Testimony Archives - Page 12 of 42

Miracles on Good Friday….

Posted on April 15, 2017 by Paul Bennison Posted in Journal, Random Thoughts, Testimony, Travel Leave a comment

Another terrific meeting last night, in Seymour Hill, St Hilda’s Church of Ireland. It’s been so good to see numbers increase each evening: often, in a (near) week of meetings, numbers decline, especially on a national holiday day like Good Friday.

Thanney Pyper went with me, and shared really well about his own story of God taking him by surprise in Colombia last October/November, and telling of some of the miracles that not only had he seen, but that God had used him to do….he’ll have been a real challenge to the many men who ‘fill pews’ every Sunday, and do nothing for the Lord!

Lovely, long time friend Elizabeth and her husband, Eric, are part of the leadership team at the church, and involved in the healing ministry themselves. Last night, Elizabeth was very blessed by Jesus: Eric had told me she was in a lot of pain, especially her hips, and she hardly slept. Elizabeth has had major problems, and a great deal of pain, with her hips for as long as I’ve known them. There was nothing doctors could do for her, not even cortisone injections, as she had some issues with her heart, too. This morning, I had a text message from her, to say that she was completely pain-free! And in the night, she woke, with the feeling that her arms and legs were being pulled, stretched – I can only imagine it was God readjusting her body! So as Jesus never half healed anyone, I’m sure that he was rectifying her heart, too….

Something similar happened on my way in as happened the eveing before: on Thursday, I’d prayed for a lady who had a terrible lung condition, breathng was extremely hard for her, her lungs, already damaged for years, had been further damaged with lesions as a result of a major pulmonary embolism 18 months ago. She needed oxygen at night, which she hated as it affected her sleep. She suffered, too, with sleep apnoea.

She wasn’t at the meeting, but her sister was. She told me that her sister had had an appointment with her consultant concerning her lungs, which, she’d been told, would only get siginficantly worse, and deteriorate quite quickly. The doctor didn’t make her wait for the results of the scans/x-rays, he told her what they were, as he couldn’t believe it…. her lungs were completely clear, no scarring from the embolisms, and the blood tests (from which she told me they determine sleep apnoea) and her blood was completely clear.

She’d had a day of breathing easily, sleeping well, and with more energy than she’d had for years….. Thank you, Jesus!!

Lots of people responded for prayer, it was another late evening, but people were freed from pain, osteoarthritic knees and backs were healed, failing eyesight was reversed and sight became clearer…

Heaven touches earth and Northern Ireland at Easter…

Posted on April 14, 2017 by Paul Bennison Posted in Journal, Personal, Testimony, Travel 1 Comment

As we celebrate this amazing weekend in world history, it’s incredible to think that the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, Creator of Universes, Giver of Life – came here for me. And you. He’d have come if had JUST been for me. Or you. And as hung on the Cross of Calvary, he looked down into history yet to happen, and saw us – and his love overflowed for us. Our eternal security is an incredible promise for all who know and love him. Years ago, I read something that the lovely Max Lucado, the American writer, wrote. I don’t know which of his many books it was in, but he wrote some life-changing things in his books about Easter – ‘No Wonder they call Him the Saviour’; ‘And the Angels were silent’; ‘He still moves Stones’; and ‘Six hours one Friday’. All are wonderful, and well worth reading.

What I read, that impacted me massively then, and still does, is this:

The battle is won. You may have thought it was won on Golgotha. It wasn’t. You may have thought the sign of victory is the empty tomb. It isn’t. The final battle was won in Gethsemane. And the sign of conquest is Jesus at peace in the Olive trees. For it was in the Garden that He made his decision: HE’D RATHER GO TO HELL FOR YOU, THAN GO TO HEAVEN WITHOUT YOU. Those same hands that created the universe will wipe your cheek. The same hands that clenched as a Roman spike smashed through them, will wipe your face, and wipe your face, and brush away your tears – FOREVER.
Whatever pain we suffer, whatever mental anguish we endure, whatever trauma we’ve faced or face – none compare to what Jesus experienced 2000 years ago. We know that he experienced everything that we do, and he understands.
Hebrews 4:14-16 – Therefore, since we have such a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.…

Hallelujah, what a Saviour.

