Posted in 11 Cambodia by Jennifer Mitchell on 6/19/2010
Our last month of ministry.
That concept was hard enough for me to wrap my mind around when we started ministry in Cambodia.
And now, 30 days later, our month of ministry is now over.
That idea is even harder for me to comprehend.
Not
only has our time in Cambodia flown by, but when I think back over this
race, it seriously feels like I've only been gone a month.
I
could not imagine a better way to finish our time of ministry. We had
an excellent placement this month. We have been in Kampong Cham, one
of the biggest cities in Cambodia teaching English. Our contact was an
incredible woman named Cecil, from the Philippines. She works with
YWAM and runs a Youth Development Center here. She, along with five
other amazing women, teach English every day to the students here, many
of which are Buddhist and Muslim. I really loved our time here. My
team got to teach English classes and give the girls a break. This is
my second time teaching English in Asia, and I fell in love with it all
over again. In January of 2009 I got to teach English in South Korea
for a while. I loved it so much, and I am so honored to be back in
Asia teaching again. I love forming relationships with the students,
and helping them develop their English skills. Because the Development
Center is run by missionaries, English is just an entry-way into these
student's lives. The teachers really strive to disciple and encourage
the students to a faith in Jesus. It was amazing to hear the Gospel
presented to our students, and watch them really accept the truths of
Jesus Christ.
We
also got a chance to tour this beautiful city and spend time with the
villagers here. One day, Martha and I took our bikes to the river and
just rode around. We came upon a sweet little village made of
cardboard and tin sheets. Instantly we were accepted in and all of the
children started posing for our cameras. I am really going to miss
being able to walk up to any community and be instantly accepted.
This
month has been amazing to get to pour out into the people here. It has
been filled with lots of great times with my wonderful "Phene Girls"
and has given us a chance to truly begin processing the end of this
race.
...And did I mention we had BIKES this whole month :)
And
now we are leaving tomorrow morning....We have just over a week left on
the race. The next few days will be filled with lots of reminiscing,
tons of laughing, filled with memories, and certainly a lot of tears.
I am really going to miss this incredible group of people that the Lord
has brought into my life. I am so thankful for the wonderful
experience. And I am still in awe of all the amazing things I saw God
do around the world this year
Thank you so much to all of you who
supported me throughout this journey! Not only has it been the
missions trip of a lifetime, but I truly feel like it is a launching
pad into my next step of ministry. I want each of you to know that I
would not be here today if it were not through all of your prayers and
encouragement. To my amazing supporters back home: Thank you so
much! I hope you know how many lives you have changed this year (If
not, then go back and read a few of my Africa blogs, and know that you
are making a HUGE impact on the world). I can't wait to tell you all
stories in person when I get home. I am looking forward to lots of
hugs, tons of quality time, and certainly endless amounts of Starbucks
Coffee.
Until then, I am going to try to soak up these next 9
days as best as I can, and continually live in the moment - the amazing
little moments that God gives us every day!
Posted in 10 Vietnam by Jennifer Mitchell on 5/31/2010
Our month in Vietnam came and went faster than I had wanted. I
still can't get my mind around the fact that I will be home in 30
days. I didn't really know what to expect when we arrived in Vietnam.
My whole squad was stationed right in the middle of Tourist Central,
Nam style. Our hotel was situated between countless souvenir shops,
bootleg movie stores, and restaurants promising the best "Western"
cuisine. Stepping out of the hotel I could see countless travelers,
all loaded down with their backpacks searching for the next big
adventure. To take one step away from the Hotel meant I was willing to
risk certain death because the only thing worse than the heat and
humidity in Vietnam is the motorbikes. To say that there are thousands
of crazy motorists on the streets at all times, well that would be an
understatement. Just going across the street to get some water was
like playing a giant game of Frogger with my life. Not only were the
streets filled with motorists, but add in countless vendors selling
their latest catch, hundreds of peddlers selling odds and ends,
flashing disco lights, endless carhorns, the constant smell of fish,
and a temperature that always stayed above 100 degrees and you get the
idea of what it was like walking of our hotel every morning.
