This is the story of a possession, exorcism, and conversion that I witnessed and experienced. I admit if i were in your shoes, as a reader and second hand consumer of this tale, i would question it maybe to the point of disbelief, but the thing is, this all actually happened.
So for the past few weeks we here at YWAM Saint Marc we have been putting on a soccer tournament that lasts for 6 weeks and and involves 16 teams. it is no small feat. Some of the things we offer at the tournament for viewers are hotdogs, snowcones, popcorn, and of course free prayer.
One evening as the games were raging on, I was sitting by the concession stand selling popcorn when all of the sudden my friend Mica walks up and urgently summons me to the prayer tent. As I walk up to the tent I notice a kid that’s probably about 6’4 and 200 hundred pounds sitting at a table flailing and spewing nonsensical and weird stuff. “I’m so hot! oh I’m so cold! don’t touch me, I need to talk to my mother!” All while manhandling people and repeatedly standing up and sitting back down.
Apparently before I got there this kid had said yes to being prayed for by the tent staff, and upon being asked what things in his life needed prayer, Myriam, one of the prayer warriors, felt it inside her to ask him if he had any experience with evil spirits. When she asked that he went into this state of flailing and nonsense, an evil spirit had indeed taken over his body. This was my first time seeing anything like this so everything that happened was baffling and new to me. At one point he yelled at us to let him go as if we were keeping him prisoner to which Myriam replied something along the lines of “Go ahead and try” I watched in utter shock as this giant gets up from his chair stumbles a few feet and starts writhing in the dirt claiming “I can’t go, they won’t let me!” Apparently some spiritual force other than the one inside of him was standing guard, keeping him there with us. While making this scene he was out in open view of the tournament spectators so Jimmy, Wadner (more prayer warriors), and Myriam declare that we need to get him to the other part of campus, which was more calm and quiet, to flesh this thing out.. Apparently demons thrive on loud noises and it’s harder to get a spirit to leave in such a raucous, chaotic atmosphere.
We had to take him outside the nearby gate, walk down the open street, and get him through another gate into said calm area. With three men on him the staggering giant kid was escorted out of the arena and into the campus’s main entryway, stopping once on the way rolling in the dirt and trying to leave again with the same results “they won’t let me go!” Eventually we got him lain out by the door to a classroom in a quiet shaded area of base. Then the prayer warriors went to work asking the kid all kinds of questions.
Wadner asks “What is your name?”
the demon within the kid replies with his name and his birthday and then immediately regrets revealing its identity, “My name is (evil spirit’s name), I was born (some date I forgot).... oh why did I tell you that?!?!?”
Wadner then replies with fervor, “(evil spirit’s name) leave this body!”
After that the kid’s eyes close for a few seconds and then reopen this time with a softness to them, an innocence. The spirit was gone for the time being. We get him up and seated and he is the epitome of confused. “Where am I? Why am I all dirty like this??? The last thing I remember I was just watching a soccer game, why am I here all of the sudden?” Myriam then chimes in telling him everything that happened to get him there, we ask his name and he gives us A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT NAME than the one before. Let’s say he told us his name is Max. We ask if he is familiar with the name the spirit gave minutes before and he has no idea or recollection of the name.
The prayer warriors question him on whether or not he knew of the spirits presence in his life and even though he initially didn’t want to admit, he opens up, starts saying that every time his birthday rolls around it comes over him and he is thrust under water, incapable of controlling his body. On top of all this he says he has terrible dreams every night. While speaking to him his fear was palpable, fear of his situation, fear of the spirit and fear of his mother. Note that before, when the demon had control, the only person it wanted was his mom.
After we’re all on the same page we start telling Max about a choice he can make. He can continue on in this life and be subject to evil spirits left and right, or he can pick up a cross and be safe under the loving reign of Jesus Christ, but it won’t be easy. He says “my mom wouldn’t like that, for me to be a Christian... she wouldn’t approve.” All of the sudden his sister shows up, we get her up to speed, she’s not a Christian either and she starts warning that if he accepts Christ, their mom will be very angry. Myriam and Jimmy split up to talk to the sister while Wadner and I continue offering him the choice of salvation, Max is hesitant but you could tell it was only due to his fear. Wadner inquires, “Do you want to accept Christ?? It’s a yes or no thing.” we were by no means forcing him to do this and many times told him how it takes all of one’s heart to submit to Christ, and finally in response to the question he says “yes.” but before we can start to pray the prayer of repentance with him approximately 10 people come out of no where!!
It turns out that all of these people are related to max somehow and none of them are Christians either except for maybe 1. We fill all of them in on the possession, exorcism and choice we’ve given the kid. They say that there’s no way He can accept Christ unless the head of the house, Momma max, okay’s it. So this means we gotta go talk to the gal. We hop in the back of a truck to take the kid home and ask his mom what she thinks.
On the way there Myriam informs me that it’s likely that max’s mom dedicated him to the evil spirit through a voodoo celebration on the day of his birth, and that’s why all of this happened. It’s not uncommon in voodoo households for parents to offer their children up like this as I’ve heard other first hand examples from people close to me. She also tells me that loads of haitian youth don’t accept Christ for fear of being kicked out of their homes. After I know all of this I’m sitting in the back of the truck, a first time witness to something like this, the only blan out on the street, praying for God’s protection while we metaphorically walk through this valley of death and destruction. I’m laden with a realization and tears hit my face. This is real, everything I’ve read in the Bible is real, the possessions, the freedoms, the pillars of fire, the millions dead and gone, the manna from heaven, the consequences, the weight, it’s all so real and I’m a part of it.
We arrive and everyone crams into the tiny concrete enclosure in front of Max’s house to watch the great inquiry. Jimmy speaks to the mother with authority about the situation and Max’s desire to follow Christ, telling of what all Max had been through tonight. She didn’t seem surprised and upon asking her permission for Max to be saved, she doles out a half hearted “pa gen pwoblèm. (no problem.)” So the four of us prayer warriors crowd around Max and ask him one more time if he’s sure he wants to make this decision, a simple “yes” is given back and He repeats after Myriam
“Lord Jesus, I thank you for dying to save me from my sins. I recognize that I am a sinner and today I am accepting you as my savior. Please come into my life and make me new. Help me to follow your ways and to live a life that is pleasing to you. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.” Then all of the sudden WHAM! He falls face forward into the concrete with a yelp, we rush over to see what happened, help him up and he mutters to us “it feels like something... just left my body.” We laugh and exalt the Lord for this mighty thing with hallelujah’s and mesi Jezi’s. We hug Max one last time, pray for protection over him and then head back to base.
Afterwards we got reports from Jimmy that Max had come to his house a few doors down the next morning reeling that he had no nightmares the previous night and that he was ready to learn more about what it means to follow Christ!! As I’m writing this I can attest that just a few days ago Jimmy brought Max to Wednesday night church. I can’t help but tear up even now at the intense propensity of our Father to bring those suffering and hurting into his embrace. What a good and gracious God we serve. This is a proof of sorts, that what happens in the Bible happens now too, even the possessions, even the exorcisms, even those too. Below is a poem.
What if we gave our lives to this?
The rustling of the leaves and the attention they warrant,
the people sleeping on their roofs and not for the fun of it,
the lady picking her nose while she sits on a bucket selling bananas and avocados,
the little girl who’s life is a chess match between demons and God.
we know how it ends,
or we want to
as she writhes on the floor, Jesus come restore!
The heartbeat of the confused and abused,
we’re living to see that through.
Heart-center Jesus we weather this one.
It’s worth it!