Monthly Archives: April 2014

The heading for this post is from one of my favourite passages of Scripture – Psalm 103 – God’s social security system….

• Praise the Lord, my soul;
  all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
  2 Praise the Lord, my soul,
  and forget not all his benefits—
  3 who forgives all your sins
  and heals all your diseases,
  4 who redeems your life from the pit
  and crowns you with love and compassion,
  5 who satisfies your desires with good things
  so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

This morning, we were IN a Social Security Hospital, where I’ve been with the guys before. It was an amazing 90 minutes – restricted a bit as Wilmar had another appointment, but back there Thursday. Everyone we prayed for, for a physical ailment or illness, was healed….I actually thought to write down a few names, so I didn’t have to say that I couldn’t remember them… 🙂

Blanca had a fairly serious thyroid problem, which was also causing her a lot of pain from half way across her skull, down the right side past her ear, and into her jaw. All the pain went. Julia was in great discomfort and pain with colitis, and digestive problems – her stomach was in considerable pain as we prayed. It all went… Lydia also had stomach issues (no, not like mine – a big stomach!) – and all her discomfort and pain disappeared.

Melba (she was a peach of a lay! – groan!) – had great pain in her arms, legs, right shoulder, and chest…. all went. Luz Estela went from anxiety to joy instantly as we prayed for her many physical issues, but also for her family’s economic situation. A lovely man – Juan Carlos, with his very young daughter (name in one ear and out the other…) wanted prayer for his 13 year old son, who has muscular dystrophy, born with it, never walked…. obviously we don’t know (yet?) the outcome of our prayers for him, but dad’s face changed from intense sadness and stress, to smiles, as we prayed for God’s peace for him, his wisdom, and joy, so strength too….

There were a few others, and the hospital’s director, Maria Elena, was so overjoyed to have us back in her hospital, she forfeited some of her holiday to be there with us. We’re back there on Thursday, and Tuesday and Wednesday next week.

On Saturday evening, Eva, who had her ankle healed and the steel dissolving, asked if I’d go and pray for her mother-in-law, liver and bone cancer, prognosis one month to live. We’ve just got back, having had a beautiful time with Blanca, the mother-in-law, Eva, and her other two daughters. Blanca was a very pronounced yellow colour when we arrived: that had changed quite significantly by the time we left, much more the ‘usual’ olive colour of Latinos: Eva saw it too, saw her mum-in-law’s cheeks

Our apartment from one opposite, where Chris & I prayed for Blanca, a lovely lady, with very advanced cancer

‘redden’ as the colour changed…. Blanca was much ‘brighter’, too, sitting up in bed by now, and able to hold a conversation. We’re at Eva’s church

again on Saturday, so hopefully, there’ll be a status report! Blanca’s home turned out to be just over the river from ours, so I had to have a picture!

Eva’s ankle is much better even than it was before her injury, she said… God’s utterly incredible at doing the impossible…..

Phew! Breath taken away yesterday by the sheer magnitude of numbers prayed for, healed, and those who received miracles. The church has a great name – Iglesia Cristiana Azcanzando lo Impossible – ‘the Christian church reaching the impossible’. Why can’t our churches have great names like ‘Reaching the Impossible’? Maybe that’s why God seems to do more in these sort of nations, as in their church names, they often make a mission statement…

The pastors, Giovanni & (Mrs?!) Cruz, are a great couple, so full of life, enthusiasm, passion, and fire. Many healings and miracles occurred  there when I was last there with my team… last night, I was – for the final time this trip, thankfully – there on my own, with Johan, the translator, and dozens to pray for…. I was already utterly exhausted after long meetings Saturday night, and Sunday morning, but it’s a real blessing when, in the middle of such tiredness, God gives you a ‘second wind’, the Holt Spirit adrenaline kicks in, and away you go again!