Despite the business and constant sensory overload, I really enjoyed
our month in Vietnam. Vietnam is technically a closed country, which
means it is illegal to evangelize. It also means that it is illegal to
gather together for any sort of meeting without the government's
approval. So while is it technically not illegal to be a Christian, it
is difficult for Christians to gather together for worship and share
their faith with people. There are some government approved churches
in Vietnam, but these churches have to follow strict government
protocol, and don't leave much room for freedom. These circumstances
provided us with an array of different ministries. I got the chance to
go to the countryside and visit underground churches. Here we did
discipleship with the youth, encouraged the congregations, and shared
our testimonies about what the Lord is doing all over the world. I sat
as I heard one pastor's story of beginning his church at the age of
19. At this time the government was great opposed to Christianity, and
every time the government found out he had a convert, he had to work
countless hours in the tiring heat for days on end without food. The
pastor said it was grueling work, but he smiled the whole time because
he knew one of his little sheep had found their way home. The
commitment and devotion of these pastors absolutely humbled me and
encouraged me to pray for the Underground Church all over the world.
One of my favorite ministries was going to the many different
orphanages and children's homes in Ho Chi Minh. I got to hold tiny
precious babies who were infected with HIV, dance and sing with
children with mental disabilities, and love on kids who did not have a
mother or father. I absolutely loved getting to love on all of these
precious ones. One of my favorite memories was when I was playing with
two boys who had mental disabilities. We were walking through a
Buddhist Temple and suddenly I had an idea. I reached into my bag and
pulled out my two cameras. I placed one around each of their necks and
they proceeded to dance and squeal as they spent the next hour taking
pictures of every single thing they could. I loved watching a passion
of mine be able to touch other people's lives.
Our month in Vietnam flew by like a Vietnamese motorist on a
mission. I am thankful for all of the time I got to spend there, and
am blessed to have gotten to meet so many incredible individuals with
unwavering passion for Christ admits a country devoted to a god made by
man's hands.
And now we're on to Cambodia.
On to 30 more days of the Race.
On to one more big adventure before I get home.
Here's to going out with a bang - Kingdom style.
Posted in 9 Thailand by Jennifer Mitchell on 4/30/2010
Our first month in Asia has been absolutely incredible. I love the culture here.
I really
miss Africa, but the Thai people have made me fall in love with this
part of the world all over again. This month we were assigned to a
church up north in Thailand. We worked with a WONDERFUL pastor in his
house church all month. I think this month has for sure been my most
fun yet. Our pastor is an incredible man and he filled our days with
tons of great ministry and lots of laughs.
To begin the month, we arrived on the Thai New Year. Now, I don't know
if you've ever been in Thailand during the New Year, but if you have
then you certainly would not have survived it dry. For the New Year
people drive around and proceed to throw water on each other for three
days! It is hilarious and SO much fun. We are already thinking up ways
to bring this hilarious adventure to the US.
The
first assignment our team had was to run an English camp. We were told
that the students did not know any English, so our first day was filled
with teaching "Hello" and "How are you?". It actually turns out that
the students spoke very good English and were ready for an advanced
challenge. Even though the camp was only three days, we all bonded
really quickly. I was amazed at how hard the students worked and how
much they actually wanted to learn. They were incredible, and I am
really proud of th
em. God really blessed me with the students of that camp. We were
only there three days, but I could really see the impact that we had on
the students. Even though it was only a short time.
The next
day our Pastor took us to visit some of the villages up in Northern
Thailand. In these villages, many people have yet to hear the
incredible news about Jesus and it was wonderful to be able to pray and
share God's love with them. In some of my missions classes in College,
we studied people groups exactly like these in Thailand. I felt like I
was living out part of my childhood dreams of going into a village and
sharing God with people who had never heard it before. I really loved
working with the hill tribe people.
We also
got to have many adventures this month. I learned that "ministry" is
just as much spending time with the people, as it is holding Bible
studies and preaching. Our pastor planned lots of fun stuff for us,
including swimming in the river with our clothes on, exercise classes
with the locals, dancing at a Buddhist monk's acceptance ceremony,
giving gifts to many people in the community, and even playing soccer
with the locals. That's right, I played soccer...me who hates to
exercise and hates to run even more...I played soccer, and you know what?
