I Give Up

Message by Mrs Amanda Valle.

Stay blessed!

To You Oh Lord

They are here, Oh Lord, with all their power and authority to finish up my life and all that I have built for myself through Your strength. I am small, powerless and in their eyes weak but You oh God, I revert to you for help.

You have never left me alone, you have never left me to sink in the mud nor to drown in the deepest seas. You have been my light even in the thickest darkness that the world can produce. Through my anxieties you have held my hand and rubbed my shoulder with comfort telling me that you are with me.

Thus, you are my Lord. I cling to you and I give every affliction of my soul to you for they might come with their weapons against me, still, there isn't weapon strong enough to defeat Your mighty hand. They might show up with their authority to overpower me, yet, you are King of kings and Your authority but Yours alone reigns Oh Lord!

I will Acknowledge you in good and in bad times.

Stay Blessed!  

The Ladder

Watching the ladder and having a closer look at it, i come to realise something so strong about it. We use the ladder everyday and we actually never relate it to our daily lives.


The ladder has principles. yes, basic ones even!

How we succeed and how we fall uses the same principles the ladder does. First: when climbing the ladder, you must do it ALONE, or else you’ll fall and injure yourself and even brake the ladder. Second: when on the ladder, ensure that your hands are HOLDING ON to it, if not, still you’ll fall and injure yourself again. Third: LOOK UP never down or the sides, result: Falling and injuring yourself again!

This is very strong. 1) You first should be alone when you’re making your way to the top. You should never listen to voices form your friends for few are those who want to see you succeeding than falling/ losing. You are with God, not with anybody here in this world. Any decision that’s going to bring change in your life, BE ALONE with God!
This is mostly everybody’s mistake. 2) Letting go! We hold on at the beginning of our way to success, but we get tired with time. When we get tired, our arms lose strength and then lets go of our dreams. Lets finish what we started by HOLDING ON. Its not easy at all. Especially when the winds starts to blow threatening your the stability of your ladder, you just wanna let go and move on. Not on a life changing matter, NEVER!

Now this has to do with what most if not all of us have gone through, our past! 3) We allow what happened to us in the past to hold us back and we sob and feel sorry for our selves. Where can that take us if not keep us stagnant? Instead, it builds in us, hate, grudges, anger and all those nasty feelings. We need to apply the last basic principle of the ladder, which is simply just to LOOK UP!

What’s funny is that all of the above principles have the same result if they are not carefully obeyed- FALLING! The rest is for you to think about and conclude.

Stay Blessed!

Leadership

I was once in a needy situation. I was nothing and even thought that everyone living under the surface of the earth do not care about me. Life was hard and I had nowhere else to go. I was humble to everyone because I needed their pity. I thought if would be proud I would not have anything to eat.

This the situation of many people, or rather was the situation of many. While things were not going well for you, you were so humble, loved everyone, had respect, was willing to help other people and acknowledged authority.

Because of that pleasing attitude we displayed when were were in need, we found favour in the eyes of those who were in power to put us high. They did to us what they thought would be profitable to us, giving us a job, helping us open businesses, taking us to school etc. we climbed high, we became somebodies in our areas. That pleasing character starts to change. It now starts to have a bitter touch.

When you are a millionaire, don't show that you have millions in your bank account but let your millions grow. If you are a manager, don't show that your a boss, but let what you do excel. You must not be high but your resources must be high.

Quote of the day: “A bird flies and searches for a place to land... it never flies forever”

Stay Blessed!

Whatever!!!

Do you think you can tell your friend to just get over it?

When a friend is always depressed and sobbing and you, as a good friend you try to get what's the problem, she/he tells you but, all that she says is out of emotions and they're feeling sorry for themselves.

Or maybe it's you! You never get enough or tough in what you are facing. Instead, you always feel sorry for yourself, you always cry and never see the way out, you always self centred and never have a solution. If this is the case, you might still need more problems to peel off the soft and fragile skin you have and give space for the tough you!

Yes! It is the truth. Do not expect to have the solution of whatever situation you have any time soon. That's because you are still a baby, you are not strong yet. The day you will pull your sleeves and say, I am strong and I will NOT act like a child, that's when you let go of your biggest enemy.

Whatever that has taken your self esteem, whoever abused you, whoever hurt you, they did not take your life away from you, you still have it so please Just GET OVER IT and move on!

God wants brave people to work with, not people who are forever feeling sorry for themselves.

Stay Blessed!

I woke up

I woke up

to a new day

to a new pavement

to a new beginning

I woke up

from a dream

from a deep sleep

from the un-paying sheets

I woke up

to a faith

I woke up

to faith

I woke up

to a promise

I woke up

A promise in Isaiah 41:10

An assurance in Luke 1:37

and complete care in Psalms 55:22

I woke up still a child of God!