And by His stripes, we’re healed. It’s a constant amazement to me that there are still so many people who don’t believe that God does miracles, and heals, today. Why would he still save – the primary purpose of the Cross – and not heal, when so many Scriptures tell us that he and his Father long for our healing? I am SO glad that he saves: God only knows who, what, or where I’d be, if Jesus hadn’t saved me. And healed me…. healed, when healing didn’t happen in churches, in the 1960s, of celiac disease: healed of life-long back pain when I was 18 – I was born with a hole in my spine, if I remember well it was a ‘small spina-bifida of the neural arch, less than a centimetre from being a full spina-bida victim. And 5 weeks ago, the miracle of osteoarthritic knees being healed. All three of those things are medically and humanly incurable.

The last couple of nights, I’ve had the privilege of speaking at a lovely Church of Ireland, St Hilda’s, in Seymour Hill, Dunmurry, Belfast. The Rector, David Boyland, and his lovely wife, Glynis, know, too, the miracle power of Jesus, when Glynis was unbelievably ‘miracled’ some 4-5 years ago. The faith expectation that they have sown into their church must be unique: and over these two evenings, God has done some wonderful things.

A lovely lady, Marguerita, had asked for prayer for a totally deformed spine, which for the previous 20 years had given her 10/10 pain, 24/7. I’ll get the name of the condition at tonight’s meeting, maybe even a video of her if she’ll let me….she hadn’t been able to stand upright, ever, was on massive pain killers, and the condition was totally incurable, not even really manageable. She had taken only one pain killer yesterday (and that, she said, was because she’d had no pain, and done too much in the day!), and she stood upright against a wall, and was almost perfectly straight … normally, she told me, her head was tilted forward at about 45 degrees. She testified in the meeting to the miracle that God had done for her. Thank you, thank you, Jesus!!

Maureen, 89, has begun to experience better vision after years of cataracts, and had new strength and energy yesterday, like she’s not known for many years. Other spinal conditions were healed or eased: as always, knees got healed (I’m so glad that God is still healing knees even though mine are now so massivley better! – I prayed that he’d keep doing it even once my pain had gone). There were many other diseases, infirmities, and ailments, that God touched: I’ll find out more tonight! I’m there on Sunday morning, too, and then with St Hilda’s, the Methodist Church, and the Presbyterian churches, on Sunday evening.

Heaven touched earth with the love, mercy, grace, and healing power of the risen Lord Jesus: I’m praying that what’s been happening in Londonderry will break out big-time in Belfast and all of the ‘satellite’ towns around it. And then spread across the whole of this lovely province.

Passion to see God do in the ‘west’ what he does in other places….and the blockages!

Posted on April 9, 2017 by Paul Bennison Posted in Journal, Personal, Random Thoughts, Testimony, Travel, Uncategorized Leave a comment

When God first dragged me kicking and screaming out of what had been a promising banking career in 1979, with me arguing vehemently with him for the previous 4 years, that I wouldn’t leave and go into full-time Christian ministry, there were a number of things I felt that He told me, when I finally realised he wasn’t going to shut up nagging me! ‘Trust me, for your home, security, and income. You’re never to charge preaching ‘fees’, don’t seek big ‘platforms’ (the big conferences, etc). Go to the poor, those who can’t afford the ‘fee-chargers’, and those to who the big names won’t go, because it’s non-remunerative…’ and, I’d add, not always comfortable, another reason for people not going!! God’s call to me was so clear: and Matthew 10: 7-8 is significant for me, in so many ways –

7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’
8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

I’ve often had other preachers on at me that I MUST charge, MUST promote myself, MUST go after ‘big’ platforms and churches…. some have suggested that I need ‘ministry’ because of my determination NOT to charge. It’s as though they see it as a weakness. Could it be that they feel guilty charging, when it’s evident that God’s looked after me pretty well up until now, NOT charging? I can’t answer that – maybe you have a take on it….?

