pursuit of the Father

A girl's heart always wants to be pursued. We were created that way. We are made in the image of the Father so somehow He must long to be pursued as well. He knows this desire all too well. That is why He has said seek me and you will find me when you search for me with all your heart (Jer 29:13). God wants to be pursued. However, I also believe He's in the business of pursuing. Love is not about receiving, but about giving. God is love (1 John 4), He is a giver. He's way more intereted in loving us than He is about being loved by us. Praise Him for that because I know we've all felt we've let Him down at one time or another. If we want to be more like Him, we will respond with the true meaning of love and want to give more than receive. But in order for us to love like that, we need to know love. We need to be immersed in His love. And that is what inspires me today. The inspiration of the immersion of His love and His passionate pursuit of us melts my heart so immensely that I'm caught in this drunken state of absolute bliss as a whirlwind of joy floods my soul. I'm loved so much by my creator that He would break the boundaries of dimensional realms, reaching from the spiritual into the natural, and tangibly touch or tangibly speak into my life changing my perspective and emotion and proving His love for me. I'm completely mesmerized and undone when He tangibly acts for me, or when He uses me in acting for someone else.
I want to start sharing these stories of pursuit and love. These will be stories of where God has spoken, touched or encountered me or other people i have seen to show us how real He really is and how real His love is for us. God is not waiting for us to die and come to heaven to be with us. He is waiting for us right now, as we live day to day, to walk in intimate relationship and passionate love with Him. He is always longing for us to listen because He is always wanting to talk to us. The reason God came as a man to earth, died and resurrected was so He could be with us now, manifesting His Kingdom in our lives. Its all about the walk, the journey with Him now....will you listen? will you position yourself to hear Him and then believe? Everything God tells us to do is all for the goal of bringing more love and abundance into our lives.I've given my life to Him and will do absolutely anything He tells me to simply because i know how much He loves me; and is passionately concerned about me,the details of my life and the intricacies of my heart.

Restoration and Release

I've been attending the Great Grace conference in Chevy Chase this week. Monday the worship leader stood at her piano playing a beautiful song and started prophesying over a woman that had taken hit after hit after hit. she was honored for taking these hits and not giving up. She knew the character and goodness of God and did not back down where any regular person would have. The Lord told her she would be compensated, she would receive repayment for whats happened to her. this repayment would consist of intense revelation, encounters and communion with Jesus. As she prophesied this justice for this woman, i took it as my own. The Lord had been showing up to me and telling me i would receive more revelation and start to have more encounters with Him as part of the justice i would receive for the wrongs that have happened this year. As the Lord started to minister to me while i was standing there, the worship leader called me out, saying "the girl in the yellow scarf, you carry a message, i see the trumpet blowing over you as you release this message. there is a swirl of color around you. Its creativity. your going to release this message in creative ways and i see a pen in your hand. whether its blogging or your writing, your creatively releasing the message you carry!"
This word inspired me to start blogging again. So here i am, ready to write what the Lord has been doing in me and talking to me about.
After this worship leader prophesied over me, the speaker (ray arnold) came and prayed for me. He prophesied a couple things including the anointing on my life and i ended up on the floor again being ministered to by the Holy Spirit. The anointing (presence and power of God) filled my body to where i couldnt stand any longer. As i laid on my back on the floor, I continued to receive from the Lord. I felt someone come and lay their hands on my leg, as if they were praying for me. Sometimes people will come and agree with what God is doing and pray for you when your receiving from the Lord. So i thought someone had come to pray for me and as i laid there receiving i was curious to know who it was. So i opened my eyes as the hands were still on my leg and looked around to find that noone was there. But i still felt two hands on my leg. i realized that noone was around me because they were trying to clear people out of the sanctuary to get ready for the evening meeting, when i heard a woman's voice right next to me. She said Daughter of God, you are released! and a soon as it was said, the hands were no longer on my leg. There was no woman near me and i realized i had just been commissioned and released to minister again by an angel.
That evening i laid on the ground in worship in the meeting. I began to vibrate again from the power of God going through my body. I've been vibrating since Friday when God touched me with his power restoring so many things in my heart, transforming my mind and once again making me a new creation. My heart was healed after forgiving and laying down the burden of wrong that thursday evening and now God had touched me to impregnate me with His power and His river of life again. it felt like electric shocks in my body, i was doing crunches and yelling for 5 hours that night. People that yelled when they were in the spirit always offended me. I would always look at them and say "is that seriously necessary, i mean come on." and there i was yelling out of my stomach because that kinda power had to be released somehow. So this monday evening im vibrating on the floor during worship and the Lord said as the yelling was for releasing my power that you carry inside you, the vibrations are the vibrations of my heart for my people, and you carry them inside of you. And then i saw a clock and a calendar. and the calendar flipped backwards over the past months of this year and when it got back far enough, it started to fast forward and i saw the hands of the clock spin forward rapidly. and the Lord said im accelerating you to the place you would have been had none of these things ever happened to you. Im making up for the time that was stolen from you. The following afternoon, Georgian Banov said He had this vision about God restoring time that had been stolen from people, and went on to describe the exact vision that i saw.
Today, I went to the dentist. i got a root canal done about a month ago still needing a crown, and started to feel a bit more pain on the other side of my mouth now since ive been chewing on that side. I had a dream about 3 weeks ago that i was battling witch craft and my teeth were all messed up (crooked, broken, mushy, wiggly). So when i started to feel a bit more pain i thought i should go to the dentist again. At the voice of the apostles conference the pain left after being prayed for. However, when i got the xrays today and the dentist diagnosed me, she looked in my mouth, went on her computer and printed out a sheet showing every tooth and marking red wherever work needed to be done. Looking at this sheet of paper, i could not believe what i saw and what she was telling me. It looked like my geometry midterm from freshman year, red was everywhere on this paper. 9 teeth had cavities or broken fillings and needed to be restored. the tenth tooth that was red was the one needing a crown because it has no life or blood flow in it from the root canal. The second sheet of paper told me a breakdown of the cost..over 7,000 dollars of dental work in my mouth.
Well, i got this news and clearly, thats not something i wanted to hear! so my natural reaction, much like my reaction to my failed geometry midterm, was tears. but the Lord spoke to me through all of this and said, We're in a season of Restoration in order to be Released again. What has victimized us and what has been stolen from us cannot hinder us any longer. Restoration has to happen..and it can be a time consuming, painful process, but it has to take place in order to function again. Teeth dont work when theyre broken, and its really painful to drill to the roots! REally painful! But once its drilled and restored,shaba, the brokenness is gone! the pain from the brokenness is gone! Its no longer broken and can be released to function the way that it was created to function! Its no longer a victim, its no longer broken..its healthy, it gets the job done and it no longer causes more pain or more problems. God is drilling roots, and restoring, and coming with His glory to manifest Himself in the places that we have been wounded and have been stolen from. He's shining in the places where we are broken. I know that i cant even imagine paying $7000 to fix my mouth, but i know that I have a message i carry, and my mouth is valuable in the kingdom, And God wants to manifest His glory in it! He wants to restore it all! So cmon Jesus! My heart's been healed, my minds been transformed, and I've been released again. The Father is touching His people in tangible ways because He wants the core of us! The vibration of His heart is getting to the core of ours. He wants it all, He's relentless for it And He will pursue you until your ready to let Him have it..to let Him drill!

