Category Archives: Testimony

Just a progress report for anyone interested…. last night, at the church ‘El Vive’, they meet upstairs (not the esiest of stairs, either 😉 ) – a fact that would have, not so long ago, had a bearing on my preaching somewhere or not…. last night, Wilmar was shocked! I think I was, too: I went fast… like ‘normal’ people go upstairs, not both feet on the same stair and a long pause to let the pain go down on each one…. and standing, preaching, only leaning occasionally on the reading stand, rather than supporting myself on it for the duration….

Yes, there’s soreness, but the muscles, ligaments, tendons – you name them! – haven’t really been used for a decade or more, as they were designed to be used: yes, there’s some discomfort – but NOW, that’s mostly from my feet, which have changed ‘shape’ considerably the past 16 years – flattened (no arches), my shins (I look like John Wayne’s just got off his horse after 30 years in the saddle!) which are bowed….so some straightening up to be done by the living Lord Jesus, new arches… but it’s incredible being able to walk, SUCH a miracle. As the muscles get stronger, less inflamed, the feet straightened, and the horse I’ve been ‘riding'(!) consigned to history, it’ll get better and better. The ‘breathlessness’ that comes with struggling to walk under duress, is going: along with the sweating that often produces….

THANK YOU, all of you who have faithfully prayed for me, for many years. You have no idea what your prayers mean to me: please don’t stop! – I’d love these feet, and shins/calves, to be ‘normalised’ too, it’s still part of the miracle. All I can say is that your prayers are BEING  answered big-time, and the ‘double-whammy’ blessing of finding almost a new place of affirmation and honour here in Cali, has totally and utterly blown me away. My passion for this city increases with every visit, and while home will be nice from Tuesday night, back in Bangor, I know I’m leaving an even bigger part of my heart here than ever before, as this trip – you can imagine – has a significance for me like no other, personally….. July, and back here, can’t come soon enough.

Those who I’ve talked to, and who have talked to me, about coming here this year, if you haven’t confirmed or otherwise yet, could you do that pretty soon, please? Especially for July…as accommodation needs to be booked: and the October/November trip currently has 12 people confirmed and/or nearly confirmed…..

If last night’s report from the church doesn’t make you want to be here – with everyone healed, or well on the way, I don’t know what will! Can’t imagine what you’re looking for from God if that isn’t enough….for now!!!

It’s been quiet here on the blog for a few days about the building project, not because nothing’s happening, but you probably might not want to read that lots more steel arrived, was cut up, and welded…. or, perhaps, should have been, a little bit more than it has! Thanney has been a little short of ‘skilled’ local manpower to assist him, and so he’s worked in over-drive to try and keep this trip’s schedule for the construction on course. It’s been hampered, too, by ‘waterfall-like’ rainfall – Andean rain is something to behold (it’s causing many social problems in the mountain communities, with mudslides and so on). When it’s not raining, it’s often 35°C – and up on an exposed roof, that translates into a ‘body-feel’ temperature of over 40°C – and, because of the rain, too, it’s massively humid (mucho calor!!).

Today, Wednesday, COULD – please pray! – see the first truss go up: a major breakthrough, as it will mean that it’s possible/probable that the roof can go on by Friday…. Thanney truly HAS worked his fingers to the bone, arriving home black from steel dust and tanned from the temperature – so black and brown together means, until the shower, he looks like a walking bruise 😉 !!

We’ve been hampered somewhat, too, by the (understandable) need for clearance in paperwork back in the UK, to get a quite substantial donation for the work through. It is vital that the necessary clearances from HMRC etc., are approved before money comes here – so it’s known it’s not being laundered for other purposes!! Between us, we’ve tried to cover what’s been needed, but have nowhere near enough personal resources for it all, but God seems to have stretched money to the extent that Thanney’s got by without that specific gift….. it MAY come through in the next day or so, but it’ll be for the July trip here then. At which time, we’ll need a whole lot more money…..a the internal ‘fabric’ of the construction gets underway.

When you think what this construction will achieve when it is complete, it’s astonishing: maybe another 150 kids or more looked after, in a place where they are so vulnerable to the early ‘assault’ of disreputable people who’d want them hooked on drugs as early in their lives as possible so they can be ‘used’ by the drug dealers sooner rather than later.