My ‘problem’ is that God told me NOT to: and to be perfectly honest, I have absolutely nothing to offer God, or anyone else, come to that, that is worthy of charging for. All I have is what God has given me – FREELY I’ve received, so FREELY I’ll give. I can’t actually find where charging for ministry fits into what Jesus said in Matthew 10:8. I’m also fairly certain that Jesus – when he was ‘out on the road’ with the disciples – didn’t charge to preach…. (!!) – or pray for people….

I’ve had ‘the labourer is worthy of his hire’ thrown at me more times than I can shake a stick at, more times than I care to remember: but that’s ‘hire’ – not charging for services rendered. To me, that’s down to the people I go to who CAN afford to cover my expenses, and give me a gift. There are times when what’s given bears absolutely no resemblance to what it’s cost me to prepare, fly from Northern Ireland, drive from Heathrow area, preach, pray, and then do the whole lot back home again… there are other times when people are generous, too, but that’s not why I do it. It’s probably NOT a ‘swings-and-roundabouts’ situation: It’s more like to be a red number in the deficit column, but that’s God’s problem, not mine.

When you’ve worked for 9-10 years in ‘money’ – banking – it’s quite a tough call, to give up salary and benefits – which is why I argued with God for so long. I’d got a subsidised mortgage from 1975 (2½%, in an era where mortgages were 13-14% – yes, really!! – and to re-mortgage, which I had to do, it was ‘loaded’ by another 1.5%), cheap loans for cars, etc: and here’s God saying, ‘Quit, leave your salary behind, you’re not going to get one: yes, your mortgage will increase by 600%, but it’ll be ok…. Oh yes, and you’ll end up having massive expenses on airfares in the years ahead. Just trust me….’

Within 3 weeks of starting with Youth for Christ, my car engine blew up, with the sound of metal bits hitting the road… the only consolation was that it was a dire car! – an Austin Maxi 1750 cc (remember them? what gross brutes!!) , and getting aged – remember that wonderful ‘dung’ or ‘diahorrea’ colour that Maxis, Marinas, and Allegros were famous for? Well, that was my Maxi…. changing gear in a Maxi I always likened to stirring long-congealed rice pudding, with a seriously bent straw…

Within a week, after much frantic praying, God, through a lovely Brethren evangelist friend, gave me a less than a year old lovely Chrysler Alpine. God is no man’s debtor.

Somehow, 38 years on, it’s still happening. I don’t have a mortgage anymore – I don’t own a house! – that finally went at the end of 1983, when God said to use the equity to go through a Christian training centre for 9 months, to equip me for the next phase. Whether it DID equip me as much as I hoped, I don’t know: what I DO know is that God has been unbelievably faithful to his word to trust him, for home, security, and income.

I DO long to preach more in the United Kingdom and Europe: not because I feel that the worldwide travelling is coming to an end – just the opposite, in fact, but because I passionately want to see God do in our western world what he does in South America, Africa, India, the far east. But one of the ‘problems’ of staying under the radar, where I’ve always wanted to be – (I pray so often that I’ll NEVER want the spotlight; I actually find it hard when people do publicity about meetings I’m speaking at – especially if they’re advertised as ‘healing meetings’!) – but the ‘downside’ of that is that it’s almost impossible to get preaching invitations in the UK and Europe, because not too many people have heard of me! There are a handful of churches that I go to with some regularity, for which I’m really grateful. Unless, of course, lots of people HAVE heard of me, and just plain don’t want me…. 🙁 !!

I so want to see God break out in the ‘open heaven’ type environment that all who go with me, to Cali, recognise.

Somewhere inside I’m still the shy, insecure Cockney that I’ve always been. Every time I’m due to speak somewhere, I’m asking myself ‘What am I doing here?’, ‘Why did I say yes to this?’ – but because I know God’s told me it’s what I’d do – and he hasn’t rescinded it yet – once I start, I’m ok. But, like many people, it does me the power of good to have the sort of affirmations that I was so blessed – blown away – to receive, in Cali. I had wondered if, after, 20-21 years, I’d reached my shelf life there, my best before/use by date. I was totally humbled to have – I think – every pastor to whose church I went, all tell me, ‘this is your home, your house, please come back in July…..’ – and out of the honour I was blessed with, came the beginning of my own personal ‘knee miracle’ which is just so amazing, such an incredible blessing 🙂

