By Krista Darcus
It has been ten years since my first trip to India. This time I was in three different states with four other women who quickly became fast friends. Three had traveled together previously, but it was the first time the five of us were together. The Lord bonded us right away. It was a delight to travel, share a room, and minister with these women.
Brother Abraham and his team organized our trip excellently. We had a schedule, pleasant accommodations, and support staff to assist us with language and navigating our routes. We felt well supported. All of this freed us up to give our attention to our task: wiping the tears of our sisters.
At each gathering the women seemed to connect with us. Our sharing was heartfelt and transparent. We shared intimate information with them and glorified God by sharing his part in our healing and provision. Human nature is the same all over the world. Our stories of pain, fear, and tragedy resonated with the women in all three conferences. We told how God had wiped, and is still wiping, our tears. Our openness to share and to offer the hope found in Jesus, allowed the women the freedom to express themselves.
Watching the groups was the best! We had a translator, so they all heard what we had to say, he but there were not enough translators for us to hear from all of them. After several sessions, we would ask them to gather in groups of about five to respond to the message they heard. They leaned in to listen and speak. They cried. They prayed. They hugged. There was a holy buzz in the room. We were told that some of the things we talked about go unexpressed among these women. Our being there gave them the courage to express themselves and share their challenges. The Lord met them, and I believe, many left with a fresh perspective and renewed hope.
One lady told us that she and her husband were the only Christians in their family. They were persecuted and curses had been put on them. She was sure that she was being oppressed by demonic spirits. We prayed for her, and she was delivered! There are other testimonies of healings and deliverances that we did not get to hear. Our prayer is that there will be lasting fruit from our trip.
Our challenge to the ladies was to now wipe away the tears of their sisters. The conferences were over, and we were at a church service on the last day of our trip. One of the team members was very emotional that morning. A lady who had attended the last conference was there. She spoke English well enough to say, “I came to wipe your tears.” I think they understood our message.
