St Martin’s Healing on the Streets – August and September 2014
In September the team experienced God working in a way we haven’t experienced before – not in what God did but how he did it.
We normally hand out leaflets inviting passers-by to come and sit on the chairs to receive prayer. Well, we hardly needed to give out leaflets – folks would come to us and ask: ‘What are you doing?’ We would tell them we were praying for people. They would say ‘I want that, please!
The team did not stop praying for the two hours we were out on Edgbaston St. when it was time to pack things up we had to leave some chairs out because people were still coming for prayer.
During our prayer meeting before we went out to pray we read a story from a book called ‘Outrageous Courage’ by Kris Wallotton and Jason Wallotton
(ISBN 978-0-8007-9554-2) The book is a true story about Tracy Evans. Tracy was a medical worker in South Africa. One day she was driving an ambulance from South Africa to a clinic in Mozambique. Just before reached the Mozambique border she witnessed a miracle. She writes:
‘A dead woman came to life again before my eyes. Frankly, it was one of the scariest things I have ever seen’ (I emphasised ‘scariest’ because it was! If you went to read this account about the scary bit try to get a copy of the book. The account is on page 134.
What happened was a mini bus had a tire blowout. It swerved off the road and flipped over and over again. She stopped and started organising rescue and calling for more ambulances as other car drivers stopped. Some started helping the victims and others were just looking. Then Tracy shouted to those looking: ‘Everyone, listen!
What she said next is what I want you to make it memorable if you can.
“Start praying for these people. I want you to pray out loud over and over again”. ‘God, heal and preserve life here today, in Jesus name’. “Every time I look at you, I want to see your lips moving.”
Did you notice the prayer Tracy asked people to pray? That was the prayer we took out with us onto Edgbaston St on that day. Also we had a word given beforehand about forgiveness during our prayer meeting. Many who came for prayer this was an issue. Someone came to faith, a Muslim lady was prayed for and experienced pain relief. One of the team members said: We were all stunned at the end of the session and just knew that somehow ‘we had the ground’!
We continue to pray for:
- has relationship difficulties in family because one of her relatives has an addiction.
- has M.E. and felt God had brought her on that day to be prayed for.
- has rheumatic arthritis and struggles to look after her disabled children
- had a breakdown years ago and since then has not believed in God. After been prayed for, he felt God near him and re- committed his life to follow Jesus.
- A Chinese Christian lady was prayed for known to receive strength and be blessed for all the work she does for Jesus. She was overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit who rested on her. She said she saw a bright red sun coming towards her and filling her right to her’ guts’ and increasing with his love and peace.
- An oncologist caring for a boy with cancer came for prayer for him. He is due to go to Florida for further treatment. What a wonderful combination- science and God.
Let’s go back to Tracy Evan’s story about the bus accident on the road to Mozambique and what the bus accident lawyer described.
‘Fourteen of the eighteen causalities were completely healed that day as we waited two and a half hours for the other ambulances to reach us from the town. Not one life was lost. (you have to read the scary bit about the dead woman who came back to life). Five unconscious patients with severe head injuries were all healed. Many of the healed patients had cell phones and called their loved ones for a lift. Since they were from farms in the area, many went home rather than riding back to the county hospital. I am sure the EMTs were a bit confused by the scent when they arrived, as it looked nothing like what they had been told. The Lord had already done the work!’
We not only just know that somehow ‘we had the ground’ on Edgbaston St in September but also we know the Lord has done the work.
Blessings
Revd Elsie Blair-Chappell