I love Him.

This Little poem I have composed for myself gave me a sense that everyday that the

Lord Jesus is giving to me, is an opportunity to praise Him, to make the impossible possible, to fix yesterday's mistakes and embrace God's different and new blessing.

This also applies to all of us!!

Stay Blessed! 

Value

When we compare today's lifestyle with the one of the past, we notice that we have achieved quite a lot of thing today. Things that are very helpful and which also make our lives easier. The most dominant achievement is the advanced technology of today.

Also, we have achieved freedom in many other areas. There are no longer gender limits like before but we all can do everything we desire to do without gender issues. Especially for women, we have been given much freedom and we thought that it was working for us; and yes, that's true. It is working for us. But, as compared to the past life, we have lost one but most important thing- value.

A person's pride came not from what she/he eats, dresses, drives, owns etc. But it was something that was in them. Just by talking to them, seeing them pass by your street, the way kids spoke to their elders you would quickly know they are noble. That's the value they had and we lack today!

A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. (Proverbs 31: 10) This is what their value was worth, far more than rubies!

Let's start looking for things that will make us remarkable people and not one of those people who have made the world chaotic.

Stay blessed!

Cast All Your Burdens

We all have been on situations that are pretty much daunting and not having a way out form them. I remember I had done something wrong and regretted after. I always thought that I am tough enough not to commit such a mistake. I found myself in that situation and I didn't even notice that I was actually doing wrong. But when the job was done, that's when my eyes were opened and I actually did something wrong!

I felt so bad and I cried bitterly. In the process of my sobbing, I started to see myself as the worst person on earth. I started feeling like a 'sinner' and never wanted to be close to people. I would see wings on them thinking that they're all angels. To make it worse, I even felt like they saw what I did. Oh! That was a bad feeling to have. Very bad!

“Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.” Psalm 55: 22.

That's exactly what I did. I did not like myself but I gave myself to God and guess what? He restored me. He actually opened my eyes that when He tests our faith, He stands and waits for our reaction. When we lose ourselves in mistake/sin, He is actually showing it to us that we are nothing without Him. Our pride falls and we become humbled and begin to acknowledge the real authority that's above us

Believe me, that's much better than being in a state of regret. God gives you the relief that you can't make it without Him in this world. You are just lost and lifeless! That's when I realised that all that I am isn't with my strength but it's actually God's strength and image.

There is nothing scary or painful about casting all your burdens to the Lord, its just a sweet feeling of humility.

Stay Blessed!

I am tired, time's gone

“ I have been waiting in the Lord for a long time for Him to bless me with a job but nothing is happening. I sometimes feel as if I am wasting my time here in the church as I am not getting what I am asking for...”

These are the words of a young man I was speaking with in church. He was fed up, hopeless and very disappointed. He did not want to hear a thing about God nor the church any more. You could see from his face that he is troubled and convincing him would just be impossible. He had made up his mind already on the next step he would take, and who would be strong enough to try convince him not to take the path he was about to take?

This kept me thinking for a long time of how many people were once serving God but they eventually saw no use to do so anymore? Or maybe people who are still with us but their thoughts are already polluted by these kind of thoughts?

Probably many of them. I am no pro of how to help them but God has all the tools to help. Jeremiah 29:11 - "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" This is what God said.

If what you are looking for is delaying, fine, but He said His plans are not to harm us but to prosper us. By doubting Him and deciding to go out of His presence, its to call upon yourself harm, something He said He will not do. Staying with God is prospering!

Since He is the author of life, he know of what is good and the time it will be good at. Let us not move away from God but keep believing on His promises because He is faithful.

Stay Blessed!!

A Little Brave Girl 3

From this short story we have being reading about, we notice that not all the time does life turn out the way we want it to. This little girl had dreams, she had desires where she wanted to have both parents around. She was dreaming like any other normal child.

Unfortunately, life had something different in store. This girl is Me.

I always prayed for my parents to have long life. I wanted what I wanted not what God wanted for them and for me. How was I to know all that I know today? How was I to know responsibility? Above all, how was I to know God?

From then on, my life changed completely. I had to know everything and to do everything. Before I knew that I don't have to do everything because someone will help me. The first thing that I did was to give my life to God- 100%.

You might ask yourself why didn't I do something for a living? The truth is that if did, it was not going to last because there won't be God in it. The Word of God says that 'but seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well' Matthew 6:33.

God became the foundation of all that I did and possessed.

God did for me what a parent could not do for his/her children. He became more than a parent to me. Though I used to pray, go to church, give tithes, my life would have been in misery if I never gave it to God fully.

