In Tanzania, the church regularly ministers to people seeking freedom from spiritual bondage. For generations, animistic traditions have included practices involving blessings and curses – beliefs that often fill daily life with fear and turmoil.
One recent Monday, I tried calling Pastor Johnson Odoyo. Many pastors in the United States try to rest on Mondays, but when he didn’t answer, I had a familiar thought: Johnson was probably praying for people.
That assumption proved true! Four school-aged young people had come to him, all suffering from the same condition – paralysis in their feet and legs. They believed a curse from a witchdoctor had caused their illness. According to the practice, the witchdoctor burns certain ingredients while naming the intended victims, then spreads the ashes across the doorway of their home. When those named by the witchdoctor step over the ashes, the belief is that the curse begins to work then starting with paralysis in the feet and gradually spreading through the body.
Before coming to the church, the young people had already visited another witchdoctor, but they found no help or healing. Out of desperation, they came to the church and asked if God might help them through Pastor Johnson.
Johnson told them about a God who loves them so deeply that he gave his only Son for them. He explained that if they placed their faith in Christ and surrendered their lives to him, they would become part of God’s family, receive the promise of eternal life and find freedom.
Each of them responded in faith. Then they gathered the fetishes and charms they owned, burned them and turned away from their reliance on other gods. Pastor Johnson laid his hands on them and prayed. Two of the young people stood up, healed immediately! The other two improved steadily, and by the next day they had fully recovered.
Later, I asked why someone had placed these curses on them. The answer was simple: jealousy. These young people had begun learning to read and write, which were skills that some older family members did not have. Instead of celebrating their education, jealousy drove those family members to seek harm against these young people.
Stories like this remind us why faithful ministry matters. Thank God for pastors like Johnson who believe and live out the words of Jesus in John 8:36: “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