The Pastor’s mother-in law was healed last time – she had a total mess of a womb and uterus, was waiting for a hysterectomy – but didn’t one, the doctors astonished that her womb was in perfect condition. She was also healed of a number of other serious pain issues.

Mrs Pastor had digestion problems – healed….a lady with a wrecked spine – she had vertebra that were too small – felt heat, and then her pain went as God supernaturally inserted new vertebra. A man with a damaged elbow, joint, and tendons, prayed for, hit the floor… and got up healed. I’m really glad that there is a lot less ‘hitting the floor’ these days, as for many, it’s been, historically, worn like a badge of spiritual honour, and a ‘sign’ that you’re healed. That’s so rubbish! It’s one the many reasons I prefer to sit with people, ‘connect’ with them, have an arm around them, and don’t shout…. it seems to be working pretty well!

A lady with a severe headache – she showed me where it was – had the pain go almost before I could pray! A number were healed of arthritis, as usual (!)….and so much more. By the end of the evening – I got taken out to eat, and on the way we picked up Chris to join us. It’s so good having him here, and, even though today has been a day off, it’s so great having him around, and we spent a lot of the morning with Wilmar, who is just a delight to be around.

Hospital – Social Security – tomorrow morning, and a meeting in Agua Blanca, in a church I’ve been to a number of times, pastored by Wilson Monroy. And while Chris and I are there, William heads to the airport to pick up the French/Dutch contingent!

I wasn’t able to post this earlier, as we’ve had no internet – a truck hit the cables and snapped them all! Joy oh joy….

What an amazing morning at the ‘Dios con Nosotros’ (God with us) right in the south of the city. I’ve been there before, a few times, and God has always done good things there. This time was slightly different in that the Pastor, Raphael, who has become a good friend over the years, and his family, weren’t there. As I’ve travelled over the last couple of years, it has become evident that ‘Kingdom-minded’ people and churches, are coming under increasing enemy onslaught. That’s the case here, as Raphael has become ‘victim’ of a blackmail scam, with very serious threats to him and his family (and in this country you take notice of threats!), and has had to leave the city for a time until the culprits are found.

So with that information as the background, I knew I had to change what I’d planned to speak about. It seemed to work, as at least 50 people came forward for prayer (Johan, the translator’s estimate), most for healing, but some for emotional, personal, and family issues. Boy, did I wish – again! – that had my other 6 team players with me! It was utterly exhausting: I’ve often said that praying for people in that kind of situation is so, so tiring – an immense privilege, but totally draining, as you listen to their story, listen to a list of diseases (often many!!), tragedies – at the same time as trying to hear God for what to pray for them….it took 2 hours to pray for them, so church was 9am – 1.15 pm…. and another meeting this evening!

BUT…. dozens were healed! Pastor William Castaño had told me that many had been healed in this church on the last visit I made there, in November: the first one ‘up’ for prayer today was actually a wonderful man, Alfredo, who last time, told me he wanted healing from arthritic legs, knees, and ankles, healing of his sight, and his heart, so that ‘I can begin to start the new ministry vision that God has given me’…. He’s 81….

And his hug was so strong: God had healed all of those things, wonderfully, he just had a slight discomfort in his left knee, not pain, but he was just ‘aware’ of it….God healed that today: and his wife, whose name, dreadfully, I can’t recall… she was healed of back and neck pain. Alfredo is one of those people who just totally inspires you, and makes you – no, me! – KNOW that I can still keep going into my nineties and beyond.

Again, at least three pairs of osteoarthritic knees healed instantly. Osteoparosis, like last night – a lady with it in many bones, had all her pain disappear in an instant. A man with extremely painful ankles, and soles of both feet – the doctors had not been able to diagnose anything, but he said every step was like someone driving a red hot nail into the curve of his sole/ankle, and had extreme pain walking: he walked backwards and forward across the front of the church, with no pain whatsoever. Thank you, God!!!