Whether we have parents or not, alone or not, whoever we are, we just have to give up our will and start putting our whole lives on God hands. When Jesus said "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it." Mark 8:34-35, he knew what He was talking about.

Stay Blessed! 

A Brave Little Girl 2

The relatives were hurt and very disappointed as what they have hoped for did not happen. Now she was stuck with her step father. An old man who did not appreciate her even when her mother was still alive. He used to say things to get her angry so she can move out of the house. Was that going to stop since she needed comfort now more than ever? We do not know! Only time would tell.

Later things worsened and she only realised that her step father's stay there was not to play daddy to her but to actually kick her out of her mother's house since it was now hers. She was abused more than before. Her relationship with God grew strength and she was able to resist all that was happening around her.

She would go to school weeping, with an empty stomach, with the trauma of the terror that was happening at home. She would not even concentrate. All she did was shed tears. Still, her faith was compelling her to be more close to God and to do God's will, though it was tough to do so.

“ I remember the prayer I once made when I was about to leave my house going to stay with another member of the church: 'God, make me please you in all the decisions I make. Be it to leave my house or to stay in suffering.' All I wanted was to please the Lord Jesus.” She said. She was brave. She was even at the verge of leaving her house.

She did not leave but faced all the challenges with God by her side. The step father left the house and now she was left alone in the house. That was after 2 months after her mother's death. (still in pain). Peace came to her heart but a great struggle she was about to face. Having to be fully independent.

That's when her insecurities began to sprout and become flowers. How is she going to get food to eat? What about clothes to wear and school expenses?

To be continued...

A Brave Little Girl

Her parents died when she was 14. She was then persecuted by her relatives only because of her faith in God. Her relatives gathered one day at her house for one reason , but one reason only. To try talk her out of following Jesus.

She was so tiny in the house. There were so many adults and they were bigger that her, more mature than her and even wiser than her. She was by herself while the troop of relatives were angry and furious and looked like they were lions hungry to kill. She was shaking and could not stand rigidly on her own, she needed at least the support of the wall as she could not sit because the house was packed and all chairs were occupied.

When they started opening their mouths to shout at her, to discourage her, to overwhelm her with fear, their voices were like thunder. They were too loud and too distracting for her. She could not bear it. In the midst of all that horror, her mother's words started hovering over her mind. “ 'Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.' Mat 10:21, this shall come to pass when I depart from this earth and you shall be alone” She realised that she did not understand these words at first but now she was forced to.

“'Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?'Rom 8:35 not even me my baby. I can do all but I cannot separate you form the love of God.” He mother's words proceeded in her mind. That was enough to dry her tears from falling, to strengthen her bones from shaking and to calm her heart from fear. She had God, so she does not need all these gigantic people around her.

She raised her face and looked at everyone of them in the eye and said: “ GO! LEAVE ME IN PEACE. I SHALL NOT COME AFTER YOU FOR THE LORD GOD WILL PROVIDE.” Yes, those words came from a 14 year old telling her relatives, people who had condition to take care of her to go and leave her in peace.

To be continued...

Have you Been Abused

I was once kidnapped by eleven guys when I was 13. I was still young and whatever happened to me just became trauma. I thought I have failed myself and my mother. It was not easy for me. I was even unable to go to school because whenever I went out of the house I would see the kidnappers coming to take me again.

My life was hell. Three nights of trauma and fighting changed my whole life. I became sick after escaping. I was not sick with a disease but with trauma. I was messed up as mind was no longer thinking positively. I felt stinky and dirty. I could not accept myself as I used to before the abduction.

After three months, I was abused again but more on the emotional side by my mother's death. Remember: I hadn't recovered yet, I was still in deep trauma. I felt like I had nothing left for me here on earth. I have to be honest; it took me years to find my feet again. I was shattered inside and it was reflected on the outside.

One day I realised what was missing in me: it was appreciation. I was blind for me to appreciate the life that God gave to me and the tools He gave me for me to rebuild my life.

• I had brains- for me to build confidence in my and never accept defeat.
• I had hands for me to do something better than sitting and moaning out of my past
• I had God who always held my hand for me to never be alone and find comfort in Him.

That was enough for me to move ahead with my life and conquer great things. After realising that, I said to myself: ' Yes, they did abuse me, but they did not kill me.' So I had to do something out of the life I was given by God.

Whatever happened to you in the past that maybe broke your confidence and your self-esteem, yes, it did happen but it did not kill you. Wake up and live the life that they could not take away from you and be a better person.

Remember: “...What is impossible with man is possible with God.” Luke 18:27

Stay Blessed!

Are You Ready to lose?

I remember some years back I used to tell my mother that I love her so much that I cannot even afford to lose her. I wanted to be the first one to die hoping that she will have another baby girl to replace than for her to leave me with the pain and the grief. I just hated losing her because I had already lost my father.

