We have been learning a very valuable lesson here in Palenque. Despite all of our extensive training on listening prayer and intercession, we got caught up in the excitement and wonder of what this was all going to look like; how it was going to work.
We set out and made the best plans we could come up with, and ran with it. After a couple of dissapointing weeks that did not meet out expectations, we began to realize that we never really prayed for God´s leading in this ministry. We just ran with the ideas and circumstances that presented themselves, and did not stop to see if they were God´s plans.
With only a week left, we refused to let that stop us from reaching higher and thinking bigger.
We set aside a few hours on Wednesday to just go to Noe´s house and pray. They were not expecting us, and Noe was out working, but his wife graciously let us in even though we had no good Spanish speakers to explain why we were there.
About ten or more of us just sat on the concrete floor of their house and poured our hearts out to God in intercession for this town, this church, and this family. It felt great.
We has also spent part of the day individually in listening prayer, just asking God to give us a vision for the remaining week.
Last night, we went to our regular Thursday night service, but we had a completely different attitude.
We instinctively began walking up and down the street interceding and praying protection over the service and that people would be drawn in.
I felt God telling me that we needed to keep people posted on the street all night, in constant intercession, to keep the demonic forces at bay. I went to tell Chad, and he had felt the same. So I went to Allisa who was praying to my left, and she also felt the same.
So the three of us held out posts throughout the whole service, and the people began to just come.
There were more people on that street last night than I had ever seen. God put the prayer in my heart, that people would be drawn there without knowing why. And the people came.
Even the dogs were curious. Several dogs kept coming over and walking toward us and just looking and then they would walk away. Then the would come back and stare, and then walk away. I knew they could sense something and were curious. They could not stay away. Neither could the people.
I could see it in their eyes as the walked by. They felt something. Even those that tried to ignore it could not.
There was a couple across the street, painting a for rent sign on their bar that had closed. Several have closed since Noe moved in. There is a heavy spirit on alcoholism here, and it feels the presense of God in this place. Even as they painted their sign, there eyes repeatedly became fixed on what was happening across the street. They refused to attend, but their hearts could not ignore what they heard and felt.
One of the things we decided to do was to perform one of the dramas we has learned. Mallorie was preaching a message on freedom that night. She was exposing the devil for who he is, and letting everybody know that he is powerless aside from his lies.
The drama we performed is called ¨Set Me Free¨, and is about a girl who is tourmented and bound by demons, and then how Jesus died on the cross and was ressurected. Jesus then has the keys to unlock her chains and set her free.
It is very powerful. We will also be performing it in the main plaza downtown tonight and tomorrow. Noe will be preaching, our teams will do the drama, Noe will also be singing, and we will be present in the crowd doing evangelism and intercession.
All of the doors have opened for this on very short notice. I am certain that God has big plans for this event. We will be able to connect people directly to Noe so that he can follow up with them, since we will soon be leaving.
Please pray with us for these events, and for the remaining ministry we have here.
Also pray about the things that are to come in Guatemala and Nicaragua, so that doors will begin to open and heart wil be ready when we arrive.
Praise God for his patience and amazing grace as we learn to depend on Him first.
