The Childrens Cancer Ward

JESUS LOVES THE CHILDREN

Oh how Jesus loves them..... In the bible it says, Then little children were brought to Jesus that He might put His hands on them and pray......Jesus says, "Let the little children come to Me......for of such is the kingdom of heaven.....

We arrived at the hospital to find many outside with there children just getting some fresh air, arriving or leaving. We brought with us, finger puppets, stuffed animals, hygiene packs and a bible for the parents. On our way to the children's cancer ward we handed out finger puppets and stuffed animals to some visiting children and patients. We split into groups of two or three to go into the rooms and pray for the children.

All our hearts were filled with compassion for the child who lay on the bed before us being robbed of life by some form of cancer. Our hearts continued to be wrecked to see the expression of desperation, exhaustion and grief on the mothers and fathers faces for the countless hours and weeks being at their sick child's bedside. For us, there was nothing we could offer in our own strength. This was a time of knowing that only Jesus could bring the true fruit of love and healing to the ones in front of us. He knows them by name and sees their every tear. We are the hands and feet of Jesus. We laid hands on these precious children that the Faith of God in us would bring freedom to these children and restored joy to the parents. As we spoke to the pain and cancer to bow to the name of Jesus and leave their bodies. Then to receive in the mighty name of Jesus the kingdom of heaven which is there bodies being restored and reconciled back to the original state the way God intended "Pure health free from sickness and disease.'" Glory be to the Father God, for we did see breakthrough with a young man of about 15 who was suffering from a lot of pain in his head and back, due to leukemia. After we prayed in the precious name of Jesus, the boys pain was relieved and there was a peace about him. We also prayed with his mother and many other mothers.  We held them in our arms while they cried, we cried with them and prayed for strength, peace and joy to restore their weary and broken hearts.

We had an opportunity to pray with a mother named Diana and her baby son Edwin. They were in quarantine, but they allowed us to go in due to the circumstances. Diana was told that the doctor was releasing her and the baby to go home that day. They told her there was nothing more they could do for Edwin and that he would die in the next few days. Well, we believe man does not have the last say but God does. We prayed for little Edwin only a few months old who had a very large tumor on his eye and face which had caused paralysis to half his face. We believe the Fathers heart is to heal Edwin through the finished work of the cross where Jesus bore all sickness forever. We spoke for Edwin to receive healing to his body in the name of Jesus, and that Edwin will not die but live, declare the works of the Lord. This is the promise of God the Father!!! Haidee declared over the mother that she and her son Edwin would not leave the hospital that day. This declaration has come to pass because after we prayed in the name of Jesus LIFE happened and we found out that the doctors changed there mind. We had a report that they kept Edwin in the hospital because there was hope for him to live. We will continue to get update's from his mother Diana. Praise and glory be to God!!! 

When you walk into a children's cancer hospital ward, you see something terribly wrong. What rises up, is to make it right. Jesus has already made all things right, new and whole and Jesus has called us to bring the Kingdom of heaven to earth. We did and will continue to step out in what we know to be right, heal the sick, cast our demons, raise the dead and cleanse the lepers. We have so freely received and will freely give away what has been given to us.

We will NOT GIVE UP!!!!!!!!!

Kim 

 

 Revive me according to your word.

The word of God says:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,

Because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor;

He has sent Me to heal the broken hearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives

And recovery of sight to the blind,

To set liberty those who are oppressed;

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

Jesus came and fulfilled these word completely and now Jesus fulfills these same words as Jesus lives in us and through us. 

The pictures above are from a church we attended with a community of every age engaged in colorful, expressive, joyful worship. They sang, danced and waved flags in beautiful white and green costumes. Children, youth and young adults did many worshipful dances with colorful flags. This is the church where our friend and chef from PAN mission house (Indera) attends with her family. That night she shared the miraculous healing story of her mother in law named Myra who had kidney failure and diabetes and was completed set free and renew to full capacity of life through Jesus. We shared what we had been learning, and gave testimony of miraculous healings. We asked everyone to stand and we declared these words out loud together:

Jesus is Lord of my life. Sickness and disease have no power over me.

I am dead to sin and alive unto righteousness.

I am FREE from forgiveness and strife. I forgive others as Christ has forgiven me,

for the love of God is shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Ghost.

Jesus bore my sins in His body on the tree; therefore I am dead to sin and alive unto God and by His stripes I am healed and made whole.

Jesus bore my sickness and carried my pain. Therefore I give no place to sickness or pain. For God sent His Word and healed me.

Father, because of Your Word I am an overcomer. I overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil, by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony. 

