I was in Central America staying in the home of one of our local leaders in Villa Nueva, Guatemala. They are an awesome couple who are very involved in what the Lord is doing in that area. One morning the Lord put one of their friends on their hearts and asked if we could visit her later in the morning. I agreed.
We arrived at the home of their friend who was obviously upset. Her mother, who looked to be in her late sixties, was in the front room of the house and was very sick. Her face was ashen. Her eyes were open, but she didn't seem to be there. The family informed us that their beloved Christian mother and grandmother had throat cancer.
We immediately began to pray asking the Lord for healing. After a time, each one of us had prayed. The air was filled with the Lord's amazing peace. It was then the Lord asked me to anoint her with oil. Anointing her forehead with oil in the sign of the cross, I blessed her. Then I felt the Lord wanted me to repeat this act, but this time He wanted me to directly apply the oil to her throat. I dipped my finger in the oil and prayed peace over her, making the sign of the cross directly on her throat. The very second I made the last stroke, completing the cross, the woman's chest heaved upward. Then as her chest collapsed, her spirit left her.
Suddenly, I realized this was not a death, but this was a birth. God had been waiting for us. We had the privilege to attend to one His very own as she left this earth on her way to an eternity spent with Him through our Lord Jesus Christ.
"Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 5:1
Written by Stephen Burke. Edited by Jennifer Poppy.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Friday, September 04, 2009
No Longer Alone
I was at home and it was nearing lunchtime when the Lord asked me to go to "The Park" to get a hamburger and that I would be eating my hamburger at one of their picnic tables. “The Park” is a small hamburger stand in downtown Belton, Texas.
I pulled up and got out of my car to place my order at the window. I noticed there was a woman, probably in her sixties, who seemed to be waiting for her order. She was walking around talking on a cell phone.
Once I placed my order, I got back in my car and waited. Soon the woman who was talking on the cell phone got her order and suddenly walked directly toward me. I knew this was my divine appointment. I rolled down my window to greet her. She pointed to the "The LORD Will Provide Ministries" sign on my car door and asked, "Do you really believe what that sign says or is it just a sign?"
"Oh, yes I believe it,” I responded. “The Lord asked me to leave my job over 5 years ago and we've come to know God as our provider."
Soon, tears began to roll down her face as I continued to share about how God had provided for us over the years. My lunch arrived and I asked, "If you have time, maybe we can sit down at one of these picnic tables and get to know each other a little bit." She agreed.
She told me how she started hearing the Holy Spirit as a teenager. She felt so alone all these years, because she had never been able to find anyone who was like her. She was weeping as she shared. God had asked her and her husband to move to Temple nearly 2 years ago and nothing seemed to be coming from it. God had not connected her with any spiritually like-minded people. She had been pleading with God to move her somewhere else.
"You're not the only one who hears God like that," I said. "There are many of us. You are not alone."
I invited her to come to our prayer and worship meeting, "The Journey". She came and God touched her heart as the prophetic stream flowed through the group. She was not alone and could not hold back her tears of joy as God met her that night and brought her to like-minded believers whom she had been trying to find for 50 years.
Written by Stephen Burke. Edited by Jennifer Poppy.
I pulled up and got out of my car to place my order at the window. I noticed there was a woman, probably in her sixties, who seemed to be waiting for her order. She was walking around talking on a cell phone.
Once I placed my order, I got back in my car and waited. Soon the woman who was talking on the cell phone got her order and suddenly walked directly toward me. I knew this was my divine appointment. I rolled down my window to greet her. She pointed to the "The LORD Will Provide Ministries" sign on my car door and asked, "Do you really believe what that sign says or is it just a sign?"
"Oh, yes I believe it,” I responded. “The Lord asked me to leave my job over 5 years ago and we've come to know God as our provider."
Soon, tears began to roll down her face as I continued to share about how God had provided for us over the years. My lunch arrived and I asked, "If you have time, maybe we can sit down at one of these picnic tables and get to know each other a little bit." She agreed.
She told me how she started hearing the Holy Spirit as a teenager. She felt so alone all these years, because she had never been able to find anyone who was like her. She was weeping as she shared. God had asked her and her husband to move to Temple nearly 2 years ago and nothing seemed to be coming from it. God had not connected her with any spiritually like-minded people. She had been pleading with God to move her somewhere else.
"You're not the only one who hears God like that," I said. "There are many of us. You are not alone."
I invited her to come to our prayer and worship meeting, "The Journey". She came and God touched her heart as the prophetic stream flowed through the group. She was not alone and could not hold back her tears of joy as God met her that night and brought her to like-minded believers whom she had been trying to find for 50 years.
Written by Stephen Burke. Edited by Jennifer Poppy.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Our Struggle Is Not Against Flesh And Blood
I traveled to a small town in Texas to speak at a Wednesday night church group. We gathered for a time of prayer, music and prophecy, much like “The Journey” gatherings we have in my home most every Saturday evening in Temple, Texas. As the meeting progressed, some of the people began to share about themselves and what God had been doing in their lives. It was then that the Lord asked me to share a series of God stories because He wanted to "increase the faith in the room.”
As I told these miraculous stories, I could literally feel the faith in the room rise up. Then a thirteen-year-old boy boldly proclaimed to a woman in her sixties who had been undergoing chemotherapy, “God has told me like thirty times that He is going to heal you.” I was getting the same message, but had not said anything yet.
At the end of the meeting, the woman who had been promised healing came over to say “good-bye.” As I stood up to greet her, I became overwhelmed by the Spirit of God. I began to hug her and as I held her I was compelled by God's Spirit to pray healing over her in the name of Jesus. While I was praying the woman's hands began to tremble and soon she was making sounds in her throat as if she were about to vomit. I continued praying. Suddenly she leaned back slightly, bending at the waist. Then she violently lurched forward as if to throw up. As she came back upright I could see the floor and my shoes were clean. I knew God had just freed her from an unclean spirit.
The woman's hands continued to tremble as I prayed in the name of Jesus. Suddenly her body went limp and she collapsed on the floor in a heap. She had passed out. I knelt down on one knee and continued to pray over her as she lay on her back. Soon she awoke and opened her eyes half-way. She seemed very groggy. Then, in an instant, she opened her mouth slightly and began praying in an unknown language. She had received the gift of tongues. Our eyes met and I could strongly feel God’s presence in our midst. There were about ten people left in the room including her friends who were witness to all of this. They spontaneously began raising their hands toward heaven and praising the Lord.
The ironic thing about this situation is that on the way to the gathering the woman had told her friends, "This guy we're going to hear tonight better not be one of those tongue-talking people.” Amazingly, she was the one who was speaking in tongues! How big is our God! God had come upon this woman in a very powerful way and I believe healed her body. Praise the Lord for His faithful love and healing power!
"Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines” (1 Corinthians 12:7-11).
I just received word on Saturday, September 26 that the woman whom I have written about in this story went to her doctor and she no longer has cancer. Bless God!