I actually enjoyed it! (Mostly because my team won and I made an
assist on a corner kick. I still don't exactly know what that means,
but I did it!) My favorite part of the month, though, was getting to
know our wonderful pastor and his amazing family. We also had an
incredible translator, Nat, who I am obsessed with. She is a college
student and an amazing Christian girl. She has a passion for the Lord
and is simply perfect.
All in all, Thailand was the perfect beginning to our 3-month Asian
adventure. We are leaving tomorrow for Vietnam, so I don't think I
will be able to blog much before June. I bought my plan ticket home
today and will officially be back in Atlanta on July 1st!!
I cannot wait to see all my wonderful friends and family! I am so
excited to share with you in person all of the amazing things that God
has done this year!
I have also included a video of my Thai students doing a skit about Jesus in English. Enjoy!
Posted in 9 Thailand by Jennifer Mitchell on 4/23/2010
Do you ever have those people in your
life who you know God made to be in your life at the perfect time? My
friend Lindsay is that for me. About 6 months ago, our teams got
changed around and Lindsay and I were put together, along with Martha
and Ashley – two of my best friends in the whole world (don't worry,
I'll be writing about them later this week).
So back to Lindsay. This girl is the most passionate, exciting,
powerful woman I have ever met. She is such an example to me. My
whole life I have dreamed of a life that I wish was possible – a life
where people stopped on every street corner to pray for the sick, spend
hours talking to God, and genuinely hear His voice when He speaks. It
is a life that I always wanted for myself, but was too afraid to step
out and do. Lindsay, on the other hand, boldly lives her life each day
constantly stepping out and going after the big things of God. The
best part is, she is not one of those "crazy out of this world, can't
approach them" type of people. She is the most hilarious and genuine
person that I have ever met (Enter nickname: Witty Nelson). As I have
watched her grow and mature this year, there is no doubt in my mind
that this girl is going to do INCREDIBLE things in her life. And I
don't mean just cool, out-of-the-ordinary things...I mean the type of
things that books are written about and that start a revolution. I
have affectionately named Lindsay HBIT, short for Heidi Baker In
Training. If you don't know much about Heidi Baker, please google her
immediately (Let's just say over 3,000 churches planted and over 60
people raised for the dead for short).
The past few months Lindsay and I have both felt the call to begin
laying down our lives for the Lord. Over the past few months God has
called us to place many things on the altar of Abraham. It has been
the things that we hold most dear, and even things that other people
might not understand. A few weeks ago, Lindsay's favorite shoes
broke. Now I know that may sound trivial, but if you knew what I knew
about those shoes, then you might understand. To Lindsay, these were
much more than shoes. They were the very last bit of herself that she
brought on the race, all the way from California. They were the last
tangible thing that connected her to her old life back in America. A
life filled with Coffee Shops, Vintage music and thrift stores. They
were an actual representation of the life that God asked Lindsay to
sacrifice and lay down. Now, when God asks us to lay things down, it
is not because he enjoys our pain. Instead, he asks us to let go of
the things we hold most dear so that he can give us the most wonderful
things instead. As I have watched Lindsay lay down her very heart
before the Lord, I have seen him give it back and bless her a hundred
times over. Her life is filled with healings, power, prophecy and
incredible experiences with the Lord.
I want to share Lindsay's story with you
as an encouragement and a challenge. I believe that God is always
calling us to sacrifice things for him. Sometimes it is big things
that are hard to let go of, sometimes it is our small daily desires
that he wants. I don't know what is it in your life, but I want to
encourage all of us to step up to the altar of Abraham and allow God to
burn away any desire that is not of him. God is passionate about our
hearts, and he is terribly in love with us. Today, may we come to
truly understand what it means to be blessed through sacrifice.
Lindsay wrote a great blog about her shoes which you can read HERE.
Our friend Ashley also made a great video about the event. Enjoy!
