November 2011

A Family Reunion

This is a very precious picture to my heart. Last month we received a phone call from Child Protection telling us that Elena’s brother wanted to meet all of his siblings. He apparently did not know that he had three sisters and a brother. Elena is still too young to understand that she is adopted into our family, but I knew this was an important moment in her life. It will be important for her to have pictures of her extended family when she is older. We are blessed to have two of her biological sisters living with friends of mine, but we can never be certain that we will always know where her brothers will be in the future.

It is very common for siblings to lose track of each other. Andrei has experienced this personally, he has yet to find his younger brother who went “missing” from the orphanage at three years old. I know that a picture with/of his younger brother would be priceless to Andrei at this time in his life.

PHOTO from left to right: Isabella (5), Tabita (11), Elena (3), and Marian (7). Elena also has an older brother in Deva, David (13) who is not pictured.

Ask, Seek, Knock: A Testimony

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7

I love this open invitation from our Lord. It is not the classic child/parent rule of “Don’t speak unless spoken to.” He bids us ASK, SEEK, KNOCK! And even better yet, He tells us what His response will be. . . ”it will be given to you”, “you will find”, and “it will be opened to you!” With God we never have to wonder what His answer will be, but we do need to learn to listen to His voice and walk in His way.

This past year I have been asking, seeking, and knocking and the Father has responded as He promised in the scriptures. I have asked for knowledge of the scriptures and He has taught me. I sought the Holy Spirit and His gifts and they have been poured out upon me. I have knocked and asked the Lord to use what His Spirit has taught me in this city for His kingdom—that door opened this last month most unexpectedly.

There was a young man living in our city with a very serious problem, I had never meet him before, for the past two years he had not been able to sleep through the night without being harassed by voices calling his name and strange noises in his apartment. He would have episodes of anxiety attacks and heart palpitations that would land him in the local hospital. He also had a strong sense of death and that he was going to die. He believed that a God existed and had just recently began to read his bible and attend the local Baptist church. However he discovered that when he did these things he was attacked even harder with mental confusion and his mind was flooded with thoughts that were not his own.

This young man (we will call him “David”) was an acquaintance of Andrei from school and they had not spoken in years. “Randomly” they ran into one another and went to coffee. David began to confide in Andrei what had been happening over the past two years. He mentioned that he was afraid to tell anyone because he thought they would think he was insane! He was also afraid to confide in the church because he thought that they would not believe him or that they would judge him. David felt comfortable talking to Andrei because he trusted him to be a real Christian. (David was seeking, and he would soon find . . .)

Andrei knew that the Holy Spirit had been teaching me a lot about spiritual warfare and brought him home to talk to me. I felt so unprepared! I cried out to my Father and he answered me with His peace. I suddenly had this young man sitting on my couch telling me the struggle, fear, and death he had been experiencing. As he spoke, God was speaking to me. I could hear the answers I was supposed to give to David. It was an experience I will never forget.

I shared with him the freedom that comes with a knowledge of and a relationship with Jesus. And that we have a Helper, the Holy Spirit to guide us and teach us. We dealt with his demonic oppression and he asked to receive the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three-in-one, into his life. I saw tears in his eyes when I was sharing with him about the Holy Spirit. He asked for a pen and paper to write everything down. Andrei and I both prayed over him before he left our apartment. A few days later we heard back from him and he joyfully reported that everything had left him. For the first time he was able to sleep through the night and the feeling of death had lifted completely. Our God is AMAZING! Being a follower of Christ is the ONLY thing to be in this world. I am forever grateful for who I am IN Christ and the gifts and anointing He places on me! Thank you Jesus…to You be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer Request:

• Please keep Andrei in prayer as he prepares the Bible studies for Sunday nights. Protection over his mind, heart and study time. Pray for another godly male to come into our path with whom he can fellowship and find friendship.

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper,

that He may be with you forever…” — John 14:16

An Encouragement and Reminder

“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.

Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’

ISAIAH 58:6-9

To be a follower of Christ is so simple, sadly it has been made so confusing and divided by theology and denominations. We are called to share the revelation of who God created us to be, to reveal to others who they are in Christ and the freedom and authority which comes with that.

We are to pray, seek God, and share the revelation that will BREAK the yoke, the burden, which people needlessly carry. For Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, . . . For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

We are to LOVE our neighbor and to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

As we remove ourselves from the darkness, our light shines brighter and brighter. Soon even our darkness will be as the noonday. You will be healed; you will become ONE with who God has created you to be.

The LORD will be your defender. The Lord will respond to your cry.

As you respond to Him, “Lord, here am I” so will He do the same. . .

BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU

. . . you are not alone . . . walk in these things children of the MOST HIGH, sons of God.

“you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’“