power for freedom and heart transformation.
We had tremendous favor and safety as we went with missionaries who have been making friends and demonstrating the gospel in the little favela of Oeita Preito, for years. It is a community that has historically been a stronghold for slavery, sex trade, prostitution and drugs. But tons of love has been sown there and even as we were there together, we began to see the shift in the atmosphere and in countenances, as God is bringing hope, love, healing and new life to people there. It was amazing to see the impact of a few encouraging words to people who have gone a lifetime without it.
On Saturday we joined with Nedson and Nadyla who are believers who have grown up in the community and live there now as Jesus with skin on. They really have a heart for reaching the children there with the hope and love of the gospel. I got to follow the local missionaries through the little cobblestone alleyways and streets in the morning rain and gather up a pile of children to worship and play together in a nearby church. Kids love hugs and laughing in every culture (language fun but not necessary)!
Saturday and Sunday night we got to minister as a team at a church in the city, for a prophetic conference. God really loves to pour out his heart to people who are hungry for more of him, so we were all somewhat surprised and excited at the amount of prophecy he was pouring out thru us.
Monday was a huge day of breakthru for the Kingdom of God advancing in that city and region. We spent the entire day until midnight worshipping and interceding in a small building in the community. God shifted my mindset in that day, about how I pursue breakthru and his will. Although its fun for me to ask for specific strategies from Holy Spirit and words of wisdom, or knowledge, or prophecy, or ways to demonstrate love. Everytime, I go in already have a foundation to build from, the platform of God's heart and nature. I know that no matter what, in every situation, person, city, and nation, he is wanting to reveal his love and power, his goodness, the hope of abundant life in him, freedom, joy, peace, his mercy and justice, and every awesome part of his character. So I can always pray and act in that direction and then take great joy in the specific ways he shows me to partner with him in that.
During that day, we would take turns going out in small groups of 3-4 with a local believer into the community to visit people in their homes and to pray and impart to them. Sometimes it was simple words of life and encouragement. Other times it was the Lord showing me how he had preserved people of peace and made homes filled with love in a dark place. God healed hearts, brought hope, and some came back with us to the church so that they could get prayer and just rest in His Presence and get healing, which of course he gave. Some of the kids came in that afternoon and the Lord released a lot of freedom and dance, love and hope. Kids were getting played with and loved on while their mom was getting healed of cancer, after resting on the floor for hours, she left there without pain. Later that night another woman testified of being healed from scoliosis and back pain. God was really increasing everyone's faith and hope to a new level. Our worship meeting ended about midnight.
Tuesday the rain came! It rained more that day than it had rained in Fortaleza in 15 years.
The meteorologist said that what caused the sudden 7 inches of rain was a "cyclonic vortex" (strong winds from a higher atmosphere) mixing with an "intertropical convergence zone" (where winds originating in the northern and southern hemispheres come together). God gave us a sign in the natural of what we were experiencing in the spiritual as he brought us together in love and unity and created a downpour of his love and power in the area! He is raining renewal, restoration and life on dry bones, and on the seeds of the Kingdom that have been planted over the years past and even this week.
Tuesday afternoon, passing the baton....
I after the rain finally stopped, we had time for a few more house visits in the community before dark. My little group visited the parents of 2 little girls, full of life. Their home was different than most, full of peace, love and freedom. We prayed over the Dad and restored honor to him as a son of God, he had been a believer for years but had lost confidence and felt ashamed and discouraged. After praying for them, I felt that it was very strategic of the Holy Spirit to lead us to that family before we left. It was as if we were renewing them and encouraging them to carry on demonstrating the love and light of God in their community. It was so incredible and a great honor to encourage those people!
It was a huge honor to participate with the Lord in revival, and to experience so much love between his body and warriors of love in Brazil. My heart was so encouraged that God is really doing the things I have hoped for and dreamed of. I am not crazy! But he definitely is! He really is raising up a people all over the globe that love him radically and will experience his light in the darkest of places. He really is rescuing people from the kingdom of darkness into his Kingdom of marvelous light, in a whole new way that the world has never experienced before. And he really is wanting us to partner with him in it, everywhere we go! What a relief to my heart.
I'm already having conversations with God about when I can return and finish learning Portuguese and getting to know my new and future friends there. (BTW thanks for everyone who prayed for my language skills, haha, I prayed and sang more in the Spirit than I ever have in my life, hahaha, and Portuguese even started opening up more for me in the last few days.) I had a blast practicing!
My favorite personal moment of the week was the multiple falls in the sand I had for the whole 15 minutes of soccer I could survive playing on the beach! It was amazing.