We’ve been here 2 weeks now: it doesn’t seem possible, it’s gone so fast: just three more working days counting today (it’s 0755 am here as I write, 1355 UK time). Thanney was raring to go at 0600 this morning, and planning to work through, rain permitting, until 2000 this evening. 14 hours working on a roof in these temperatures is NO joke, but he – we – are committed to seeing this trip fulfil ALL we came for, both in respect of the Foundation, and the local churches. I’m covering the churches alone for the next few meetings, it seems, as Thanney needs to work: so the joy – but pressure, and incredible tiredness that personal ministry causes – are my responsibility. I’m glad though, that Thanney’s had great opportunity to see a good few miracles up until now: if he has a ‘supernaturally God-charged’ day today, and gets done everything he needs to, maybe it frees him up before Saturday to see God do some more through him.

What he wants as his ‘legacy’ from this trip, is a roofed-walled enclosed building, ready for phase two in July…..and loads of miracled people!! Please pray over these next 3 days that God gives Thanney, and the people of the Mision El Abrigo church, who run the foundation, the desires of their hearts for this March sojourn in this wonderful city, and amazing country.

While I’ve ALWAYS believed that God will heal my knees, constantly seeing others healed – which is an incredible, indescribable delight and privilege – can ‘chip away’ at the ‘when is it my turn, Lord?’ thought process. And when successive medics all say the same thing, it’s hard to stand alone against the pressure to ‘go on the list’ for surgery. One orthopaedic consultant told me mine were so bad, she gave me her personal mobile phone number, said ‘call me when you can’t take anymore, and I’ll put you at the top of my list’. Ireland’s a bit different to England, in that respect! MANY times the ‘temptation’ has been there… The doctor I saw here on arrival looked at the x-rays of these knees, and said, ‘You only have one course of action, Paul: we can do both, you’ll be back walking normally in 6-8 weeks, and it’ll only be US$7000’…

When I pray for people for healing or a miracle, I look for a ‘deadline’ – a near-doctors appointment, a surgery date, a consultant visit…. deadlines are good, as there’s something ‘concrete’ to pin a healing ‘time-frame’ to: nothing nebulous and unknown vaguely somewhere in the future.

Here in Cali, Colombia – which I DO regard as a genuine home, spiritual and otherwise (Home is where your heart is, and all that!), I’ve always been blessed to be ‘wanted’ back: 21 years coming to Colombia, 20 to Cali (this is my 79th time here), but this trip has seen a real acceleration in my being ‘honoured’ for being here, welcomed in many churches as ‘my home’, ‘part of our family in this church’ – which I have to say I find so incredibly humbling. I’ve been in tears many times this week. These are ‘key’ pastors in the move of God in this city and nation, and it totally blows me away….

Danny Silk, from Redding, California, wrote a wonderful book on ‘The Culture of Honour’: personally, I love to honour people, build them up, drop them into things they think they can’t do, run with them while they do it. Many years ago, my friends and mentors Clive and Ruth Calver did that for me in my early years of salvation and ministry, and it rubbed off on me (including my introduction to Indian food, with Clive: he started me OFF on a vindaloo…..). Honouring others is NOT just words: it’s a lifestyle, it releases incredible waves of God’s blessing and power into the person being honoured, so that THEY believe they can do what they couldn’t do – and do it. And it brings healing. And immense blessing to the ‘honourer’…..

10 days ago, the lovely church, Mision El Abrigo Internacional, in my spirit my ‘home’ church, even from 6,000 miles/10,000 kms away, spontaneously got round me as a church, and prayed for me. I felt humbled and blessed, but didn’t feel anything physical, nor at all that Sunday, or even Monday. Still in pain, walking has been an ‘issue’! Then, the prayers kicked in. If you want to see them, they’re not long – about 3 minute and 1½ minutes, they’re here:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utaX5lLQBYE&t=108s
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOK-r5QYqPw&t=6s                          (you’ll probably need to copy and paste into your browser)

By Tuesday, having thanked God every conceivable moment I could, for the prayers, affirmations, and the miracle that ‘I’d believed but had not yet received’, the change was dramatic. I COULD WALK!! I could bend my knees. I couldn’t quite keep up walking with Thanney, as he’s got long legs, and I have little trotters, but I wasn’t far behind. Yes, there’s still soreness: but it’s diminishing. Yes, the bones still crack, but a lot less, and nowhere near so excruciating. I’m ‘taking care’ of them – looking out for ‘unseen’ steps, dips in the pavement, taking stairs slowly – not step-step, though, both feet on one stair – I can do stairs like normal people right now!

