Holy Given Armavir: Weeks 3-5

10/June/2008 06:30 Filed in: HG Schools

Tuesday, 20 May, 2008

The Lord has truly taken us from glory to glory these past three weeks here in Russia!! He is faithful to all His promises…He has met us and come in greater and greater measure with new mercies for each new day. His presence has sustained us and filled us and taught us. He is greatly to be praised!!!!

I want to share some highlights and testimonies from what has been happening among us! There have truly been some remarkable times!!

A few weekends ago a team of us headed to Nelchek to minister the Father Heart of God to a group of believers there. On Friday night about 25 adults crowded into a living room to hear Susi teach. She spoke on the true character of Father and how our experiences with our earthly Fathers so often taint our relationships with Him. She told a beautiful story about a famous piano maestro who cheered on the simple efforts of a small boy who had snuck onto the stage and begun to play the concert piano. When the boy plunked a simple melody with his small fingers, the maestro came up behind the boy and played, creating a beautiful duet. He then leaned into the boy’s ear and with excitement whispered, “Keep playing! It’s beautiful! Don’t stop! Keep playing!” As we went around and prayed for each person, tears flowed as hearts were healed. Woundings from earthly fathers and misconceptions about heavenly Father were healed and joy was restored. Many left with huge smiles on their faces and testified that the Lord had just done a huge work in their hearts.

Friday of week four was another highlight that left me speechless and in awe of the amazing goodness of our God. We started the morning off with worship, as was our regular practice. However, this day it soon became obvious that the Lord was doing a new thing! The instruments took on almost a militant sound as the music began prophesying what Holy Spirit was doing among us. Spontaneously around the room people just started yelling and jumping around. Then a group of students and staff started a march around the room, which everyone quickly joined. Then some started running…and running…and running. For over an hour and a half these students did not stop. They ran and ran and ran. The rest of us sang and danced and cheered them on as it was obvious God was doing something in them that was greater than we could comprehend in the moment.

At one point Luda joined in the running. She ran around for a few laps and then went on dancing. I did not realize until she testified later in the morning, that that was the first run of her life. I repeat…that was the first run of her entire life…she is 64. You see, she had a lame leg. This deformity caused her to walk with a limp and limited her in many ways…including her ability to run or dance. She simply could not do it. But soverignly, as we sang, the Lord healed her. No one prayed over her. She was just healed in the presence of God. She’d had this lame leg her entire life…but then suddenly, in a moment, it was gone! Her leg was normal! And so she ran! Her daughter was also there that day. With tears in her eyes she ran and danced with her mother. Her daughter is in her 40’s and she testified that this was the first time she had ever seen her mother run or dance. I wish you could have all been there to see Luda’s face. I think she was in shock for most of the day! She could not stop smiling and she’d just randomly turn and say, “I have never run before! I could not do this before!” She looked like a giddy child as she kicked her legs up in the air…her face was smiling. “Spaciba Isus!!” Thank you Jesus!! By his stripes we are healed…

Holy Spirit was busy in so many lives that day. Another woman was able to bend her knee for the first time since she had a metal plate put in for medical reasons. The point of the metal plate is to keep your knee from bending. But she wanted to have a new knee. And so she asked Jesus. During prayer she felt a lot of heat in her knee and said that something moved. After prayer she could bend her knee to 90 degrees…with no pain! Before prayer it was locked in the straight position. In the natural it would be completely impossible for her knee to ever move. But again we were reminded that our God is supernatural…and even a steel plate could not stop his healing power!

And about the crazy runners… Each of them had a different testimony. One said God was speaking to him about perseverance, another said God was illustrating the verse about running as to get the prize, another said God was increasing his spiritual endurance… As I heard their testimonies I kept thinking that God is GENIUS! With one crazy act He did so many different things!

One week there were a few teachings with themes specific to the Russian/Ukrainian nationals, i.e. Russian Church History and Communism. Holy Spirit used these teachings to unearth some trauma and woundings from living life under the Communist regime. Many students experienced deliverence from demonic strongholds in their lives as well as healing from the severe pain of the past. And as most of these students are called to be missionaries to their home country, this week of healing was also a week of equipping.

Other highlights included:
-Foot washing and healing between nations
-Releasing students into their prophetic giftings
-Watching the students step into their various giftings in greater measure
-Teachings on purity and the ministry that ensued…more healing as Holy Spirit brought the students deeper into wholeness and holiness

This still does not give an exhaustive account of all God has done among us, but I hope it gives you a bit of an idea of what life has been like here in Armavir! We also continued to have loads of fun as we lived life together, growing closer as friends and family in the Lord. When it came time for me to leave it was very hard to say goodbye to these people who had become so dear to me. But I left with a deep sense of awe in my spirit. I really am overwhelmed by the goodness of our God…by His tenacious pursuit of His Bride…by His loving-kindness…by His pure holiness. It is a joy and an honor to co-labor with Him. What a mighty God we serve!!