By Beth Brown
When we first walked into the Men’s Rehab centre in Tijuana, I had no idea what to expect. As the men trickled in to the small sanctuary, I noticed one man who was wearing a maroon Harvard sweatshirt, but I had no idea that meeting him would change my life.
Once all of the men had gathered, we watched as they engaged in worship. One man stood on a stage with his acoustic guitar and led the men in signing. It was so beautiful to see these big, burly men who were so in love with Jesus that they unashamedly sang their hearts out. They didn’t have a worship band or a powerpoint with the words, but it was the most amazing worship service I have had the privilege to be a part of.
After the worship, we started doing some of our dramas. After the first one, we asked the men if they understood what was going on. Someone called something out and the translator turned toward us and said “That man just said that he understands that the man in white is the light.” We continued to share dramas and testimonies with these men who had battled addictions, and at the end we asked anyone who wanted prayer to come up. About 25 men came forward, and our small team spread out and started praying in English, because that was all we could do.
I started praying with the man in the Harvard sweater, whose name is Fernandez. We took turns praying, and after a few minutes, he started talking and motioning to his back. I asked him if he had pain, and then started praying for healing. My hand started tingling as I prayed, and after another few minutes, I asked him how his back felt. He said that it felt good! It was so amazing to see the Lord work so tangibly. I asked him to share his story with the group, and. After he shared, another man came up on stage and shared about how he knew that the straight and narrow path was the only one for him, because after knowing Jesus, he knew he had no other choice in life but to follow him. I left that building a changed person, knowing even more assuredly that we serve a God that heals and transforms lives!
Beth is a DRIME Intern this year and served in San Diego and Tijuana in February 2011.