Gods word is true and His promises are for all who will believe and trust in Him. We invited people to come to receive Gods love to set them free from what ever was oppressing them. They all streamed up to the front in such expectation of the good news, so much trust that Jesus would meet them in what they asked to receive. Their hearts were so open to receive. Men, woman and children were in tears before we even laid hands on them to pray. The powerful love of God was meeting them in their need. One elderly lady I prayed for was so struck by the powerful love of God she shook and fell to her knees and then the floor resting in His love and the words that flowed from her lips were, "Glory be to God, Glory be to God." She was healed physically and emotionally. She said, "I am free."

Liz had a very powerful encounter with a young man. They prayed for him and he literally collapsed in Liz's arms. She held him as he began to sob and sob. And Liz held him as the Lord was healing this mans broken heart. When we were leaving this young man was outside with his girlfriend. He spoke these words to Liz, "when you were holding me in your arms, I felt the power of God imparted into my heart, it was like the mother heart of God, healing my heart." He said, "you reminded me of my mother." This was so powerful for Liz and the rest of us to hear and see how the Lord worked through Liz to impart Gods healing love and see the transformation of this young mans entire countenance change from sadness, despair into joy and hope for a future in the strength of the Lord. (Please see the picture above of the young man, his girlfriend and Liz)

Again we experience the sick recovered, healing of broken hearts, the oppressed and captives set free. This is the good, good, very good news that is for everyone to receive.

Are you broken hearted? 

Are you sick or faced with a bad report from the doctor?

Are you oppressed, depressed or captive and need to be set free?

Are you poor, lost your job, not sure how to pay the next bill?

Are you strained with a love one?

There is good news for you!!!!! 

His name is JESUS - HE IS THE GOOD NEWS

Open your heart to Jesus and He will reveal His great love to you.

Jesus said, "I am the way, the the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

What are you waiting for?   Today is the day!

The time is now to believe in your heart that Jesus died for you, to forgive all your sins and make you into a new creation.

If you confess, with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

When you call on the name of Jesus you shall be saved!

Tell someone!

Kim

 

Today was our Sabbath so we spent the day at the beach!  It was a beautiful drive to Montelimar Beach on the Pacific Ocean.  We had a day pass at the only all-inclusive resort in Nicaragua.  First up was breakfast at the buffet.  Then we all settled into our preferred locations.  Half of us stayed by the pool while the other half went to the beach.  I went to the beach.  I wanted to hear the ocean and swim in the sea.  Annette was very firm about her swimming rules.  There is a strong undertow at the beach so she insisted that we stay in water below our waist and that we only swim in a group.  Well, she was right; the undertow was strong and the water was so rough it pulled your pants off!
Our little group of beach bums spent the day walking along the shore and beachcombing.  There were many treasures to be found.  For most of the day, we were the only people on the beach.  Even the lifeguards joined our beachcombing efforts. 
Lunch at the buffet had fresh fish and paella--yay!  The day ended with bodysurfing in the ocean while the sun was setting.  There was much laughter and shrieks of joy.  What a perfect day, a true gift from God.

with Christ,
Sandie

What Did We Just See?

 

After we visited Rosa, the little girl, we went to visit an older woman who has been in bed for 8 months. It turns out she is 60 years old and the last time she went to the doctor  he told her there was nothing more they could do for her . As I went into the small bedroom to meet Mayra , she seems so fragile and I reached down to hug her. It was too crowded for all of us so I went out into the open area and sat in one of the chairs to pray. Fear had been spoken into Myra by her doctor and she had problems with her kidneys, pancreas, diabetes, and her right eye had blurred vision. As part of the team gathered in the room, Lynda felt let to pray over her and to bind the enemies assignment. Haidee specifically laid hands on her back and prayed that all disease and sickness would go from her whole body. As the team prayed  they spoke life into her body and for her to be healed the way God created her to be. Her back raised off the bed and she began to say Glory be to God over and over again. We asked her what was happening and she said she felt compelled to rise up and walk. She sat up and walked out of the bedroom into the open courtyard of the house. As we watch her walk into the courtyard she had become transformed, from this sad fragile lady in the bed into a woman with her hands raised up in adoration and joy as she clapped and danced around. Her family were so happy with tears of joy. Her granddaughter who was around 10 to 12 years of age read from the bible in front of us from Psalm 64. Read it, and be amazed of her knowledge of the Bible. The righteous shall be glad and trust in Him. And the upright in heart shall glory. This young girl's father was put in jail with a crime he apparently did not do so she asked if we could pray for her, her mom and sister in hope that her father would be home soon. We joined with them in faith to pray the love, peace and promises of God for justice in this situation. We left there home with everyone giving thanks to God the Father for His faithfulness of healing, restoration and justice. All the glory be to God our Father. We heard through a woman named Indera who is the daughter in law of Myra. She got an update from Myra that 7 hours later she was still singing with joy and vitality for being made whole and her youth renewed. WOW is the words that were coming out of us and the final words for all of us were Praise be to the one, Gloria Dios.
Glory be to God!
Liz and Kim


