The elderly woman was slender and frail.  Her long grey hair hung in a ponytail down her thin back.  She looked tired as she took my hand and looked up at me, her dark brown eyes brimming with tears, the pain of her soul on full display.  “Please pray for my husband,” she pleaded.  “He is very broken.”

It was the summer of 2018 and this woman was the wife of the pastor of the Moravian church in the far North East corner of India along the Tibetan border.  They had been ministering among the Buddhist people here for more than 30 years.  But nearly five years ago there was a great conflict that arose in the church and it was deeply divided.

The pastor’s wife shared with me that the severe personal attacks and division had taken a toll on her husband emotionally and physically.  After 30 years of faithful ministry he was preparing to retire feeling broken and defeated. We had come here to conduct 26 hours of nonstop prayer seeking God to bring healing and unity to this church that had once carried the fire of God.

The Moravian church had begun in Germany during the early 1700’s.   God poured out His Spirit and the result of this visitation was 24/7 worship and prayer that lasted more than 100 years.  Out of this womb of intimacy missionaries were sent out all over the world to share the gospel of Christ.

One of these places was in Northeast India where a great work was planted.  We now stood in that church that was built in 1858 asking God to once again light the fire that had burned so brightly. That night the pastor and his wife joined us in prayer as we cried out to God to restore this group of believers.  We ministered to the pastor and watched as God did a transforming miracle mending his broken heart.  Tears streamed down His face as God brought new faith and courage.  The tremors in his hands and feet stopped and the atmosphere changed as he once again began to believe God for the impossible. 

A few months later we received word that the church came back together in forgiveness.  The pastor and his wife were able to retire with respect and dignity as they left behind a church that was no longer divided. Now the new pastor has invited us to return and minister in this church. Please pray that God will visit this church in a powerful way and the Moravian lampstand will once again burn bright in Northeast India!