Day in the Life in Uganda

I wake up in the bottom bed of my bunk bed, pick out my clothes and head to the bath tub. the bath tub is a normal size bathtub without a shower, but with a shower head attached to a cord used for washing my hair. We live in one of the nicest houses ive seen in the area, with 4 bedrooms and 3 baths upstairs, 1 bath and 2 bedrooms downstairs including a garage. my bedroom is about 15 by 15 and the entire house is floored with tile. This means, when the housekeeper has mopped (they mop with a bucket and a rag on their hands and knees) the floor i usually end up slipping everytime. The house keeper has seen me do this several times as she looks over and says "Sorry mummy" in the typical Ugandan way. Whenever u hurt yourself or theres an accident, any Ugandan in the room that sees it will automatically say "Sorry"! The Jones family has 3 african dogs living here at their house at the moment. Sally, Sara, and Sophie. Serena is at the UJV now but used to live here as well. They are the guard dogs who usually bark all night. Between the dogs and the disco/party music of neighbors, i am forced to wear earplugs every night in order to sleep. We had 3 kittens and brought 2 to the ujv, so now we are left with one. Every time i come out of my room in the morning, he is right by my door waiting for me, ready to pounce on my ankles as i walk barefooted down the hallway. Usually i kick him aside and he follows me anyway. After getting ready for the day, i usually have breakfast with the girls. I have tea with either toast, muffins, french toast, or eggs. The eggs are usually white because they dont have all the hormones america puts in the chickens. They dont taste as good as American eggs either. We are then off to the UJV. Suzanne and Marike are only going to the UJV twice a week now, so sometimes i get a ride with them down the dirt bumpy potholed roads of lungujja or i get a boda in the kitunzi market. Our part of town is called kitunzi which simply means trading center. The market is a 3 minute walk from the house, and the bodas are there usually waiting for customers. If i take a boda, i like to go with someone that has taken me before and that i trust. Most of them know me in the market now. Usually I'm wearing a skirt so i sit sideways on the bike, holding on to the seat itself. The bodas drive on the side of road bw the curb and the cars. But people are also walking in that area, so its a constant dodging of people, cars, potholes, bicycles carrying God knows what (such as long poles, huge bags of charcoal, wooden boxes, couches, matoke, fish or chickens, or sacks of vegetables), animals (such as cows, goats, or dogs), and the curb. So far, ive been twice on a boda that has hit someone as we were driving, once that ran out of gas, once that tried to squeez between a car and the curb and didnt make it hit so we fell over, once that got ran into head on with a bicycle carrying a huge wooden box of stuff, and once that slightly rearended another car. In spite of all this, I still ride bodas almost everyday, praying for my life as i get on. If i don't take a boda to work, i walk. Its about a 20 minute walk to the ujv from my house. Its a dirt road that i walk on, going straight up hill for half of it, and straight down hill for the other half. I pass many children on the way all shouting "bye mizungu, bye mizungu" until I am out of site. I will also pass the occasional man carrying bags, clothes, shoes or a huge board of jewelry and toys they are selling. Uganda has the highest rate of businesses out of every country in the world because everyone creates their own. There are so many little shops and random people walking all over town selling their items.
Once i get to the UJV, the children greet me. In Ugandan culture, the children kneel down and shake your hand out of respect gretting their elders. The first time a child did this, i made them stand up and give me a hug. I was not used to having anyone kneel down to me, but it is their way of showing honor. I still prefer hugs and will more often than not ignore their extended hand and pull them in for an embrace. The children often greet me in Acholi now. They say "Maria Cho", and i respond "Cho Mabe" which means good morning. In the afternoon they say "Erie" and i respond "Arie mabe". It is also culturally correct to ask "how are you" to greet someone before you ask them anything. The correct response to this, is "I am fine how are you?" So after greeting everyone, i get my things settled in the office and head off to start my work, whatever that day looks like. The office is set up in 3 office rooms. the administration office includes homes, volunteers, and social work. The Accounting office includes accounting, finances, church plants, and Jewelry. The Management office includes Suzanne the overseer, Marike the accounting and admin manager, and Pastor Robert. i generally take my spot in the admin office with liz in the homes department. My day is usually spent making schedules, planning events, preparing for fellowship, leading fellowship, emails, or praying with staff. In between all of this i usually sneak away to talk and play with the children whenever i get a chance. The girls of compound A have two rooms in the back of the compound next to the prayer room and the medical room. On the other side of the medical room are the two rooms for the boys of Compound A. The office is opposite the rooms with a cement courtyard in between. So i usually come out of the office, sneak into the girls room and chat with them for a while. Otherwise ill take the boys for futbol at the field up the street as well. the field is about a 10 minute walk from the ujv.
After work, i come home to the house with suzanne and marike, suzannes boys (theres 3 here at the moment, 1 in canada) and luke (altho hes now in canada for a month). Dinner is usually on the table as Prossy (the housekeeper) has cooked. Dinner usually includes some form of potatoes such as french fries, boiled, or mashed, with either beef or chicken. Sometimes we'll have lasagna or pizza, maybe even the african chapattis beans and cabbage. My personal favorite is the hamburgers. Prossy has been trained well. At the dinner table the Jones always go around the table and ask everybody how was their day and what is their favorite part. I love this family! We talk about the day and then i usually go back to room to wind down, spending time with the Lord, using the internet that works only half the time (the power can go off at anytime and often times the internet is down just because its africa) or watching a movie. Occasionally this down time gets cut short as i have long days at the ujv or am leading fellowship until 7 or 8pm. But it always feels amazing to hit the sheets on my foam mattress at the end of the day.

Encountering Jesus in Ngongulo

On Friday, I took 12 children with mama cook and Harriet to sleep at the land we are currently building on. The village is called Ngongulo and is located in Entebbe. We crammed into a 12 passenger van with all of our food and clothing needed for the 2 days we were there. When we arrived i set up my bed and then went with some children to collect firewood. The land is mostly thick bush, with bugs everywhere. Everytime i go, i have to wear long pants with sneakers and sometimes a sweatshirt because theres prickers, thorns, ticks and jitters everywhere as well. Its truly village life. we cooked matoke, rice and gnut sauce for lunch and in the late afternoon evening started digging in the garden. The children ate their full of potatoes and casifa they dug up. The following day everyone got up early to dig. We used hoes to dig up the dirt so we could freshly plant new seeds and new casifa sticks. i got blisters all over my hands, but it was amazing to enjoy the village life with the kids. They grew up in Gulu digging and eating in the garden and it brings them joy to be able to do it again. We've been going to the land to dig since last April. In April there was no garden yet, it was all bush. So Amy Toyota and I would take the kids with Harriet and go thrash the bush and cut down trees with machetes. We hacked the bush up and cleared about an acre of land. This was all before they started building the houses that we have now. I had never had so many blisters in my life. So digging this past weekend was not so bad. The kids think mizungus don't know how to dig, but so they laughed at me with a hoe in my hands. They stopped laughing when i dug in 5 minutes what took them about 30 minutes. The land is so fruitful these days. There are 2 harvest seasons and acres of land producing vegetables and fruits for us. My favorite part about going is the tea. There is some tea leaves that grow a little up from the house and they have somewhat of a minty taste. We boil water, i pick my tea, and i enjoy while the kids drink their porridge. It's amazing to be able to walk outside and pick your food from the ground instead of having to go to the store. the simple life is so different. I started to dream about living out there and how amazing it is going to be.
After digging, the kids went to play futbol on the field in front. Its incredible having our own field for them to play on! they played the village kids 6 on 10, UJV being 6 and villagers being 10. I think our kids won by 5. They are really learning how to maneuver the ball and pass to each other. While they played futbol, i sat on the hill and watched them. A little village girl around the age of 4, dressed in a short jean skirt and pink tshirt with the cutest braides and beads in her hair stood staring at me as i sat there. She had a look of curiosity but was still hesitant to come close in her shyness. So i looked at her and said Jungu (come). She timidly walked over to me and turned her head away from me still fearing a little bit. So i asked her what her name was and she looked at me now and replied "Favor". At that moment, as she stared at me with those big beautiful brown eyes, i felt so much love bubble up inside of me. I saw Jesus in her eyes and i heard the Lord say I favor this one :). So i pulled her close and had her sit on my lap. Harriet helped me translate as I asked her if she knew who Jesus was. Favor replied, "yes but I've never seen him and i don't know where he lives." I laughed so hard at this simple childlike response. It brought so much reality to who Jesus is. Jesus is a person, visible with a dwelling place. We can see him as He is. I told Favor he was the son God, God as a man. and the He loved her very much and is with her all the time. That he lives in whoever believes in Him. I asked her if she believed in Him and she said yes. I asked her if i could pray for her infected sore ears. She said yes and she prayed with me. Afterwards she sat with me a while longer, and when i had to go back to the house to prepare lunch she didn't want me to leave. She followed me all the way back to the house. i gave her a snack, and her mother came to get her. She cried as her mother took her away, but I'm sure i will see her again. She reminded me how much the Father loves us and desires us and really wants us to have our desires...He really favors us. We are so beautiful to Him and things are so simple in His eyes. I can't wait to live in Ngongulo and to see our kids reaching out to the village kids in love and compassion. I'm excited to see our kids bring the heart of Jesus to that village.
The difficult thing for me about sleeping in Ngongulo at the moment is that there is no privacy and feels very unprotected. The builders sleep on our land, as well as a farmer or two. There is no fence built yet, and no doors for the guards squatty hole. So I end up using the bush for a toilet wondering if someone is going to walk by at any moment. There are men i dont know all around building or farming so it just feels unsafe to me. There are also bugs everywhere with huge mosquitos and I was even stung by a huge African bee that didn't die after it stung me. It was so painful, but it really just helped me understand more about some of the fears i have in Africa. It helped me realize that i do have fears that God is still working out in me. I just want to know more of His always protective, trustworthy, hopeful, and preserving love. It is love that overcomes, and i want to be fearless in ministry. I want the extreme impossible, but daring enough to go after it. i don't want anything to hold me back from loving wrecklessly. I want to be crazy and willing to face pain, hurt, endangerment, maybe even death to bring Christ's love to the ones that need it most. i want to look fear in the face and know im dripping with the love of the Father, protected, secure and victorious.

Empowering

I walked into the restuarant with Mama Elizabeth, Mama Liz, and two of the older girls of the UJV-Concy and Gift. Not recognizing anyone since i had been there last, we sat at a table as we waited for the cook to come meet us. Mama Elizabeth usually comes on fridays to help out and since this was a Thursday, she did not recognize anyone either. The only person i know is Joanne, the owner, and one of the waitresses. So when the assistant cook came out, she greeted us in a timid manner not really saying a word but just wondering what we were doing there. I introduced all of us and she told us her name was Faith. It was a little awkward as she seemed to not have much confidence and a little unsure of the situation. I explained to her who we were and that we were there to work and help them out for the day. I told her we would wait for Joanne to show up before we started working. So the girls and i sat at a table, drank some African tea (somewhat like chai tea), and we prayed for the day. I asked the girls to hear from God and write down anything they received. Mama Liz said the Lord was telling her to be bold and courageous. The girls sat with their heads bowed the entire time, but said they didn't receive anything. i encouraged them alot about just believing that some of their thoughts was God and not them, but they said they have a hard time winding their mind down from the thoughts of the day. Even though they have done this exercise a couple times with me in the past, i realize its been a few months and im going to do some more prophetic with all the kids this tuesday. I heard the Lord saying that we were going to bring joy and life to the restaurant that day. To serve joyfull and be ourselves and we'll release the joy of the Lord in that place.
Joanne showed up and and the girls went to work on the dishes. Mama Liz went to peel potatoes (lumunde), and Mama Elizabeth and I taught Faith and Aisha (the runner girl) how to make Brownies. The kitchen was very small, with very little room so we made them behind the counter in the front area. The oven was on a cupboard that was uneven and slanted, so the first batch of brownies came out with all the batter cooked on one side of the pan. i made the first batch, explaining what i did, and i had Faith make the second, coaching her when she had questions. the oven was still slanted a bit, so we added more batter, which helped a little. Faith definitely came out of her shell and really started enjoying herself as she learned how to bake. It was almost as if she felt a sense of accomplishment and empowerment to be able to do something that most Africans couldn't do. The staff all tasted the brownies and they all had faces of delightment like they had just tasted something divine. joanne priced them, and they handed out samples for people to get enticed and buy one.
It felt so amazing to be able to empower someone, and to see them feel good about themselves and be confident in who they are. The girls washing the dishes made friends with the head cook and as we were baking i heard more than a couple laughs from the kitchen. the girls asked me afterwards "Auntie when can we come back?" Even the girls felt empowered to be able to serve and work and accomplish something meaningful. They received no compensation other than the reward of feeling they had helped someone. God created us to first live and then work. We should be living to work, rather than working to live. God created designed Adam to toil in the garden to give himself a sense of accomplishment and joy in doing something worthwhile. Work is simply another joy given by the Lord. To serve is rewarding and creates character establishing authority and influence in the lives of others. This is why I'm here in Uganda, to serve and empower, and to give people a sense of dignity and confidence in being able to accomplish greatness.

