Roses in the Briar Patch

The experience of life, so far, has left its marks deep inside of me, and it becomes more beautiful with each passing day. Mixtures of miraculous, joy-filled, blissful blessings, alongside of horrendous jolts of trauma that awakened and taunted my heart, hovering over my joy with threatening death...the twisting, turning, ever-changing journey whose finish line, upon looking back, reveals a straight line. He was with me. And He still is. And perhaps I am becoming more perfected in love, yet my soul knows well that it has not arrived on the shores of complete safety.

Let me clarify that there are many wonderful moments that will always be carried and cherished in my heart...countless people who kindly, in the midst of their own painful trials, went out of their way to leave a beautiful impression on me and my family. Every word of kindness and every action inspired by love will forever remind me of the goodness of God, especially when doubt tries to push its claws into my skin. Upon remembering life's pains and life's triumphs, I can only say that God IS faithful and His goodness shines even when we forget mankind's.

My reason for writing now is born out of adversity, not my own this time, but of others who have faithfully laid their hearts and lives bare, passionately serving and trusting those within the local church, only to find their families, friendships, and leaderships falling apart. Do not fear, however, for it is merely a passing moment of testing; a violent war that will be overcome with peace, joy, and renewed love, if only those bloodied soldiers will maintain a heart of gratitude...even gratitude for the suffering.

I write to those who walk with people and ARE people who carry great influence and anointing. I used to think that being on the front lines was dangerous. Then I believed it was the safest place to be. But life has taught me it is both. The 'front lines' are dangerous AND safe, depending on who you are surrounded by, and I mean within your own army.

Perhaps the naivete of men and, especially women, in church is to trust others to an unfair depth. Let me explain. This can be said for humanity as a whole, yet I will speak on behalf of women. When loving one another and befriending one another, we must always remain aware of one's ability to cause pain, and we must give the grace to let them do so, yet with the wisdom of serpents and harmlessness of doves. We must realize that every human carries a broken place or a void, that maybe they are not aware of, and that, eventually, that place in them may arise as it is rooted out by a loving, graceful God.

The rooting-out process sometimes hurts, seemingly beyond the ability to bear, depending on one's stubborness or desire to be teachable. Whichever the perpetrator chooses, the grace of Christ is strong enough to keep you as you either walk away or stand by...

Whatever your story, the end result of life's events can amount to immense joy and satisfaction; the ability to smile when revisiting good times, as well as bad. Believe it or not, there's beauty to be found in the dung hill. There's redemption to be witnessed by your eyes in the darkest, most putrid place. Ugliness can call itself a briar rose, even though it is merely the thistles that serve to draw our blood, wrench our gut, and shake our soul at a level that no one can comprehend...only to arrive in the light, where Love lives.

Life leaves impressions. You get to choose which kind. "The roses are found in the briar patch."

Pay Attention or You Might Miss the Miracle

Long story short---This picture was taken of me and my husband, after receiving prayer. Neither one of us had ever felt the presence of God in this manner. The best way that I can describe it: His Spirit penetrating every crack, nook, and cranny of our beings, heart, soul, body, mind, and spirit--a heart surgery in which the Lord transplanted His own heart into ours and the beating of our hearts became one with His...in unison. This is a day I will never forget, and it happened almost one year ago. I did not see the miracle in it until recently. Open your ears, eyes and your heart so that you do not miss out on what God is saying and doing. I almost missed this one.

Eyes Restored! Shoulder Healed!

This past Sunday, we ministered in Midlothian, Texas, where our son prayed for a man who had lost 40-50% of his sight in both eyes. He was diagnosed with severe glaucoma 20 years ago! After a moment of silence, our son said, "Your eyes are healed. Your eyes were made to see...so, see." Immediately, the man began to excitedly yell, "Whoa!! Whoa!!! I can see my hands!" The tunnel vision left and soon he was looking all around, happy that his peripheral vision returned. To make it even more amazing, his eye doctor was in the congregation! The eye doctor that diagnosed him 20 years ago came forward and did a simple eye test, confirming that his vision was restored. Thank You, Jesus!!!!!!

A woman came forward who said she wasn't sure that she believed in healing...especially that healing might come through the hands of a child. My daughter prayed for her injured shoulder and the pain immediately left! Now...she believes.

