Dear Friends,

One of the privileges I have that I rarely get to share publicly is the opportunity to travel to a closed country where persecution is very real and the Gospel is resisted. There, I train pastors who courageously lead underground fellowships among people whose villages are still deeply tied to shamanism and spirit worship.

On my last trip, a pastor I’ll call Pastor V shared his story with me. It’s one I’ll never forget.

Since childhood, Pastor V suffered from severe seizures. He believed they were attacks from an evil spirit, a darkness that seemed determined to take his life. His family did what was customary in their animistic culture: they turned to the village shaman. Chickens were sacrificed. Then pigs. Finally, an entire cow, which was an enormous sacrifice for a farmer’s family. And still, the seizures came. He was certain that one day a spirit would claim his life for good.

When he married, his wife had already encountered Jesus in a city and had become a follower of Christ. Though she had little formal teaching, she carried an unshakable faith. One morning, he was overwhelmed, sensing the approach of another attack as he prepared to work in the fields. His wife said, “If it comes, lift your hands high and call on the name of Jesus. Say, ‘Jesus, save me!’”

Hours later, in the field, Pastor V felt the familiar darkness approach. With everything in him, he lifted his hands and cried out the words that his wife had shared, “JESUS, SAVE ME!” At that moment, the darkness fled.

That was three years ago. Pastor V has not had a seizure since, and today he faithfully leads a small group of believers in an underground house church in his village.

As he finished his story, I couldn’t help but reflect: what an extraordinary way to come to Jesus. It almost seemed completely unrelatable to my personal experience of following Jesus. And yet, is it really that different from any of our salvation experiences? Whether we felt it tangibly or not, we too were lost in darkness until the day we met Jesus. Darkness was relentlessly stalking us. But, when Jesus entered, the darkness fled just the same as it did for Pastor V.

Friends, please pray for Pastor V and the 20 other pastors I have the privilege of training in this nation that is closed to the Gospel. Each one of them quietly shepherds small groups of believers, often at great personal risk.

Let us thank God together that when we raise our hands and cry out, “Jesus, save us,” He is faithful to do just that. The darkness flees. We are free.

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” – John 8:36

Not ONE is forgotten by God.

Justin Ross, Founder – Sparrow Missions, Missionary to Thailand

 

2026-02-19   READ MORE FROM SPARROW MISSIONS