Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Vineyard Meridian Team Visit

Madolenihmw, Pohnpei
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
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Vineyard Meridian Team Visit
The following blog post is taken from one of the Vineyard Meridian team member's blog as they came to bless us here in Pohnpei for almost two weeks:



Next Stop - Micronesia


We are all called to be missionaries, ambassadors of Christ.  It might just look different for each individual.  For example, some are led to be missionaries right in their own neighborhood or community; while others are led to be missionaries across the world.  Wherever you are at, you are called to be His witness.  In Acts 1:8 Jesus says, “You WILL receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you WILL be my witness in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.”  He also said that His disciples will be fishers of men.


Well, we are excited to be missionaries and fishers of men in beautiful Pohnpei, Micronesia!!  Our faith journey didn’t just begin when we stepped onto the airplane.  God began opening miraculous doors for our team when we made the choice to accept His invitation to come to Micronesia.  Many of you played a big part in that with your support and obedience to things God placed upon your heart – everything from financial support to prayer to taking care of our kids.  We thank you and bless you!!  We arrived here safely on Wednesday, June 5, 2013, and were immediately welcomed into the Pohnpeian family by  and many others whom we look forward to getting to know more.  “Mwaramwars” were immediately placed on our heads.  Mine was unique, made of a yellow flower that carries a very strong fragrance.  We felt very blessed, honored and, quite frankly, like oloiso – which means “royalty” in Pohnpeian!
 

Before our hour long drive to our new home, we made our first stop at the local hospital and prayed for a man whose heart was having pain.  We believe and are declaring total healing and a new heart from the Lord for this man.  Please stand in agreement with us for healing for this man and other future healings as we simply love on our Pohnpeian family/brothers and sisters in Christ or soon-to-be and carry the presence of God with power and love!  It’s beautiful how much freedom and favor there is on this island.  We simply walked into the hospital, loved/prayed, and walked out with no questions asked.


The girls all rode in a car, while the guys rode in the flatbed of a truck.  Lots of twists and turns, but I made it to our new home without throwing up, thank you Jesus!  Yes, for those of you that don’t know, I get car sick very easily when the road is windy.  When I saw the entrance to our new home, I was overwhelmed by how beautiful it was!!  Originally we were going to be sleeping in tents on the ground and bathing in the river, with possibly an outhouse.  However, God has been showering us with favor ever since we landed on the ground.  Many youth and young adults (and a few adults) were there to welcome us.  Definitely made me think of our youth group back in the states!  Josh and I share a bedroom with a queen-sized bed, decorated with a gold-colored bedspread that seemed to glow as we walked into the room.  There is even an a/c unit in our room, but we don’t use it regularly – only to cool off the room for a few minutes prior to bedtime.  Nicole and Sandi share a room and sleep on a pad on the floor.  John sleeps in the office/library room on a pad.  They all have fans in their room to help cool them off at night.  The bathroom has a working toilet and, yes, we can flush toilet paper and brown/yellow stuff down, haha!  Unlike in Africa!  Our shower consists of a pipe that sticks out near the bottom of the ground and produces fresh rain water into a large plastic bowl.  Then we use a scooper to shower ourselves.  They placed a very large container outside near the rain gutter to catch the fresh water for our showers.  So, technically, we are showering in the rain!!  We have lines where we can hang our laundry and a fridge to keep drinks/snacks cold.  They purchased gallons of water for us to drink, but once gone, we might drink the water from the well.  We have been so well taken care of.  Our food for lunch/dinner thus far has consisted of things like rice, breaded/fried chicken, cabbage/chicken soup, fresh mango, bread fruit and sashimi (raw tuna).  Yes, I tried the sashimi and it was really good.  Maybe when we come back to the states I might actually start eating raw tuna and sushi with Josh…..maybe!  They don’t eat breakfast on the base, but they have provided us with food each morning.  Things like mini cinnamon rolls, fried bananas, donut holes, toast w/ PB, coffee/tea and milk are a few of the things they’ve made for us.  It’s all very iou – which means delicious.

