Conference Week

Monday evening was the start of the madness. It was a crazy week of early mornings and late nights. There were 3 sessions a day at the conference and every session started with about an hour of worship. The people here are so full of expression and life and so is their worship. Jumping, dancing, shouting, conga lines and dance circles, belly bumping, people tossing ... yes, belly bumping and people tossing! It was like ... I don't even know what to compare it too. Total joy and craziness, fun and laughter, passion! Amazing. They sang many songs that we knew, only in spanish and they love some of the old Jewish songs that I hadn't heard in years which were really fun to dance to. By the third day and an average of 3 hours of energetic worship every day my body and my spirit were tired and my heart tried to offer the sacrifice of praise but at times I was so tired and thankful that my kids "needed" my attention ... not really, but Jesus knew my heart ;)

The teaching was awesome and getting to know the team was great, but my greatest joy was getting to know the pastors. Thanks to everyone who prayed for supernatural spanish for us. I could not believe this week and how often the words or the understanding was there when it needed to be. Graeme has such a great ear and understands a lot so between us we catch a fair bit and with the little bit of english that the pastors had we were truly able to build relationship in just a week. There were several Guatemalan pastors, 3 in particular that won my heart ... ooooh ... to put into written words is so hard. My heart is so full for these men. I think Graeme and I both fell in love with them. They have such gentle spirits, so tenderhearted and full of love. I feel so privileged to have met them. But honestly there are so many like them here. The people are so amazing.

I have so much more to say about the words that were given, the paintings that Bailey, Graeme, Ben and I did in prophetic art, the connections that we made and how amazing it was to see so many pastors get their first taste of the supernatural lifestyle and leave asking "How do we get more?" ... "How do we teach our children to prophecy like yours?" ... "Could we have a school of ministry in Central America?" ... they are so hungry, desperate for more. They asked for counsel on how to empower a prophet in their church and wanted to understand how children could do so much in the power of the Holy Spirit. I am so moved now as I consider this. I have never seen such hunger, such passion in the pursuit of more. There are many pastors who have invited us to come to their churches and speak while we are here and 1 who will serve us in any way possible because he wants relationship with us. He wants to catch what we have.

Once again I am overwhelmed. I am so thankful that the Lord chose us, but feelings of inadequacy flood my heart and my mind. It doesn't leave me sad though! Even as I write through tears I am filled with a joyful confidence and hope for what God will do through me and through Graeme and our kids while we are here. Their hunger does all the work. It pulls on heaven and then heaven will show up on anyone willing to be His hands of feet. It was one Nicaraguan girl who went to Bethel and asked them to bring their culture to Nica in the form of a mini school ... only a one week conference! But I believe this moment is pivotal and is a foundation for a great work that is beginning in Central America. One girl, Ixil, with passion and hunger brought pastors from 5 nations to hear that God is good and he is moving in power today! And they left with a deeper hunger and passion that will change their churches, their cities, their countries and an entire continent for eternity! This is more than hope that I feel in this moment for this continent. It is surety. A hundred and fifty powerful men are going home to their churches of hundreds to thousands and telling them that God is good and his Holy Spirit is moving in power. This is a total paradigm shift for much of the body of Christ, but especially here. Managua has been called, in prophecy, the epicentre of a new move of God and I believe this was a historic moment. I am so thankful for Ixil and her vision and that God wanted us to be a part of it.

I am also thankful for naps. We got home at about 3 this afternoon and all of us went to bed for a nap. The kids argued a bit, but as soon as their heads hit the pillow, they were gone. It has been a stretch for all of us and the kids did great.

On that note, my nap wasn't very worthwhile if I stay up the whole night. So I should close this one for now. It's already 12:35am local time and "Peluche" the family puppy, starts barking at 6am sometimes :P

Love and Blessings :)