MISSION JOURNAL - OCTOBER 2006

Wednesday, October 4, 2006

Wow... there is nothing like a good nights sleep after a long trip. And with the coming of morning a new spirit of excitement and anticipation of what the Lord was about to do was awakened in each member of the team. We had breakfast in the hotel restaurant and then gathered together in one of the rooms to begin preparation in prayer for what would lie ahead.

Dr. Pete began by sharing his vision for this trip... a vision that took our presence here to a new level. God was going to do a greater work than before. As our meeting progressed, it seemed as though everybody was speaking words from the Lord... sharing and confirming with each other that this is indeed a different move... a breaking forth. There was talk of visions and miracles and angels in assembly around Andhra Pradesh, the state we are in.

Our prayer time together took on a spirit of power as we prayed for one another. Bishop Tony Slay prophesied over the team with words about how God would use each member and even words about how things at home were being taken care of. Two of our team were baptized in the spirit as a new mantle settled over the group. It was a powerful time as God poured out his spirit and our mission began to gel and take shape.

A little break to repack our things a bite of lunch and then it was time to gather to begin our 4 hour bus ride to Kurnool, the sight of our redemption festival.

Three of our team members joined our group this morning. They had actually traveled to India last week. Carol Marie Smith, Judith Nichols Moore and Peggy Powers had been traveling around the country, teaching and empowering the widows of India.

Here, widows are considered outcasts because the Hindus believe that when a husband dies, it is the fault of the wife and therefore she is cast aside. In fact in the past, the surviving Hindu wife was burned on the funeral pyre with her dead husband. The law now prohibits that although it still goes on in some areas.

The ladies' message is simple and yet profoundly new to the women of this region... that they are princesses in the kingdom of God and that He is their husband now and they need never be ashamed again.

They taught the leadership of the Church how to empower these woman and make them powerful intercessors.

The bible teaches that God hears the cry of the widow and that they will be the group to gather the remnants of the harvest. These women will be instrumental in winning this nation for Christ.

We will soon post a page detailing our widows team's incredible trip. Check back for more.

Shortly after beginning our bus ride, we pulled into a complex that housed Manna Ministries "Rock High School".among other Manna Buildings. In this complex, children live and learn in a loving Christian environment. We got to see the children in the classroom studying, laughing and smiling. It was wonderful.

Manna is building a 5000 seat arena here and will eventually do crusades and large Christian events in this facility. Next door to this Coliseum is where the Matthew 10 Chiropractic College will be built. This effort will allow students to gain great favor in the community as they lay hands on the sick.

God gave us another blessing as he placed a rainbow over the land where it would be built. We took it as confirmation.... wouldn't you?

Then we were off again. The jet lag among the team was apparent. Nearly every eye was closed in sleep as day turned into night and the bus made its way to Kurnool.

Finally we made it to the Manna Ministries Center where the pastors' conference would be held. There we were met with a home cooked "American" meal of chicken, rice and veggies. Bishop Earnest told us that the food in Kurnool was VERY spicy so they would be cooking for us while we were here.

One thing that must be mentioned at this point is that the Indian people are the most humble and serving people that many of the team have every come across. They are always stepping up to help with bags, or offer more food, or take your plate... in fact, if they could chew your food for you, I believe they would... They are wonderful people.

After dinner we met under the tent where the pastors' conference would be held and prayed together. Dr. Pete shared more with us and recapped the visions that had been shared about the crusade. Peggy lead us as we sang in the spirit and worshiped God. We prayed... we worshiped... we even shouted unto the Lord. II was a powerful way to end our day. Click here to hear Dr. Pete's words about the angels and the keys to the kingdom.

We got back on the bus and headed to the hotel. Tomorrow our the pastors' conference begins at 11. Pastor Micah begins with a talk on perseverance. Followed by Bishop Tony's message on tithing for pastors. We will then break for lunch and our widows ministry team addressing the pastors and women on empowering the widows and reclaiming this powerful resource for the church. The crusade will begin at 6:30. It is going to be a very full day.