On Dec. 18, 2010, 16 high school students from Medford, Ore., arrived at Fjarli Adventist Academy in Darcy, India. Rogue Valley Adventist Academy students chose to use their Christmas vacation helping a 230-student school located in deep poverty and near much superstition and fear, in a third-world country.
Once students arrived at their "homebase," Maranatha International provided lodging, meals and transportation. A typical morning consisted of a student-led worship, breakfast, a Vacation Bible School program with group singing, storytelling and fun. The afternoon was spent visiting villages and inviting people to come to the evening evangelistic meetings lead by M. Wilson, local evangelist. Each evening found students greeting those who attended meetings with prayers and hugs. Students participated in the meetings by giving: health talks; children's stories; and personal testimonies.
For two-and-a-half weeks students experienced the miracle of prayer as they physically embraced the people who pled for prayer, as demons were cast out before their eyes and lives were turned over to the one true God. These are all things they did, but what will stay with them forever is what they experienced. One student summed up his experience by saying, “I now see God through different eyes.”
Josh Wood prays for an attendee of the evening meeting during the mission trip.