Posted in 8 Uganda by Jennifer Mitchell on 4/12/2010
While I
wouldn't say that not seeing any snakes sums up my African
experience…it sure does make me feel a whole lot better! We have
successfully finished our ministry in Africa and are currently in
Bangkok, Thailand getting ready for three months of ministry in
Southeast Asia.
So what can I say to sum up my three-month journey in Africa? How
could I even begin to sum up my incredible experiences on this
wonderful continent? I think the one word I would use would be
Powerful. I saw God power displayed in Africa like never before.
In Kenya, God broke my heart for the street kids orphans who had
no home and no hope. Armed with a few hundred dollars that three of us
girls raised (mostly donated by our wonderful Israeli mother, Tirza!)
we set out to cloth and feed what we thought was going to be only about
15 children. After a long and stressful trip to the grocery store,
Martha, Ashley and I arrived at the church…along with about 50
children. Knowing we had only purchased things for about a dozen of
these precious children, we were at a loss on what to do. So what
would any good World Racer do in that situation? Impromptu VBS!
Needless to say, God demonstrated his power and his love for the street
kids as every single one of them went away with full hands.
As I reached Uganda I had no idea for the amazing month that I was
in for. Uganda has been one of my favorite months on the race so far.
It was here that I became very away of the spiritual climates of
places, and literally saw people operating under the worship of
demons. I watched God continually demonstrate his power as He set his
children free! One of my favorite memories was going into the schools,
many of which were held outside under the trees for lack of buildings.
Here, as I presented the Gospel message, I watched as entire schools of
children bowed their heads and accepted God as the Lord of their life.
Talk about powerful!
Arriving in Tanzania, I was exhausted to say the least. We ran hard
in Uganda, and saw God appear like never before. The Lord displayed
his power to me in a much different way this month. We were blessed
with wonderful contacts that provided us with a lot of time to rest and
to spend time with God. I learned what it means to truly rest in the
Lord and to be quiet before him. It was difficult for me at first to
not be in 24/7 ministries, but the Lord spoke powerfully to me this
month. He spoke both to me, and through the incredible community
around me. I am so thankful that God provided me with time to rest in
Him and learn to hear his voice more clearly, especially as we set out
for our last leg of the Race.
God was so present and powerful in Africa. I saw him perform many
miracles and melt countless hearts with his love…hearts including my
own. I watched as things I had only read about happened right in front
of my eyes…. things that I always hoped were possible, but never
believed could happen in my life. God is so powerful and so loving!!
I am now in Asia trying to shift gears and get acclimated to an
entirely new culture, but I still find myself rejoicing over the
wonderful things God did in Africa, and looking forward to the
incredible things he will do in Asia!
Since I spend most of my time behind my Nikon and not a video camera, I thought I would allow the talent of my fellow squad mates speak for me as I wrap up this last African post...
Our African journey started back in December with our longest travel day yet. Ashley Higgins made this hilarious video about our journey from the Middle East to Kenya.
Life in Africa can be a bit challenging at times to say the
least...Team Mosaic made a video about all of the "lessons" we have had
to learn since arriving here.
While ministry in Africa at times can be difficult, more often than not they are the most rewarding experiences of our life. The video below is of a boy named Barak. He was a boy who my friend Birkleigh met on a bus and spoke with and who accepted Jesus!
jesus loves barack. from ashley higgins on Vimeo.
Ashley Higgins, videographer extraordinaire strikes again. She created this beautiful video about the lives of the precious people we have met in Africa.
After three successful months we are off to Asia!! Nicole Marett recorded our full day journey to get from Kenya to Thailand! Enjoy!
Travel Daze from Nicole Marett on Vimeo.
Posted in 8 Uganda by Jennifer Mitchell on 3/11/2010
I am sitting under the stars in Uganda.
The house we are living in has no power, so they are the clearest I have ever seen them.
It's nighttime and most of my team is already asleep.
Trying to unwind, I decide to wash my feet.
As I take the wash bucket, I begin to clean off layer after layer of street dirt.
Dirt as red as Georgia clay.
It is a peaceful night and I am at rest after a very hard day of ministry.
No sleep. Fear. Power. Healings. Demons. Muslims. Opposition. Freedom. Salvations.
This month has been the hardest yet, but also the most rewarding.