Our final outrageous story to this day started at about 5 o'clock when arrived at a field in a barrio where a group from that community had come together to worship and hear the Word of God. They were signing under a shelter that consisted of metal poles and a metal roof. We walked across the field and joined them under this metal shelter. We worshipped together and as the pastor finished speaking and our team was about to share with them a storm approached with torrential rain, gale force winds, and cracks of thunder followed by fork lighting that was blinding.  The sounds of the storm was deafening. Everyone moved to the centre of the shelter and we were all pressed together to protect ourselves from the rain. To the worldly eye, this looked like a potentially dangerous moment yet spiritually it was a Holy and powerful time.  A woman from the church started to sing and worship with much fervor and others quickly followed. It was the only thing to do in this outrageous storm where we were all in the worst place we could possibly be to be struck by lighting. There were no options but to trust God in this hour for protection. The fork lighting was all around us and as we looked into the faces of the children pressed all around us, some with their eyes closed with the most joyful smiles on their faces worshiping Jesus. We knew at this point that we were looking into the face of the joy, confidence and peace trusting the faithfulness of our heavenly Father. Its hard to put into words, the tears and laughter in that time for the presence of love and peace was so thick in that shelter. The rain did not stop, but we had opportunity to pray for many and see the love and power of Jesus heal the sick, open deaf ears, and bring healing and peace to broken hearts. We left with many hugs and kisses to our brothers and sisters and quickly ran through the field and back into the safety of our van. The rain had slowed down as we prepared to leave the intense event that had happened. 

Once in the van, we all looked at each other in complete and utter amazement. All we could say was "wow"!  What did we just witness? Did this really just happen? Distracted by our awe, we failed to see the after effects of the deluge on the landscape.  Our trusted driver, and new brother in Christ, Chepe, is a pro Indy driver on this scarred landscape.  He takes on challenges that many would quiver at.  The power of the storm and the amount of water that fell, turned the deep dry crevasses of the road into small lakes but Chepe drove with skill and confidence.  I'm sure it must have been very difficult to gage the depth of these puddles and clearly Chepe found it so.  Approaching what seemed like a very large pond in the road, our van stopped with the lights staring into our next adventure.  There wasn't much wiggle room either left or right but Chepe made his final decision and went for it. It wasn't poor judgement at that time, it was just fate and it was our fate at that moment to find ourselves in the biggest, deepest puddle in the barrio.  A moment of brief silence fell as it dawned on all of us that it was now dark and we were strangers in this area and definitely there would be no CAA to rescue us. We were seriously stuck. We decided to do what we came to do here in Nicaragua and we started praying and praising God.  It seems counter intuitive in many was but it was a moment where we felt God was asking us "Do you trust Me? Will you still praise Me"?  A few of us took it upon ourselves to get out of the van and try and push.  It wasn't easy looking out the side door of the van into the water that came right up to the doorway.  On solid ground you can actually see how far down you're going to step but in this situation you said your prayers and stepped in faith that there would actually be a bottom and that it wouldn't come up to your neck.  This was not the time for tripping!  A careful step into the water and down we went, knee deep into the mucky water -  the whole time resisting the urge to entertain just exactly what we were stepping into.  Stepping down was easy.  Trying to lift our feet up an out to move proved more challenging.  The suction was so great that there was a brief shock when we would realize our feet would not move at the pace we had anticipated and a face plant seemed to be inevitable, but we managed to avert any... thank you Jesus.  And although there were no face plants, there were a few shoe casualties and a couple of our team members, Kim and Liz, ended up barefoot, kindly donating their shoes for the locals to discover once the water evaporated.  As bold and honourable as it was to think that we could possibly budge this enormous vehicle, clearly it wasn't going to happen. Back into the van we piled in.  It wasn't long until the locals came by to see the spectacle lodged in their dirt road.  Six white, north American women crammed into the back of a white van hoping to add a little weight for some traction, and uncle Don sloshing around in the muck giving everything he had to get us out.  We were in there good. Many from the community came to help.  A man on a motorcycle even got off his bike and got knee deep in the muck with us.  It was a valiant effort made by all but our efforts seemed futile. So, we waited. Thankfully it wasn't long when we finally saw lights in the darkness from behind us. Lo and behold, out of the darkness, our knight appeared in the form of a tractor.  A tractor?  Yes, a tractor.  Surely someone called for this equipment?  Curious, Annette asked Chepe if he called for a tractor.  Chepe said "No, God sent it".  Chepe, the man who just gave his heart to Jesus the day before called it as it was.  We were about to get rescued by a tractor from Jesus.  You need to know that tractors aren't common where we are and this proved to be even more miraculous.  Thankfully we were only stuck for about 20 minutes and then we were blessed with the perfect time and the perfect equipment to get us out of a seemingly impossible situation. In complete awe, we were laughing and crying for all things are possible in Jesus.  When it's dark and things seem insurmountable, Jesus is always there. Will you trust and still praise Him though you cannot see?

