Charles Banda is a 44 year old man, a member of the Cathedral Church of God in Lusaka, Zambia. He joined the church after a member witnessed to him a year ago. All his life, Charles has been disabled – he was born deaf and mute with neither the ability to hear or speak. The Zambia Agency for Persons with Disability certified him as disabled. His parents died when he was young. His entire life, he has been limited to sign language as a means of communication. Still, he married, but his wife died of cancer in January of 2011. In April, one of his three children was run over by an automobile and died, leaving him, a peasant farmer, to care for two children, one 12 and the 8. He lives 15 miles north of Lusaka, and despite the distance, he comes to church every Sunday.
On May 26, 2011, during the Central Africa Regional Conference held in Lusaka, Charles received a miracle.
On Thursday, May 26, at mid-day, near the conclusion of the three-day conference where Charles had been assisting, Peter Thomas, the Superintendent of Africa greeted Charles on the grounds, and thanked him for his assistance during the conference. Brother Thomas, prayed a prayer for blessing over him! And then walked away.
Then, Charles remarked, “Someone, I have never seen, came to me and prayed for me. My ears were opened immediately. I started hearing a pitchy sound. Then I went to the church kitchen. I asked the lady who was in charge how I could help her. I was still using sign language, but she heard me speak. She ran away in wonder to go and call others. Soon a group of people gathered around me. They spoke and I answered. When they saw that I could hear as well as speak, they praised the Lord for what he had done in my life.”
The grounds keeper for whom Charles worked summoned Peter Thomas who shared the miracle with pastors and overseers from almost a dozen nations. Thomas wept so profusely, he could not give the report. So Charles, freshly healed, took the microphone and told the story. After Peter had blessed him, a tall man wearing white, not anyone he had seen at the 3-day conference, approached him and he was healed. An angel? For the first time in his life he heard sound and his own tongue was loosed.
“I am grateful to God for what he has done for me by healing me. May praise and honour go to Him. He has done it. He has power to heal. He can heal anyone.” Pastors and leaders returned home – fired up! And Charles went home to his children. Relatives and friends gathered to hear what God had done in his life. “I asked them, ‘Do you know me?’ They said, ‘Yes, we know you as somebody who could neither speak nor hear but today we have seen speaking and talking.’ Then I shared with them from Mark 16:17 and Luke 6:6-45. I encouraged them to seek the Lord in their lives so that he could bring healing and salvation in their individual lives. When I finished ministering to them, about twenty five people were gave their lives to the Lord. All of them were willing to come church with me.”
One of the greatest joys of the healing according to Charles is he can now hear the preaching of the word of God. He plans to join the choir. Pastor Lungu reports, “The healing of Charles has brought joy and revival. The entire congregation is thankful that the miracle happened at our church and in our midst. Miracles have not ceased. God is alive. We can call upon him and he will hear and answer us.” Word of the miracle spread quickly. The Sunday following the healing, members who had stopped coming to church, returned. New people came. The church building was almost full. And there are new members every Sunday.
The Pastor noted, “The healing of Charles is a sign that God wants to work with us and use us to his own glory. We have developed a hunger to pray fervently. There is fresh zeal to evangelize.”
Peter Thomas, African Field Director, gave Charles these encouraging words, “Follow the Lord closely. He has healed you for a purpose.” Thomas went on to say, “The healing of Charles Banda, the miraculous opening of his ears to hear, and mouth to speak is a metaphor, of God’s intent to reach Africa – if he has to raise up speakers who are now not speakers, and hearers who are now deaf to his voice. He is determined to have a harvest in Africa.” The words of Thomas came in response to the last corporate session led by Doug Small, when attendants were asked to symbolically prayer walk Africa and pray for the great harvest.