THANK YOU, LORD JESUS!! I want to declare it – rather than ‘give it a few weeks to see if I keep it’ – which I believe is the quickest to LOSE it. The man at the gate of the temple, in Acts 3, didn’t slink away quietly into the background, after his 38 years, saying, ‘Let’s give it a month, see if I can walk, leap, and dance then….!’ – he took off. So thank you, Jesus, for this miracle I’m living in right now – still ongoing, but it IS just that – ongoing. I can actually SEE the shape of my kneecaps now – the swelling has begun to go down… might not sound much to you, but to be able to get out of a chair, stand up, and walk away – without using the chair to get up, standing still for about minute, to let the pain subside and get balance, and then hobbling away – is a joy!!

I don’t plan on entering the London Marathon in a few weeks, not this year anyway…. but this is the answer to hundreds of my prayers, and countless of those of other people….

Thank you, thank you, Lord Jesus!!!

A few days ago, I think I might have ‘obliterated’ what is, for me personally, one of the most significant blogs I’ve written in a long time…. with humour! ‘These days have been kneeded’…. Many of you are aware of the chronic condition that osteoarthritis has inflicted on my knees over the past 16 years or so. More orthopaedic surgeons and doctors than I can shake a stick at, have told me that I only have one course of action ahead – become titanium man, and have both knees surgically replaced.

I’ve battled with that, as you can doubtless imagine, having prayed for literally hundreds, well into four figures in fact, of other people’s osteo-attacked knees, and seen just about all of them healed, mostly instantly: certainly all in the last four years, when mine have been at their worst, and I’ve been determined to shove the arthritis back in the enemy’s face on their behalf. Having experienced their pain on a daily basis, I don’t wish that pain on ANYONE. It really is excruciating. There have been days when I’ve sat in my living room at home, wanted something from the kitchen, all of 5 metres away, and thought, I can’t get up and get it yet….

I’ve battled, too, with the prospect of surgery: hips are pretty straight-forward, but knees have a significantly lower success rate, and I don’t know personally anyone who has had even one knee replaced, who is glad that they had it done. Let alone two knees. It’s also impossible to live alone, as I do, and have replacement knee surgery, especially in a house with steep, narrow stairs going to the (only) bathroom & loo, and bedroom….

For the past few years, I’ve heard surgeons tell me, ‘You shouldn’t even be able to stand up on those knees, let alone move’ – and other similar, really helpful comments! I’ve been determined that my life wouldn’t revolve around surgeon’s observations, and pain killers – heavy duty stuff the doc gives me, 8 a day of one, 2 of another: I’ve ‘survived’ generally on 2 of one, and 1 of the other…. and the quarterly cortisone/ steroid injections right into the knee (yes, it makes you squirm while you’re having it, too! – and it really IS the oddest sensation). Sometimes, those jabs work, normally for little more than a few weeks, maybe 6 if you’re lucky. Sometimes, as with the last ones I had back home in the UK, my knees were actually WORSE immediately after I’d had them.

When I arrived here, I’d battled again (!) – two weeks….even as little as a few days …. before I flew to Colombia, I thought, I just can’t go, can’t do it. But I WANTED to be here: and I knew I HAD to be here, for Thanney, though I’m sure he could have looked after himself ;), but when the third member of what would have been our Irish trinity couldn’t come, I knew it was a must.

I saw an orthopaedic doctor here 18 months ago, and he gave me cortisone injections – I’d have to say that they were among the best and long lasting that I’ve ever had. He also gave me anti-inflammatory injections to help the muscles. I pre-booked ahead of this trip, with another surgeon, for the day after I got here: more nice needles in the knee, and the anti-inflammatory injection I can buy over the counter in the pharmacy…. the injections didn’t really do anything, perhaps just took the extreme edge off the pain, which was both disappointing, and worrying for the rest of the trip. Preaching is something I just can’t do sitting down: and I’m the only preacher on this trip! Thanney was listening to my bones cracking even as I was standing still!