Haidee and Kim

Rosa

It was so hot yesterday. 109.4 degrees to be exact. We went to visit a little 4 year old girl, Rosa, who was born with no eyes and her mom, Karen. Karen is a beautiful well manicured young mother probably in  her mid twenties . She is similar in age to my own daughters. Her house is decorated for Christmas , modest , clean and welcoming.  Her little girls room looks like any other little girls room in Canada with Dora the explorer, Peter Pan and Wendy, stuffed animals all lined up neatly and a little desk for her. It is just so lovely . It feels like a good place. I could see the love of a mother's heart for her daughter and as we gather around first in her kitchen. Rosa has had artificial eyes put in and her mother encourages her to greet each of us .Some one from Canada has paid to have the eyes put  in and someone is providing money for training for Rosa.  She has such a pretty smile and a tiny little girl with her hair in a ponytail. Like most children after a few minutes she wants to go to play so she goes out to the porch where Chepe and Alfredo are and they keep an eye on her. There does not seem to be anyone taking a lead yet . We sing praises and a song Open the Eyes of my heart. We are bold. We want God to give Rosa new eyes. We first pray for Karen and we ask her what she is thankful for in Rosa. Her eyes fill with tears and you can see such love but as parents ourselves , we just get it. We have the same love for our children. Karen is no different . She tells us she is thankful that Rosa is healthy unlike some other children she sees, that she loves her independence, that she can run and play. How do we put into words the love we have for our children. Words seem to fall short.
Sandie moves outdoors and we all go out with Rosa there. I can not remember the exact way things happen even after a day. The Holy spirit prompts us. There is no formula. Kim receives a vision of an angel over Rosie with a box with eyes for Rosa in it. Annette has mentioned before about banks of supplies in heaven like eyes. Chepe , our driver , accepted Christ as his Lord and savoir the night before and it seems right that he give them to Rosa. Kim asks him if he can see these eyes for Rosa and the box. He says he can so he goes over and bends at the little girl and he takes the eyes that he sees in his head out of the box and he puts them in her eyes. First on her left eye and then on her right eye. Chepe is a young man with no children of his own yet but children are drawn to him and he is a father figure. Rosa's earthy father is not in the picture in this family but the heavenly Father is there for both Rosa and Karen. This is Chepe's first act as a new Christian.  It feels so natural to do this but to those of you reading the blog from home, you will be wondering. Sandie takes the anointing oil that Lynda has in her purse and she too bends on her knees at Rosa's feet and with the oil prays over Rosa and makes the shape of the cross on this little girls forehead. There is such beauty in being obedient to the call of the Holy Spirit. Sandie prays a hedge of protection around the whole house and goes around the house to do this.  Alfredo's aunt is on the porch with us and this Godly woman is the one who has connected PAN to this family. This story is not finished yet. God is not finished with Rosa or any of us for that matter. We leave Rosa in God's care  and we give God the glory and honour in all that we do in the mighty name of Jesus.
Liz

Time to Harvest

On Thursday morning our time of ministry at the jail was followed by a boat ride on Lake Nicaragua. We were able to laugh, enjoy the sunshine and the beauty of God`s creation that surrounded us. A stark contrast to the deprivation we had just experienced. 
After a quick dinner at our mission house, Jardin Shalom, 5 of us headed to a church service in Managua;  Church of the Great Harvest. The church is pastored by Pastor Carlos Garcia and is still under construction.

Carlos posted the following: 
"Last night at Comunidad Cristiana La Gran Cosecha we saw God move in salvation and miracles. We thank the Canadian team that came with PAN Missions Canada for coming to our Church you are amazing team and we are honor to know you

Yes! The Spirit of God was evident as we shared that it is God`s will for us to be made whole in body, mind and spirit. Hallelujah! Six received salvation, including our driver, Chepe. Many were set free from pain. God was affirming His love, protection and plan for our lives.

What an awesome privilege to be sent as labourers into the harvest field, to partner with Him!
Open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Jn 4:35.

 

 

Tonight, I thanked God for hot water.  Seriously, I THANKED God for hot water.  Not just because I have been having a cold shower all week and somehow-miraculously- when I needed it the most, the water was hot, but simply because I had access to a hot shower.  Believe me, you really want a hot water when you have been to ``hell on earth``.

Today, Pastor Julio joined us for breakfast and devotions.  He shared his experiences of praying for the healing of others and the miraculous answers to prayer that God provided especially when medical attention was not affordable or available.  We were greatly encouraged and excited about the day`s plans.