Joy

I walked to the UJV from our house the morning I took the younger kids to the zoo. The distance is about 1 km and its all hill, so you walk up the hill and then you walk down. On the way down, there was a musei (what they call an old man) with a long white beard walking in front of me. I had never seen an African with a long white beard. He was carrying a huge sack on his back that seemed to be either beans or potatoes. It probably weighed around 52 kg. As we walked down the hill, there were 2 girls on the side of the road outside a shop. They saw the musei and chuckled to themself as they said, hey! Its Father Christmas! I was first surprised to hear them speaking English because normally people i walk by would be speaking Lugandan. but while i pondered the idea that maybe they were speaking English so i would understand, i laughed so hard at at the idea that this guy looked like an African santa clause.
I reached the UJV and the children were ecstatic about going to the zoo. They were drinking their porridge and looked so smart in their new clothes from Christmas. The only downside of the morning was that it was drizzling with gray clouds covering the blue sky beneath. We loaded up the bus and drove 45 minutes to Entebbe where we reached the zoo which is set on the lakefront of Lake Victoria. The rain had picked up so we spent 15 minutes waiting under a roof for the rain to become lighter. As soon as it died down to a drizzle, the kids started walking and we ended up in front of the oldest and laziest lion i had ever seen. His mane thick and his skin was all wrinkly. His face looked like that of a 70 year old man. David turned me and said "auntie, you call the bus, we bring the lion king and we go." For the second time that day my heart was stirred with joy as i laughed at yet another child making fun. We saw snakes such as pythons, cobras, and vipers. we saw otters, crocodiles, chimpanzees and zebras. The rhino wouldnt come near us, but supposedly if he does you are allowed to pet it. The zoo was very small, and definitely nothing that exciting for a westerner, but the children loved every moment of it. After looking at the animals, they played with the monkeys on the playground. They climbed, swung, jumped, crawled and hung from the playground while running around in a frenzy of joy. They had never experienced a playground like that, where they could jump and climb around like monkeys. The sound of children playing filled the air, so much so that i even had to give David, Cosmas, and bonifest a time out for spinning the girls way to fast, scaring them and making little Brenda fall on her back in the mud. The rain eventually stopped and the sun peaked from behind the gray clouds showing a little bit of blue for the afternoon. Its really incredible to be able to experience God in playtime and by just enjoying life. Eat drink and be merry, because God likes to party and play. He likes to have fun and enjoys us as we run around with him, experiencing His creation, making jokes and exploring life. Everyday is an adventure in Africa, and it reminds me that God has countless adventures for us, taking us places we've never been and doing things we thought we could never do. Never in my whole life did i think i would be taking 36 acholi children in Uganda to the Entebbe Zoo for a day. Never did i think i would enjoy swallowing a hundred white gnat like bugs, covering my face in order to breathe, while walking in the rain around a small little animal park so much. i loved every minute of it, because of the smiles and the energy that it brought the kids that day. God had assigned me to bring a little fun and enjoyment for his children who would probably have never experienced anything like that. JOY. Its part of my calling. Christ has put Heavenly joy in my heart, and i'm called to release it wherever i go. Haha, I want these kids to experience as much joy as possible! my heart is to teach them how to play with their Daddy. How to drink from the rivers of joy.

Beauty of redemption

Last week i sat down with jimmy and Christopher on the steps to their room. We talked for approximately 30 minutes about life. My favorite part of being at the UJV is sitting down with my kids and chatting about their pasts, their future, and life as they see it now. I feel priviledged to get to hear their stories, and to be able to speak into their life. Discipleship has always been about doing life with one another, and I get to teach 62 beautiful acholi children how to deal with and handle real life issues in the likeness of Jesus. On more than one occasion, I have felt completely inadequate for this task, especially when the hard questions come. Christopher once asked me, if your leader falls into sin how can their be hope for the rest of us? i responded in the best way i knew how, in that everyone is responsible for their own decisions, and everyone has their own journey with God. Our hope is Jesus living in us, and influencing us to make the best possible decision for our own lives. Our leader's decisions and actions shouldn't take our eyes off of Jesus. This was a few months ago, but here i was sitting with Christopher and Jimmy once again chatting about life issues. For the first time since i've been here, i've noticed a change in their hearts. Something is different. Some of them have received major miraculous healing because they are now beginning to trust and to open up. They are beginning to share their stories without tears or trembling. It's been 2 1/2 years since they have been rescued and its taken that long for their stories to come out. The last time i heard Jimmy share his story was in front of the Fresh Fire team in 2007, and he was in tears as he told us how his parents died. It took him a while to get the story out and it was difficult to hear him with his quiet voice. But now, he tells that story from a healed heart, still sorry for his loss, but no longer a victim. So as i sat with Jimmy and Christopher on these steps, they started to tell me a little bit more about Gulu and what they had been through. Jimmy told me he was captured by the rebels and had to walk for many many days. He lost count of the days but was forced to carry a 52kg sack of beans with his friend the whole way. He said he was fortunate because the group that captured him was not as violent as some of the other groups and he personally escaped some of the beating because his friend was friends with one of the soldiers. Jimmy explained that the rebel groups around Awer Camp (where they are from in Amoru district) were not as violent as other areas. He also said that most of the rebels in the group were older. There were few children with weapons although there were some. He said he escaped when they were cooking. Some of the rebels were cooking when the government soldiers started coming up the road. Everyone scattered to get their weapons and fight so a group of captured acholis, including Jimmy, took off running. I was also informed that the soldiers in the camps that were fighting for Uganda would sometimes be just as bad as the rebels themselves. If there was no food in the camp, the soldiers would ravage the houses and gardens threatening lives, sometimes killing for food. jimmy said one of the worst things he saw was a soldier cut off a woman's breasts. He also witnessed someone's arms cut off. Sleeping in the bush was safer than sleeping in their houses in the camps lots of times. Stephen told us a story of one time sleeping in the bush and his friend woke up him because the rebels were near and stephen was snoring. He laughs about it now, but even Kenneth can testify of how scary it was to be the one making noise while hiding from the rebels in the bush. Kenneth's earliest memory was when he was maybe 3 or 4. His mother carried him into the bush as the rebels were close by. Kenneth was screaming and crying while his mother held her hand over his mouth to silence him in fear of being found and killed.
Sometimes its hard for me to believe that these kids have been through so much. They look and act so different than when they were in Gulu. They truly have been saved and transformed, so much that even their legal guardians and families don't recognize them. Everytime i get to hear their stories and talk about life, the power of redemption and justice rises up within me. I get excited as i get to peer into their hearts for a moment glimpsing the reality of an experience i will never understand, yet knowing that because they have gone through it, they will be and have already started transforming lives and carrying justice back to a hopeless generation. I caught a piece of revelation today as sought the heart of God. There will be war to enter every promiseland. but God fights for us, so how much more powerful is it when we defeat what looks like the impossible army and become victors to take hold of what God has said and ordained over our lives. When everything goes wrong, where there is a hopeless situation, and dieing surrounds us, we know that the power of redemption lies in the resurrection. God will not abandon us. He steps into the war, brings hope, changes the outcome, fulfills his promise and uses the victims and casualties for His glory. The promise land awaits us. I want to be wreckless enough to listen and obey, to fight the battle that keeps me from it. In as much as i feel honored to teach these kids about life issues, i feel they could teach me more than i could ever teach them. theyve been through the war, and they've been redeemed in it. The beauty of God is turning mourning into dancing, despair into hope, brokenness into gold, rags into robes, poverty into riches, sickness into health, darkness into light, and death into life. the beauty of God is transformation and these kids are gonna transform the world just as they've been. I see beauty in every single one of them, and i continue to love them and pray for them to receive the fullness of Christ in them. Christopher wants to be an evangelist and jimmy wants to be the future president of Uganda.

