John was concerned about their need but felt that doling out food might be only a stopgap. The Danis had to learn to solve problems, to be resourceful, and to look to the Lord. A student testified in class: “One night I was very hungry for sweet potatoes and greens. Then I remembered that God said in kiwone that if we seek His kingdom first, He will supply our food and other needs (Matthew 6:33). I prayed, and the next day God gave me potatoes and greens.”

God showed Himself wonderfully powerful in other ways. One young couple, Bani and Nggebu Bembok, had wanted children for a long time. Shortly after one of the Christians laid hands on them and prayed, Bani conceived and bore a child.

Tamyri, another of the Bible school women, developed a large running sore at the base of her throat. Because no antibiotics proved effective, the doctor was sure it was cancer of the thyroid. John explained to her husband Neenit that unless God intervened, his wife had only a short time to live and she should prepare to meet the Lord. “He will make it well, Tolibaga,” Neenit replied without hesitation. And so they prayed for her with a strong faith in their hearts.

They carried Tamyri on a stretcher from the hospital back to her little hut, where she continued to nurse her baby. Her condition worsened until the skin was stretched tight over her bones, except for her grotesquely swollen legs. Tamyri remained cheerful, totally trusting God, and Neenit tenderly cared for his sick wife.

Each day Helen stopped by the little hut with soup or other food and occasionally gave Tamyri a vitamin B-12 injection, just to make her feel a little better. Every day, Tamyri was smiling and praising God. Often during the visits she said, `Ala an nogoba, nano? (God is my Father, can’t you understand that? Of course He’s going to heal me!).” As Helen walked home from one of these visits, marvelling at Tamyri’s faith, she prayed, “God, You wouldn’t dare not heal that woman!”

At Helen’s next visit, Tamyri looked much better. ‘The swelling in her legs was going down, the lumps and running sores gradually disappeared, and she began to put on weight. When the new school term commenced, Tamyri was in class. Helen sent her back to the doctor for an examination.

“I hardly recognize this woman,” Dr. Elizabeth Cousens wrote back to Helen. “All symptoms of her previous condition have gone, and her general health is now very good. Her recovery from severe illness is unquestionable:’ To which God’s children said, “Praise God!”

In Helen’s Bible class one morning, a young mother stood up and praised God for giving her baby back to her. “My baby was sick and died in the night. Next morning, as the men prepared the funeral pyre, I was cradling my dead baby in my arms when I remembered the lesson you had taught us about the widow of Nain. Jesus is the same today, I thought, so I prayed, `God, You gave that widow’s child back to her. You can do the same for me: Then my baby began to breathe!” The class rejoiced and praised God.

Out in the villages, the Christians thanked God for healings, too. Mbowan Weyanggurik had injured his leg behind the knee, resulting in serious infection. Because he had kept his leg bent to favor it, the flesh had grown together, joining the upper and lower leg. To get around, he hopped with a stick. Then he became a Christian and was baptized. The elders prayed, and in a matter of a week he could straighten his leg and walk without the stick. He walked normally among the people, a living testimony to the Lord’s power.

When Woranip, who was born a deaf mute, “heard” the gospel through sign language, he became a Christian and was baptized. Afterward, the Lord gradually restored his hearing and enabled him to learn to speak.

Worenikwe had been blind for many years. She heard the gospel and believed. After she was baptized and prayed for by the elders, her sight was totally restored. She threw away her walking stick and went back to work in her garden.

Dekker, John (with Lois Neely). Torches of Joy. Seattle: YWAM Publishing, 1985, 1999 p. 121-123.