I ummed-and-ahhed about posting here some of the things that were said to me in Cali, but I can’t do it. I hate ‘promoting’ me, even more I hate fund-raising for me (with a passion) though it is essential…having lost over £350 a month (a very large chunk of my regular support, I’d add) – all for good and valid reasons, 2 deaths, a redundancy, perfectly reasonable things like that. Stewardship, who are marvellous in the ministry that they have to people like me, processing support and claiming back the gift aid, suggest a minimum number of days a month to ‘support raising’ – if I’m honest, I can’t do that either! I have no problem in trying to raise support for people and projects that I’m involved with, like the current project for the street kids in Cali, and the El Abrigo Foundation, or for Dr Ana Bustos’s street kids project, Ana Beiba’s Abandoned Old People’s project, and so on.

Lots of people say they don’t support me because they’d be embarrassed – only £5 a month or so. You know something? 100 people giving £5 a month would be wonderful. I’ve got 3,500 ‘friends’ on Facebook: I have 2,000 on my own mailing list: 800+ who receive this blog by email: and, in the period of time I’ve been using this format for the blog, almost 70,000 have read it, and many say that they pass the email version on to other people. I pray that maybe 500 out of all those numbers (more than 75,000) might, just might, say that for the cost of a Costa Coffee or a Starbucks a month, they could revolutionise what I do!

I have such a passion to go to the poor: to see their lives (which make my life look grossly affluent) transformed, with practical, personal, and spiritual help, with healing, so that they don’t have to worry about not being to afford the doctor/surgery/medication. And I love that I’ve been able to facilitate a lot over the years, through the kindness of amazing people in the UK and elsewhere, like you, for dear Ana Beiba, for the El Abrigo Children’s Foundation, for the lovely Dr Ana Elisa Bustos, and others….

Should I charge for what I do? NO, most certainly not. God said no, and in 39 years, I haven’t: I’m still alive, still breathing, still travelling, and hardly anorexic! (Though in truth I don’t eat a great deal, I have the metabolism of a dying slug!!). God’s been a faithful provider, not ALWAYS when I’d like to schedule the provision, but always when he knows I need it.

If I did charge, I’d never go, because many places couldn’t even begin to afford even the accommodation, let alone the cost of getting there: so God knew where I’d be at 38-39 years ‘down the line’ when he said that I was never to charge. How on earth would people in Colombia, Romania, Africa, India, the far east, and other places (which will be back on the agenda in the coming years), ever be able to finance a trip? The airfare to Colombia alone is about 15 times what most Colombians earn in a month. I find it hard enough when, in a desperately poor church, that sometimes they want to give me the offering. I try and refuse it, but it offends them if you do. It might be the Colombian peso equivalent of £2-3. It means more to me than a lot of other gifts, I’m sure you can understand that!!

Obviously, I can’t ‘invite’ myself to other churches to speak(!!) – I wouldn’t, even if I could – my desire is to see God do what he does in other countries, and give other people opportunities to let them see that God can do more with them than they’d have ever dreamed possible….

So, to sum up…. Let it rain….

Posted on April 5, 2017 by Paul Bennison Posted in Journal, Personal, Random Thoughts, Testimony, Travel Leave a comment

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….

Unlikely God given friendship….

Posted on April 3, 2017 by Paul Bennison Posted in Personal, Random Thoughts, Testimony, Travel Leave a comment

Later on on Sunday evening, about 8.30 pm, there was a ring at the door and it was my great friends Dario and Erica, and their lovely kids Michelle (13) and Joshua (5). Many of you will remember Dario, a former cartel boss I had the joy of meeting (yes, honestly!) at the height of his ‘success’ but at the same at the bottom of the pit, as he’d been shot, and he turned up in a church I was preaching at, to be orayed for for healing. He was in a bad way then: over the 5 years since, God’s healed him, most of the members of his (very big) family, many of the people who worked for him in those days – drug dealers, prostitutes, siccarios (the ‘$50 motorbike killers), gun and ammo dealers… then Dario found Jesus, through our ongoing friendship, which is so strong after these years….the famly called tonight to take Thanney and me out to eat. Dear friends…. Most people who meet him for the first time are amazed – he doesn’t look the ‘stereotyped’ image of man who did what he did…! Surreal is the word! Just how God has brought this friendship to reality beggars belief, really: but I love Dario and Erica to bits, his English is non-existent, apart from to cross his heart and hit it with his fist, and say, ‘Paul, I love you, you’re in my heart all of the time’…. I just want to cry…

