We arrived in Haiti safely with no drama. We quickly got settled in the house that Pastor Paul had rented for our stay. Basically it was like camping indoors. No running water, spotty generator power and HOT, but by Haiti standards, very nice. We had quite a few folks from Pastor Paul’s church working night and day to cook our food, cleanup after us and make sure we were cared for. Their hospitality was wonderful.
Elijah Preaching @ The Pastor's Seminar
PASTORS SEMINAR
Our first day was to be spent doing a pastor’s seminar to over 200 pastors that had come from all over the island. Some traveled 2-3 days to come 300 miles and many had been traveling all day to arrive in time for the seminar to begin. We all crowded into a very nice, but VERY hot and humid home we had to rent for the seminar. The hunger for God was palpable. We were able to share some testimonies of miracles we have seen recently but more importantly how they as pastors and leaders could walk in the power of the Gospel and equip their people to do the same!
We shared the basic message of the Gospel of the Kingdom. That God’s Kingdom was available, it was at hand and it was on the earth! We also shared the commission from the Lord to pray that “His Kingdom come, His will be done, on EARTH as it is in Heaven!” What is sad is that many of these men and women pastor large congregations, they have served the Lord faithfully for many years, but they had never heard the Gospel of the Kingdom! It’s amazing to me that the church has missed the most central message in the Gospel, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!”
We called them to change the way they think. We told story after story of the Kingdom coming with power, through everyday believers, through businessmen, mommies and children. You could tell that this was a foreign concept. They were eager to hear more and were hanging on every word, but based on the expressions on their face, you could also tell it was a challenging word to hear. The time came to demonstrate the word and to release the Kingdom. We released the pastors to pray for one another and they froze. You could tell they were thinking, “but this stuff can only be done by the missionaries” type stuff. It took a minute, but eventually we had them praying for each other, releasing the Kingdom on one another. Miracles began popping in the room and several folks came up testifying of what God had done in their bodies.
One Pastor there caught my eye and the Lord gave me a prophetic word for him. It was about him being like David in the Bible and having the heart of a worshipper and a warrior. I told him that his church carried the same heart, that in the presence of God in worship they were changed in giant slayers! Turns out this unassuming man pastured a church of 5,000 people in the heart of Port-Au-Prince!
Preaching on the Streets of Port-au-Prince
After the seminar that afternoon we were able to spend a couple of hours walking the street praying for the sick and prophesying over many people. Pastor Paul introduced us to several people that had been cursed by Voodoo priests and as a result had severe, crippling illnesses and diseases affecting them. It’s hard for a rational western mind to wrap their minds around what the locals deal with on a near daily basis. When the Voodoo priest asks you to do something, you either do it or they may curse you. When the Voodoo priests curse you, if you are not a Christian, they can kill you with their magic or cause great physical suffering with unexplainable diseases, skin rashes and paralysis.
Washing the feet of a man lame for 12 years
One of the guys we met was lame for the last 12 years as the result of a Voodoo curse. One young lady had a Voodoo priest ask her to sleep with him. When she refused he cursed her. The next day she developed an unexplainable, burning rash on her skin. When she went to the doctor they tested her blood and ran cultures, etc. The verdict? They found nothing wrong with her! Yet she can barely walk due to the illness. We prayed that the work of the enemy in their life would be destroyed and moved on.
After the street ministry, we then headed right out to a local church, where we preached, prayed and released the Kingdom once again.
A good start, but just the beginning.
Ministering @ Pastor Paul's Sunday Service
SUNDAY SERVICES
The next day was Sunday and we would be ministering at one of Pastor Paul’s 5 church services. Since the quake, the church has exploded. They lost their main meeting facility in the quake and have had to divide the church into 5 different cell groups to accommodate the crowds. They are eager to meet together all in one place. Pray for them that funding would come in supernaturally to allow the construction to be completed on their main sanctuary and classrooms. We would participate in their first service.
What grabbed us all that day was the worship! Pastor Paul’s church knew how to bring Heaven down in the worship! The presence and power of God was awesome. I can honestly say that their worship was some of the best I’ve ever experienced. Here, many of these folks have lost everything, family, friends, houses, but worshipped God out of their total lack. Here we were meeting in a rented home, without a grand cathedral to worship in, but the Presence of the Holy Spirit more than made up for the lack of beautiful facilities. This church is far richer than many in the States because their currency is the presence of God and not paper money.
