When 14-year-old Deborah’s* father, a member of the Communist Party, learned of Deborah’s faith in Jesus, he beat her so severely she left home to live with friends. But she continued fasting and praying for his salvation. Every day she and four teenage friends would evangelize on the streets, telling people simply, “If you don’t believe in Jesus, you’ll go to hell.” They often walked 50 kilometers a day witnessing to everyone they met. They would share their message passionately with tears in their eyes, surviving on very little food and water.

Two years later on a trip to the countryside Deborah’s father fell into a well, and thought he was drowning. In great fear he cried out, “My daughter’s Jesus, help me!” He felt two hands pushing him up out of the well. Immediately he fell on his face and thanked God for saving his life. Through his witness hundreds of people came to Christ.

The young believers had no Bibles, but carried hand-copied pages from the one Bible in the village. When 74 local Christian leaders were imprisoned, Deborah became the church leader. Within six months the local church grew to 1,000.

As Deborah, now 16, became a more visible leader in the region, she was also imprisoned along with 14 other young evangelists. For three days they sang and encouraged one another, then Deborah was taken for torture and questioning.

A fellow prisoner, a young prostitute who had reported on the Christians, mocked her with, “If your God is true, why doesn’t he help you?”

Almost fainting from pain and weakness, but not wanting to deny her Lord, Deborah prayed, “God, show your glory.” Instantly she felt someone supporting her and her whitened face became visibly rosy.

Back in the cell the young prostitute asked, “What happened?” then asked Deborah to pray for her. “Many people don’t understand religion, but they understand kindness,” Deborah said. She took the young woman in her arms and prayed for her.

The 17-year-old prostitute was gravely ill, perhaps with HIV/AIDS, but during prayer she felt something like electricity surge through her body. She was healed and began to witness to the other prostitutes. “Our cell became a worship team,” Deborah said.

The police offered Deborah a scholarship to a good university if she’d stop her evangelistic work, but she refused the offer and stayed in prison. Later when a drunken guard tried to rape her she cried out, “In the name of Jesus, my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.” He fell down unconscious.

“Young evangelists must be taught the power of the Word,” Deborah said. “They must be taught to love God more than the world. Our banner is love. We forgive all our enemies. The fire of love will quench the fire of evil. All the nations will kneel before Jesus.”

-Jewel Showalter

*not her real name

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