While I was still working with the firm of accountants in Surbiton, one of the newly qualified men was called Nunu. He was from India and was very gentle and warm-hearted person. He and I developed a friendship, and he was rather keen to hear about the prayer meetings that went on in our house.
He decided to come and join us at one of them and after I left him at work, I became anxious as I thought about him turning up that evening. I wondered how a Muslim could possibly feel at home in a Charismatic prayer group.
I asked Ursula to join me in a short prayer which really consisted of a few thoughts and left it in God’s hands. That evening various friends whom we had not seen for some time turned up and joined the regulars. With them they brought two new people both of whom were from India. My heart leapt for joy as I realized some ground would be familiar to Nunu.
After the prayer group was over, Nunu was in tears and assured me that nearly all he had witnessed, i.e., laying on of hands, was familiar to him as a Muslim.
The interesting detail that emerged was that one of the other two visitors had just come back from a large Charismatic Renewal gathering in Rome and was on his way back to India having represented his hometown. Before going back, he had tried to get to England though he had no entry permit. Somehow, he managed it and his first port of call was Michael Harper who was a very well-known author on Renewal and community. He lived about six or seven miles from us, near Twickenham and we had visited him once a few months previously. They had asked him to suggest a local prayer group and Michael had directed them to us. The Lord certainly was the host that night - He catered for all needs.