CHAPTER 1

WHEN THE SPIRIT CAME

Bombay: 1972

"Where have you been?" Alan's anxious look told me the whole story. Iwas three hours late. Though only a few miles from home the painfulwaiting lent plenty of opportunity for imaginations to run wild. I couldhave been in the hospital or I could have been abducted or any ofanother thousand horrors!

I was supposed to be home by six o'clock but now it was nine. Exhausted,I sat down and began to tell of wonders and miracles. When the HolySpirit is poured out ordinary activities soon turn into extraordinaryevents till every day has the expectation of the extraordinary. I had goneto shop for a few necessary items for the house and should not have beenmore than an hour, but then I met Frances.

She was grabbing a few last minute essentials for the birthday party. Inher excitement she was talking so fast. "Everyone is coming" she said,"Yes aunty from Thana and I've called my friends from work and mygrandmother is coming. You know she needs someone to bring her somy cousins will be here too. Oh, I think we will be about forty in thehouse. What an opportunity! Yes, we're going to tell them about Jesus,yes and we've got music. Ajit is coming with his guitar. We have beenpraying so much, I know they will all be saved tonight."

Continuing to explain myself I said, "Alan I could not refuse the pressinginvitation, I had to go to the birthday party." In those amazing days, anyand every opportunity was used to share the gospel in an all-out effortto bring family members, friends and neighbors to Christ. These newChristians were so overjoyed with their new life that they could not keepquiet. Anyone was a target for their loving witness, even if they had tocompel them to listen!

Just trying to walk into the crowded home was like an obstaclecourse as I was hugged continually being passed from one set of armsto another. The music was already blaring; no one seemed to careabout forcing the whole street to listen in. The birthday party wasthe cover for an impromptu evangelistic outreach. Frances raised hervoice and called Leroy to tell what had happened to him. With thesame enthusiasm Leroy told his story. He had always gone to Massand said the rosary, and even went to confession, but now somethingwas different; he had met Jesus. He gave a clear, simple testimony ofa revolutionized life now overflowing with joy and love for God. Hewas evidently filled with the Holy Spirit, his words carried power ashe spoke so naturally expecting Jesus to do the same miracles today asHe did when on earth. Once he was religious, now he had life. Oncehe tried to keep rules, now his delight was to obey the Word of God.Stories flowed and questions were asked from all corners of the room.Then demons began to manifest.

"What could I do? Alan, I couldn't get away; I was casting out demonsand praying for the sick and many were being led to life in Christ." Thesenew Christians were not satisfied for anyone to accept Christ as Lord andSavior without them obviously being filled with the Holy Spirit. Theseordinary new Christians would encourage all the converts to receive thepower of the Holy Spirit so that they too would cast out demons, healthe sick and preach the word. The gifts of the Spirit abounded amongthem. As the revival moved through the Catholic area of Bombay suchscenes were repeated many times. These passionate, gregarious peoplehad life, they would not keep quiet; they sang about it, talked about it,and shared Jesus with everyone.

This period of time in Bombay was amazing with wonders as theHoly Spirit was poured out. It was hard to imagine that Frances andher family had been as lost as the guests at the party only a year or sopreviously. And here I was standing in the middle of a miracle; I wouldnever have thought that the decision we made just nine short yearsbefore would bring us to Bombay and revival.

But let me begin at...