Home again

I landed back in entebbe uganda last friday morning after spending Christmas and New Years in the States. When I stepped off the plane, the atmosphere was different than when i had left. Not only was it warmer, but it smelled like a new year. I knew I was stepping off a plane into a fresh start and I couldn't wait to see my African family. I got home where everyone greeted me with hugs and excitement. I decided to sleep a little, but not much because I couldn't wait to wrap the presents i had brought for Marike and the Jones family. Friday evening we had a second Christmas where the Jones boys unwrapped their gifts in excitement and joy. Its not often that they receive gifts from America. After opening their tranformer, robot, guitar hero, cranium, t-shirt, and star wars legos, they each came and hugged me one by one as i thought to myself, this is what Christmas is all about. Family and blessing. The following morning Marike and I left for Jinja with 29 of the UJV children ages 12-18. I got to the UJV and the girls were outside waiting for us. They came and hugged me welcoming me back home. As we waited for the bus to arrive, the boys kept peaking out of their room in shyness to come greet me, yet they wouldn't come out. Instead they kept looking out in excitement that I had returned. The grins on their faces gave their emotions away. Jimmy yelled from behind the door, "Auntie Maria!" thinking I wouldn't know it was him. OF course i know Jimmy's voice though, so i called back to him and yelled "Jimmy!" while he started laughing his crazy loud laugh. I had missed these kids more than i realized and i was so excited to be welcomed back in more love than ive ever known.
We drove 2 hours to Jinja, stopping on the way for the kids to "sousu" in the woods. i hate that word, it just sounds nasty. While we were waiting for the kids to finish up, an truck drove by us with some young african men. The one man asked Memory if he could have the mizungus (the whites) in our bus. Memory laughed and started preaching the gospel to him as they drove away.
When we reached Jinja, they showed us around and ate lunch. Rice, greens, chapattis and beans. typical african meal. The kids then walked 45 minutes to the lake while i rested in my room from my jetlag and lack of sleep. They returned tired and frustrated for having to walk that far. They knew before they left it would be a 45 minute walk, but they were still eager to swim in Lake Victoria.
The following day was sunday so we woke up and had church. Sharon and Concy lead worship with Memory and Sunday interpreted Memory's message. Worship was amazing as the kids went into deep prayer. They went up to the microphone praying from their hearts and even in tongues. It was so powerful that it stirred my heart in hunger as i know it did others. I'm so proud of who they've become in Christ and how well they have started to lead. Jimmy gave testimony of overcoming voices that have spoken death to him in the night. He said He stood firm on God's word and told the voices to be quiet. And they did. After sharing I asked Jimmy if he had experienced that before and how often. He said maybe 3 times before. So i prayed with him then to rebuke all the voices and all the lies so it wouldn't happen again. I even broke any spirit of death, fear or cursing on Him.
AFter service, we went out to the ropes course where the children could not stop smiling. The loved swinging, climbing, balancing, and flying. for some it was difficult, but they all pushed through to the end. I skipped around alot, but covered everything eventually. The first challenge was 10 tire swings to climb across. It wore me out like an old woman. When i got to the end, i sat for 10 minutes to catch my breath. I got back up and went to face the rope swing, but in my fear, i chickened out. and went ahead to the tight ropes. Before I finished the course I came back to the rope swing with a couple of the boys. they encouraged me and said i could i do it. So i grabbed the rope as high as i could, i took a big step back, and ready to swing i stopped and said "I cant do it!". so jimmy took the rope and swung himself over. Richard then grabbed the rope from him and swung himself back. So i said, ok im gonna do it! and when i grabbed the rope, i couldnt do it. So colline came and asked for my camera. I gave it to him as he went and took pictures. Jimmy again said, Maria you can do it. I looked at him and said, your right. I grabbed the rope, i jumped and i swung and then i crashed. I landed in the dirt. and i said, oh no, yeah right. I got back on the platform, grabbed the rope held my feet up and swung successfully to the other side. Colline even got a picture of me! It was amazing how a little encouragement and a little determination can conquer fear. It's really true that the best side of you comes out when you're simply loved and believed in.
As Jimmy helped me with my fear, I helped Janet with hers. She was screaming and crying and freaking out on the tight ropes. I stood next to her with my hands up for full support if she fell and told her relax, u got this. Just take a deep breath and keep your eyes on the end. She then proceeded to walk the whole way through.
I asked the children what they learned on this retreat and how they overcame their challenges. They said they learned how to listen to their leaders, and how to respect authority. They learned how to kill mosquitoes and how to be patient. Stephen (the oldest boy) said the ropes course was most challenging because he was too weak and he overcame it by pushing on through. Jimmy and Susan said if they could have done something differently it would have been outreach in Jinja. They wanted to pray for people!

After returning home, i sorted through the donations that i brought and the donations my church gave me for the children. I made a plastic bag for every child with a present inside. the older boys got flashlights, cds, socks, while the older girls received clothes, purses, shoes, and jewelry. The younger kids got toys such as trucks, mr potato head, spongebob, balloons, stickers, and balls. I brought them all to the UJV and met with all of them as a group telling them my church donated and I also contributed to bringing them gifts. As i handed out each designated gift, their eyes lit up with excitement and surprise. They were not used to getting electronics, nice bags, high heels or jewelry. they were used to getting small toys. They all thanked me and started using their gifts right away. Joy leaped inside of me as i saw my kids glowing with smiles. I could see in their faces they felt extremely loved.

Yesterday after writing a report of the Jinja retreat, Pastor Robert and the mamas were meeting with all of the boys to discuss respect and obedience. I joined the meeting as this had started to be an issue for me last month with the children. As Pastor Robert spoke of respecting authority and being obedient to take care of themselves in bathing and washing their clothes, the boys nodded their heads in understanding and laughed at Stuart for being covered in dirt at the moment. when the meeting concluded, all 30 boys stood up and came to us one by one to shake our hands and say thank you. As each one grabbed my hand and looked into my eyes, i melted in unbelief that i had the privilege of being loved and respected by these kids. these kids were beaten, abused, undisciplined, mistrusting, fearful, and had experienced more trauma than i could ever imagine. And now they came one by one, thanking me, and telling me they would obey and they were grateful. There was trust in their eyes and they knew they were loved. The last boy to thank me was the boy that everyone calls my son. His name is Bosco and he is 14. They call him my son because somehow the Lord used me to get him to start speaking English. I spent a little bit of time each day with him, trying to talk to him, but mostly feeling like i was talking to myself. Then one day he started talking and grew more and more bold. We became close friends and now he's my son. So as Bosco came to thank me, he smiled wide and grabbed my hand squeezing ever so tightly in a playful manner saying thank you as he ran away. It was at that moment that I realized i was home again and i wouldn't be happier anywhere else.

Now in Uganda

I came to Africa with a heart for the orphans and the ones that had been stolen from by the Spirit of poverty for decades. When I first arrived I spent countless time leaning into the heart of God as I found myself in a place so foreign to me and having no perspective on what my role would be at the Uganda Jesus Village. I knew that I was falling in love with the children, and I desired to bring the kingdom of god into their lives as fully as possible, but didn’t know what my practical job would look like. As my relationships grew with the children and the staff of the UJV, I found myself building a ministery that I didn’t have to plan out. I had built a ministry on relationships. I spent evening after evening with the children, chatting with them about life issues, about what God was speaking and about their potential. I found myself living life with them. They started to creep into my heart in a way that I had never experienced before. I had stepped into a role that I had always dreamed about but never knew what it would be like. I had stepped into motherhood. I gained 62 children, a heart of compassion so deep that no words could express, and a wisdom that was not my own but seemed to flow out of my core in glimpsing the bigger picture. I can’t believe 9 months have passed. Its been the biggest journey I’ve ever been on as every day is a new adventure. I’ve started to see every day as a an opportunity to change a paradigm, to change a heart, to change a life in Christ. Every day is a new day to touch and to speak life and potential to the one in doubt. Amidst every trial of possessions being stolen, lies being told, disrespect from the children, cultural conflict, and even loneliness, God never ceases to amaze me with His glory, His gifts, and His outpouring of Love and provision in my life. He’s called me to Uganda at this time and in this moment to bring transformation and glory to a nation. He’s called me to touch and love the one and to empower the future leaders of tomorrow. That call is not just for anyone. It’s for me. The Lord has said I’m a jewel so rare you’d have to search the world to find it and so beautiful it shines even in the dirt and the darkness. I’m a precious stone and I am chosen and anointed to bring wholeness to a nation. How does this happen? By leaning into the heart of God one day at a time.

The Crestline Newspaper

The blog site didnt capture the full article..diana is missing from the photo :( But if you go to her site at invitationintosupernatural.blogspot.com you should be able to see it!

Toronto Then MA

I'm home in Massachusetts visiting for a few days, and wow has it been great! I left my phone in the hotel in Mansfield Ohio and we drove to Cleveland before I remembered it. So they sent it to my house. I had my phone switched to a new phone anyways though because my battery was dead and i have no money to buy a new one. So now i have a new phone, its been so wonderful to see my parents and spend time with them! Its amazing to actually have a place where I know i can relax and feel at home! I love my bed, and its been so nice to have access to things i left at home (i.e. old journals, books, pictures, clothes, shoes, accessories). Its been so nice to have a room to worship in and spend alone time with Jesus whenever i want. Its so good to rest after being 3 months on the road!
After we left Mansfield, we drove to Cleveland and ministered in the public square downtown. Diana preached and we got to pray with a man that responded. God was doing a major work in his heart and life as he was crying before we even got to the ministry time. We drove right after that ministry time to Toronto Canada where we got to spend the first night with Bruce's friend from TACF and a ginormous canadian cat! That week there was an annual youth conference at the church called Fresh Wind and felt like the Lord wanted us to stay for it. But we could no longer stay with Mel (Bruce's friend) because she was housing other guests for the conference. Which totally fine, but it turned out we didnt know where else to stay. So we prayed and prayed and the second night we ended up actually in a hotel that the Lord told us he would provide for, and the third day he started giving me so much faith that the doors would be opened for us to stay. He told me to start declaring in the Spirit that we would have a place to stay. So i did. I just started saying "we're going to have a place stay. The doors will be opened" multiple times. Sure enough, a lady started talking too me and when she heard my story, she said she had a place for us, and that she even needed rides to the conference so we were able to meet her need as well! We even got into the conference free as our host connected us to volunteer and serve for a few hours for it. God truly provided and opened a door for us. The conference was so refreshing and I was even given a word of knowledge by someone that week about my headaches and inner healing as well. It was so wonderful to be ministered to! Thank you Jesus!

Crestline Ohio

We are staying with Diana's great aunt (Lois)in Crestline Ohio. This is only our second day here. She got us an interview, as soon as we arrived, with the newspaper in Crestline where we got to share our story. So next wednesday our story will come out and bring God even greater glory! Amazing eh?
Aunt Lois has a friend that was oer here the first night we arrived. We chatted for a while about what we've been doing and she was so excited about all of it that she went home and just started reading her bible till she fell asleep. Well she called aunt Lois and told her that ever since she talked to us and went home to pray and read she's seen great change! Her husband is a cars salesman and hasnt sold any cars recently. Well he made a sale yesterday! And her family never comes to visit her even though they are in town all the time. Well they randomly stopped by yesterday to visit. God's really doing a work in her life!
We were praying today for aunt Lois and we started to worship. and During worship Diana went to sit next to her and just grabbed her hand. Well after we were done, Wunt Lois said that she had a horrible headache, but when Diana came over touched her hand, the headache immediately left. She couldnt believe it! Jesus is amazing!! I love that we can carry an atmosphere of heaven, that the Gospel is demonstrated with power!

