Monthly Archives: November 2013

• I have seen more, experienced more than most see or experience in a lifetime.
  From the day we left Britain, to the day I left Colombia, there were miracles.
  There was no way we should have made the connection in Madrid, but God had different ideas.
  There was no way that Pastor Williams father should have received the feeling in his hands, nor should he have walked again, let alone do squats, but God had different ideas.
  There was no way that the young boy with one leg clearly shorter than the other should have been able to run around without fear of falling, but God had different ideas.
  There is no way that the Pastor in a desperately poor part of Cali, who had cataracts should have been able to see clearly again, but God had different ideas.
  There is no way that Ana Beiba should be able to care for 80 abandoned elderly, with a vision for a further 40, with no resources or government assistance, but God had different ideas.
  But God – it is a phrase that we see often in scripture – I particularly like it in Ephesians 2:4-7
  But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
  He is rich in mercy – we don’t get what we deserve.
  His love is great – but better than that He loves us with that love.
  We were (notice past tense) dead in our trespasses, and He has made (note past tense again) us alive.
  We are in heavenly places with Christ.
  In the coming ages – that means now! – we get to see the immeasurable riches of his grace.
  He is going to show us this kindness.
  Regardless of how hopeless the situation, regardless of what you have been told, or have told yourself – remember –
  BUT GOD.
  So, did everyone I pray for receive a miracle.
  No.
  Did everyone I pray for begin a journey towards complete restoration?
  Yes.
  Is that statement a bit presumptuous? Does it give false hope to people who are at the end of their endurance, to those who have no hope?
  I don’t think so. Jesus clearly teaches that we are to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons, cleanse the lepers. Jesus states that not only will we do the things that He did whilst on earth, but that we would do greater things that He did. That is a promise.
  Paul teaches in 2 Corinthians 1:20, that “no matter how many promises God has made, they are Yes an Christ.
  Jesus tells us that Whatever we ask in His name, He will give it to us. – why? So that the Son may glorify the Father (John 14:13) and so that our joy may be full (John 1624)
  That means it is impossible for God not to answer prayer – so when we ask for healing, that is what we get. Why God chooses to give miracles to some, and healings to another is a mystery, but we can be clear on one thing, every prayer gets answered, and prayers of request for healing are always answered with a YES and AMEN from heaven.
  How does one process the last twelve days – it is going to take a while, but one thing I am sure of – this is only the beginning.

Yesterday, we were scheduled to go to one of the Social Security hospitals in the morning: the lads went, but I was in the middle of the most irritating of battles – that with my bank, trying to get them to sort out the fraud on my credit card. That’s hard enough when you’re in the UK, on a ‘cheap’ landline. Not a joy at all if you’re on a mobile phone 6,000 miles away at almost £2 a minute! Two hours, still not fully resolved, and I’m a card short. Ho hum!

BUT…. the guys had a great time there: for me, that’s more important than me having a great time there, as I always tell people who come with me, ‘I want you to go home with your stories of what God’s done, not a re-telling of mine!’ The hospital director is absolutely delighted that we want to go into her hospital, and we have an open door invitation to go back any time: that’s a great privilege. A number of people were healed, so I’ve just cut and pasted Robert & Simon’s Facebook comments to tell their stories:-

Here’s just one of Simon’s:

We prayed yesterday morning in one of the social security hospitals – here’s one story: an elderly lady came in walking awkwardly and obviously in a lot of pain with her right hip and leg. After a few minutes of prayer she stood up, announced all the pain had gone, and walked away smiling. Thank you Jesus.

And Robert’s, yesterday:

Nick also saw God do stuff, as he prayed, and acted as a translator, too. One little girl, with terrible eyesight, had it restore almost immediately. He’s just ‘slipped’ back into life in Latin America, so so easily, his Spanish – unused for the 13 years since we met in Buenos Aires, almost to perfection. He’s enjoying the ‘spiritual atmosphere’ in this lovely city, and looks and seems totally ‘at home’ even after just 24 hours. Having waved goodbye to Brian, it was lovely for me to have two such great friends arrive to follow him.