For our first night we joined the youth/young adults in dance/worship as they practiced for their evangelical crusade that was going to take place the following evening – although it got rescheduled for next week due to a surgery someone is having.  It was absolutely beautiful watching them pour out their hearts and passion for the Lord through dance/music.  I felt a strong desire to get up there and dance with them and learn from them, so Nicole and I joined them on the stage in the sanctuary.  We have learned the dance in just two days (Sandi decided to join us the next day too), and we will be joining them in dance/worship as they go out and evangelize next week.  So excited!!  We dance for Jesus.  He is our audience!   We are going to claim ground for Jesus with our hands and feet and release His blessing upon the streets/land we dance on!  Like David did!!

Before arriving in Micronesia, God gave me a vision of John/Josh speaking to an audience while here.  I shared that with them, I believe while we were at one of the airports, or maybe we hadn’t even left the states yet.  Either way, it turns out they’ve been given the opportunity to share a message on Sundays during the church service.  John will be speaking this Sunday and Josh will be speaking to the youth on Saturday.  Very excited and honored that they are being given this opportunity.


There was an intense rain shower during the middle of the night on our first night here.  I wish I would have recorded the sound.  Very powerful and intense!  It rains often here but is still warm.  Josh and I woke up super early the first morning.  It was approximately 3:30-4ish.  Not really sure because we don’t keep track of time or use clocks while here.  I love not knowing what time it is and allowing the day to flow with no agenda or constraints of time.  Oh, the simple life is such a blessing!!  We turned on our cell phone to check the time in the states, but we weren’t sure which time zone it was picking up.  Either way, we were wide awake so we checked out the church to see if they were meeting for devotion time.  They ring a bell at 4am for quiet time with the Lord and then 5am for devotion time (where they all come together).  However, they decided not to ring the bell on the first morning to allow us to sleep in.  They wanted to honor us!  We woke up to a beautiful double rainbow on our first morning in Pohnpei.  How awesome is that!?!  The Lord gave me a word for the team about feasting (spiritually) at His banquet table that He has prepared for us.  Even when we feel full and overwhelmed, He is going to expand our capacity to receive more from Him!!  What a great word for our team!


Second Day Here (Thursday, June 6th):

We had an amazing time flag worshipping and dancing with some Pohnpeian girls the second day here.  Such freedom and joy was present!  Thank you to Sandi for bringing flags and teaching everyone.  We then spent time worshipping with many of our Pohnpeian friends.  We are going to sing a song as a group during this Sunday’s church service.  We spent a little time swimming, but the water was too murky to snorkel in.  I wasn’t able to go under water because of an infection or allergies in my eyes, so please cover that in prayer and declare healing.  My eyes have been a bit hazy and goopy/scratchy.  Josh and John have had fun playing volleyball with the guys here.  Later in the evening we danced/worshipped again and practiced our dance for our evangelism next week.

Third Day Here (Friday, June 7th):

Our amazing Mama, whom is taking wonderful care of us, brought us two plates of fried bananas this morning along with some home-made donut holes.  We didn’t expect to eat this well while here, but they are really blessing us and giving us their best.  We spent many hours with our Pohnpeian friends learning their language and just hanging out.  We all laughed as they taught us how to say, “You crazy”!  Yes, we are crazy for Jesus!!  We even learned and sang a new song in Pohnpeian.  It’s been exciting learning a new language and getting to know these kids and their stories.  Building relationships is most important to us on this trip.  We did some shopping for items we needed to start our service project on Monday (laying tile in the church), and then we got a phone call regarding a guy that needed some prayer.  We stopped by this guy’s house, and it turns out that he had seen us at the hospital two days ago praying for someone.  He had wanted prayer too, but we had already left.  Through certain connections, he contacted us because he wanted us to pray over him.  He was having stomach pains due to diabetes.  We prayed and declared healing over his body, the power and love of God showed up, and he was healed on the spot.  All pain left his body, praise Jesus!!  He then accepted the Lord into his heart as his personal Lord and Savior!!!  A new brother has been welcomed into the family of Christ!  We also found out that the guy we prayed for in the hospital was released the next day and is doing well!  We will see him again on Sunday at church.


