Report from 2nd Trip to Ireland Part 4
Monday thru Thursday morning I stayed in Westport. I was able to take part in the morning prayer meetings that take place at Castlebar Christian Fellowship on Monday and Wednesday. On Tuesday I met with the Pastor of Castlebar Christian Fellowship, Cathal Duffy, for lunch and a personal tour of Westport House. Pastor Cathal used to work at Westport house when he was growing up in Westport. He also shared with me how he came to Christ back in the 70’s and how the Christian church got started in Westport. Very powerful testimony.
During my stay in Westport, I was able to meet and speak with many people who worked in the stores. I was able to give out some tracts and pray with a few of them as well. On my final night in Westport, I attend Amazing Grace Fellowship’s midweek Bible study which was held in the home of Mark and Rose. Their living room was packed with people as we studied Matthew Chapter 1. At the end I had the chance to pray with people for financial breakthrough and a few days later I received a message that one of the couples had received an unexpected blessing of 5000 Euro.
Thursday and Friday each could be a lengthy report of their own. I will only be hitting the basic high lights in this report.
Thursday I was in Portlaoise for the Holy Spirit night. It started at 8pm and it didn’t end till 1:10am. After a time of praise and worship myself and Ivan, a powerfully anointed man from Cork, spoke and then we had ministry time. There were multiple healings one of which was a woman Ann who I prayed with and she was instantly healed of back pain. Two sisters, Cloe and Kelly, were born again. There was also some deep one on one ministry time dealing with bitterness and unforgiveness. The power of the Holy Spirit moved in a great way that night. For anyone to have been there and not experienced a touch from the Lord had to be someone who chose to refuse for God to touch their life in anyway. While I can’t be 100% sure I believe that everyone did leave having been mightily touched by the power and love of God.
Friday the favor of God just poured out on me once again. I was able to have a phone call with John Mcevoy who in his ministry has planted several churches throughout Ireland, was a leader for Elim Church in the Republic of Ireland, is widely respected by every minister I have met in Ireland. After my phone call with him I traveled 2 ½ hours south to County Cork with Eddie, Peter and Zoe for a meeting. This meeting had started years ago in James Brookes home and grew to where they built a small chapel in his back yard.
When we arrived in Cork at 8:40pm not only had the meeting started but I had no idea that I wouldn’t be leaving till after 4am the next morning. Though I had just come to be in the meeting the Lord had something else in mind. When James got up to speak the Holy Spirit directed him to cut short what he had prepared and invite me up to speak. Though I didn’t know exactly what I was going to say as I had not prepared beforehand to speak that night the Holy Spirit put the words in my mouth. There was a tremendous amount of freedom in the meeting. Very much a 1 Cor. 14 model where everyone has the ability to participate with a word, a question and an encouragement. It was not surprising to me to have someone raise a hand and ask a question while I was speaking.
After I got done speaking, I thought that we would move right into ministry time in prayer but I was wrong. What happened next, I can best describe as halftime. Snacks and drinks were shared and passed around I had several wonderful conversations about witnessing and evangelism with several. After halftime we moved into the ministry time of praying for people. As I kept having individual after individual come back wanting to ask questions and speak to me, I was unable to take part with the others in praying for people. As the meeting seemed to have wound down and most people were leaving at about 2 am I decided that was a good time for me to leave as well. When I got to the car, I noticed that I had left my water bottle behind and went back to retrieve it. When I got back inside a young lady was down on one knee in obvious distress which I knew immediately to be demonic in nature.
Having seen this, I could not in good conscience leave with this girl in bondage and pain like this. It was a battle for the next two plus hours. This was only the 3rd time I have been involved in something like this and I must admit that I definitely need to learn to be more effective in this type of ministry. Myself and the few other individuals left did everything we knew to do to break the demonic hold on this young woman but that last one just kept holding on. With my physical strength fading I just kept asking the Holy Spirit for the wisdom of what to do. When I finally got it, I lifted her to her feet and started to let the Holy Spirit give me the words to say. There had been something that had been done to her when she was a child that she had forgotten but that had impacted her greatly. It had caused her to doubt the love of Jesus for her. While she truly loved Jesus, she had a hard time believing that Jesus loved her because of what had happened. The Holy Spirit told me exactly what that deceptive spirit had been whispering in her ear for years and then Holy Spirit gave me the words to tell her that opened her eyes to see how much Jesus loved her. That contrary to what many others think and the demon was telling her, God didn’t do this to her or let it happen to her. God loved her and this happened because of sin and wicked in this world. It wasn’t her fault and she did nothing to deserve what had been done to her. The Lord also had me tell her that she wasn’t marked by what had happened and that in His eyes she was His beloved daughter in whom He was very pleased because He chose to be. His love and favor weren’t based upon her performance but on His grace. Though it I was physically exhausted she was free, and as of yesterday she is still free, and growing in knowing how much the Father loves her.
Saturday was a rest and recovery day with a wonderful meeting at 1:30pm with Sean Curran and supper that night with Eddie, Tanya and their 3-year-old daughter Jamie.
Sunday morning, I went to Ballyfermot Community Church and got there early enough to sit in on the last part of a Tamil church service. The Tamil are group of people originally from India. Though I could not understand their language I could understand the Spirit that was in their service. Ezekiel, the Pastor of Ballyfermot Community Church said that I was probably the first white person in their service.
Before the BCC service I had a wonderful time catching up with Alison who is now 7 months pregnant with their first child. I had first met her and Ezekiel back the first week in May when they were still pastors in Westport. I must say that they are a very wonderful couple. They are few people anymore that I meet that impress me especially people in their mid-twenties but this couple not only impressed me the first time I met them but did something even more rare in that being with them a second time I came away even more impressed. They have a God given calling and wisdom beyond their years. They also have a heart for God’s kingdom and to see it grow. They are looking for how best to evangelize and plant churches. To lead their congregation in being the body of Christ and not just coming to a Sunday meeting every week. What a privilege and an honor it is to be connected with people like this.
As I wrap this last report up, I must emphasize that all the glory goes to the Lord for every good thing on this trip. He truly makes His strength perfect in my weakness. I experienced more favor, open doors and freedom to minister than I have ever experienced in my life. Here’s the God thing about it all. I didn’t work for it, didn’t strive for it or earn it. He just gave it to me. This was just my second trip. Stuff like this doesn’t just happen to someone like me based upon anything that I naturally possess. Looking at it from a physical, worldly perspective I am a nobody from nowhere. I’m so average, at best, that if you looked up average in the dictionary my picture should be there. This is not me putting myself down it is me just stating the facts of who I am on my own. YET, with God I am more than that. With Him all I have to do is rest and abide in Him and He does stuff in me, through me and for me that are beyond belief. Honestly if I would have known beforehand what was going to happen, I would have struggled to believe it.
I want to leave everyone who are reading these words right now, if God is doing this for, in and through me WHAT is will HE DO for, in and through YOU?
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