Tonight was our last night as a team to pray and worship. We have really enjoyed this time together over the past week. It has been a time of growth as Dr. Tony taught us the Word, a time of encouragement through prophetic words, and a time of intimacy through intercessory prayer. None of us will ever be the same because of it. We received communion again and it was very special this time because a new friend, our 14 yr old sound tech that received Jesus, joined us. He had such a diligent, servant’s heart and he wanted to see his Hindu family saved! He was such a blessing to us.

We arrived at the festival tonight worshipping in the van! When we got on stage it was breathtaking to look over the crowd and see so many people that needed a touch from God. We had an Indian Christmas Celebration prior to Dr. Pete speaking. There was much dancing, singing and celebrating the birth of Jesus!

When Dr. Pete stood up to preach the Gospel there was already such a heavy flow of the Holy Spirit. He just continued within that flow and preached the message of salvation just as he had the past 3 nights.
The response was incredible! Thousands raised their hands committing their lives to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior! Dr. Pete then prayed a corporate prayer for the filling of the Holy Spirit. It sent chills over your body as people throughout the crowd received the Holy Spirit and were healed.

It’s almost impossible to describe with words what we experienced over the past four days of the festival. There isn’t anything that can replace the emotion of seeing people run to give their lives to Jesus!

Next we made our way to the Widow’s Conference. There were over 600 widows in attendance. The widow’s were not only from the local church but from the community and the gypsy colony as well. Dr. Pete spoke to them about the very important role they play as a widow and how valuable they are in God’s eyes. He then presented the Gospel to them and many received Jesus Christ as their savior for the very first time! To conclude the service our team prayed for every widow and gave them a brand new sari (traditional Indian dress). They immediately changed into their new saris and were so grateful! One older woman came to us jumping up and down saying “Sari, sari” in joy and excitement! It was so fulfilling to see such a need met. Thank you Jesus!

Today was a very special day for more than one reason. Today was one of our team members birthday, Dr. Shannon Schaffner. We had a special surprise party for Dr. Shannon at the children’s home with lunch, cake, soda & goody bags for all the children. The children were so blessed and happy to have a birthday to celebrate! We gave each child the goody bags that were prepared. Each bag had candy, toys, stickers and a cross necklace handmade and prayed over by the widows. The children loved them!

We came together for our time of prayer and worship and God showed up like He usually does! It never ceased to amaze us about how powerful prayer is. If you have a need, pray. It’s that simple. Prayer wins the spiritual battle. We see the fruit of that every night at the festival! As we worshipped we sang a song that stated “Chains be broken, lives be healed, eyes be opened, Christ is revealed”! We didn’t just sing this song; we declared it over the city of Suryapet!

Just like the night before there were so many trucks bringing in the masses that we had to weave around them to get to the stage. It takes your breath away to see so many people coming to hear the Gospel of Jesus.

Dr. Pete told the people about the story of the adulteress woman and how Jesus drew the line in the sand and said “He who is without sin cast the first stone” Through this story Dr. Pete presented the message of Jesus giving His life for us and saving us from our sins.
When he asked “Who wants to give their life to Jesus?” hands went up all over the crowd and then they came to the altar to fill out the response cards.

It was another incredible night for miracles! Dr. Pete prayed a corporate prayer for the new converts to be filled with the Holy Spirit. As you looked over the crowd you saw people getting touched and filled with the Holy Spirit. They were shouting, speaking in other tongues and falling out under the presence of God.

Afterwards Dr. Pete invited those who were touched by God to come to the stage and testify of how moved on them. One of the testimonies was about an old man who was blind for 3 years and received his sight back COMPLETELY! He even had a walking stick with him. They put a mic in front of him to tell his testimony and he looked at the microphone with confusion because he had never seen one before. They had to explain to him what to do with the microphone. As I looked into his eyes it was as if they were brand new eyes. No cataracts. Just deep, beautiful, brown eyes full of tears. Another testimony was about a woman who was partially crippled to the point she couldn’t stand up straight. She testified that everything was loosed and she was able to stand up straight immediately! Our God reigns and He is alive! A dead god can not heal. A dead god can not set people free from their chains.

We have seen such a clear depiction of God’s love this trip.
Everywhere we turn there is another example and we are reminded that this life is not about us. It’s unto Him. It’s for Him. If you are struggling today with fear, worry, depression, pain, or hopelessness; look to the Father. He will rescue, strengthen, and refresh you so you can go out and be someone else’s rescuer, strength and refresher for His glory. We are His hands. We are His feet. Let us live today unto Him instead of for ourselves.

