Kashmir - Day Two

Pastor Brad Lewis writes:

Friday was a very diverse day, as we held our first medical camp and then began the crusade. The team traveled about 30 minutes up into the mountains where we started our ministry among the poor, giving free medical check-ups, medicine and prayer. When we arrived at the empty building, the temperature was already in the 90’s and promised to climb even higher.

Word-of-mouth is a great marketing tool, and within 30 minutes, over 50 people had gathered and formed a line on the porch and onto the ground as people with all kinds of ailments gathered to see the doctors. We opened the medical camp with an introduction of the doctors and myself, and I proceeded to tell why we were there: to administer healing in the Name of Jesus. I gave a very brief Gospel presentation, prayed a blessing over the people and then we began.

People were first "registered" (recording their name, sex and age). Then the nurse would take their blood pressure. Then they met with the doctor who ask what might be ailing them. He gave a quick "physical", prescribed a medication if needed, and then released them to the "pharmacy" where another doctor filled the prescription and gave instructions.

I said to Pastor Daniel, "This is good, what we’re doing." I really sensed the Spirit of God strong in that little hot building that was crowded with the poor and sick. Pastor Daniel felt it also, and asked if any of the people wanted me to pray for them, and with the help of a local believer who was able to translate what their need was, I began laying hands on the sick in the Name of Jesus. After a while the line for prayer got longer than the line for the doctor! Simply put, the people had needs and they wanted their needs to be met. All told, the team ministered to over 185 adults, plus more than 90 children.

The pic at the top shows the doctor and nurse in action. The pic on the left shows me praying for a mother and her 18 month old child who appeared to be like a one month old baby. The child wasn’t keeping any milk down and her life was slowly being drawn from her. My heart is being wrenched from my chest, as I see such need and such suffering.

Amid the 100+ degree heat, the dust and the work, I told Pastor Daniel that I could not think of any other place that I’d rather be, right now.
In the evening we held our first crusade meeting. It was an opened-air affair right in the middle of shops, narrow streets and apartments – where the people were. Several local churches are sponsoring the three-day meeting. Pastor Daniel and I tag-teamed the preaching with me beginning with an explanation of what Jesus did to reach us from Philippians 2, and then he took over explaining what one must do to be saved.

The crowd of over 700 consisted of Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and Christians were then given the opportunity to commit their lives to Jesus, and to receive prayer for healing. People immediately came forward and Pastor Daniel and I ministered to several hundred people. We saw many receive Christ and many receive healing. It was a glorious ending to a great day!