“You say this Jesus of yours heals?” A young man, in his late twenties approached Tesfai and Fitsum. “Did I hear right? I don’t believe it!”

Tesfai and Fitsum had established a routine. Each night they rented floor space at Askalu Keshi’s open-air hostel. Each morning they helped stack the two dozen camp beds along the sides of the hostel quarters and helped set up tables for Mrs. Keshi’s restaurant. Then the two young men headed into the crowds of Ethiopian refugees, witnessing to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

This morning they were overheard by the young man, who was loudly skeptical. “How can Jesus help me?” he asked, indignantly. “You must be crazy to say such a thing!”

“Jesus loves you, me, all of us, and saves us from our sins.” Tesfai was unyielding. “The Bible tells us He even healed sick people and raised the dead. We have a loving, powerful Savior!”

“All we need do is come to the Lord in prayer and faith. God can do miracles.” Fitsum affirmed what Tesfai was telling him.

A small crowd gathered around Tesfai, Fitsum and two other men from Pastor Beyene’s church. The four believers were sharing the Gospel, but the crowd was more interested in the young man’s questions.

Someone in the crowd began to laugh. “Sam, maybe you should try this. Put these guys and their promises to the test!” Clearly, Sam was well known.

Sam stepped forward. “I’ve been to doctors here and in Ethiopia. No one can help. But you say your Jesus ...”

Tesfai spoke with authority. “Jesus has the power to heal, and to forgive our sins. God sent Jesus to share His great love with us! We are witnesses to Jesus Christ and His Gospel of forgiveness and love and healing!”

“Show them, Sam.”

At this, Sam took off his shirt, then lifted his arm to reveal a massive growth. “I dare your Jesus to take this away! I tell you, I’ve spent months going to doctors and experts, and this thing only grows. What can you or your Jesus do?”

“It’s true,” said a man in the crowd. “Sam’s been around forever, and he’s had this thing forever too.”

“We can lay hands on you and pray for healing,” responded Fitsum.

“We’ll call on Jesus, and we will pray for a miracle.”

Tesfai agreed. “Jesus tells us that whenever two or three of His disciples are gathered in His name, He’s right there with them. And if we ask for anything in His name, God will grant it. Well, four of us Christian brothers are willing to pray over you. Will you accept that?”

Sam moved toward them. The crowd watched, some quietly, others deriding. “Words are cheap—God doesn’t care about Sam, or us. You are fools.” But the four Christian brothers sat Sam down, laid their hands on him, and prayed: “Father, we call on Your great mercy and love to heal Sam. Let him know Your power and grace, and bring him to faith in You. We ask this in the name of Jesus, Your Son, who offered His life for all of us. Amen.”

After the prayer, the crowd drifted off. Sam went on his way, shaking his head. Tesfai, Fitsum, and their Christian brothers stood, then continued along the streets, telling passersby about Jesus’ love. The following morning, Sam would still be shaking his head. Only this time it would be with delight.

“I’m healed!” Sam ran to catch Tesfai and Fitsum. “You healed me!” Sam jumped for joy, grabbing Tesfai’s arm, clapping Fitsum on the back.

“Hey, everyone, it worked!”

A crowd formed. Someone yelled, “What happened? Did you find a different doctor?”

“No, these guys, they prayed for me! They said their Jesus could heal me, and now I’m healed!” Sam gestured toward Fitsum and Tesfai. “You’re miracle workers!”

“No, no, no! We’re not miracle workers; we’re followers of Jesus Christ; that’s all we are. It’s Jesus who cured you, not us! We are only servants of the Lord.” Tesfai was having difficulty keeping his emotions in check, given Sam’s jubilation.

“Sam, how do we know you’re cured?” asked one of the men in the crowd. “It could be a set up.” The man looked toward the crowd. “There are all kinds of swindlers around these days.”

““I’ll show you! Who here remembers seeing the big growth I had under my arm?” Hands went up in the crowd.

“You! You! You!” Sam pointed and called to those raising their hands. “Come here! Judge for yourselves!” Sam whipped off his shirt and lifted his arm.

“It’s true!” The witnesses gasped. “The growth is gone. It’s like he never had it.” They turned to stare at Tesfai and Fitsum. “How did you do this?”

“We did nothing,” objected Fitsum. “We only asked Jesus to heal Sam. What’s important is that we’re Christians, believers in Jesus Christ, and that we share the Gospel of God’s love for all people.”

“It’s all in the Bible,” Tesfai held up his copy of the New Testament. “We will share about Jesus with anyone who wants to experience new life through the Gospel.”

Sam, still shirtless shouted, “Count me in! I’ll listen to anything you can tell me about this God. I’m healed!”

“Thanks be to God!” Tesfai and Fitsum were awed by this latest indication of God’s presence. With that, they quieted the crowd, and Tesfai prayed, “Jesus, we praise You for the love You have shown to Sam.”