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Stay with us if you want to read more life-changing testimonies of God's heart for the poor.
Thanks, Jon
Monday, March 28, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Breaking out of the box
No HotS last week due to the security risks in Kibera, but this week we were back. No Pastor Shadrack, and no Eunice, as they are both recovering from their car accident. So this week, joining Godwill, Emily & myself, we had Judy. It was a first time for her, and it was another great week out on the streets.
Not that there were any dramatic healings this week. Yes, some people came in pain, and left pain-free. But no broken bones were fixed, no eyes were opened, and no skin diseases wiped away in front of our eyes. But that's not what it's about, though it is nice when it happens. What it's about is being a conduit through which God's love can flow to His people, and it's not up to us who comes along.
Up till the last few weeks I had been feeling a little disappointed when somebody wasn't sick, but asked for prayer because they need work. I had felt that praying for God to provide work was somehow less important than for physical healing. But over the last few weeks I've been reflecting a little on that, and realised that part of God's Kingdom coming in Kibera may well be that it becomes a place where people are able to support their own families, because they do have work. So today I was pleased that we had many people coming who needed, and asked for prayer for, work. We had one young man who confessed a desire for a wife, and it was a real honour to pray for God to bring a godly young lady for him to marry, as well as for him to have a job to support her and their future family with. We had another guy come who really wants to stop drinking, but can't do it by himself.
And that's a little bit of what I think God's Kingdom coming in Kibera might look like. Yes, a place where God physically heals people, but not just that. Also a place where God provides for people in all the ways they need Him to. I appreciate this doesn't fit the HotS model, but then I never do like to conform and be boxed in, and I see the model as a starting point, rather than necessarily the final answer.
So with Judy now on board, our small team is slowly growing. With another couple of regulars we could set up in a second part of Kibera too. It was circumstances that forced us to grow the team today, but I believe it was a God-inspired thought to ask Judy to join us. Who else will God bring to us to join in demonstrating His amazing love for His people of Kibera.
Not that there were any dramatic healings this week. Yes, some people came in pain, and left pain-free. But no broken bones were fixed, no eyes were opened, and no skin diseases wiped away in front of our eyes. But that's not what it's about, though it is nice when it happens. What it's about is being a conduit through which God's love can flow to His people, and it's not up to us who comes along.
Up till the last few weeks I had been feeling a little disappointed when somebody wasn't sick, but asked for prayer because they need work. I had felt that praying for God to provide work was somehow less important than for physical healing. But over the last few weeks I've been reflecting a little on that, and realised that part of God's Kingdom coming in Kibera may well be that it becomes a place where people are able to support their own families, because they do have work. So today I was pleased that we had many people coming who needed, and asked for prayer for, work. We had one young man who confessed a desire for a wife, and it was a real honour to pray for God to bring a godly young lady for him to marry, as well as for him to have a job to support her and their future family with. We had another guy come who really wants to stop drinking, but can't do it by himself.
And that's a little bit of what I think God's Kingdom coming in Kibera might look like. Yes, a place where God physically heals people, but not just that. Also a place where God provides for people in all the ways they need Him to. I appreciate this doesn't fit the HotS model, but then I never do like to conform and be boxed in, and I see the model as a starting point, rather than necessarily the final answer.
So with Judy now on board, our small team is slowly growing. With another couple of regulars we could set up in a second part of Kibera too. It was circumstances that forced us to grow the team today, but I believe it was a God-inspired thought to ask Judy to join us. Who else will God bring to us to join in demonstrating His amazing love for His people of Kibera.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Bananas
Every week is different. Today, for the first hour, we struggled to get anybody to stop. There were plenty of people around, and they noticed us and read our signboard, but most refused to stop. Some of those that did stop chatted briefly then moved on, unwilling to receive prayer for any needs.
In our preparation, we felt the Holy Spirit give us three names, and surprise surprise, none of them were right. However, 2 of the 4 sicknesses we did get, and those people were healed. After last week's broken leg, this week we had someone with a broken arm in a cast, who after prayer was waving his arm around saying it was better.
