Outreach has begun!
Last night was CRAZY!
Last night Amy, Rachel, and I took the new World Race team out to Bangla Road to introduce them to bar ministry and just show them the ropes. But before I tell you what happened last night I need to rewind a bit.
Since the worship night that we lead on Bangla Road and we saw God move and turn the power off a whole half of Soi Sea Dragon, we have been praying big prayers of faith. We've been asking God to turn the power off on whole streets and asking Him to make the foundations of these streets crack, for the bars to crumble and the walls to crack and for the different streets to be destroyed and in ruin. We've been praying for rain and bad weather to drive out customers. We've been praying for bankruptcy and financial ruin on the bars. We've been praying for less and less tourists to come. We've been praying for favor upon the teams that go there and for us to be in the right place at the right time. And we've been praying for signs and wonders to happen to sober people up and turn their eyes to God. Well God answered!
One of our last nights on Bangla Road we saw the power go out on Soi Sea Dragon and Soi Eric. The bar owners have been telling us how business is going down and going down quick. Despite the fact that this is the peak of the tourist season, Bangla Road has been fairly empty. It's been raining on Bangla Road, forcing people to leave early. All of these prayers are being answered, but we did not expect the answer that we got last night.
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| What Soi Lion looked like before |
As I was taking the team up and down Bangla Road I pointed out Soi Tiger and Soi Lion, telling them that those are two of the more spiritually intense streets and to probably wait a while before going on those. I pointed them out but didn't notice Soi Lion so I figured maybe I just forgot where it was, that I mixed up where it usually is. Not like it can move or anything. So when we came back down Bangla Road I was telling them something about Soi Lion and I had to do a double take.......Where's Soi Lion?! I told the girls to hold on I had to go check something. So I walk to where Soi Lion normally would be and I don't see it! I'm thinking, "Did God just up a whole soi and no one is noticing but me right now?" But then I saw it; Soi Lion the most popular and wicked street, the street that no team has ever seen a girl come out of was CLOSED!!!!! Not just closed off, it was in shambles! It looked like a hurricane had gone through that street and had left it a ghost town. The roof was caving in, there were cracks in the walls, there was trash everywhere, water damage, things were falling off and barely hanging onto the walls. The poles where girls once danced, gone. The bar counters where there stood on, destroyed. It wasn't a demolition by man but by God! There's no reason for such a popular street to be closed and put out of business, especially not the WHOLE STREET!!!! Not when bar owners are loosing money and not during the peak of the tourist season. God answered our prayers. I was so excited and was trying to explain to the girls what a miracle this was, how we had been praying for this, etc. So I found Rachel and I took her back to show her the street and she couldn't believe it either. I've yet to be so happy on Bangla Road but the biggest miracle was waiting for us when we got back.
We get back and Amy's team is all red and glossy-eyed from crying and they're jumping up and down with excitement. They had finished for the night and were calling it a night when they felt God was telling them to walk around and pray. So they did and they came up and found a girl crying hysterically and just collapsed into her friend's arms. They all kind of stopped and were watching, trying to figure out what was going on. And then all of the sudden the girl begins to convulse and shake, falling to the ground; one of the World Race girls was there to catch her head. They said her eyes were rolled into the back of her head and her body was just in panic mode. Her friend was shaking and slapping her when the girl stopped and went limp. For about 30 seconds to a minute the girl was dead; she died right there in front of them and in their arms; eyes still open. They were praying the whole time, without realizing that they were; claiming healing in the Name of Jesus. Two of the World Race girls had their hands on her; one holding her leg and the other still holding her head. And then the girl gasps for air and sits up. They all weren't sure what they saw at that moment but they did in fact see a girl raised from the dead! Take that Bangla Road!!!!
The World Race team had such an anointing on them and it was only their first night out. There were girls getting invited up to the bar girls rooms and people opening up like crazy to them. The favor of God was so heavily upon them and is still.
Now you might think that seeing all that God was doing through the World Race team would make us jealous but it didn't in the least. For one thing we know what we've been praying for and we don't care who sees the answer because it's all for Him anyways. And the fact of the matter is that He did answer! It was so encouraging for us to see the favor of God on them because it encouraged us that we're not meant to be on Bangla Road; God has not given us the anointing to be there. It has made us all so excited to pioneer this new area and to work in the Burmese refugee camp because we now know what the favor and anointing of God looks like when it's upon a team in a dark place. We were so encouraged to know that Bangla Road wasn't just ridiculously hard because we weren't cut out for it or that doors were just closed, people were just cold, or that it's just too hard but because we're not supposed to be there; that God has other plans for us. It put an amazing kick in the butt to our unbelief and we spent the night worshiping and praising God together.
God's got AMAZING things in store! All the little details of confirmation and words spoken over people coming true, are just incredible. I feel like outreach has begun!