A Foreigner with a Huge Hand

I heard an interesting story while waiting for a friend in the hospital.

Sonny is from China and he has lived in the Atlanta area for the past three years. About a year ago, his father was dying from colon cancer in China. Before leaving for China to be with his father, Sonny told two friends about his father’s health condition. He had met these friends in an ESL (English as a Second Language) class at a local church. (Sonny had only been to the ESL class at the church; he had not attended a church service.) The friends listened then gave Sonny a Bible and told him to read it to his father.

When Sonny arrived in China, his father was in severe pain. One day as his father was sitting on a chair outside the house, Sonny began reading the Bible to him. He believes this is the first time his father heard anything from the Bible. As he read from the Gospels about the life of Jesus, his father fell asleep.

About 20 minutes later, his father woke up and said that he had had a dream. He said, “I saw a foreigner with long hair and a huge hand. He placed his huge hand on my stomach and the pain went away. I had the best sleep ever.”

The dad didn’t give the name of the foreigner, but his actions certainly sound like the actions of Jesus in the Gospels. Sonny is sure that his father saw a vision of Jesus. Later, Sonny became a Christian in large part due to his father’s dream.

Les Bridgeman

After graduating from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, I served as a high school Bible teacher in Asia. I enjoy traveling, writing, and playing the drums. My latest book focuses on Paul’s work as a tentmaker and what it means for today.