As I look at the dust I begin to wonder. Maybe the dust is not simply dust at all. Maybe it is so much more...
As I study my feet I begin to think of all of the steps I have taken on the journey so far.
Step one – Ireland. Back to Dublin. Leaving home. Surfing. No turning back. Healing on the Street. Kids ministry. Danielle's leg growing. My team.
Step two – Romania. Living with the Gypsies. Catching the vision. Painting Pape's House. Alex. The Mud Village. Caroling for Christ. Apple Picking. Swimming in the lake. The Funeral.
Step three – Croatia. Back to Hungary. Painting the church. Prophecy over the youth. Tasha. ATL with Danielle and Lauren. Train rides. Preaching for the first time. Communion on top of a mountain.
Step four – Turkey. The 10/40 widow. God calling me to the Muslim
world. Least evangelized country. Dancing. Ephesus. Roof top
worship. Tea and Jesus movie. No One Worships Artemis Anymore. The carpet shop. Aydin. Greece.
Olive grove mountain. Photography.
Step five – Israel. Back for the third time. Jerusalem. Tirza and her beautiful children. Desert. Shabbat. Hanukkah. Christmas away from home. Petra. The pyramids. God growing a vision for ministry in the Middle East. Abandonment.
Four more steps for God to be preached to the nations.
Four more steps until this trip is complete.
Four more steps until the next leg of my journey.
Four more steps for my feet to be covered in dust.
Four more steps for my feet to be like one man, whose feet were so
covered in dust, that a woman knelt down and washed them with her tears
and her hair.
The dust will be long washed off my feet, and the memories will grow dim at times, yet the impact will remain.
Posted in 7 Kenya by Jennifer Mitchell on 3/9/2010
This post is another story I want to share with you in my effort to live the Simple Life back in Kenya.
In the town of Bungoma, Kenya, there are many churches.
In those churches there are many pews.
In those pews there are many Christians.
In those Christians there are very passionate hearts.
But in those hands, there are no Bibles.
The church in Bungoma is alive and
well, but unfortunately, they lack resources to get Bibles into the
very eager hands.
When we were doing house-to-house evangelism, I
asked the pastor if there was any way we could get Bibles to the people
that just accepted Christ. One of my biggest fears is leading someone
to the Lord, and then leaving them with a serious lack of
discipleship. In the much quoted Great Commission, Jesus told his
disciples to go into all the world and make disciples of all
nations – not just converts. So we set out to undertake the Bibles for
Bungoma project. Our contact knew of a Bible distributor in the area
and told us that each Bible would cost around $8. For two cups of
Starbucks, we could make an eternal impact in the lives of Christians
around the world. So we began to rally our resources. I am still
amazed at the way the Lord moved so quickly and greatly. In a matter
of four days, three girls had raised almost $2,000! That money bought
over 190 Bibles and discipleship manuals for the wonderful people of
Bungoma!! The Lord never ceases to amaze me.
The wonderful part about this whole story is that all we did was
simply put ourselves in a place of asking questions and letting the
Lord respond. I asked if Bibles were available, and God found a way to
get them to Kenya. We asked our friends, families and supporters if
they wanted to invest in God's Kingdom, and the Lord moved mightily!!
He is just so good!! I will never forget the joy on the faces of the
people who got to hold their very own Bible, in their own language.
They truly were in love with the Living Word. I want to thank many of
you who contributed to this project and rejoice that in a matter of a
week, almost two thousand dollars were raised and the Bibles were
distributed into the hands that desperately needed them.
Thank you for sewing into the Kingdom, and helping us disciple the nations.
** As quickly as the Bibles got to Bungoma, they were gone almost as
quickly. There is still a great need there, as well as all over Kenya
and Eastern Africa, for Bibles. If you are interested in investing $10
for the Kingdom, please contact me at JenniferLeeMitchell@gmail.com and we can get a Bible into the hands of those who need it!! Thank you so much!
Posted in 8 Uganda by Jennifer Mitchell on 3/6/2010
God is Good!! I came to know this phrase in a whole new way this week.
