We believe our time right here in this location is winding down, but as we prepare for our next stage, the Lord continues to make the most of using us for His work…
1) On yet another lake walk/pray, a driver of one of the hotel shuttle buses stopped to talk to me. He asked if I was in training for something (I guess because he sees me do so many loops!). When I told him that I walk and pray, he was very excited. I quickly shared with him our website address and then he had to drive away.
Then about a half hour later, I ran into him in person as I was exiting the promotions building that has bathrooms and a water dispenser. He was eager to tell me that he was already browsing our website, so I asked him about his experiences with the Lord. I discovered that he had been water baptized and had spoken in tongues a long time ago, but hadn’t done so since. I encouraged him to get together with us for prayer, to help him access what is already inside of him but has been kind of “lying dormant.” He later emailed us and we’re hoping to connect again with him very soon.
I also texted him to say that it was the miraculous hand of God that I ran into him (or, rather, that he ran into me). Our family had been having regular late nights for a long while, causing me to get out for my walks quite late in the morning. But this one morning I woke bolt upright at 6am even though we’d had, yet again, gotten to bed very late. I tried to go back to sleep but couldn’t, which is completely foreign to me - I normally have absolutely no problem catching up on a bit more sleep when needed. So, I realized that maybe God was causing me to start my day earlier for a reason. Now I know why…! Thank you Lord! Our lives are all about helping to save souls…
2) Don got chatting with a guy at the hotel gym. He had been experiencing quite a few challenges in his life and was wanting to change. He’d been in prison before and is now dealing drugs to try to pay the bills. Don shared with him God’s promises and expectations, including His moral standards (which can be followed with dedication and strength and peace once we have the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, to equip us to “mortify the deeds of the flesh”). Then Don encouraged him that we could chat to his girlfriend, too, to see where her head and heart are at toward God.
So, that evening we all caught up by the pool and we got to have a really positive in-depth conversation with the girlfriend. She was clearly hurting as she broke down in tears and shared that she felt alone, with no-one on her side in life. Although neither of them were quite ready to make a commitment to the Father through Jesus that night, they were both very grateful for and moved by what we shared.
We pray God will continue to give increase to the words we spoke on His behalf, in obedience to the situation He put before us. Sometimes it’s a matter of planting and/or watering seeds that end up taking stronger root at a later time.
3) I had booked a hair appointment and was convinced that it was on a Tuesday morning. We raced to get there, but as I spoke to the receptionist, she told me I was mistaken and that the appointment was on Thursday instead. This is so incredibly unlike me as I’m normally very organized. On our way out, our daughter declared out loud exactly what I was thinking: maybe there was a reason - a God-ordained one!
She and I both immediately mentioned the library to one another - that is, that we now had an opportunity to go and join as new members, to cover off one of our “to do” list items. I wondered if God might be lining up someone for us to talk to. On our way there, we drove by the diner we ate at a couple of weeks earlier. I remembered the cookies we were wanting to try from there, but had no yet had the opportunity. I thought that we should go now versus on the way back from the library, in case they ran out again.
To our dismay, we discovered they had just sold the last one! But, to our delight, they told us they could bake fresh ones for us if we could wait 20 minutes. We were happy to hang out, so we sat on a bench seat together with our daughter and chatted. A tall older lady (Estelle) kept passing by, making friendly comments to us as she prepared her table for her family (it was self-seating). Don had noticed her first and had felt moved to talk to her. Then, when Estelle kept stopping by our bench seat to talk, I too realized God was setting something up.
After we received our baked goods, we wandered over to Estelle to give her one of our cards. Almost immediately she started speaking positive things over our daughter. As she did so, I noticed Estelle speak in tongues a little under her breath, kind of seeking God for the message He had for our daughter through the lady. I immediately rejoiced and shared that our whole family is filled with the Holy Spirit, praying in tongues daily as much as we can.
Well, this was like a beautiful spark upon the situation, and Estelle got touched mightily by God, prophesying over me and my husband (including our two boys which were back at the hotel for the day) for another 20 minutes or so. Her words were so miraculously on point - relating directly to a long and blessed conversation we had as a family the night before and which continued in the morning between Don and me. Don and I were in tears, rejoicing in the very personal and powerful “touch from the Lord.“
After big hugs and glorifying God with Estelle, we left the diner and immediately phoned our boys to share with them what had happened. We certainly don’t go looking to be prophesied over by others, but this encounter was most definitely of God. It was one of the few times that something like this has happened in our lives, and this was very strong!
We rejoiced all the way to the library and even filmed a little video about it outside of the car when we got there. We had a great time discovering the brand new amazing library, and then… On the way out, Don got talking with a young-ish construction worker. He is here from Chicago, repairing windows on the next door conference center as a specialized contractor. We found out that he is already baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit, but he had never been encouraged to pray in tongues daily, and he had never fully developed his relationship with Jesus. We prayed over him, and then he ended up coming over to our hotel a couple of days later where we encouraged and counselled him some more from the Word.
4) Another time when we had brunch at a newly-opened cafe in the same area, Don overheard the gal at the adjacent table. She was speaking to someone online (on her computer) about things that were seemingly related to the Lord. Don asked her about it after her call, and he discovered that the discussion had to do with her psychology studies at college.
The more we all talked together, the more the gal opened up about her struggles in life. She said she could (indirectly) relate to our experiences with God because her grandmother prayed in tongues often and offered much wisdom from the Bible. It was a very long, blessed conversation, and although the gal wasn’t ready to make a commitment to the ways of Jesus at the time (because of what it would mean for her chosen lifestyle), she stressed very gravely and thankfully at the end that she knew the words we spoke were “of God” and that they would not be lost on her. Praise the Lord for the situations he sets up!
5) We have had the blessing of continuing to pray with and encourage the hotel manager that got born again a few weeks back. Remember, Don baptized him in our hotel room bathtub, and he received the Holy Spirit as we prayed over him straightway afterward. He is such a great guy and very fun to hang out with. He is so very “thirsty” for the Word of God after having been hurt and blinded by his Catholic background. He asks such great questions and is very humble in accepting the truth of the answers, including God’s wisdom and expectations relating to lifestyle and life choices. He has also been listening to an audio Bible, and purposing to be a light in the lives of his friends and family. It’s such a joy to hear how he is growing!
