Peru Nov 2005

Returning to an area we'd visited over 2 1/2 years ago, our team of 48 included Dennis Walker, his daughter Kelly & her husband James, who brought a group of mostly youth from California for the first mission experience for many. Jim & I had arrived a day early along with my nephew, Cassidy, who was also on his first mission trip. A young couple, Paul & Sarah, spent two days before the team arrived with pastor Wilma and visited the over 250 street children she works with in Lima and fell in love with Wilma and the children. Wilma also joined us on this trip for some rest.

Ministry Begins with Drama, Anointing, Signs & Wonders

The large bus rumbled over the Andes mountains with the team of excited youth and about 10 leaders. Satipo was our first stop, where mountains meet the jungle. On our way, we noticed several large mountain fires, burning uncontrollably because of a drought in the region. After almost 11 hours they arrived, just in time for the first of 3 nightly crusade meetings in the main plaza. After the group 'Excelencia' led worship and singing the youth from California performed a drama and some special numbers for the crowd. Jim preached with great anointing about being filled with the spirit like Elijah when "He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers." He contended for the Holy Spirit to come and stay upon us with power as in the days of Elijah! God gave us signs and wonders through the team — one of our girls on the team had a dream about a woman holding a baby that had 4 major things wrong with it. She was amazed during ministry time in the meeting, when her dream unfolded before her eyes. A sick baby that couldn't speak or walk, with a crooked spine, and a bump on its neck which rendered it immobile, was healed by Jesus and began speaking and walking! Numerous other healings broke out that night.

Prison, Hospital Outreaches, Salvations in School, Soccer Match

During the next two days in Satipo, the team visited a prison, preaching the gospel to the captives, held pastor's conferences, visited and prayed with hospital patients, and rode 'mototaxis' to two schools where they performed drama, music and dancing. Jim preached a salvation message to the older children of secondary school (around 360 students) who all prayed aloud with him for salvation. Then they engaged in a friendly soccer match--Peru vs. US and they soundly beat us! At the elementary school the team also performed music, drama & dancing and the 340 or so young school children and teachers listened so attentively as Kathy spoke and prayed with them for salvation. Then Jim was asked to speak to the teachers about their tremendous responsibility in shaping these young lives. We prayed over them for a fresh vision and strength. There were lots of smiles and friendly interaction with our team of youth before it was time to go.

More Miracles

At night Jim preached with a tremendous anointing that broke open the heavens. Dozens responded to the call for salvation and the Lord confirmed his word through signs and miracles. Some of the most memorable include a young man with a broken collar bone who came forward to say he heard his bone crackling and could reach through the cast and feel that it was mended! A woman came up for prayer and her hernia disappeared! Three men with back pains testified the pains were gone!

Praying with the Mayor, Signs & Wonders -- Rain After 70 Days of Drought

The lady mayor who previously had given permission for us to use the plaza now wanted to prohibit us from meeting there as she was holding special meetings in her office next door, with officials from Lima regarding the threatening forest fires. We met with the mayor the morning of our last crusade meeting as she'd threatened imposing a fine for continued use of the main plaza. She told us she'd watched us the night before with our team dancing with the children and knew she couldn't shut us down and that even worldly concerts held in that plaza didn't draw as large a crowd as ours. Jim and I met her and Jim gave her a prophetic word about protection for her and about her son which brought tears to her eyes. (She'd been held prisoner against her will recently in some land disputes!) She told us one of the nearby fires had been put out the night before by a localized thundershower and someone told her our group's singing and dancing had brought the rain! We laid our hands along with the mayor's hand on the newspaper picture of the problem fires and prayed together for rain and for wisdom for this lady mayor. Jim preached that night about Elijah being "a man just like us," who prayed for rain and it fell! We got a message 2 days later that rain had came the very next day after we prayed--first rain in over 70 days! We rejoiced that the God of Elijah had come through in demonstration of power!

Fires, Earthquake, and Wind - Signs in the Earth of Spiritual Happenings

The forest fires surrounding Satipo and the rains that came were the first sign of something happening in the spirit realm. In the hotel one afternoon near Santa Ana as Jim was praying for the night meeting he suddenly felt the bed shaking and bumping up against the wall. He realized it was an earthquake which several others felt, and was about to get out of the hotel when it stopped. We found out needed rain came to that city, too, after we left. In Pichanaki upon our arrival we went to a typical open restaurant near the river and noticed the sky was hazy with smoke. As the whole team waited for our food, the sky churned up some dark, tempestuous clouds and strong winds began blowing everything sideways followed by a heavy downpour. We wondered if the restaurant's thatch roof would hold up as pieces of thatch floated into our drinks. We then prayed for God to stop the rain by 6 p.m. for the night outdoor crusade and He did!

Over 1500 Decisions for Christ in 10 Days

During the 10 nights of crusades and daytime outreaches in the 3 cities where 1-2 thousand gathered each night in the main park. We thank God for the over 1500 decisions for Christ. Jim preached each night, shared his testimony which touched the youth and Dennis translated for him and taught in pastors' conferences during the day.

Numerous Healings

Some of the testimonies we saw were of a woman with cysts on her ovaries that were gone. A man with cataracts had his eyes visibly clear up, another had rheumatism in knee healed and hearing restored 100%. A little girl came forward to say she no longer needed her thick glasses she'd worn most of her life as her mom wept. A lady with a breast tumor for 4 years had had surgery which only divided tumor in two and now it was totally gone! There were also multiple deaf ears opened, many hernias & tumors healed, pain gone, and too many others to write down.

Weeping and Shaking in the Presence of the Lord - Hundreds come to salvation, many healed

The final night in Pichanaki the park was overflowing with an eager crowd of over 3000. As Jim invited the Holy Spirit to come there was such a heavy presence that was felt that even those in the back corners had their hands raised and the people just stood there weeping and shaking in His presence not wanting to leave. His Spirit had invaded this place and hundreds responded to the call for salvation that night. Many were healed just standing there. Even though we had felt the effects of the fires, earthquake, and wind we now basked in the sweet presence of the Lord that descended upon us.

Thank you

Thank you so much for your prayers during this trip as they were really felt! We so appreciate your part in bringing in the harvest.

Love & blessings,

Kathy & Jim