A bit of our history
A Bit of History…
It’s been a long and interesting journey since we moved here on April 2, 2008.
It’s not unlike a trip on a crazy, winding river… sometimes it’s been like the white water rapids… and sometimes, it’s just those tranquil times floating between the rushes of activity and ministry.
After all these years of living here, I was told by a friend that it was time that I sent out a short (was that a hint?) monthly newsletter to let everyone know what God is up to down here.
So here goes!
The Beginning…
When the Lord led us here, after many confirmations and miracles, we purchased a home just a few blocks from the only bi-lingual church in our mountain town of about 15,000 people.
The pastor had been a missionary his whole life and was the Director of Operation Mobilization of Panama. And because of his connections with the world of missions, we had team after team of missionaries come through our home as they came to work with our children’s mission and food kitchen. (We prepared 25,000 meals for children in that time!)
It became apparent that we would be a hospitality house, as we created a gazillion meals and classes in our home. We built a big back porch and a guest house to help house and welcome missionaries from all over the world.
My heart has always been wrapped in intercession, so I opened a 24 Hour Prayer Room on the main street of our town for several years. In the first week, we had seven churches come together (a miracle!) and worship and pray for twenty-four hours each, concluding with worship in the street in front of the prayer room. There must have been thousands of hours logged into our logbook over the time that we were open.
When Tony died unexpectedly, my life changed completely. In that time of transition, I wrote Finding Your Kingdom Identity as a Widow; Discovering the Heavenly Bride Within. I felt like Anna in the temple, and I wasn’t sure I would ever stop that intimate role of living in God’s presence, day in and day out.
But after two years of solitude, the Lord sent Soraya and her dying husband to live with me. After three bungled surgeries, her husband had been in the ICU of one of our public hospitals for eight months. Once they came here, he lived for three and a half months, and in that time, he prepared for heaven, and Soraya and I became friends… even though she spoke no English.
She is now living with me permanently and has become a wonderful blessing from God. (and my Spanish has grown!)
In the past few years, we’ve added others to our family, and we continue to grow. They have all found Christ and have hearts to bring others to Christ. They continually bring the lost home to find the love of Jesus.
From Home to Mission House…
When I walked into my house one day, I found all the living room furniture on the back porch, the living room filled with guitars, and long tables all laid out for a lavish Mother’s Day Dinner. That’s when I realized this was no longer my home.
It had been decided that there were mothers who lived around us who were very poor, lived on dirt floors, and could never come to a dinner like this in honor of all their hard work. Everyone pitched in with whatever money they had and created this incredible night of food and entertainment.
That day, my personal home became a Mission House that is wholly dedicated to the Lord and what He wants to do.
Since then, we have had activities going on continually. Counseling for the lost or confused, prayer for those who need it, and celebrations whenever we can come up with an excuse to have one!
Everyone who walks into this house for the first time exclaims that they have never felt such peace and a heavenly presence before. And that’s because we laugh and are joyous and celebrate the goodness of God!
We never turn people down and are often called upon to provide medicines or food for people. We are surrounded by people who need a touch from Jesus and know that they are loved.
People are so hungry for love and to know that people care about them. And they want to know this amazingly wonderful God of ours!
And that has become our mission.
To show the world that God loves them and He is a gloriously wonderful God!
P.S. Our Continuing Story…
People are hearing about us and are asking us to come into their homes and tell them how much Jesus loves them and how they can have a genuine, loving relationship with Him.
I stand amazed at how many have gone to church and know all about God, but have no idea how to know Him personally and have a loving relationship with Him!
It reminds me of my own life: when a friend I had gone to church with all my life asked me if I had ever asked Jesus into my heart and for Holy Spirit to fill me to overflowing with His presence. I’d gone to church all my life and knew all about God…but I never asked Him in to change me and bring me into His presence. No one had ever told me that!
Holy Spirit has come to live within us, but so many people haven’t really connected with that concept.
When Jesus came to live on the earth with us, many rejected him. And when Holy Spirit came to live in us, He was, and still is, rejected by many. When I first realized this, my heart broke, and I wept. He wept as well.
We are moving into a time where we must hear from Him. And people are hungry to know His presence and His love and care for us.
Along with the growing number of Spanish and English groups in our home, our ministry outreach is growing as we are now moving out into people’s homes. Some are contacting us from hours away.. and it’s all word-of-mouth.
Our prayer is to take that Holy Spirit spark of His presence and healing to others ~ so they can become contagious and pass it on to their friends and family.
We are all on a beautiful journey with Holy Spirit! We are going where He tells us to go and having the time of our lives.
Thank you for being part of us!