Miracles in Florida

Last week in Boca Raton, Will Matthews (our friend) prayed for a grandmother whose grandson disappeared 18 years ago. Will saw a vision of a him calling his family. THE VERY NEXT DAY, the grandson contacted his mother to let them know he was doing well. He had been taken away by a family member and hidden. Praise God for this reunion!

A broken foot was healed at the Boca meeting. In Homestead, our son prayed for a woman with a bad knee. She was always in pain before, but after a minute of prayer, she realized that her knee no longer hurt. She began to run around the room, screaming and laughing..."It doesn't hurt anymore!!"

A few months ago, at our Youngstown, OH meeting, numerous miracles occurred. One of the coolest things was that a man went into McDonald's and began to talk to a table of six people about how their sins were forgiven. All six people ended up accepting Jesus as their Savior and they came to the meeting that night!

Letter From a 72-Year-Old, Amazing Woman

The following is from an email I received from a sweet friend who at the age of 72, went on her very first missions trip. She saw amazing miracles happen at her hands:

at the conference(there were pastors from equador, guatemala, mexico, canada, all over USA), God gave me visions for people prior to my prayers for them- the anointing NEVER left the entire five days...and even on the plane on return flight, i was able to release a lady from the fear of flying..( she'd had to have the dr. come the night before to sedate her- she was so afraid.) i showed her in the Bible about the "spirit of fear"- prayed for her- let her know the Father's love for her-she was catholic- she kept kissing my hand and cheek and asking if i were an angel.(there was only one seat left on the plane when i boarded, and it was beside her. she would never fly alone. her daughter would have to fly with her, then get on another plane to return home, then fly back again to get her mom!) and this woman was set free, baby- free!

the hostess of the home where we stayed(they were all bilingual) called when i got home crying, sayin how the family missed me so much, they walked around the house all day crying.....(i had spoken into their lives; the Lord had given me words for all five of them...incredible insight..the man had NEVER had a touch from God and Jesus came to him as i prayed and put a band of love around his neck- i then read him that scripture i had come to the conference with- from hosea 11;4)
the mother had told me earlier that when i left their home for the conference each day, she would go into the bedroom where my shoes were, put them on, walk around the house praying, "Lord, make me like patricia. make me like patrica." (traci, that's how STRONG the anointing was! theyhad never seen the prophetic- the healings.) it was truly like being Jesus in patricia's skin..lance preached a great sermon two weeks ago on "the church with skin on it." i sooo wanted to be that church!
one morning while we were there, he preached about the breath of God- how man was but dirt until God blew into him the breath of life..when the paralyzed lady came to me for prayer, God told me to breathe on her! i asked, "Lord, are you sure??? i should ask her if i can breathe on her?" she said i could, so i took her limp arm, breathed on it and cried out, "la vida! la vida! la vida de dios!" and that's when she was healed...(i mean, just the usual Jesus stuff" happened!) another lady's jaw was healed. she said when i prayed, it felt like God numbed it with novacaine. shane prayed for a man who could not see across the room, and he was healed.

when i went to pray for a man whose leg was shorter than the other,(i had a word of knowledge for him) the Lord told me before i got to the man that he did not feel worthy of prayer...as i was walking back to him, God gave me a vision of Jesus walking along the shore. he put an easel on the sand and told everyone from the church to come up and paint on the easel all the things they were carrying in a knap sack....those things, traci, were unworthiness, sins, etc.when all the people in the congregation had painted their heaviness, Jesus ripped the pictures off the easel and threw them into the "sea of forgetfulness to be remembered against them no more!" when i told the man the vision, he began to cry and told me that his leg was so messed up because he had lived a life with gangs when he was young..he did not think God had forgiven him for that past life...and THAT was why God gave me the vison for him- to know it was ALL ON THE CROSS! he was worthy! when his leg grew out and the pain left, he went running to the stage to testify...

at age 72, this was my FIRST mission trip, and i do not think it will be my last. lance's preaching was really anointed...he taught every day, three times a day- the fire tunnels were incredible..so many set free from the lie of the enemy that sin had caused God's judgment with katrina, then the oil spill...we left them all with the truth of God's love for them!

gotta get to bed.. it's almost 2:30-...reminds me of n.o. i would go to bed at 2, get up every day at 6.... totally sustained by love and the Spirit! need to work on my lesson tomorrow for the mentor group sat., then can't wait to read your story! will give you some feedback soon. was sooo great at the youth group tonight...i got to pray for soooo many kids..i have such a "thing" with Jesus re: short legs growing out- one girl's leg grew out even with the other; also prayed for a girl whose hand was bruised, blue/swollen from injury; pain left and hand was same color/size as other..God just MOVED mightily again...how i love those young people...how i love them, love them, love them!