Most of the last half an hour, I spent with Gabriel who stopped. He was quite clearly drunk, and through the course of the conversation informed me that he was a doctor, a soldier, and a bio-chemist. We were eventually able to pray for him, and then spent a considerable time persuading him to leave, which he would only do after buying a banana for each of the white people on the team today.
Florence came to find us after we'd finished and were back at the centre. Last week we prayed for her hands to reform and grow, and she felt something stirring in her upper arms. Today she came, still without hands, and when we prayed she again felt something happening in her upper arms. Does God feel compassion for her and want to heal her hands – I don't know. If He does, you can be sure it'll feature on this blog.
In our preparation, we felt the Holy Spirit give us three names, and surprise surprise, none of them were right. However, 2 of the 4 sicknesses we did get, and those people were healed. After last week's broken leg, this week we had someone with a broken arm in a cast, who after prayer was waving his arm around saying it was better.
Most of the last half an hour, I spent with Gabriel who stopped. He was quite clearly drunk, and through the course of the conversation informed me that he was a doctor, a soldier, and a bio-chemist. We were eventually able to pray for him, and then spent a considerable time persuading him to leave, which he would only do after buying a banana for each of the white people on the team today.
Florence came to find us after we'd finished and were back at the centre. Last week we prayed for her hands to reform and grow, and she felt something stirring in her upper arms. Today she came, still without hands, and when we prayed she again felt something happening in her upper arms. Does God feel compassion for her and want to heal her hands – I don't know. If He does, you can be sure it'll feature on this blog.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Anyone need a spare set of crutches?
Today we had a pro with us, Nick - a pastor from Frome who is involved with HotS in the UK. His son, Ben was also coming onto the team, so today we had a team of seven. Our hour of preparation was great, and we had the opportunity to pray and lay hands on each member of the team.
Once out on the street, under our resurrected shade that provided much-needed relief from the sun, it was another busy Monday. All in all we had 25 people stop for prayer, with a complete range of needs that we could pray for. Many of the people we pray for each week bring a collection of needs - some health-related, some financial, and some family problems. All are important, and we believe that God's Kingdom can come in any and every area of a person's life, so we pray for them all.
A short time after we started I noticed Hesbon hobbling along the street on his crutches. We prayed for him a few weeks ago, after he had broken his knee, and that night was the first night he had been able to sleep without painkillers. Today, as he hobbled along, I went over to him to start chatting, and offered to pray with him some more. He was quite happy, and I grabbed a stool and brought it to him to save him having to struggle to get to us. Fortunately, Ben was just finishing praying with somebody else, so I invited him over to pray with us. After some prayer, we asked Hesbon what he was feeling, and he said the pain was less. After some more prayer he had more mobility in his leg, and gingerly attempted to stand unaided. When he started trying to take some small steps I was getting nervous, and tried to move round so that if his leg gave way he would at least have me to lean on. But I wasn't needed. His leg didn't give way, and he could bend his knee, and walk on the uneven ground, slowly at first, but gradually gaining his confidence as the realisation of healing set in. As that realisation dawned, a smile started to spread across his face - the most wonderful smile I have seen I think. I suggested he take off the thick support bandage he was wearing and try without it. He did, and could fully support himself, and walk normally. I kept asking him if he had any pain, but no he didn't. By now a smile was spreading on Ben's and my face too, as the realisation of what God had done sank in.
Hesbon walked away smiling, waving his crutches around as he didn't know what to do with them. It was another wonderful example of God demonstrating his love for the poor, and of His Kingdom coming in Kibera.
There were other healings too, people who came in pain left pain-free, others said they felt lighter after we had prayed, another lady came with a serious blood pressure problem that made her weak, and after prayer could hold something with a firm grip that demonstrated her strength had returned.
One of the final ladies I had the privilege to pray for, Florence, had no hands - as a result of an accident with fire when she was six years old. My heart cried out to her, and I asked her if I could pray for her hands. As I was praying she said she could feel something in the top of her arms, so we prayed some more. I don't know if I was expecting to actually see new hands form and fingers grow, or what. They didn't, and I don't know if they will. I don't know why they didn't, why God healed Hesbon but didn't heal Florence. Many places in the Bible it says that the sick were brought to Jesus and He healed them all, not just some of them. Maybe when God heals all those who come to us, that will be the time we really start to see God's Kingdom come in Kibera.
