Divine Encounter

This past Tuesday Steve H, Justin and I went treasure hunting. We started at the mall and were just hanging around a bit at the entrance, waiting to see if the Lord pointed anyone out to us. During our brief conversation, we discussed how it might be easier to approach people who had obvious issues: sporting a broken arm or a crutch, for instance. Well, as soon as we started walking I spotted a guy with his arm in a sling. It's funny what the Lord will give you when you ask him... :) So we awkwardly interrupted the guy and his friends, got the story of what had happened (some sort of nasty infection that needed to be drained...) and asked if we could pray for him. He was very open and it was really cool to minister healing, encouragement and blessing to him. We walked for a bit longer and were also able to encourage/bless a man and his two kids.

Later on we ended up at Target. We walked around for awhile and were ready to call it a night when we walked by an aisle where a woman in a wheelchair and her husband were shopping. We did the classic creepy hesitation before continuing on past the aisle. After a brief discussion we knew we had to go back, so Justin boldly started up a conversation about baseball (the husband, Dirk, was wearing a Red Sox jacket) and Steve and I awkwardly hung about until Justin got to asking the woman, Tami, why she was in a wheelchair. She told us she had had Lyme disease for about 12 years and the symptoms had forced her into the wheelchair. Once she said this we knew it was a God-encounter because of Maggie getting healed of Lyme disease at our church last year. Tami was amazed at the testimony and it turned out that she was a believer too, and both she and Dirk were very strong in their faith. Ultimately we had a great conversation talking about the goodness of God and we were able to really encourage them. We also got to pray with them and it definitely ministered to everyone present.

It was so cool to see what happened when we really stepped out (wheelchairs can be intimidating for some reason...) and how God can use us to bless others in the most seemingly awkward situations. It was just further proof that stepping out to find out what God has in store is totally worth the risk of looking and sounding like crazy people. Our encounter with Tami and Dirk was an amazing divine-appointment, a total set-up for them to experience the Lord's incredible love and to bless us with being able to demonstrate it.

That's what treasure hunting and outreach is all about, anyways. The symptoms may not have left Tami when we prayed, but I'm not going to underestimate what God did and is continuing to do in that situation, just because I may not be able to see it all right out on the surface. The Lord is exceedingly good and I am now even more encouraged to step out in potentially 'awkward' circumstances : )


Kalin

Treasure Hunt - Testimony 2

Last Tuesday night a group of about ten people from Harvest went out Treasure Hunting (for explanation of Treasure Hunting, see blog titled "Treasure Hunt - Testimony 1).  For one of the women, it was her first time out and she had really struggled about going.  As she was walking out of Walmart she saw a woman in a motorized cart.   She felt to pray for her.  She and two others followed her to her car and asked if they could pray for her.  The woman was very excited because just that week she was considering suicide and had asked God to show her a sign that He cared.  They were able to listen to her hurt and pain, pray with her and challenge her to keep praying that God would show Himself to her.

So my question is, "What would have happened if she had not gone on the Treasure Hunt?"  Interestingly, more and more I believe that God just needs a willing body to carry forth His purposes.

Freda

Treasure Hunt - Testimony 1

My husband was preparing to go out Treasure Hunting with a few others from church.  (Treasure Hunting is where we ask the Lord, before we go out, to give us clues to who He desires for us to minister to.  Sometimes we will feel led to go to a certain store or maybe what a person is wearing or looks like.  The ultimate goal is to love up on people, pray for healing, needs or concerns and lead them into an encounter with a living, breathing God! )  Anyway, back this testimony.   After a quick dinner, we asked our children if they would ask for God for clues to who the team should minister to that night.  Almost immediately, our daughter says, "Can I say something?  Go to Walmart.  When you walk in, go around the corner and there will be a person sitting there that is sad."
Later that night, the team went to Walmart ( because of what she said).  My husband picked the middle entrance, went in, went around the corner to the right and into the Pharmacy.  Right there on a bench, waiting for a prescription, was a women and she was obviously sad.  Knowing that this was what our daughter had saw, my husband had the pleasure of sharing with this woman that God saw her and wanted to comfort and heal her.   The woman was greatly encouraged and thankful.  Yes!
One more thing, as I was putting our daughter to bed, she asked me, "Did Daddy find that woman?"  I was amazed because he had just text me from Walmart to say he found this women who was sad, but our daughter had originally never said it was a woman!
This and many more experiences like this, have led me to know, the Holy Spirit is heard by our children and many times clearer than what we hear!
Freda Thomas