As I told these miraculous stories, I could literally feel the faith in the room rise up. Then a thirteen-year-old boy boldly proclaimed to a woman in her sixties who had been undergoing chemotherapy, “God has told me like thirty times that He is going to heal you.” I was getting the same message, but had not said anything yet.
At the end of the meeting, the woman who had been promised healing came over to say “good-bye.” As I stood up to greet her, I became overwhelmed by the Spirit of God. I began to hug her and as I held her I was compelled by God's Spirit to pray healing over her in the name of Jesus. While I was praying the woman's hands began to tremble and soon she was making sounds in her throat as if she were about to vomit. I continued praying. Suddenly she leaned back slightly, bending at the waist. Then she violently lurched forward as if to throw up. As she came back upright I could see the floor and my shoes were clean. I knew God had just freed her from an unclean spirit.
The woman's hands continued to tremble as I prayed in the name of Jesus. Suddenly her body went limp and she collapsed on the floor in a heap. She had passed out. I knelt down on one knee and continued to pray over her as she lay on her back. Soon she awoke and opened her eyes half-way. She seemed very groggy. Then, in an instant, she opened her mouth slightly and began praying in an unknown language. She had received the gift of tongues. Our eyes met and I could strongly feel God’s presence in our midst. There were about ten people left in the room including her friends who were witness to all of this. They spontaneously began raising their hands toward heaven and praising the Lord.
The ironic thing about this situation is that on the way to the gathering the woman had told her friends, "This guy we're going to hear tonight better not be one of those tongue-talking people.” Amazingly, she was the one who was speaking in tongues! How big is our God! God had come upon this woman in a very powerful way and I believe healed her body. Praise the Lord for His faithful love and healing power!
"Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines” (1 Corinthians 12:7-11).
I just received word on Saturday, September 26 that the woman whom I have written about in this story went to her doctor and she no longer has cancer. Bless God!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Becoming Shiloh Gospel Music Festival
The Lord sent Jeffrey Light and I to Vavenby, British Columbia, Canada to attend the 2nd annual Becoming Shiloh Gospel Music Festival August 5-11. I felt God was sending us there to encourage the oraganizers, Erin Dawson and her family.
Jeff flew in from Virginia and I flew in from Texas. We converged in Seattle, Washington, rented a car and began the 8-hour journey to Vavenby. A few miles out, we stopped at a convenince store to get some gas and as we walked in I imediately noticed a shelf full of homemade bread. "Communion" God said. I knew God wanted me to buy a loaf of bread with which to have communion.
I grabbed a single loaf and asked, "Juice?"
The Lord immediately responded, "No."
I told Jeff the Lord wanted me to get this bread for communion. "I guess we're going to have communion with Erin and the others," I said.
Shouldn't we get some juice?" Jeff asked.
"The Lord said, 'No'" I replied.
We arrived at the festival grounds along the North Thompson River. A beautiful place to worship God surrounded by mountains and trees. Erin and the other organizers welcomed us and soon we were gathered together for prayer. We sat in chairs forming a large circle. On one side of the circle was a picnic table, so I grabbed a seat there on the bench. As I surveyed the circle, I noticed a lone bottle of red wine atop the picnic table. I stared at it for a few seconds. Communion, I thoght. My mind immediately flashed back to the communion bread which we had just purchased. I had left the bread in the rental car not knowing exactly when we would need it. I dashed back to the car and returned with the bread setting it next to the bottle of wine.
We prayed together and shared in the Lord's Supper partaking of the bread which the LORD had so amazingly provided. God had signed His name to our trip. We were exactly where we were supposed to be and we knew God was in Becoming Shiloh. Praise God!!!
Jeff flew in from Virginia and I flew in from Texas. We converged in Seattle, Washington, rented a car and began the 8-hour journey to Vavenby. A few miles out, we stopped at a convenince store to get some gas and as we walked in I imediately noticed a shelf full of homemade bread. "Communion" God said. I knew God wanted me to buy a loaf of bread with which to have communion.
I grabbed a single loaf and asked, "Juice?"
The Lord immediately responded, "No."
I told Jeff the Lord wanted me to get this bread for communion. "I guess we're going to have communion with Erin and the others," I said.
Shouldn't we get some juice?" Jeff asked.
"The Lord said, 'No'" I replied.
We arrived at the festival grounds along the North Thompson River. A beautiful place to worship God surrounded by mountains and trees. Erin and the other organizers welcomed us and soon we were gathered together for prayer. We sat in chairs forming a large circle. On one side of the circle was a picnic table, so I grabbed a seat there on the bench. As I surveyed the circle, I noticed a lone bottle of red wine atop the picnic table. I stared at it for a few seconds. Communion, I thoght. My mind immediately flashed back to the communion bread which we had just purchased. I had left the bread in the rental car not knowing exactly when we would need it. I dashed back to the car and returned with the bread setting it next to the bottle of wine.
We prayed together and shared in the Lord's Supper partaking of the bread which the LORD had so amazingly provided. God had signed His name to our trip. We were exactly where we were supposed to be and we knew God was in Becoming Shiloh. Praise God!!!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Nicaragua 2009
I just returned this month from an impactful trip to Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua. God continues to open new doors for us to join those He has called in northern Guatemala and in El Salvador. He has led us to a woman who is from El Salvador and called to the mountains near Coban, Guatemala and a couple who are living south of San Salvador.
The Lord also led us to a group of 1,200 people who live next to an old garbage dump. They were displaced due to flooding from Managua, Nicaragua to a very desolate place north of Managua near Tipitapa. We will help with the construction of a simply built feeding center. Our Guatemalan team will return next month to continue our outreach. We would also like to place a fulltime missionary there from our Guatemalan team. Please pray for wisdom as we approach this new challenge and opportunity for us to be Jesus' hands, feet and heart to these who are so poor.
Saturday, April 04, 2009
It All Stated With A Simple Question
Five years ago on April 9, 2004 I leapt from a cliff... a place of security and manmade comfort because I had fallen in love. With faith in my heart, I spread out my wings, jumped as I was asked and found that I could fly. My eyes were focused on Jesus and I could not see the ground below, even though I knew full well it was there. I held on to God and my wife held on to me. We jumped and there was no turning back. My flesh felt the humiliation and death that awaited me. My wife's tears showed what I should have feared, but my love for my Lord and His call were all that I saw.
The ground should have rushed up at us, but we found we were being held up by the mighty hand of our God. Over these five years, we have made mistakes and even taken wrong turns. But our ears heard a voice behind us saying, "This is the way, walk in it." We have experienced the mountaintops seeing God's hand of provision and we have gone deep into caves of despair. We have heard the sound of heaven rejoicing and known the breath of hell on our heels. We have experienced the encouragement of God's whispers and known the strength of His correcting hand. We have seen God remove mountains before us and experienced the thrill of seeing His redemption, healing and love that changes lives. We have been privileged to come alongside those who are faithful to their Creator living out their own calling in the most remote of places.
