"Jesus."

This morning I was in our office grading papers and Belony came in and plopped down in Matt's chair.

"I have been looking for you! I have to tell you!" and then he began to rub at his eyes, and I realized that dynamic, power-preaching, strong, energetic Belony was crying.

Tears immediately sprung to my eyes, just overwhelmed by his totally uncharacteristic display of sober emotion.

"What happened??" I asked quietly, bracing myself for the worst.

"This past Friday night, I stayed here until Saturday morning, so that I could go to town on Saturday morning to study English with Miss Kate. So I was waiting, down the street, Saturday morning for a bus or truck to come by so I could get a ride. And I was standing across from Pehpay's house, you know, at the big tree."

"YEAH..."

"And there were a whole bunch of people already waiting there for a bus to come, all of us under the shade. Many of the people were talking and pointing at Pehpay's house when I approached. Once I stood next to them, I looked to see what they were pointing at, and I saw Pehpay."

"I saw him walking, Stacey, walking down the lane slowly, by himself," he started furiously rubbing at his eyes again.

"And someone in the crowd said, 'Who IS that? That can't be Pehpay.' And I was just silent in the crowd and listened."

"'Yes!' someone said. 'That IS Pehpay.'

'The lame guy? That is really sick and about to die?'

'Yeah, that guy that was about to die.'

'How can that be?'

'I heard that he converted in Jesus Christ.'"

Happy tears now flowed freely down Belony's face, and I could picture his heart pounding as he listened in the crowd that day.

"'He converted and now he is not dying?'

'I don't know, I guess not, I mean, look!'"

"Stacey, I only said one thing," Belony told me. "I said in the crowd, 'Wow! So who healed that guy?'"

"And do you know what they said?"

"Jesus. Jesus healed that guy. He was dying, and he was lame, but now he is walking, and he is alive."

We smiled at each other like fools, tears unashamed wetting both our faces, and felt like we were in the Bible, and I thought, like SO many of you have commented..."I needed to hear that."