 



We stopped by some friends’ home (Ben/Cindy) and they fed us some delicious banana dessert with a coconut sauce before we headed off to minister at the prison.  When we got to the prison, we handed out popcorn and Kool-Aid.  After opening up with song/prayer, Josh shared a message about freedom and how they can still be free in their heart even when they are trapped/not physically free behind prison bars.  It was awesome!  John received words of knowledge and many were prayed over.  The prison ministry team visits them every Friday and simply loves on them and shares the message of forgiveness, mercy and love with the inmates.  It’s been a powerful time here, and we’ve only been here 2 ½ days so far.  We went to this amazing restaurant called Sei, where we had all you can eat food (similar to Japanese).  Things like vegetables, fried crispy tuna (which was oh so yummy), sashimi, rice, etc.  Tomorrow the youth will be gathering and Josh (and the rest of the team) will be sharing whatever Holy Spirit puts on our hearts for them.  Many exciting things are coming, but right now we are living for today and leaving it all on the field!!  We have fallen in love with this place and the people here.  They are absolutely beautiful and full of Jesus!!

Thank you for your love, support and prayer covering.  Our team has been united 100%, and we are all growing and going deeper into the Father’s heart each day.  Our gaze is on Him, and we trust His plans for us.  Thanks for being with us on this journey.  May YOU experience a deeper understanding of the power and love of God in a new way today!!



 

 

Tumor Be Gone

Prior to leaving Kolonia on Saturday, June 8th, we worshipped and prayed together as a team.  The Lord gave me a picture for the team of a big red heart in the sky sitting above the ocean.  All I saw was blue sky and water above and below it.  The heart dipped into the water and came out with gold on the bottom tip.  It dripped of gold.  The Lord dipped our hearts in His river of living water, and we are going to drip His heart of gold/love onto others.  What a powerful word and promise to our team as we keep our eyes gazed on Him!
 



We met some neighbors, Welson and his family.  One of his 10-year old sons, Shermick, loves baskbetall and football.  We are going to play with him when we hang out with his family next weekend.  We presented the Jung family with gifts from our hometown - just to represent where we came from and to remember us as the team from Idaho...BSU football t-shirts!!  Go, go, go big blue!  Fight, fight, BSU!!  We went to eat lunch at The JOY restaurant.  When we entered the restaurant I was excited to see a lady I had noticed the other day at the airport while we were waiting in Guam to catch our flight to Pohnpei.  She recognized me as well, and we both smiled at each other and waved.  When I saw her at the airport she was in a wheelchair, and I had asked the Lord to give me an opportunity to pray for her for healing.  We kept making eye contact with each other at the airport, but nothing happened while we were there because we boarded the plane and parted ways.  So, as you can see, my heart was overwhelmed to see her again, and I knew that this was a beautiful gift and opportunity the Lord was blessing me with to see her again and pray for her.  God is amazing - definitely a divine appointment!  As Sandi and I were getting ready to walk over to her and say hi, we stood up to find her coming our way.  Her name is Marleen, and she had a 9-month old daughter, Shenelle, with her.  It turns out that she is a believer in Jesus and also speaks some English.  I got to hold her precious daughter.  Someone asked where her wheelchair was from the airport, and she said she was sitting in it because of pain in her head but she didn't have it right then.  She went to the doctor and was told she has a brain tumor.  We asked if we could pray for her and she said yes.  We waited until after lunch and then asked her husband if it was okay to pray for her.  He said yes.  Josh, Sandi and I stood outside the restaurant and commanded the tumor to go!  We believe for total healing and told her that God loves her and wants to heal her.  We declared that at her next check-up at the doctor's they will not be able to find any signs of a tumor!!  Please stand in agreement with us and declare healing upon this sweet lady's body.  We believe the work is complete and her body is already healed, thank you Jesus!!
Youth Night & Demons Gone
 
