Healing on the Streets (HOTS)

A year ago I wrote this in our feedback:   Many more prayers were said on that day. We left with the assurance as Sue (one of our team members) said ‘God wants to do far more than we can imagine – so we are encouraged to ask for more!”   A year later we can see God has done just that. Our team continues to grow with many Iranians joining us as they seek to continue their journey in the Christian faith while they are applying for asylum in England.   Last month we encouraged everyone whose English is limited to look for a short prayer in English during the month and learn it. We also gave them a card with Bible promise or blessing for them to read as they prayed for passers-by.   This is an account of one of the team members:   “A woman sat down to be prayed for. She had been suffering from depression caused by problem neighbours. Partner had taken matters in his own hands and police were involved.  She was separated from her partner whilst having care for depre

Our HOTS team has multiplied in numbers such a great deal that we had to divide the team in 3 groups. Each group takes turns to Distribute the leaflet’s and pray for passers-by Stand at the back of the chairs and silently pray for the team who is distributing leaflets and silently pray for passers-by to hear God’s invitation to be prayed for. Go inside St Martin’s church and pray. This can be an opportunity for the team to pray for each other and also to pray for St Martin’s for its protection, for its leaders, guidance and faithfulness to promote the Gospel of Jesus. This worked well and we hope to follow this pattern or adapt it if necessary. It seemed to be that each group felt they were taking part in all aspects of this ministry. An Iranian team member was keen to pray while it was her group’s turn to be at the back of the chairs. Because her English was very limited we encouraged her to pray ‘God, send your Holy Spirit on this place’ as she walked up and d

On April 2nd we had our first bilingual Healing on the Streets training course. We had about 50 people attending and the majority had Farsi as their first language. We were fortunate to have some team members who speak both English and Farsi so the translation was shared amongst them.   In the afternoon we went out onto Edgbaston St to pray for passers-by. As the team was very large we divided it into three separate teams. One would give out the leaflets. The other would pray for passers-by as and when required. The third team would go into the church to pray for the teams outside. After a while the teams would rotate to give a chance for everyone to participate in all three activities.   In the feedback of last month we talked about people who keep coming back to HOTS for more prayers.  Below is an account of one of those prayers.   The team pray for a lady from Worcester. She wanted prayer by proxy for her mother who has heart problem and her father who has lung cancer

  In March as we gathered together to pray before we went out on Edgbaston St, we read Psalm 23.I managed to download a copy of it in Farsi! So our Iranian brothers and sisters were able to follow it more precisely and meaningfully. I suggested that they learn this Psalm by heart if they didn’t know it already. Knowing this Psalm by heart is our inheritance for the future and assurance for the present.   This Psalm had such an impact on one of the team members on that day that he gave a testimony in his church on the following day. He showed the copy of the psalm to the congregation and explained how true it was that we needed to hold onto the promises of scripture and memorise it. He gave a very moving account of his afternoon at HOTS.   One of the team members was prayed for by proxy for her mother how has severe knee problem and is in constant pain. After that, quite a few passers-by came for prayer who were having problems with their knees! It was amazing seeing this

Wet wet wet. It rained all day including between 2-4pm when we normally go out on Edgbaston St to pray for passers-by. On a rainy day, usually the pattern is that the rain stops between 2-4pm when we are out praying – not on Feb 6th! Despite of the wet, wind and cold we went out with plan A – We would put the chairs under cover and all would be well. No, it didn’t work. Plan B – half of the team would be out on the streets inviting folks to go inside the church for prayers. The other half of the team would be there to pray for them. It didn’t work either. Plan C – All 42 of us from the team took shelter in the church and we prayed for one another. It worked perfectly and we realised then how much we all benefited from such an encouragement from one another. This encouragement was passed on to the congregation on Sunday morning at the church where some of the team members attend. This is the email I received from the church pastors.   We got the group who came in the wet to

During our prayer time before we went out to pray for passers-by on Edgbaston St, we read out part of a vision/prophecy given at the Healing Streams Leaders’ Day on Oct 31st 2015. We asked each one of us to stretch out our hands and receive this prophecy as we read it. In this vision/prophecy there was a big jug pouring out thick oil and the words heard from God were these: I’m just putting one droplet at first into your hand. Outstretch your hands and receive from me the oil of anointing healing power. Rub that one drop into your hands. Cover with your left hand the outside of your right hand with this oil and massage it in. Do likewise with your right hand and massage it in – this is the anointing oil of the Holy Spirit. Cup your hand again and receive another drop. Massage it in between your fingers. Look at them: how wet and moist they are with My goodness and My power and My impartations. Listen and hear my words: I am beginning an anointing as you touch others. Well, we went out

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

  On Sept 19th 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 readin

A testimony following July HOTS A gentleman (who has also been on the team) came to be prayed for at the July HOTS for the pain in his leg and also the difficulty he had been having breathing. He’d spent all day sitting in front of a fan during the hot weather. The following Monday morning, he sent this message: “I’ve been praising God this morning my leg is still pain free and my breathing is good. This is the best my breathing has been since 4pm the 5th of June 1998.That’s 17 years 1 month 15 hours and 39 minutes. Jesus loves me so much. I just can’t hold back the tears any longer”. Another testimony following July HOTS Several months ago, a student visited HOTS on Edgbaston Street. On that occasion he revealed that he was unable to attend lectures because he could not sit down for long due to burning sensations on the underside of his legs. His left shoulder was also in pain. Hospital tests had not detected anything so he’d come to us for prayer. He was also worried about his progre