Hey
everybody,
So
here is the long awaited 2nd part of our blog about our trip to
Colombia. Sorry it took so long, between the busyness of finishing up school
and then our Mac being out of action for a few weeks, it took longer than we
anticipated.
In
this blog we have shared a few detailed testimonies of meetings and people we
encountered there. We hope it encourages you and fills you with hope and faith
for what the Lord can do.
Righteousness,
Peace and Joy
One
of the nights Daniel and I and another girl from our team got to go and take a
cell group from the church. We never really knew much about the groups we were
going to but just prepared as best as we could and relied on the Holy Spirit to
guide us through the night. As soon as we arrived at the cell group I
immediately felt that this group was a family and really loved each other as a
family did and knew that was going to be significant for the night.
We
shared on intimacy with God and how God made a way through Jesus for us to have
relationship with him and that we're seated in heavenly places. Then Maria led
them into an encounter time where they each asked Jesus for a gift and as this
was happening people started to weep at what Jesus was giving and showing them.
The presence of God was so strong in the room by then. We asked some of them to
share what they'd seen and one by one they said how they'd seen different
family members come home. Someone saw their cousin who was in drug rehab
restored and home. Nearly each promise God had given them in that encounter was
to do with family and so we all got together and declared what God had shown
them and agreed with each other. It was so beautiful to see this groups love
for each other and how they really fought for each other's breakthroughs.
Then
because the presence of God was so thick and tangible in the room we decided to
go after healing. There were about 8-10 people who needed healing in their body
so we got the others in the group to pray for them and by the end of the night
every single person was healed!! People got healed from knee problems, chest
and throat problems, migraines and stomach issues.
Romans
14:17 says "the Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the
Holy Spirit" so after we'd seen Gods righteousness (making wrong things
right) and peace (alignment with heaven) through the healings and
encounters all that was left to come was joy. So people started to get full of
joy, and laughter erupted in the room! It was a wonderful night in God's
presence where heaven came and invaded a hungry, humble group of people. We saw
what can happen when people are hungry and expectant and when we let the Holy
Spirit come, lead and take over!
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| Ministering God's love. |
Stopping for the One
On our first Sunday we did prayer ministry after the services in the
main church we were connected with there. There were at least 2,000 people at
each service so you can imagine the amount of people coming for prayer ministry
at the end. We each had a line of at least 20 people waiting for prayer and
they waited for as long as they had to- some up to 45mins!
That day I met a young woman called Gloria in the prayer line who
had been working as a prostitute but had got saved a while ago and no longer
wanted this to be her life. She was very broken with a lot of emotional hurt,
she also had a lot of physical problems and had no other way of getting money
other than prostitution. She was desperate, I could see she wanted a new life
but presently she couldn't see any other way of supporting herself. I felt
quite overwhelmed by her circumstances and filled with compassion for her. I
only had about 5mins with her as I had 5 other people still waiting for prayer
but I knew I couldn't just say a prayer and leave her. My heart was moved with
compassion for her and I wanted to help her practically, I felt like this was
her chance to change her life. I was trying to find out if she knew anyone in
the church, if she had anyone helping or supporting her but she didn't. She
came to Jesus in another city and since being in Medellin she just came to this
church now and then but wasn't connected in to anything. So I asked her if
she'd wait for me until I prayed for the last few people so I could talk to her
more and she agreed.
I wasn't sure if she'd wait but she did and me and my translator got
to talk to her more. I felt such love and compassion for her that I said in
faith that I was going to find out information for her and find some support
for her and to come back next Saturday when we were going to be there and
find me. So during the week I tried to find out any programs or groups that
could help someone in her situation but couldn't get any clear answers. But
then I met my translator from that day and she said she couldn't be there on
Saturday to help me with Gloria but her friend would and that her friend wants
to help her.
