Ten Days of Prayer

Today is the first day of the 10 Days of Prayer, an initiative of the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It is such a blessing to start the year with these 10 days of prayer and to know that people all over the world are praying for the very same things. In the past Roman and I did not have a church to do the 10 days of prayer with, so we praise God that this year the Sendling Church from München is excited about praying together for these 10 days.

For Roman and I, these ten days of prayer are even more special. Why? Because we are the authors of the material for these 10 days of prayer.

It was last year around this time that we started praying that God will use us more than He had done until then. We had in mind certain things that we could do, certain places where we could talk about prayer. But God's plans were MUCH BIGGER than ours. We were pretty shocked when we received an email from the Ministerial Association of the General Conference asking if we were willing to write the material. It seemed such a big task for two people whose first language is not English. And simply to think that this will influence millions of lives all over the world made the task seem very daunting. But we were also excited, nevertheless. You know those mixed feelings: feeling joy that God wants to use you and answered your prayer and being overwhelmed of the enormity and importance of the task! That is exactly how we felt. But we decided to take on the task and trust in His power to accomplish this sacred job because we knew that His strength can be made perfect in our weakness. 

If you have not heard about the 10 Days of Prayer and are interested in the material and in doing it with a group of people, the material can be found here: http://www.tendaysofprayer.org/. The material has been translated into several languages that can be found on the same webpage.

Here is also an article that the Adventist Review wrote about the 10 Days of Prayer: Adventist Church to Begin 10 Days of Prayer.

We pray that God will use the material for His glory and that many lives will be touched and changed in these 10 days of prayer. Looking forward to eternity when we will be able to fully see how God used our weakness to impress precious truths upon hearts and change many lives.

  

Youth in Mission - You Shall Receive Power

"1.700 of young people?  I do not think that I will be able to enjoy it like I did last year! There will be too many people. I'd rather go to smaller conferences! They are more powerful!" This is what went through my head just before Youth in Mission started. As you can imagine, I was a little skeptical even though I prayed and fasted for this youth conference. But God was ready to show me one more time that He can work in a powerful way with many people as well as with small groups of people!

The first surprise was Friday morning. Last year we had a good number of people joining us in the mornings for the 6 AM prayer meetings. I think that the most people we had were 87, and this was the last morning. But Friday morning we had at least 105 people in the room where I was. I say in the room where I was because I found out that many people went to the prayer room, not knowing that the morning prayer session was in a different place. My friend and prayer partner Sophie went there as well. She waited for me to come and when she saw that I did not show up, she lead the group in united prayer. She told me that the room was full. So, because we realized that the room was too small, we had to change it for the next morning. And praise God that we did, because we had over 205 people who came to pray with us on Sabbath morning. Sunday morning, even though we lost an hour because of the daylight saving, a good number of people joined us. And the same thing happened on Monday morning.

A few months prior to the conference, I thought that it might be good to offer the possibility to those who want to be able to lead out united prayer in the prayer room. So I asked the organizing team to include united prayer facilitator on the list of volunteers positions. 16 people registered. When we met to talk, pray and make plans on Friday morning, instead of 16, there were 20 people. Some of them decided to come and help even though they did not sign up to help in the prayer room. So, needless to say, this year I did not have to spend time in prayer room since there were so many young people eager to help out! And I could not be happier because more prayer leaders are formed in Europe! 

Even though there was so much interest in prayer, I still did not know how many I should expect for prayer during outreach. Last year there were around 40 people who prayed with us. This year the room was too small, as more than 85 people came to intercede for those who went out on the streets. Some people had to turn back as there was not more space in the prayer room.

Let me remind you that we are talking about Germany, the most difficult country I have worked in so far! I am talking about a country where most people are not used to pray out loud. Thank God that He has His people here, as well.

I am still marveling at what He did and how far He has taken united prayer in a little over one year. It was such a joy to have people come to me and tell me that they took united prayer back to their churches from Germany, Austria, Holland, Switzerland, Czech Republic and that it has been such a great blessing for them.

