Adelaide

This is Adelaide.

She is 8 years old. When she was 6, she suddenly lost the ability to use her legs, and she has severe scoliosis.

Our team was fortunate enough to meet her during one of our walks around a village in Machava near the YWAM base. Paulo, our translator and guide, led us into her yard and helped us talk to her family. After hearing about her problem, our team spent about an hour in prayer over her. We prayed for physical healing as well as emotional healing; she was very shy and you could tell that she was very discouraged by her disability.

After praying for a while, we noticed a rope was tied around her waist. We asked Paulo what it was for, and he explained that it was given to her by the Church of Zion. The Church of Zion is very superstitious, and her parents believed that it would protect her from negative spiritual forces. However, we believed it was doing the opposite, and numerous people from our team sensed that there was spiritual darkness surrounding Adelaide and her family. We asked if we could remove the cord, but Adelaide’s mother said that she would need to ask her husband first. We agreed to come back the next day to spend more time in prayer over her after they removed the cord.

We returned to Adelaide’s yard the next day, and we spent more time in prayer over her. Unfortunately, Adelaide’s father was still not present, so her mother would not let us remove the cord. We continued to pray for a while longer, then we left and promised to return again.

Throughout outreach, we have met many people with health problems and disabilities, but something about this beautiful little 8 year old girl who couldn’t walk really captured our hearts. Before we went to visit her again, our team spent time preparing ourselves, essentially gearing up for the spiritual battle before us. We were all prepared to witness her physical healing and believing God for a miracle, and we were ready to cast out the oppressive darkness surrounding her.

When we went to visit her for the third time, we were all trusting in God that she would be visibly healed in front of us. Between our second and third visits, her parents had removed the cord, so we believed that nothing was holding her down anymore. We performed some serious spiritual warfare over the area we were in, and proclaimed healing and strength into her body. We lifted her up and told her to walk, however she still wasn’t able to. After hours spent praying over Adelaide, we had witnessed no visible physical healing. Paulo told us that her parents may have just removed the cord to make us happy, and that they would probably put it back on her after we left again. He explained that it means nothing to remove the cord if their hearts weren’t in it and if they still believed in the power it held. A few people on our team were discouraged, but as we went to leave, Adelaide’s mother thanked us, smiled widely and said “Please don’t give up!”

We returned one last time after that, and on our final trip we brought Adelaide a coloring book and crayons, stickers, and bubbles. She seemed more lively than she ever had before, and it was clear that she could feel God’s love through our actions. She had never said anything during all of our visits, but as she colored and played with the bubbles, she smiled and was more responsive. In that moment, it was clear that the spiritual oppression had been broken, and that God was beginning to restore their family.

Even though we didn’t witness a miraculous physical healing, our team was so encouraged by our interactions with Adelaide. We were tested in our faith, we were called to practice perseverance, and we tangibly experienced the power of prayer against unseen forces at work. God used us to touch the life of a little girl and her family, and we were able to share His magnificent love with them. We believe Adelaide will be healed one day, and we will continue to pray that the work God began through us will come to completion according to His perfect timing!

Snapshots of Mozambique (in words)

*2/11/11 edit: Snapshot #2 fixed (it had incorrectly pasted before)

Snapshot #1:
We arrive to a jailhouse. Guards with guns slung over their shoulders unlock a door and a dozen young men file out and sit along the wall to hear a word of encouragement from one of Mozambican young adults who run this ministry, who then turn it over to us visitors to introduce ourselves and share our own testimonies. If there’s time we also pray for them. Lastly, we hand out bread before they return to their shared cell.

Snapshot #2:
Over 300 children from infants to young adults reside in the IRIS Children’s Centre of Zimpeto, Mozambique. It’s Christmas Eve and we are all gathered to sing worship songs, dance, and end with a candle lighting in which hundreds of candles are distributed and lit, even to the little ones, and the lights turned off as we sing a song of praise to God. A few days later we are gathered in the prayer hut for New Year’s Eve, and the children are in groups going from station to station. They decorate and wear foam crowns, masks, and pipe cleaner jewelry. They make and play with paper bag puppets. And they get their faces painted. The room is filled with joy as we count down to 11:30 when we all head to the soccer field for a fireworks show. Almost everyone on the team notices how the entire horizon has a consistent flashing of fireworks in the distance. There are no grand displays, but only dozens of small, neighborhood displays that light up the night sky. The children cheer with each pop and flash.

Snapshot #3:
We take a minibus taxi to a boat to a truckbed taxi to the “bush,” or countryside, of Mozambique. We walk door to door to meet the people and share the word of God with them and pray for any of their needs. We invite the children to a “church” under a tree. We blow bubbles that they chase around in frenzied delight. We play games, sing songs, then perform our Shackles dance. On the way home, we count forty-two people in the taxi truckbed, some with one leg in and one leg out, hanging off the side. This is Africa!

Snapshot #4:
We head to an outdoor market to evangelize. Some young boys ask me how I’m doing. I say, “good.” I’m holding a guitar so I tell them I’ll sing them a song, which they agree to. As I begin the rest of the team joins in the song, and a crowd gathers to listen. From there we share two testimonies, perform a dance, and then pray for whoever wants to receive prayer. We say “tchau” and move to another part of the market to do it all over again. Then a woman who sells vegetables declares that we must come to her side of the market as well, so we do a third round in her area. Paulo, our translator, explains to me as we walk home that “They will remember this. They will ask, ‘Why did they come? They are not taking anything from us, they only come to share.’ It is a small deal to us but a big deal to them.”

3..2..1…BLAST OFF!

Well, here we are just 3 days away from embarking on the adventure of a lifetime. These past few weeks of preparation have gone so fast, and before we know it we’re going to be in AFRICA. We’ll be experiencing a whole new world (while singing disney songs of course), playing with some awesome kids, hangin’ out with the lions and giraffes, and seeing God work in crazy sweet ways. We’re counting on witnessing miraculous healings and restorations, and we are completely prepared for God to use us as his hands and feet!

In the past few days, our team has been learning to dance so we can perform as part of our ministry. It has been a great bonding experience for us, and we’re already becoming like a family! It is so evident that each person on the Mozambique/South Africa team was hand-picked by God for this mission. We all bring something different to the group and our prayers for team unity are consistently being answered. We are going to be a team that is recognized for our fun and happiness and love for the people we meet as well as our love for each other! Whether it’s by randomly breaking out into song and dance or laughing together about one of our many inside jokes, we are going to be a team that shines a light that reflects God. After all, He’s the one we’re here for!

God is definitely going to use us to do remarkable things together on this trip, things that we can’t even imagine yet. Just wait. He has already been so faithful, even tonight when there were problems with booking our bus tickets from S. Africa to Mozambique, we prayed and He came through and we were able to buy the tickets! Oh man. God is indeed great.

Well here goes! We’re off to pursue God, to do His work in the nations. We will be working with Iris Minitries for two weeks and then we will be staying at the YWAM base in Maputo, Mozambique, and after that we will move on to George, South Africa. We will be working primarily with children and assisting these ministries with their day-to-day work. There is also a possibility of some outreach into the bush. Other opportunities may arise, so we’re keeping our eyes open to however God wants to use us! Please say a prayer of safety, unity, and efficiency over our team as we prepare to depart on this great journey.

Isaiah 61-“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.”