It
was the end of a very long week for us. I had been leading a team of
12 in the bush and our ministry lasted about 13 hours a day. It was
our last night before a day off and we were all exhausted. "Just a few
more hours" I thought to myself. We turned the Jesus Film on and
expected to have a few hours of rest until prayer time at the end.
However, within moments of sitting down for the first time that day,
Pastor Godfrey came and said that there was a woman who wanted prayer.
She had what looked like a growth on her abdomen that was causing her a
lot of pain. We asked if she was a Christian and she said the only way
she would accept Jesus was if he healed her right then. "Ok, here we
go" us prayer warriors thought.
So we began praying for healing and expecting God to heal her
instantly. It seemed perfectly appropriate. After the prayer, she
said her pain had gone down, but since it was not a complete healing
she would not accept Jesus. Slightly dejected, we watched her get up
and go on her way. Not thinking much after that moment, I went about
packing up my stuff and loading the van.
About an hour later, Pastor found me and said that I must pray for
someone else. He said there was a woman who wanted to become a
Christian. (See, here in Africa, people just walk up to us on the
streets and confess their sins. It really is quick inexplicable).
When he brought me to the woman, it turns out it was the same woman
from our prayer hours before! Even though she was not totally healed,
she decided to give her life to Jesus. I led her in the prayer to
commit her life to Jesus, with Pastor Godfrey translating. When we
finished praying, the other women present started breaking out in yells
and cheers. I was filled with joy as well, but this celebration was
deeper than normal salvations. I asked the pastor what was going on
and he said that the woman was his sister! His sister had just
accepted Christ and her whole family was surrounding me celebrating!
Martha heard the commotion and joined us as we began dancing in the
backyard and the old African mama's began yelling "Iasou Mulungi! Iasou
Mulungi!" "God is good! God is good!" It was such a beautiful
celebration. I could see Jesus joining with the angels as his one lost
sheep came home.
When the commotion started, Abraham, the pastor's 12-year-old son
came running around the corner and jumped into his Aunt's arms. He had
a smile so big it took up his entire face. His father told us that for
the past few days Abraham had been trying to get his aunt to come speak
with us because he knew that if she just came, she would accept Jesus.
She had continually told the boy that she would not go speak with the
white people, however today God had different plans!! It was the faith
of this precious 12-year-old that planted the seed in his aunt, which
God watered right in front of our eyes!!
I praise the Lord to be part of his wonderful celebration as the lost come home!!
Posted in 8 Uganda by Jennifer Mitchell on 3/3/2010
"For I, the LORD your God,
am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to
the third and fourth generation of those who hate me..." ~ Deuteronomy 5:9
Does God punish children for the sins for their fathers?
Does this Deuteronomy passage speak only to the Israelites of the
Old Testament? Or is there some string of truth for the world today?
While we were going evangelizing a few days ago, a 10-year-old girl
named Flo approached me. She asked me to pray for her baby brother.
Thinking she simply wanted me to pray blessings over him, I easily
agreed. However, I was not prepared for what I experienced next. Flo
brought me to her one-year-old brother who was completely covered in
open soars. Our translator said that the child was afflicted by an
advanced case of AIDS. With tears filling my eyes, I laid hands on
this precious life and prayed my hardest for an instant healing for the
boy. I knew he did not have long to live. After praying, Flo asked me
to go pray for her house.
When we arrived at the hut, Flo's mother was sitting under a rundown
hut, smoking a pipe and cutting vegetables. When I saw her it was like
I ran into a brick wall. I knew instantly that the spirit of
witchcraft had a huge hold over this household. I began speaking to
Flo's mother with my normal evangelism opening. "Hi, we are from the
States, we believe in Jesus and that is why we are hear." She
instantly interrupted me and said she did not want to hear anything
about Jesus, but we could pray for her kinds, that was all. Ignoring
that remark, I told the woman that we would pray in the name of Jesus
for healing and explained that He is the only true power on Heaven and
Earth. I told her that Jesus loved her so much and wanted to set her
free. She quickly responded that she was demon possessed and that she
worshiped demons. She said she did not want to be free and she
certainly didn't want Jesus. Then she told us again to pray for her
kids.