Once out on the street, under our resurrected shade that provided much-needed relief from the sun, it was another busy Monday. All in all we had 25 people stop for prayer, with a complete range of needs that we could pray for. Many of the people we pray for each week bring a collection of needs - some health-related, some financial, and some family problems. All are important, and we believe that God's Kingdom can come in any and every area of a person's life, so we pray for them all.
A short time after we started I noticed Hesbon hobbling along the street on his crutches. We prayed for him a few weeks ago, after he had broken his knee, and that night was the first night he had been able to sleep without painkillers. Today, as he hobbled along, I went over to him to start chatting, and offered to pray with him some more. He was quite happy, and I grabbed a stool and brought it to him to save him having to struggle to get to us. Fortunately, Ben was just finishing praying with somebody else, so I invited him over to pray with us. After some prayer, we asked Hesbon what he was feeling, and he said the pain was less. After some more prayer he had more mobility in his leg, and gingerly attempted to stand unaided. When he started trying to take some small steps I was getting nervous, and tried to move round so that if his leg gave way he would at least have me to lean on. But I wasn't needed. His leg didn't give way, and he could bend his knee, and walk on the uneven ground, slowly at first, but gradually gaining his confidence as the realisation of healing set in. As that realisation dawned, a smile started to spread across his face - the most wonderful smile I have seen I think. I suggested he take off the thick support bandage he was wearing and try without it. He did, and could fully support himself, and walk normally. I kept asking him if he had any pain, but no he didn't. By now a smile was spreading on Ben's and my face too, as the realisation of what God had done sank in.
Hesbon walked away smiling, waving his crutches around as he didn't know what to do with them. It was another wonderful example of God demonstrating his love for the poor, and of His Kingdom coming in Kibera.
There were other healings too, people who came in pain left pain-free, others said they felt lighter after we had prayed, another lady came with a serious blood pressure problem that made her weak, and after prayer could hold something with a firm grip that demonstrated her strength had returned.
One of the final ladies I had the privilege to pray for, Florence, had no hands - as a result of an accident with fire when she was six years old. My heart cried out to her, and I asked her if I could pray for her hands. As I was praying she said she could feel something in the top of her arms, so we prayed some more. I don't know if I was expecting to actually see new hands form and fingers grow, or what. They didn't, and I don't know if they will. I don't know why they didn't, why God healed Hesbon but didn't heal Florence. Many places in the Bible it says that the sick were brought to Jesus and He healed them all, not just some of them. Maybe when God heals all those who come to us, that will be the time we really start to see God's Kingdom come in Kibera.
Monday, February 14, 2011
A J Day
Today we had Ginny as our guest, which meant we had enough people to make three teams. And it was just as well as for much of the morning all three pairs were occupied praying for people. Apart from a 10-minute lull towards the end, we had a constant flow of people coming for prayer.
Many today were coming with requests for prayers for work, or difficult financial situations. All in all in our two-hour period we were privileged to pray for 24 people. Several people were reluctant to share about particular needs, but we seemed to be a little better in tune with the Holy Spirit, and were able to prompt some with words of knowledge that then opened the door for people to share.
One lady, with a serious wound on her leg, felt that something was stirring in the wound as we were praying. Another lady, blind in one eye, felt as if her eye was spinning when we were praying, and was beginning to be able to see. The last lady today came with back pain, and after a couple of bouts of prayer it was great to see the smile on her face as she slowly realised that all the pain had gone and she could move freely and easily.
Next week we have a HotS pro with us from Frome, in Somerset (UK), so we are looking forward to that. There are also signs that God may be preparing to expand the team so we can operate from more than one location - we'll see how that develops. This ministry is having a great impact on many people's lives, and in God's timing it will be great to see it expand and impact more people each week.
Why is today a J day? When we were preparing in prayer, four names we felt the Holy Spirit give us began with J. And of the 24 people we prayed for, six of them had names beginning with J.
