The weekend was a gift from start to finish. It began with our three Colorado visitors from Living Free Ministries: our sister healing ministry in Denver. As we left for the training, the rain was pouring; a sign of God's love ready to be poured down on us.
When we walked into the room for the training, the smells and sights greeted us. Smells of freshly cooked food with an atmosphere of beauty that covered up a regular church room. Everything was positioned to bring people into a deeper awareness of the Lord and his great love for us.
Soon, the people began to come. They came from Mt Vernon, WA, an hour and a half north of Seattle. They came from Helena, MT, a full days drive. They came from our area, each greeting one another like long lost friends.
We started out by preparing the atmosphere. The Lord is teaching us to prepare the atmosphere with his love and his power, and then to embody the values of hospitality, friendship, and hunger for the Lord. When we follow those simple ways, Jesus is there, ready to reveal himself and take us deeper into his heart and ways.
We worshipped. We told stories of our experiences with praying for people and walking out our light with others. We prepared for what God would do for the weekend.
The next day, one of the trainees, Luke, brought a map of India. He had gotten the idea when we left the previous night. Luke is following Jesus' call and taking his daughter and himself to northeast India, close to Berma, to train teachers with a friend of mine from seminary. Raingum, who is from India, is ministering in this area and Luke responded to the call to go and train (that's for another blog!)
We started out by surrounding Luke as he stood on the map. One of the women stepped onto the map too, as a representative of his daughter. We began to pray kingly prayers, as we discerned the King's mind and heart for this trip to India. Soon, many were weeping because the presence of Jesus was so powerful, and yet, so tender.
The day continued with more teaching, testimonies, prayers for one another and eventually it was time to do our closing. We start by lighting candles as we state what we want to leave behind and what we want to take away. The current team went from person to person as we prayed over them, speaking what the Lord gave us for each trainee.
The weekend wasn't over yet. The teams from Mt. Vernon, Helena and some of our current team had dinner together at our house. It was a chance for us to build relationship outside of a training atmosphere. Missio Lux is committed to relationship and to being real with one another. In order to do that, we need experiences that go beyond a structured setting.
Sunday, we gathered at another healing prayer ministers house, as we listened to Terri Parzybok tell the story of how Living Free Ministries got started. It was good for everyone to hear as the Lord has woven our relationship together back and forth through the years. LFM has brought so much to Missio Lux and we have brought much to LFM. It's a valued kingdom partnership that God is very much blessing.
All too soon, it was time to say goodbye. Although we won't see each other next week or month, we are connected in our hearts and the relationships will continue to grow and build, despite our distance.
If you would have asked me a year ago, if people would be flying, driving and carpooling to the Healing Prayer Training, I would have told you no. God has surprised us with this gift; and as he teaches us to think beyond what we can currently see, our faith to believe for the fulfillment of our original prophesy that we would be known by our fruit across this country and into the world doesn't seem as far fetched as it once did.
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