I was sitting with Seth Barnes the other evening at the dinner table in Nsoko, Swaziland and the topic of how the Spirit is moving in Lakeland Florida was brought up. I told him the story of my father, and his experiences after attending one week of the conference in Florida and Seth told me I sould write a blog about it. And when Seth tells you to write a blog, well, you do it. Actually, I had been considering it for a while, and he just gave me the last bit of motivation I needed. Now, obviously I have been in Southern Africa while all this has been going on in my tiny town in Northern Ontario, so the details are a big on the sparse side, and the stories are all second hand from my mom. I invite either of my parents, and members of my congregation to post their first hand stories in the comment area of this blog as well.
My dad is a 53 year old small town pastor who has been at the same 50-75 person Wesleyan church for 10 years now. If you don’t know what church this is, it’s a methodist conservative church. The doctrine dictates against the use of tongues and other Spirit stuff. My family has previously attended a charismatic church for a couple of years, but for many in the congregation I’m sure a lot of this stuff was brand new.
On Godtv a revival conference by Todd Bentley was being publicized online. Apparently it is quite a big deal, as many people have heard about it. I have never seen it because in Africa internet is expensive, limited and in a different time zone. Anyhow, after watching it faithfully online for weeks my parents decided that my dad should attend the conference in Florida for a week. This was a surprise to me, as they had just visited me in New Yorkon our layover between South America and Africa. He was the first in the area to attend the meeting.
When my dad arrived home, the next day was a Sunday. My dad had church as usual, but then something different happened. He decided he would pray for those who wanted God to heal them of something. My dad is quiet. He isn’t overbearing, or loud, or obnoxious. He just prays and that’s that. I’m sure when he was praying fo someone, no one else in the church could hear his sepcific words, except the person he was praying for. My dad is not about having a show. And so, as he is praying in his quiet manner, something happens. The Spirit moves.
At my quiet, small town conservative church people were touched by the Holy Spirit. Some were slain in the Spirit, I’m not sure if anyone spoke in tongues or not, and many were healed. People were healed of years of intense back pain, people no longer needed hip replacements, someones ear was healed I believe, all sorts of things. Later on, one of the men my dad prayed for was then able to go and pray for a sick horse, who actually then recieved healing as well.
After news of these healings is spread, many new people began coming to our church to receive the Spirit’s healing. My mom told me one week a lady came to church and was healed from either her hip or back (I can’t remember which) and it was only a few days after that my dad was told that she is a lesbian buddhist, and NOT even a believer in the one who healed her. We are all continuing to pray for her. Another time my dad was talking to one of the Catholic men in town and happened to mention some of the things going on and he said he was going to bring his daughter to my dad to hear her spinobifida (I think that was the disease). I have been told by a friend of my parents that there are being many added to the church because of the Spirit’s moving through my dad. It’s very exciting.
My dad even drove about 4 hours to visit my aunt who has had chronic illness for many years. He prayed with her, and from what I have been told she is doing much better. I haven’t had an update in a while, but I know that there was a group of people from my area who later attended the conference in Florida. Hopefully they have received the same anointing and they will also be used as God’s vessels for healing and revival in Canada.
God is so good. He is such a big God, who gives us many blessings. He fulfills his promises for those who hold the faith. He has been promising revival, and he is now delivering on the promise. It is so exciting to be here on the World Race, with so many encounters with God’s people and God encounters, knowing that at home my parents are also growing and changing and feeling God in such a new way as well. Continue praying for those who attend the conference, and for those who even just hear about it, or are in some way affected by it. Pray for the salvation of many people because of God’s outpouring of His Spirit.
To read more about the conference check out:
Allison’s blog
Seth’s Blog
