Day 6: Pastor's Conference Continued

I woke up bright and early this morning and felt very much like the typical American when John and Kaysie had to fire up the generator so I could blow dry my hair. Kaysie made eggs with onions and green chiles for breakfast, which was nice...especially since the eggs at the hotel had been soupy. I finally won Aden over by reading a farm book to him and singing "Old McDonald", at Kaysie's suggestion. John had recently built a dehydrator outside and they have been drying fruit pieces, so they let me taste some dried pineapple, which was amazing...it tasted like candy!
We loaded up the car and headed off into the city. John stopped for a pee break at some point, and while we were waiting in the car Kaysie filled me in on something amazing God had done for them. Let me back up and say that their car had broken down awhile back, and had been taken apart and was in pieces with little hope for recovery. The car we'd been driving around in was on loan from a friend of theirs. A few nights ago, she told me, they prayed together and asked God for financial provision. They just learned a couple days ago that someone had given them a $30,000 grant for 2 new drills and a brand new car! It was so encouraging to hear them talk about the countless times that the Lord has provided for them financially.

During worship, I held onto Aden most of the time and danced around with him. He loved the music and was smiling and clapping along the whole time. I was enjoying Aden's presence, but also wrestling with conflicting emotions. It's hard to describe what I was feeling. I was so thrilled that John and Kaysie were there, and I wanted them to get a taste for what I've been a part of for the last 8 months. But, I was also worried that they might find it too weird, or chock it up to emotionalism like some people do. Most people have either a strong positive or negative response to Bethel. I realize it's not for everyone, but I really respect both John and Kaysie, so it matters what they think about something so close to my heart. Throughout worship I was praying and asking and pleading with God to touch them. I really felt from the start that a huge reason I was on this trip was to refresh and bless them both.
Jake got up to speak, and I honestly can't recall exactly what he preached on, but I know that I felt the presence of God come into the room in a powerful way. That was one of the clearest times I've ever heard God speak to me. He said, "Amy, I LOVE THEM MORE."
I sat there stunned and then began to cry as I let the truth of that sink in. In that moment all the worry and concern melted away and trust washed over me. I had a deep realization that I can trust God with the people I love because He loves them more than I do. I don't have to plead or beg God to bless them as if He were a reluctant and stingy Father who needs persuading. Before I ask, His heart's cry is already 'yes and amen', because He is good and it's His very nature bless His children. This was undoubtedly the most powerful moment of my trip. I don't know how to describe it, but I will never be the same. Isn't it so the nature of God that we can minister, be used by God, change lives and witness miracles, but the moments that mark us most profoundly are always God showing us more of who He is?
We took a break at lunch and ate with the team and John and Kaysie on the bus, then returned to prophesy over those who hadn't received prophecy yesterday. They made an announcement that those who hadn't received prophecy yet should move forward to the first 3 rows. I looked around for John and Kaysie, but they were no longer in their seats. My heart sank as I realized they'd probably left. We began taking turns prophesying and passing the mic back and forth, just as we had yesterday. Today the congregation had a lot more people and you could tell that this was what they had come for. You could feel the hunger in the room. I prophesied over one woman that she thought she was the caboose, but she's really the engine, carrying many cars behind her.
Ryan grabbed the microphone and I heard him say, "I have a word for John and Kaysie." My head jumped up in confusion, and I realized that they hadn't left the building but moved forward to the 2nd row. I couldn't see them because of where I was standing. They came forward and Ryan gave them an incredible word about having fun with God and their relationship with God and each other being like first love. There was more, but what I was paying more attention to was the way I could see the word blessing them. God is so, so good.
Someone on our team got a word that someone there was unable to conceive and wanting a baby. To our surprise 6 or 7 people came forward for prayer. We laid hands on all of them and prayed for them. One woman began to cry, and even when she was back in her seat she couldn't stop crying. Molly nudged me and suggested we go minister to her. We went over and sat down in front of her and began to pray for her again. As I was praying I got the sense that she had been very abused and mistreated by her father. I felt hesitant about asking her about that, because it could be taken offensively, especially if I was wrong. "I feel like you've been mistreated," I said. "Is that right?" She nodded her head. "Have you been abused?" I asked. She nodded her head again. "Was it your father?" I asked. This time she erupted in tears. I felt like I was supposed to tell her that God never intended for her to be mistreated. That He was so sorry that happened to her. I also felt like her father was sorry. "I know he is, " she sobbed. We led her through forgiveness and I really feel like God is going to bring powerful restoration not only to that relationship, but to her children and to generations after her because of the undoing of the pattern of abuse.
Another woman approached me afterwards asking for prayer for some kind of health condition, but I can't remember exactly what it was. I prayed for her, but I had the sense that she needed to forgive someone. I asked her if there was anyone she needed to forgive, and she listed off a few people that she had grievances with, one of whom was her sister, who she hadn't spoken to in something like 2 years. I asked her if she was ready to forgive them and release them to God, and she said she was. I led her through a prayer of forgiveness, but she spent the next few minutes trying to convince me just how horrible they are and how badly they wronged her. After about 15 minutes, my heart sank as I realized some people hold onto unforgiveness and fail to see how it keeps them from the very thing they are crying out to God for. We heard a testimony at school once of a man who was healed of blindness, only to become blind again in a matter of days. When they asked him about it, he said he wanted to remain blind so he could continue to receive government aide. Whenever Jesus healed, he always asked people if they wanted to be healed. I believe He did that because He knew that many people are unwilling to let go of what they have in order to get what they want.
We ended our time at the Pastor's Conference with wild, jubilant worship and then another fire tunnel. That evening, since we had some time to spare, some of us went to Lumley Beach to run, walk, or stroll, depending on which way each preferred to enjoy the beach (can you guess which one I was a part of?).  The group who was running came upon a guy with one leg ( As I was not in there, I may have slight details wrong, but the overall of the story is correct), He had lost his lower leg when RUF cut it off in the war. He didn't seem bitter at all though, on the contrary, he put together a whole one-legged soccer team who is so good, they actually compete internationally! Talk about an over-comer!
They asked if they could pray for his leg to grow out. As they were praying, a man walked past them and was so intrigued he came back to ask them what they were doing. The guy's leg didn't grow out, but the man who had passed by became very excited when he learned they were Christians. It turns out he'd either had or had been having a dream with a cross and a man he didn't recognize. He said that the dream made him feel so good, that he'd decided he needed to find a Christian to ask them about who the man was. They excitedly explained that the man was Jesus, and then they proceeded to lead him to the Lord! I later learned that the students who stayed home during mission trips had been praying that Jesus would speak to Muslims in their dreams while we were on missions!
While they were ministering to him, the group that was strolling (yes, that was my group) began looking at some jewelry that a woman was selling. We asked her if she needed prayer for anything, and she told us she was pregnant and asked if we would pray for a safe delivery and a healthy child. (The infant and mother mortality rate in Sierra Leone is the 2nd highest in the world. Many women don't name their babies until they are 2 months old because it is so common to lose a child before then). Most of us didn't have money on us, but Ken did, and he bought a few things for his wife. After he'd finished paying for everything, she pulled a bracelet off and handed it to Ken as a gift, because she was grateful that we blessed her. We were all touched by her generosity, and so we encouraged her to come by our hotel in the next few days so our whole team could buy jewelry from her.