PR: Vision Church/Preschool, Japan Missions, Transition

I have officially finished my second stint in Japan. It wrapped up very nicely with a farewell party that many parents and guests attended during the Sunday service. The mothers and church members sang me "God Bless You" a few failing to finish on account of tears. Although we don't live for human acknowledgement, it's refreshing to see fruit in relationships through living out The Way.

The details of my next step aren't entirely ironed out yet, but I've felt a clear release from heaven to return stateside for the time being. The community, the spiritual family, children and experiences have all been so lovely, but every time God moves us on it's so we can step into something greater.

Thank you so much for your care, prayers and various forms of support. A special thank you to NCFC, Pastor Mark and Youngki for going out of their way to keep in touch and cheer me on, and of course to the Kang family and Vision Church here for everything. 

Before leaving I got to help a ministry East of Tokyo with Youngki for 2 days. Pastor Lee took us to eat sushi, where we got to see all the pain vanish through prayer from a girl waiting to eat that I believe had a broken bone. Pastor Lee then invited me to share with his church my testimony and heart on God for them. I got to pray for a few people with ailments after the service, one of which went into a deep experience with God and felt her insides change. She told me that she had gone to healing services with no success. Some times even though we believe in healing, we put the focus on ourselves instead of simple belief in a Good Father, thus don't see results. The more we trust it's all Jesus and rest in him, the more results I believe we see. Testimonies serve to reproduce in others the same things and greater, and give Abba glory. The more we share his testimonies, the more we believe and then see ourselves. 

On my way to Sri Lanka on the way back, I stopped in Bangkok to visit a friend who works for United Nations there. It was refreshing, but an extraordinary thing happened. I got dropped off by a trishaw driver at a back entrance of the UN for some reason, and found myself amidst about a dozen or more refugees seeking asylum. I always believe we need to keep our eyes open for lack of coincidence, so I asked the group, which consisted of people I believe were from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Syria, if anyone had any physical thing they needed prayer for. They were all fairly good at English which helped. One man said he had back pain, so I got everyone's attention and said, "everyone watch this, this is the power of God in Jesus, I want you to see" so they all watched and all his pain left. Then I spoke to them for a minute or two about the kingdom of God. The Muslim Syrians were really interested, so I spoke with them about Jesus for another 10 or 20 minutes, and prayed for each one. Almost all the people there seemed grateful, and before I left, the man who's back pain left said he had a wife and friend who had serious health issues and needed healing. I found out they were an hour away, in a place my friend said could be quite dangerous for foreigners, but I knew I had to go. As with any situation where we are with someone for an extended period of time, we have great opportunity to share and minister. On the way, I got to do this for my cab driver. He had his own firm beliefs but was very open and seemed touched by a prayer I said for him. As I got to the dingy neighborhood of the asylum seeker who had invited me, I found him and was taken to a very small room where the Pakistani man lived with his three children and wife. The building was run down, and the poverty they lived in obvious, but they had a certain shine to their faces. I found out that the man who invited me was actually a pastor! Muslim extremists had threatened his life and beat him, thus he fled to Bangkok. His wife had diabetes and high blood pressure, causing constant pain in her body. We prayed and all the pain left. Then his ten year old daughter told me about a nagging back pain that she would never go away. I had her sister pray for her, and she exploded with glee claiming "I'm healed!" Her knee pain also left. Then I was taken to his friend's house, where his friend's wife had been told she needed heart surgery to survive. She had constant pain as well. They showed me pages and pages of her medical history and that she needed surgery. I had her son pray for her, and after two or three attempts her pain left and she felt amazingly relieved. There were about 10 people in the house, all full of wonder at what was taking place. Then a young woman which deafness and an ear ache she had suffered with for a long time was set free as well. All the while, I did my best to communicate that it was not me, but the grace of God, and simple relationship with the Father of goodness that was doing these things. How sad it would be, to give a man a fish when he could be taught to fish himself. I got all this on video, and hope to get it online soon.

For the sake of space in this entry, I won't include many more testimonies, but the trip was absolutely replete with God encounters and changed lives. I feel so humbled any day that I interact with people, that I'm able to love them with the power of God and see his kingdom come, whether it's healing the sick or simply sowing a good word of encouragement into a person's life. Believe it or not, our presence alone reshapes and elevates people's attitudes and situations in closer alignment with love. We are all invited into a divine romance where the miraculous and good fruit are simply effortless byproducts of that relationship. We are permanently plugged in, whether we feel like we're having victorious days in him or not. It was never complicated. "My yoke is easy and my burden is light". Realizing that God is fully glorified in you when you are fully satisfied in him, that he enjoys your enjoyment in him, that his joy is that your joy overflows, experiencing this in the secret place IS the secret I believe.

I just visited a very exciting church in Sri Lanka that has been making global waves. They kindly offered to put me up, taking me to meetings, home gatherings, and really demonstrating love in many ways. There is nothing new under the sun, but there seem to be ebbs and flows of revelation the body goes through in regions and time periods. What this ministry W.o.W. is bringing back into the Christian consciousness is highly relevant and incredible. It has a lot to do with learning to live entirely from God, whether it's physical or spiritual needs. Sounds crazy but I've seen the proof! I've been highly impacted and am now carrying a deeper understanding of the power and presence from on high back homeward. The people of Sri Lanka were really open to the good news, and I must have had hundreds of short conversations with people there about it, seeing God set many many free along the way. The long term status of many of these people we meet is unknown, but the important thing is loving them with all we have, and edging them closer to Jesus in any way possible. Here is a video of one such situation I just got uploaded today from a man I met in Sri Lanka. Wow God! More to come. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziXc67n7K8U

Just because it was the cheapest flight available, I ended up purchasing a ticket that runs through Abu Dhabi. There I met up with another ministry leader, in hopes of further download. They run a ministry called Born Identity which is working on building a town in Cameroon, starting with an orphanage and school. When they started the construction, the town around them started improving roads. There's a great principle to learn here about how our obedience and love in action transforms environments and communities that we sow in to. There is no end to the ripple of God's love, and it draws out life and love in others. We only love because he loved us, and as we release his love it brings love and potential out of those around us.

I'm now back in America visiting my parents in Santa Fe. There have been many great testimonies even here in this sparsely inhabited region of New Mexico. I got to meet and minister to a woman who had probably the most emotional reaction to healing that I've seen yet, after seeing pain all up and down her body leave in Jesus' name. I have her testimony and will upload soon. Also, I was invited to speak on and minister healing in a local community center to spiritual seekers and those with health issues. It remains to be seen how many will show up, but it looks promising!

Remember you are mystically his hands and feet, his very body on the earth according to the word. He is passionate about you and revealing himself more to you. Time may just be the most precious commodity we have-give some of it to him! I'll be back in Maryland September 1st. Retrospect is always 20/20, and it seems clear why I was where I've been now, but as I move forward I'm still praying about where he would like me to be next. Feel free to join me :). I look forward to seeing you all again and imparting what I've received both in speech and in spirit. GBY!