God's Mercy in Honduras - July 2008

A group of 15 people from Virginia and Georgia made their way to Honduras to come alongside a missionary family whom the Lord led us to in December. The Rose family's mission is to help the local people help themselves through job training and business development while evangelizing, discipling and displaying Christ. The trip saw many dozens of people receive Jesus as their personal Savior while many dozens of others recommited their lives to Christ. Many were healed, but there was one day that stood out to me... a day that only God could orhestrate.

One Saturday afternoon, several of our group made the one mile or so trek from the Rose's home to the small town of nearby Pena Blanca. While there the first time in December, the Lord led me around along with Sylvester Mathews and pastor Jeff Light. the Lord would say to me, "Turn left," and we'd turn left. "Turn right." We'd turn right. "Go in there... there's a pastor I want you to meet." We'd meet him. And so this was the way I expected God to lead this time. However, the Lord remained quiet and closed all the doors that had been previously open in December. I finally asked the Lord what He wanted me to do. He replied, "Relax and enjoy the day. I will send them to you." So I did.

The afternoon quickly turned into evening and we found ourselves back at the Rose's home. We had been working with a local group of missionaries who were putting on a evengelistic crusade. Saturday marked the second night of the three night event. We had left a group of mostly womwne back at the Rose's home to interced in prayer for the event. A crowd slowly filled the community building as I found a seat in the back. I began to pray when suddenly the Lord spoke to my heart, "Go outside and walk the perimeter of the property in prayer." I circled the property a few times and went back inside to pray for the speakers in a small back room. After we finished, the Lord spoke to my heart again. "Go back to the house." I was confused. "Why?" I asked. I struggled with this since I felt I was needed at the event. But again I obeyed and went back to the Rose's house.

I walked into the home where i found 7 or 8 people praying. I joined in and soon one of the women had a vision. "I see demons over this region linking arms and preventing our prayers from reaching heaven. Jesus says, 'We need to get loud.'" We began to raise the roof with praise and worship. We stormed heaven at the top of our lungs while drumming on table tops and banging pots with wooden spoons. The worship was awesome and the battle became intense. unbeknownst to us a group of drunken men had gathered outside the house and were throwing rocks at the house and on the tin roof accompanied by loud shouts of displeasure. Our noisy congregation never heard their attempt at disruption. We were making a joyful noise to the Lord that got the enemy's attention. After one hour and a half, we found ourselves in perfectly peaceful air. The Lord and His army had cleared the way for what was to happen next.

As the members of our group returned from the crusade a very drunk man entered our room. He wanted us to pray for him. Behind him in the street were two more men. The Lord said to me, "It's time to worship." I gathered the Rose family's two oldest daughtyers and their friend and asked them to begin to sing and lead us in Spanish worship songs. They quickly got organized and soon we had a spontaneous worship service going. The men who had earlier been throwing rocks and shouting curse words at us were now slowly trickling into the room one or two at a time. They came in smiling and ready to sing. We set before them chair after chair until we had 15 men singing and praising the Lord. They raised their hands in worship and between songs lifted their voices shouting "Halleluiah!" I have never seen anything like this before. It was God who had drawn them to us. And His words echoed in my mind, "I will send them to you." By the time the night was over all 15 men either recommited their lives to Christ or accepted Him for the first time and many who came in drunk left the meeting sober. What a glorious night I will never forget.

In Christ,

Steve

India Report from Sue - The Ring

It had been prophesied that our ministry would be working with the Jewish people around the world. I didn't think that meant me, since I was presently assigned to India. "Surely there are no Jews in India," I said. So I hit the Internet and found that I was quite mistaken. Granted, there are fewer today than 50 years ago, but there are still small pockets and large concentrations in places such as Bombay (Mumbai). There are even Jews in Manipur, which was my destination, so I was excited about what God had in store.

One Sunday after our church's Bible study in Texas, a man in our class approached me and started taking off his gold ring. He told me that God had spoken to him. "Give this ring to Sue, she will meet a down and out man in India and she is to give it to him," he was told. As he laid the ring in my hand, I saw the Hebrew lettering and said, "It is for the Jewish man." He asked me what man and I told him about the prophesy. I wore the ring a lot as time for my trip grew near because it was a reminder to me that God was in control and had interesting things planned for me in India.

I had been in Manipur about two weeks when we had to go to Calcutta to meet with the US consulate regarding our friend in India Alex's visa to the US. He was denied this time, but we know now what is needed and feel confident he can get one next year when he is allowed to re-apply. We stayed in a quaint little hotel on Sudder Street that had quite a history. It had been owned once by a Jewish family because, according to the brief history in the lobby, we were in the old Armenian and Jewish sector of the city. After that I saw the old buildings with different eyes, imagining the families living in the big apartment buildings.

On the last afternoon of our stay in Calcutta we went to a travel agent to get tickets to fly back to Manipur the next day. On a door in the lobby was a brass name-plate: David Cohen. After our second visit to the travel agent, I looked again at the name and knocked. No answer, but we knocked on another door which turned out to be the kitchen of Mr. Cohen's apartment. We were let in and got a chance to meet Mr. Cohen. He was happy to have visitors and very talkative. He was using a walker and explained that he had broken his hip four years before and had to sell his business to pay his debts and is now a beggar. This got my attention, so when he mentioned again his financial condition, I removed the ring and
handed it to him.

Mr. Cohen was suprised and said he couldn't take it. I explained the whole story and he was incredulous. He asked me again who told me to give him the ring and I said, "God, Jehovah!" When I said Jehovah he sank back into his chair in resignation. We talked more and he said as I left, "You are a Godsend." I replied, "Exactly."

Later I went back to give him the shawl that Melba Knott had given me to give to him. He was asleep and I didn't get to see him, but I will return someday and check on him. He is 94 and told me that there are only 25 Jews left in all of Calcutta. Out of 15 million people, God had led me to the one man he wanted to show His love to.