Healings and Passports

I hardly get on here anymore to write, so I have missed reporting numerous wonderful things. Let's see...backs have been healed, ankles, broken bones, and more importantly, broken hearts. My husband saw a lady in Ohio who was on a walker, crippled by a stroke...but after prayer, she straightened up and walked without any problem. Her family and friends were amazed as she showed no more signs of the stroke.

My family and I felt compelled to get our passports, so we miraculously got an appointment at a post office within 30 minutes, where people typically were having to wait 2 to 3 weeks for an appointment. We got to the counter and filled out paperwork...the clerk told my husband that he had the wrong birth certificate and there was no way it would be accepted. He suggested submitting it while my husband got the certified copy. He also said that passports were taking about 8 weeks to process. Long story short, we received all of our passports (even husband's) in the mail 11 days later!! Wow!

An Incredible Day in the History of Haiti

AN INCREDIBLE DAY in the HISTORY OF HAITI
-by Jerry Miel (Feb 17).

I think that I will remember this day as one of the most significant
in my life, not because of what I did, but for it's meaning...Today
was the one month anniversary of the great Haitian earthquake.

About 3 days ago the Haitian President announced that there
would be 3 days of holiday from work for the purpose of fasting
and prayer. This is absolutely historic. If you have ever been in
Haiti as a visitor or missionary, could you ever have imagined
such a pronouncement? Could you image such an announcement
from the U.S. President? This morning I saw a young Haitian-
American woman, the leader of a work team, crying because the
Americans could not understand the incredible importance of this
day and wanted to go about business as usual. Remember, it was
only about 6 years ago that a former Haitian president called the
nation to come together to rededicate the nation to Satan.

This was not "a minute of silence for the deceased" or something
as equally insignificant. Whatever the President might have
originally intended, this became a real commitment for the Haitian
people. As I sit here this evening, I can hear the preaching coming
from a nearby church. Services have been going on all day...

Let me tell you what I saw and felt today.

I had planned an inspection trip up to the Artibonite
Valley today. As we left the guest house about 7:30 am,
we were met by throngs of well dressed people headed to
various churches. The sounds ofChristian music and worship
filled the air everywhere. The next observation was that there
was NO traffic. Port-au-Prince streets are always clogged
and overflowing with bumper to bumper traffic.
This morning there were only a few vehicles on the roads, a few
small buses (tap taps), some UN and military vehicles, and a few
private cars. We had clear sailing through town. The same was
true of foot traffic. Usually the streets are clogged also with
people walking. Today there were only a few and many of them
dressed for church. The only place that there were traffic blocks
was in front of several churches where the congregations had
overflowed the buildings and the yards and had moved out into
the streets as well.

The next observation was that EVERYTHING was closed! We
could not find even one business or gas station open. There were
no intercity buses running. Whereas the sidewalks are usually
overflowing with millions of street venders, we only saw a few here
and there. The huge outdoor market near the wharf where
thousands work each day and is spread out to cover most of the
street, was EMPTY.

Where were all the people? They were in churches and makeshift
meeting sites. Every church (except a JW church) had services
going on, almost always overflowing into the streets. Beside
broken down churches, services were taking place outside. In
homeless camps, there were services. Everywhere the nation was
gathered to worship and pray. No, I did not see any voodoo,
Islamic, or Buddhist services. This scene was repeated in every
town and hamlet that we passed during the day.

Tonight, Pastor Ignace, who is sharing the room with me, asked
this question: "Can people still say that Haiti is a voodoo country?"
What has been happening and is continuing to happen in Haiti did
not happen because of the earthquake. It has been happening
because the Haitian people know how to pray. This is a tremendous
outpouring of God's power as the result of prayer. Twenty years
ago I started praying for the Gospel to change the Haitian culture.
I think that I am seeing God do that work.