And to think it all started with a simple question. "Steve, do you love me?" Three times He asked me in early 2004 and I responded with all of my heart, "Yes, Lord You know I love You." In tears I laid my life down before Him, "Lord, I will go anywhere You want me to go. I will do anything You ask me to do and I will say anything You ask me to say." Soon afterward, the adventure began. I have not yet entered my Land of Promise, but I know it is soon to come. I have seen evidence of what I cannot see and praise the One who made the promise for He is faithful to keep His promises. I have come to know Him so intimately as the lover of my soul. He is so big, yet so small. He is so far, yet so close. He is so natural, yet supernatural. The skies and earth declare His glory to all mankind. In an instant He can supercede the natural laws He put in place and allow His creation to see Him move supernaturally. He is not limited. He is real. His power is real and the most amazing thing is this... that this most holy God loved us while we were yet sinners. He sent His Son to die for you and for me. He is love and He is our Savior if we will only believe and receive His free gift of eternal life with Him. Our lives are in His hands and our deaths are in His hands. May our future... your future be in His resurrection.
Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow.
Peace In Christ,
Steve
The ground should have rushed up at us, but we found we were being held up by the mighty hand of our God. Over these five years, we have made mistakes and even taken wrong turns. But our ears heard a voice behind us saying, "This is the way, walk in it." We have experienced the mountaintops seeing God's hand of provision and we have gone deep into caves of despair. We have heard the sound of heaven rejoicing and known the breath of hell on our heels. We have experienced the encouragement of God's whispers and known the strength of His correcting hand. We have seen God remove mountains before us and experienced the thrill of seeing His redemption, healing and love that changes lives. We have been privileged to come alongside those who are faithful to their Creator living out their own calling in the most remote of places.
And to think it all started with a simple question. "Steve, do you love me?" Three times He asked me in early 2004 and I responded with all of my heart, "Yes, Lord You know I love You." In tears I laid my life down before Him, "Lord, I will go anywhere You want me to go. I will do anything You ask me to do and I will say anything You ask me to say." Soon afterward, the adventure began. I have not yet entered my Land of Promise, but I know it is soon to come. I have seen evidence of what I cannot see and praise the One who made the promise for He is faithful to keep His promises. I have come to know Him so intimately as the lover of my soul. He is so big, yet so small. He is so far, yet so close. He is so natural, yet supernatural. The skies and earth declare His glory to all mankind. In an instant He can supercede the natural laws He put in place and allow His creation to see Him move supernaturally. He is not limited. He is real. His power is real and the most amazing thing is this... that this most holy God loved us while we were yet sinners. He sent His Son to die for you and for me. He is love and He is our Savior if we will only believe and receive His free gift of eternal life with Him. Our lives are in His hands and our deaths are in His hands. May our future... your future be in His resurrection.
Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow.
Peace In Christ,
Steve
Saturday, January 24, 2009
An Unanticipated Miracle Trip To El Salvador
I just returned from a trip to Guatemala January 6-21 where we saw God move day after day. However, I want to share about an unanticipated short miracle trip to El Salvador. One of our Guatemalan leaders, Annie, received a dream from God one night in which a woman named Sorina from El Salvador thanked Annie for coming to see her. Sorina is a friend of the ministry whom we had not seen for two years and who had since become pastor of her very conservative denominational church. They believed that God did not move anymore as He did when the Bible was written. We checked on Sorina by e-mail. In her response, Sorina informed us that her ministry was fine, but her health was not. She could not eat and was having serious colon and digestive problems.
Two days later, we made the 6-hour trip to Sorina's church in El Salvador and met with Sorina and 25 of her church members and leaders.The group was sitting in a large circle of chairs when we arrived. As ll sat and prayed, pastor Jorge, our Guatemalan team leader shared how a small, poor church from Villa Nueva, Guatemala had been doing missions totally led by God. It turned out that this El Salvador church made up of professional people had just made a commitment to missions beginning January, 2009 (Divinve appointment I'd say). During this time I looked around the circle asking God what He was doing... where He was working.
As I scanned the people, He kept showing me one particular woman over and over who sat directly acorss the circle from me. At the end of our meeting, we had one on one prayer. I approached the woman (who I later learned was named Blanca) whom God had been highlighting to me. I placed the tips of two of my fingers very lightly upon the woman's forehead and began to pray. Her hands were partially raised about head high and her eyes were closed. After a few moments she began to fall backward, she caught herself as her eyes opened with a start. She had obvious fear in her eyes. She looked at me as I continued to pray and then closed her eyes again. After a few more moments, the Holy Spirit moved upon her again and she fell backward into the arms of one of our team members. Blanca laid on the floor for many minutes sobbing as the Holy Spirit ministered to her. The team prayed for every church member and we also laid hands upon Sorina asking God for her healing.
At the end of the meeting, I sought out Blanca and asked her if she was alright, knowing that she had never experienced the Holy Spirit like this before. She looked up at me nodding her head approvingly, saying in Spanish, "I was really blessed by this new experience." She continued, "Two or three weeks ago a man gave me a word that the Holy Spirit was coming to our church. I have been praying ever since that the Holy Spirit would come through me." God answered her prayer. Praise God!
In addition as we gathered the next day around mid-morning, pastor Sorina, who previously did not believe that God spoke through dreams anymore or still did things like He did in the Bible, praised God for sending us to their church through a dream. Sorina also announced that she had been able to eat a big supper after our prayer meeting the night before and even had a large breakfast that morning without any problems. She praised God for her healing.
I believe this church will be a much needed base for our continued work to the poor in the rural mountains of El Salvador. Please pray that God will continue to move through these people and teach them about His Holy Spirit. How sweet and gentle is our God!
As an overall update, we started 3 1/2 years ago with 20 people in a very dangerous and poor area of Guatemala called Villa Nueva. Today we are ministering to over 550 people in Villa Nueva and the mountains of Guatemala and El Salvador. Plus this group in Villa Nueva is going weekly into the Villa Nueva schools to share Gospel stories with 2,000 school children each week. I am so blessed to be a witness of how they are operating in power and going deeper with God.
Two days later, we made the 6-hour trip to Sorina's church in El Salvador and met with Sorina and 25 of her church members and leaders.The group was sitting in a large circle of chairs when we arrived. As ll sat and prayed, pastor Jorge, our Guatemalan team leader shared how a small, poor church from Villa Nueva, Guatemala had been doing missions totally led by God. It turned out that this El Salvador church made up of professional people had just made a commitment to missions beginning January, 2009 (Divinve appointment I'd say). During this time I looked around the circle asking God what He was doing... where He was working.
As I scanned the people, He kept showing me one particular woman over and over who sat directly acorss the circle from me. At the end of our meeting, we had one on one prayer. I approached the woman (who I later learned was named Blanca) whom God had been highlighting to me. I placed the tips of two of my fingers very lightly upon the woman's forehead and began to pray. Her hands were partially raised about head high and her eyes were closed. After a few moments she began to fall backward, she caught herself as her eyes opened with a start. She had obvious fear in her eyes. She looked at me as I continued to pray and then closed her eyes again. After a few more moments, the Holy Spirit moved upon her again and she fell backward into the arms of one of our team members. Blanca laid on the floor for many minutes sobbing as the Holy Spirit ministered to her. The team prayed for every church member and we also laid hands upon Sorina asking God for her healing.