We were still excited when we went to the grocery store to buy a few items for the prisoners at the jail.  Cookies, bananas and pop were purchased for 150 prisoners.  We also purchased a few supplies for the ten women incarcerated--hygiene kits, sanitary napkins, underwear and camisoles.  As a group of women, we felt a special kinship and compassion for the women in jail. 

I can`t say that we weren`t warned.  Annette told us about the conditions.  Due to prison overcrowding, these prisoners were serving their time in a jail at the Police Station in cells that were intended to house temporary prisoners.  Thus, cells built for 6 men were being occupied by 15 men.  Many were serving sentences of several years.  We brought food because the jail budget is severely limited so the prisoners are fed once a day, usually rice and beans. Their only personal items are those supplied by family members.  If there is no family, or if one is disowned by family, there are no extras--no clean clothing, no hygiene supplies, etc.

We started with prayer in a small waiting room at the jail.  The Police Commissioner gave permission for 14 sick men to come out of their cells for prayer.  Lynda introduced herself to each man and asked his name.  She read ``The Father`s Love Letter``.  There were a few tears.  We prayed for each man in groups of two or three.  The needs were great.  We prayed for everything from hearing loss, poor vision and a lame leg.  Especially memorable for me was Jorge.  He was a new Christian-two weeks to be exact.  As we prayed for him, I felt God`s joy for this lost soul who had been found.  At one point, I looked into the eyes of a man sitting near me and I saw the eyes of Jesus--the loving eyes of Jesus. ``Whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me.`` 

When we finished praying with the men, all ten of the women were brought in.  We shared some Scripture, told them of God`s love for them and prayed.  Again, there were tears.  I was especially touched by Mildred who asked for prayer because she found a lump in her breast and was experiencing pain.  She cannot get medical attention until her sentence is finished 16 months from now.  This was just like Pastor Julio`s experiences--medical assistance simply was not available.  So, we prayed. We prayed for the lump to disappear; we prayed for her immune system to fight anything that did not belong; and we prayed for her sentence to be reduced.  Mildred has only been a Christian for 3 months but she has great faith in God`s healing power.  And so do we.  It was with great joy that we gave the women the supplies we brought for them. 

Then it was time to go inside the jail and distribute the food.  That is when we entered `hell on earth`.  The smell was the first thing I noticed.  The floor was wet and there was feces on the walls.  It was very hot (44C+ with the humidity).  Each of the nine cells housed 15 men in a space intended for 6 men.  It was standing room only.   It was worse than standing room only because some of the men were straddling the bars in an effort to claim some space.  I was told that each cell had a toilet in the corner but I could not see because of the crowding.  In fact, all I could really see were arms reaching out through the bars and bare chests and eyes staring. Most of the men were young, some reminded me of my son who is eighteen years old.  As a mother, I know how easy it is for a teenager to make a poor decision--to make a mistake.  Since all of us are parents, I think we all felt the sorrow of seeing a young life spent in appalling conditions.  There was no space, no dignity, no humanity, no rehabilitation.  I am told that they rarely get out of their cells for physical exercise.  We treat our livestock better than this.

As per instructions, the pop was poured into small bags similar to sandwich bags and we tied each top in a knot.  Upon receiving the pop, the men would bite off a corner of the bag and suck out the liquid.  The cookies and bananas disappeared in minutes.  The men were loud but did not sound lewd.  Many smiled.  One blew me a kiss.  We stayed out of arms reach.  The food was passed through the bars to a ``cell boss`` who passed it out in the cell. 

It did not take long to find the women.  Their cell was in the same room as the men.  In addition to the lack of space, they had absolutely no privacy from the men.  They were separated by bars but they were still situated in a room with 140 men.  I felt physically ill. 

It takes a long time to process an experience like today; to process such suffering.   When we arrived back at Jardin Shalom, I had a long hot shower.  I washed my shoes.  I washed away the urine, feces, vomit and whatever else I had walked in at the prison.  I could not wash away the knowledge of the suffering--that will remain with me. 