Dozens more – diabetes side effects healed (which probably means the diabetes is healed, too – the sugar test tonight in some homes should be quite jubilant! Backs, necks, leg pain, all healed. Damaged vision from diabetes – sight restored. I’m running out of what I can remember now: so soon after praying for a person, and then hearing another list of diseases/ailments/pains, and it’s quite hard to recall the person 2 people before this one, let alone 50+….

This lady, pictured, whose name I can’t recall (sorry… 🙁 ), had, as I recall, osteoarthritis in her whole body. She was in great pain (empathy here!) – and it ALL went immediately, and she could move her arms, walk, and bend, like she’d not been able to in years!

God is so amazing: I really need him to heal my voice before tonight’s meeting, as it was gradually disappearing during the prayer time, and, good as Johan is as a translator, he might struggle with gruff whispers!

Dario’s mum was there: a huge hug, and a message that Dario is so wanting to see me. He’s changed his phone number, which is why Wilmar, nor I, could get hold of him, but he’s attending this morning’s church quite regularly now. Mum will get him a message today, he’s at his finca – where we had the amazing barbecue last time…. I felt very envious! Hopefully, I’ll catch up with him tomorrow, or Tuesday….

Tonight’s is another church where there were many miracles last time…. 🙂 – and tonight, too, Chris Spark arrives from England, but – rats! – too late to get to the church I’m at, unless Wilmar can make his car fly! I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be a late night….

A church I’ve been to many times, El Hogar de Oracion Rey Jesus, pastored by lovely friends Diego & Candy (pictured in the insert), was a lovely way to ‘launch’ the meetings here this visit. I was alone – no team yet! – and boy, could I have done with them! So, so many people to pray for after speaking – it took a good 2½ hours, back to back, no break, and wow, did God turn up or what….

Poor Hanny, the pastors’ daughter, must have been exhausted, as she’d translated in the meeting for me, then dozens and dozens of prayers, literally. So many were instantly healed, a lot with fairly major spinal issues – one scoliosis, a number with a osteoarthritis, a couple with osteoparosis – pain just going instantly, often years of it. At least three sets of knees were healed – all osteoarthritis (!!), another from a fairly bad football injury.

And a lovely lady, Eva, who I know from various visits there, had badly broken her ankle a long time ago, it was still mis-shaped, extremely painful to walk, and had a steel plate and pins in it….

She couldn’t raise her foot up towards her shin because of the steel plate: and stairs, particularly going down, were a painful process, I asked her, after a few minutes (3?) praying for her, to raise her foot…. she did. The look on her face was wonderful. Then I asked her to go over to some stairs, and walk up and down – which she did many times, no pain, the look on her face increasingly incredulous! The steel clearly had gone, as she couldn’t do what she’d just done with it in her shin/ankle…. Amazing God!

So many other things… a man, 30% hearing in one ear, 70% in the other, heard perfectly. A lady with permanently blurred vision had clear vision. A lady with similar symptoms to a stroke, though it wasn’t a stroke, couldn’t do much at all with the left hand side of her body, as was in constant pain with her left arm – it all went.

A lovely man, in much pain from polio, had much of his pain disappear: the rest I sensed was an ‘overnight supernatural surgery’ job by God…. it’s great, as we’re back in that church next week, so can get the testimonies, hopefully on video!

The day had been great, as the lovely Wilmar & Marlene Gomez took me out for lunch to Leños & Carbon, for my first wonderful steak of the trip… then after tonight’s meeting, Carlos and Hanny, Diego & Candy, took me to the gret pizza restaurant at the Intercontinental Hotel…. bang goes losing weight today! What a great evening… and so much more tomorrow, in churches that both told Pastor William that there were ‘many miracles here last time’….. I need my guys here….! The praying is wonderful, but totally exhausting!

And Diego, bless him, told me I’d looked slimmer – thank you! – and Candy said that I looked younger….so I’ll go back there as often as they want me!!!