After lunch on Saturday we went to Kepirohi Falls, which was about 1 1/2 hours from where we were staying.  The trail we walked down was absolutely beautiful!  We met Welson's family there.  John and Josh climbed to the top of the waterfall and prayed over the land/falls and commanded all evil spirits to flee.  It was a great time!  While there the Lord gave me a picture/word for Josh tonight for our youth gathering.  I saw a blue sky with 2 birds flying.  The word for Josh was to let the Holy Spirit move freely, like a bird, and to hold nothing back.  Part of what Josh shared from was in 1 Timothy 6:11-13, and he talked about community living, relationships and building each other up.  He had the guys build a human pyramid which was lots of fun.  This was to demonstrate that sometimes we are at the bottom and  others are at the top, but we need each other to make a strong family - to encourage and lift each other up.  Josh asked if anyone had pain or was tired.  Many stood up.  He asked those that were still sitting to pray for those standing.  I was led across the room to a girl who said she had lower back pain.  I laid hands on her back and declared healing and strength to the bones and muscles.  She said she could still feel pain so I continued to pray and asked the Lord to remove burdens she is carrying and to pour out His light yolk and peace upon her.  After that she said her back was good, healed - praise Jesus!  Josh then asked if anyone had pain/hurt in their heart, and if so, to come to the front and we can pray for them.  A few stood up and then more.  The same girl I prayed for earlier came to the front again for prayer.  I, again, felt led to pray for her.  I asked if she wanted to share what was causing pain/hurt in her heart, but she remained silent.  I asked the Holy Spirit to reveal things to me and to give me words to pray over her.  He led me to wrap my arms around her and simply embrace her with the Father's love.  She began to weep so I comforted her and told her things were going to be okay and released God's love on her.  She bent over and began to weep, wail and cough uncontrollably.  I prayed against any tormenting spirits and asked for the Lord's peace to come upon her.  A spirit of oppression was fleeing from her body as she was coughing it out.  Her coughing slowed and she stood up.  I told her that God loves her and she is valuable.  She began leaning back and losing balance of her body so I laid her down on the ground.  She was weeping and shaking.  We were able to cast out tormenting demons from her body and replace them with a spirit of love and peace from Heavenly Father.  She was freed by the power and love of God, hallelujah!!







In Matthew 10:3 Jesus commands His disciples to heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy and cast out demons.  Give as freely as you have received!  How incredible it is to walk out His word in faith and see His power and love show up in people's lives that are hungry for Him!!


 
Father's Heart

We will never be able to fully understand just how wide, long, high and deep God’s love is, but as we remain humble and keep our eyes and heart focused on Him He will always take us deeper into the core of His heart.  Never think that you don’t have enough love to give someone, because if you allow the love of Jesus to be your source, it is limitless!!  For those challenging people in your life or those challenging situations, ask the Father to pour His love into you so that you can give it away to all people and situations you encounter.  Keep your focus on Him and protect your relationship with Him so that you don’t limit the love He wants to release in you and through you.  Guard your heart with Him!!

John had the opportunity to share a message at Sunday’s church service.  He read from Ephesians3:14-21, and I’d like to share those verses because they are all about the Father’s heart and being filled with life, love and power.


                “When I think of the wisdom and scope of God’s plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.  I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit.  And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him.  May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love.  And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is.  May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it.  Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.  Now glory be to God!  By His mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we could ever dare to ask or hope.  May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages.  Amen.”

God’s love is total/complete.  It reaches every corner of our experience.  It is wide – it covers the breadth of our own experience, and it reaches out to the whole world.  God’s love is long – it continues the length of our lives.  It is high – it rises to the heights of our celebration and elation.  His love is deep – it reaches to the depths of discouragement, despair, and even death.  When you feel shut out or isolated, remember that you can never be lost to God’s love.  The fullness of God’s love is fully expressed only in Christ.  The fullness of God is available to us, but we must appropriate that fullness through faith and through prayer as we daily live for Him.

