Monthly Archives: November 2015

A missionary in Africa wrote this in his newsletter, ‘for the first time in my life I understand what this verse in Psalm 126 means – ‘Those who sow in tears will reap in joy’.

Then he went on to describe how he would watch some of the African mothers sowing seeds whilst their babies remained strapped to their backs. They would sow the grain that they really needed to grind for flour. They knew if they would eat their seed they would have no meal tomorrow. As they were sowing they would weep having no other choice but to sacrifice what they had today for a greater reward later on.

We shared this story to the team before we went out to pray on Edgbaston St. We had a sense that perhaps some folks would come for prayer in tears because they too did not want to sacrifice this season’s seed. They were crying because of difficult choices they would have to make in their lives, or maybe because of the choices that other people had imposed upon them. Whatever the cause of people’s sorrow, God has the power to transform it into a future of joy and peace.

During our prayer session before we went out, some words and thoughts came to us which we thought might relate to people coming for prayer. Some of those words and thoughts were Blue umbrella, Hunched back, Endoscopy and Tag breeze midi 4 Wheelchair.

The first person prayed for by one of the team members had an endoscopy arranged. A lady on a wheelchair came for prayer. From the prayer record book I can’t see any record of prayers for someone with a blue umbrella or Hunched back. If any of the team members prayed for someone with this condition or description, would you feed back to us, please?

Some of the other prayers recorded in the book were for:

1. A job interview
2. A man in need of reassurance of being forgiven. The team sensed God’s spirit working in him as they prayed, and an overwhelming peace surrounded them.
3. A woman with emotional and mental health issues. The team prayed that in addition to medical treatment she would find good friends to be with her when she needed them most.
4. A girl who was being bullied by her teenage friends.
5. An on-going eye condition which God is healing stage by stage.
6. Someone’s nephew who committed suicide, and their family who are experiencing great distress, pain, loss and suffering.
7. Someone who had to make a tough decision.
8. A man in deep grief and pain as his four year old disabled brother had passed away.
9. A lady worried about health issues. She was very touched by the love the team showed her and expressed in their prayers.
10. A small child brought by her father. She sat on the chair and the father explained she had an internal damage in her forehead, and that this could kill her at any time. The father wanted us to pray for her but not with her, so they left. As they went, the last thing we saw was a big smile on this little girl’s face. The team, still kneeling, prayed over the empty chair for the little girl in faith. Would you pray for her in faith too?I’d like to finish this feedback with the following email that I received from one of our team members about this session.My overwhelming feeling was that the ‘sow in tears and reap in joy’ was the overwhelming message of the day. I don’t think that I have heard so many harrowing stories out on Edgbaston St for a while. It’s encouraging that God prepared us to sow seeds in the faith that He would bring the harvest in due course… Revd Elsie Blair-Chappell
11. Blessings

 

On Sept 19^th we had our training day at St Martin in the Bull Ring. We had about 60 people attending the course including a couple dear friends from America, Fred and Laverne Smith. I asked Fred to write a reflection of his experience on the day.

 

Both Fred and Laverne are lecturers at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. Laverne lectures on religious studies and Fred teaches world religions. He also has a special interest in worldview and culture. Recently, he published a book, ‘Developing a Biblical Worldview: Seeing Things God’s Way’. You can also hear his podcast on world view and the implications for Morality on

 

moralapologetics.com/podcast-dr-fred-smith

 

Here is what he wrote about our Training Day. It is sooo encouraging and sooo exciting. Please read on.

 

‘My wife, Laverne, and I were eagerly looking forward to the HOTS (Healing on the Streets) day of training and ministry at St. Martins in the Bullring, and what God would do there. I had been reading e-mailed reports for about two years, and knew that God’s Spirit was active in this ministry, and our expectations were high. We were not disappointed. The day divided into two parts, a training session and then the prayer ministry on Edgbaston St. The training session was held at St. Martins in the Bullring, beginning with biblical foundations, but also practical instruction in praying with non-believers. The real value of the training, though, lay in how it developed confidence in the leadership, as well as preparing us to minister as a team. The trainers, David and Linda Isgrove deeply love Christ, His church, and people in need. This was evident in the time we spent with them, and by the end of the session, we knew we could follow them confidently anywhere. In addition, testimonies from experienced prayer warriors among the group helped build a sense of being part of a team that was sensitive to the Spirit and ready to minister to whoever came by.  

After lunch we stepped out of the church onto Edgbaston St. Right across from the church is a huge outdoor market. People were coming and going, busses unloading, and vendors, offering everything from strawberries and squash and tomatoes to soap, cheese, Persian rugs and bedding. There was much shouting and noise. We set up chairs quickly and began passing out cards explaining why we were there, and offering to pray with whoever had a need. The passing crowd, of hopeless, weary, Christless humanity nearly overwhelmed me. I had to fight back tears as we prepared to begin offering prayer to whoever would stop. And stop they did. Moments after we set up, people began coming for prayer. They took seats and two or three of us gathered around, to pray for them. At times there were people waiting to be prayed for. The sense that we were involved in serious spiritual warfare was heavy on us all. The Holy Spirit was definitely present, and protecting us. We often dealt with people whose physical struggles masked underlying spiritual needs, and the prayer times could be intense.

There were mothers concerned that they might miscarry their next child, and people with pain, anxiety, and various spiritual issues. Some were worried for missing family members, and others were stressed over work or other issues. All were in need, and we saw God’s hand at work many times. By the end of the day we were exhausted, spiritually drained by the effort and the spiritual warfare involved, but filled with joy.   When we move in God’s will, He empowers us and so we sensed his pleasure as we gave him glory in Birmingham that day. So many people   live hopeless lives without Jesus Christ and the comfort of His Spirit. We were able to demonstrate that God loves them, and that Christians care about them. Pray for them, that God will remind them of His presence, and point them, in faith, to Jesus Christ, the only hope for the world.’

I want to thank Fred and Laverne for their zealousness to God and for encouraging us with our ministry of HOTS here in England. May they be blessed and fruitful in their ministry to the glory of God.

Blessings

Revd Elsie Blair-Chappell.