At the end of the meeting, I sought out Blanca and asked her if she was alright, knowing that she had never experienced the Holy Spirit like this before. She looked up at me nodding her head approvingly, saying in Spanish, "I was really blessed by this new experience." She continued, "Two or three weeks ago a man gave me a word that the Holy Spirit was coming to our church. I have been praying ever since that the Holy Spirit would come through me." God answered her prayer. Praise God!
In addition as we gathered the next day around mid-morning, pastor Sorina, who previously did not believe that God spoke through dreams anymore or still did things like He did in the Bible, praised God for sending us to their church through a dream. Sorina also announced that she had been able to eat a big supper after our prayer meeting the night before and even had a large breakfast that morning without any problems. She praised God for her healing.
I believe this church will be a much needed base for our continued work to the poor in the rural mountains of El Salvador. Please pray that God will continue to move through these people and teach them about His Holy Spirit. How sweet and gentle is our God!
As an overall update, we started 3 1/2 years ago with 20 people in a very dangerous and poor area of Guatemala called Villa Nueva. Today we are ministering to over 550 people in Villa Nueva and the mountains of Guatemala and El Salvador. Plus this group in Villa Nueva is going weekly into the Villa Nueva schools to share Gospel stories with 2,000 school children each week. I am so blessed to be a witness of how they are operating in power and going deeper with God.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
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
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
Thursday, July 10, 2008
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.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Miracle Birds In Alaska - June 2008
As a child I grew up admiring the life of St. Francis of Assisi. I was especially drawn to him and his way with animals. They apparantly had no fear of him. I have always been intrigued by this and desired the same for my own life. Throughout my years, as I would spy a deer, squirrel or bird, I would yearn for the gift of St. Francis, but to no avail. That is until my last trip to Alaska.
I traveled to Alaska May 19-June 2 to speak and minsiter. I had spoken at a church one Sunday morning decided to go outside and spend some time with the Lord that afternoon. I would be speaking again that evening. I took my Bible along with me outside into the cool Alaska air. As I made my way to a comfortable spot on the stairs of a friend's house that led to their second story wooden deck, I opened my Bible to read Acts chapter 2.
I was about ten minutes into my study when all of a sudden there was a flutter. And instantly there was a bird perched next to my feet and a second bird perched on the handrailing near my head. I dared not look at the bird near my head for fear I might scare it away. I was astonished. I studied the black and white headed chickadee at my feet for a few moments. Then, another flutter. The sound of wings and a suddenly there appeared a third bird. It was soft and gray with black, charcoal eyes. It landed on edge of the open Bible in my hands. As quickly as it landed, it cocked its head and stared directly at me as I stared back in disbelief. There we were looking at each other, natural enemies, for many seconds. Then a terrible, yet comical thought filled my head.
"This bird is going to peck my eyes out." (Strange thought I know)
As soon as the ugly thought entered my mind, there was another flutter and just as quickly as they appeared, the birds were gone. I quickly ran inside to ask my hosts if the birds in Alaska were different somehow of birds in other places.
"Are your birds not afraid of human beings?" I sasked. I shared what had just happened. TMy hosts smiled and informed me that they were no different in Alaska than anywhere else.
Blessings,
Steve
Monday, June 09, 2008
Report from Sue in India - June 2008
Report from India...
The town is called Ananthavaram, but is probably not on any map you can find. If you had been with me and met the grandmother who lives in a small room behind a cow stall and had her pray for you, as she did for me, you would not be in a pit. You would be praising God for your home, your family, your clean kitchen and your beautiful clothes. We hosted a dinner for the widows of the village and gave them each a cotton sari. Cotton is grown in this area and also woven locally and often dyed with natural dyes, so they are cheap, less than $2. Grandmother's sari was woven with two different colors of thread giving it an iridescent look. It had a beautiful green border. We went to visit her the next morning and she had SLEPT in it! She is quite bow-legged and arthritic, but ambled slowly to her grinding stone outside to prepare some chutney for us. Roasted peanuts, oil, salt and a few small peppers were slowly ground to a paste requiring about 30 minutes with the ancient stone. Her daughter in law made hot dosas (similar to a thin crepe) and we used the dosas to sop up the chutney. Heavenly!
Grandmother was born Hindu in a village only a few miles away, an extremely poor village. There were many children in the family, so when she was old enough she was married off to a man from Ananthavaram. Their custom is to move to the husband's village and she has been here since. She was only blessed with one child, a son, but he grew strong, became a village and church leader and had four sons and one daughter. The third son, Suresh, is the man I met on the train last year.
Every morning grandmother arises and starts singing and praising God. She sometimes sings for hours, they say. I have promised to return in October and take her to her village to visit her extended family who still live there.
Please continue to pray, as I will pray for you. I am sitting in the Calcutta airport at a small cybercafe waiting to board my flight to Imphal. Only one week and I have already had an amazing time with God.
We are planning a medical clinic for Ananthavaram in October, hope to continue the feeding of the widows and are praying for funds to complete the church. So much already planned for only the first stop in my journey.
My prayer: may God bless you, wrap His arms around you and lift you to new heights in Him. May He send His Holy Sprit to reside in you and guide you and encourage you. May he send Christian friends to your side and, each day, show you His ways.
Sue
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Amazing Alabama
In December the Lord has brought us together with an independent missionary in Honduras named Chris Rose. He sold his Florida lumber business in 2004 and moved his wife and six of his seven children there because God told him to go. His heart is to spread the Gospel and help the people help themselves by teaching the local people marketable skills. He's also helping the people find new markets and fair prices for their commodities such as high quality coffee. At the same time the Lord has miraculously led us to a man in Austin who the Lord has called to start a chain of coffee stores (similar to Starbuck's) beginning in Austin, Texas this Fall. He is a strong follower of Christ who has a heart for the poor around the world and desires to pay a fair price for the coffee he buys. We are the connector between the two and all will be used to fund the work of the ministry leading the world to Christ.
An Amazing God Story
Chris Rose told me of a friend of his in Alabama named Ellis Wade whom he wanted me to meet. Ellis owns a furniture manufacturing business in Alabama and sells to national furniture chains. I scheduled a driving trip for January from Texas to Alabama, Georgia and Virginia. I was accompanied by a man named Paige Rowland who has worked full time with The LORD Will Provide Ministries since December trusting the Lord for his provision.
Paige and I drove to northern Alabama in one day and by the next we were on our way to meet with Ellis Wade. On the way, two things happened. First, Chris Rose called from Honduras wanting me to meet with another man named Larry Blankenship after seeing Ellis. Chris said, "Larry Blankenship has an industrial electric business up the road from Ellis' business and I need you to check on an electric transformer for me." I agreed and wrote down Larry Blankenship's name and the specs for the transformer. Second, as we neared Ellis' place, we passed a very large church named, Meek Baptist Church. "Paige, look at that!" I exclaimed jokingly as I pointed at the sign, "Meek Baptist Church is huge. There is nothing meek about that church." We laughed.