Demon Possessed man Delivered, Set Free, and Saved!

Yesterday Diana woke up and said she had a dream about me. In the dream I was crying and when she asked me what was wrong, I said God is just giving me His heart for Kentucky.
So before we drove to Ohio, we went back to Louisville to do some more ministry. We ended up preaching downtown and as we were doing so, the security guard came up to us and asked us to cross the street because we were standing and preaching on a corner that belonged to 4th Street Live. So we picked up our amp and were about to cross the street when we see a man on the other side about to cross towards us. He was talking to himself and it was blatantly clear that he had a demon. So when the light changed, we waited for him to come across to us and we started talking to him. We shared with him the Gospel of Jesus and you could see him pause, listen to the demon, and then respond with something to refuse. He even quoted scriptures at times. So as we started to talk in circles with this guy because demon’s try to distract every way imaginable, we asked him if we could pray for him. He finally agreed. So we did and afterwards I asked him how he felt. He started to listen to the demon again and I got his attention again and said how did u feel? So he answered me and said he felt like he was in the right place at the right time. So we invited him to go have coffee with us.
We sat with him and talked to him over coffee for an hour or two. This guy told us he had been bipolar, had a very emotional childhood and experienced a crossover experience. He was so in the supernatural that the world had no matter to him at all. It was just flesh. He had even had hormonal problems. So in this crossover experience he met his “friend”. We compared his “friend” (who had come to him looking like an angel a couple years ago and asked him to serve him) to Jesus and then also to the angels that serve God. We told him an angel of God would always point to Jesus, not to himself. So we made clear that his friend was evil and not of God and talked him through all of it. Even though the demon would lie to him as we were talking to bring confusion and would totally distract him and detour the conversation. So finally we got down to the point where we asked him to make a choice. To serve the Creator or the creation. To serve God or his friend. We told him all the confusion could leave in two seconds and the parts of him that he felt had been eaten and died could be restored and resurrected back to life with Jesus. So finally he asked, well what would that require of me? And we told him to Love God with your soul heart and mind and to serve no other. He said “would that mean he would make me more like him?” And we said yes, to look more like Jesus. So he finally said Sure! So we went to pray but we we told him to repeat after us he couldn’t do it. There was too much confusion going on in him. So finally, I felt led to just just take authority and command the demon to be silent and to leave. And for Jesus to come in with truth and light. And Diana and I prayed in tongues over him for a little bit and when we were done, he said I just don’t know how to handle what im feeling. And Diana thought it was the battle going on inside him, but he said no. Its like perfect peace! And we could no longer see the demon there. Diana went inside to get some paper for contact info and I asked him if he felt more free. He said yes..like theres no boundaries. And he started laughing. And the demon was no longer in his laugh either. So we got up and started walking with him and he turned to us with a huge smile on his face and said, do u guys believe or feel like you are children of God? and we said yes! And he said me too and we all started laughing on the street. IT WAS AWESOME! This guy got set free and delivered and now had the revelation from God himself that he was God’s child! He was so filled with the joy of the Lord! So we started telling him a little bit more in terms of reading his bible and walking with Jesus, and he no longer argued with us or detoured from the conversation. He received every word! :) YAY JESUS!

I think it was also so amazing to have this happen yesterday not just because we got a salvation, but because I had been really pressing in and contending for being able to deliver demon possessed people on the streets. I've had dreams about it, and every time i encounter someone it literally breaks my heart to see them walk away still bound. I've just never done it before and wasn't sure how to. So I love that the Lord has answered my prayers in this area to start training me! Thank you Jesus!

Total Surrender

So, I wanted to share with you guys my experience in Mozambique last summer because I never really did. This was the sermon i preached the sunday after my return home, when i was completely wrecked for 7 days straight with the presence of God. I thought I needed to share this word because surrender is what leads us to intimacy with Jesus. This is going to be a little long, but I pray you receive!

Before I went to Mozambique I had no idea what to expect. I knew it was third world and we'd be seeing the poorest of the poor, But I had no idea what it would be like to live there or what the orphanage would be like. I was scared of what to expect. But when I went, I was welcomed with loving arms. The kids had so much love to give. From the moment we got there, they ran up to the car to greet us. Everytime we walked out of the visitors compound, theyd be climbing all over us. Theyd beckon us through other visitors. These kids could not get enough of us.
These kids also had a faith I had never seen before. Even if you didn't ask for prayer, they would just come up, lay their hands on you and push you into the dirt to pray for you. Whenever I was laying out in the Spirit, the kids would come over and sit by me and pray for me as i layed there. They knew the power of God and they wanted to see it. They desired to be apart of it. I believe noone is ever too young to know and experience the love of Jesus or give his love away. Jesus said let the children come because theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.

The spirit moved there in ways that I've seen before, but is not prevalent in America. Every single time we met together, the Lord showed up. Even on the streets for street ministry. Even when there were only 8 of us in a dark park. The Holy Spirit showed up. While I was there, I did crafts with the kids, I went on street ministry, I went to the bush and I did hospital ministry. At the hospital ministry, we would pray over every child in each individual bed and we passed out bananas. A blind girl got healed, and when I went back the second time a week later, half the beds that I had prayed over before were empty because the kids were better and left. What I thought would be the hardest ministry for me to do, was my favorite ministry. I went 3 times and I'd go back in a heartbeat.

Street Ministry was where we gathered kids in the area and held a little service on the street. We sang songs and preached. And we handed out bread. The kids were so hungry for Jesus. When we prayed over them, they were so ready to receive. They wanted more of God. One older lady stopped by, she had stopped by the previous week, and becky and I prayed for her. She started to cry because she was so blessed by it. She was smiling and the Lord had clearly touched her that night. It was so powerful to see Jesus worshipping in the streets.
We also went to the Bush, the wilderness where it felt like New Testament times. There was no running water, no electricity, one room houses. They cooked outside on a fire and spent the day washing clothes and doing dishes. It was mostly women in the church. They were mixing their old ways with Christianity and a lot of ministry needed to be done there. We walked door to door and prayed for the sick as well.
The first Thursday I was there, we were at church and at the end of the service, we were in worship and I was sitting worshipping the Lord when a mozambiquian friend came over and started to pray for me, just whispering. He put two fingers on my back and the Lord's presence just came upon me and I laid down on the floor in the Spirit. I started to cry as images of the U.S came to my mind. My heart was broken for America. Here I was in Mozambique and my heart was crying for the U.S to know God.
The following Thursday, the preaching was about God's Calling on our lives. When I went to the alter for clarity of my calling, I again just fell before the Lord Weeping with tears. I couldn't stop. My Spirit was BROKEN for America. Don't get me wrong, I felt joy in the spirit, the joy of the Lord after all this, but the Lord was just placing in me a heart for the States.
God didn't stop here. I thought he was done, but he wasn't. The Monday before I left, we had church in the morning. We worshipped, and danced around and they prayed over us because we were leaving the next day. After we received prayer, we prayed in groups of 4 or 5. I prayed with the same guy that had prayed for me that Thursday before and a longer term missionary that had been drunk in the spirit for 5 days. (I didn't know he had been filled by the Spirit for 5 days until afterwards) Well, I went down in the Spirit for the entire service. Just resting in God's presence. God said to me "I'm not Done". "Im not done with you and then He said "I have yet to reveal my glory in the States". "Im not Done". Rolland Baker was speaking this entire time and i had no idea what He was saying because I was out. the only part of the sermon i heard was you should be in the presence of God all the time! when your doing dishes, playing soccer, doing laundry, whatever your doing. Amen! But all I could do was sit with Jesus and say Lord, I want more, more of your presence. So the service ended, and I thought I was fine, I stood up and I walked out of the prayer hut, the meeting room, and I saw sasha, another visitor, and I put my arm around her, and the Spirit just came over me and fell down in laughter bringing her with me. We both rolled in the dirt for a few minutes laughing. She got up and I didn't. I laid there for another 10 min in the dirt. Finally someone came and told me I had to go back to the compound. So they helped me up and the kids walked me back. I was really weak, and I was drunk in the Spirit all day long. All I could think was don't take your presence from me, More of you Lord and less of me. The long term missionary that had prayed with me that morning, was drunk with me and he looked at me and told me "God's not done with you". Total confirmation. Some of the girls on my team had never experienced the Spirit like that before, some of them wanted it, and some of them just didnt even know what to do. I hadnt even thought of what they were thinking. But my team leaders both wanted it so bad. Jennie got in the dirt with me and i prayed for her and she started rolling in laughter with me. She was fillled with the Spirit and the joy of the Lord! I went to bed, and woke up with more strength, but I was still drunk. I had more strength i believe because God knew I had to get a plane to go home that day. In the airport my friend Becky had to help me walk at times. Doug had told me the day before that I would be a distraction on the plane tomorrow. Well I was. It was 3am, all the lights were off, people were all sleeping except me and my friend next to me. I was totally drunk, but had learned to control the volume of my laughter, to the point of silence by that time, but the Lord wouldnt let me sleep, and quite frankly, I liked his presence so much i didnt really wanna sleep. But I ended up putting my arm on the armrest right next to Caitlen. And as soon as i touched her, she burst into laughter. So loud, and so much that tears were flowing from her eyes. the Spirit is contagious! Id never seen her laugh like that before!
The Lord was preparing me to come home, and to bring the anointing with me. God wants His PRESENCE HERE!!!! God wants you to be carriers of the anointing! God wants you to be carriers of His presence! He's not DONE!!!

