What an amazing adventure we live out every day! The World Race is a staging ground for growth and miracles. There is always a choice though. I choose to usher in the Kingdom of God. So many people think that being a Christian requires you to be boring. The truth is that there is nothing more exciting! You just need to step out and do it!
Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.” John 14:12 NLT
He doesn’t say, “You twelve and this guy Saul that you’ll meet, are gonna walk in everything I do and more.” He says anyone that believes in Him. That means you and me!
My trip thus far has been incredible! I have seen so much and it’s only just begun. Latin America is such a beautiful place and the people are the treasure. I have recently left Honduras, which was my second country of eleven, and I am writing this from Nicaragua.
I look back and I can’t help but think of this one woman in particular. Her name escapes my memory but I will forever remember her. She was one of the pastors of the church that we were working with in Honduras. It was a day of evangelism and we had seen Him move! After seeing other people healed, this woman speaks up and says that she has had pain in her right side for a long time and asks us to pray for her. We start to pray and I get a feeling that she needs to declare that she is a strong woman of God and that nothing can hold her back. As she is declaring these things, my squad leader gets a word that she has some un-forgiveness in her heart. When the translator tells her this, she breaks. Tears come flooding out and we don’t even realize the nerve that was hit. It turned out that this woman’s 20 year old son had been stabbed in the back a year before and she didn’t know who the murderer was. She hated this person though and had held on to the hate. We watched as the Holy Spirit wrapped his arms around her and she was able to let go of her hate and anger. The pain went away too, but the real healing was the forgiveness!
A week or so later, we saw a blind man healed and a half paralyzed stroke victim healed in a “retirement home”. The latter was so excited that he started walking around the place with his walker over his head! I remember watching and saying to one of the others,” This is more fun than I have ever had in my life! How can people think that being a Christian is boring?”
But wait, there’s more. I had the privilege of partnering with the Holy Spirit on the inner healing of an amazing woman that is going to heal thousands! He let me actually feel the fear and pain leave her forever! Followed by a God sized portion of joy and freedom taking their place!
In Nicaragua, I get to be part of a church that is four weeks old. We are going to be part of the building process, evangelizing the neighborhoods and unreached people. The Lord is gonna do some work! Did I mention that I had the honor of baptizing for the first time?! At a beach, none the less. What an incredible experience! Ten months ago I was getting baptized myself and now He lets me baptize my brother and sister! God is so good!
There is opposition though. It’s hollow, but it is there. When we break down the devices and strongholds of the enemy, he throws a tantrum. In Honduras, I slept in an ENO hammock that had the factory knots come undone and I woke up to dropping seven feet onto concrete. If you know anything about ENO’s, you know that this “doesn’t” happen. A couple of guys woke up and prayed for my pain and injuries to go away. They did! At the beginning of this week, I was tearing down a roof and as I walked on the right places, it crumbled under my feet. In an attempt to regain my balance I stepped on the “wrong” spot and fell through. I got pretty bruised up and had a cut on my arm that I was told needed stitches. Four days later it’s almost healed. After evangelizing in Honduras, we had a demon possessed woman trying to ruin the high we were on. We have seen curses and demonic attacks galore. We have seen days go so wrong that at some point it’s hard to see your way out of it. Through all of it though, all I have to think about is one of the people that we have touched and it makes it worth it. I would walk through all the pain and struggles again for just one of those people! And yet we have seen freedom in so many and we are only getting started! If its adventure you are looking for, look no further. The Kingdom of God is all around you and you get to be a part of it!
