Sunil was a successful DMM catalyst. He oversaw a network of over a thousand house churches throughout rural South Asia, had seen demons flee, and people miraculously healed, but he had never seen God move this way!

It all started one night with his family huddled around the TV, watching the news. Religious fundamentals were growing in power and popularity in his country, and they were prepared to do everything they could to discourage people from being Christians. Sunil looked at his wife and kids. This is bad, he thought. Someone might really get hurt soon. That’s when the phone rang.

It was a priest from the next village over, where Sunil had visited recently. Several house churches had multiplied in that village and many of the people there were Christians now, but the local priest was defiant.

“Don’t come back to this village, Sunil,” he growled. “Or you’ll be arrested and beaten. I’ll make sure of it!”

Sunil’s heart sank. He had plans to visit the village several times over the coming weeks to oversee a feeding program for orphans and pray with many of his struggling leaders. He prayed about, but felt the gentle voice of the Lord assuring him.

Don’t worry, Sunil. I’ll be with you.

In a few days, Sunil found himself in that very village. He met with several of his leaders, and played with some of the kids in the feeding program. There was a new house church that had just started but no one had told him about it, yet. It was a great day! So great, in fact, that he had nearly forgotten all about the village priest and his threats. That is, until he turned a corner and saw that very priest sitting with a few of the other village leaders in heated discussion.

“Ah, Sunil,” he said. “I knew you would never listen. But I don’t have the time to deal with you today.”

“May I ask, what is going on, Uncle?” Said Sunil.

“Nothing that concerns you. I am trying to find a bride for my son. It seems most of the young women in this village have moved to the city.”

That’s when the Lord struck Sunil.

Tell him that I will see to it that his son is married by the end of the week.

“That’s crazy,” Sunil thought. “Even if there is someone available to marry his son, the wedding would never happen in such a short time!”

Tell him, said the voice of the Lord in Sunil’s heart.

“Uncle,” he began. “I feel like the Lord is telling me that he will see to it that your son is married by the end of the week.”

After a good laugh, the priest patted Sunil on the back.

“If this God of yours can do that, then I think everyone in this country would follow Him.”

Feeling a bit sheepish, Sunil finished his meetings for the day, hopped on his motorcycle, and drove home. He slid in bed after a long day and drifted off to sleep without thinking too much of his strange interaction. The next day, Sunil sat at the table eating his rice porridge and listening to his son excitedly explain how well his recent exams went. He felt the buzz of his phone in his pocket and held up a finger to ask his son for a minute. He will never forget what happened when he answered the call…

“Brother Sunil,” said the priest. “What did you do?”

“I’m sorry, Uncle?”

“This morning, we received a phone call from the parents of one of the girls we tried to arrange for my son. They said that after some family discussion, they have changed their minds and will give her to our son after all.”

“That’s wonderful, Uncle. Praise the Lord,” said Sunil.

“That’s not the end of it, brother,” the priest continued. “As we discussed the marriage over the phone, the girls father told us they had one very important condition we must agree to in order to proceed with the wedding. He told me that the girl’s grandmother is very ill, and she wants to see her grand daughter married before she passes away. So in order to proceed, we must promise to have the ceremony this weekend!”

Sunil went pale in the face. He couldn’t believe it.

“Brother, brother,” said the priest, breathlessly. “Are you available to perform the wedding? We do not know anyone else who can perform a Christian wedding!”

“My love,” Sunil cried as he hung up the phone. “I need my nice Kurta to be cleaned and ironed right away!”

That weekend, Sunil and the priest celebrated not only a wedding, but also the baptism of an entire family and establishment of a new house church!