It was 1989. I was 33 years old. As I dove into the lives of the young people I met, I began to hear the wildest stories you have ever heard. They told these stories sincerely, and they were believed by all in the group when I heard them. I was the only one that was an outsider and had no idea what to think.

One of the young men became quite ill. He would sit there in sort of a catatonic state, saying nothing. He had difficulty breathing. Everyone understood why he was sick but me. He had lost his "spirit" or "soul." He had gotten terribly frightened when we drove with a carload of young people in Hunter. Getting so scared by something caused this young man to lose his spirit. I asked what could be done to help him, and their only answer was that he needed to go back to where he was so frightened and get his spirit back. I am not sure what happened, but the young man recovered and went on to serve God. 

I learned that I was in a totally different world and all the people had a wildly different worldview. I tried to explain everything from the Bible, but the young people were not interested. They felt it was simply because I didn't understand them or their culture. They were right about my lack of understanding and that I still had a lot to learn.

It was pretty common for Peruvian houses back in the day to have a skull in their home. It could be from a loved one or a skull they picked up in the graveyard. This skull was called a "calavera."

The people would light candles to the skull, "calavera." The skull would take care of the house when they were away. It was very dangerous to leave your home or business unattended. Supposedly the skull could make it appear that someone was at home and deter the thief. The skull made it appear that people or things were moving around. The "calavera" made noise in the house. The skull also kept out the bad energy or spirits from the house. They believed that the "calavera" could actually hurt thieves if they entered.

Another of the families had a "white witch." She was their mother. People who had a hex put on them, or the evil eye could go to her to get the spell taken off. She would have them lie down on the floor. She would pass a fresh egg over the body and pray. The egg would supposedly absorb the hex. When it was over, a fresh egg would be the same as a hardboiled.

Sometimes she would use a "cuy" or guinea pig. Other times she would use a pair of scissors as a cross. She would also have her very young daughter step across the person from side to side and up and down as a cross.

All this was done to remove the hex, spell, or even the evil eye. When a new baby is born, the mother puts a red bracelet on her baby's arm. The baby should not be looked at too soon after birth by non-family members. A steady stare might be perceived as giving the evil eye. I have, on more than one occasion, scared a young mother by seeing her baby. 

At that time, if a Peruvian drank anything with ice at night, it would cause them to get very sick. They would have a sore throat, a cold, or the flu. They saw me always drinking with a great deal of ice. They wondered what was different about me. One night one of the young men in a meeting challenged me. I told him it was all in their minds. That they wouldn't get sick, he said he would try it, and if he got real sick, it would be my fault. 

He drank some coca cola with ice. He was sick for at least a week, and of course, it was all my fault.

Since I listened patiently to any stories they told me and never made fun of them except about the drinking with ice, they continued to tell me more stories. 

One evening as we were driving in my double cab pickup, there were about ten people in the vehicle with me. Everyone knew that only one person could talk at a time, or I wouldn't be able to hear. One of the young ladies asked if she could tell me a story and get my advice.

This young lady told me the story of her home. Her mother was the lady who was the white witch. The entire family had now gotten saved and were faithful in the services and ministries in Hunter. The fact is that all the children ended up in full-time ministry.

So her story was that many things were going on in their house. There were weird smells for no reason that moved around the house. They would hear people or something moving in the house on a different floor when all the family was together, and no one else was in the house. 

They would see what they called the "mano negra" or the black hand. It might show up in a room and move things right before them. Obviously, these wild occurrences would terrify them. 

On top of all that, they had dwarfs in the house. These little "duendes," dwarfs, would also walk around the house and move things. 

I was having a hard time believing all I was hearing. I thought that all of the young people had gotten together to play a joke on me. So I asked her in front of everyone are you just pulling my leg. Are you just trying to tell me a big story and then start laughing at me? She promised me that was not the case and that the story she told me was the truth. 

So in her house were noises, smells, a black hand, dwarfs, and other things of the occult. Something Satanic was happening. 

She then told me one more to top it off before she would allow me to answer. Her cousin had died several years before. This cousin would come and visit her every year on the cousin's birthday. They would talk together, eat, or whatever. This cousin was as real as a real person to her when she visited. 

Now the stories were at an end. She wanted me to tell her what to do. I was in shock. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Were they going to start laughing at me at any moment or what? The entire truck was silent. They all believed the story. They waited to hear my words of wisdom. I had none and wasn't prepared to answer.

I prayed quickly and asked God to give me wisdom. The following is my answer, as best I remember. 

I told her I could go over to their house and we would have a small service. We would sing about the blood of Jesus, read Scripture, pray, and dedicate the house to Jesus. We would tell Satan he was no longer welcome. We would trust God to rebuke Satan and that they would be freed, with no more smells, black hand, dwarfs, noises, or any other Satanic presence. 

She went home to tell her dad about me coming over. I didn't hear for a while, so I asked her at church what he had said. His answer was terrific but shocking.

He told his daughter that they didn't need me. If that was all there was to it; then the family would have a family meeting. He was the spiritual leader of his home. He would have them sing. He would read Scripture. He would pray and dedicate his own home to Jesus. He would ask God to put Satan on the run.

I asked her what had happened then she happily replied that they had already held the meeting. Her dad had led the service. There were no more smells, noises, black hands, dwarfs, or any previous problems. The devil was gone.

She then told me that she had gone to the cemetery and her cousin's grave. There she spoke to the grave and said. I belong to Jesus. I serve Him. My cousin has not been visiting me, but you devil have been deceiving me. I never want to see you again. My life is dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ.

She never saw her "cousin" again. God had worked a miracle in their family. Satan had been defeated. All the family would go on to be greatly used by God. I have not used names so as not to embarrass anyone, but this was one of my favorite families in our time there. 

Could you consider a few things with me before we close? 

Do you realize that you are going out into Satan's territory? Satan has held rule in these places for a long time. The minds of the people are darkened. Satan does not want them to know the truth or see the light. You must be prepared spiritually. You must watch and pray. You must understand that things are going to happen that you will not understand.

There is real spiritual warfare. You may have lived in a basically Christian country for so long that you even find the Bible stories to sound like fantasy, but you will not after you work in a dark place bringing the light.

Listen and learn. You will learn more from nationals than you can from books and missionaries. The people know themselves. They know where they live and what they believe. Listen, ask questions, and get to know their reality the best you can.

Love the people. It is hard to really love the people if you do not learn the language well. You must then learn about their culture. This you can't get from a book. You must spend countless hours with them. Ask them questions. Find out what they really think about things. Let God prepare you to reach their hearts.