We had the opportunity to impart our Heavenly Father’s love to those who desired it.  My dear friend, Anelynn, came up to me for prayer. Immediately I embraced her and the Lord brought to mind a picture He gave to me the other day of a girl wearing a white dress – like a wedding gown – and she was dancing for/with Jesus.  I shared this picture with her and then began dancing with her and spinning her as Jesus did.  I spoke into her identity and broke off lies of the enemy.  I’ve shared with her before that she has a voice that needs to be heard and that God values her and thinks she’s beautiful.  She encountered a deeper level of the Father’s love in that moment.  After the service she came to sit by me and we chatted for a long time.  She shared how Nicole prayed for her yesterday at the youth service.  Her side was swollen and in pain, but when Nicole prayed the pain left and the swelling is gone now.  She has been healed, praise Jesus!!  She told me how her mother died at age 40 from a tumor.  She said when she first saw me I reminded her of her mother.  I was very honored and humbled.  Anelynn has such a sweet and humble spirit about her.  Her love for Jesus shines through her giddiness and joy for the Lord! J  When we first met her I shared with her how we share part of the same name, Lyn or Lynn (my middle name is Lyn), and right away that created a special bond between us.  She is a dear friend and sister, and when we leave I will miss her and her smile that lights up the room.  Every time I see her, I can’t help but smile!!  God speaks to Anelynn through pictures – something else we have in common.  She shared with me a picture she received for us the night before at the youth service.  She saw a waterfall over us that didn’t fall straight down but arched/split out around us and then flowed straight down and out into the ocean.  The Lord told her that the picture represents the Holy Spirit coming down upon us and flowing out of us.  All for His glory!!  I began to encourage Anelynn and said that God has given her a gift and that she will bless and encourage many people through it.  She told me how she likes to share with others what God gives her, and that just confirmed my earlier words of her having a voice that needs to be heard!  She can be quiet sometimes, but God is going to move boldly through her and her voice will be heard across the nations.

Our team, along with our friends living on the base, sang a song at church together called, “You Won’t Relent”.  It was an honor and joy to join together with them in song and praise to our God.  Some of the words are, “Come be the fire inside of me.  Come be the flame upon my heart.”  Very powerful words to me!  We want the fire of the Lord to blaze within us continually so we can release it wherever we go!  Let your wind blow, Lord.  Let your fire fall!!  Start a fire in Pohpnei, Micronesia!!



 





Miracles


We have witnessed so many miracles and seen God’s power and love move in many supernatural ways.  A personal miracle that our team has experienced is the multiplication of $$.  We have kept track of our spending, and on Sunday Josh went to go get some money to give to someone for the purchase of more food.  It turns out that we have a few hundred dollars more than we should, praise God!  He has multiplied and stretched our money so that we can bless others and be free to pour out finances upon them as we feel led.  What’s really cool is that Josh was asked to pray over the offering, and one of the things he prayed for was multiplication of the offering.  Little did we know that God was going to multiply our team's own finances as well...  He is so good and faithful!  When we began this journey, most of the team didn’t even have money to purchase plane tickets, and yet God provided.  When we left the states, we had a little money left over to bless people but not much.  It has always been on our heart to bless the people here, and so we have been walking in faith and releasing the resources God has given us onto those in need.  In turn, He has multiplied the financial resources He has given us because of our obedience and trust in Him.

