Thursday, February 27, 2014

Missions Trip Praise Report

March Mission Trip Praise Report


(From Rev. Dr. Alan Keiran): The Lord is so good! Our third trip to India was the best yet! We had 6 adults on our team - Robin and Kay Smith, friends from VA, Kurt Pfotenhauer, our Board Treasurer, and his brother David, a dentist and worship leader from Indiana. 

After a short layover in Dubai we jetted to the closest international airport to our final destination. We were picked up by our hosts and whisked 4 hours to Hotel River Bay for our third visit there. Hotel and wait staff greeted us as friends and couldn't be more helpful. We dove into greetings with the Light Home kids and had a wonderful time. Ministry with widows, pastors, those with leprosy was awesome…I saw about a dozen miraculous healings among the widows I prayed for. 

The most exciting one was an elderly woman with cataracts. God replaced her cloudy lenses with brand new lenses—all in about 30 seconds…PTL. We are now over our colds caught on the way back to the USA. I pray that those God touched with healing will testify that the Lord is our healer!! Amen 

(From Rev. Sally): Thank you so much for undergirding us with your prayers.We felt the prayer support and greatly appreciate prayer covering. It was essential. love, Alan, Sally, Kay, Robin, Kurt, David

Divine Appts. – During 8 hr layover in Dubai Intern’l Airport – Sally had boldness to share with our 2 Airline Agents testimonies of God’s work in the world today … the reality of Jesus as Living Savior of mankind… and His Healing/Miracles working power. 2 seatmates during flights were Indian Christians (a blessing); 1 seatmate was Neonatal Doctor from Sudan – all heard of the reality of our living God and His mighty works around the world today. Alan witnessed several times to waiters at our hotel’s restaurant.

Sharing Jesus’ love with Orphans – We had 3 wonderful days at the Light home sharing Bible stories, making crafts and seeing the children receive God’s love through love gifts we brought and creative balloon animals. They had never seen balloon creatures. David became very skilled after making 68! Lol. ~ Our team prayed for the 4 HIV Children (Eshwar, Mohan, Devi and Ramya) asking God’s healing power to completely restore them. Believe with us that they’ll be healed! All the children and staff received blessing prayer for Jesus’ love and grace to touch their lives for His glory.

Rural Pastors Encouraged and Blessed – Our team spoke messages given by the Holy Spirit to about 40 pastors who work in remote areas. Many make very little money and yet serve faithfully proclaiming Christ. Some are threatened, some have been beaten. We anointed these pastors and asked God to release signs and wonders through their ministry as in the Book of Acts. We told them in America we are hearing of their work – that God is bringing Revival to India. That news blessed them. 

Seeing Jesus Heal the Sick and Widows Receive God’s Grace – As Alan mentioned above, God released healing power during the Women’s Meeting with many widows present. Healing flowed to overcome shoulder pain, leg weakness, chronic pain, arm pain, cataracts, fear and emotional pain gone in the power of Jesus’ name. David and Kurt were used by God to bring great emotional healing to the women as they witnessed Jesus’ compassion releasing them from sorrow, and healing broken hearts.

Blessing the Victims of Leprosy – Just as the compassion of Jesus flowed from the men as they ministered to the widows, Kay and I shared the love of Jesus with the lepers and tears flowed as our hearts almost broke over their condition and poverty. Kay spoke beautiful words of encouragement to them, and we both prayed over them, touching all 50 of those gathered. I stayed during their meal and was profoundly moved in being able to offer a cup of cold water to an elderly women who was missing fingers. Looking into her eyes made me see Jesus – as he said, “Whatever you do to the least of these you do to me.” I (Sally) wept.

Testimonies of God’s Mighty Works – Since our previous trips, we heard that one of the HIV boys is much stronger now. ~ The spiritual Dad of the 3 brothers, Pastor John Moses works so zealously sharing Christ, and he shared that most of his village people are now Christians, Praise the Lord! ~ 2 years ago on our last trip, I shared with the leprosy victims of Jesus’ suffering and glory (the message which resulted in my book). A number became Christians after hearing this message.

Prayer Requests –
Pray – for continued spreading of the Gospel in outlying villages where the rural pastors minister.
Pray – for blessing of the Light Home and staff who work so tirelessly to care for the children
Pray - for 4 HIV children and 2 with Asthma to be healed
Pray - speedy translation of Sally’s Book on Suffering. One of the brothers believes God will use this book to bless many, as they understand their suffering in context of God’s Redemptive purposes.
Pray – for supernatural healing of leprosy victims and for future home for them where they can have dignity restored and not have to live in huts or without shelter
Pray – that God would continue to heal the broken hearts of the widows (in India widows do not remarry – a sad reality of this culture)
Pray – outpouring of Holy Spirit and revelation of Jesus Christ as Savior for all mankind
Pray - complete recovery of team, there are some residual health issues with some of team maybe from anti-malaria medicine taken

“The whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God as the waters cover the sea.”

