Winter 2006Bob Ekblad, Executive Director
This month, I traveled to Honduras to visit Tierra Nueva’s village trainers. I was encouraged to see them renewing their commitment to serve farmers in extreme poverty—the landless, single mothers, and those struggling with alcoholism, domestic violence, sickness and depression.
Near our center in Minas de Oro, I visited an impoverished village where promoters David and Jorge Calix live. They invited the villagers to a Bible study on Mark 1:21-34. We talked about how Jesus began his ministry at the margins of society, in Galilee. He preached, “The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel,” and then began calling ordinary people to participate in his ministry of healing, deliverance and proclamation. We noted that Jesus spoke and acted with great authority, evident through his teaching and rebuking of unclean spirits. Jesus raised up Peter’s mother-in-law, sick with fever, and healed all the ill and demon-possessed.
Where did Jesus get his authority? We read the account of Jesus’ baptism, when the heavens were torn open and the Spirit descended like a dove and a voice announced God’s favor—even before Jesus had done any works. We invited the Spirit to be present and prayed for people suffering from pain and sickness. Several people said they experienced relief, and all of the fifteen participants desired prayer to receive more empowerment from the Spirit to become directly involved in Jesus’ ministry.
The next day, Elia (a TN promoter) and I visited women she attends in nearby villages. With every encounter, signs of God’s kingdom became increasingly visible. A family in the hamlet above had children suffering from Dengue fever.
“Let’s go pray for them, Roberto,” Elia said.
I agreed somewhat reluctantly, afraid of getting sick from the dreaded fever. But the thought of Jesus healing Peter’s mother-in-law from fever mobilized me. We hiked up a steep trail to a humble home with corn husks drying in the sun. We laid hands on the girl and her brother, commanding the fever to leave in Jesus name. In addition, we prayed for their father, who had continual pain in his lower back and leg. He said the pain completely lifted, and enthusiastically urged his wife to receive prayer for pain in her head, neck and spinal column. She reported a fuego (fire) from her head to her lower back, and the pain completely left. Now the
daughter was lying with her head propped up, smiling, and saying she felt better. The son had gotten up, his fever gone. Elia and l headed down the trail, giving thanks to God.
Next we visited Hector, a retired TN promoter who had led a phenomenal Bible study with thirty villagers for nine years. Sadly, the success of this study led the local Catholic delegate of the Word to close the study two years before. We prayed that God would help us see reconciliation and renewal in this community. When we arrived, the delegate greeted us warmly. I told him that Hector wanted us to lead a Bible study or perhaps pray for the sick. He invited us to a special service for the Virgin of Suyapa, a commemoration of a Honduran manifestation of mother Mary. I agreed to go, remembering Jesus’ frequenting of the synagogues in the villages he visited.
We proceeded up the dirt road past rows of adobe houses and were ushered into a crowed home with some fifty men, women and children. The service began, with songs commemorating Mary, Scripture readings and an inspiring homily by the delegate, who upon finishing announced that I was now going to lead the group in a service of healing. Shocked, I quickly sought a way to avoid being the gringo man of power for the hour—a role I have intensely disliked. I spoke briefly about Jesus’ passing his mission to the disciples, giving them power and authority to do the same. So Jesus desires to empower all of us, I concluded, inviting people to pair up and pray for each other to impart the Spirit of the Lord upon their partner as they repeated Luke 4:18-19 over each other.
The people enthusiastically responded, and I asked who needed healing. More than twenty-five people raised their hands. I invited everyone to lay hands on each other and we prayed, commanding pain to leave in Jesus’ name. We repeated: “This healing belongs to me because I am a child of God. I receive my healing now as a free gift in Jesus’ name.”
Over fifteen people experienced immediate and total healing. The group gave rounds of applause to Jesus, who had visited their village in such a concrete way. We then invited anyone needing more prayer to a nearby home, which was soon crowed to overflowing with others who had heard about the healings.
For the next hour, Elia and I prayed for the sick, including the delegate of the Word himself, who broke down weeping and confessing his need to humble himself and receive, even from people who weren’t Catholic. Elia and I returned to Minas de Oro late that night, amazed that the Kingdom of God had indeed come close. I return both humbled in awestruck by the new things that God is doing among us.
