WALKING with JESUS - CENTRAL JAVA

MY TEAM FROM JAKARTA AND OUR PASTOR/WIFE HOSTS

Eight days full of action and adventure! Too much to tell! I arrived by plane in Yogyakarta on Thursday and was met by my pastor friend there. I was four hours ahead of my team which came by car from Jakarta, so spent time with this pastor. As usual, I was brought to him in a time of trouble (that’s one of my life purposes - stand with someone in trouble, another is ministry of peace and reconciliation). He had a dispute (maybe a bitter dispute like Paul and Barnabas) with his main supporter, also a good friend of mine - one I have stayed with, who takes me golfing when I have been in Yogya before, and they had a parting of ways. He was worried about support, but the Lord has raised up new source. He has trouble with meeting place, with people, etc. He and his family came later that night to my hotel room for prayer. The other party came to visit me the next morning before our team departed for Temanggung, in the mountain areas some two hours north of Yogya.

Our first meeting was a prayer meeting with women Friday night when we arrived. The general theme for our visit (not planned, just happened) was ‘Heavenly Vision,’ and this first night focused on our vision of who we are, and what defines who we are, what we do, how we respond. We explored the concept that the NEW CREATURE IN CHRIST (2Cor 5:17) is not defined by past experience nor by the words of others, but by the Word of God. (A more complete summary of the week’s teachings/preaching on - 7 Heavenly Views- is posted on Jesus The Word blogspot. - you can click on the link at right). The main result of the week in every place was established this night - people were healed and set free. Most impressive - a woman who had a stroke two weeks before and was paralyzed - could not move hands or feet, was carried into the meeting - walked out of the meeting (with some assistance). During the week she continued to get stronger, and the next Friday evening before we left she said she had walked up the sloping road in front of the church to the market. She was talking clearly, which she could not do when she first came. MIRACLES STILL HAPPEN!

Saturday we were taken to a church in a small village after a morning meeting in our host church. Most churches we visited were Pentecostal or Charismatic, though some were Protestant. They use the terms Catholic, Pentecostal, Charismatic, Protestant, Evangelical to indicate the character or culture of different church groups. As in America and other places, often these different groups don’t receive other groups, so this ministry helps to build unity and trust, since they invite me primarily because I am a foreigner and it is a draw for them (at least that’s what I think).

Four times I was taken to people who had split with friends for various reasons. The final day of ‘Heavenly Vision’ message returned to ‘Who we are in Christ’ from the viewpoint of knowing our calling, and not being jealous (feel inferior) or look down on others (feel superior) when our calling becomes more clearly defined or discerned and splits occur due to this. This is an important teaching for the body of Christ to understand in order to move on in unity.

Well, it was an exciting time, and now I am back home, hoping to get this written and posted along with pictures and other articles for my other blogs and for the web site gallery, along with preparing for my regular weekly meeting with young people and my trip Wednesday back to Hawaii.

Most of the churches we visited during our stay were small village churches with simple farmer folk. I really enjoy this ministry, and this is the first time in nearly 15 years since Barnabas stopped bringing teams to the Philippines that I traveled with my own team. These three ladies became my team for the FOR LOVERS ONLY retreat and community, and came on fire with enthusiasm! We had originally planned to have three pastor seminars, but the planning for that fell through, and we merely visited pastors and groups, making contacts. Perhaps my greatest pleasure is watching these ladies grow in boldness and effectiveness as they pray for people. The love of Christ flows out of them and touches the people to set them free! Awesome God, awesome women!
--HWK--