In the afternoon, I met up with the guys, this time at the ‘King David’ hospital, to pray for a pastor, Dario, at whose church I preached on Sunday. His son is also in the same hospital. Dario didn’t know he wasn’t well on Sunday, but suddenly vomited ‘black’ blood, and is in for tests to see if what is now a suspected stomach ulcer that could be cancerous… he felt fire in his stomach and back as we prayed, and looked noticeably less ‘drawn’ facially. His son, Ivan, is there with dengue fever, which is awful. High fever, high temperature, extreme weakness – not normal in a 19-year-old. He, too, felt heat as we prayed for him, and, if he hadn’t been attached to a drip/other tubes, he’d have run around his ward. In Dario’s room, we prayed for his ‘neighbour’, an old man named Gustino: emphysema, major breathing difficulties, and throat problems. Again, as I’d also teach in a healing training session, if you close your eyes, you miss stuff. And Gustino’s who visage changed, watching it change was (and always is) a privilege: and then he sat on the side of his bed taking deep breaths, smiling, breathing easier. He’s 86: so hopefully he’ll enjoy his last years sickness free despite a lifetime of smoking….

In Ivan’s room, we prayed for another older man, in with prostate cancer, his and his wife’s faces filled with fear. Having seen God heal quite a few prostate cancer sufferers, it was a delight to see God overwhelm them with his perfect love which, of course, drives out all fear: and see them smile. Both said that God has given them genuine hope for his healing. It’s one of the things that people often ‘have a go at me’ for: ‘Isn’t it unfair that you give people hope?’.

Where in the world (or the Bible, for that matter) does THAT come from? I know for myself, if I was sick with cancer (as, of course, medics thought I was for 3 months earlier this year), I’d rather ‘suffer’ it with hope, than with hopelessness. And the hope God gives is something way different from ‘I hope I win the lottery’…..

Whilst waiting for Pastor William Castaño to return, we had a lovely chat with a delightful old lady, toothless, but totally in love with Jesus…. she thought I was ‘formal’ though: so her discernment was a bit awry, in my opinion!

In the evening we were back in Agua Blanca: the barrio Ciudad Cordoba again, a different church, ‘Jesus is the Vision of the World’. A good – but ever so loud! – worship time (but then there was very loud open-fronted night-club bar across the street!). I shared a bit, but really wanted Si and Nick to get on the score sheet with preaching/involvement. Si preached on ‘What does the Kingdom look like?’ – pretty much what I was preaching last week, but neither of us knew that! – and loads responded. It was a blessing to have 4 of us praying, Nick could do it alone, I could pretty much, but had a translator on hand for major blunders (Kim), Robert had Wilmar, and Simon had a church guy, Cesar….

Everyone I prayed for was either instantly healed, or change came: and the healing process had begun. A lady, Maria, bi-polar, with depression, and poor eyesight, was another facially and visibly transformed. I spoke to hear about the sweat blood of Jesus being for the healing of mental/psychological/depression–related illness: so much that she said afterwards points towards a major transformation in her bi-polar condition: she was determined (her choice) to begin to reduce her medication, and then I got round to her eyes. She couldn’t read anything, and long distance was a blur. Within 3 minutes, she was reading random verses from my Spanish Bible, and totally overwhelmed…..

A man named Fabian was in such chronic pain with spondylitis – neck, spine, and arms, he was on methadone injections. He was in extreme pain as he was prayed for, and gradually it subsided. I asked how come he was in pain if on such strong medication: his monthly jab was due today! His pain went: before knowing when his next jab was, I’d said to him that he’d know from God when he could tell the doctor that he wanted to get off  the drug….so, maybe today!

Others had poor eyesight restored: all pain in everyone prayed for went…. the stories were the same from the other guys. So a wonderful evening, and a great day! But every one of us was totally and utterly exhausted when we got home. Fortunately, a quiet morning Wednesday!

This is simply a blog to ask for your prayers, as you’ll know if you read yesterday’s post, that my credit card had been hacked. It’s taken around 3 hours of phone calls SO FAR and about 12 different people, all of whom I had to repeat the same information to, on roaming charges (a tad under £2 a minute!), to get to the point where I know they won’t/don’t send replacement cards abroad (seems only AmEx do that, and I’m none too sure I’m in AmEx’s earning league!). Simon, who arrived last night, put about $850 onto a prepaid credit card in England on Sunday – only to discover when he went online, 30 minutes later, it had been locked. As my card, and Si’s, have money for Ana Beiba on them, it seems a wee bit more than coincidence, wouldn’t you agree?