Dario, Erica, Michelle, Joshua, Thanney, and me

The Last (live) post

Posted on April 3, 2017 by Paul Bennison Posted in Evangelism, Journal, Personal, Testimony, Travel 1 Comment

Wonderful way to finish off this incredible trip to Cali, Colombia, with a movely family meeting at the Reconocer Christian Drug Rehabilitation Centre. It truly is a marvellous place: the boss, Enrique Leal, has become as dear a friend as is possible, a wonderful, Godly man, whose track record at rehabilitating addicts is second to none. The whole house (huge – formerly owned by the Rodriguez brothers, heads of the Cali Cartel) has an incredible atmonsphere of peace. It was here in November where Thanney and I got to be with one of the young residents, Pedro, 14 years old, a solvent/cracl coacaine for 3 years, then. Totally destroyed his family, parents at their wits’ end, and a sister, Sarah, 11, born with deformed feet and hips. Thanney took the praying on: and Pedro changed from a young ‘thug’ with hard, cruel eyes, to a weeping young ma, asking his parents’ forgiveness – family re-united, then Thanney prayed for Sarah, and her feet and ankles – previously splayed at 90°, so that when she stood (and only with help) her feet were in a 180° straight line – were ‘unhooked’ by God, and turned around…. one, which has been a good 2½ inches (4 cms) shorter than the other, instantly ‘equalised’…

Enrique Leal, director of Reconocer Drug Rehab centre

Today, the whole family were there: Pedro playing keyboards in the worship band, Sarah running around in pretty, trendy shoes – unaided – with perfectly straight feet… Thanney was able to chat with them, on video, and hear the story from each. I won’t post it here yet, as I want him to choose if he posts it first, but believe me, it’s wonderful….

Pedro playing keyboards in the worship band at Reconocer

I got chatting with a great guy named David (it’s pronounced ‘Davvid’ here) – a 4 month long resident at Reconocer: you’d never believe to look to look at him ,talk with him, that just 2 months ago, he was the most difficult, disruptive guy in the house. Enrique has worked miracles with him… got to pray with him and his dad, Jaime, who is due in for prostate surgery tomorrow. Praying that doesn’t happen…. :). Dacid got ‘green shirted’ today, but with a shirt a good couple of sizes too small (!) – but he was so chuffed it was wonderful to see. He was deported from the USA 7 years ago, because of drug incarceration, and as a result he hasn”t seen his daughter, Maylene, for 7 years: she’s 13 now. Please pray for him, that, in the the 3 year he has left before he can reapply to go to back to the States, God will keep him, protect him, and _ United States (dreadful) immigration service, will approve his application to be able to go back and see her, and care for her.

David, getting green shirted – https://youtu.be/pC3O7a6CwX4

There’s a lovely ‘ceremony’ for the guys who complete a period of time, trouble free, hassle free: Steven, a young man who, when he was taken in to Reconocer, was in such a bad way, he couldn’t walk, as rigor mortis had already set in in his feet and legs. He’s a story of triumph, grace, mercy, love, patience, and care. When he arrived, the other guys in the house had to sleep outside, as the smell of his rotting flesh was overpowering. To see him now, on his knees, worshipping and crying to God, is immensely moving. And to see him walking, normally, integrated with the other residents, is such a blessing….the ceremony is that they get given a special green ‘logoed’ polo shirt, which, to them, is precious, as it means they’re on their way out of the pit….

Stephen, a triumph story if ever there was one

Thanney and I both spoke a bit this afternoon. The response was wonderful. Davvid and Jaime were blown away, and – it seems – for the first time in Jaime’s life – he responded to a Christian message in a way he’d never done before: he was ‘persuaded’ in a way that he’d never heard… he found Jesus this afternoon….

