A Sweet Surprise in the Weekend

For the past months, God has been giving me what I call "The Best Weekends Ever". He is so good and He makes life very beautiful.

So this weekend, I was registered to go to Bound with Them Conference by Voice of the Martyrs where I will hear from missionaries who were persecuted. It was for free so I thought it is a great opportunity to go. So Friday night involved me getting lost driving in Virginia while following the GPS followed by some pressure in coming home early and pressure from friends. It was a perfect place to thank God and stay calm and rejoice despite the circumstances. I had fun that night. We had dinner with friends as one friend celebrated her birthday. I praise God for His loving work in me. He is amazing.

Then it was time to go to the Conference. I got there just on time. I started to cry as the worship leaders started to sing songs of worship. His love enveloped me and filled me with something I can't explain. I love every moment. It was very inspiring to hear from missionaries who were persecuted and yet, they continued to be bold in spreading the Gospel. They never ceased. They never stopped. They are more willing to spread the Gospel and giving their lives away for Jesus Christ. Some of them have been shot several times, imprisoned, tortured and beaten. They have experienced a lot of near-death situations but they never gave up. It makes me think that persecution is not something new when you live and work for God. You will get it. It is part of the plan. It is part of living for God. It prepares my heart for what is to come. I know I will get it too because I know I am living for God and I will give up my life for Him. He is worthy.

They were asked what would they want people to pray for them. They said that we should not pray for persecution to be removed because the more they are persecuted, the more people come to the knowledge of the Truth, the more people give their lives to Christ and for this one great Battle. Persecution yields more result than a persecution free life. I can't held back the tears.

One sweet surprise is to meet Gracia Burnham. A missionary who was taken hostage in the Philippines, together with her husband. They were taken hostage by the Muslim terrorists. It is such a privilege to hear stories from her. She invited me to have lunch with her. I was really blessed and happy! I got to talk to her more and got to know her more. Later on she invited me to her house if I pass by her state. I was really really happy about that. Praise God!!!!! I felt very special. We had a nice time talking about the Philippines and about the terrorists who got saved while in prison. It is amazing. God is amazing!

The other missionaries who were there was Russell and Getaneh. Russell is a pilot missionary in Colombia. He flies a plane and drops literature, Bible in Colombia. They have also established radio stations for people to listen to and hear the Gospel.

 

To read more about him, go to http://www.persecution.com/public/newsroom.aspx?story_ID=Mjkz.

Getaneh Getaneh is a missionary from Ethiopia. He has experienced being imprisone and tortured for being a Christian. He has been to Somalia where there is no government there. He has experienced tremendous persecution. When he was 13, he became a Christian through a missionary. He went home and told his mother about it. His mom convinced him that he is already a christian because he was baptized when he was a baby. She proceeded to tell him about Mary. He wouldn't agree with her so his mother grounded him to stay at home for 2 years. He couldn't go anywhere. He didn't go to school. One day his grandmother/mother's sister (I am not sure) came to him telling him she wants to be free from the spirits. He told her to flee from it, repent and believe in Jesus. She did and she was delivered. When his parents knew about it, they both knelt down and gave their lives to the Lord. He is so bold for the Lord. One day, he was arrested and tortured. His feet were dipped in the water and his fingers were plugged to electricity. While that happens, he got a vision that God telling him to tell the person torturing him that God loves him. So Getaneh said the John 3:16. "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but will have eternal life." That man gave his life to Christ.

It is amazing how God moves through persecution. Thousands of lives have changed and it is so sad how many of us are scared to go through it. I admire their fearless attitude and boldness for the Lord and I desire the same.

After such a wonderful time, I went to see Ate Jazz and drop my gifts for her kids. It was a wonderful time since I haven't seen her and talked to her for a very long time. She is one of my treasured friends. I am blessed to have her as my sister in Christ.

On Sunday, it was our Church's 29th Anniversary. We had ministry fair. It was fun. Prayer time was also wonderful. I didn't even the chance to speak because the other prayer warriors are just pouring the Kingdom of God with powerful prayers. It is so amazing to watch and experience it. God is good!