Baptist Pastor
The
interpreted sermons at the Methodist church
made us miss being in an English environment, so we also occasionally attended
an English service held later on Sundays at a small expat church run by an American
Baptist pastor, who also oversaw a number of local churches that he had planted. I had been to the
Baptist pastor's church long before meeting
Kristin. He was friendly but spiritually immature and way too focused on money,
once even voicing to me that he was tired of English teachers. When I asked him
what was wrong with English teachers, he had replied, "They
have no money," and had added that he wants
"professional people" with better-paying jobs to attend his church.
I told the Baptist pastor what Kristin is dealing with and asked if he knows anyone who may have a room for her. I didn't expect much from this pastor, so wasn't surprised when he said no and quickly changed the subject.
But his wife was different. She seemed to be not only happy to meet a fellow American Christian woman but to also take a genuine interest in Kristin. When after a few Sundays she learned from Kristin what she has been dealing with, she immediately told us that "we" should gather to pray for Kristin and asked when would be convenient for us.
When we met at the arranged day and time, the Baptist pastor's wife was by herself and apologized for her husband not being available. Given how he had reacted when I shared with him what Kristin is dealing with, I wasn't surprised by his absence.
His wife and I then ministered to Kristin for a couple of hours, at the end of which she apologized to Kristin and said that her faith doesn't seem strong enough to get the demons out. We told her that she shouldn't apologize and thanked her for having cared enough to minister to Kristin.
A couple of weeks thereafter, she invited us to their house for ministry and dinner, picked us up and drove to the outskirts of the city, where we discovered that they live with their children in a nice villa in a sprawling private compound the size of an American elementary school. Upon arrival, she led us to a smaller house in the compound about 50 yards from their villa. Waiting for us inside were the Baptist pastor and four local men, whom he introduced as the pastors of the local churches that the he had planted and who had gathered to pray for and minister to Kristin. We were pleasantly surprised and very grateful. The Baptist pastor's wife then left us with her husband and the local pastors, saying that she needs to start preparing dinner.