Rapid fire miracles and healings again, ‘Vision y Avivamiento’ church, Retiro

Posted on April 2, 2017 by Paul Bennison Posted in Evangelism, Journal, Personal, Random Thoughts, Testimony, Travel Leave a comment

At the church ‘Vision y Avivamiento’ (Vision and Revival), pastored by the lovely Jesús Mauricio Naspiran Ñañez…in a very tough barrio, not so many years ago I was told it was too unsafe to come here. I’ve been a good few times, and Mauricio is a great friend, with a wonderful miracle testimony from 4 years ago.

A worship leader, and guitarist, he’d been in a motorbike accident, and crushed his left wrist: it was open, and the radius(?) bone was broken and dropped. He just bandaged it up, didn’t go for treatment…no future with guitar then.

Or…prayed for him, at the end of the service, he picked up his guitar to put it back in the case…and realised he could play it. He almost screamed with joy, people in the church cried…and here he is playing now, with a lovely little girl drumming, she can only be about 6 years old….what a totally delightful picture of Sandra, the drummer – so young, playing in the worship band, and WORSHIPPING… I love countries like this where children are given – encouraged to take – opportunity to serve Jesus. Do you know a church in a western world, sophisticated nation, where the drummer in the band is a girl like Sandra? I’m struggling to think if one….

Sandra, 6 years or so, drumming in the worship band – and she was GOOD….

Two great amigos…..truly one of my dearest friends in the world, Wilmar Gomez, at the church ‘Vision y Avivamiento’ (Vision and Revival), last night. There were more people there by the time the meeting began….

Mauricio Naspiran – and his ‘smashed and useless’ left hand and wrist, leading the worhsip last night

Retiro is a tough district, but there are some delightful people in the church, and a last night, a new young lady, who God healed, who gave her life to Jesus as a result of being there, and what he began to do in her….

God seems to have his foot on the accelerator these days: people were coming for prayer, sitting down with Wilmar and me, and moments later, pain had gone, osteoarthritis, dermatitis, accident damage from motorbike/car crashes healed….

One man, in chronic 8-9/10 pain every day for 20 years, including when he came for prayer, left, minutes later, totally pain-free….

An older lady with osteoarthritis from head to feet, walked away with no pain, especially in her knees which had been the worst, after a lifetime of pain…. I’m so grateful to God that, in doing this miracle in my knees, the ability and desire to pray for people with osteoarthritis, and see God heal them, hasn’t gone away with my own extreme pain!

As with the church Wednesday evening, when the pastor kicks off the evening telling of a major miracle God has done for him or her, it opens the floodgates… Mauricio’s hand, 4 years ago, was a mess….he’d NEVER play the guitar again, humanly, truth: he’d never have strength in his wrist again, humanly, truth. He’s a lovely passionate worshipper and leader, and a fabulous living testimony to God’s miraculous power – even down to refusing to go for treatment so he could lead the meeting, back then….

It’s safe to say that Wilmar & I prayed for about 15 people last night – and everyone was instantly healed, miracled, or had major things going on inside that proved God was on the move in healing them….

I love what God does: I love what God does through this little bloke from the UK: more than ANYTHING, I LOVE GOD……and JESUS….. and the wonderful HOLY SPIRIT

Truss God and Thanney to make it possible…. ;)

Posted on April 2, 2017 by Paul Bennison Posted in Journal, Random Thoughts, Testimony, Travel, Uncategorized 1 Comment

In the blog 36 hours or so ago, I wrote that – with God’s help, in so many ways, including stretching the money, and Thanney’s determination – the last truss was raised in the first construction stage of the kids foundation, Fundacion El Abrigo (I’m not sure that I’ve ever said, El Abrigo means ‘The Shadow’, from El Abrigo de el Altissimo – the Shadow of the Almighty, which used to be the full title of the church and foundation). Yesterday, Thanney was out showing the pastor the things that need to be purchased as and when more money arrives, for stage two to begin in earnest, when we’re back again in July.

Pictures, in daylight, as promised: it’s a very impressive amount of work for the hours that – ultimately – were available one way and another, to make it possible! The rain didn’t help: in fact, the rains have been utterly devastating throughout the nation (the BBC reported tis yesterday: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-39468575 – so you can see that when the rain ‘made it impossible to work on the roof’, it wasn’t a light shower – Peru and Ecuador are suffering terribly too).

