Praising God for ASI Spain

I have just arrived home from ASI Spain where Melissa and I hosted a prayer room. God has been good to us! He blessed us tremendously!!! I have no words to describe how blessed I have been there!

Though I was supposed to team mates come and help me, a couple of weeks before ASI Spain I was told that Irene and Arlaine did not get their visa and Andrew could not come to ASI Spain and GYC France. When I got the news, I remember telling a friend that I will pray and ask God that He will not give peace to someone until they come and help me with the prayer room. And He did.

Wednesday morning, 24 hours before I was to leave for ASI Spain and 48 hours before ASI started, I got a phone call. When I heard: "This is Melissa Miranda" I was shocked! I have never ever talked to Melissa, and I was wondering why she was calling. To make a long story short I will tell you that God has not given her peace, and she felt impressed to call and offer to come and help with these three events (ASI Spain, GYC France and Euro-Africa Division Annual Council). So, 47 hours later Melissa landed in Madrid. It has been a dream of hers to come and help promote united prayer in Europe and God has fulfilled it. Praise God for how He knows to send the right people at the right place and also to fulfill our dreams.

ASI leadership was really supportive of the prayer room, and they did everything they could to help and support us. They have rented a beautiful room for the prayer room. It was the most beautiful room in the building and had clouds on the ceiling! Can you imagine a better place to pray…besides being out under the sky directly?

Also, God gave us many opportunities to share about united prayer. We were able to share about united prayer twice on Friday and three times on Sabbath!

ASI started with around 80 people on Friday morning. After our presentation of the prayer room, almost a third of the attendees came right away to the prayer room. When the afternoon program started there were more than 600 people in the audience and on Sabbath there were over 1000 people.

One of the greatest blessings we had was to be abel to lead the whole congregation in united prayer Sabbath morning, just before Elder Mark Finley preached! It was such an amazing experience to have more than 1000 people unite together in prayer!!! 

We were not supposed to have united prayer but, when I asked if they would be interested in having united prayer with eveybody, the ASI President told me to talk to a pastor who was in charge of the moments of prayer. Melissa and I talked to him and, though he had made plans, he sugested that we take the most important time from the whole convention, the prayer time just before the divine service on Sabbath morning! Praise God again!

On a side note, we were very surprised to hear that the united prayer is going strong with one church in Denmark. One young man from Denmark told us that a girl from Iceland, who is living in Denmark, was at GYC 2010 and came to our prayer room. She was so inspired that she took united prayer back to Denmark! Praise God for His unexpectated ways of working!

Sabbath morning, Melissa and I prayed that God will send us someone who will be willing to share their testimony. Hardly had we finished the prayer when 4 young people from Hungary, Denmark and Germany came in. They had been to the prayer room on Friday so we started asking them about their experience. One of the girls had a wonderful testimony and she agreed to go with us on the stage and share her testimony. And it all happened right before we were to go on the stage. So, praise God again!

Sabbath morning, I led a session of united prayer right before we were to go and lead the whole congregation in united prayer. There were only 5 of us in the prayer room (three girls, my translator and I), but it was a powerful session. We all could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit, and I know that He was working in their hearts because all of them were crying. I had to hurry and go to the main meeting hall because we had to lead united prayer, so I asked them to come back in the afternoon because I want to talk to them. God brought them back to the prayer room right in time for us to ask them to share their testimony about united prayer for our final sharing time. They came during the session that was right before we went on the stage for the last time. We asked them what was their experience in the prayer room and, as tears were streamming down their cheeks, they confessed that they have never experienced something like this. One of the girls has prayed for a long time to be able to feel God's presence and to feel that He was near. And she was finally able to experience His presence in the prayer room. She also said that she has never had such a peace in her heart. Another girl said that she has never had such a joy in her life. I have chatted with her just a few minutes ago and she told me that her day is great, and she is so happy because she finally has God in her heart. We just praise the Lord!

I was also impressed by a lady. Sabbath afternoon Melissa was leading a session of united prayer while I was at the door trying to see if there are more people who want to come in. While I was there, a lady asked me if there is any water in the prayer room. Apparently someone has told her that there are bottles with water in the prayer room. I told her I did not know if there was any water left, and she asked me if I can go and check for her. I told her, "Why don't you look and see!"  Five minutes later, when I entered the prayer room, the same lady was praying and crying before the Lord!

Another Romanian lady in her 50s was really moved and she told Melissa that she has never prayed for 45 minutes in her entire life!