We preached a simple message and shared a couple of testimonies of the Kingdom coming with power that day. The people responded hungrily to the message. We released the power of God and had everyone praying for each other. Miracles were happening all over the room. Injuries were healed, pains were relieved and many testified to their healing. It was HOT!
9 Story Building Reduced to Rubble
Later that afternoon Pastor Paul loaded us up in the van and took us straight into the city of Port-au-Prince to preach at Pastor Daniel’s afternoon service. This was the Pastor who I had prophesied over the day before. It must have made an impression, he asked us to take the meeting! The devastation in Port-au-Prince was overwhelming. It looked like a warzone. I told several folks that it looked like an apocalyptic movie set. Rubble and destroyed buildings were everywhere. Almost 6 months after the earthquake and most of the city still was in ruins. The international aid that the US and many other countries sent was hijacked by corrupt politicians. We personally witnessed many lots full of heavy equipment, new, clean and totally unused. They should have been busy digging the city out of ruins, but they sit in lots, waiting to be sod on the black market. The UN has a heavy presence in the country but what do they spend their time doing? Were they rebuilding the country? No, they go to the beach! It’s a big joke among the locals.
The church is in the very center of Port-au-Prince. What’s amazing is that this was the epicenter of destruction in the town and yet out of a church of 5,000 people, Pastor Daniel only lost 3 members of his church! What a miracle. There was a 9 story building that bordered the church’s property that completely collapsed, leaving nothing but a huge pile of rubble and perhaps hundreds of dead people inside. The smell was horrific. I had a message for them on David and Goliath, how David was an unqualified shepherd boy that had more courage than the “professional” soldiers. I told them it was time for an army of unqualified David’s rise to the occasion and face the giants of their land, Voodoo, sickness, disease and poverty. We began to release the power of the Gospel in the meeting and told the people to start praying for each other. When we said this, they all looked to Pastor Daniel for permission. He jumped in there and told his folks to jump in and do it which was a huge step of faith on his part, this was all new to them.
Wild Worship!
The power of God hit the house! Miracles and healings started happening all over the place. David Hacker came up to me and asked if we could start worshiping. I asked Pastor Daniel (AKA – Heart of David guy) and he readily agreed! We had one of the most fun worship times we’ve ever had, rejoicing in all that God was doing, praying for people and dancing until we sweat through all our clothes. The next day the phone rang off the hook telling of all the miracles that God did that night, but most encouraging was the body of Christ COMING ALIVE!
TOTAL BLOWOUT.
To be continued…
Elijah Preaching @ The Pastor's SeminarPASTORS SEMINAR
Our first day was to be spent doing a pastor’s seminar to over 200 pastors that had come from all over the island. Some traveled 2-3 days to come 300 miles and many had been traveling all day to arrive in time for the seminar to begin. We all crowded into a very nice, but VERY hot and humid home we had to rent for the seminar. The hunger for God was palpable. We were able to share some testimonies of miracles we have seen recently but more importantly how they as pastors and leaders could walk in the power of the Gospel and equip their people to do the same!
We shared the basic message of the Gospel of the Kingdom. That God’s Kingdom was available, it was at hand and it was on the earth! We also shared the commission from the Lord to pray that “His Kingdom come, His will be done, on EARTH as it is in Heaven!” What is sad is that many of these men and women pastor large congregations, they have served the Lord faithfully for many years, but they had never heard the Gospel of the Kingdom! It’s amazing to me that the church has missed the most central message in the Gospel, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!”
We called them to change the way they think. We told story after story of the Kingdom coming with power, through everyday believers, through businessmen, mommies and children. You could tell that this was a foreign concept. They were eager to hear more and were hanging on every word, but based on the expressions on their face, you could also tell it was a challenging word to hear. The time came to demonstrate the word and to release the Kingdom. We released the pastors to pray for one another and they froze. You could tell they were thinking, “but this stuff can only be done by the missionaries” type stuff. It took a minute, but eventually we had them praying for each other, releasing the Kingdom on one another. Miracles began popping in the room and several folks came up testifying of what God had done in their bodies.
One Pastor there caught my eye and the Lord gave me a prophetic word for him. It was about him being like David in the Bible and having the heart of a worshipper and a warrior. I told him that his church carried the same heart, that in the presence of God in worship they were changed in giant slayers! Turns out this unassuming man pastured a church of 5,000 people in the heart of Port-Au-Prince!
