Go Snorkeling today.

I am cautious to make sure that the things I do are in line with God’s plan and purpose. Seeing what is under the sea is something that I enjoy doing and this mission is to one of the most beautiful places in the world for water activities. So when I heard those words in the morning I was excited. It was the first sunny day in 13 days & I could go out and enjoy it in the water. Luke and Able were in charge of the coordinating the water activities. Jorge was there and excited to see me. Luke and Able were curious to why Jorge was so excited. Jorge explained that I had prayed with him and that the Lord had answered his prayers. This opened the way to share the Gospel with Luke and Able. Both prayed to receive Jesus. Someone else was assigned to take us snorkeling, but Luke volunteered to take the group out. It was amazing to see all that was under the sea! Thank you Lord!

A walk in the garden

When I came back from snorkeling, I met Michael & Karishna the grounds keepers. The tropical flowers are all in bloom all around me. Michael, the head gardener, invited me to go for a walk through “his gardens.” It was beautiful. I never knew that there are were so many varieties of Palm trees ~ some are so amazing! As we walked, he explained all the different things used for medicinal purposes. Take 7 leaves, rub them together in your hands and then boil them in a pot of water, strain, then drink. It will cure(name it). I’m quite sure that many of the plant compounds can and do react with eachother to produce healing. The fact that it has to be an even number of leaves is the part that gets a little suspect. Different if it is the “quantity” not the even/odd number of leaves that determines the outcome.
Michael and I had a talk about eternal outcomes. He told me that he’s fasting as it is Ramadan and he was a Muslim. As we talked about eternal life, I asked “what would it take”to achieve eternal life. He told me good works and prayer. Mathematically shows a person just how inadequate our sacrifices would be. I shared that if you live 76 years and you do 10 good things a day that would only be 277,400 good things in your life. If you prayed 5 times a day (required by Muslims to do) it would only be 138,700 prayers. Would that be enough? He replied, “No, it wouldn’t and I would not be going to heaven.” We talked about how God loves us so much that in His mercy only He could make a way. Michael agreed. We then talked about the mercy of God being Jesus ~ One could see the Light entering inside of him. We talked further about Jesus words on “no man can come to the Father except through Him.” He readily received Jesus as Lord and was so thankful that I had shared with him that Jesus was the Way, Truth to Eternal life sent by the One True Living God. After our garden walk, Karishna, a grounds assistant also prayed to receive Jesus. Side note: I ended up with a beautiful arrangement of tropical flowers!

Something Good is going to happen today
We went into the village of Vatakarissa to minister to some of the church members who were ailing and share the Good News (Tukutuku vinaka). We were asked to go and minister to a man who had had a stroke (Kooki) and could not move his left side. We first ministered on Jesus the healer ~ the one who gives life ~ eternal life, new life & restored life. He prayed to receive Jesus as Lord and be filled. Ministry on Rom 8:11 took place and we prayed for his body to have restored and new life. The Lord revived his body as he was able to put his arms up in the air to praise the Lord and move his fingers. He also could walk without dragging his left leg! Glory to God! He said that when he woke up that morning, something inside of him told him that something really good was going to happen today. He shared with us that he has another doctors appointment as a check up. We encouraged him to pray for those who he encounters at the doctors office to meet Jesus the giver of life!

The Lord told me that I would be healed.
We also visited the hospital to pray for a church member who had been admitted.
Visiting overseas hospitals is a challenge ~ conditions and the way things are handled are very different from what we are use to. I have a friend in the medical field and he stated that missions are hard because of the lack of equipment. I can see the frustrations knowing what is out there in the natural to help others. All of us lack the equipment. That is why the Lord said that He is the one who equips us for the call. At the hospital, in a room there are 4 beds. The “Walls” are partitions that are glass. The ladies and I anointed the church member with oil and prayed. Others could see what was going on. We were asked by another lady, Levina, to come and pray. She was excited that we were there. We prayed for her healing and she shared with us, “The Lord told me that today I was going to be healed and that is what just happened.” And I am ever so thankful to the Lord that the things that are accomplished are not by my might, or by my power, but by His Spirit. The head nurse had passed by the one room as we were praying and said, “I know that these people will be healed because of the Lord.
The Healer was visiting the sick. Glory to God!!

Silla invited me to visit her family and be apart of their service/devotional time at their house. I was unsure of how many people would be there as she was off of work late. It ended up being her Husband, 2 children, herself and me. Numbers don’t matter when there is a hungry heart. We sang a praise song then they asked that I shared the Word with them. I shared what I had been studying all afternoon. Deut. 6-8. About families and making sure we train up our children. To recall all that the Lord has done for us. To enter in and take our inheritance that Jesus has provided. Spirit led prayed followed. Tea and cookies followed with fellowship.