We have seen many people in tears. Many took the decision to recommit their lives to God. Many were determined to take united prayer back to their homes. The Youth Director from the Union came three times to the prayer room, and he is determined to take this to the young people for all of Spain. The Pathfinder director from the Union and his wife joined us too, and he is determined to promote united prayer amoung the pathfinders. We had a girl from Hungary who said that they are going to have a Youth Convention in Hungary next weekend, and she wants to take united prayer there. The wife of the Pathfinder Director offered to translate the united prayer handbook into Spanish. I believe that we need to have it translated into many languages, and I praise God for those that are inspired to do the translation.

So, what else can I say except, praise God!!! He has been more than faithful! It is an honor to be able to see Him changing lives through united prayer.

Let's keep moving forward on our knees!

True Greatness

There has been one name that everybody has been talking about for the past days. One name mentioned in a lot of newspapers, webpages, blogs, tweets and facebook posts: Steve Jobs. A lot of my friends from facebook have been quoting his words, posting articles about him and also the inspirational speech he had at Standford University. People are talking about him as someone who had a great impact upon the world and has changed it, a visionary and genious, a great man. And though I have many things I could object about related to his vision, lifestyle, values, etc. this is not what I want to talk about. His death and people's comments made me think about greatness.

A great man... What makes someone a great person? How do I define greatness?

I remember sitting in my office and translating a program in which C.D. Brooks was interviewed. And as I was listening to him speaking, my eyes got moist. He talked with so much power!!! Every morning, as I am going to work with the earphones pluged in ears, I am listening to God's word preached by different people. And many times my eyes become moist because the Holy Spirit is at work. For me, they are great people.

I know a lot of people who have left the comfort of their houses, left their families behind and chose to go in the middle of the nowhere, in the jungle or desert, to far away lands, to live a life of self-denial and hardships in order to take the Gospel to people who have never heard about Jesus. People who have given their all to God, people who live by faith and depend on God alone. For me, they are great people.

I am more and more fascinated by biographies of people who lived a life of prayer, people like John Hyde, known as Praying Hyde, Rees Howels, Charles Finney, Geroge Muller, E.M. Bounds, Martin Luther, David Livingstone. People who learned what prevailing prayer means, who learned not to let go of God unless He blessed them, who felt a burden for souls and who interceeded for others. People who went forward in faith and stepped into the Jordan believeing that the waters will be parted. And I am also fascinante by people who are alive and do the same things. For me, they are great people.

I admire people who, even though they might not be called to the foreign mission fields, they do whatever they can to glorify God where they are. People who are humble and who do not depend on their own wisdom. They choose to do the work that lies nearest to them. They choose to be faithful in the little things and they are living testimonies wherever God placed them. For me, they are great people.

I also admire people who understand that, in order to serve God, you must first be willing to forsake your reputation and work for the glory of God and the betterment of others. People who are available to be broken, to die to self, and to be put back together by God. For me, they are great people.

So, for me, a great person is someone ...

... who is humble.

... who is meek.

... who seeking for God with all His heart.

... who depends on God and makes sure that he does not do what he wants, but what God wants him to do.

... who does not try to please people, but God. 

... who is willing to answer God's call.

... who does not make plans of His own and is

... who lives to bless others.

... who has a ferent prayer life.

... who is ready to give up his dreams to live God's dreams for his life.

... who lives a simple life.

... who glorifies God through His words and behaviour.

... who is not ashamed of Jesus.

... who is not afraid to admit his mistakes.

... who does not trust his own wisdom, but trust in God's wisdom.

... who inspire those around him to love God more.

... who is willing to be broken and to be put together back by God.

... who is in love with God.

... for whom God is everything and enough.

And the list can go on...

They might not be the brightest people. They might not have revolutionized the world with their inventions. They might not be known world-wide. They may not have been given awards. And they many not have the peope's recognition. But they have changed lives for eternity. They have drawn people closer to God. They have shown others God's love. And they surely have the heaven's recognition and a crown waiting for them. No, they are not perfect people. They have their own struggles but they have learned to depend on God, they have seen their need of Him, they have asked Him to take full control of them and this is what makes the difference.

If you think that such people do not exist anymore, let me tell you that they do. I praise God for surrounding me with such people lately. It is one of the greatest blessings He has ever given me. And it is one of the greatest honors I have received from Him.

So, I thank God for the great people that have lived in all the ages, for those who are living today and for the ones He brought in my life. Only eternity will fully reveal their greatness.