Our meeting with Ellis was filled with prayer and prophetic words and was so awesome and lasted so long that Paige and I forgot about seeing Larry Blankenship afterwards. We were some fifteen minutes away traveling back to the house where we were staying when I realized my mistake. I called Ellis and asked him to call Larry Blankenship to check on the transformer for Chris. "I'll take care of it," He said reassuringly. Just as I hung up, my phone rang and it was Chris Rose from Honduras. "How was your meeting with Ellis?" "It was awesome. God really showed up," I said. "Did you have a chance to see Larry Blankenship?" "No," I replied. "But I gave the information to Ellis and he said he'd take care of it." Chris sounded a little disappointed and I felt bad. I hung up the phone and just as quickly, the Lord told me that we needed to go to a prayer meeting that very night. It was 3:30 Friday afternoon and I immediately began looking at every church we passed reading every marquee sign I saw and at the same time looking for a supernatural sign from the Lord that would lead us to the meeting. Nothing. We arrived back at the house some thirty minutes away and I still didn't know where the prayer meeting was. I went to the yellow pages and started calling churches. It was late Friday afternoon and most didn't even have someone there to answer the phone. The two that did were not holding a prayer meeting that night and didn't know of a church that was. It was Friday after all. "Lord, where is it?" I asked. I flipped in the yellow pages over to the "B's" and God highlighted Meek Baptist Church. "No way," I said out loud in surprise. I called them. "Yes," said the stranger's voice on the other end. "We have a prayer meeting tonight at 7." "Thank you, I know where you are," I said as I hung up the phone.
Paige and I arrived just after 7 and to our surprise there were only five people there. We introduced ourselves and the group's leader immediately asked, "How did you hear about our prayer meeting?" I replied, "The Lord told us today there was a prayer meeting in the area and so I made many phone calls until I found you." "I'm so glad the Lord told you about us because it really affirms our starting this group. We just started this group two nights ago and haven't even had a chance to publicize our meetings yet." The leader came over and stuck out his hand ntroducing himself, "I'm Larry Blankenship." Paige and I were taken aback. I pulled out the piece of paper on which I had written his name along with the transformer specs and pointed to it. "I was supposed to meet you this afternoon at your office." "I wasn't in my office this afternoon." Larry replied. "I had to go to the airport. The only time we could have met was tonight."
Is God cool or what!!!
Friday, November 23, 2007
An Encounter With God 11/24/07
For the last two or three months I have been so, so tired. I was feeling battered and bruised from this 3 1/2 year journey through the desert that I have been on since quitting my job in April, 2004. As soon as a person agrees to go with God on his/her way to their Promised Land they step right into the desert. Jesus spent 40 days in the desert... the Israelites upon leaving Egypt spent 40 years in the desert. The desert is the place of testing, preparation and growth which for me included the stress of, at times, not having enough money to make my house payment or pay my bills as I learned to trust God more and more for my provision. At other times I found myself in the midst of a lack of resources for this or for that in the ministry. Of course, every time, God has provided. The challenges and tests of faith have been great and they have become a part of my testimony. However, after 3 1/2 years I was worn out and just couldn't tale another test from God. But faith comes only when we reach the end of ourselves and at the end of our resources. I was so tired and worn out from the desert, I couldn't face another test. Consequently, my communication with God was very one sided. I did all the talking and did very little question asking because I didn't have the physical stamina to pass another difficult test of faith. Consequently, out of self-defense I figuratively put my fingers in my ears and quietly closed the door of my heart.
On Tuesday, November 13 I was staying at my sister Theresa's house in Virginia to speak at a church in nearby Culpeper. I decided to go out for an early morning walk to pray. I began speaking to the Lord out of my tiredness saying, "Lord, I need..." Suddenly the Lord turned my self pity into praise. I opened my eyes, lifted my head and looked around me. I began to thank God for the beautiful morning and for the beautiful backdrop of Virginia's countryside. As I walked along this country road, I thanked Him for the ministry and the privilege of sharing the story of my journey with others. My grateful words turned into songs of praise and soon I found myself clapping along and rejoicing in Him with all of my heart. After about 25 minutes, I turned off the paved road onto an isolated gravel road. I came to a rise and stopped, I looked up into the sky, opened my heart up to God and said, "Lord, I have done everything you have asked me to do. I have gone everywhere You have asked me to go and I have said everything You have asked me to say. What do You want me to do now?"
Suddenly, I looked all around me and everything near me was glowing. Even the trees above my head were glowing. It was almost as if a cloud surrounded me and the area around me. I knew I was in the presence of God. I felt His closeness to me. "I love You, Lord." I knew He was right there listening to me. So close. So close. I can't explain it, but I knew God was right there. It was like I could almost see Him, even though I couldn't see Him. I began to weep and I said, "Lord, I want to go further with You." And as soon as those words left my lips, the Lord graciously took away all the scars, all the pain, all the dust and all the pressure from this journey I have been on since quitting my job 3 1/2 years ago. Immediately my heart was made new and fresh. My circumstances hadn't changed, but I was changed. Suddenly the Scripture, "He made His ways known to Moses" (Psalm 103:7) came to my mind. I dropped to my knees and though tears of gratefulness I cried out to God, "Lord, I want to know Your ways. How can I continue to go to churches and other places to tell people about Your ways, if I don't know Your ways myself?" I made a heartfelt appeal, "Show me Your ways."
Suddenly I noticed a car was coming on the nearby paved road. I got up off of my knees and wiped the tears from my eyes just in case the car turned on the gravel road where I was. I didn't want them to think this man on his knees in the middle of the road was a crazy man so I continued walking further down the gravel road. The car passed by on the paved road without turning my direction, so I walked back up to the rise where I had been with God. I tell you this to say that I literally could feel myself walk out of the presence of God when I left the rise and I felt myself literally walk back into His presence when I returned to the rise.
After a time, I walked slowly back to my sister's house as tears continued to stream down my face. "I am wrecked. Lord, I am wrecked." I entered the house and found Theresa, my brother-in-law Jeff and two others who had traveled with me from Texas engaged in conversation around the kitchen table. I sat down to join them uncertain as to how I would tell them about what had just happened to me. Just then Theresa turned to me and said, "Steve! You are all aglow." I ducked my head as tears once again streamed down my face. "I have been with God."
When I returned home from Virginia I decided to look again at "The Dream Giver" by Bruce Wilkinson because I seemed to recall a part of the journey to our "land of promise" that involves God removing the scars and dust from the desert. As I reviewed the process I found it, "sanctuary" that marks the end of the desert and God's preparation for us to face our giants down in the valley. It's time to take on and take out some giants! Praise the Lord for books like "The Dream Giver" that make clearer the patterns of God as we head towards our own personal Land of Promise. It's time to pick up some stones and head down into the valley.
May the Lord bless you.
