“Great faith is a product of great fights. Great testimonies are the outcome of great tests. Great triumphs can only come out of great trials.” Smith Wigglesworth.
Thirty-nine prayer warriors hit the streets, malls, Abortion Clinic, and Health Sciences Center this Thursday. Below are several reports of encounters, healing, and evangelism. The highlight for me was Ryan’s encounter with Edna – check out the conversation below.
Before you do here is some background information on Edna. Some of us first met her about 18 months ago at Portage Place Mall. She is First Nations, and homeless, and has been sleeping at the Salvation Army Hostel. When we first met her we prayed for her hips and legs. She was healed, and no longer needed her walker, but she kept it as she carries all her possessions with her, and the walker kinda serves as a cart to carry all her stuff that is in several plastic bags. Edna believes that people at the Salvation Army steal her things so she won’t leave anything there. She also hears voices and is convinced the voices are in the walls and are a result of someone casting spells on her. Edna likes to hang-out at the Portage Place Food Court. Many of our team members have bought her food, talked to her, and prayed for her, in the past 18 months. Thursday night was her appointed night with the Lord. She told Ryan she was tired of fighting, and that was Ryan’s cue to introduce her to Jesus.
Ryan’s Report:
I saw Edna sitting by herself in the food court, and I remember when Sid and I prayed for her situation a while ago. She has been living at Salvation Army for several months and she is certain that her roommate is into witchcraft, as she hears voices coming out of the walls.
This is my conversation with her last night:
Me: Hey did anything change since Sid and I prayed for you a couple of weeks ago?
Edna: No, and I am so fed up right now! I don’t want to go anywhere else but I need it to stop. Can you pray for me?? I don’t know what to do.
Me: Yeah for sure I can pray for you, but did you know that God has given you the power over that witchcraft you are facing, you have the authority to do it on your own. You can speak to that darkness, and it will go away.
Edna: I can do that? I don’t know if I can. I’m soo tired of this going on!! I don’t want to fight anymore. You said I can do it? How?
Me: Do you consider yourself a Christian?
Edna: No.
Me: Would you be willing to pray a prayer with me, it’s the sinner’s prayer, and then I will pray over you for God to show you his strength.
Edna: (hesitantly) Ok, I’m ready. Are you sure God can help?
Me: I know He can. Then I had her repeat this prayer; “Jesus, I know I am a sinner and that you died on the cross for me. Please forgive me and take me into your family. I realize now that you are the saviour of the world and I am ready to walk with you. Help me in my situation where I live, and teach me about what authority means. In Jesus Name. Amen”
Then I prayed a prayer for God to Show up in her life and that God would give her strength to deal with everything that goes on. And I prayed for a new openness because of her decision to accept Christ into her heart tonite.
When we opened our eyes Edna had tears in her eyes.
Edna: Thank you for that.
Me: Now the rest is up to you, would you be willing to go to a church I can recommend? Because this is just the beginning.
Edna: Yes I would like to go but all the churches have service Sunday morning and I have lunch at Salvation Army at 11:30, so I can never go to church.
Me: Ok, there is a church service Saturday night at Zion church, would you go to that one?
Edna: Yes but it would be hard for me because I don’t have a ride and I’m not leaving my things at Salvation Army.
Me: If I would be able to help find a ride to the church would that be ok??
Edna: Yes It would.
I waved Lorraine over and explained what had happened and told her that Edna was willing to come out on Saturday night but would need a ride, she gave Edna the Zion business card and told Edna to call and maybe they could arrange something.
Jeremiah’s Report:
This week I was on a team with Sid, Denzel, Jeremiah Vega. We went to Portage Place Mall.
The highlight of the evening for me was with Jonathan. We asked him how he was doing and he explained to us how his girlfriend kicked him out of his home and that he has been on the streets for the past three days. I told him that we were Christians and that we want to pray that he finds a place to sleep and that his girlfriend would welcome him back. He let us pray. We then asked him if he had any pain in his body and he didn’t. So I asked him if he wanted to experience the presence of God, he didn’t know what I was talking about, So I asked him to stick out his hand and I put my hands over and under his hand for about five seconds and he felt vibrations in his arm! Sid also put his hands over Jonathan’s and the same thing happened and Jeremiah Vega did the same. Sid asked Jonathan if he was a Christian, he wasn’t. We asked if he wanted Jesus for himself, he didn’t. So I told him all about who Jesus was and how proud God was of him. We asked him again if he wanted to accept Jesus and he let me lead him to the Lord right then and there!!!