For those that may be struggling with finances, trust that He will provide.  Give when He tells you to give, even if the numbers don’t add up in your head or you think you will lack because of it.  Pour His resources into His Kingdom, and watch as He does a mighty work through you for your obedience.  Many think that they have to go get better jobs or work multiple jobs to be okay financially.  Most of the time we take these steps because of a lack of trust in the Lord, or we aren’t willing to let go of things that we just don’t need.  Now, this doesn’t mean we should just quit our jobs and expect God to take care of us, but as you follow His lead in your life He will ALWAYS take care of you and guide your next steps.  In this past year the Lord has shown me and Josh how to be fully dependent on Him instead of trusting in our own capabilities and work.  This revelation has allowed God to move freely in our lives however He pleases.  Are there times where it can be uncomfortable or stretching, yes, but we fully trust Him in our lives and daily yield our lives to Him.  Walk out your faith and ask God to silence all other voices, even your own, so that you can hear Him more clearly and seek His wisdom and direction for your life.

Another miracle that I am praying for is the healing of Josiah’s eyes.  He is scheduled for eye surgery on both eyes on June 27th, but we believe for complete healing on his eyes.  On Monday, June 10th (yesterday for us), I interceded for healing on Josiah’s behalf while Josh prayed.  I felt led to cover my eyes with both hands.  For those of you that haven’t read past blogs, I’ve been having problems with my eyes since the first morning we’ve been here.  Yesterday I felt like the Lord was reminding me to pray for Josiah’s eyes because of the problems I’ve been having with my eyes – a word of knowledge so-to-speak.  The moment Josh and I prayed, my eyes have been great!  We didn’t even pray for my eyes – just Josiah’s.  We believe and are standing in agreement that the Lord is healing Josiah’s eyes and that the healing will come to full completion so he won’t need surgery.  Thank you for standing in agreement with us.  May God be glorified for this miracle that is happening in little Josiah!!

May you experience the love and power of God’s supernatural touch in your life today!  Remember to live one day at a time and don’t worry about tomorrow.  Give your all to Him TODAY!!

Blessing the Ground

On Monday, June 10th we began the foundational work in the church – laying tile.  Before we began the Lord spoke to both me and Sandi about writing verses on the ground to bless it and all those who enter.   In our spirits we wanted to release God’s promises, favor and blessings to all those that will enter.  God led me to write the scripture references and then the word He gave me as it relates to each.  Here are a few He placed on my heart:
  • Isaiah 49:9 – Prisoners of darkness, come out& receive your freedom!  The Lord led me to write the word “FREEDOM” in all caps at both entrances of the church.
  • John 15:3-5 – You are His branches that will reach the nations.  Stay connected to Him!
  • Hebrews 11:2 – God’s approval/favor is upon you because of your faith.
  • Philippians 2:2 – You make Jesus happy by loving each other and working together with one purpose.  Stay united in His spirit.


 

 
 

 

We laid tile from about 10:30-5pm.  Later that evening we went to visit the girls’ dorm because we had never seen it before.  Three girls share one room, two in another, and then 2 others created their own sleeping quarters outside.  Their ways of living are so simple.  They sleep on thin mattresses and use a small table as their “dresser”.  They pick up their mattresses each morning and lay them against the side wall.  As we walked around, we noticed them raking the pathways of dirt to clear away any branches or garbage that may have blown in its path.  It is amazing how much pride and respect they have and show for the things God has blessed them with, even though it seems like little to most.  They are good stewards of what the Lord has given them, and they have such grateful hearts.

Our Pohnpeian family has truly given us their best, in everything that they do.  If they are sitting in a chair and see you standing, they will insist on giving up their chair so you can sit down.  They insist on serving you and treating you like royalty – something we as a team have had to humble ourselves for to receive.  They prepared their best foods for us, lots of chicken, which they don’t usually eat much of.  They honored us by not ringing the “wake up” bell in the mornings at 4am so we could get good rest.  In everything they did, they thought of us first and it was no big deal to them.  They were truly honored and grateful to be able to bless us.  It comes so naturally to them that I don’t think they even realize just how much they truly showered us with God’s best.  When I think of my Pohnpeian family, this is the verse that comes to my mind often: John 15:13 “Greater love has no other than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”  First and foremost, they lay their lives down for the Lord!  Secondly, they lay their lives down for everyone else.  They walk out this verse and are 100% doers of His word.  If you want to know what it looks like to lay your life down for the Lord, love Him with all your heart and then love others in the same way, come visit Every Home For Christ in Pohnpei, Micronesia and they will blow your socks off!!