In Christ,
Steve
Stephen P. Burke, Director
The LORD Will Provide
P.O. Box 1926
Temple, Texas 76503
(254) 780-3591
stephen@theLORDwillprovide.org
www.theLORDwillprovide.org
"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!' (Isaiah 6:8)
This e-mail transmission and any documents, files, or previous e-mail messages attached to it contain confidential and/or legally privileged information and are intended for use by Stephen P. Burke and/or The LORD Will Provide
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Video - Mission Trip to Guatemala/El Salvador 2007
Pastor Jeff Light of Virginia made a video documenting our recent mission trip to Guatemala & El Salvador and that video is now available to view via the Internet at "You Tube". This year folks from Virginia, Georgia and Texas joined together for a 10 day mission of ministry and outreach in Guatemala and the mountains of El Salvador. Pastors Jorge and Annie Cerritos and church family were our hosts.
Check it out when you have a minute.
Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKFYjtlt0ls
Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOA9_gdDJnI
Special thanks to Randy Peck of www.PeckWebs.com for taking the initiative to have the video posted and helping to spread the Word!
In Christ,
Steve
Healing and Another Church Plant in El Salvador
The Lord God is blessing us so much. Everything is accelerating in all areas of the ministry. Our 9 churches are growing with dozens of new believers and rededications. Pastor Jorge shared one story of a baby that is 42 days old, but for 30 of those days he was in the hospital. Doctors said that he would not live long because he had a strange illness that came with high fever and extreme weakness. Two weeks ago our prayer walking team happened upon this child's home and prayed for him. The team went to their home a second time and two of the team members felt in the Spirit that the baby would be healed, but the baby's parents needed to rededicate their lives to Jesus. The mother rededicated her life that day. The very next morning the baby woke up smiling and eating completely healed. The baby's father also rededicated his life to Christ. These kind of miracles are happening more and more frequently. God has entire church PRAISING GOD FOR THIS MIRACLE!!!
Please Pray:
1) Please pray as we are witnessing the birth of church number 10 ( 8 in Guatemala and now 2 in El Salvador) in the mountains of Abilene, El Salvador. This is three hours away from our initial El Salvador church plant. A new believer who accepted Christ two weeks ago at our initial church went home and told others about his newfound Savior. The Good News spread and now we have a team going there to help them get started.
2} Please pray for me as I travel to India September 6-17. I'll be going to some very poor areas and I expect the Lord to bring more folks for us to help who are called to spread the Good News like pastor Jorge , pastor Pedro and others.
3} Please pray for two Texas men who are traveling to Guatemala on behalf of The LORD Will Provide September 7-17 to follow the Lord as He begins to present new business opportunities for the people and ministry in Guatemala and El Salvador.
4} Please pray as we witness the birth of our first ministry in South America. We will work among the children and people living on the streets in Asuncion, Paraguay.
5) Please pray as the Lord opens doors into Honduras where I and two others will be traveling December 2-14.
6) Please pray that the Lord will meet the needs of His growing ministry and that He will send the people to help us in this work. We are doing our best to keep up with God.
Thank you for all of your prayers, encouragement and support.
In Christ,
Steve
Monday, May 07, 2007
Guatemala Trips #24 & #25 - March 2007
I returned from my 24th and 25th trips to Guatemala this week. During these two trips we spent time in Guatemala and El Salvador. So far we have seen the Lord bring up 5 churches with a sixth one on the horizon in Guatemala. In addition, He has brought up a church plant in El Salvador. God is moving so fast... we're just trying to keep up. So much has happened, but I wanted to share two highlights.
HIGHLIGHT #1
One highlight was our meeting with the mayor of Villa Nueva (part of Guatemala City) which is a community of 1.5 million people known for its gangs, crime and social problems. Pastor Jorge, pastor Jeff from Virginia and I attended the meeting. The mayor is very popular and has worked extremely hard and progressively to successfully implement many improvements in Villa Nueva. What was so amazing though, was how the Lord had already been at work. You see, the mayor of Villa Nueva had become a Christian 10 months earlier. He is so excited about God! He leads two Bible studies per week among his leadership and staff. He speaks of God's love and salvation message both privately and publicly to all he meets. He even has Christian music playing constantly on his office computer.
For an hour and a half we got to know each other as brothers in Christ. We prayed together, we shared God stories and we spoke of the plans we have to build a Christian hospital in his jurisdiction. He informed us that the federal government had just announced plans to build a hospital for Villa Nueva, so the mayor asked us if we would build four medical clinics that would act as "feeders" for the hospital. We agreed. He then provided an architect to design everything for us at no cost and will give us the land for each construction site. At the end of our meeting the mayor invited us to join him the next morning for a breakfast he was hosting for 200 pastors. He is trying to encourage all the churches to work together for the benefit of the Villa Nueva people.
HIGHLIGHT #2
The second highlight occurred during and after the mayor's breakfast meeting. As the meeting was in full swing I began to look around the room asking the Lord to show me where He was working. As I did this He brought my attention to a woman sitting on the other side of the room. She was a tall woman probably in her late forties. "I want you to help her." I leaned over to pastor Jorge who was sitting next to me and asked him to speak with her to see what was going on. "I am feeling the same thing," he said. "And, I know her."
After the meeting, Jorge approached the woman and found out she had been leading her church by default. Her name is Judith. Their pastor had left and the leadership of the church had fallen onto her. She was doing all she could to fill the role, but she was tired. We prayed with her and encouraged her. There were two women with her and one was having painful, continual headaches and asked me to pray for her. At that moment pastor Jeff from Virginia called me over to pray for another man. I joined pastor Jeff for a few minutes before returning to the woman. As I was walking the twenty feet back towards the woman I could feel my faith welling up inside me. Somehow I knew with certainty that the Lord was going to heal this woman. As I placed my hands on either side of her head upon her temples I began to pray. The woman raised her hands "worship style" about head high and all of a sudden God moved. I felt what I can only describe as a powerful shot of electricity run through both of my arms and into the woman. At that very moment her outstretched arms trembled profusely and she fell straight back onto the floor. Pastor Jorge caught her as she fell. I have been involved in healing and I have been involved in people being slain in the Spirit, but I have never experienced the power of God like I felt that day. Afterwards I told Jorge and Jeff that God did this for a purpose and hopefully we'd find out what God was up to.
Several days later I found out that the woman who lay on the floor had gone back to her church on Sunday and testified what God had done. She testified that the Lord had not only healed her headaches, but had healed her long term back pain too. Praise God!
All of this happened six weeks ago in January on the 24th trip. As I was preparing for trip 25 last week, the Lord impressed upon me to set up a meeting with the woman named Judith who was carrying the leadership responsibility at her church. We met with her last Saturday. A group from Gatesville, Texas had come with me along with pastor Jorge. It was then that we found out just what had happened with Judith. She had come to the prayer breakfast very weary and ready to quit the ministry. She felt like she couldn't go on anymore. There was too much pressure at the church and at home. God knew that and had used us six weeks earlier to encourage her at just the right time. You see, Judith has a call on her life to preach the Good News. She even graduated from seminary a few years earlier, but her church won't consider her as a pastor because she is a woman and because her husband is not a "Believer" yet (Judith is under immense attack from the enemy at church and at home so we encourage you to pray for her and for the salvation of her husband). The group from Gatesville ministered wonderfully to Judith, having gone through themselves in the past some of what Judith was presently experiencing at home. As we prayed for Judith and her husband, the Lord showed us that Judith would be cutting a new trail in Guatemala... that as she preaches, battles will be raging to her right and to her left. We encouraged her that in the midst of these battles she must continue to preach because there are many girls who will be inspired by Judith to fulfill God's call upon their own lives to preach the Good News. Amen!
