Spiritual battles and demonic manifestations plagued the girls, who knowingly or unknowingly had been involved in such things before coming into Shadow of His Wings Orphanage. Having had some experience in the deliverance ministry before I came to the mission field saved my sanity and kept me from the fear that comes with dealing in the spiritual realm. I saw what the power of the name Jesus did when spoken out loud. Girls found peace when they declared that Jesus Christ was their Lord and Savior. Nevertheless, this learning curve continued to rise sharply as the staff at Shadow learned the process of breaking off the stronghold of the enemy from these children, according to the promises in the Bible.

Another side of the battle dealt with cultural ideas and old wives’ tales. Pouring holy oil down someone’s throat who is screaming and vomiting does nothing but make the victim miserable. Everything we did needed to be in line with what God intended. Several of the people who worked with us needed to be taught the scriptural ways of deliverance. I might have seen many situations in the past, but I had much more to learn from those who had more experience than I.

In one occurrence, the girls were having devotions when I walked in. Ester* slid to the floor and began screaming, fighting, and vomiting. She fought hard, trying to grab my face when I knelt beside her to pray and calm her down. Ester came out of her trance briefly, recognized me, and then clung to me trembling. I needed to get some help, so I told the house father, Walter*, to talk with her. He had helped in similar situations before and knew what to do. I called Joanne to come assist us with this violent demonic manifestation. Meanwhile, Ester kept going in and out of trances, not knowing those around her, with wild eyes screaming for help. We lost our calm night, and I didn’t think we were gaining any ground in the area of spiritual warfare. We all prayed continually for God’s covering and protection, while we calmed everyone else down and sent them to bed. Ester stayed in the room with the house parents so they could keep an eye on her, even though she had gone into a deep sleep.

The next morning a pounding on my door woke me up with a start. The house mother told me that throughout the night Ester had continued in and out of trances, with bouts of body shaking and crying out in fear. I walked into the dining room to see her. She sat with her head leaned back against the wall, with listless eyes opened. She was totally out of it. She looked dead. Walter and I took her into the bedroom, removing her from the other children. Lord, give us discernment and wisdom. How do we get her free from all of this? While praying, I called out her name several times. With a jerk and a scream, she threw herself into my arms, her body heaving as I spoke. “Ester, you are safe with angels all around you. Jesus is with you, and He will not let any harm come to you.” Walter and I took authority over any further demonic manifestations, declaring Jesus as Lord and Savior.

We needed to find out why the enemy demonstrated so strongly through her. She had the key, and we needed to help her find it. It would be another time when I hadn’t been prepared for the response Ester gave us nor the revelation of the key.

*Name has been changed.