BUT THEN……Wow – THANK YOU, GOD! And I’ll make this another blog post!!

Wonderful meeting yesterday morning at Iglesia ‘Agua de Vida’ – Water of Life Church, Napoles. Yet another church it’s my privilege to visit regularly, pastored by the lovely Angela Mondragon and her husband Jesus Osorio, in Napoles, on the edge of the city. God always blesses there: they have a lovely spirit, it’s a church with a beautiful atmosphere. When people come up for prayer there, it’s always, first, to tell of what God healed on the last visit. That’s so encouraging, such a blessing. All sorts of things – hernias, arthritis, diabetes – one young lad had type 1 diabetes in November, and now no longer has it….

Thanney has been great at setting the tone for each ‘preach’ and ministry time, yesterday was no exception. People are loving hearing the testimonies he has from October – November, esepcially after he tells them that he never had any thoughts of praying for people on that trip, as he’d never done it before!

The day had begun a little earlier than we’d anticipated, as at  8 am., we had a lovely couple come to the apartment here for prayer: Ana Maria and Ricardo: and how it happened was lovely. Revelation 19:10 says that ‘the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy’. So when you tell of what Jesus is doing, as well as what he did, it becomes a prophetic word for you to claim for yourself. Ana Maria and Ricardo had seen the testimony on my blog/facebook of Carolina, last Sunday, telling of how she and her husband had long wanted children, and how, in November, Thanney had prayed for them, with Carloina now 4 months pregnant… Ana Maria and Ricardo have longed for kids for 10 years, and through their pastors, Ana Lucia and Juan de Dios (the dentist and her husband) – were put in touch with us. We had a super time with them for over an hour: and look forward to hearing of the ‘fruit’ in the weeks ahead….

And so to ‘Agua de Vida’ – such honouring again, from the people and pastors: God’s blessed me so amazingly this trip with the public honourings I’ve listened to….perhaps it’s because I’d begun to think a year or so ago that, after 20 years, I’d reached my ‘best before’ and ‘sell by’ dates here…. God knows the love have for this city, this country, and – much more important – the people, who have been friends for two decades….

If I’m honest, with the lovely man in the picture above, I’d have chosen his sight to come back first…. God didn’t do that. Instead, he proved that he was a work in his spine, and all the pain in his spine, back, shoulder, and arm went. He hadn’t been able to lift his arm above horizontal – and only then with excruciating pain – and he picked up my Bible bag: it’s pretty heavy – Bible, full bottle of water, phones, gadgets to charge the phone, cistomary breath mints (for ministry times!!) – and at full length, he lifted it from the floor, arm extended, above his head…. no pain, no restrictions, no limitations. Without the bag, he could hold his arm fully vertical…. and he’s in complete faith that God will give him sight back (so am I!) if he’s done this much healing for him. Jesus never half heals….

One dear lady was totally healed of osteoarthritis all down her left hand side: having been healed of it all down her right hand side in November! It was funny, as there were probably about 30+ people in the meeting, but Thanney and I – along with Wilmar and Johan – reckoned we prayed for at least 50% more than that – people were coming in off the street (the church opens onto the main street – I love that, too! – and others were going home to bring people back. Lots of miracles, healings – from Thanney too – and such a blest, powerful morning of being in the presence of God.

I love Jesus and Angela dearly: they are an amazing, delightful Pastor ‘team’ in their church, so kind, so hospitable, welcoming, generous, hospitable. It’s such a poor neighbourhood where their church is – you might recall from October-November’s blogs about the barrio, Siloe – well, it’s sort of an extension of Siloe, as is the village we were in last night, La Sirena. I so want God to prosper this lovely couple, and he is, and he will. God willing, Jesus is helping Thanney tomorrow (Tuesday) at the Foundation, with the construction. I’m so glad that they’ll get to spend time together, even if one doesn’t speak Spanish and the other just a little English. Their spirits will ‘rub off’ on each other….