Theres 3 important factors to address in cultivating His presence. Recognizing the Holy Spirit as God, Complete Surrender, and Making Time.

The first thing is that we need to recognize and acknowledge the Holy Spirit as God. We need to recognize that the Holy Spirit is a vital part of the Trinity in which God reveals Himself to us. 1 Corinthians 12:7 says the manifestation of Spirit is given to each one for profit of all. 1 Corinthians 2:10-13 Says the Spirit searches all things, the deep things of God. The Spirit of God is the only one that knows the things of God. We have received the Spirit from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. The Holy spirit teaches.
Chapters 14-16 of John tell us that the Holy Spirit is the Teacher, Revealer, Reminder, and Predicter. He tells us things to come. He reminds of what God has done, He brings revelation, and He brings the Glory of God.
He comes to glorify the Father.
Exodus 33, The Spirit came to Moses. The Lord said My Presence Will go with you. Moses said Show Me your Glory and the Lord descended and passed over Him . The Holy Spirit was given that we would be able to experience God's glory. We would be able to walk in His Presence at all times.

D. We do not pray enough to the Holy Spirit. We ask for God's power and his presence, but we do not pray directly to the Holy Spirit. We address him as Father God, or Lord Jesus. We do not say "Holy Spirit, speak to me."

E. Acts 1:8 says the Spirit gives us power from on high. When we minister, when we come before God to enter his presence, when we want to listen for God to speak, whenever we are seeking the Lord for his goodness, we need to recognize that the Holy Spirit is the one we should be addressing. Its through Holy Spirit that we receive His presence, His voice, and His power. the Holy Spirit is a person and just as much God as the Son and the Father. Why not address Him like He is.


The second factor is that In order for the Holy Spirit to manifest His Presence, He needs an empty vessel. Matt 16:24-27 Jesus says to his disciples, if anyone desires to come after Me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. God requires Complete and total Surrender. We have to die to ourselves in order to live in Christ. We have to deny our lives and seek Him. Matt 19:16-22 The Rich Young Ruler- He kept God's commands, but when Jesus said Sell all that you have and give to the poor and follow me, he walked away. Jesus requires all that we have. God requires our WHOLE heart. There can be no partiality. This is the scripture God gave me in my dream. Deuteronomy 4:24 For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. Deuteronomy 4:29 From there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. I had asked the Lord mid way through my trip how I could give him my whole heart. The Lord answered my prayer, he made me want him more than anything else. he made it about him. Midway through my trip, the Lord was telling me to fast and pray. I had never fasted for an entire day before because of my headaches so I didn't fast. Well one night, my friend Domingos said something along the lines of you need to fast if u want to learn portuguese. And then I read in 1 Samuel 7 that Samuel prayed and fasted. I wrote in my Journal "The Anointing power will come when I pray, fast and prepare my heart. It costs my sacrifice and surrender for God to work through me. Sure enough, I fasted and the Lord gave me a dream to preach to the people at street ministry. 1 Samuel 6 The Ark symbolized the presence of God. They had to sacrifice soooo much just to get the Ark to another place. Sacrifice and Offering is required.
When we want God more than anything else, that is when the Holy Spirit comes. When our hearts are not parted with anything else.

The Last point is that if we want God more than anything else, we will spend most of our time with Him. When we love someone we can't get enough of that person. As Americans we have crazy busy schedules, but God calls for our time. It is the most important thing we can give. When we give up our time, it shows our priorities. God requires our Time! There is no time limit on God. He moves when he wills. In Mozambique is is so easy for the spirit to move because they have so much time to give him.They Wait for Him. The Psalms tell us to wait patiently for the Lord. This requires time. God's presence shows up when we give him time.
In Conclusion, We need to keep the presence of God with us at all times. When we are doing the dishes, talking with friends, typing on the computer, doing our day to day activities. We need the Holy Spirit in our lives. We need to have complete dependency on the Holy Spirit.
Romans 5:1-5 says that faith is produced by dependence on God. Dependence on God produces hope and hope comes from the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Therefore the outpouring of the Holy Spirit comes when we have full dependency on God. We need to examine our lives, surrender our whole heart, and receive the anointing and the presence of God He freely gives to us.

Just pray now, Jesus, search me and know my heart, show me the things I need to give up or the things that are in the way of you, show me where i can spend more time with you. Show me how to surrender my whole heart. I give you permission Lord to wreck me. I give you permission to take all of me. I want you God, more than anything else. Come Holy Spirit, and fully posses me!

The Bride Shaken!

Driving in the car to Albuquerque NM with Diana, and worshipping and praying with Jason Upton on, I had a vision. I saw a picture of a bride, and she had all kinds of jewels on her….She had the wedding dress on but then like thick jewels all over the dress. And all of a sudden the Jewels started falling off and she started too shake. And the Lord said, I’m shaking my bride. And the jewels that the church has adorned herself with are going to fall off. And I’m going to set my seal, and my crown upon her. Then I saw a seal and a crown put upon her. And I believe the jewels represented all of the works, saving a million souls, creating a bunch of outreach programs and bible studies, community service, serving the poor, setting up small groups, meetings and more meetings and all the things that the world and the church calls or would call great and wonderful. And the things that the church has taken pride in…and The Lord said I’m going to shake It! and set my seal upon it because our jewels and our crowns that are given to us are based on his seal and our intimacy with him. It is not our works. It is not what the world would see as good. Although saving a million souls is awesome, and healing the sick and helping the community are all great and amazing things, The Lord adorns us and crowns us because we’re kids! And his ways aren’t our ways. The church will be shaken to intimacy!! We’ve placed jewels upon ourselves and the Lord is going to strip those things. Pride will come down only to be made a kid of the most High J

3-24-07 Testimonies in Kentucky

We drove to Kentucky on Wednesday this week and have been staying with a friend in Lawrenceburg. The Lord has been speaking some awesome things to me, and bringing revelation and power to me in my times with Him. 2 Chronicles has rocked my world this week! 2 Chronicles 7 talks about Fire coming down from Heaven and consuming the sacrifices and the glory filling the Tabernacle. This is such a picture of the baptism of the Holy Spirit now that we are under the new convenant. God brings tangible fire from heaven to consume us that His glory may dwell in us and spread! But only as we surrender and offer ourselves (our bodies) as wholly living sacrifices. FIRE FIRE FIRE!
Also reading Jehosaphat and Hezekiah and getting so encouraged and words for Louisville. Jehosaphat was told to have the Israelites stand still, just position themselves and God would fight the battle. So they did, they won and becuase of it, the nations gained a fear of the Lord. When God acts for people, a fear of the Lord should come with it! Hezekiah cried out to God on behalf of the people for mercy, and God actually answered Hezekiah "I will heal those who prepare their hearts for me". God wants to heal those who seek Him!
So tonight in Lousiville we were pumped to bring Heaven and Jesus to the streets! We parked downtown and went into Arby's to use the restroom. Well, there was one family in there eating. And the Lord gave me a word for the mother. He told me she had migraines and wanted to heal her. So I walked up to her, and asked her if she ever got migraines and when she said "yes occasionally, why do you need medicine?", i told her no no but the Lord told me you did and that I believe she would be healed if i could pray for her. I also wanted to stir up her faith and told her that I too battle migraines, but the Lord has healed me and continues to do so. So She said yes, I asked for her name, prayed, and i was so hot with the fire of God that I know God did a work. She obviously didnt have a migraine right then, but i totally believe she wont ever again, and I told her that..and she thanked me.
So after that we went to the streets and a girl saw that we had a microphone and started talking to us and asking what we were doing. When we told her we were gonna preach she started asking us about Jesus and how living in sin affected her christianity. She was a homosexual and she loved God and wanted to be free from her sin and be forgiven but wasnt sure if she was ready to give up that life. But she was hungry to do so, and wanted help. So we prayed for her and gave her contact info. It was awesome to see someone, especially someone living in homosexuality, hungry for Jesus and forgiveness and repentance even if she still wasnt sure she could do it...but thats where Jesus comes in right? one Encounter and she could be changed forever with the power of God!
We also met a man that was homeless, had lost his job in november. He was hungry, tired and in need of money for food and a bed that night. He knew the Lord well, so we just got to talk to him, hear his story and pray with him, and give to him a little bit. but it was awesome because after we prayed with him, He started singing with the joy of heaven, and his response was "I dont need to eat, i dont need to sleep, im not hungry anymore, im not tired, I wanna go tell people about Jesus!" haha. This guy got so full of heaven when we prayed! God filled this man up to the point where the natural needs faded away. Talk about Heaven coming to Earth! Praise God!
Since we've been in Kentucky we got two emails from previous people we have met on this trip. One was from Bob, the red flannel shirt guy we met in Colorado who had back pain. and God was showing him that He really did care about the details of his life. We had gotten another email from him that said the number 13 (another word of knowledge) was the most dominate number he used every single day. Well, this email stated that his back was MUCH BETTER, to the point where he had no pain even when carrying luggage. and he told us he knew it started that day he met us and prayed. He was truly realizing God was interested in him.
The second email was from the woman we stayed with in Wisconsin. She was so awesome! We got to pray and prophesy over her and her daughter. And we prayed for her dad's health and the tests he just had done. We prayed for her sister's and her mom's health as well. The email said her dad's test results came back negative, and her mom was being released from the nursing home and that she'd check on Pearl as well. PRAISE JESUS!
This trip is all worth it, even if its just one that we touch. Craig Kingsley just wrote a teaching about how God is all about "the one". the individual. Jesus would have been sent and died if it had only been one person...if u had been the only one. If Jesus sent me for only one person, it'd be worth it. Simply because the individual means that much to Him! He loves and sees the one!
Biggest thing I've thought about lately on this trip is that what I could give to America in terms of Heaven/spirituality if I could. If I could leak something from Heaven everywhere I went, and if I could supernaturally impart something to everyone i touch or come into contact with, it would be Hunger! Hunger for Jesus. If people in America can get hungry and seek Him, He would be found. He says, Seek me and find me when u search for me with all your heart. But they gotta want him more than their stuff, more than entertainment, more than their social atmosphere/lives, more than their money or jobs, more than anything else. Lord give me the anointing for hunger! to light fire in people's hearts that burns for you so much God, to the point where they couldnt survive without more of you!