With Christ,
Sandie

An Ordinary Day With An Extraordinary God

Each day has a richness if its own and God gives us each day.  This is the day that the Lord has made . I will rejoice and be glad in it.  In the early morning light , as you sit out on the deck you hear the sounds of the morning and even the man made ones seem sweet to my ears. I can here the roosters crowing on the next property and the hens cackling away. I can hear the sweet sounds of the birds singing their praises to their creator and I feel in awe. All in all though it seemed like an ordinary day. After breakfast we did a devotion or reading from Luke 17:11-19. Sandie takes a lead on this and she asks us to listen with our eyes closed and she reads us the story asking us to listen to a word or phrase that stands out or speaks to us. We repeat the exercise after each member of the team shares their phrase and it surprising how the phrases or word that God is speaking into us are different. Each time Sandie reads us the story we go deeper into the story and we are asked to share what is it that scriptures are saying to us and fresh insights it is giving to us.  I find it so beautiful how God's word is so alive and speaks to us and as people share I gain new insights myself that I have never thought about. For me the word that spoke to me was Mercy. I am not even sure at that point I really understood what Mercy means but by the end of the day I do. Don's bible says pity but somehow that word speaks differently to me. I ask  myself , " Am I merciful to others? How does God's mercy show through me? " Mercy is different than Grace. Mercy is not getting what you know or think you deserve was one definition suggest. Another definition was when compassion and empathy compel you to act. I like that definition and in the story of the 10 lepers , only one went back to Jesus and gave him the glory and praise for the healing.
This morning we are to visit a young woman named Grace who was in a car accident and has been in a wheelchair for around 2 years. She has two children, a  little boy  3 and the baby 3 months of age. She is from a community Estelli and her husband has left her. Marta ,a social worker , gave Annette a letter written by Marta's church who are  looking for help as they have been supporting her.  Initially I thought that we would    pack up some clothing and supplies and bless her and see what she needed and how we might help. Before we left I talked with two of my team and they planted in me the thought that we could pray over her and with her and stand on God's promises and ask for healing. We are a healing team but quite frankly I am new to this idea and I had a vision of her being in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Not so with my team. The seed of healing and walking were planted in me and off we go. We picked up the social worker and we go into the neighbourhood and pull up and knock on the door and wait for someone to answer. The door opens and we meet Grace and her two little boys and the woman who looks after her with help from her son in law, Michael. Really they are both faceless to me at this point but they are acting as the hands and feet of Jesus and they care for her even though she is of no relation to them. They are not faceless to Jesus. We begin by hearing her story and there is a sadness about her that penetrates the depths of my soul . She just lost her grandmother a week ago and she tells us about losing her parents. She is a bright girl and is a civil engineer and she has lost the ability to provide for herself and her family but when we ask her what she would like to do , she outlines three options how she might provide for herself. She is seeing beyond her circumstances. She says she has never lost her faith. We asked her what her heart's desire were and told her that God wants to give the desires of her heart. Her hearts desire would be to have a computer and be able to work as a civil engineer again, the second is to work as a receptionist and the third is to buy a  hotdog cart or sell perfumes and female products to her neighbours. I hear no self pity yet she has been though so much. We tell her that we have come to visit and see her needs and that we would like to pray with her and over her for healing. She has a top on but a towel over her legs as she has had damage to her bladder and has a bag. As her little boy is in the back room and  she  is distracted  as we start to sing and pray, we begin to sing Praise God from whom all blessings flow and she reappears with pants on covering her legs. The team gently comes around her and take positions and some of us lay hands on her, some of us hold our hands up to our Father and we begin to pray life into her limbs, her back, her hands,  her body and some of us read scripture and some of us plead the blood of Jesus over her. There is much love in the room and the Holy Spirit is present. There is an ebb and a flow that I really can not describe only to tell you that we were in tune to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Some take more of a lead, some are at her feet, some fetch her a pail when she feels sick but in all of it we are acting as a Body of Christ stepping out in our faith and expecting healing to occur. We have taken turns to look after the little three month old baby and while I am in the bedroom separated by a curtain I know something is happening and I look out to see Grace standing and taking steps. Five I am told. The number does not matter . My team saw her back straighten first and as they helped her up on her initiative she walked. Words cannot  describe how we felt in our hearts as we were a part of this miracle. After I got the baby diapered I came out and she looked up at me , one on one, and it felt like it was Jesus himself looking at me and it felt like I had connected with her soul. What a privilege and honour to serve our Father and all the glory and praises are his. We were and are his vessels. I am not sure I can ever really tell you all that happened. We are all processing it together. I can tell you one thing, What started out as an ordinary day became an extraordinary for me, my team and for Grace. After we went and picked up some supplies for her and a laptop computer we came back to deliver  them. We gave her a scripture of God's promise to have as her own  from Matthew 21:21-22. We kissed her good bye for now and she went to the door , back in her wheel chair for now, and I know it is a day she will never forget and I know God is with her and is doing great things in her for His Kingdom. An ordinary day with an Extraordinary God.