I watched as hopeful little Flo placed her hands on her baby brother
and joined us for praying for his healing. I could feel the
desperation in the girl. She was desperate for an act of God. Even
though we were filled with faith, the Lord chose not to heal instantly
in that moment. I prayed for Flo and told her that she was completely
loved by God. I encouraged her to keep faith in Jesus, despite having
two parents who worshipped demons. I left the house wondering if I
could have done more to encourage Flo and heal the little boy.
As I prayed I felt the Lord reveal to me that this poor child's
affliction was directly related to his mother's practices in
witchcraft. I don't know if she placed a curse on him, or if it was
simply tied in the spiritual, but I did feel like the boy would only be
healed once his mother had left her demonization practices. This
caused great distress in my mind. Could a little baby boy really be
punished for the sins of his parents? Isn't God merciful? Doesn't God
want all of his children to be free?
Later that night, we showed the Jesus Film in the middle of the
town. As I sat down to pray, a small girl came up to me and asked if I
would teach her songs about the love of Jesus. Even though it was
dark, I was able to recognize Flo's hopeful eyes. I sat and sang with
her for hours as I encouraged and prayed for this powerful Christian
warrior. Even though I did not see her whole family set free, I know
that Flo is going to be a powerful witness to her parents. I am
standing on faith that her little brother will be healed, and both of
her parents will be set free. I believe God is in the business of
freeing people, and it is his desire to have all people come to him.
Even though I don't have a theology worked out for a demon-possessed
mother, and a baby boy dying of AIDS – I do know that God is good, he
is just and he is loving – and it is in that truth that I put my trust.
Posted in 8 Uganda by Jennifer Mitchell on 2/26/2010
It
was just a normal day of ministry. Schools...evangelism....preaching...utter
exhaustion....I felt myself slip into autopilot...just one more school
before lunch break...
We
walked up to the school and I opted to teach the older students for an
hour. We began by singing some praise songs in English, and then the
students sang to us in Ugandan. It was then that an older girl, about
my size, in the front row started stepping out...I thought she was going
to dance...when she suddenly collapsed on the ground...right in front of
me. Thinking she had fainted, I quickly ran to her and tried to lift
her into a sitting position. It was then that the headmaster said over
my shoulder, "Pray for her, she needs deliverance." "What?!" I thought
in my head... "We are in the middle of a school, in the middle of the
day, in the middle of me being exhausted...what the heck are we going to
deliver?!" I allowed those thoughts to go through my head for about
half a second before I lifted this beautiful 110-pound girl in my
arms. Martha, Lauren Williamson
and I took the girl, Kadogo, under a nearby tree and began praying. As
I lay the unconscious girl on the grass I was instantly filled with
compassion for this girl who was in desperate need of freedom. I
looked into her eyes, and I saw tears streaming down her face. The
teachers told me that she was demon possessed and needed deliverance.
The first thing I thought was, "I am not equipped for this. What the
heck am I supposed to pray?" But pray I did. We were determined to
see this precious girl free. I began to speak to the spirits of worry
and fear and witchcraft and tell them to leave, and surprisingly, they
did. Kadogo went from trembling and calling to her dead ancestors to
silently weeping.
Martha asked if she could say the name of Jesus, but she still could
not. So we kept praying. We learned that she was not a Christian, and
when we asked if she wanted to accept Jesus, she nodded her head. Even
though she was unable to speak, I led Kadogo in the sinner's prayer. I
prayed as hard as I could for this precious life. I quoted every
scripture I could about freedom and new life – It was all I knew how to
do. Amazingly, at the end of the prayer, Kadogo was able to say
"Jesus". I heard her whisper it over and over again. She was free!!
All three of us were in utter amazement of the Lord's good work. God
used an attack of the enemy to not only free one of his children, but
give her eternal life. God set her free!! It was such a beautiful
moment. Still in shock that God cast demons out through us, Martha,
Lauren and I could only pray and praise God for the amazing work that
he did that day. God put me in a situation where I had no idea what to
do, and he again used my weakness to do miracles. He never ceases to
amaze me. I praise Him for being so good! He loves his children and
he desires to set the captives free.