Preaching on the Streets of Port-au-PrinceAfter the seminar that afternoon we were able to spend a couple of hours walking the street praying for the sick and prophesying over many people. Pastor Paul introduced us to several people that had been cursed by Voodoo priests and as a result had severe, crippling illnesses and diseases affecting them. It’s hard for a rational western mind to wrap their minds around what the locals deal with on a near daily basis. When the Voodoo priest asks you to do something, you either do it or they may curse you. When the Voodoo priests curse you, if you are not a Christian, they can kill you with their magic or cause great physical suffering with unexplainable diseases, skin rashes and paralysis.
Washing the feet of a man lame for 12 yearsOne of the guys we met was lame for the last 12 years as the result of a Voodoo curse. One young lady had a Voodoo priest ask her to sleep with him. When she refused he cursed her. The next day she developed an unexplainable, burning rash on her skin. When she went to the doctor they tested her blood and ran cultures, etc. The verdict? They found nothing wrong with her! Yet she can barely walk due to the illness. We prayed that the work of the enemy in their life would be destroyed and moved on.
After the street ministry, we then headed right out to a local church, where we preached, prayed and released the Kingdom once again.
A good start, but just the beginning.
Ministering @ Pastor Paul's Sunday ServiceSUNDAY SERVICES
The next day was Sunday and we would be ministering at one of Pastor Paul’s 5 church services. Since the quake, the church has exploded. They lost their main meeting facility in the quake and have had to divide the church into 5 different cell groups to accommodate the crowds. They are eager to meet together all in one place. Pray for them that funding would come in supernaturally to allow the construction to be completed on their main sanctuary and classrooms. We would participate in their first service.
What grabbed us all that day was the worship! Pastor Paul’s church knew how to bring Heaven down in the worship! The presence and power of God was awesome. I can honestly say that their worship was some of the best I’ve ever experienced. Here, many of these folks have lost everything, family, friends, houses, but worshipped God out of their total lack. Here we were meeting in a rented home, without a grand cathedral to worship in, but the Presence of the Holy Spirit more than made up for the lack of beautiful facilities. This church is far richer than many in the States because their currency is the presence of God and not paper money.
We preached a simple message and shared a couple of testimonies of the Kingdom coming with power that day. The people responded hungrily to the message. We released the power of God and had everyone praying for each other. Miracles were happening all over the room. Injuries were healed, pains were relieved and many testified to their healing. It was HOT!
9 Story Building Reduced to RubbleLater that afternoon Pastor Paul loaded us up in the van and took us straight into the city of Port-au-Prince to preach at Pastor Daniel’s afternoon service. This was the Pastor who I had prophesied over the day before. It must have made an impression, he asked us to take the meeting! The devastation in Port-au-Prince was overwhelming. It looked like a warzone. I told several folks that it looked like an apocalyptic movie set. Rubble and destroyed buildings were everywhere. Almost 6 months after the earthquake and most of the city still was in ruins. The international aid that the US and many other countries sent was hijacked by corrupt politicians. We personally witnessed many lots full of heavy equipment, new, clean and totally unused. They should have been busy digging the city out of ruins, but they sit in lots, waiting to be sod on the black market. The UN has a heavy presence in the country but what do they spend their time doing? Were they rebuilding the country? No, they go to the beach! It’s a big joke among the locals.
The church is in the very center of Port-au-Prince. What’s amazing is that this was the epicenter of destruction in the town and yet out of a church of 5,000 people, Pastor Daniel only lost 3 members of his church! What a miracle. There was a 9 story building that bordered the church’s property that completely collapsed, leaving nothing but a huge pile of rubble and perhaps hundreds of dead people inside. The smell was horrific. I had a message for them on David and Goliath, how David was an unqualified shepherd boy that had more courage than the “professional” soldiers. I told them it was time for an army of unqualified David’s rise to the occasion and face the giants of their land, Voodoo, sickness, disease and poverty. We began to release the power of the Gospel in the meeting and told the people to start praying for each other. When we said this, they all looked to Pastor Daniel for permission. He jumped in there and told his folks to jump in and do it which was a huge step of faith on his part, this was all new to them.
Wild Worship!The power of God hit the house! Miracles and healings started happening all over the place. David Hacker came up to me and asked if we could start worshiping. I asked Pastor Daniel (AKA – Heart of David guy) and he readily agreed! We had one of the most fun worship times we’ve ever had, rejoicing in all that God was doing, praying for people and dancing until we sweat through all our clothes. The next day the phone rang off the hook telling of all the miracles that God did that night, but most encouraging was the body of Christ COMING ALIVE!
TOTAL BLOWOUT.
To be continued…
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