The Demon named Hanah!

Balinda! Moment after she fell into Peaceful sleep after being set free!

Bang!   The door swung open.  “Pastor Darron we have to go now.”

“Mengapa?” (Why?) “Berapa Jam Sekarang? (What time is it now)” I fumbled for my shirt.   2:07 a.m.   What was the urgency at this unearthly time of the morning? 

“Pastor there is a demon possessed girl whose parents are calling that we come.  Let’s go, Now!”

I was about to say, “But I don’t know the language.” When Pastor Arthur said, “Pastor I’ve never done this before will you please go with me.”   That makes 2 of us.   But with a prayer of my own I felt I had no choice but to go.   God seemed to impress me that He would be with us.

We awoke the driver of the  Adventist Businessman who was housing us and off we went wondering down narrow alleys until we came to the Adventist Relative of the girl who was possessed.   They climbed into the Toyotta Kijang (SUV like vehicle) with us and off we went through more deserted streets.   Only dogs were out at this time of night.   We crossed a narrow bridge that was nearly washed out and had planks for treads.   A hastily painted sign warning of an unsafe bridge.   To me this looked like a sign of our impending situation.   “Hati-Hati” read the sign meaning “Be very Careful”.

At last we arrived at the location.   Into the house we all went.   As I took a quick survey of the room I noticed perhaps 25-30 neighbors who had gathered to take in the situation.   Immediately I noticed one boy/man about 17 or 18 years old who seemed possessed in his own way.   He was a neighbor, who upon entering the house to see the girl for whom we had come to pray for, had himself become victim of the Devils sway.   He kept leaping and slashing at himself with an imaginary knife.   He would shout “Hal-le-lu-jah Saaaaataaaaan!”   It was immediately clear that the pastor with me was petrified.   I was too but somehow God gave me strength. 

Now my focus came on the girl.   I asked her, “Siapa Nama Anda? (what’s your name)”   To which she replied, “Namanya Haaaaaaaaaa-Naaaaahhhhh? (My Name Is Hanah)”   Her parents corrected, Her name is Balinda.   It didn’t occur to me until several minutes latter that the voice that answered was actually the demon.    It sounded like a young mans voice at times and at other times shrieked like a girl.

I asked the pastor to read some scriptures.    He read from John 1 about Jesus becoming the Word that dwelt amongst us.    Balinda shrieked or shall I say Hanah shrieked, “These people I know but the ones who just arrived I don’t know.  They aren’t a part of us. . . especially the two pastors.”

Praise God the demons didn’t know us and that we weren’t a part of them.   By this point there were 7 or 8 fully grown men holding Balinda on the tile floor of the house and even then she was throwing them around like a man to a small child.   Shrieking the whole time threatening anyone and everyone with their very life.  

In the corner the man who had entered and become possessed was now shouting curses and seeming to pray all at the same time.   He jumped constantly and predictably like a pogo stick.  I asked some of the people to remove that man.    One possessed person was all we could take at a time.   It took five men to wrestle this man out the door and as he arrived at the door I heard him say, “I see many devils surrounding this neighborhood.”   I don’t know where they took this young man but he was quiet from then on.

We prayed and sang and sang and prayed for nearly two hours.   I was losing my strength by this time.   I asked for Isaiah 53 to be read and each time the scripture was read she would scream, “your making my pain worse.   I’m about to die.   I don’t want to hear those songs and the Bible.”

Pastor Arthor wisely said, “Let’s move her to another room and ask all the neighbors to go home.”   So someone produced a mattress and we moved to the living room where more comfortable chairs were.   She lay on the bed and screamed, “I want Water   I want Water.   I Want WAAATERRRR!”   Someone brought water and she drank deeply and frantically as if she hadn’t drunk in days.  Then she wanted more and suddenly it occurred to me she really needs the Water of Life – Jesus Christ.    So I asked the Adventist Relative who sat on the floor on the other side of Balinda’s head to read the story of the Woman of Samaria.

As we finished the story I finally pieced together the bits and pieces of how this possession had taken place.   Balinda has a boy friend who is into Satanic magic.   He opening admits he worships Satan.   He had sent a curse via a small box that he sent to Balinda.   When Balinda opened the box her mother and father said that Balinda had begun sending illicit pictures of herself to her boyfriend.   When Balinda’s father learned of this he confronted Balinda and it was at that point that Balinda had gone into full blown possession.   Her father had confronted Balinda over the constant lying behavior of Balinda and her boyfriend – Augustus.

I knelt right beside Balinda with this information where I could whisper into her ears words of my prayer.   “Balinda, Can you hear me?”   She did not reply.   “Hanah, I know that you hear me but I also know that Jesus in more powerful.”   At those words Balinda’s body was sent into convulsions.    “Balinda!   Jesus wants you to give your heart and mind back to Him?   If you can hear me let Jesus come into your heart.   Just think the words ‘Jesus come in.’   Slowly I stroke Balinda’s forehead.   “Peace I bring to you and peace I leave with you. . . that not of this world but of heaven above,” I quoted.   “Balinda, Please,  invite Jesus into your heart”, I begged!  “Balinda, Please,  look into my eyes with your right eyes.”   Until now Balinda had kept a far off wide eyed stare at something or someone or some being far away.   Far away.   Distant but nevertheless all controlling.   “Balinda will you not except the Peace of Jesus, now?”

A deep sigh from Balinda’s chest.    And then just like that Balinda fell into a deep sleep.   No more struggle.   No more pain, just sleep.   Peace!   Only I and the Pastor and Balinda’s Father and Mother and the one Adventist Relative remained in the room.   It seemed like the voice of a million angels to hear that deep breathing of 15 year old Balinda filled with the Holy Spirit.

I glanced at my watch as we came back to the house I was staying at in Manokwari 4:39 a.m.   The Muslim call to prayer started just then.  I tried to fall back asleep but sleep evaded me.   Too, simulating of a night I suppose.  

When I came down for breakfast I learned that Balinda, while so weak that she could barely walk, was up and talking about her dream.   Some people came and were teaching their family about the book of Revelation.   They especially taught that Satan was the dragon of Revelation and that the Mark of the Beast was going to be explained by these people and that it had to do with Satan and his possessing of the whole world except for those who believed the word of God spoken by the Pastors who came last night.   She complained that she never knew that any pastors came last night but they must have, “because the angel told her they did.”    But her parents knew and they told her.    “Those are the pastors who freed you from the demon!”     I have to correct. . . It is nothing but by Jesus power that freed Balinda!   How utterly humbling to think that Jesus, the King of kings used me!  Pastor Arthur was welcomed the next day and Balinda listened in her right mind as she drank in the words of life from the Word of God.

This just in via text message from Pastor Arthur. . . “Balinda says to tell everyone!  Jesus is so much better.”