I was wondering before I came to the conference if I should attempt and have an all night prayer meeting. But I put aside the thought. The conference is too big. We are speaking about Germans here. Who will want to join a prayer meeting? I will be too busy with two workshops, a prayer room and a booth to take care of. I will not get too much sleep. So, with this in mind, I decided not to ask permission for that. But after my workshop, I was talking with one of the attendees about prayer when this person asked me to tell him about the all night prayer meeting. And, while telling him about it, David, one of my prayer partners came and asked: "So, are we going to have an all night prayer meeting?" So, I finally got it. God has been trying to nudge me before, but I ignored Him. I went and asked if we can have an all night prayer meeting. We ended up getting permission for pray until 1 AM, because of security reasons. We had a beautiful prayer time. I will never forget two young men who came and asked for prayer as they decided to get baptized and give one year of their life to Jesus.

Having Jerry and Janet Page as main speakers was a real treat! I simply love working with them! And they were a huge help in promoting the morning prayer times and prayer room. God used them to inspire the young people to pray more.

It was at Youth in Mission that I could see one more time how real the Great Controversy is. I was peacefully listening to the evening presentation Sabbath evening, when Wendy came and asked me to come out. She proceeded to tell me why she called me and another few people outside. A little bit earlier that evening, Edy, one of the attendees got a text message from a friend. It was a desperate text message about Clara*, this girl's sister, who was on a bridge trying to commit suicide. She asked Edy to try and do something. So he talked to Clara for more than 15 minutes, but could not change her mind. When he went back inside, the person sitting next to him saw that something was wrong. He asked Edy who told him the story. So, to make a long story short, he went to Wendy, Wendy got me and my sister and we went out on a hallway and started praying. I have to admit that I do not think that I have prayed with such intensity before. Knowing that the girl was on the bridge at that very moment and that our prayers can save her life, that she needs someone to stand in the gap for her made us pray like we have never done it before. At the end of the prayer session, when Edy checked his phone, he found a message telling him that Clara's sister was finally able to take her from the bridge. But you know what is the most amazing thing for me? Clara's sister was supposed to be at YiM, but she decided not to come the day before the congress. I know now that God stopped her because He needed her to be there so she can save her sister's life. Neither Clara nor her sister are Adventists, but praise God that He is no respecter of persons and He leads even those who do not know Him.

One could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit during the Conference! Oh, how I loved seeing Him at work! God showed me that He can also work powerfully during a big conference of 1.700 attendees. 

It was at Youth in Mission that I got the idea of starting a European Network of Prayer Warriors. Since I am traveling so much and meeting so many people who love to work for God, who are involved in His work and who love to pray, why not connect them so we can intercede for one another and for the work in Europe? We have 34 people from 15 countries in the group so far! And the number is growing as more and more people are requesting to join the group! So, if you are passionate about prayer and are interested in joining us, leave me a comment and your email address or contact me through the Contact form. 

I am eagerly waiting for next year's Youth in Mission Congress. And I am also looking forward to ARME Germany. So many young people told me that they are looking forward to it, too. God has started a work in Germany and I simply cannot imagine how much more He is going to do in the future. Little did I realize when I prayed last year: "Give me Germany or I die!" how far He will take this prayer and how much He will do. He has exceeded every expectation... And I know that He is going to do much greater things than what I have seen so far!



*Clara's name has been change in order to protect the identity of the individual.

GYC Portugal 2013 - Until the End

The more I travel and meet wonderful people, the more I see the pieces of the big puzzle coming together. And I simply love it! Knowing that not even one person God places in my life is there by chance and seeing how God uses each one of them to teach me more about Him, His love and His grace is enough to make me feel blessed beyond measure.

I eagerly waited for the moment to board the plane and be back in the country with warm and wonderful people (read about it here), to meet old friends and make new ones, to see the divine appointments He had for me there, to see how He changes lives and brings hope. Portugal is not a strange place for me. Their hospitality and warmth made me feel at home right away. Actually, I somehow feel part of GYC Portugal. I was there from the beginning, from their first conference and we share many memories. 

