How? How to sum up these increasingly amazing trips to the open heaven – and, if you’ve read or seen the news – literally open heavens with waterfall-like rainfall, tragedy, death, and triumph….

• http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-39470238

Coming here with just Thanney, as dear Davy had to drop out quite late, made it the smallest ‘team’ I’ve brought here in many years. I guess team numbers run into the many hundreds, now, but it all worked out well, and Thanney, with his vision for this new ‘level’ on the top of the El Abrigo Church Children’s Foundation, more than excelled himself, bearing in mind the limitations put on us by money not arriving (it still hasn’t!!), by the unbelievable weather, and many other factors, that made Thanney feel that, with a week to go, and  no structure erected at all, it couldn’t possibly happen….

God’s not only the God of healing miracles, he answered prayer for Thanney’s hands to cope with double – quadruple – the amount of work per normal. AND he worked long into the darkness, three floors above the ground, with – last week – a good little team of local guys helping him, with only Orlando skilled (welding), who did what he told them…. Thanney carried the plans in his head, I have no idea how, and the final structure, ready for phase two, is rock solid, and COMPLETE! A genuine miracle…. I’m in awe of what God and Thanney, and some other willing hands, have achieved here: it’s remarkable.

Of course, there were the abundant miracles and healings in meetings, too – from cancers to Parkinsons to osteoarthritis to diabetes to paralyis to spine damage…. many have been ‘blogged’ already, so I won’t repeat them here, save to say that there were many: and in a number of churches, it was mind-boggling the speed with with God moved, in bringing healing, or the miracle, into a person’s life. Last Wednesday, there must have been 10 in 20 minutes, and that includes getting to know each person a bit, asking what’s wrong, and praying! The same Thursday, and Saturday…. Sunday too. Wilmar and I often sat, almost jaw-dropped, as person after person said ‘I’m healed’, ‘My pain has gone’….. it’s been wonderful.

While the rain has been devastating south of here, in Mocau, Putamayo, it’s not had the same destructive effect where we are. But one of the things I love about this city is the thunder storms (tormentas – great word, huh?) – the thunder is incredibe, it’s deafeningly loud anyway, but, with Cali sitting 1300 metres or so up in the Andes Mountains, the thunder bounces of and rolls around the mountains, the lightning often massive forks, and it’s amazing to watch and listen to! I didn’t know the rains had come early this year, until the day Thanney and I walked out Cali airport on 14 March, and I’d been feeling, leading up to the trip, to talk about 1 Samuel 7, God thundering with a LOUD thunder at the enemy, defeating the Philistines, and giving the children of Israel the promise that – up until now, he’s helped them – and with the unpoken, but very real, ‘from now on I’ll continue to help you’ (perhaps Psalm 23:6 is the follow on verse!).

After 18 months of not seeing my great friend, Dario, and his lovely family, they turned up here at the apartment last night, to take us out to eat. It was SO amazing to see them, and ‘topped’ this trip with the extra special privilege of being with them, and praying for them. July trip, we’ll get more time together…..

AND, of course, this visit to my ‘home’ carried special significance for me. After 16-17 years of osteoarthritic knees afflicting my poor – now very bowed – legs (where was my horse??), after the wonderful prayer and honouring from long-time friends in Mision El Abrigo Church, the miracle is underway…..normally when I get home from a trip away, I can’t – literally – move for a good 48 hours, and the last ‘leg’ home is generally excruciating, legs that don’t want to bend or move at all….today is so, so different. Thank you, wonderful Jesus: while I’ve never doubted that this is possible, and always believed it WILL happen, it still took me by surprise when it did…. you are SO SO good and faithful, Jesus, and I could never, ever imagine what I’d do without you….