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Part 5 Holy Spirit Baptism


A week later my friend Chuck gave me a copy of Merlin Carothers’ book “Prison to Praise.” Since Merlin was a military chaplain I read it in right away.  I noted that he wrote about Holy Spirit Baptism…Something I never heard of in any of my seminary classes. The next day my friend, the only Pentecostal in our seminary, came into the bookstore as I was unpacking boxes.

I asked him what Holy Spirit Baptism was and he said, “I need to go out but I’ll be back soon.” An hour later he handed me Don Basham’s book, “Handbook on Holy Spirit Baptism.” I read the book in three days. That afternoon mu wife and I sat down on our living room couch and I said to the Lord, “Father, I am not moving off this couch until I am baptized in the Holy Spirit. So please make it obvious to me”.

The next thing I knew I was in a vision seeing Jesus from the back with his right arm around my neck as we both gazed at the huge mountain before us. As I was watching this I saw Jesus at the top of the mountain with his arm around my neck looking down the mountain. I saw a trail that stretched from the bottom to the top of the mountain and I was impressed by the Holy Spirit I would have a very long journey of ministry and that Jesus would be with me all the way.

Then a very amazing thing happened, I witnessed the “path” that I saw spanning from the top of the mountain to the bottom detach from the mountain and become a ticker tape with non-descript words on it. (As a cryptologist I used a similar type of tape to send messages to headquarters.)

I started reading the “words” on the tape and I felt as if my feet left the ground. Then the Lord shoed me another vision. I say a huge lake filled with crystalline “water” radiating the love of God. Then I saw a huge waterfall where the glory-like water was falling 500 feet or more and below there were people in the splash of the glory dancing and singing praises to God.

Then I realized that there were many thousands of lifeless people that had not yet come into the expanding waves of glory. They were “frozen” in place, but when the glory touched them they too became praising God and filled with the Holy Spirit. I am still not sure what all this means, but I know that the Lord has shown me something wonderful. 

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Part 4. My Call to Ministry


After our marriage and a move to Amherst, MA for me to complete my senior year of college, we joined First Baptist Church there. Rev. Dr. Jagger was our spiritual mentor and father in the faith for almost a year. In my first semester of my senior year I was sitting in our living reading the Bible and I heard in my mind the words. “You are going to be a Navy Chaplain.”  I knew it was God and said, “But God I don’t like (Navy) officers. But, Okay, if that’s what you want.” In February of my senior year I was interviewed by my denomination’s endorsing Rev. Jack Barker, and approved for military service.
Seminary

I matriculated at Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary in the fall of 1976 an economics graduate among many Bible School Graduates. There I was challenged and stretched as a student, part time youth worker, husband, father and Navy Chaplain Candidate. It was the best and worst of times considering that I rarely rested enough and didn’t feel ready to be a pastor.

Naval Chaplain School, Newport, RI

After my second year of seminary, Sally and I packed our yellow VolksWagon beetle and headed for N.T.C. Newport, RI. During that time I was initiated into a culture of very bright, patriotic and God loving men and women who love our nation and its history in peace and war. Eight weeks of early morning exercise and 3 mile runs were almost daily duties prior to our eight hours of weekday instruction on ministry to Sailors, Marines and Coast Guard men and women. I absolutely loved that sometimes grueling exercise and always friendly conversations with peers.  After graduation we drove back to Seminary for my final years of theological training.

Don’t Anger God

In early January 1976 I was severely chastised by the Lord. I was way overloaded in my commitments. I had only one day of partial rest amid all the expectations and commitments I was involved in. It was a Monday night. I was looking forward to watching a football game after a six hours of studying Hebrew, four hours in the bookstore I was managing for the seminary, and little sleep…It was my time to relax…At least that is what I thought!

My wife was not feeling well that night and our 3-month old daughter was fussing. I felt a rush of anger fill me when Sally asked me to help her with some little thing…I was livid! But not for long…..

The next voice I heard was the angry voice of God! I felt his anger…He said, “Turn off you TV and don’t watch for a year!” I immediately took our suitcases out of our little storage closet and packed away the TV….for a year! No kidding!!!!!!