Holy Given Leyte: Week 1 Update

Holy Given: Leyte International School of Missions
Dulag, Leyte, Philippines
Week 1: 16-22 March, 2009

It is truly an honor to be in Dulag, Leyte, Philippines! It is very clear that this is a very special place, exploding with beauty, destiny and promise! It’s been just a week now since Holy Given: Leyte started, and already we are experiencing an outpouring of the Lord’s presence and grace. All glory and honor and power and praise be to Christ Jesus!!

Holy Given is privileged to partner with Pastor Ferds Consebido and World Evangelism Bible College here in Dulag. Pastor Ferds and his team have been so faithful to prepare the land and the atmosphere here…not only for the past days and weeks, but literally years…with their faithful service and worship to the Lamb. When we arrived it really felt like we were stepping into an open heaven.

Of course we can’t keep all of the amazing things God has been doing to ourselves, so here’s a bit about what’s been going on…

Monday for the opening kick-off we gathered together and had a powerful time of singing praise and declaring our allegiance to Jesus. With one voice we lifted up His name as a declaration of why we have all gathered. It was beautiful to watch the students sing with all their might! We could already see that their hearts were hungry and teachable.

Tuesday Lesley-Anne taught on intimacy with the Lord…living face to face with Him. As Holy Spirit came, many students sovereignly experienced inner healing and deliverance. We spent a lot of time just cultivating the presence of Holy Spirit through worship. Many students had visions for the first time in their lives…it was a powerful day of encounter!

Wednesday the Lord took the message of intimacy deeper into our hearts. Nothing else matters if this reality is not caught so we spent more time seeking His face. In God’s mercy and goodness he came again so powerfully and met us all. He ministered to the students’ hearts and called them even deeper into intimacy. And again, as we worshipped and Holy Spirit came in greater measure, hearts were changed. Many students testified of deep inner healing and deliverance as well as the Lord speaking destiny and promises over them.

Thursday the Lord began dealing with gender reconciliation. The students lined up in to lines facing each other, men on one side and women on the other, and looked each other in the eye. One by one the men began repenting to the women for ways they had, individually or as a gender, mistreated women or misrepresented Christ to them. Then the women did the same. As their confessions were released and forgiveness was spoken, chains were loosed and bondages over hearts were broken free. More demons were forced to leave and many wept aloud as Holy Spirit ministered to their broken hearts. The Lord also dealt with some father and mother issues, convicting students to speak out forgiveness to their earthly fathers or mothers for pain inflicted by them. In a matter of hours, Jesus erased years of damage, abuse and pain. We finished the day by having Communion together, thanking Jesus for the sacrifice that makes our hope and healing possible. It was amazing to look around the room, into the students’ eyes, and see immediate evidence of freedom and transformation.

Friday was yet another incredible day! Lesley-Anne taught on “being a person of the altar”…living a life of surrender, being willing to place anything that the Lord may ask of us on the altar. We asked Holy Spirit to reveal any idols that we had in our lives and to speak to us about anything that he wanted us to sacrifice to Him. A cry of repentance arose as the students allowed Holy Spirit to remove the idols in their hearts and lives. Many heard the Lord speak to them about following Him to the darkest corners of the earth, even to the point of death. It was a holy moment of surrender. Our cry was echoed in the song that played over us as a declaration as we laid our lives on the altar: “That the Lamb may receive the reward of His suffering!”

We finished the week by putting everything Holy Spirit did in us into action. Pastor Ferds and Lesley-Anne sent the students out by twos into the village to talk with people, pray for the sick, share the love of Jesus and do whatever else Holy Spirit told them to do! They came back with testimonies of healing, salvations and new friendships!

So at the end of week one we stand amazed and the miraculous power of Jesus, the overwhelming presence of Holy Spirit and the incredible love of the Father! It has been a week of visions, miracles, inner healing, deliverance, joy, and encounter with the Living God. We are aware that there is still so much that God wants to do in the hearts and lives of the students, but we stand humbled and in awe of what He has already done. To God be the Glory!

As God is at work among us, we are also well aware that the enemy would like nothing better than to kill and steal it all away. Therefore, we deeply covet your prayers. Please intercede with us for protection (for the staff and students), our families and our loved ones. Pray for protection physically, emotionally and spiritually. Pray for an increase of angelic covering. Pray for increased wisdom and discernment for the team, but particularly Pastor Ferds and Lesley-Anne. Pray for freedom…that every demonic spirit would go and that every student would come to a place of total and complete freedom in the name of Jesus. Pray that all of the plans and the destiny that God has for each individual student and for the Holy Given school would be birthed and brought forth. Pray for unity. Pray for an increase of Holy Spirit’s presence. Pray for whatever the Lord puts on your heart or brings up in your mind!! We know we can’t do this without you and we are incredibly grateful for your partnering with us through your intercession!

We thank you and love you!! Pagpalain ka nawa ng Diyos! God bless you!