We also prayed for a Catholic guys knees outside at the bus stop and they were healed. He told us that he heard about healing power before and that if you rub your hands together really fast that you can heal someone. I then told him that there is more than one source for healing but any source of power other than from Jesus brings in a lot of other bad stuff and in the end, you would be way worse off than before you got healed. Jesus’s power is a love gift just for us!
Daniel’s Report:
Went to Portage Place mall yesterday night with Riley Wall, Roberto Mendoza Jr., Tyler Woodworth, and Ryan Cox.
Bought some meals and spread some love to a number of individuals. We prayed for a girl with a sore back from falling down the stairs and she experienced complete relief of pain. Had 5/10 pain and it went to 0.
We then prayed for her male friend who felt the power of God shoot into his arm. He exclaimed some impressive expletives upon feeling the power and realizing the constant 2/10 pain in his mouth was gone.
Pastor Tom connected Roberto (who speaks Spanish) to a gentleman he met who also spoke Spanish and Roberto got to love on him for a while in the Spanish style. Riley was called over by a man who we had apparently ministered to about a year ago. Riley bought him a meal and ministered to him. He said he recognized us right away when he saw us. It’s good to know that people are still impacted even a year after we first encounter them. You got to love the power of God.
Ryan had a good long conversation with Edna, a regular at the mall. He led her in a prayer of salvation last night. Praise God.
It’s a privilege being able to minister the Kingdom that’s been handed to us by the King himself.
Bought some meals and spread some love to a number of individuals. We prayed for a girl with a sore back from falling down the stairs and she experienced complete relief of pain. Had 5/10 pain and it went to 0.
We then prayed for her male friend who felt the power of God shoot into his arm. He exclaimed some impressive expletives upon feeling the power and realizing the constant 2/10 pain in his mouth was gone.
Pastor Tom connected Roberto (who speaks Spanish) to a gentleman he met who also spoke Spanish and Roberto got to love on him for a while in the Spanish style. Riley was called over by a man who we had apparently ministered to about a year ago. Riley bought him a meal and ministered to him. He said he recognized us right away when he saw us. It’s good to know that people are still impacted even a year after we first encounter them. You got to love the power of God.
Ryan had a good long conversation with Edna, a regular at the mall. He led her in a prayer of salvation last night. Praise God.
It’s a privilege being able to minister the Kingdom that’s been handed to us by the King himself.
Dale’s Report:
First off, I went to Main Street with two other teams. The streets were busy with the nicer weather! Lots of interactions which were great. Not too many people wanted prayer but I met a man with two other girls with him and he had bad pain in his foot from a bone infection. I prayed for it once and spoke out in faith asking if he felt that power that touched him and he said yes. He didn’t want to move his foot around to test it out because he was scared the pain would flare up, but I’m believing he’ll be blown away when he realizes it’s gone! We prayed for a few other people and then went to Portage Place.
The best encounter was with a lady who had a serious accident a few years ago. She opened her heart up as we talked and prayed for her as the mall was closing, God really touched her heart and we are looking forward to future encounters! God gave me a word to say that the Lord says she is so beautiful, it really touched her even though she didn’t give much of an outward reaction. We will pray for her physical healing again next week! Such a God-orchestrated encounter. God is so good!!
Davy’s Report:
This Thursday I was part of a team that prayed at Portage Place. It was a good evening of connecting with people. We connected with someone who had previously been healed on a different Thursday night ministry time and they joined us in praying for people! Claire, one of our team, bought coffee and donuts from Tim’s which we were able to give away to people in the mall and outside in the bus shelter. Through this, we also got the opportunity to pray for and encourage a couple who were experiencing a lot of illness within their family.
We also took time to pray over the abortion clinic attached to the mall, and that was a very powerful time. While we were there, we talked to a guy who stopped near us because he felt the presence of God, and we were able to share the truth with him, listen to him, and pray for him, as he was hurting. It was amazing how God brought a few different people across our path that we were able to connect with simply through making a decision to pray at the abortion clinic. God is so good!
We also took time to pray over the abortion clinic attached to the mall, and that was a very powerful time. While we were there, we talked to a guy who stopped near us because he felt the presence of God, and we were able to share the truth with him, listen to him, and pray for him, as he was hurting. It was amazing how God brought a few different people across our path that we were able to connect with simply through making a decision to pray at the abortion clinic. God is so good!
H2O Equipping & Healing Nights (7 PM at Zion)
Saturday, January 27 – Kevin Penner
Saturday, February 3 – Lorraine Peladeau
Saturday, February 10 – Pastor Thomas Campbell
Saturday, February 17 – Al Bayne
Saturday, February 24 – Pastor Erin Mohr