What we have on those cards will means she can finish the renovations at her home, and take in another 20 or so people. Just value your prayers, as it would seem that the enemy is none to happy with us…. and that’s GREAT news, but your prayer intervention, along with ours here, will break his neck, of that I’m sure. I’ve promised Ana she’ll have her money next week, or at least before I leave, the 13th really being my last effective day here. Many thanks!

It might not sound much if you’re just reading this as ‘words’, but this morning, another visit to Ana Beiba Lasso’s wonderful home for abandoned old people, stretches just about every good human emotion to breaking point…. it’s quite a long drive from where we stay, and about a third of the way there, the car windows have to be closed and the doors locked, and it’s helpful if the car has tinted windows, so the locals can’t see it’s a car full of gringoes. Fortunately, lovely friend Wilmar’s nice ‘new’ Chevvy has. God’s blessed him and his adorable wife Marlene and daughters Sarah Sophie with a much newer car than their 33 year-old Fiat….

Driving through Agua Blanca is an experience in itself, especially for someone like Brian who had only been there in the dark until this morning. In the dark, he asked on the way home from church one night why the driver didn’t stop at red traffic lights… It’s just plain not a good idea to stop anywhere….that’s why we’re ushered pretty quickly from car door through steel cage doors of houses and churches.

Ana Beiba lives in the barrio Alfonso Bonilla Aragon: her son, previously a taxi driver, was hi-jacked by gunmen just a few hundred yards from her home back in March, the keys to his car demanded of him, refused, and he was shot eight times. So it’s a ‘safe-haven’ for poor, rejected, neglected old folk, heaven – almost literally – in the middle of hell.

It’s such a privilege to go there. And yet Ana is overwhelmed that I keep going back, taking with me the folk who are on my ‘team’, who just get blitzed and gob-smacked by the love, care, and joy of this amazing woman. It is not just ‘rare’ for foreigners to go a district like this: it just doesn’t happen.

So for someone/people to go back, again and again, just blows her away – but not nearly as much as it blows US away to be there. Brian was blitzed, speechless. Within moments of arriving, Robert’s got his hands on a very old man’s incredibly ulcerated leg praying for healing for him.

In July, it was a real thrill to take out to Ana enough money for her to begin to redevelop the house I took the money out for her to buy last year. The redevelopment is well underway: it has already meant she can increase her number of ‘babies’ as she delightfully calls them, from 70-75 to 100. Needles to say, she has 100. When the development is finished in 2 weeks, it will mean she can take 120. As the ambulances and the police are continually arriving at her gates, with yet more rejected and lonely old folk, that won’t take long. I was able to tell her that, all being well, I will give her the money to complete the development next week.

But… that’s all dependent on something that happened today, which can only be viewed as an enemy attack! I saw 5 missed calls on my UK mobile phone all from the same 0845 number. I don’t often look at my home phone when I’m away, as calls in and out are almost £2 a minute, but 5…well, I thought I ought to at least check the voice messages that number had left. My bank card had been hacked, or compromised, hacked is my choice: the bank advised me of a number of debits to William Hill, Corals, and other online betting companies. In that account is the money for Ana Beiba: I’ve already withdrawn some of it for cash, but the bulk is still there. The bank’s only option is to stop the card, so no more fraudulent transactions can be made: and they won’t send a replacement card to anywhere outside of Britain. So, unless a miracle occurs (I’m more in faith for healing miracles than banking miracles!), I’m stuffed….it’s also the card with my ‘living’ expenses for while I’m here on it, and the only one that doesn’t charge (the earth, like all others cards do) to use it abroad.