Honored to be singing with some wonderful people

I knew God has special plans for Portugal because I have seen Him at work even before I went there. I decided to try and get together a prayer team. So I prayed and approached a couple of ladies I met last year who left a deep impression on my heart and who were really committed to the Lord. Debora's answer really warmed my heart and made me see more clearly that God is in control and has a plan:

Dear Raluca,

My heart is so filled with joy and gratefulness today, I can't even explain it, words are not enough to describe what God has done for me and in me today. Praise the Lord! God chose this day to answer my prayers, and your proposition to be part of the prayer room is one of them :') I can't even hold back my tears dear Raluca. God is so good! My answer is: yes, yes and yes! I need God to work me in me and my character and I want to serve Him in anyway He asks me too. I think He just asked me through you to be part of this, so He can transform me as I serve Him. Your invitation was an incredible answer to my prayers of this last weeks.

What is Debora's story? A few days before I sent her the invitation to help in the prayer room, she had asked God to use her to reach out to others. First God placed her in a group of Christian young people from her university to study the Bible and pray with them. Than He sent her my invitation. Her answer to my invitation left me speechless and flooded my heart with joy. Needless to say, God put together a wonderful prayer team and I was blessed to have each one of them help with leading united prayer.

Last appeal made by pastor Jay Rosario

GYC Portugal was blessed with powerful speakers who challenged the young people to give their life to the Lord and serve Him. We were thrilled when 35 people decided for baptism after Jan Cabungcal's appeal. And almost everybody went upfront at the dedication service when Jay Rosario challenged us to be like the four lepers who could not be quiet, but had to share the good news with others. I know that many young people made some life changing decisions for Christ at this GYC. The many emails and FB messages I get are only confirming this. I happen to know just some of these people, but I know many more lives were changed. Just to give you an example, I heard that a young man decided to break off his engagement to a non-Adventist lady because God spoke to his heart. I am convinced more than ever that this is what we need: speakers to challenge the young people to make decisions for Him.

The morning united prayer sessions were a huge blessing for the many attendees who decided to join us every morning for prayer. Seeing (actually hearing) people pour out their hearts to God and seeking Him with all their hearts will always be one of my favorite things to do. 

United prayer session in the morning

Seeing people hungry and thirsty for God is what floods my heart with joy. Here are only some examples. 

GYC started on Friday evening. Since the next day was Sabbath, the united meeting prayer room was not open until after lunch. So I was very puzzled when I received a note Sabbath morning during Sabbath School and was asked to go to the prayer room. I did not want to leave the Sabbath School, but I decided to go and see what is going on only to find people in tears in need of prayer. 

Than there was this couple who pulled me out of a meeting because they wanted to start praying together and wanted some practical advice. 

I was thrilled when, upon coming back home I got a FB message from a stranger. An evangelist from Brazil who listened to the radio transmission of GYC Portugal and heard me promoting the united prayer sessions. Since the workshop was not streamed, He wanted to know how to pray with His church. 

GYC Portugal made me see again that there are so many people in need of Him, so many looking for healing. I remember that, as I was standing and talking in my workshop I spotted a young lady and I felt impressed to go and talk to her after the workshop. I did not know why. I did not know what to talk to her about. I just knew that the Holy Spirit is prompting me to go and talk to her. At the end, by the time I finished talking to other people who came to see me, she was gone. What to do now? Well, this is His work and He was the one who impressed on my heart to go and talk to her, so I asked the Lord to bring her in my way. Not long after that, as I was in the hallway going to a workshop, I met her. So I stopped and talked to her. At the end of our long conversation I had no doubt that it was the Holy Spirit who prompted me to talk to her. It was just one of the many divine appointments He had for me there. Who cared that I missed the workshop (btw, I missed all the other workshops because God kept bringing to me people who wanted to talk to me) when I knew God used me to bring hope to someone?

It is such a blessing to know that God uses united prayer and the workshop to bring answers to people. One of the young ladies I talked to after my workshop told me that a few weeks ago she had asked the Lord to teach her to pray. The following week she was asked by the leaders of a interdenominational group of students from her university to be the prayer leader. Now she was confused. She asked the Lord to teach her to pray and He is sending her an invitation to lead prayer? How could that be His answer? But His answer came a couple of weeks later. She came to GYC and attended the United Prayer workshop. And this is exactly what she needed.