 

 

"God inhabits the praises of His people."  That is what came to mind today as Haidee, Lynda and I began to pray for Salvadora at the residence where women stay when they are in treatment for cancer at Berta Calderone Hospital.   We came to the residence to bring hope and pray for women with cancer.  Annette had just taught a lesson on the healing power of God.  Yet, when I heard Salvadora's diagnosis--metastasized cancer in her lungs and back--I felt overwhelmed and unsure about how to pray.  Then, the Holy Spirit reminded me that God inhabits the praises of His people.  So, we started with praise.
Our God is an awesome God
who reigns from heaven above
with wisdom, power and love
Our God is an awesome God

And on it went.  Throughout the room, singing could be heard in English and Spanish as other small groups also sang God's praises.  Soon, our small group was praying fervently for Salvadora; praying that God's healing power would be enacted in every cell of her body;  praying that every cancer cell would be starved; praying that her immune system would miraculously become strong and vibrant.  All the while, Salvadora received all that we had for her with such hope.

We prayed for many women but one more stood out from the group--Georgina, an older woman who loved Jesus and glowed with the glory of God.  She exhibited an indescribable joy during and after prayer.  Fresh out of surgery, her joy could not be contained.  Caught up in it with her, I felt the bond of sisterhood--women supporting other women.  I also felt a kinship to my sisters in Canada who sent me here with prayers and a suitcase full of post-surgerical supplies.  I was humbled to have the honour of representing one group of women to another;  to bear witness to the giving and the receiving.

It is a sacred trust to pray with and over people.  We all felt that trust today with this group of women filled with expectation and hope.   At the end of our time together, I knew two things for certain:  God inhabits the praises of His people, and the Presence of God heals.

In Christ,
Sandie

 

Hello to all you amazing family and friends....
Thank you for all your love for us and your prays. We want you to know that we are experiencing your prayers over our team. We are protected, in peace and full of love. Thank you so much. We are all being stirred, stretched, and prodded.  Faith is rising and also a lot of questions as we see and experience the power of the Word of God in action.

This day was again the day of the Lord, the KING of KINGS. I woke up this morning to the beauty of the kiss of the warm sun and the fragrance of dew warming on the lush vegetation on the property of Shalom. After our full bowl of oatmeal and fresh fruit we sat and listened to the story of the women who had an issue of bleeding for 12 years with no resolution from the doctors and spent all her money. She made a decision to put all her faith in Jesus. She decide in her heart that if she could touch the hem of Jesus's clothing she would be healed. She made her way up through a crowd of people and reached Jesus and reached out her arm and touched the hem of His garment. She felt the power go into her body and felt her bleeding stop and she knew she was healed.  Jesus felt the power leave Him and knew someone touched Him and actually drew healing power from Him. He said, "who touched me?" and the disciples with Him wondered what he was talking about because there were so many people pressing against Him and touching Him. The woman heard Jesus say this and with fear and trembling she went up to Jesus and told him the whole truth. And Jesus said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction." As a team, we listened to this story with our eyes closed and we were asked to listen to what was being revealed to us. I heard the words, daughter, your faith has made you well.  My question was, what was her faith in?  The answer, was Jesus.  Her faith was completely in Jesus. She believed that if she touched his hem she would be healed. This woman drew on the fullness of Jesus to meet her need. I was so struck by this as I reflected on the perspective of what Jesus said. Whatever I believe, will come to pass. Will I dare to believe in such an awesome reality?  The reality of Jesus, who at that time, was fulfilling the heart of God for He was God - the fullness of His love and His desire to give us what we will believe for. I know this might seem " out there", but I want to encourage all of you that the goodness and the full counsel of the heart of God was seen through everything Jesus did.

We had the privilege and opportunity to go and be a part of a church service in the middle of a rainforest farming community. The roads that we took to get to this church continued to get more narrow. Every turn of hills and valleys with ruts would raise the hairs on the body of the best drivers. We made it, praise the Lord, with angels pushing us most of the way. We arrived and the community was already there singing. They had begun. We joined them and we were asked to teach and preach the good news of the word of God.  Annette, Barb, and I shared the love, the goodness, and the promises of God and how to stand on His word and promises in FAITH. We talked about the word of God being the seed and our hearts the soil and how the farmers could relate to seed and soil.  Leaving that seed in the fertile soil, and waiting in faith that it will do what God promised - to germinate in the heart, to grow roots,  a stem that will eventually crack the soil and emerge for the eye to see above the earth. This is a miracle every time you stand in faith, knowing that you planted that seed in the soil and trusted without seeing that it is alive and doing what it was created to do.  It grows to maturity then bares fruit for the harvest. That is exactly what the powerful promises and Words of God do. The Word of God, that seed is God's personal promise to you.  Whenever we encounter any decisions or obstacles in life, we need to find what the Word says for that situation.