But, everything pales into insignificance when you’re with Ana: her hugs suffocate you, break your neck and your nose (well, nearly!), her smile is utterly infectious, her joy can only come from one source – the God she loves and worships – as she is joyful ALL of the time. And – bear in mind, that when I met her, for the first time, 2 years ago this month, she was a month into a 3 month ‘death sentence’ with a massive brain tumour…. her only concern THEN was not dying: it was ‘what will happen to my babies?’. That day, on her knees, and holding my thighs, with her head on my ‘comfortable’ stomach(!!), she felt the tumour go as I and my mates prayed for her…. Two years on, she’s as fit as a fiddle, and she lifts your spirits, quite unbelievably, even when you’ve just heard that your bank account has been hacked….

It’s hard to leave her home….

After the emotional draining of yesterday, a quieter but no less blessed day today. I think I’ve said before that praying for people, whilst a wonderful privilege, and a blessing, is emotionally and physically draining. I suppose if you go along a line pushing people over shouting ‘be healed’ it’s less so, but my heart, my style, is ‘engagement’ with the people I pray for, so that for a time, they know they are special, and my ‘focus’, to the point that I go to every meting ‘armed’ with the necessary prayer ministry ‘kit’ of a great pile of tissues for the tears, and mints, so that the dear pray-ees don’t faint with the smell of dogs breath, which is the pleasant(??!!) experience that most speakers have when they’ve preached for 45 minutes or so!

This morning, we’re spending time with Ana Beiba at her ‘Home for the Abandoned Elderly’. I’ve seen photographs of the huge steps that have already been taken in extending the second house to have an upstairs, and it’s exciting to see where the sacrificial support for her from the UK is going. It’s always both a joy, and emotionally wrecking there, so I’m under no illusions that it’s a walk in the park! This, to, of course, is Ana’s 2nd anniversary since being healed of a brain tumour that should have killed her by January 2012….

Still some way to go before the final ‘extension instalment’ money is reached, but I’m sure it will be…. God’s so obviously got his hand on her and this ministry.

Then, sadly, we give the lovely Brian Louden a big hug as we wave him off back into the arms of Karen, Rebecca, and Joseph, as he leaves for home today. Safe travel mate, and enjoy the reunion!

And some while later, the joy of seeing Nick Harding and Simon Allaby walk out of the arrivals hall (as I write they should just have taken off in Frankfurt for Bogota!). They get here late, but it’s worth the wait.

Summing up the first ten days is so hard: so many wonderful adjectives that could be bandied about, but at the root of it all, just absolute humbleness at the awesome power of our amazing Father God. Thank you, Lord: what WOULD I do without you? Where would I BE without you? I’m so immensely grateful….

Aware as I am that each of the blog posts have been filled with stories of instant and ‘in-progress’ healings, as have Brian’s, and Robert’s new Facebook page ‘Rob goes to Cali Part 2’, I thought I’d just let you know that there is plenty of ordinariness in between the wonderful works of God!

Shopping, laundry, cleaning the apartment all have to get done: for me, the working out of who goes where to preach, how they get there, who the translator is is my end of the admin – though it’s so, so much easier this trip as Pastors William Castaño and Wilmar Gomez, have done an amazing job ahead even of us arriving. Then trying to fit in other things, like hospital visits to pray for the sick, making sure ALL of the guys get to see the Old People’s home run by Ana Beiba, seemingly endless time in taxis – oh, and we’re all so tired – Rob especially recovering from his mammoth journey!

The weather’s been kind to us – just a few REALLY hot days, but yesterday it cooled to the unbelievable ‘low’ of around 27C. Nights have been cooler, which is a blessing, though I have to say there isn’t a single night where I’ve slept underneath any covers!

Of course, there’s preparation time, too: for the meetings we’re speaking in. They are all so different, and we all really DO want to hear God for each one. It would, for example,  be pointless to do the same sort of ‘preach’ in a thriving church as in the drug rehab home….

And I’m still ferreting away trying to raise the remainder of the money for Ana Beiba’s home extension: Wilmar tells me she is well on the way with it, with what I was able to leave for her in July. The ‘rush’ now is to get the roof on and make it liveable in, as it does actually get cooler as the year goes on, and of course, when it rains, boy does it rain! Still some way short in what is needed, so if you could pray – I’d appreciate it. If ever there was a living example of ‘care in the community’, Ana’s home is it. We’re going Monday morning, 10 am our time, so that Brian can meet her, and see what God is doing there, then he’s at the airport at 2.45pm to fly back to his lovely family. Then 7 hours later, back to the airport again to pick up the lovely Nick Harding, and Simon Allaby, arriving from England for the next week or so.