 
Dinner for 30 & Girls' Night
We had the honor and privilege of preparing a dinner for our Pohnpeian family (30+) on Tuesday, June 11th.  The roasted dog was delicious….okay, okay, so we didn’t prepare dog, although occasionally they will eat dog here on the islands.  By God’s grace we didn’t have to experience that. We prepared macaroni noodles with spaghetti sauce, roasted/sliced potatoes and onions, bananas foster and Gatorade.  Our buddy, Marick, helped get the open fire going so we could cook in our gourmet, outdoor kitchen.  We formed a buffet line and were able to serve our amazing brothers and sisters for the first time since our arrival.  We are thankful for their humble hearts and being able to receive from us as well and let us serve them for the evening.  It doesn’t even compare to how much they have blessed us, but we simply wanted to bless them in return for how well they have accepted and treated us.

The dinner must have turned out rather well, as some guys ate 3-4 plates full!  We were able to do a little clean-up before they stopped us and told us to leave it there so they could take care of it.  We are the guests in their home and they simply wanted to take care of us.  How overwhelmed our hearts have been by their small and large acts of kindness and service!  They wouldn’t even let us wash our own laundry while here.  They would spend hours washing our clothes down in the river and then would hang it out to dry on the laundry lines.

The Lord put it on my heart to have a girls’ night in our home, so last Sunday, June 10th, we gathered together and made jewelry – bracelets and necklaces, munched on popcorn and listened to music.  We had purchased some beads and string the other day at the store and thought it would be fun to “teach” them how to make jewelry.  This is how humble their hearts are…………  We had trouble tying off the jewelry and the string kept breaking.  They didn’t say anything or even complain about our lack of intelligence.  However, the next day some of the girls blessed us with bracelets that they had made on their own, beautifully tied off with very creative clasps, might I add!  All along they knew what they were doing, but they didn’t boast about it nor make us feel dumb for not knowing.  Haha, so in our attempts to teach them, they actually ended up teaching us!  These Pohpeians are gifted and talented in so many ways, and yet they appreciate who we are and don’t make us feel like we lack any.  They were very patient with us when we wanted to learn from them, and we have thoroughly enjoyed living with them and experiencing their culture.  We will relish the time we have spent with them and the wisdom, knowledge and revelation the Lord has blessed us with through our relationship with them.


Blessings All Around

If you read my previous post titled “Miracles” then you know how God continually poured into our “wallets” so that we always had enough.  Not only did He provide the funds needed to purchase materials to help complete the church floor, but He went above and beyond that so that we could freely bless our Pohnpeian family with gifts and surprises!!  We had a budget set aside for eating expenses, but shortly after being there we knew that we were going to come in way below our budget, in turn enabling us to bless Every Home for Christ with a new guitar for worship and a sewing machine so the ladies can resume making skirts after not having a machine for 2 years.  There is always enough when He is your source!  I tell you what…. these people have been blessed with the most angelic, beautiful voices of worship I have heard in a long time.  Not just one but ALL of them!!  So, even though we wanted to bless them with a guitar to worship with, they ended up blessing us in return with their gift of music and passion for worship and praise.  They were always doing that……..blessing us, honoring us, and laying down their lives for us – just like Jesus!