Teija, the co-founder of El Abrigo, with Hein Hoere, her husband, posted this video (only 1 minute) on Facebook yesterday – you MIGHT have to have Facebook to see it, if you do need it, and dob’t have it installed on your computer, my apologies!):

https://www.facebook.com/teija.hoere/posts/10155116671156358 The last truss being raised

Here are a few pictures, which not only give a great perspective on the size of the construction in such a short time, but also the height at which the guys were working: makes my legs go weird just looking at it! To me, it looks like a Meccano construction – but it’s so technical, and Thanney carried all of this in his head from consulting a structural engineer verbally, and with sketches, weeks ago…. no wonder the area of the city we’re staying in is called ‘El Ingenio’ – ‘The Genius’ …..

Stage two will begin in July, when Thanney and I will be back in Cali again, hopefully with bigger team from the UK and elsewhere, supplemented by the great labour offered by the local guys, who, though (mostly) unskilled, and speaking no English – which complemented Thanney’s no Spanish perfectly (!!) – the buildng will actually look like a ‘building’ then…. Thanney’s sign language has improved in leaps and bounds!!

Special thanks to Juan Carlos, Orlando, Fanor, Hein, Wilmar – for all their work, braving the height, and (mostly!) doing what Thanney told them to do!

God’s up to something…..

Posted on April 1, 2017 by Paul Bennison Posted in Journal, Personal, Random Thoughts, Testimony, Travel Leave a comment

I’ve been coming here to Colombia, and Cali especially, for 21 years now, this is visit number 79. It truly has become home away from home: MORE home than many homes I’ve had in my life. Those who know me well know my love, passion, and heart for this wonderful country, and, again, more especially this city, Cali, and Tulua, a cit a couple of north.

As I invariably bring teams here, to come and bless people with prayer for all sorts of things: to bring them to ‘drop them in it’ to do things I believe they can do, even if they don’t at the time of asking them (!!) – like preach, pray for the sick: and to get people to experience the atmosphere here, the ‘open heaven’ that almost everyone who comes feels even as they get off the plane…

It’s never been my plan, anywhere, to burden the lovely local Christians here by asking them to accommodate a team: many of Christians are way below the ‘affordable living’ income, and, if I’d spread the team out over various houses over the years, I’d have told each person to give their hosts a sizeable gift towards their keep. What has happened for about the last 12 years, is that I’ve rented short-term apartments, say 3 weeks a time, and everyone has paid their share of the rent. It also means that, logistically, the team are together, which has both a practical and ‘bonding’ benefit. In a city of nightmarish traffic, to pick people up from, say, 4 different houses, could take 2 hours: the same to drop off. Maybe 4 times a day.

I’ve also never wanted to assume that the amazing pastors here would want me back ad nauseum. I’m conscious that the workload on the main pastors I work alongside is big, and to organise a schedule for me and 4 or more others, is no small task. I’ve organised ‘missions’ in the past, and it can be difficult to fit dates/meetings/personnel together. So the rental apartment has worked well, but it’s getting more and more expensive for short term rental in Cali, as more and more businessmen and tourists come here.

What God has been doing this trip I’ve spoken about a bit in previous blogs: there’s an honouring that I feel totally undeserved of, from EVERY church – ones I’ve known a long time, others not so long, and some just recently – all saying stuff that’s brought tears to my eyes, blushing….all wanting me back as soon as possible. The day will come, I feel sure, when I’ll live here: that time, I don’t think, is now, but talking to a senior pastor this morning, it seems to be a right move to find a ‘permanent’ apartment (on a one year rolling rental) that would be my ‘home’ here, provide a permanent base rather than ad hoc apartments every visit, and in which teams could stay when I bring them, which is at least 3 time a year, possibly 4 this year. Paying the same rent as they would for a short term rental apartment, a team of five for 2-3 weeks would cover about 10 weeks rent of a long term apartment.