Another divine appointment God had for me there was with a young lady that has been emotionally and physically abused by her father for more than 30 years. Sandra* has been hoping and praying for many years that God will place in her life people to help her start a new and normal life. She wanted to leave the home many times, but her salary did not allow her to have a decent life. She sought for help to some pastors, but it seems that no one dared to pull her out of the lion's mouth.  After a while, she gave up hope. She was drained emotionally, sick and exhausted. She stopped fighting. I have to admit that I was wondering how in the world was she still sane. My heart was so heavy as I listened to her telling me some of the horrible abuses she had to endure. Listening to her it was like listening to horror stories from another world. We talked and prayed together. As I was praying and begging God to do something for her the next morning, the name of a pastor came to my mind. Later on God just confirmed that this was from Him when my translator and another speaker told me that we need to talk to this pastor. And when I talked to Sandra, she confessed that she had been wondering if she should talk to him, as well. God is still working to set her free from this abusive home, but it seems that someone found a job for her and the pastor is determined to do anything he can to help her have a fresh new start. Praise God for pastors who care for people more than for their own life and safety!

Last prayer after the dedication service

You see, all these divine appointments make worth all the struggle of the endless hours spent in front of the computer trying to finish my workload for Hope Channel. This is what keeps me going. This is what makes me feel that I am alive, that my life is worth living for Him. It is Him shining through me that makes the difference. 

Speakers of GYC Portugal 2013 

We had a full house on Sabbath

I left Portugal so thankful for all the wonderful people God brought me in contact with, for all those who went home determined to start a new life, for those who expressed their desire to start a prayer group back home. This is what makes me determined to pour my life into His service more than ever. There is one thing that I desire more than anything else: that He will continue to shine through me and that people will see Him in me. I have to admit that I have never done so much one-to-one counseling before, but I immensely enjoyed it. Even though the pain of the people seems to crush me at times, I am thankful because it drives me to my knees. My prayer list gets bigger and bigger with each place I go to, but I can't complain. It is an honor to intercede on behalf of my brothers and sisters. I may never know the answer to my prayers in this life, but I a looking forward to seeing them in the life to come. What a day that will be! 

*Sandra's name has been changed in order to protect the identity of the individual. 

IMPACT Scandinavia - It Is Time...

Have you ever been so blessed that you feel it is hard to take everything in and you are simply overwhelmed? As I sit here and ponder over the last week and half, I can only say that God is amazing. And even though I know that my words will fall short in describing how awesome He is and how blessed I have been, I am still going to try to convey through words His goodness and blessings.

It all started with a group of dreamers who though they can get together over 300 young people in Scandinavia. Some thought they are nuts. Never in the Scandinavian history there has been something like this, but they managed to make history in Scandinavia as God used them to bring together more than 400 young people from 23 countries. I can only say that God is really raising up an army of youth in Europe to finish the work. At least 3/4th of the attendees came up front deciding to serve God, to go to a mission school or in a mission trip when Jesse Zwiker (one of the main speakers and Director of Wildwood College of Health Evangelism) made the appeal at the commitment service.

I knew that God was going to do mighty things because, as soon as I accepted to go coordinate the prayer room and have the workshop at this event, Satan attacked me and I started doubting that the decision to go there was the right one. But I trusted His leading. It is so interesting that Derek Morris was spiritually attacked, as well. But God got the victory!

I have attended many conferences all over Europe in the last year and a half, but I have to admit that none of them was so centered around mission work and finishing God's work. It was such a blessing to see all the speakers and organizer having the same mindset and the same goal. It only confirmed that there is so much power in working together in unity. 

I was so blessed to have a wonderful prayer team with people from Romania, Germany, UK and Sweden. Though the united meeting prayer room was in another building from the main meetings, I was amazed to see that many people came to pray with us. The presence of Elder Derek Morris was a blessing. I was pleasantly surprised to see people flocking to the prayer room after his workshop on radical prayer. They decided that they need the practice, as well. 