          On the evening of Wednesday, June 12, the team presented Every Home for Christ with their gifts and we celebrated God's goodness with a night of worship.  Our friend, Anthony, tested out the new guitar.  The presence of the Lord was so strong, and even when the power went out inside the church and it was completely dark, we continued to worship and dance and praise Him for how amazing and lovely He is!  In fact, the intensity and passion of our worship through song only grew stronger!  Here is a sample of how pure, beautiful and unadulterated our worship time was: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em6njq1haT0&feature=youtu.be.  At one point, not captured in this recording, I truly believe there were heavenly angels present because there was a distinct sound that I had never heard before.  Many were even overcome by a spirit of joy, uncontrollable laughter and giddiness for the Lord!  Psalm 146:2 talks about praising the Lord all your life; about singing praises to God as long as you live.  The ultimate purpose of our lives is to love and worship God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength – with everything we have and with everything that we are.  Worship is more than just singing songs to Him.  It is a way of living your life so that He can be glorified through you.  It is living a life that continually praises Him and declares His goodness.  It’s more than mere words or a set of religious doctrine.  It’s a lifestyle; a declaration of just how much you love something or someone, in this instance, God.  Through our trip to Micronesia, the Lord gave me a broader understanding of what it looks like to worship Him with my life.  My greatest desire when I pass from this earth is that people will know and say that I loved the Lord with all my heart, mind, soul and strength.  Nothing else compares to that!

I was so blessed to be able to Skype with my mom and kids on the morning of Thursday, June 13th (Wednesday, June 12th for them) for 45 minutes on and off.  Sometimes we’d lose our connection, but overall it went pretty smoothly.  Granted, their webcam wasn’t working right so they could only see us but not hear, and we couldn’t see nor hear them.  Josh and I had some fun doing silly dances for them and making funny faces.  In our spirits we could sense their laughter and hearts of joy, and that’s what was most important to us!  I would write short messages on a piece of paper and then scroll it across the webcam so they could read it.  Each child received a personal message so that they’d know how much mommy and daddy loved them, even thousands of miles away.  We were truly blessed by those that cared for our children while we were away.  My heart is full of gratitude for everyone’s willingness to “enlarge” their family with 4 additional kids.  We are also truly blessed to have some amazing kids that were troopers the entire time we were gone.  God really prepared and protected their hearts during our time away. 
 
On the evening of the 13th, we went on a crusade (outreach) to minister to whoever showed up.  We worshipped and danced with our Pohnpeian brothers and sisters – a dance they had been teaching us since the day we arrived.  They also performed a skit and shared a message about Jesus.  At the very beginning a 10-year old boy named Tyson had been carried over to where we were sitting.  We all noticed him at that point and knew that we needed to pray over him.  He was born blind with eyes completely shut, and he has never been able to see.  He also only walks when inside his house because he is familiar with his surroundings, but when outside he is carried.  He mentioned how “Christians” of other religions won’t pray healing over him because they don’t believe he can be healed, but we told him that God is a God that heals today.  As many of us prayed and declared healing over his eyes, he said that Jesus was with him when we came.  His eyes began to open and things started to take on new form, especially in his left eye.  He began to receive sight and was able to identify the color of someone’s shirt – white.  He could also see the lights that were streamed up above him.  Praise the Lord!  The healing process has begun and will continue until completion!!  Please join us in prayer and agreement that Tyson will receive His full sight!!  He gave His life to the Lord that night, so yes indeed, He has been given His spiritual sight and that’s the most important of all!!





We were honored and blessed, once again, by our Pohnpeian family with a delicious feast that they prepared for us on our last night there.  They roasted a pig in the ground, made some delicious marinades for sashimi and cucumbers, diced fresh fruit for a salad, and the list goes on and on.  They confirmed to us over and over and over again that we are royalty in the Lord’s family, and we are honored members at His banquet table!  They also prepared and sang a “until we see you again” song for us.  They knew it was not a good-bye because we will see them again!  We danced with them one last time – a great way to end the evening!  The following morning we took our family to Kepirohi Falls – some of whom had never been there before.  Many climbed to the top of the waterfall and enjoyed the gorgeous view below.  We even had some daredevils climb the slippery face of the waterfall, about 1/3 of the way up, and then jump.  It was a beautiful and joyful way to end our stay in Pohnpei at the Every Home for Christ base.  Until we see them again……..!

 
Mindy Mason
Vineyard Meridian Team Member
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