Stubborn man given NEW life in a matter of minutes.

There is power in the name of Jesus. I have never seen it like I did that day.

It was our free day, with not much to do. Earlier, we had passed a big hindu temple on the side of the red hills, and then into a small village that looked untouched by the mzungus.

Some of the team had mentioned how it would be really interesting to go to that village for a day, so we went!

As we climbed out of the too-small-van onto the staining dirt roads, we prayed for His will to be done. Whatever it was, to let Grace fall on these people. And it did.

It was like fire spreading. And it was fire spreading; we dispersed immediately in all directions, carrying the news of redemption, salvation, life with us, hoping to give it away.

Nathan, Nick, Maggie, one of the interns, and I started walking down a path worn down by bare feet and skinny, deprived legs. A couple of uninterested, non-english speaking children walked up to us, said a couple words and then went on their way. By this point Nathan had already kept walking with our translator, Mama Christine. As I walked up to the house, or shack, that they had gone to, I heard them speaking to a man.

I learned his name was Patrick. He sat on a rugged mat on his front porch, smoking a cigarette. He was explaining to Nathan that he didn't want to hear about what we had to say. After introducing ourselves, I begged him to give us just 5 minutes of our time. Just five, that he didn't even have to accept it! But just to listen.

He agreed, explaining to us that whatever we had to say, he didn't want anything to do with it. He WAS NOT going to change. He wasn't going to change his heart for what we had to say. He wasn't going to believe our faith.

Discouraged and beat up, we continued still. Through broken translations and empty words filled only by the spirit, Nathan, Maggie, Nick, Mama and I shared our souls. Raw, bare soul was spilled in an attempt to convey the love of Christ towards Him. We shared the Gospel. The STORY. Redemption, Salvation, Resurrection, Redeemed.

Mama finished translating and we all sat there, waiting. Expecting nothing but an "okay, cool."

I have never seen the Power of God work so quickly or so powerfully or so transformationally in a person. He explained that in that 5 minutes, he discovered he needed something more than himself. Something bigger. He thought that he was too bad to be saved. Too bad to be redeemed, forgiven.

He said that in those few, short minutes while we were talking, his heart had changed, he understood. He believed.

He said, "I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that I'm ready to receive Jesus in my heart yet."

He wasn't ready. But, he explained, "I am changing. My heart is changing because of what you have just told me."

This is the Power of God. This is God's love being infused into a simple person refusing his love. This is the transforming power of the Gospel. The news of Salvation and redemption.

We walked away from Patrick that day stunned and in awe of what we had just seen the Holy Spirit do. Although he did not accept Jesus, he heard. We planted.

Last month, I received news that the intern that had accompanied us to visit Patrick had gone back to his home. He had been investing in his life and in his questions. With the seed that we planted, the intern watered it, and God made it grow.

As of today, Patrick has accepted Christ to be Lord of His life. 

Although I may never see Patrick again, I will never again doubt the power of the Holy Spirit because of Jesus' redemptive work on the cross.

Praise be to Him for what he showed Patrick and all of us that day in Uganda.

Grace fell that day.