The local pastors encouragement this trip has been such a blessing. I’ve just heard from Edwin Suarez, whose church I preached in on Thursday. Here’s what he said in Spanish and English:

Edwin Suarez: Gracias amado pastor le bendecimos y deseamos q la unción del Señor le acompañe por donde quiera q pase, recuerde q esta es su casa su familia su iglesia; le amamos en Cristo gracais por su amor y por su disposición para con esta iglesia, eres una súper bendición. Te esperamos pronto ???
Edwin & Edilma Suarez

The amazing translation of Edwin’s message above…. Thank you, dear pastor, we bless you and we want the anointing of the Lord to accompany you wherever you go, remember that this is your house your family your church; We love him(you) in Christ, gracais for his(your) love and for his(your) disposition towards this church, you are a super blessing. We’ll see you soon..

It’s been the same in every church: ‘your home, your house, your family. I truly can’t remember a church that I’ve been a member of since this journey began, ‘localised’ in the England in ’79 until ’87, and then international from then, where I’ve known that not only does God seem pleased with my pathetic offering in his name, but the churches do, too. Honour is SUCH a Biblical concept, and I’m only too aware that the shift in dynamic, on this trip, to a place of being more honoured, has been a significant part of this miracle that I’m living through, with my knees…. I want other people to know that place of honour – people who regularly come with me, and who, mostly, are asked after constantly when they’re not here with me for a while. It gives people who come here opportunity to use their gifts and ministries which are so often stifled by church in the UK, not recognised, no room on this or that ‘team’ in their church…. and my belief is that God wants us all to be using what we’ve got, and if I can facilitate – even for a week or three – them having that opportunity, I’m a happy bunny. God wants us prepared and ready: not something that ‘screams’ at you in a lot of churches in the western world.

What’s God saying to me? It seems to be coming clearer, chatting with my dear friend Hein Hoere here today, he agrees that a long term apartment is so much more sensible: he and Teija are planting churches in Bolivia, where they can be 3 months a year, and they have done exactly the same in La Paz, and got a car there, too. It’d mean carrying a lot less luggage every time (!) – and anyone who’s travelled with me knows I don’t travel light…. that’s because I cater for the team, too – with things like extra foreign plug adaptors, plasters, diocalm (!) and laxatives (!!), extension leads, even things like USB cables… I already have some stuff here – from coffee machines to toasters to cutlery to towels to clothes to Spanish Bibles….

And maybe there’s another ‘take’ here that I hadn’t thought of:

Long-time close British friend, and church leader, Graham Coyle, wrote this the other day: Just read your ‘knee healing’ post and struck again by your sense of being so honoured in Cali on this visit. I know you suffer from an ‘honour deficit’ in the UK, and that is not helpful to a full release of your own gift and anointing here (that is not to mention the need for the church here to increase in faith and trust). Anyway, I just had this thought about getting the church there to ‘send’ you as a missionary to the UK I just wondered if it might lead to a greater freedom for you personally.

After 21 years of coming here, it seems that my shelf life/sell by date here hasn’t expired, in fact, just the opposite, so here’s to the next 20 years of seeing God do, through his open heaven, what he does best: and then, best as I can, taking it out of Colombia to other parts of the globe, and seeing God’s kingdom come in France, Sweden, Romania, Autralia, and the many other places filling my ‘pending invitations’ file on my computer….

Kids Foundation Building Stage 1 – FINISHED!! Victory against the odds…

Posted on April 1, 2017 by Paul Bennison Posted in Journal, Personal, Random Thoughts, Testimony, Travel Leave a comment

A brief post just to let you know that your prayers have been answered, that the rain DIDN’T stop, but, because of Thanney’s determination to work into the darkness, he arrived home Friday exultant! Pictures in daylight to follow tomorrow, if you’re interested!!

Foundation Building Sage One FINISHED!!!
Thanney came home this evening elated, as the first phase of the El Abrigo Foundation building project was completed, against all odds, to be honest – it rained hard ALL morning, and when Thanney arrived, the guys had raised one truss the wrong way round….BUT, it’s all done! Victory! Thanney HAS done an amazing job: the picture is Juan Carlos, Orlando, Thanney, and Famor, who all did wonderful sterling work, with just a few hiccups!

The structure is solid as a rock, no movement, and ready to go in July…..

Band of Brothers – Juan Carlos, Orlando, Thanney, and Fanor

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