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