We also had united prayer every morning in the main hall and I praise God for the people who attended every morning. The group was bigger than I expected and people were really blessed. After the first morning I told to some attendees that we are thinking to make small groups and give more people the opportunity to pray, but they begged me not to. So we had united prayer every morning. Many told me that they have never experienced something like this before and they were moved to tears. I praise God for leaders (Derek Morris, Reidar Kvinge - the President of the Norwegian Union and other pastors and speakers) who joined us every morning. We stayed until late on New Years Eve (most people went to sleep after 1-2 AM) so I expected that we will have a small group praying on Tuesday morning. But it was not so. The number of the people did not decrease, but increased New Year’s morning for the united prayer session.

God not only blessed people at this conference, but opened new opportunities for united prayer. The Health Ministries Director from the Finish Conference decided that he wants to start an IMPACT project in his country and he asked me to come as a speaker and coordinate the prayer room. I talked to him about translating the United Prayer booklet into Finish language and he told me to talk to the Editor for the Signs of the Times who also attended the conference. I did and it seems that we will have it in Finish, as well. Than, I talked to the President of the Norwegian Union about doing the translation into Norwegian and he said that they want to have it in Norwegian and will translate it. Someone from the workshop also promised to translate it into Estonian. So, we will soon have more translations of the booklet. Praise God that the united prayer is spreading!

God provided an unexpected opportunity to share about united prayer with a non-adventist audience. I was asked to record a program for an ecumenical radio from Estonia. So I got to talk around 45 minutes about united prayer.

I have been very blessed by praying and talking to people, hearing their stories and passion for God. It is simply wonderful to see God lifting the burdens from people's shoulders. A mother came praying and crying before the Lord for her children and she left having peace in her heart. Another young man came to pray because he had just been informed that his 20 year old girlfriend  had cancer. It was a great blessing to be able to meet again people I met in other parts of Europe. Many of them are thankful for a second chance to come to the prayer room and pray with us. And it is also a blessing to know that I will meet some of them in the next few months at different conferences in Europe. I count it as a huge blessing to meet new people and make new friends. It is very encouraging to see many other young people with the same passion for God and God's work. 

One thing that God has been doing lately and He did it at IMPACT, also, is to rekindle my passion for education - true education as we find it in the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy, the education that prepares people not only for this life, but for the life to come. It was such an inspiration to meet people with the same passion. It's been 3 years since I have not been directly involved in the work of education, but God keeps reminding me about the importance of true education and I know that He is doing it with a purpose. I am eagerly waiting to see what He has in mind and why is He reminding me all these things. 

I keep thinking again and again how thankful I am to be able to work with ARME. I feel so alive as I get to share with people about my passion for prayer, as I talk with them, listen to them speaking about their challenges and then see God answer their prayers, and bring revival in their lives. It is what keeps me going and makes me feel that I am really able to make a difference for God. This life is worth living just for Him. Actually, ARME is the BEST THING that has ever happened to me. I simply cannot imagine myself having to be in an office full-time, like I use to be with HOPE TV. I am so thankful that God knew what I needed and He opened the opportunity for me to be able to work and travel with ARME to spread these Revival concepts through Europe. 

I believe with all my heart that today more than ever it is high time we pour our lives out for Jesus Christ. It is high time we live our lives for Him and Him alone. It is time we put everything aside and allow Him to lead our lives and use us in His service. It is time we make Him and His work a priority in our lives. 

I know that many decision have been made at IMPACT Scandinavia. So join with me in prayers for all those who have attended and decided to make a change in their lives and give their lives to Jesus. Pray for those six precious souls who have been baptized. I have no doubt that Satan will try to hinder them from allowing God to take full control of their lives, but I know that our prayers can make a difference. Let's keep praying for the work in Europe. I know that many doors are opening, but there is so much more work to be done. May we all press together forward on our knees. 

More of His Wonderful Blessings - AYC and Prayer Camp

AYC Prayer Team

When I look behind at the last 2 months of my life, I cannot but marvel at the wonderful things God did for me. First it was the GC Annual Council, than it was the AYC Congress in the Northern Germany and than the Prayer Camp in Romania. Even though I jumped from one plane to another and I had only one day between these three events, just enough to unpack and pack again, I praise God for strength. He knew that I would be traveling and He decided to build my body in such a way that I do not have a problem with the jet leg.