Nebraska, MN, Wisconsin

Hey guys! Its been a while I know! But we were in Nebraska for a week and a half. We were first in York/Henderson staying at the Patries cabin. We had a house to ourselves and really just got to rest, relax and have some fun! Amelia and Church Patrie work for a children's home in Henderson and their staff is mostly young people our age. They are care takers for the kids. So we got to hang out with them, build some amazing friendships, spend time with the girls and the boys and really minister more in discipleship. I loved hangin out with the boys and girls because we really just got to have fun and then just have converssation about Jesus. Eric, Thayne and Jay are the guys we spent most of our time with. They rock! I celebrated my birthday with them and had coffee multiple times. I believe the Lord had us there to not only minister, but to be ministered to. We had some awesome conversations about Holy Spirit and more of God. And we felt ministered to because we needed to have some really good fun! Henderson will always be dear to us! I do hope to go back and visit!
So then we went to Omaha and spent a few days there with a missions pastor and his family. He worked for Trinity Church so we went to their college group Terranova. Diana preached on the streets of Omaha and we got to pray with a few different people for drug addiction, healing, and just more of Jesus. We went to a college home group as well and I think that was the most exciting thing for us simply because it felt like the Body of Christ at work. We got there and didnt know anyone. But we ended up prophesying over the group as a whole, and then for individuals as well. So most of the group felt really ministered to. And in return, They took an offering for us. We left with almost $300 which will be our gas money for the next half of this trip! It was such a blessing! And these guys rocked! They were so hungry for more of God! Nebraska was probably my favorite place thus far! I miss the mudd, the cows, and the cornfields!
So then we headed to St. Paul minnesota for a night. We stayed with a contact we met through Thayne. He was in seminary and was really a great guy! So hospitable! Such a blessing! The Lord had given me a word to go to stop in Worthington MN on the way, so we did that and the Lord just told us to eat and listen. So thats what we did and we got some words for future notice. So after the night of staying in St Paul we didnt have a place to stay. But was still intending on heading to Chippewa Falls WI. So we prayed all day, and I felt like I heard that we'd be in Chippewa that night. But Diana was hearing Wait. So we waited all day. And we were really waiting for a contact. So Diana heard a church to call in chippewa for maybe a contact. And this guy turned us down trying to pass us on to another church. So that didnt work. And Then one of our intecessors had a contact in Minnesota, and so she called her, and she turned us down as well. So we felt like we were supposed to wait for God to give these people a chance to be blessed..so when it didnt work out, the Lord told us to go to Chippewa. So we went and when we got there, the Lord told Diana to stay at the first hotel we came to. No matter what the cost He told her He's got it. So we go into this Country Inn and its really really nice and a little expensive. So we turned around and walked out. But Diana heard the Lord say u can have this one. But we said no and went to another hotel. and it was just has expensive but not as nice. So then Diana got really really drunk in the Spirit and started laughing so hard! and God just kept showing her pictures of he not receiving. And how we need to receive! So shes laughing and we drive back to the hotel we were at and ended up staying there. And I felt like a 5 year old who wanted ice cream all day, and was forced to wait till the end of the day and when i got it, i was still mad that i had to wait all day for it. It was ridiculous cuz i really was upset. The Lord was teaching me patience in not having to act as soon as i get a word. Instead of hearing the word and then planning, he was like hear what i say and wait to act on it. And i didnt wanna do that. Cuz i like to be sure of things, i like to get things over with so i know for sure they're gonna work. So it was a good lesson, and we still need to just simply trust God in his word. Even if something is more expensive than we like it to be, He's in charge of resources. He's in charge of our heavenly bank account. So after we stayed in this hotel, we went to a couple other churches the next day. We went to a catholic church and found a priest riding a 4 wheeler around in the snow haha. But no hospitality. We were given a cd on 7 reasons to be Catholic though! So then we went to another church, non denominational and stopped in and talked to the secretary and the administrator. And Both of them had no idea what to tell us cuz they were utterly baffled about what we were doing. They had never seen or heard of anyone doing such a thing and had no idea what to say. so as they were speechless, we just kinda said thanks, God Bless and left. And the Lord was like, strangers and aliens in a foreign land :) hahaha. So then we went to this church called Crossroads and left a message for the secretary. She ended up calling us and offering us her home. She felt like the Lord was really having her do it. So She's been the sweetest person ever! And she has told us she feels like we are an answer to her prayers...has just been so blessed. We prayed with her last night and just got to share stories with her and her family. Its been awesome. And we've been doing some street stuff here as well. Prophetic words, healing, and loving! Tons of snow here, but its melting quickly now that its warmer! Thanks for your prayers guys! Keep praying..FRUIT AND GLORY! Everyday we have to recognize our need..that we are poor and desperate for his presence, for Holy Spirit, for His Kingdom. We can't function without the Bread.

Rhema and Volkswagon 2-25-07

So thanks everyone for praying for us! We were stranded in Wichita Kansas this past week. Monday we found out our car engine died completely and it would be $7200 to fix. So Monday we went to our knees in prayer! We were staying with some awesome people that weekend but ended up going to a hotel that night as they got busier during the week. On Monday, the Lord told me 2 days. And gave me scriptures such as Isaiah 60:2 and John 11:40 which talked of the glory of the Lord rising upon us and believing for it! So we trusted the Lord for 2 days. But staying in a hotel just praying, worshiping and waiting was so stressful we could barely eat. We had no transportation to the dealership so on Wednesday (the 2nd day) in faith we took our suitcases, checked out of the hotel and started walking a mile to the dealership. Well, apparently someone had called the cops and they came and pulled us over as we were on foot with out suitcases. They said someone called in 2 runaways. So they checked our ID's and for any warrants on us (yes, we came clean!) and they ended up giving us a ride to the dealership and our story even went out over their radio. One of the cops thought we were nuts when we told him we were just praying and didnt have a plan. The other guy totally believed we were there for a purpose. So we put our bags in our broken car, and we walked around that day really just feeling dead and homeless, and carless, and striving for a miracle. When we didnt see the Lord do anything or say much, he finally gave me the scripture of Hosea 6. Which says the Lord has stricken but will heal, after 2 days he will revive you, the third day will raise you up. He will come to you, He will come to you like the former and latter rain. So decided we'd make a decision the next day if the Lord didnt say or do something further. So realized the Lord really wanted us dead, and was gonna raise us up the 3rd day and restore us. Because thursday, we heard him say trade in your car and buy a newer one.
So thats what we did. The GM of the dealership was a christian and believed in what we were doing and heard our story and not only gave us rides to and from our hotel, but sold us the car for what they owned it at. They didnt make any profit off it, and they even gave us more money for Diana's old car than what it was worth. So PRAISE God for favor! But the whole dealership knew our story and the GM told us he wanted our testimony to go forth to bear fruit in that place. Well the salesman that sold us the car ended up finding a second key for us that wasnt even supposed to be there. and when he found it, he couldnt believe it. He told us "There is something about you guys". He saw the favor of God on our lives and it really made him think! We talked to him alot, and he knew the Lord, just needed to start living for Him. We got to pray with this other lady who was also a sales rep, and got to bless her business. They even prayed for us! So we truly believe God did a work in that place. And we got a new 2003 Jetta with 36,000 miles on it to start afresh on our journey.
Amidst all of this, my finances have been getting really low, and i have bills to pay this month, so in terms of funds, i could really use some more provision. Standing on the provision of the Lord for this, So if God lays it on your heart to give some more, please let me know!
So Friday morning, we drove to IHOP, in Kansas City. We didnt have a place to stay at that point and didnt want to pay for any more hotels, so we went in faith. But the Lord provided a place for us with 2 girls we didnt know, who were also visiting and had 2 extra beds in their rented apt. I actually ran into my friend Amy from Vanguard who is interning there. It was sooo good to see her! A friendly face is always amazing these days. But IHOP was awesome because of the refreshment it brought. On the way to Kansas City the Lord started saying to me Breakthrough. And I felt like Wichita was a city of dieing leading to breakthrough. Out with the old, in with the new, and having the faith for anything! So at IHOP, he whispered to me, Times of Refreshing are coming. And i was like huh thats cool. So i go to the service that night and the preacher is talking about the end times. But at the end of the message gives the altar call to die to everything, at a deeper level, and just follow Jesus. And So of course thats me! And He starts talking about Joel, and then how times of refreshing are coming! and he says that about 8 times...times of refreshing are coming. RHEMA word! So the Lord just says to me, you've given me all, keep dieing, believe for breakthrough..for HUGE signs and wonders and anointing and times of refreshing are coming!!! SHABA SHUBA SHUKA!
So spent all weekend in the prayer room at IHOP and just loved it! Theres nothing else I'd rather do than be with Jesus :)
So now we are York Nebraska, staying at a cabin next this family owns separate from their house. They are a contact of my brother's and they are super nice, and love Jesus. They work for a children's home and take care of kids who can't live with their families. So we'll be ministering there a bit, and see what God has! I'm excited. And so thankful for the plans of the Lord!
Holy Spirit you are all that I want, all that I live for, Breathe on me, possess me, and make wholly abandoned! It's all about you Jesus!

