We have had such a dry winter and spring that the landscape was looking really dried out gasping for rain. Finally we had two days of soft rain and spring is really here and the trees are filling out with fresh green leaves. Sometimes it takes a long time for a breakthrough to come but when you have faith that it is going to happen you keep pushing and pushing for it.
We just had a wonderful weekend with Tom and Maryln Litteer at Living Waters fellowship in Newton, NJ, and we were praying for healing for people. On the Friday evening while praying for someone I got a word from the Lord, ‘Egypt’ so I asked the person we were praying for if that meant anything to her. She said ‘No’. The next day we were praying for a man who had slight one hearing in one ear only and limited peripheral vision from birth. We were praying with him on and off through the day and at one point I asked him where he was from and he said ‘Egypt’. At that point I knew God meant to heal him and told him, ‘I believe God wants to heal you today,’ and related to him the word I had received the day before. So we kept on praying and praying and I would have given up but for that word we kept on pushing until God showed us how to pray for him and his breakthrough came. His non functioning ear opened up and he could hear with that ear and was not using a hearing aid in his other ear. We are still believing his eyes will open to a full vision as well. To watch someone receive a gift from the Lord like that is so beautiful as they truly understand how much God is a powerful God and loves them in a tangible way. It is as though they receive their own personal springtime with the Lord and all is made new for them.
We are so excited about what the Lord is doing in our area as we start to get feedback on the GSSM satellite school we will be starting in September with our friends Susan and Ralph Baker Borgeson. We are still getting the word out and gathering information as to who would be interested in joining the student body. It is such a great opportunity for people both young and old to be transformed into walking in the supernatural ways of the Kingdom of God naturally every day. We believe it is it a part of our calling in this season to get this underway.
One of the discernments which has come out of our Thursday evening gatherings for prayer and worship is the need to AWAKEN this area, that there is a spirit of slumber over it. The area has taken on the mantle of Rip Van Winkel, the fictitious character who slept through his responsibilities after taking a drink. We have the Rip Van Winkel bridge which joins Columbia and Greene counties, over the Hudson river. Today in our village we had an announcement that there is to be a large Rip Van Winkel puppet show on our village green this Saturday. So we are just praying for that spirit to be lifted off this area that there would be an awakening in the community of the presence of the living and active Lord.
In all these areas that we are involved with we really need to have your prayers. God asked us ‘To build an ark in Philmont.’ and sometimes we call out to Him for more direction. We do ask for your prayers in all we are doing here.
We are excited about re-connecting with our friends in England and joining in with the prayer movement at Penetecost. Prior to the ARISE Pentecost meeting in Bristol, the Olympic torch will pass through and along with it, a prayer baton. Thousands of UK Churches are organizing to make the most of the media attention on their cities and creating prayer activities to engage people in God’s Kingdom!
From Charisma Christian News, More than Goldorganizer, Peter Meadows said:”Our conviction is that prayer and mission go hand in hand as churches respond to the Games. So, we are inviting every church, group and organization to explore creative ways to pray for all that will happen before during and after the Games,”Visit www.morethangold.org.uk for more information, and for Bristol related prayer events visit: www.bristolnetworks.org.uk
We are so grateful to those of you who contributed to make the UK trip possible. Thank you! Christine is planning a summer icon class on Tuesday afternoons in Woodstock, NY, God willing, and she’s been blessed with sales of some of her prophetic paintings this month. Please continue to keep us in your prayers, as you are in ours. We need each other! Love and blessings, Michael and Christine
|
Dear Michael and Christine
How great to get all your wonderful news and to read of your perseverance in prayer with tangible healing results. Very, very encouraging, praise God.
Here we are being drenched with rain, yet paradoxically still technically in drought. Ground hard because of a lack of winter regular rain, so water sliding off and not replenishing reservoirs. The more you think about it, the more parallels you can find spiritually! We are discovering that God is faithful in answering prayer too. We would value your intercessions for us at this time-Mike is suffering stress symptoms mainly due to work pressures, and at the same time has been strongly called to set up a Street Pastors scheme in Bristol. Details on the bristolnetworks as you mentioned above. Personally I am going through a lot of change, and I believe God is calling me into a deeper life of prayer but truly I battle with this. I have a sense we need to set up local groups for prayer for healing, like little training groups. I fell upon a book by a chap called Mark Wahle-‘How to pray for healing’. Very simple, very practical. Please pray for courage and wisdom around all that. I have vision and creativity and love being involved in prayer ministry but with so much going on in our lives I fear getting burnt out and lost as I have in the past. I am being pretty open with you here, but responding to your offer to pray. Thank you.
Great that you are coming back-time has flown since you went to New York. So exciting the big prayer event at Pentecost.
Take care and may God continually fill your lives with His love and beauty.
with love
Nathalie and Mike Pout