After the experience from GC Annual Council I decided not to do any more events without a prayer team and a lot of prayer behind the scenes before and during the event. And God sent a wonderful prayer team of 7 people at AYC, Germany. He did a miracle for one of the team members. She was not sure if she could come. But He proved again that He is more powerful than Satan and brought her. We spend a WONDERFUL time in prayer together early in the morning, during the day and late at night. I would not trade these moments for anything in the world.

The first night, after the program was done in the main auditorium, we got together to pray for an hour. We thought that it will only be our prayer team. Well, we ended up praying for two hours. As we were praying 9 more people joined us. The amazing thing is that 6 of them were from the organizing team! Praise God for leaders who see their need of prayer!

Another amazing thing is that the AYC was an answer to prayer for the local church. We have prayed for many months (since April) that God will provide a venue for AYC. But it seems that every time they found something and it seemed to be the right thing, the people canceled on them. It was not easy for the organizing team to know that they do not have a place for the congress. They even wanted to cancel the whole congress because they did not have a venue. God allowed them to go through the dark tunnel with apparently no light at end. And this united them in prayer. He provided the venue right before it was too late. They did not really like the fact that it was up North on an island, pretty far and isolated. But it was worth all the efforts and all the waiting, all the traveling because this was an answer to the prayers of the small church from the island who has been trying to follow God and spread the Gospel. As I got to pray and talk to a few of them, I realized that they are people of prayer. They have prayed for a long time for help to spread the Gospel on the island and AYC was God's answer to their prayers.

I was so impressed by a 12 year old girl from the island who came to the prayer room right after outreach to pray for the people she met during the outreach. Since our united prayer session was done and she was the only one in the prayer room, we just had special prayer for her (for around 10 minutes). Later on she went to her mom and told her that she was disappointed that we did not pray longer. How is that??? 12 year old girl... disappointed we did not pray longer??? Praise God for parents who raise their children for God!

Another thing that I decided after the GC Annual Council was to try and have an all night prayer meeting to the events I am going to. So, when we got there, we asked permission to have an all night prayer meeting. Permission was granted and we had an AMAZING and POWERFUL time in prayer until 2:45 in the morning. We had around 22 people join us which was a good number considering the fact that even though the Congress started with 250 people, some of them left on Sunday and there were only 100 something left on Sunday night.

During the all night prayer meeting one of our team members, Andre, left. I did now know where he went, but the next day he said that he went to talk to the guards about God. He told me something that revealed to me one more time the importance of intercession and prayer. He said that he had a wonderful and deep discussion with the guards as long as we were were praying in the prayer room. After we went to sleep around 3 AM they talked about irrelevant things!!!

Well, God showed me one more time that He loved Germany and He has many precious children there.

I came home determined not to go anywhere anymore. I had so much work to do and I needed rest. There was a prayer camp that started the very next day but since I did not hear from them, I thought that they did not need me anymore so I was determined not to go. Well, they contacted me a couple of days before the camp and insisted that I come. So I went. Boy, am I glad I went???

God really blessed this camp. It was a small camp of around 25-30 people. But I was very blessed. It is so good to meet Romanian people who are seeking for something more. We had 7 pastors join us and all of them loved united prayer.

We had an all night prayer meeting, as well, and prayed until 3 AM. Over 20 people came and prayed with us. It just showed me again that I need to try to do an all night prayer meeting at the events I am going to, if possible.

During the camp we prayed for the sister of one of the attendees. She is not an Adventist and she is a teacher. Three years ago she went with some students to the seaside. It so happened that two of them drowned and she was taken to court. She has been going to court for a while and it seemed that there is so much corruption and the others who should also be kept responsible try to throw all the blame on her and even bribe her lawyer so she had to change lawyers. Anyway, she had a hearing while we were in the camp and we prayed for her. The hearing lasted for 7 hours. She called to tell us that she felt the power of our prayers. She had peace the whole time.