The only sadness that I feel today is for our nation. While a nation
that has long been under Satan's domination is turning to God
with total commitment, our nation, founded on Godly values has
rejected God and is rapidly trying to forget that his name even
exists. Let us pray for revival.

4-MIN VIDEO of HAITI DAYS of PRAYER-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30rWm84z-zg

The Touch of God in Euless, TX

My husband preached at a church in Euless this past Sunday and we had a fantastic time there! During the service, my husband mentioned several testimonies and it turned out that those testimonies began happening in the service. At least 8 people reported that they had long-term pains/injuries that were immediately healed. By the time we left the service, a man that had been in a wheelchair was up and walking around. An hour later, we received a text message, saying that he walked all the way to his car! I'm not sure what had been wrong with him, but all I know is that he could not walk, and now he walks!

Eyesight restored

Last week, four people in our church experienced restored eyesight after prayer. One of the young men did not know much about church or God, but was healed, so he accepted Jesus as his savior!

Lupus

We recently received news from one of our school of ministry students, whose husband battled lupus for 10 years. After much prayer, the doctors can no longer find lupus in his system. He feels well and is overwhelmed with the love of God!

Healing after a stroke

Update from a friend:
"Leroy is doing very well. We are calling it a miracle. He indicated that he wanted the breathing tube out the same night that he had the "stroke". He was able to talk and understood what had happened. The next morning Trina said that he face was back to normal and he strength on both side of his body. The docs were amazed and now think it was only a TIA(mini stroke) because the symptoms disappeared so quickly. However, the reports of how he looked when he first came in would lead you to believe that was not the case. One couple the was in to see him when he first got there laid hands on him and prayed. The wife almost fainted when they stopped in yesterday when she saw him sitting up, laughing and joking with people! They are going to take an MRI, EKG and some other tests today just to make sure everything is ok. I would guess that he will be out tomorrow."

Growth on Thyroid

I have a growth on my thyroid that has been growing for the last four years. Six weeks ago, I went to the doctor to have it checked and it had grown a lot. The doctor wanted to do a biopsy, but I told him I wanted to wait since I was at the appointment alone and that I would like to reschedule when my husband could be there with me. A little over a week later, we went to Redding for the Leaders' Advance at Bethel Church. While there, Bill Johnson was preaching and he paused, saying that we all should pray for people who have growths or tumors in/on their bodies. The lady next to me prayed for my thyroid.

This past Monday, Bill took me back to the doctor and I just knew that I would have a testimony. As the doctor did the ultrasound, he stopped on that same spot and began typing info into the computer. I was disappointed at first because i could tell that he was seeing something in there, but I quickly reminded myself that the growth HAD to have changed! I laid there on the table, silently praying that the Lord would just shrink it right there. In a few seconds the doctor said, "That is odd. This is just so odd. I need to compare something." He looked at my charts and said, "Well, it changed. It has shrunk....significantly. This is just so odd. These kinds of growths never shrink this much....and especially not this quickly." He said that it's now so small, that it's really insignificant.

I asked the doctor, "Well...can I tell you what happened?" He looked puzzled. I began to tell him about the church service and how we prayed. I told him some of the testimonies that happened while we were there. He smiled and shook his head. He said, "Well, what can I say?"

I left the office jumping up and down....so excited! I have never been so happy to pay a medical bill in my life!

Teenagers Doing Street Ministry/Healing

My son is part of a group called Revivalist Academy. These teenagers regularly go out and pray for people. Today, my son's group went downtown to minister at Church Under the Bridge, where many homeless people gather for church service and free lunch. My son sent me the following text message: "I just prayed for a lady that had a bad left leg and a blood issue thing. She had a cane and after we prayed for her there was no pain and she stood up and threw her hands into the air and said it was healed. The swelling on her leg went down and she walked away without the cane!!"

God Runs The Cell Phone Store

Just wanted to share a favor story. Last week, our family banded together to get Bill a bluetooth device for his cell phone for his birthday. He had it less than 24 hours when it got dropped on the ground and stepped on, which destroyed it completely. Bill was really upset, knowing that Sprint will not replace something like that. We prayed together and asked God to manifest His favor in the situation, so we drove to Sprint, explained what happened, and the manager said, "I'm really sorry, but we can't replace this....BUT," and he turned to the lady working there and continued, "...go get him another one." He gave us a brand new bluetooth device!!!!! Praise God.

Testimonies This Week...

After a service that my hubby preached at this last Sunday, where healing prayers were released, a friend who attended posted this on her FB account: "I walked to our Wal-Mart, not far but about a mile. This is the first time I have been able to do it without pain. Ray says he has his wife back." Praise God!

My husband and I have been praying for God's provision so that we can pay our taxes by April 15th. In the natural, it was totally out of our reach to get these funds. My husband received a call on March 17th about a possible project that will pay him more than enough!

Another prayer we have prayed was that God would send us back to Maui for a visit and to be a part of the revival that's going on there. We received a phone call on March 17th (yes, two awesome phone calls in one day!) from the church there who has asked us to come and do some services/conference this summer! Yay!

I got a call today from a friend who bought a very special necklace for herself to remind her of new beginnings with God. It was a "symbol" to her of reassurance of all the good that God is doing in her life right now. She accidentally broke the necklace and was very depressed about it. She set it on her night stand, where it stayed for two weeks. Every time she looked at it, it broke her heart, so she asked God if He would fix it for her. She called today to tell me that she looked at the necklace and it was fixed! It's just like new!

A friend was telling me yesterday about how she prayed for a friend who had a 65% blockage in the heart. They prayed over her that she would not need surgery and that the blockage would leave. When the docs went in to do the procedure, it was only 20% blocked, so surgery was NOT necessary! The doctor said he did not know how that happened.

Healed of Cancer

Our pastor shared a testimony with us this week, from a woman who is a mother of five children. She was recently in the hospital with cancer. After the surgery, the doctor told her, "I'm sorry. There is nothing more we can do for you." She wept and wept. She and her husband, needless to say, were so devastated. As she was praying later on, she heard God say, "Reach up. Reach up and grab hold of the prayers of the saints." She actually reached her hand up and was struck with great joy. She could not stop worshipping God and rejoicing. Six weeks later, she went in for a scan to see how far the cancer had spread. The news came back: "You have NO cancer."

Broken Neck Healed

A young man was brought to our youth group this past Wednesday night. He had broken his neck several weeks ago in a football game and had been in lots of pain and could not completely turn his head. The youth gathered around him and prayed. He had an intense experience with God in which he was COMPLETELY healed! No pain! Full range of motion! He accepted Jesus as his Saviour.

Miracles in Nicaragua

Here's the latest from our friend, Earl:
In the morning service, a 13 year old girl who was deaf and dumb, came forward for prayer after healings had already taken place, a first for that church. She was prayed for and then went to the bathroom Suddenly people heard screaming from the bathroom and it was the girl. Her ears had opened up and they began testing her hearing and she was hearing. Then she began to say her first clear words, ¨mama, papa¨. The whole church began crying, what a beautiful moment.
I was in the church of the cuban pastor in Managua yesterday with Pastor Harry and Jairo. We work as a team. Yes, we saw an old man who could not walk well begin walking and jumping up and down like a kid. Other miracles took place as we had the people praying for the sick. There was a man there who is in the parliament and was invited to come. The pastor asked me to pray for him and God touched him prophetically and in his life and he crumpled under the presence of God. Later, as we were praying for the people, I asked him to pray for others also. He was shocked but haltingly did so. After awhile he really got into it and I heard afterwards that he came up to a panamanian evangelist and said, ¨Hey, I am praying for people!! Iwant to pray for you too¨ And he did so and he was just thrilled to actually be a part of this and I also found out that he wants to also become a pastor.
A young man who came to help at the crusade received an impartation and embraced the message. His father was in a hospital dying and the family was weeping at the bedside. This young man, fresh from the crusade, went to his papa and declared the kingdom of God over him. The power of God touched his dad. The doctor came in and could not find anything wrong with him, had the machines to check him out and thought the machines were not functioning so he called in another doctor. The dad is up walking around.
A woman who had a disease for 14 years was prayed for by another christian. I do not know the name of the disease in Spanish but it was in her legs and it is very painful and causes the skin to be black and blue. After prayer the pain left and the skin turned back to its normal color.
Another woman asked God to take her life because she was in so much pain and felt a ball within herself she said. A christian prayed for her and all the pain left and she felt the ball dissolve and she was beaming.
An elderly woman had a stomach disease and could not eat. When prayed for she was healed and began asking for food to eat.
The Cuban pastor has been hearing the message and preached at another crusade Saturday and began to see miracles of healing for the first time like that.
Embracing the message, impartation through revelation along with praying for the leaders and believers is beginning to take place.
At the internet place I am at, an unsaved young woman asked Harry and I to pray for her 3 month old niece dying of a kidney infection in the hospital. I told her the testimony of the baby we prayed for over the phone in Hawaii and how God touched him and we just held hands and prayed. The next day she said that her niece did not die but got better and the doctor said it was a miracle.