Many today were coming with requests for prayers for work, or difficult financial situations. All in all in our two-hour period we were privileged to pray for 24 people. Several people were reluctant to share about particular needs, but we seemed to be a little better in tune with the Holy Spirit, and were able to prompt some with words of knowledge that then opened the door for people to share.
One lady, with a serious wound on her leg, felt that something was stirring in the wound as we were praying. Another lady, blind in one eye, felt as if her eye was spinning when we were praying, and was beginning to be able to see. The last lady today came with back pain, and after a couple of bouts of prayer it was great to see the smile on her face as she slowly realised that all the pain had gone and she could move freely and easily.
Next week we have a HotS pro with us from Frome, in Somerset (UK), so we are looking forward to that. There are also signs that God may be preparing to expand the team so we can operate from more than one location - we'll see how that develops. This ministry is having a great impact on many people's lives, and in God's timing it will be great to see it expand and impact more people each week.
Why is today a J day? When we were preparing in prayer, four names we felt the Holy Spirit give us began with J. And of the 24 people we prayed for, six of them had names beginning with J.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Screaming worms
We decided to shake it up a little today, and partnered Emily with Eunice, while Pastor Shadrack was with Godwill and myself, though I found I was able to sit back and watch the others some of the time.
This was also our first week under a sun/rain-shelter, erected by Pastor Shadrack and Ngugi (our caretaker), which provided us with shade for the first hour. Then it began to collapse, and eventually we dismantled it before it collapsed on someone we were praying for. Apparently there is a plan for an improvement to the fixing method in place for next week.
Fortunately, the collapsing shade didn't seem to put people off, and we had a fair assortment of illnesses and needs to pray for. In our preparation time, one of us suggested the name Onyango, and the first lady who stopped was Anyango - close enough for us! And sure enough, God healed her of the pain in her back and leg that she came with.
Nancy came with rib and chest pain. After prayer her chest was better, and after a second bout of prayer her ribs were better too. Dismas had a headache, sore throat, pain in his chest, and itching - and left completely healed. Gladys came with pain in her stomach, and reported that whilst Emily & Eunice were praying for her, she felt the worms in her stomach screaming!
One lady, who was blind in one eye, refused prayer. She sat and talked for a while, but despite our best efforts we could not convince her to receive prayer for healing for her eye. She seemed convinced that we were devil-worshippers, which I suppose is a good reason to refuse prayer, but it was sad that we couldn't convine her of who we really are.
A couple of times today, while we were initially chatting with people, we had words from the Holy Spirit that were specific to those people, to health issues they might not otherwise have shared, and that proved to be accurate words of knowledge. And there was also one guy who for whom I felt sure the Holy Spirit directed me to his right ear, but no amount of cajoling or pursuading on my part could convince him that he had a problem with his hearing - some people eh!
This was also our first week under a sun/rain-shelter, erected by Pastor Shadrack and Ngugi (our caretaker), which provided us with shade for the first hour. Then it began to collapse, and eventually we dismantled it before it collapsed on someone we were praying for. Apparently there is a plan for an improvement to the fixing method in place for next week.
Fortunately, the collapsing shade didn't seem to put people off, and we had a fair assortment of illnesses and needs to pray for. In our preparation time, one of us suggested the name Onyango, and the first lady who stopped was Anyango - close enough for us! And sure enough, God healed her of the pain in her back and leg that she came with.
Nancy came with rib and chest pain. After prayer her chest was better, and after a second bout of prayer her ribs were better too. Dismas had a headache, sore throat, pain in his chest, and itching - and left completely healed. Gladys came with pain in her stomach, and reported that whilst Emily & Eunice were praying for her, she felt the worms in her stomach screaming!
One lady, who was blind in one eye, refused prayer. She sat and talked for a while, but despite our best efforts we could not convince her to receive prayer for healing for her eye. She seemed convinced that we were devil-worshippers, which I suppose is a good reason to refuse prayer, but it was sad that we couldn't convine her of who we really are.