Following breakfast we made our way to the Pastor’s Conference held at the Manna Church here in Suryapet. Dr. Tony Slay ministered to the pastor’s and challenged them to expect miracles and to cover their congregations in prayer. It was a call to action. During the break our incredible team of chiropractors adjusted and laid hands on all of the pastors and church members at the conference. So many pastors would say “No more pain” immediately after receiving their chiropractic adjustment! God truly moved through these talented doctors hands to heal.

After the break Dr. Pete spoke to the pastors about not wasting our lives. He told them about his brother in law, Jon, who at almost 30 years old and completely healthy died from a rare lung disease. He explained that we do not know what tomorrow holds. Dr. Pete told them that he wants to see 100 million souls saved in person and that he believes India will be a huge part of that harvest.

When you looked over the crowd you could see refreshing in the pastor’s eyes. It was like they caught the vision all over again. They looked so encouraged and ready to disciple the harvest!

We met for our daily time of prayer and worship at 5:30pm as usual. It was so precious because a young boy came in and stayed for the 2 hours we were praying. There was a time when I looked over and he was on his knees, head bowed and eyes closed worshipping! It was so touching to see the heart of a child interceding for his city’s salvation! There were so many prophetic words spoken through the team members. It was amazing to see how each word spoken confirmed a word spoken from another member. We are so blessed to have such a strong team that hears the voice of God!

As we pulled into the crusade grounds it was hard to make our way to the stage because there were so many trucks bringing people in from the surrounding villages! You could feel the physical presence of God and that angels were present to bring His purpose to pass. Dr. Pete told the people about some of the mass miracles in the bible and how the greatest miracle of all is Jesus dying on the cross for our sins.

When Dr. Pete gave the call for salvation people began to come to the altar. It was such a sight to behold so many coming to Jesus.

After all of the response cards were filled out and returned Dr. Pete prayed for healing. There were so many testimonies of miracles and healings but one of the most moving was about a young boy who was born deaf. The mother explained to us that when Dr. Pete prayed the young boy could immediately hear for the first time! While on stage the young boy seemed so frightened because of all of the new noise he was hearing. Another miracle was a woman who was deaf for 3 years and as Dr. Pete was praying for deaf ears to open she gradually began to hear his voice until she was completely healed! Jesus Christ is still our healer!

Upon arriving at Suryapet we visited the gypsy colony first. There are around 3,000 gypsies that live there. These gypsies worship and pray to rocks and they don’t have knowledge that Jesus Christ is the only way. Right now there are only 50 or so gypsies that have become Christians and committed their lives to serving Jesus. There is such a need to evangelize in this community of people. We drove into the heart of the colony and with only a small tent, one speaker and a mic, Dr. Pete began to clearly present the Gospel. Gradually people began to come out and listen to the white man speak. Several lifted their hands in response as Dr. Pete asked them if they would like for Jesus to come into their hearts. He then invited them to the crusade and asked them to spread the message throughout the colony! We believe that those that committed their hearts to Jesus today will be used to impact their own people and that salvation would spread like wildfire throughout the colony.

Next we headed over to the crusade grounds to pray over the empty field and for the crusade. We experienced such a feeling of anticipation and excitement looking over the altar area knowing that it would be full of new converts!

Our team gathered together at 5:30pm to pray and intercede for the crusade until it was time to leave at 7:30pm. When we pulled up to the crusade grounds there were still so many people walking in and finding a place to sit. The crowd was large! This meant… more people would hear the Gospel!

Dr. Pete presented the Gospel so clearly explaining to the crowd that there isn’t anyone that can die for your sin, only Jesus! He is the way, the truth and the life. So many gave their lives to Jesus, the altar was packed! After the prayer of salvation Dr. Pete prayed for the sick. One woman said she had a hole in her ear drum and wasn’t able to hear out of that ear for 10 years until the prayer and she could hear again! Praise God!

In closing we want to thank all of you again for your support. The facebook messages, the twitter responses and retweets are so amazing!

It is so encouraging to know that you are praying, interceding and agreeing with what God’s called us to do in India. Now is the time.

