Torrential Rain and Spiritual Battles
“On the eve of the opening ceremony for the Adara Piyasa Retirement Home and Christian Center, we spent the night on site. However, the night proved challenging: Around three in the morning, a violent thunderstorm rolled in. Lightning struck twice in the immediate vicinity—possibly even directly on our property. The thunder was deafening and struck almost simultaneously with the lightning. As a result, the entire village experienced a prolonged power outage. We perceived this situation as an expression of spiritual warfare in the unseen world.
The next day, the official opening ceremony took place in the presence of numerous villagers. A local Buddhist monk vehemently opposed the project. He spread the rumor that a church was to be built here and tried to turn the population against the center. But the village community did not follow him. On the contrary: Many described the center as a blessing for the village. The monk found himself increasingly isolated in his stance. One villager even openly contradicted him, accused him of sowing discord in the community, and demanded that he stop. Otherwise, he should leave the village.
Nevertheless, the monk did not back down. He tried to mobilize local politicians and Buddhist leaders against our center. During the opening ceremony, he called the police and tried to file a complaint against us. But his plan backfired: The police arrested him and held him until after the ceremony. At the same time, five plainclothes police officers showed up at our event. They listened attentively to the speeches, took part in the celebration, enjoyed coffee and cake, and formed their own impression of the situation on the ground. In the end, they concluded that our center poses no threat—rather, they recognized it as a benefit for the village.
Our local partner, Pastor L., now plans to visit the monk in person. It is important to us to build a respectful and peaceful relationship with him and to avoid tensions within the village community as much as possible.”