2-18-07 Wichita KS

So here's the latest!
Last weekend, Diana got really sick so we had to stay in Texas a little longer than we thought.We stayed with my mom again in her hotel with her, so it was an amazing week of rest and intimacy with the Father :) We also got to meet up with some friends/prophets that used to live in Acton, CA (where Diana is from). We got to pray and catch up with them and their kids are amazing! It made me want my own kids real soon! But the night before we left, we went out to dinner and I had spent the day with the Lord and reading about the Word of knowledge. Well, I felt like we were gonna minister at dinner. So we go, and we're sitting at the table, and Diana's back starts burning like its on fire. And shes looking around and feeling her back and is trying to figure out what is going on. Well, I told her maybe someone here has pain in their back. So the when the waitress came around, Diana asked her if she had pain in her back and pointed to the area that felt hot. And the waitress said "yes! I do! thats really weird you say that cuz I was just having someone massage it in the back. Its constantly in pain." So by the end of our meal we prayed with her and Diana gave her another word and we're believing for her healing.
So we're being obedient to the Lord in what he tells us. So Friday, we left Dallas. and We're driving out of town and Diana says to me, Maria i had a vision the other day when i was sitting on the couch. I saw a Volkswagon symbol. only it wasnt the color of mine. It was blue and silver. And i also saw something else with it. So we were trying to figure out what that meant, wondering if it was a bmw or what. But it wasnt a bmw. So we're driving through oklahoma and our engine light goes on and starts blinking. So we pull over as soon as it does and as we're doing so the engine started rattling and the car shaking and it sounded like we were dragging something...in other words, it didnt sound good!!! So we pull over and realize we need a tow truck and we have no place to stay. So it turns out we call triple A and the only volkswagon dealership is in witchita (about 70 miles north of where we are). So we have the tow truck driver take us there. Turns out, my mom has worked with someone from witchita quite a bit and she hooked us up with his name. He is a Christian, assemblies of God, and was soooo nice and sooo helpful! A true blessing! Our car broke down on a friday night, of a holiday weekend, at 5:30pm, and by the time we call this guy to help us, its 6:30. He just happened to still be at work. and his work just happens to be right next to the dealership. So, we're driving with the tow truck guy, who's name is Tony. And Tony received the Lord a year ago, December. He's a single parent of 3 children, and loves Jesus :) Well, in the past 3 months, he said he's had 6 pastors in his tow truck, and now here we are. So we talked with him a bit, and when we got to the dealership the symbol on the dealership was blue and silver just like Diana's vision. So we know that we know we're in the will of the Lord. So we meet up with my mom's coworker (Kip), and his family has taken such great care of us! But as Tony goes to leave to drive back down to Oklahoma (an hour away), he slips us $100! He was sowing into what he just received. We were blown away. He rocked.
So we've been with Kip's family this weekend. Yesterday we fed the homeless with a group in his church, and today we went to church and "sunday school". Met some awesome people.
It's just funny because we started out on friday thinking, we have no place to stay, just heading to Ihop, in kansas city, but not knowing where we're gonna sleep. So when our car breaks down, all we can think is about htat vision Diana had, and that if my mom contacts that guy, it just happens to be that we're close enough to witchita we have a place to stay tonight. I just feel like we're right where God wants us, and we've been so provided for and blessed that I can't even fathom the depths of God's plans. He knew all of this, and we had no clue, and we see His favor!
So now, we just need our car! And honestly, it sounded terrible! and Kip thinks it is either the timing belt, or a valve. Both SUPER expensive. But we dont know what it is. So we're believing in faith, and saying when the mechanics look at it tomorrow, its gonna be healed, completely fine and wont need anything. I believe God wanted us here, and when we ask we receive, so why wouldn't God act on our behalf in this case? But pray for us/with us! cuz we truly dont have the money for anything big unless God wants to provide that instead.

Holy Spirit at work in Dallas Tx 2-5-07

So guys, I've been gone a month! What a great month it has been! We are currently in Dallas and have been here for about a week now. We have visited Cleetus Adrian's church, Deliverance Bible Church and it's been awesome! They rock! their myspace page is on my top 16-check it out. They are totally hardcore christians sold out for sharing the Gospel. They love Holy Spirit and Cleetus brings the Word and the Spirit like solid food! He rocks just because of how humble, genuine, real, and really radical he is! But more than that he's raising up sold out disciples and his church is full of passionate, abandoned lovers of Christ! So its awesome, and Holy Spirit shows up. Today was church and it started at 2..got to sleep in hehe. But we just sang and welcomed Holy Spirit in until he showed up, and then prayed for the sick. And people got healed and touched by God simply by inviting Holy Spirit into the place. It was what church is really about...Getting Holy Spirit to show up so there can be healing, wholeness, forgiveness, repentence, revival! Cleetus also preached an awesome sermon on wholeness and inner healing in which our wounds can cripple our destiny and we need to shake off the attack of the enemy-the words and actions of people that have wounded us. forgive, shake off, and move on. Paul got bit by a viper and believed so much in the Word God gave Him, the destiny God had for him, that He shook that viper right off and no harm came to him. He was so sure that God's word was true over his life that when the enemy attacked, it didnt phase him. the things people said about him and spoke over him didnt phase him. So good!
So on top of all this, we've had some encounters while here. Tuesday before bible study at DBC we went to starbucks cuz the Lord told us to and talked to this guy about Healing, and God's will for healing and how the church should be believing and operating in it. and this guy was frustrated with us because he didnt believe that. He didnt doubt God could heal, but didnt believe we should give people false hope. well, funny cuz we went to the bible study afterwards and it was all about healing. We talked about it, Cleetus gave us scriptures, we talked more and then we did it! we prayed for people and people got healed! so awesome! A church that preaches the Bible, believes the Bible, and then puts the Bible into action right then and there! i love it!
So Friday we go to minister with this church. Only, we didnt have anyones numbers so noone told us they didnt actually go out that night because of weather. Well, there was no bad weather after all, but Diana and i went out to meet them and didnt find them. so we asked the Lord what to do and we ministered on the streets a little bit. We were in deep ellum, the club and bars part of town. So theres this guy on the cell phone with a crutch walkin down the street and we stop and ask him if he has a minute to talk. and he says what about and we say "your leg". so he says yeah? and we say do u believe in healing if we prayed for you? will you hang up the phone and give God a chance to bring the supernatural into the natural and for u to be healed? and he said, sure. so he got off the phone, we asked what was wrong and he said, i got stabbed. we said do u believe in Jesus and he said yes...It's just been a while since I've lived for him. So we prayed and asked him to do something he couldnt before. So he straightened and said woah! I could never do that before! and so we prayed again for total healing. He said he was on pain meds so he didnt know for sure..but yeah, just got to continue to talk to him about where his relationship was with the Lord and he said he knew the Lord was calling Him back.
So then Diana heard Taco. and there was a taco lounge bar across the street. so we went in and just got some words from the Lord. We actually got a few names. She got the name tiffany and asked a few people around what their names were. well, while she got tiffany, i got the name sarah. the first two people she asked were named sarah! and I asked the Lord for more..for something to give to them, but i didnt get anything. So I took that as the Lord just confirming in me that I do hear him and im learning this whole Word of knowledge thing. (kinda like the name i got for that waiter in Colorado). So that was fun. we ended up going to a mcdonalds on the way home cuz the Lord said go, and talked to this homeless man whose name was larry. He was a fresh of breath air. I love the poor! They are so hungry and desperate for Jesus! This guy wanted prayer for forgiveness of his sins :) And we prayed with him, bought him a cheeseburger and talked with him for a few. Loved that humble man!
So then saturday, we bought a microphone/amp for the streets so we can preach with a mic! Diana's been wanting to do mass evangelism. so yay! on the way home, I wasnt feeling that well cuz i was really hungry since we had only eaten once that day and it was texan chipotle, so my taco was too spicy and i couldnt eat it. So i really didnt have anything in my stomach but spicy chicken...so i was tired and wanted to go home. Well, the Lord had diff plans. He told us to stop at Jack in the Box. So at jack in the box, i really didnt even want anything there, but we go in cuz Diana hears Healing! so she sees this man sitting and goes to talk to him and prays with him for some emotional healing dealing with forgiveness and bitterness. And I see this guy at the counter. He was an older man and all of a sudden i felt like the Lord said healing. And my foot started to get a wierd sensation...not pain, but almost numbness or tingling or something. And God said ask him about his foot. So I said hello and he was so nice that he started talkin to me about the wedding he just went to. Well, then i asked him if he had any pain or numbness in his foot. and his eyes got big and said, Ill tell ya...i had a hurnea and ever since my right foot has been numb and the leg has loss of nerves/feeling as well. And I told him the Lord wanted to heal Him and asked him if he believed. and he said little do u know that I'm a minister to all 50 states and Latin America. This man's name was Jim Murk. He wrote a book called Islam Rising, he had a copy with him, signed it and gave it to us. We prayed for his healing, he started to feel tingling in his foot. so i believe God is going to completely recreate nerves if he hasnt already to bring total feeling back in his leg. Diana even saw in the Spirit nerves from heaven being placed in his leg and told him that. And as we talked more, he felt led to give to us financially as well! He really believed in what we were doing :) This man was so awesome! Jesus is so Awesome! Divine appointment, word of knowledge, the fellowship of the body at work! Love Holy Spirit! I want more Lord!!! I want words of knowledge for unbelievers Lord!
My mom comes to dallas tomorrow for business, so i get to see her! and stay with her for a few days! yay! i miss friends and family...the road gets lonely! so it was nice to hang out with AJ, and my cousin, and his friends this weekend.
Pray for more finances and provision, and protection, and more of His Spirit, voice, and presence! and guys, call me! i miss u all!
Oh yeah, and this word of knowledge thing-im learning, and u all have access to it too if u believe...He says ask and receive...so thats what ive been doin! We're his kids, why wouldn't he give to us (matt 7:7-11). Why wouldnt He talk to us so we could hear His voice? (Jer 33:3). The normal Christian life should include hearing God in the details of our lives..Pursue him for it! Believe for it! You are His kid!