody can take that away. 

Saying goodbye that afternoon was an extreme version of the typical "Minnesota goodbye" because none of us wanted to leave her. Her living and family situation was still not ideal and any of us would do anything to get her out of there. But we had to walk away that day knowing that God's got her and that He's got this. As we left Chikombola that afternoon, it was cloudy. But off in the distance, a section of the sky had opened up and we could see the sun rays shining through boldly. The Heavens were rejoicing over the one that had just run home to the King and making it known.

Little did we know that 2 days later we would get to visit her again. We drove back to Anastasia's village where we found her. This time, she was walking around! Oh, and that smile was still on her face. We brought her some treats and again sat and talked with her. This time, we talked to her father and stepmother too (which is a whole different story and might be shared in another post, to be determined) and were able to get Anastasia out of the witchdoctors house and back with her parents. That morning, her hand had been checked and rewrapped. It was healing really, really well. Truth be told, she had fainted once since we had been there, but it was not into a fire and she did not hear the voices for the first time in over 10 years...my God heals, friends. Of course, we prayed for her again and simply spending time with her and her family was such a blessing. 

I still can't get over it, and I don't think I ever will because we witnessed a demon-possessed girl experience freedom from evil and step into the arms of Jesus at the house of a witchdoctor. Like WHAATTT?!?! Praise God!

This is now a 15 year old girl with a smile on her face that nobody can take away. A girl who has experienced healing in more ways than one. A girl with a joy in her heart that drowns out the darkness. With a new faith and trust in Jesus that has changed her life forever, whether she knows it yet or not.

This is our friend. This is our sister. This is Anastasia.