Snippet testimonies

The last few weeks have been an incredible time of God's goodness.  There have been more miracles than I can count.  The stories are wonderful.... here is a small selection from the past couple of weeks..
[Note: Most names have been abbreviated for anonymity.  Ate (AH-tey) and kuya (Ku-Ya) mean older sister and brother respectively.  They are terms of respect used for anyone older than yourself, not just family members.]

One of our house church leaders shared that her neighbour came to her a few nights ago, to ask her to pray for her daughter who had a high fever.  Her husband had just left to take the child to the hospital.  Ate B went to their house, and they prayed.  A short time later, Ate B heard the voice of the child's father at their house.  She thought "Oh no!  The child must have been admitted for him to be back so fast."  So she went over to see what had happened.  When she got there, she was told that when they got to the emergency room, they found that the fever was gone, and sent them back home.  Ate B was so excited that God worked through her prayers.

Ate J, one of the ladies at my house church shared this testimony..  "I have been to the [catholic] cathedral, I have been to [filipino sect] Iglasia, I have been to Mormon, yes, even Mormon.  But nothing is like this.  Here we are worshipping, and the tears are flowing"  ie the Holy Spirit is touching them.

Kuya A who lives in the park came to our building a couple of weeks ago asking for food.  One of the street ladies brought him to us.  He shared that he couldn't work because his right hand was "paralysed" so he had no money to buy food.  One of our discipleship boys, Bonnie, and I chatted to him, seeing him as a son of God - which is not how he is generally treated.  We explained to Kuya A that we could give him food, but that Jesus wanted to heal his hand so he could work again.  Kuya A could close his hand, but it was very difficult for him to open it again.  Kuya A didn't really believe us.  He was just focused on food for for that night.  Bonnie prayed for him twice, and his hand was a little bit better.  Then we gave him food.  Two days later, Kuya A came back.  His hand was healed.  But I think the healing was deeper than just his hand. :)

Ate M came for the first time to our adults retreat last Tuesday.  At the end of the adults retreat 25 people were baptised.  Half way through the baptisms, she comes up to me and says "It is my first time today.  I want to be a christian.  I want to be baptised."  Wow.  I didn't really know what to do.  We have baptisms every couple of months, so I suggested she get baptised next time, when she has a towel and clothes and really understands a bit more.  The next day at street church I talked to Ate M.  This is her testimony:  "I have never felt the love of God like that.  I used to have a lot of anger inside me, but now, the anger is gone from inside me."

Ate S shared at house church..  "Before, I was so greedy.  I used to keep things all to myself.  But now, I will always share the blessings with others."

Kuya M tearfully shared "I have been going to the Cathedral for many years. But I know that Jesus is here in this place.  I have never felt him like this."

Last Sunday, Ate L came to one of our house churches.  We see her often and for years she has almost been avoiding us.  She applied for school sponsorship for her son, and we accepted him, because its beautiful and powerful to show love to those who are resisting Him.  We were discussing a passage about not just listening to the words of the Bible, but putting them into action (James 1:19-25).  She shared that she had stayed away, because she had seen people become Christians, who did not live what they said they did.  But she said she had been watching...  and she could see that the people were really learning and changing.  This is a huge breakthrough.

F is a ~20-year-old blind beggar boy.  He has been coming to street church, and decided to be baptised.  He shuffled up and shared that he wanted to be baptised because he wanted to be a christian.  He borrowed someone else's shorts to wear, and was baptised..  and totally transformed.  He was SO excited!  He straightened up and the next day at street church he danced and danced for Jesus.  Everyone else followed his example and we had a wonderful morning praising Jesus.