An unforgettable week.  Igor, my translator - a Ukrainian veteran of many Eastern European conferences - said he believed this to be the most effective conference so far. We saw God change lives right before our eyes.  As speakers brought Kingdom understanding on such topics as forgiveness, abortion, communism, occult, power of words, blessings and curses, large numbers stood up or came forward for ministry. When Lenin declared that there was no God millions fell into the waiting arms of the occult - from consulting the local 'babka' (witch) at every turn of their lives to even dabbling in satanism. On Wednesday morning I taught into the occult and false religions and we saw much deliverance during the ministry from the platform.  Jesus sets the captives free!

On Wednesday evening I taught on bringing God's healing into pain and illness caused by accidents or traumas and demonstrated the teaching by praying for two people on stage (a first for me!)  God graciously healed both.

On Friday morning's two sessions on Understanding deliverance I felt led by God to move off the conference notes and speak more into their true identity in God and it was obvious that this was truly God's agenda for that moment.  As the revelation of their identity as God's sons and daughters began to touch their hearts we saw great healing as God's Spirit brought deliverance from longstanding cultural and spiritual strongholds of rejection, shame and low self worth.  I will never forget that session!

On the very last session when Otto Bixler was speaking he asked us all to pray for people with bad backs (common under communism) and God graciously healed the man I prayed for.

All too soon the conference was over - climaxed by much praise, worship, testimonies, and finally ending with more than one hundred people holding hands and dancing around the room praising God.

Memorable stuff - Thank you Lord for the honor of being part of it!

Our team. Zoli from Hungary. Two Wendy's from England. Vera, Luba, Raya, and Tanya and translator, Igor, from Ukraine. And myself from Ireland. The love amongst this team was something quite supernatural.  There were many tears shed at time of parting!

Six teams - including a Polish team and a Hungarian team - set off to work with various churches .  While other teams moved south to the Caucus mountain region or north to Ukraine for their church visit, Otto Bixler's team, Roger Lewis's team and my team remained in the city at different churches and on Sunday Otto's team and my team joined forces for a joint church meeting.  Otto preached on fear and seventeen people came forward to receive salvation!  Sharon Bixler then had a word of knowledge and the person responding was instantly healed. It was good stuff. 

Seventeen Russians come forward to receive salvation

An afternoon service was planned where Otto would teach on communism and I on occult but it was suddenly cancelled. This was a sample of how unstable arrangements were to prove at times.   Our team's week was divided into two clear halves.  The first few days could be termed as chaotic confusion as it became clear that our accommodation and translator needs had not been properly understood.   It seemed as though the purposes of God were being thwarted.  God then gave us the clear word that we were to be still and know that He was God, that in quietness and in confidence was our strength, and so we waited on the Lord.  He told us that He would fire one shot and that what He wanted to achieve through us would be achieved.  We began to get excited rather than dismayed.  And that is exactly what happened!

Suddenly on Monday morning the spiritual atmosphere was different and PCA's (personal counseling appointments) began to happen.  We were finally all at one ministry point and we managed to get one and sometimes two - and for one morning, even three - translators.  God was moving in every prayer ministry situation.  Again we saw broken hearts healed right before our eyes

Update on Paula's work in Chechnya?

Pray for Paula Meet one of God's heroines!   Paula O'Keefe stayed behind when we left Russia.  After receiving training at Ellel Pierrepont's six month 'NETS' school she  has now set up a trauma centre for Chechnya refugees in Russia.  Another Jackie Pullinger in the making?

On Monday evening I taught on God's order for sex and marriage and much ministry followed as Kingdom understanding broke through.  However as I taught I could not help but notice that the church members sat scattered throughout the great hall - with often as many as ten empty chairs between them.  Many arms were folded.  Many faces were emotionless.  It was a cold starting position!

But Tuesday was truly God's promised 'one shot!'

I woke up knowing in my heart that God was asking me to go aside with Him for the whole afternoon - which ministry co-ordinator and co-leader Wendy Whitten was able to organize, and so I waited on God's message.  After three hours I received only one short message into my spirit - but when I began to unpack that short word to the church that evening something quite remarkable happened.  Something of God's glory came upon the people in that dark hall that bore one of Lenin's proclamations above the stage.

People began to weep as father God touched the hearts of His children.  The Pastor too!  One man arrived believing he was coming to hear a 'police team from abroad' (??) and sat dumfounded saying only that there really is a God and that He saw His Glory before His very eyes in the room.  One Ukrainian team member testified to seeing the brightness of God in our midst.  One man who had been heavily into black magic, astral projection, Hinduism, budhism, martial arts, etc found himself weeping uncontrollably, crying that all of Russia needed to hear this message that God was truly a 'Father'  Amidst tears he explained that he had known no father until that evening when he saw for the first time that he had a Father.  For the first time he saw the truth that Jesus' daddy was also his daddy and it changed him in an instant from a stony faced man into a man with a heart of flesh newly burdened to tell everyone the truth that had so dramatically set him free.