Another thing we prayed for was the family of one of the attendees. His brother got married more than a year ago against the will of his parents and this affected their relationship. His mom simply did not want to accept his decision and there was a lot of tension and fighting back and forth. So we pleaded with God that He will take away the tension and mend the broken relationship. Two days after the camp he texted me and told me that his brother called his mom and that she told him that she forgave him.

It was amazing to see God brining together people from my own country with a passion for prayer. As you know, I have not really done a lot in my country because God did not open opportunities, but it seems that the time has finally come. In two days I will be at the AMICUS congress where we will have a prayer room and united prayer in the main meetings. We have been praying that this congress will bring a revival among the SDA students and we believe that God will do it. We have a good line up of speakers who are passionate about God and mission work. Satan has put many obstacles in our way but we are determined to go forward. He did many miracles and we are so thankful for His love and care for us.

God is also preparing the way for IMPACT Scandinavia (Sweden), an event where I am going at the end of December. I have been praying that God will pull together a prayer team, even though I do not know anybody in the Scandinavian countries. Last week I was impressed to ask a girl from the UK (she is Romanian) who attended ARME UK to come and join my sister and I at IMPACT. She told me that she cannot come because of her business (she owns a health food store). Two days later she wrote back that she bought her ticket and she is coming. Than I found out that another one of my prayer partners from Germany is coming. Isn't God good? I knows that He has great things prepared for us there.

Sometimes I wonder how would my life have looked like had I not known and served the Lord. He is the reason I live and love life. It is because of Him that I am happy. Had it not been for knowing Him, for serving Him, I would be miserable. I just love getting to know Him better, being in His presence, seeing Him showing up for us, changing lives and working in my own life. I was thinking these days that if I were to die, I would die peacefully because I know that I have not lived in vain. 

My "Enoch Time" at the GC Annual Council

If I were to characterize my time spent with the prayer team at the General Conference, I would say it was an "Enoch time". It was such a sacred time that I really do not know how to describe. There were three wonderful weeks spent with the Lord. I simply did not want it to end and I did not want to go back to my mundane activities. I think I now understand Peter who said to the Lord: "Let us make here three tabernacles" (Matt. 17:4) and I have also finally understood in a very practical way what David meant in Ps. 27,4: "One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple."

I have learned so much about Him, about prayer and especially about intercession. And I think that I have understood a little better the great controversy. I understood more of how important it is to pray under the stage, where no one sees and knows what you are doing. I saw more of how beautiful it is just to pray for people you do not even know and watch Him work and intervene in miraculous ways. 

I could tell you a lot of stories about how God miraculously healed my physical sickness right after He healed my heart, how He brought new team members to join us, how He opened doors for us to talk about and lead united prayer in several churches in Maryland, how He opened the way for us to have an all night prayer meeting in a church and made it a blessing for all who came, how He blessed the meetings the the GC and everybody said that they could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit, how He brought the leaders to their knees, how He brought to the prayer room people I knew and I have never thought they will come, how He strengthened us even though we woke up around 2:45 every morning, how He opened the door for us to pray in the President's office even though we have never asked for it. He did so many things and answered so many prayers! I have named just a few.

But for me the greatest work is the one that He did on my heart, the things that He revealed to me about Him and about myself. I think I understand better now why Jesus said to the disciples: "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven." (Luke 10:20)

I will never be the same after this experience. My prayer life would never be the same. I have learned so many things from the people I have prayed with. I have left the GC with quite a few decisions. Some are of a personal nature in regards to my personal prayer life. Others are related to my ministry. One of the things that I decided is that I do not want to go to another event where I am invited to lead a prayer room and have a workshop without a prayer team and without serious prayer behind the stage before and during the event. Actually, this experience convinced me that praying behind the scenes is even more important than praying in the prayer room with people. Another decision was to try to have an all night prayer meeting to the events I am going to. The three all night prayer meetings that I have attended in the last 3 months were so powerful and such a blessing for people, that I decided to try and do it whenever possible.

I have always said that I would love to go back and live in the jungle. But now, I changed my mind. I want to live in His presence, wherever this would be. I think that I have tasted a little more of His goodness, I have caught another glimpse of Him, I have beheld a little more of His beauty and I want to "dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD."