Venezuela!

 

Reflections- God is breaking me. I feel like I can’t stop the well of healing tears that are bubbling out of me and spilling down my cheeks. I can’t explain it but I feel that God is helping to see myself clearly, sin and all. He is showing me my wounds from the past, my blindspots in the present and He is helping me to dream about the future. He used Venezuela, the Ranch, my husband and the Hope of Peace to help me reflect, rest and grow.

 

Venezuela- I was humbled when I saw how the InnerCHANGE team in Venezuela lives. They thrive in a place that is carved out of a mountainside. They live with risks of landslides during rainy season and risks of robbery and random acts of violence. They rely on one another and the community when tragedy strikes. Numerous people have been murdered in their barrio & many of their neighbors have died before their time due to violence. They go without things that we take for granted every single day. They have no cars, no toilets that actually flush TP, no guaranteed garbage pickup and yet they have joy! You might be asking, how could they possibly have joy in these circumstances? The reason is JESUS! He exudes from each one of them! He gives them the hope and love that they need to carry on! The team has been in Caracas for over 12 years. They are deeply invested in the community, they know their neighbors by name and they give of themselves sacrificially. I was so blessed to join their team for 2 weeks and experience their reality.

 

God knew the desires of my heart and he blessed me with more than I had asked for! I was able to practice my Spanish and I found that I can actually communicate with native Spanish speakers! I also was able to experience spiritual warfare and healing prayer in a powerful way. I talked to the team and they explained Santoria, a religion with African roots, rituals etc. They explained how many people in Venezuela are bound by fear and they use Santoria to ward off evil and death. I met one man from the community that had been deeply into this life of Santoria and he had been dedicated to the devil by his father. He used to rob graves for bones and use them for curses, rituals etc. He was deeply depressed and looking for more in life. He was introduced to Jesus through a family member and he left Santoria and began to follow Jesus. The enemy did not want him free so he was troubled physically, mentally and emotionally. The InnerCHANGE team began doing healing prayer sessions with Him. They would read the Bible to Him, sing worship songs to Jesus and pray and command evil spirits that were trying to steal, kill and destroy his life to leave. The spirits would torment him with headaches, nausea and even speak out of him in different voices as they fought to hold their ground. He repented and renounced all of the evil that he had been a part of and as he did they lost their right to torment him. Jesus came into his life and flooded him with healing, hope, peace, a Father’s love and freedom from bondage.

 

He still struggles with attacks at times. While I was there we attended a wake after a funeral because the family had invited the InnerChange team to play some worship songs. They also had invited some people from the Santoria religion to say prayers. The man who had been a former member of Santoria was troubled by their prayers. The next morning he had a horrible headache and he asked some of the team members to pray for him. They were praying and a force tried to tip one of the team members chairs backward. Then the man started throwing up. They kept on praying, singing and reading Jesus words, as they did his headache left! They invited me to join them and we prayed and worshiped the One who sets captives free! I felt peace flood the room! The man who had been tormented raised his arms to heaven and began to worship Jesus. It made me want to cry because it was so beautiful. He had a smile on His face and he looked so peaceful. One of my favorite verses is perfect love casts out fear! Jesus is the essence of love and where He is the darkness has no power! He liberates, heals, frees and brings new life to those who were in bondage!

 

“For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Colossians 1:13-14

 

The man who was healed volunteers with the IC team now! He is wonderful with troubled kids from the barrio =) I love how Jesus uses our pasts to help redeem others lives. The teams task for the time that I was there was to pull off a Vacation Bible School. We went around the neighborhood and invited all of the kids ages 5-18 to participate or volunteer with us! The theme of the week was, “You are Special!” It was 5 days of fun! We had around 60 kids each day plus volunteers! We sang songs, performed a drama, made crafts from recycled trash, talked about feelings and emotions, had youth theatre and prayed and shared a snack together. It was incredible! 

 

It would take a book to describe all that happened in Venezuela! Highlights would be the hanging/worshiping/praying/serving with the team, exploring the markets, visiting the zoo with volunteers, playing with kids, meeting neighbors and just experiencing God in new ways! One of the greatest gifts for me were prayers on my behalf. Halfway through the trip, right when VBS was starting I began to have stomach trouble. I had a little breakdown because I had visions of what I had in Mexico returning, ahh! You all prayed for me and so did the team and I was healed.

 

One of the things that I have really been asking God for was the gift of healing prayer. Before I left Venezuela the whole team prayed for me and blessed me. Their prayers spoke directly to my heart! Those prayers set in motion a course of events! Since then God has been bringing us so many people to pray for! He is providing open doors to show his love, grace, mercy and power for those who are in need! Stay tuned for the next update to hear about what God is up to and to hear my reflections from the ranch and Home of Peace!

 

Christ’s Amor,

Martita

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