As A.W. Tozer wrote, ‘God is love and God is sovereign. His love disposes Him to desire our everlasting welfare, and His sovereignty enables Him to secure it.’
This Week’s Highlights:
*Angry Unbeliever Experiences God’s Powerful Presence – see Pastor Lorraine
*Multiple Encounters in Central Park – see Ron & Donna
*Main Street Pizza & Prayer results in healing – see Diana
*Enemy’s ploy reversed – see Andy
Pastor Lorraine’s Report:
We had about 16 people out this Thursday. Some went to Central Park, some to the mall, and some along Main Street. It wasn’t as busy this night and for some reason (likely the cooler weather), there weren’t as many people in the park. We had many encounters and opportunities to minister and share Jesus, but the numbers were down a bit.
After we left Zion a small group went to Main Street where they bought some pizzas and shared them with those on the sidewalk. Had some opportunities to pray for people and overall it was a good experience though rather quieter than usual. Later I left for Central Park.
When Erdman got back from Portage Place I found out that things were slower than usual and some of our ‘regulars’ were not even there. At the park, there were some H2O people at a picnic table praying for a few people and some were walking around the park perimeter, offering to pray for and ministering to others.
While I was there a young aboriginal man approached me and started to ask me about Jesus. He had been drinking and seemed quite angry (earlier on he had grabbed one of our water bottles and threw it across the grass). As he stood there he cursed and told me bluntly that Jesus wasn’t real and God wasn’t real and he wouldn’t believe that stuff. As I spoke to him about Jesus and told him that Jesus was indeed real, again he cursed. So I asked him if he wanted God to show him that Jesus was really the Son of God? He said sure, he wanted to know. And I said that Jesus was going to show up and make Himself is known to him – that he actually would feel and sense the presence of God. I called over Michael to pray for him and as we did the Spirit of God fell upon the young man (whose name turned out to be David). While Michael prayed David melted to the ground and was on his knees at the picnic table! We just kept on praying. As we prayed, he began to weep quietly and you could sense the presence of God’s deep love upon him. God is real!! David had never encountered anything like this before and you could tell that he was shaken up and still on his knees on the ground. No one touched him to push him there—he just started to fall down and the anger stopped as he let us minister the love of the Father to his broken heart. God cut through the anger and bitterness and deeply touched David’s heart with His love. It was a VERY MOVING experience for us all. After a while David was laying on the ground and after some time I asked him if he now believed that Jesus was real? He replied with a yes and I then told him about what Jesus did at the Cross for him, and eventually, David accepted the Lord. So God not only showed up to convince David that He was the real deal, but He ambushed David with His deep love and brought him into His Kingdom as well! So amazing!!
Ron & Donna’s Report:
Upon arriving at the park I met Benoit and gave him a bottle of water supplied by Adina and Erdmann. As I gave Benoit the water I asked him what I could pray for and he pointed to his lower left side of his back and said the pain from there ran down his leg to his toes. After I prayed for him he shook my hand and quickly walked away. I then met up with Linda and Pedro who had just arrived with Andy. Donna was with Adina and they were busy giving out timbits. So Linda, Pedro and I began a walk around the park. Our first encounter was with Raj. He requested prayer for a job in Ontario where he was moving to in several weeks. He was originally from Ontario but when he came to Manitoba there were no jobs here. As we prayed Linda got a Word of Knowledge about asking God for a suitable woman for him. After prayer, Raj was quite excited and wanted to buy us coffee or a bag of chips.etc. We insisted that we prayed out of love for him following Christ’s instruction “Freely you have received so freely give”. Next, we ran into a couple who were both University students. They were taking selfies on their phones as we approached and even though we offered to pray for them they refused. However, we had a nice chat about connection/love both human and Divine. The young man identified himself as cosmopolitan even though he had spent 8 years in Israel having immigrated there from Russia. As we were talking together I used some of the information I had learned 2 weeks ago when I had gone for a Medical test and the technician was a Russian Jew who questioned me about God and Atonement. From this couple, we approached Nomalie who was originally from Africa. He’s been in Canada 8 years and is now working as a janitor part time and as a health care aid whenever he can get an opportunity. His request was for knowledge of his purpose in this life. As Linda prayed for him we could feel the “atmosphere” change as she spoke clear purpose and a better life for him in the mighty name of Jesus. His friends were quite talkative as she began to pray but at the end of her prayer, they were quietly respectful. As we began our second circuit of the park Pedro caught up with Andy while Linda and I continued on. We sat down with 3 young Muslim women and asked how we could pray. Hafsa quickly answered that she wanted assurance of Paradise and that she would like to see better. Linda and I attempted to share God’s love through Jesus but they had many questions about Christianity and the role of the Bible. Our conversation was delightfully interesting as we found our selves answering questions about how women should dress, why the New Testament was written, did Jesus actually die and the extent of God’s love in that He has engraved their names on His hands. Before leaving them as they were heading to the Mosque for prayers we prayed that Hafsa’s eyes would become clear, whole and sharp (no more need of glasses). She said there was no immediate change but one of her friends said that prayers are often answered over time. When we got back to the prayer table we met Chris who prayed for us and then we prayed for Chris. Chris appreciated our ministry and was thankful for the encouragement we offered in Christ’s name. Just before packing up Billy H. approached us and we gave him 3 bottles of water. Even though he was intoxicated he received prayer and told us how he had just come from a big tent meeting where he had already received prayer. God had met him there and God met him again “over here”. I also got a Word of Knowledge for him telling him that he had a good heart and that he was a good man and some day he would be a leader of his people following after God’s heart. Busy evening experiencing Papa’s goodness.
Diana’s Report:
Ed, Joshua, Emily and I started out on Main Street handing out pizzas. There was just a calm atmosphere tonight and we were able to talk and pray with many people. Joshua prayed for Lawrence’s leg pain and it went from 9 1/2 to a 3. We prayed again and he said he didn’t feel the throbbing in it anymore. At the end of the evening, Ed and I were leaving Central Park when we stopped to talk to a 78-year-old man who was very intoxicated and stumbling down the street. He was trying to get home but it was clear that he would not have made it that far ( by HSC ). We prayed for him and gave him a ride home. He is a Catholic believer and used to go to church every Sunday in his hometown. We encouraged him to find a church here in the city and he said himself that it didn’t have to be a Catholic church because we all worship the triune God.
Andy’s report :
Our team consisted of Andrea, Warren, and Lani. We met Sandy from Lac Brochet and prayed for her ability to break free of addictions and a future. Another person was trying to interrupt. The enemy was trying to stop us, told him to stop in Jesus name – victory. Afterward, we were able to pray for his need too, said his name was Timothy from the bible. Met Curtis, prayed against lung cancer, Alex from Eritrea for blessings and shared our faith with him. Met Pedro prayed concerning finances concerning his new business and restored relationships with his brother. We had an amazing time with three young Orthodox men from Eritrea, prayed for success in there lives, Lani had a word of leadership for one of them. Another of them, Mathon, was eager for many prayers. Later on, I met William, listened to his story and prayed against trauma he experienced as a youth. We became instant friends and exchanged numbers. When we left I drove him home.
PROPHECY CORNER
I can feel it in the atmosphere around me, like the air is pregnant. I feel a painful cry of endurance building like something significant is about to take place. As God made me aware of this expectant feeling, I heard the words singing out, “New land is birthing! Kingdom territory is yours!” Helen Cobanov – The Elijah List