One final note... the woman who was healed so powerfully in the Holy Spirit is now receiving dreams from God, too. She's seeing things in dreams that either have come to pass or have been determined to be real. This is all new for her. Please pray for her as she learns to live and minister with these things of the Holy Spirit that until recently she didn't know or believe even existed today.
In Christ,
Steve
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Guatemala Trip #22 - November 2006
It's hard to believe, but this was trip #22 to Guatemala for me since traveling there for the first time three years ago. Pastor Jorge in Villa Nueva (Guatemala City) and I have been so blessed to see God do so much. Please join us as we pray that as the ministry rapidly grows that we will stay in the middle of God's will and be sensitive to what God is doing around us so that we may join Him in His work.
The school bus we drove down to Guatemala in September is working well in Villa Nueva... each week over 40 adults are being picked up to attend Bible study at Ciudad de Refugio church. We also had a special children's event in October for which the bus was used to pick up 75 children from around the refugee area. I have not seen a school bus better cared for than this one in Guatemala. The church members are so thrilled that the Lord blessed them with the bus. As a matter of fact, the man who drives the bus is a professional driver who just joined the church along with his family this past Summer. He is also a good mechanic. The Lord really does provide!
I have included a picture of pastor Pedro behind the microphone broadcasting the Good News from a radio station in Nebaj in the Mayan language of Ixil. God is growing the ministry in the mountains of Guatemala very rapidly, we're just trying to keep up. If you recall in my last update, I was certain we were not going to build buildings. However it appears God has other ideas. We have had two pieces of land donated to us. One in Chajul (where the 17 families have come to Christ through the radio program) and in the country of El Salvador in a community located about one hour east of the capital city of San Salvador. Also, the home church in Cotzal has now grown to over 90 members... way too many members to fit into a house. Please pray for us as we search for land on which to build a church or, at least to set up a roof without walls. Since January, we have 5 churches in Guatemala and 2 in the country of El Salvador that are up and running or are somewhere in the development process. God is so amazing. Pedro has also been asked to preach in another mountain village to people who speak the Mayan language of Quiche. Pedro doesn't speak Quiche, but within a couple of days God sent a translator to Pedro. God is good!
The Lord is bringing more people to us as our ministry expands. These people will eventually become full time evangelists and operations folks for us. here's how God brought a man named Bernardo to us. Pastor Jorge and I spoke to a group of church leaders at Ciudad de Refugio Church in Nebaj. During our lunch break I happened to be standing next to a man named Bernardo. The Lord gave me a "word"... this man is another pastor Pedro. I immediately turned and asked Jorge about this man whom I'd never met... what's his story.
"He's an elder in a church who has a tremendous heart for the Lord."
At the end of the day, I took the opportunity to sit down with Bernardo. Pastor Jorge was my translator. "What's the Lord been doing in your life?" I asked, "Do you believe the Lord has called you?"
Bernardo responded, "Yes, to be a preacher."
Bernardo is married with 5 children and works full time for the government teaching locals about farming techniques that would improve crop production. I assured him, "The Lord will soon provide for you so you can do the work He was called you to do." That evening I asked Pedro what he thought about Bernardo. Pedro responded, "This morning I told Bernardo to get ready because soon the Lord was going to have him helping me in the ministry as it expanded into Chajul." Pedro already knew what God was doing. Awesome!
Also, during this last trip we were presented with the opportunity to purchase a cinder block making machine for $2,000 American. This would be a great asset to us as we get more and more into construction. We could also make and sell block to others which would help us maintain the ever-growing monetary demand of this ministry. We will also be building a 4-story hospital in Villa Nueva for which we now have our first architectural drawings. I will send the drawings in a separate e-mail. We're also needing to add a bathroom and kitchen to pastor Pedro's house in the mountains so he can stay there instead of his parents home each week This will also give us a place for future missionaries to stay.
I could write so much more about what God is doing, but this gives you some of the highlights. Please continue to pray for us and as always, thank you for your support.
In Christ,
Steve
The school bus we drove down to Guatemala in September is working well in Villa Nueva... each week over 40 adults are being picked up to attend Bible study at Ciudad de Refugio church. We also had a special children's event in October for which the bus was used to pick up 75 children from around the refugee area. I have not seen a school bus better cared for than this one in Guatemala. The church members are so thrilled that the Lord blessed them with the bus. As a matter of fact, the man who drives the bus is a professional driver who just joined the church along with his family this past Summer. He is also a good mechanic. The Lord really does provide!
I have included a picture of pastor Pedro behind the microphone broadcasting the Good News from a radio station in Nebaj in the Mayan language of Ixil. God is growing the ministry in the mountains of Guatemala very rapidly, we're just trying to keep up. If you recall in my last update, I was certain we were not going to build buildings. However it appears God has other ideas. We have had two pieces of land donated to us. One in Chajul (where the 17 families have come to Christ through the radio program) and in the country of El Salvador in a community located about one hour east of the capital city of San Salvador. Also, the home church in Cotzal has now grown to over 90 members... way too many members to fit into a house. Please pray for us as we search for land on which to build a church or, at least to set up a roof without walls. Since January, we have 5 churches in Guatemala and 2 in the country of El Salvador that are up and running or are somewhere in the development process. God is so amazing. Pedro has also been asked to preach in another mountain village to people who speak the Mayan language of Quiche. Pedro doesn't speak Quiche, but within a couple of days God sent a translator to Pedro. God is good!
The Lord is bringing more people to us as our ministry expands. These people will eventually become full time evangelists and operations folks for us. here's how God brought a man named Bernardo to us. Pastor Jorge and I spoke to a group of church leaders at Ciudad de Refugio Church in Nebaj. During our lunch break I happened to be standing next to a man named Bernardo. The Lord gave me a "word"... this man is another pastor Pedro. I immediately turned and asked Jorge about this man whom I'd never met... what's his story.
"He's an elder in a church who has a tremendous heart for the Lord."
At the end of the day, I took the opportunity to sit down with Bernardo. Pastor Jorge was my translator. "What's the Lord been doing in your life?" I asked, "Do you believe the Lord has called you?"
Bernardo responded, "Yes, to be a preacher."
Bernardo is married with 5 children and works full time for the government teaching locals about farming techniques that would improve crop production. I assured him, "The Lord will soon provide for you so you can do the work He was called you to do." That evening I asked Pedro what he thought about Bernardo. Pedro responded, "This morning I told Bernardo to get ready because soon the Lord was going to have him helping me in the ministry as it expanded into Chajul." Pedro already knew what God was doing. Awesome!
