The Father's love

This morning I was supposed to do a radio broadcast at 5:00am but due to the heavy rain last night, there was a power cut which meant that it was cancelled at 4:00am this morning! I was looking forward to it but it was very early. Instead I could sleep until 7:00, have my mangoes with the rest of the team and meet at Bo's Coffee. We then made our way to the County Jail where we were allowed to minister to a large group of men and women. 

Already during the time of worship, the presence of God was very strong and the people were very receptive and enthusiastic about Andreas' powerful testimony and message on the parable of the prodigal son. It was Andreas' first "sermon" and it was excellent. The people were deeply moved by the message of the Father's love and as we responded in prayer, waiting on a fresh baptism of the Father's love. The presence of God was tangible and many were visibly moved by the Father's embrace.

After our visit to the jail, Berwyn and a small team from KLB drove with us to a more remote area that we have visited in previous trips. After a quick lunch in Cabadbaran, Berwyn's home town, we made our way to a church in a remote village. The church is filled with predominantly very young children who sing and worship with all their heart. The presence of God is always wonderful there and it is a joy to visit pastor Elvie and his church. After a time of worship, Frances shared a powerful message on Moses and his dependency on the presence of God. In response we invited everyone to be prayed for and almost all the children and members of the church came forward. As we ministered to these precious people, many were deeply moved by God's love, even the very little ones cried before God. I was amazed to watch the Holy Spirit minister to those we prayed for - they could not understand what we were praying but they were visibly receiving God's love. Hallelujah!

After the church meeting we made our way back to Butuan and had a light supper before heading out to minister to the street children as we did on our first night here. It breaks my heart to see these children ranging from the ages of maybe 3 - 18 participate in my silly games and see them have such fun and joy. It is such a privilege to have the opportunity to speak into their lives and to simply love them as they are. 

I am so proud of our team. We are being stretched and taken out of our comfort zone but we are seeing God faithfully work through us for His glory. Remember: No risk, no glory! Hallelujah!     

"Then Moses said to him, 'If your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.'" Exodus 33:15