There are many in Africa who experience physical healing by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is a story of two different types of physical healing, at the Meserete Kristos Church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, by Tesfatsion Dalellew.

Some years ago, there was a week-long evening revival conference, which meant the entire church compound was full of people. Tesfa arrived a little late, and by then even the outside tents were full, so he squeezed into one, standing on the side. To his right was someone he didn’t know, but on his left there was a young woman he knew from a local church choir. That entire choir had been arrested during the time of persecution of Christians in Ethiopia and they all had been badly beaten. This particular woman had been beaten on the bottoms of her feet, so that her nerves were damaged and she couldn’t walk.

The preacher was preaching when Tesfa arrived, and it was a very short sermon. He finished preaching, and asked the people to put their hand on the part of their body that hurt, and then the preacher prayed for healing for all. Tesfa had had back problems for more than 25 years, so he put his right hand on his back. Somewhere in the middle of the prayer, the young woman beside him fell down and began convulsing. Tesfa thought she was possessed by a demon.

The pastor finished the prayer, and then said, “There is a woman in the outside tent who has been having severe pain in her feet; the Lord has healed you. Please come forward and give your testimony.” At that moment, the woman whom Tesfa thought had been possessed started to go forward. To everyone’s astonishment, she told how she was beaten to the extent her nerves were affected. But during the prayer she felt the power she couldn’t contain, and she fell on the ground shaking. From that moment on, she said she felt well as she walked to the front of the church, and healing had happened instantly

As for Tesfa, since he did not fall, shake or shout and having just witnessed such a dramatic healing, he began to complain to God that he had not been healed after carrying his pain for so many years. He continued in this way for three days, until he finally realized that he was complaining about the pain, but was not feeling it. Then he tested himself doing things that he had not been able to do before, and there was no pain. Even after a difficult tennis game there was no pain. Then Tesfa began to talk about God’s healing power in his own life.

–A Mennonite World Conference release by Tesfatsion Dalellew

This testimony is part of the World Fellowship Sunday worship resource for 2017. Click here to see more: mwc-cmm.org/wfs