So on Saturday we went back to the church and I wasn't seeing her
anywhere but during the message I looked back and saw her and so I went to make
sure it was her and it was. She was really happy to see me, so I found the girl
who said she'd help her and translate for me too. We got to pray for her again
and prophesy over her, the translator also gave her a Bible as she didn't have
one. I was telling her how God wanted her whole life as He wanted to transform
and touch her whole life. She then told me that if I didn't find her that day
that she was going to forget about God, church and trying to change her life as
it was too hard. But because I came and found her she wasn't going to give up-
she had hope! I told her that’s God heart for her, He wanted her so much that
He put it in my heart to find and help her.
I had put a scarf I had in my bag that day for some reason and just
felt the Holy Spirit say give it to her so I gave it to her and told her it was
a prophetic gift and sign of the generosity and care she's going to experience
from the body of Christ. The scarf also had butterflies on it, which I told her
were to represent the freedom and transformation she is going to experience.
She was so touched by this simple act of kindness. I then got my translator to
tell her how the church could support and help her and she's going to stay in
touch with her and help her get connected into things.
I have so much hope for
her and for her to come out of prostitution completely as God has captured her
heart. I saw the power of giving just a little bit extra and going out of my
way to help someone and not just say a prayer and move onto the next person but
to pay attention to the tug on my heart and compassion of Jesus I was experiencing.
Jesus stopped for the one and so should we, someone’s life may just be
transformed...
Juliana
I had the opportunity and privilege to personally lead two people to
the Lord on the trip. The first was a young girl I met on our first Sunday there
during an outreach we did in an area called Santo Domnigo. Some of the team and
I were making balloon animals for the kids when we met this sweet girl called
Juliana. Immediately I felt the Lord highlight her to me and show me that she
was really intelligent and gifted. So I just simply told her that and
encouraged her, which made her day.
Then later I was sitting down in the square and she came and sat
beside me. Daniel and I were talking to her using all the Spanish we knew,
asking her what she wanted to be when she grew up etc and then I just felt like
I should ask her if she knew Jesus. She said she did kind of but didn’t really
have a relationship with Him and so I wanted to share the gospel with her but
unfortunately my Spanish wasn’t good enough for that. So I called over our
host, Tom who runs the children’s centre to help us. He ended up sharing the
gospel with her that Jesus died for her and he loves her etc and then I asked
her if she wanted to invite Jesus into her heart and she did and so we led her
in a prayer in the middle of the square. I then prayed that she would feel the
Holy Spirit and she felt wind on her hands. I felt like the Lord really picked
her out for me and that he really wanted to start relationship with her that
day!
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| Me with Juliana (centre) and her friend. |
Treasure Hunts
On
our last Sunday afternoon in Medellin we did outreach called Treasure Hunts
with anyone who wanted to from the church. Treasure Hunts are when we ask God
for words of knowledge (or clues) for people He wants us to meet- like what
they look like, location, anything they may need prayer or healing for etc. We
then go out in small groups and try and find the people on our list from our
clues, which are God’s treasures for that day.
So
that day four large groups went to 4 different parts of the city to find and
bless God’s treasures. The testimonies that came back from that day were
incredible. Some of the young people from the church, who’d been out doing
treasure hunts with us the night before for the first time, went out and saw
many healings. They prayed for a man with Polio who hadn’t been able to walk
properly for a while and he ended up getting up and walking. Then there was a
team who had a little 7 year old girl with them and her Mum. When they were at
the metro station the little girl went over to an older man and asked him if he
had pain and he did, so she just prayed- “in the name of Jesus, pain go” and he
felt completely fine after.
Another
one of the teams went to a park which is always quite busy. One of the
Colombian’s decided to bring a PA system with him for our leader to preach. So
they set up and our leader Joel preached the gospel and a large crowd gathered
and then the team started to call out words of knowledge for healing. Dozens upon dozens of people were healed, eyesight and
hearing restored, one man had a nectarine sized tumor on his neck that
completely vanished! Many of them accepted Jesus
that day including 2 men who were previously doing witch craft behind the team
when they were preaching.
A
lot happened that day and many of the church saw someone get healed or touched
through them for the first time outside of the church.
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| Our leader Joel preaching in the park. |
Here is a video a girl from our trip made about our trip with more testimonies etc on it!