It was something that I don’t necessarily have an opportunity to do since I don’t have a “family” in my house. My devotional time is different. So, it was special to be a part of this time with a family that has a heart of worship.

The hotel that I have been staying at is a blessing. I was asking the Lord if I needed to move out of this location into something that would be more “economical”. Not that I had anything impressed upon my heart or that that this is a 5 star resort, but being here being alone increases the costs. I was using my thinking on wanting to be a good steward, so I put it up in prayer.

The next night the answer came. I had a call to go and meet my transportation driver, Bola. A porter, Henry, walked me over to the transportation station to wait for Bola’s return. Henry is a Spirit filled believer and we were having a conversation about setting up sometime for me to minister at a service for his church. Another Spirit filled believer, Renpeni, joined our conversation. 3 young men (Jorge, Timmi and Elijah), who work in activities approached the station. Timmi was limping and wincing. I asked what happened. He explained that he had just broken his ankle. He sat down. I asked if I could pray for his ankle and he said yes. I first asked if Timmi knew Jesus as a healer. He said he believed Jesus could heal him. I then asked about eternal life. All three of them said they did not know if they would go to heaven. They prayed to receive Jesus as Lord and be filled with the Spirit. I then prayed for Timmi’s ankle to be healed in the name of Jesus. Timmi stood up and started hopping on his foot. Thank you Lord Jesus our Healer. Father, You demonstrated your goodness in the Land of the Living.

Later in prayer I was reminded that if I would have moved to what I thought was a better (more economical) place, the encounter would not have happened. DO NOT QUESTION the place Lord has put me. I am right where He wants me to be. Being a good steward is working with what He’s given (again abounding and abasing). Just continue to seek and obey what He’s directing me to do. He’ll cover the additional costs.

There have been days that I really desire to have a conversation with someone who can really understand some of what I’m experiencing. The culture and way of life are so different, I want to talk about it. Just because we live different ways of life does not mean one is better than the other.. It’s just different. I’ve had many conversations with the One who understands all to help me with the differences in order to minister more effectively. Prayers for insight for understanding have been important.
I’ve seen things that we would consider “lack”, but that may not be the case.

I have a multitude of Choices.. Back home, I’d be trying to decide what color of shirt or which shoes I wanted to wear for the day. Here, I have limited choices. A few shirts and skirts and I wash nightly ~ what I am wearing is determined by what is DRY the next day (ok I do have to match). And I only have 3 pairs of shoes (sandals, hiking shoes, and flip-flops), I find myself in my sandals most of the time as all shoes come off at the door of houses ~ so much for indoor shoes ~ they are now all outdoor shoes!!!!!! (I do realize that the weather is changing back in home, so I’ll need socks when I return!!!!)

When it comes to food, diets may not have as many choices: Fruits (with flavor that makes eating fruits back home a bland experience), veggies and chicken or fish. Most meals end with cookies and tea. Even though the meals consist of the same types of food each time, preparation gives the variety. Curry, tomato and coconut milk are the three food flavors that are used most. JC ~ I ate prawns that were amazing ~ a tomato curry and I don’t think I’d be able to repeat it. We have many many choices of what we want to eat. Yes, some of what they eat is determined by the fact that the income does not provide them with the ability to afford a varied diet.

It can be considered a “lack of choices”, but the Lord has shown me that it shows that all choices are limited ~ even back home I sometimes think I really don’t have a wide variety of choices when I truly do.

Lack is a part of an attitude ~ How we look at and show our thankfulness in all circumstances to the Lord (abounding and abasing) will either expand or limit our choices. The Lord has prospered me. I will not take a poverty mentality and I am fully thankful for the blessing of God in my life. He’s the one that has taken me by the hand and led me step by step to believe for and receive what He has made available for me. With a grateful heart, He has expanded my choices..When those choices become too much, (more than we have room for), we are to be a blessing to others.

The ministry has been sharing that we are not to wait for what we think “abundance”is to be a blessing, rather to continue to be thankful for what He’s provided for us now and be led to be a blessing with what we have. It is the proper attitude that will take each of us into a deeper capacity to receive more. We despise what the Lord has provided for us as not good enough by skipping right over at what we have been given. We are to have an expectation on what is to come, but we a can not develop an ungrateful attitude ~ An attitude that has taken on an attitude of Lack (not having on hand) and not all sufficiency in all things(what is available to us). Phil 4:11-12.