Baby's Intestines Healed

The following testimony is from our friends, Earl and Jana Thurner:
WOW!
This is the testimony two days ago of an incredible miracle of the healing of Nainoa, the nboy of Nainoa Thompson over the phone.
I just got off the web researching the voyages of Hokulea, the double hulled canoe built to voyage as the native Hawaiians and Tahitians did years ago, using no instruments but the stars, winds, birds and nature to guide them to all the islands of the South Pacific. You can look it up and for many years voyages took place proving how the ancient polynesians inhabited all the islands.
Jana and I were invited to a prayer meeting in Waiehu, Maui by Kaatee, one of the leaders of the Maui Supernatural School of Ministry we established last year and now 3 schools on Maui and doing well. It was a meeting where she invited her employees and others to come for prayer for their needs and she wanted us there along with the overseer of our school now, Pastor Shannon.
A man named Charlie Maxwell came who if you recall was healed at our first school session and a leading voice for the Hawaiian culture and regularly on television speaking. He asked us if we would be so kind to pray for a baby of a friend of his, Nainoa Thompson, a name I had heard but I did not know the full story until I just went online. Nainoa Thompson was the first native Hawaiian in modern times to navigate a canoe thousands of miles without instruments across the Pacific. I had no idea that he literally led every voyage from 1976 on for nearly 20 years. He is a household name in Hawaii.
Charlie went on to say that Nainoa and his wife Kathy just had a baby boy who had 2 major surgeries and was scheduled this very moment to have another and he feared that the baby would not live through it. The problem was that the intestines of the baby were not joined and the doctors were going to operate again to try to solve the problem, it was their only hope. We were told that Nainoa was on the Hokulea but Charlie did not go into details.
We were told that Nainoa would call from the hospital after 8 and Charlie told him that we would pray for the baby. We were there for 2 hours and God was moving powerfully in the room and I personally ministered to Charlie mostly through the gift of faith and knowledge also of polynesian culture and as he said, his life was deeply touched and to have a Hawaiian of that stature say that to you is amazing in itself.
Nainoa called around 8:30 and Charlie put on the speaker phone to hear from Nainoa and Kathy. You could just feel the hurt and worry and weariness in their voices as Nainoa explained everything and his concern that his son would make it through the operation. Charlie said that he was going to do an Hawaiian chant and then have me pray. After the chant, I prayed the His kingdom would come and the child would be completely healed and Kaatee and Pastor Shannon prayed afterwards. Nainoa was touched of course and then today Jana and I heard the news.
When the doctor came in, he found that the temperature and blood pressure had suddenly became normal. Then he put the instrument, whatever they call it, to see inside the baby to ascertain where to operate. When he did so, he turned to the parents and said, there was no need for surgery as the intestines were perfectly joined together and the child was completely normal. He was shocked! He could not understand it and Nainoa said that some people on Maui prayed over the phone and God healed the baby!! He was completely overwhelmed by this miracle and wants to fly here to meet everyone. WOW! What a beautiful moment, what an amazing God and what joy to be a part of it.

Healed Hand

Last week, a man with a broken hand received prayer. He had broken the hand awhile back, but never went to the doctor since he didn't have insurance, so the hand healed incorrectly and was deformed. After receiving prayer, his hand healed over night and is no longer deformed!!