A couple of times today, while we were initially chatting with people, we had words from the Holy Spirit that were specific to those people, to health issues they might not otherwise have shared, and that proved to be accurate words of knowledge. And there was also one guy who for whom I felt sure the Holy Spirit directed me to his right ear, but no amount of cajoling or pursuading on my part could convince him that he had a problem with his hearing - some people eh!
Monday, January 24, 2011
Praying away the rain
We welcomed Godwill to the team today, so we had a three and a two on the streets praying. While we were preparing, it was raining fairly steadily, and we didn't hold out that much hope for being able to get out. But nevertheless, we prepared, and once again the Holy Spirit provided us with an insight into the types of illnesses He wanted to heal, and he gave us some people's names too.
During the preparation time I felt we should take authority over the weather, and so we did! I've never (seriously) commanded clouds and rain to go away before, and I have to admit that I felt a bit foolish asking the team to join with me in doing so. By the looks on their faces they thought I was losing it, but I'm not that easily dissuaded, so we did. We specifically asked for the window of time from 10-12 to be dry, and we claimed it in Jesus' name. As we were setting up, it was spitting, but a hole appeared in the clouds overhead, and the rain stopped. 10 o'clock came, and it was still spitting a bit, but then it stopped. Over the next 45 minutes, it continued to threaten, and at times was spitting and we wondered whether to call it a day. But we continued to rebuke the clouds, this time standing out in the open and doing so, feeling even more foolish!
But it worked, and just as we finished at 12, and were clearing the stools and sign back up to the project, it rained. For about 1 minute, it rained with such force that you only get in Africa, and I looked at my watch - 12:02.
Last week, God told us in advance that He would be healing eyes. And He did. This week, eyesight problems weren't on the list He gave us, but two people came with problems. One of them also had problems with her joints and her stomach. After prayer the joints were pain-free, and her stomach was better. But her eyesight wasn't. And nor was the other person's eyesight any better. Why, last week, did one person receive sight in a previous completely blind eye, and this week neither person received any healing? I don't know, but God is sovereign, and as His servaant that will do for me.
Even though it wasn't raining, the gloomy weather was keeping people indoors, so we didn't have so many takers today. Those who were out and about were less inclined to stop, and many went past refusing to make eye contact. Those that stopped we gladly prayed for, and saw God's healing. Of the five sicknesses God told us in advance, we met them all, which is encouraging.
However, we're getting worse at hearing names correctly, as this week there were no matches!
During the preparation time I felt we should take authority over the weather, and so we did! I've never (seriously) commanded clouds and rain to go away before, and I have to admit that I felt a bit foolish asking the team to join with me in doing so. By the looks on their faces they thought I was losing it, but I'm not that easily dissuaded, so we did. We specifically asked for the window of time from 10-12 to be dry, and we claimed it in Jesus' name. As we were setting up, it was spitting, but a hole appeared in the clouds overhead, and the rain stopped. 10 o'clock came, and it was still spitting a bit, but then it stopped. Over the next 45 minutes, it continued to threaten, and at times was spitting and we wondered whether to call it a day. But we continued to rebuke the clouds, this time standing out in the open and doing so, feeling even more foolish!
But it worked, and just as we finished at 12, and were clearing the stools and sign back up to the project, it rained. For about 1 minute, it rained with such force that you only get in Africa, and I looked at my watch - 12:02.
Last week, God told us in advance that He would be healing eyes. And He did. This week, eyesight problems weren't on the list He gave us, but two people came with problems. One of them also had problems with her joints and her stomach. After prayer the joints were pain-free, and her stomach was better. But her eyesight wasn't. And nor was the other person's eyesight any better. Why, last week, did one person receive sight in a previous completely blind eye, and this week neither person received any healing? I don't know, but God is sovereign, and as His servaant that will do for me.
Even though it wasn't raining, the gloomy weather was keeping people indoors, so we didn't have so many takers today. Those who were out and about were less inclined to stop, and many went past refusing to make eye contact. Those that stopped we gladly prayed for, and saw God's healing. Of the five sicknesses God told us in advance, we met them all, which is encouraging.
However, we're getting worse at hearing names correctly, as this week there were no matches!
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