We visited the Manna Ministries campus in Kismathpur. The 15 acre campus hosts a children’s home with 388 children, a church that has a capacity of 5,000 members, a trade school, bible college, the primary school for the children and the future location of the widow’s home. We arrived just as the children were being dismissed from their classes. Perfect timing. As we got out of the van the children ran to greet us with smiles on their faces that were literally ear to ear. We spent time playing games with them and just enjoying their smiles and laughter. It truly put everything into perspective. These children hardly have anything, yet they have unspeakable joy!

Bishop Ernest told us a little about the orphan care center within the children’s home. This center started because they had found several abandoned baby girls. Could you imagine walking down the street and hearing the cry of a young infant only to find they are in a trash can?

What would you do?

Manna Ministries doesn’t have a choice. Every child left abandoned is brought into the children’s home regardless. It doesn’t matter if there is room for the child; it doesn’t matter if there is a sponsor for the child; all that matters is there is a life that needs to be saved.

We continued our visit in Kismathpur with a tour of the rest of the campus. We saw the trade school and bible college where the children who have finished high school can attend and graduate with a degree in whatever field they choose. Bishop Ernest told us that over 12,000 children have come through the Manna Ministries

Children’s Program over the past years. Incredible to think that 12,000 orphans and destitute children’s lives have been radically changed! It makes sense because every time we meet a pastor in India and hear his story, we learn that he was an orphan and gave his life to Christ in the children’s home. It is the strategy of the Lord. “Take care of the fatherless…” They are the ones who will rise up to disciple the harvest of souls in India!

Before leaving the campus Dr. Pete was able to bless EVERY child with a piece of candy. For something that seemed so small to us; it was so big to them. These orphans and destitute children are truly grateful for every gift they receive.

We finished the evening with another time of prayer and worship. We are so thankful that God brought together a team that understands the importance and impact of prayer. Prayer is the most vital way that all of you can join us and be a part of the work God has called us to do. Pray for the people of Suryapet; that their hearts would be prepared and they would receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior!

Jesus’ mother, Mary, who was with Him, told the ones in charge of the party to listen to Jesus and do whatever He says – wise advice! And, as the account of John goes, Jesus told them to fill empty vessels with water. Then, a miracle took place – the water was turned to wine. What was a failing wedding party became a celebration of abundance!

Did this happen because of the efforts of the wedding guests? Did the master of the feast have a magic wand in his back pocket? No, this feast went from bland to abundant through hearing, listening and obeying the voice of the Lord.

Do you want to have an abundant relationship with God? Invite Jesus to the party. Do you want to hear His voice? Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you (James 4:8). Do you want to experience the fullness of God in your life? Listen, and fellowship with His voice.

I pray that these short lessons based on elements from my book, Fellowshipping with His Voice, have been a blessing to you. Please check back regularly for more updates on the amazing things God is doing!

When I was reading through the Bible about how God was working to reach Israel, one thing stood out to me:

“I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.”
-Romans 11:11 KJV

God was working through the salvation of the Gentiles (non-Jews) so that Israel might become jealous of their blessing and want to be saved. The Gentiles heard and responded to the voice of God in obedience.

I know in my heart that if you are following the Lord, dying to yourself daily, and living for His glory, then there will be such blessing in your life that you will make people jealous! People will see your life and want what you have, and they will come to know the Lord because He’s working through you!

Please check for updates on my blog to learn more about listening to and fellowshipping with the voice of God. I’ll share more elements from my book, Fellowshipping with His Voice, on a weekly basis. I pray that it’s a blessing and encouragement to you!

“Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times.”

-Mark 4:3-8 (NIV)

Jesus later explains that this parable is describing what happens within people’s hearts when they receive the word of God.

You might have heard this parable interpreted as only applying to people who don’t believe in Jesus Christ . . . for example, you might have heard that when an unbeliever hears the Good News of Jesus Christ and the cares of the world chokes out the message, the Gospel can’t take root.

There is a danger in assuming that this parable no longer applies to us. Even as Christians, the voice of God is often choked out by the cares of the world . . . or we get excited about hearing the voice of God when we first hear it, but before it takes root it becomes scorched and withered by the trials we face in life. But when our hearts are prepared, just like the fertile soil of the parable, the word of God yields fruit.

Is your heart fertile ground for the word of God to take root?

Please check for updates on my blog to learn more about listening to and fellowshipping with the voice of God. I’ll share more elements from my book, Fellowshipping with His Voice, on a weekly basis. I pray that it’s a blessing and encouragement to you!