Yesterday was the day when things really kicked off! Following our hospital visit in the day, we went to an evening meeting of a church in the north of the city, on the way to the airport. I had not been there before, but recognised some of the people from a “healing on the streets” type event last Easter in Palmira, where they basically left us to get on with it, with no translators!
It always intrigues me, having visited over fifty churches here over the years, that the same healing issue will repeat itself again and again in a congregation – in one place it will be back problems, in another headaches, and in yet another, stomach issues, but we find that often over half the people we pray for in a place will have the same problem. I have asked this before, but I wonder if any of you have thoughts as to why this is?
Last night I preached again, and in a meeting with up to 100 people present, we must have prayed for more than two thirds of the congregation. Paul and Wilmar saw three people healed of arthritic conditions, had one woman with ovarian issues who said as they prayed “all of my insides are on fire!” A girl with flat feet was prayed for and they and her mother looked on in amazement as the arches formed as they watched.
Johan and I prayed for a number of people with various social and relational problems, as well as those needing physical healing. One woman, about 5 feet 6 but not far short of my weight Paul: Chris is 6 feet 3 inches, and, er…not light!!) came forward asking for prayer so that she might know God better. I asked her if she had ever been baptised in the Holy Spirit and she said no, so asked if she would like to be and she said yes. I took her by the hands and simply prayed, “receive the Holy Spirit,” and blew gently on the top of her head. Immediately she was under God’s power and started to fall backwards. I looked to Johan to help me support her, or help her gently to the floor – his eyes were shut! In a panic, as she was falling backwards, I managed to nudge Johan with my elbow, and he swiftly placed a chair behind her with about half a second to spare before she fell to the ground with me on top of her! She was out cold for about 15 minutes, completely motionless, with tears streaming down her face.
Another lady came up with her daughter. We prayed for the mother, who started shaking as wave after wave of God’s power pulsates through her. The daughter looked on somewhat anxiously, but she was fine – I prayed that God would give her dreams and visions, and as I prayed this, her eyelids flickered.
An old lady came up with her two grandchildren, who but for her intervention would have been taken away from their mother. The children had obviously been neglected, and although he was eight years old, the boy could not speak properly. He did say amen at the end of my prayer. The girl, Sarah, aged six, was a bundle of joy, and pointed at me, asking her grandmother, “is he Father God that we pray to?”
Tonight we are off to the mountains again, to the church led by the lovely Angela Monndragon Moreno and her husband. We had an amazing time with them last year and I am really looking forward to being with them again, a group of people filled with faith.
