I closed my computer and leaned my head back for a minute. I stared at the ceiling, deep in thought and prayer. Footsteps at the door jolted me from my reverie. It was Ruth. “Are you busy?” she asked. “Do you have time to study the Bible together? The water delivery man just came, and he has a sore back. Can you come pray for him?” I grabbed my Bible and headed out the door to my neighbor’s house.

In the main room of her home, an older man lay on his side on a mat. An older lady who appeared to be his wife sat nearby with a boy of about ten. I sat on a mat on the floor where a few neighbors were gathered with Bibles and song books. We sang a few songs, then Ruth shared from Matthew 17:14-21. After talking about God’s power to heal, we prayed for the man’s back.

After the family left, Ruth told me more of the story. The water delivery man had gone to many doctors, but none had been able to relieve his pain. Today, he had decided to ask Ruth to pray to God for his healing. She gave him some medicine she knew could help and pointed him to the One who can heal not just backs but hearts as well.

Ruth did not grow up a Christian, but as she looks back on her life, she can point to many times when God protected her from death. As a child, she came face-to-face with a deadly snake. Too scared to run, she stood there as the snake, with its head held high, stared into her eyes. Years later, when she was pregnant, she had an emergency c-section by lamplight. Though her baby died, she was spared.

Since Ruth became a Christian, her life has changed. She was a practicing doctor, but she stopped working in the hospital so she could attend church regularly. However, she still uses her skills to bless her community. As she ministers to sick people, she shares her Lord and Savior with them.

Please pray for Ruth as she ministers to her neighbors. Pray for her wisdom and strength. Also, please pray for people whose lives she is touching.

Pray for our project as we seek to write lessons that will help people like Ruth learn to be more effective as they share their testimony with others.

• Twitter