So still plenty or ‘the stuff of life’ in between the exhilarating heights of seeing God move…..just thought it might help you to know that!

From the post ‘the mighty mini pastor fro Filadelfia’, I mentioned the lovely Charlie Pocock, from Hangleton, Hove: he’s not 93, he’s 90 next birthday, I’m reliably informed! But he is currently in Australia visiting his family, so he’s still an adventurer for man of his tender years!

Reconocer (Recognise), the drug rehab house in Cali, is a wonderful, wonderful place. The man who runs the ministry, Enrique Leal, has become a lovely friend over the years, and it is always a blessing to go there. He’s generally got about a dozen guys in at any one time, and this evening, we had the honour of speaking to them all – Brian getting more and more confident to speak without notes and for longer as the week has gone by (!) (good, as he’s preaching at least once in a real sermon rather than just testimony over the weekend!!), Robert slipped back into the groove her found here last year, and I rumbled on as I do…. 🙂 – actually I really felt inspired this evening, and was on a roll….

And then of course, came to the offer to pray for them. That’s when about another eight people suddenly appeared ‘out of the woodwork’ for prayer! Rob and I prayed together, with a lovely guy from the centre to help me with translation, Brian and the meeting translator, Maria, prayed for others.

Esteban, who helped us, had a terrible limp – he’d been shot 8 months ago I guess as a result of drug issue: and he had astigmatism in one eye and myopia in the other. He walked better after prayer: no immediate change in his eyes, but he was in faith for the miracle to happen over the next few days.

Enrique, the ministry leader, had only 10% vision in his left eye, with macular degeneration: within moments, he testified to a big improvement in his sight, at least another 30%, and getting better. When we left, he said it was ‘a major improvement’. Thank you Lord! A super young man, also an Esteban (Stephen), wanted prayer for his mum: bless him. 15 years old, he’s been at Reconocer for 8 months, and a heavy user drug addict/ substance abuser since he was 9…. such a sad history so many people in this city have.

Rodrigo, in a wheelchair, only has one leg: Robert was desperate for the other one to grow (Rodrigo had diabetes which he never got treated and abused badly, as well as being an addict. He lost his right leg through gangrene – he did describe it to us, but I won’t spoil your lunch/dinner by describing it here! The leg didn’t grow out: but God brought back to my mind a Smith Wigglesworth story that I haven’t recalled, or re-told, in years. That story is of Smith staying with a minister, somewhere in the north of England (Bradford I think), who ha no legs, and was obviously in a wheelchair. Smith told him to go to the shoe shop the next morning and buy a pair of shoes…. having got of his anger at thinking Smith was playing games with him, God told him ‘Do as my servant has told you!’. So he did: long story short, and much to the astonishment of the shoe shop staff, he put the first shoe on one stump, and his leg grew: then the other shoe, and that leg grew too…. so I told Rodrigo, as it came to me like I said for the first time in years…. we wait and see when he puts his shoes on in the morning, or goes and gets a pair, as he probably only has one…

We prayed for a number of others, and so did Brian: he’ll post them to my homepage on Facebook I’m sure! Great night!

Tomorrow, we go to two somewhat ‘dodgy’ areas of the city, Ciudad Cordoba and Mohica: when I was last in Mohica, I discovered that I was preaching in an open gazebo in a circular public park. Roads went off of the circle like bicycle spokes, and at the end of each street, the Colombian equivalent of a British police ‘Black Moriah’ were disgorging a good 6-8 armed, helmeted, flak-jacketed policemen – armed with what from a hundred yards or so, looked like AK47’s! I asked what on earth was going on: to be told that they were there because I was there – a gringo in a place gringoes don’t go…. the pastor was healed before the meeting began, loads got saved, many healed, and I hurried home to change my trousers…. 😉 So tomorrow will be – er – interesting! Robert and Brian are going to Ciudad Cordoba, which is only a ‘barrio’ or two away from Mohica, but I think less risky!

Your prayers, please!