Street Healing Ministry: 5 Real Encounters That Changed Lives

Our street healing ministry team experienced an incredible night of divine encounters on June 9th, 2016. From a woman with diabetes who felt sensation return to her leg, to a man in a wheelchair who received prayer and encouragement, God showed up powerfully on the streets of Winnipeg. Here are 5 real encounters from this night of street healing ministry.

1. Margaret: Healing Prayer for Diabetes

During our prayer time at Zion Church, we received words of encouragement from Alyssa, the leader, who had a vision of the Lord empowering us for ministry. Because we encounter many people struggling with addictions, she reminded us that Jesus heals people from addictions and to never overlook that prayer opportunity.

Once we arrived at Portage Place, others joined us, and we were about 30 in all, divided into 5 teams. I was again with Pastor Chris, 2 teenage girls, and a pre-teen girl.

Our first street healing ministry encounter was with a lady named Margaret. She had crutches and said she had no feeling of any kind in her right leg as a result of diabetes. Chris asked if we could pray for her and she agreed. After prayer, she said her leg was tingling. We saw this as evidence of healing and Chris asked me to pray for her, and she said the tingling continued. We offered to continue praying, but she refused. Chris asked her to stand and see what the sensation in her leg was like, but she wouldn’t. She was so surprised by suddenly having some feeling in her leg that she was “spooked” by the whole situation.

2. A Surprise Reunion at the Mall

As we were leaving Margaret, Chris’ wife and mother-in-law stopped by to get the keys to his car. After first name introductions, his mother-in-law asked if my last name was Bayne. I said it was. She then reminded me that we had worked together 27 years ago teaching English as a second language in Steinbach. TESL is how I earned a living while I was in Bible College. I hadn’t recognized her, but I thought that was an interesting encounter during our street healing ministry outreach.

3. Ron: Prayer for a Man in a Wheelchair

We then spotted a very unkempt man, with one leg, in a wheelchair, pulled up to a table in the food court. His face, arms, hands, and leg were covered with dirt. We approached him, and he was open and easy to engage with. He enjoyed the card tricks, and we learned Ron was hungry.

Chris and I pooled our pocket change, and I went to A&W and bought him 2 burgers and a coke. While I was gone, Chris and the girls prayed that his missing leg would be replaced. When I returned with the food, Chris was explaining that he was just learning how to grow in his faith, and that the fact that his missing leg didn’t appear was no reflection on Ron, but rather on Chris’ faith. He was wearing shorts, and his leg around the knee area was covered with scabs and open sores. He said, “No need for prayer, that leg was good.” So we left him to enjoy his hamburgers, as we never force prayer on anyone.

4. Cathy: A Lady Who Needed to Be Heard

Other teams were occupied praying for people in the food court so we decided to walk down to Central Park. I bought a food take-out to give away as we left, and asked the Lord to lead me to someone hungry. At the park, the police were arresting someone who was very drunk. When they left, we approached the tables where the drunk person had been, but the people seated there were too upset by the arrest to engage with us.

Chris entertained some 10-year-old boys with card tricks, and the 2 teens approached a lady seated alone at a table. Her name was Cathy, and she was very talkative but very delightful. It was humorous to watch Chris try to interject her conversation with words about prayer or healing. She is 52, lives nearby, and is in the park to meet a friend. She doesn’t drink, do drugs, or steal, and had just been to the Doctor. She was very easy to listen to.

5. A Night of Seed-Planting and Ministry

We then had several mini-encounters with people, where we affirmed people of God’s love for them. Some rejected us, others were just not willing to engage. This is normal in street healing ministry — not every encounter leads to a dramatic healing, but every seed planted matters.

What I love about this kind of street healing ministry is that God uses ordinary people to touch lives in extraordinary ways. Whether it’s praying for a woman’s diabetes, buying a hungry man a burger, or simply listening to someone who needs to be heard, every encounter is an opportunity for God to move.

Join Us in Street Ministry

If you want to learn more about how God moves through street healing ministry, read about our other encounters with the power of the Gospel and discover what happens when ordinary believers step out in faith. You can also explore the true meaning of eternal life that motivates everything we do on the streets.

As 2 Corinthians 5:17 promises, “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come.” Street healing ministry witnesses that new creation happening on the streets every week. More at JesusHeals.ca.