Also, during this last trip we were presented with the opportunity to purchase a cinder block making machine for $2,000 American. This would be a great asset to us as we get more and more into construction. We could also make and sell block to others which would help us maintain the ever-growing monetary demand of this ministry. We will also be building a 4-story hospital in Villa Nueva for which we now have our first architectural drawings. I will send the drawings in a separate e-mail. We're also needing to add a bathroom and kitchen to pastor Pedro's house in the mountains so he can stay there instead of his parents home each week This will also give us a place for future missionaries to stay.
I could write so much more about what God is doing, but this gives you some of the highlights. Please continue to pray for us and as always, thank you for your support.
In Christ,
Steve
Guatemala Update - November, 2006
As I pray this morning it is clear we are coming into a time of miracles... a time when we have run out of ourselves and have no ne else to rely upon except the hand of God. Please pray for The LORD Will Provide and for me as I return to Guatemala November 1-8. I will be traveling up into the mountains with pastor Jorge, pastor Pedro and our newest pastor Manuel in thankfulness to those God has brought to us to deepen their faith. Seventeen new families from one mountain village have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior through our radio program broadcast in the Mayan language of Ixil. This mountain village is two hours by motorcycle from the town of Nebaj where we are broadcasting from. You may recall, Nebaj is 6 hours by car from Guatemala City. How wonderful that we are privileged to witness God drawing His creation to Himself.
In Guatemala City (Villa Nueva) we are no longer using the Buenas Nuevas Compound for church services because the rent was increased beyond our ability to pay. But what the enemy meant for bad the Lord has turned around for good. Our single church has now grown into eight home churches with seven people leading these groups.
Every week we have a prayer walking activity in the community and every week something happens. One day the leadership of the Soccer League of Linda Vista asked for prayer for protection from the gangs. The Soccer League is really in a battle with the gangs attracting young people to play soccer rather than join gangs. One night the Team went to distribute bread with beans and coffee to the drunk men in the streets. It was wonderful see how God opened doors to serve them and share the love of Jesus with them.
We are finishing a Bible Study Called " Standing On the Promises of God" based on Genesis and are now planning to begin "Walking thru the Desert" based on Exodus. Pastor Jorge reports this is helping us to understand we need to keep moving forward every moment no matter how the circumstances may appear. Please pray that we may continue to move forward in wisdom and faith with our focus on Jesus and His desire to reach the entire community... even those who may not appear to be worthy by our own human standards.
Please know that The LORD Will Provide is not about building church buildings, but we are about building up the church... the people who make up the Body of Christ... encouraging and teaching them to go deeper with the Lord and sending them out.
Thank you for your prayers and support.
In Christ,
Steve
In Guatemala City (Villa Nueva) we are no longer using the Buenas Nuevas Compound for church services because the rent was increased beyond our ability to pay. But what the enemy meant for bad the Lord has turned around for good. Our single church has now grown into eight home churches with seven people leading these groups.
Every week we have a prayer walking activity in the community and every week something happens. One day the leadership of the Soccer League of Linda Vista asked for prayer for protection from the gangs. The Soccer League is really in a battle with the gangs attracting young people to play soccer rather than join gangs. One night the Team went to distribute bread with beans and coffee to the drunk men in the streets. It was wonderful see how God opened doors to serve them and share the love of Jesus with them.
We are finishing a Bible Study Called " Standing On the Promises of God" based on Genesis and are now planning to begin "Walking thru the Desert" based on Exodus. Pastor Jorge reports this is helping us to understand we need to keep moving forward every moment no matter how the circumstances may appear. Please pray that we may continue to move forward in wisdom and faith with our focus on Jesus and His desire to reach the entire community... even those who may not appear to be worthy by our own human standards.
Please know that The LORD Will Provide is not about building church buildings, but we are about building up the church... the people who make up the Body of Christ... encouraging and teaching them to go deeper with the Lord and sending them out.
Thank you for your prayers and support.
In Christ,
Steve
Our House - August, 2006
I wanted to share this with you so you could praise God like we are.
God's been opening up so many doors for me to speak at churches... Assemblies of God Tabernacle in Houston, Temple Tabernacle in Temple, Texas River Church in Belton, Texas. I also spoke at 6 different churches in Virginia during my visit there August 8-14. Praise God!
God is so faithful... it has now been 2 years and 4 months since I left my job to do this ministry full time. As you know, He asked us to sell the house in the spring and we obeyed as a family. We painted, repaired and put a sign out in the front yard. Some of my Christian friends and family believed our house was our "Isaac". For a season we had people coming over to look at the house, but they were clearly not here to buy our house. God sent them here to be ministered to. It was an amazing time. Then, about six weeks ago, the Lord told me to take the "for sale" sign down. I did. That same night we had a couple call that wanted to buy, but needed to get their finances together. We never heard from them again. The season of selling our house had ended.
Instead of us having to sell our home, here's what God has just done. He provided a ram as He did for Abraham. A Godly family just sold an investment condo they had and knew the money was the Lord's. They prayed, asking the Lord where they should sow it... as the wife was praying about it the Lord said to her, "Give all of it to Steve." Not to the ministry, but to Steve personally. God promised her that He would "restore their wealth." Praise God, she was obedient and sent me an initial check which I received yesterday... just in time... right on time. They are not getting any tax deduction because it was a personal gift... the check was made out to Stephen Burke. She and her family are believing and trusting God 100%.
God has now taken care of our personal financial needs for at least the next two and a half years. My entire focus can now be on this ministry we have been called to. Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow. He is so faithful, so faithful. I am merely a witness to the amazing God we serve. May He alone be glorified.
In Christ,
Steve
God's been opening up so many doors for me to speak at churches... Assemblies of God Tabernacle in Houston, Temple Tabernacle in Temple, Texas River Church in Belton, Texas. I also spoke at 6 different churches in Virginia during my visit there August 8-14. Praise God!
God is so faithful... it has now been 2 years and 4 months since I left my job to do this ministry full time. As you know, He asked us to sell the house in the spring and we obeyed as a family. We painted, repaired and put a sign out in the front yard. Some of my Christian friends and family believed our house was our "Isaac". For a season we had people coming over to look at the house, but they were clearly not here to buy our house. God sent them here to be ministered to. It was an amazing time. Then, about six weeks ago, the Lord told me to take the "for sale" sign down. I did. That same night we had a couple call that wanted to buy, but needed to get their finances together. We never heard from them again. The season of selling our house had ended.
Instead of us having to sell our home, here's what God has just done. He provided a ram as He did for Abraham. A Godly family just sold an investment condo they had and knew the money was the Lord's. They prayed, asking the Lord where they should sow it... as the wife was praying about it the Lord said to her, "Give all of it to Steve." Not to the ministry, but to Steve personally. God promised her that He would "restore their wealth." Praise God, she was obedient and sent me an initial check which I received yesterday... just in time... right on time. They are not getting any tax deduction because it was a personal gift... the check was made out to Stephen Burke. She and her family are believing and trusting God 100%.
God has now taken care of our personal financial needs for at least the next two and a half years. My entire focus can now be on this ministry we have been called to. Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow. He is so faithful, so faithful. I am merely a witness to the amazing God we serve. May He alone be glorified.
In Christ,
Steve
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