Since last May, I had the privilege of going on three trips – one to Peru and Chile; the next to Woodbridge, Virginia, just south of Washington, DC; and the last to Denver, Colorado.
I had thoughts of showing you excerpts from professional videos of these trips but time is too limited. Perhaps if people are interested we can show one or more in an evening meeting. However, I hope my short descriptions will show you that God is on the move!
Peru and Chile
In Peru and Chile, a group of 137 of us from different countries went with Marilyn Hickey Ministries to put on healing crusades. How many have seen Marilyn on Channel 18? She is on every weekday at 10:30 am. She is an excellent Bible teacher who has been on radio and TV and has been putting on crusades around the world for 23 years.
In Lima, Peru, we put on healing crusades – one in a church and three in a sports colisium. We handed out tracts – 33,000 in Peru and 27,000 in Chile, and in Peru invited people to the meetings at Colesio Dibos.
We saw many people born again, baptized in the Holy Spirit, and many healed in their bodies – blind eyes healed, deaf ears healed, legs straightened. A person in a wheelchair had her knees unlocked so she could walk.
I have written an article on the trip and meetings which appeared in the Good News Connection. I have copies up back. (See Part 8-2) Feel free to take one after the service. I also have a video of the trip. The videographer condensed 21 hours into a one hour tape.
The Transformations Movie
In Woodbridge, Virginia, I learned about whole cities in the world that have been transformed by the power of God. There are 24 such cities in the world. I brought back a video, which is an excellent documentary of four of these cities – Cali, Columbia – a city of 2 million ruled formerly by the Cali drug cartel; Hemet, California (near the San Jacinto mountains); Alamalonga, Guatamala; and Kiambu, Kenya, Africa.
These cities have been transformed from meccas of drugs, alcohol, witchcraft and violence, through fervent prayer of the Christians and uniting of the pastors in each city. I was happy to hear that many American cities are being prayed for in this same way and are on the verge of real change.
One of the speakers at the conference was Ruth Ruibal, widow of Cali, Columbia, Pastor Julio Ruibal. Ruth, who was in the film, explained that the drug lords had run Cali, since the 1980s. The Cali cartel was known as the best organized drug ring in the world – one that supplied 1000 tons of cocaine per year to Europe and America.
The assassination of Julio in 1995 united the pastors in the city with great resolve. That same year, they had their first all night prayer meeting in a large stadium. The press noted that the next 48 hours were without a single murder in a city that had upwards of 15 killings per day. 10 days later, the first drug lord was captured. That summer the city waged all out war apprehending 6 out of 7 of the drug lords.
The meetings in huge stadiums continued. The film shows 50,000 people meeting for an all night prayer meeting, praying for God to continue what he had been doing for 36 months in Cali. Another 15,000 who could not get into the stadium marched in prayer and praise around the outside of the stadium.
Womens’ Mentoring Conference
The third trip was to Marilyn Hickey’s Denver, Colorado, headquarters for a women’s conference called “Mastering your Ministry.” I don’t know how many people are familiar with my ministry, but in 1992, God gave me an idea for a little book called “Prisoner’s Notebook.” I took Proverbs from The Living Bible and arranged it into categories. I have a gift program where churches, individuals and businesses can contribute so that I can donate books to inmates through chaplains and prison ministries. So far we have placed some 5000 books into the prisons. If you haven’t seen the book, I have a few with me. Long Island’s Upper Room Fellowship is a faithful giver each month.
The mentoring conference was limited to 250 women. Those who came were from 18 countries – 7 from Australia alone. Marilyn’s ministry has wonderful facilities including a church, Bible School, Christian School and Bookstore. By faith they purchased an upscale shopping center in the high tech section of Denver.
We learned a lot. I purchased a notebook of prepared notes and took many notes of my own.
Two teaching sessions with Marilyn stand out in my mind. On Tuesday morning, on the first full day of the conference, Marilyn decided that the group should pray for islands. She first called women from the Bahamas to come forward. Then she added the Caymans, St. Lucia and Fiji. Two women from St. Croix came up and a woman from Ireland. As she broadened the scope, I said, I’m going up too, I live on an island!
Marilyn related that the Bible says much about islands and that in Psalms God says that the islands belong to him. Then she asked two women to pray for us and they prayed some powerful prayers. It wasn’t the last time that Marilyn mentioned islands. On the last day of meetings we were asked to pray special prayers for St. Croix. As you may know, several of our islanders – Lorinda, Mariana, and Juliette – have roots both here and in St. Croix.
Marilyn’s last teaching on Friday also meant much to me. She taught on how to pray for the sick in a large group setting like we had done in Peru and Chile. First she told the audience about other recent healings and miracles. Next, she prayed for healing of a certain ailment, such as eyes, backs, hearing, or tumors. Then she asked if anyone noticed an improvement in their condition. She asked them to check themselves. After she demonstrated, and a number came up to testify, she asked members of the group to come up and try it. Several did with excellent results. Lines of people got up to testify of healings and/or improvements.
Conclusion
I would like to conclude by telling you that God is healing today. Jesus healed when He was here on earth and scripture tells us that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He loves you and wouldn’t a loving Father want the best for His children? You don’t have to wait till you get to Heaven to be healed. You get healed by learning more about Him and His Word. You must learn what He has promised or you won’t know enough to ask for it.
God Bless You All!
DLH – August 22, 1999
Evergreen Methodist Church, Long Island, ME