When Jesus made this statement, "My Words are spirit and they are life" (John 6:63), He was teaching us to see His Promises through the eyes of faith.  The natural mind or the sense ruled mind cannot understand the things of the Spirit.  To simplify it - God or His Word is not bound by the laws of the natural or sense ruled world.  The world was created by the Spoken Word of God (Genesis 1).  This world and the very existence of life was conceived by God in the spirit realm, then made manifested in the natural realm.  Jesus looked at them and said: "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible" (Mark 10:27).  We prayed for many people and to our knowledge, every person's need that was prayed for was met. We prayed for a pastor who had something stuck in his eye and it had affected his vision. After we prayed he opened his bible and his vision was clear.  A young girl of 15 wanted with all her heart to be filled with the Holy Spirit, so together with the pastor, and members of the congregation we prayed for her to be baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. She began to cry and she told us that she could feel the Spirit come in and fill her. She had so much joy. We prayed for a elderly man who had physical heart issues and back issues from a fall. He too received what he asked for. A women who had an allergic reaction with intense itching in her upper body for three days was itch free and full of joy. These are a few of many more stories. This precious community of people are our new family and friends that we will never forget.

We praise the Lord for His Love of all the visible and of the not visible signs of His Kingdom Come here and now.  His will be done here and now in the time we spent with our new family. We will all continue to walk out this fullness of God together.

I leave you with this question, What is your need?

With a heart full of praise and humility toward the ONE - Father God be all the Glory
Kim Cochrane

A Word

"I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel". Luke 7:9

I awoke grateful this morning for the sweet deep sleep I had just had but I confess to having a bit of heaviness for the day ahead.  I came all this way in hope that God would have a purpose for me, that I may actually have a part in this plan of His like I've been told that I do.  We've been learning so much and I feel like I'm growing - but alas, I feel as though I still  have no words to say and the thought of standing in front of a church, with no words to share, unsettled me a little.  I said a little prayer then took my trepidation to breakfast.  Thankfully, the beauty of our private paradise, that was missed when we arrived in the night previous, began to stir my senses and distract me from myself.  It is difficult to hold trepidation and awe all at the same time.  With glorious floral blooms surrounding us all around, to the flock of majestic green parrots (yes, really!) that flew overhead, gracing us with their - well - um - not so beautiful cackling, squawking, chatter... (I had a moment of envisioning them all talking English to each other "Pretty Bird", "Who's your daddy?" and other delightful phrases people have likely taught their parrots) - things were starting to shift for me and I wondered how things could be more beautiful here.  

We finished our delicious meal and took the gouged road to Christo Rey.   It wasn't so bad the whole way but sitting, bouncing in the back of our travel van, I thought for sure I might need prayer to restore my spine.  Getting closer to our destination, we turned onto a dirt road and it wasn't long until I could see vultures standing in trees. Shortly after that, we were driving past a smoking, filthy garbage dump.  A big contrast to my experience not that much earlier.  I wondered what God in store for us here.  Christo Rey - Christ The King.  A royal name in a dirty place, and found here - our destination - church.  We arrived as worship was in full swing.  All in Spanish, I didn't understand a thing they were saying but here was where I saw the most beautiful thing.  

I stood near the back trying to hear the music, hoping I could find something familiar or something I could at least keep a beat to.   Everyone sang their hearts out and lifted their hands worshiping God.  It was a bit disjointed musically speaking, people randomly clapping, and worship leaders singing slightly off key but  as I stood there watching - up, up, up it came.  I must say that that is one thing I need to talk to the Holy Spirit about - tears.  I had a moment of trying to rationalize myself out of them - "not now!" "What is your problem?" but I couldn't contain it and it wasn't long before I was a mess. I was struck hard with the beauty of the faith these people had for God in such a desolate place.  It was then that I felt God's heart for these people and how their faith is more beautiful than anything we could imagine. Faith is profoundly beautiful, and God loves when we have it and when we show it, most of all.  In that moment - God gave me Luke 7:9 "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel". I stood before the congregation and had words - God's word for the church.  I added that even though we live in Canada and have cars and houses, that they were indeed richer than us all. If they can stand on the edge of a garbage dump and praise God, then what and when are we waiting for?

The service was encouraging and inspirational. We prayed in teams for many people there. Mothers with children, families, and even children on their own came up for prayer for their needs. We prayed for healing too and had testimony from a woman who said that the pain she had had in her stomach had disappeared.  We were all touched in someway. The Nicaraguan people ministered to us as much as we did to them. That is the beautiful gift of community with people in Christ.  When I had first arrived at the church, I felt God nudging me to speak to a gentleman there. I found him during the service and gave a word of encouragement to him.  He quickly went to get his wife and children and Sandie and I prayed for the family. He was so blessed that when we left, he gave me a big hug and said "My family is your family".  What an honour - community and more family!

I hope the congregation knows how blessed our whole team was just to be there with them.  Such a gift.  I am grateful for our team - Sandie, Kim, Liz, Don, Annette, Lori, Lynda, and Barb.  This is only the first day and I haven't even shared all of it...

Thank you for all who are praying for us.                  

Haidee