The Unspoken...

A 4 minute video I came across on a friend's facebook page is a powerful example of one of the things that I think we can't do enough of...tell people what you really think of them! ...short word of warning...I cried my way through it (in a good way)...

 

http://gnatgnat.posterous.com/the-unspoken

Lots of Miracles and hardly any Mishaps...

After an eventful ten days, our team of 16 arrived home in style from Ecuador at 6am last Tuesday morning. We had two delayed planes, missed one flight, lost a team member in LA, and had no luggage arriving with us when we got to San Francisco. All the fun travelling was absolutely worth it as we had an amazing time during our brief trip to Riobamba and Quito. It's hard to know how to summarise it and give the experience justice but here is my attempt at outlining my highlights!

We found the Ecuadorians to be so hospitable - it was so humbling how well they treated us and how pleased they were that we had come to their country! In both cities we got to go to the hospitals and pray for people in the waiting rooms and hosptial wards. It was a surreal experience to be able to freely walk around, saying that we were Christians from California who believe that Jesus still heals today and ask if we could pray for people.  An experience that I didn't think I would enjoy but our motive was simple (letting people know that God loves them and giving them an opporunity to experience that for themselves) but acutally I loved it. Most people were pleased to see us and we got the chance to pray for about 10-15 people each time we went.

On stage at a church in Riobamba :)

A few of us also got to visit a school and spend time with the children there - one of my favourite parts of the trip. My lack of Spanish made it an interesting experience trying to communicate with them beyond my name and age but with lots of gestures and a bit of sign language we got by. Maybe one day I will actually be able to speak more than 10 words of Spanish... We also visited several churches in the both cities. As I have mentioned before Bethel (the church & school I am at) has become known around the world for healing miracles. It was humbling to meet a people who were so keen to learn more about the experiences I have become so used to in California and it was a good reminder of what a privilege it has been to be 

at the school.

In every church meeting lots of people wanted prayer for healing. I prayed for people who had problems with hearing, eye sight, pain in their backs, fingers, necks, kidneys, knees and lots more! Every person said they could feel God's presence (mostly in the form of heat or peace) and all of them felt their pain decrease or disappear. People told me their vision was now clear and I got kisses from a lady who  who could hear clearly after we prayed for her.  This year I have probably prayed for 100 people for healing but this time I could feel God's presence in my hands - they would get hot every time I prayed for people and it was amazing to know that God was using me to show his love to people.  For me it was physical evidence of an unseen world that I know to be true - God does not want people to be in pain and  the healing miracles that happened in biblical times are still happening today because God uses normal people like me.  

I have so many stories to tell but there isn't space for them here. It was amazing to fly to a part of the world I have never been to before and feel like everyone we met was family. My school is so big that I hadn't met most of the people on my team until we had a planning meeting but spending time with them, our translators, the church leaders, the children in the school etc etc - all felt like meeting family.

Children from the school

Yep...it's a guinea pig

We also visited the equator, ate guinea pig for lunch  ( I must admit I ate the smallest piece imaginable)and climbed part way up Chimborazo mountain in the Andes (up to 16,000 ft!).

Quito

Lynda with Marlon - our permanent translator.

Bonding time on the bus

I will be able to tell you these and all my other stories better in person. After all my airport palavers from this blog...I won't take it personally if you never want to get on a plane with me but I do have a few tips for you for going through U.S customs...:). Adios for now.