I was so close to my mother. We had more than a mother daughter relationship. She was my friend. I spoke to her about everything and she did like wise. I still repeat: I did not want to lose her. Its was just too much for me.

But why do we hate losing things? Why do we want to have things forever?

Some of the reasons we have may be because we don't want to be losers. That is more than correct! Nobody wants to be a loser. We cannot lose something we have achieved with sweat and maybe even with tears. Nobody knows how we got where are and have what we have today except us! So, we don't want to just let the wind pass with what is ours by!

I think we should start seeing things the way in a Godly way. God never allows us to lose things just so we can be losers. For us to achieve even greater dreams, we must go through the losing process. He is then paving the way for the bigger dream that we have always had. God is making us ready to please Him with what we have achieved.

How are we going to see the need to glorify God if we never went through loads of trouble? If we were never really put to shame? He is the God of the poor, just for the glory of His name.

In all that we hope to achieve, we must be ready to lose something valuable to us as a sacrifice and with a motive to praise His name at the end. “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him” John 9:3

Stay Blessed!

Different Pacts

deal/dēl/

Noun: An agreement entered into by two or more parties for their mutual benefit, esp. in a business or political context

This is what I found from the dictionary. It explains how a deal differs from a covenant. That means there is no deal if there is no benefit for both parties. It is never a long term commitment. Maybe there isn't even commitment in it.

Who makes deals? People who want to benefit something from someone, thugs, drug dealers, people who are in trouble etc. it is rare to find people who are in a normal state of life. People who do not like drama will not make deals because deals are cold. They are lifeless, hard. They give a sense of the world.

Satan is the king of deals. He makes deals with us just so we can be fooled and give our all to him and get nothing in return. He will never give something that he knows it is more than what you want. Instead he gives you less. He gives you something that looks like what you want to have.

He will fool you until he gets what he has been looking for from the deal you have made with him. There is only one thing that he wants out of a deal- your soul. He can give all that looks like what you wanted but he would have taken all that matters to you by taking your soul.

Lets look at this:

cov·e·nant/ˈkəvənənt/

Verb: Agree, esp. by lease, deed, or other legal contract.

Noun: An agreement.

A covenant is legal. It is by deed and unconditional. When a couple make their marriage vows, they make a long term commitment: till death do us part. It has dignity, it is strong, it is atmospheric. People who are still looking for fun and who are not ready to settle down will not make a covenant. This is God's nature. A covenant made by God to men is never broken, and it will last even beyond death.

When we make a covenant with God, we are being committed to Him and he is not expecting anything from us. Of course, there are people who come to God to make deals with Him. I give you this and You give me that! That is not how He works. He makes covenants because they are for a life time and it is not for Him to gain but for us to gain everything.

In a covenant, promises action even before it is made. Why? Because he has nothing to lose but we have everything to gain But with the devil, he promises action after something has been done for him. Why, also? He has everything to gain and we have everything to lose.

The Enough-Meter

Speedometer is that clock on the dashboard of cars that measures the speed of the vehicle; thermometer is that instrument the doctor uses to measure you temperature; ENOUH-METER is a tool God has put inside you to help you measure your level of anger against a given situation. What is the use of the enough-meter?

Let's look at how a certain man called Phinehas used his. Chapter 25 in the book of Numbers describes how the children of Israel fell into a trap set up by their enemies. God has forbidden mixed marriages between Israelites and other nations. The reason was so they would not be tempted by those people to follow other gods and abandon the Lord.

But Balak, king of Moab, astutely sent the prettiest Moabite women among the men of Israel to seduce them and turn them away from the Lord.

Balak's plan was to get Israel to sin against the Lord, so they would not be able to count on His help when going to war against Moab.

The plan worked. The men of Israel began to indulge in sexual immorality with the Moabite women, who invited them to sacrifice to other gods. So Israel joined in worshipping Baal with the Moabites.

A plague broke out in Israel immediately and people began to die. God called Moses and told him to gather the leaders of Israel and tell them to put to death the men who had done such thing. Moses called an assembly and explained the problem to the leaders. As Moses was still speaking and the leaders of Israel weeping in shame and repentance for their people's evil deed, an Israel brought into the camp a Midianite woman right before the eyes of Moses.

Phinehas, Aaron's grandson, was also there in the assembly. When he saw this, his enough-meter went to the red and he just burst in anger. He left the assembly, took a spear in his hand and followed the Israelite into the tent. Then he drove the spear into both of them – through the Israelite into the woman's body. And in that moment the plague stopped.

What is needed for that problem that is treatening to put your life at stake, or for your situation to change is just REVOLT. You cannot act if you are not revolted against a situation. You do have the enough-meter but maybe it is stagnant inside you. It is time for you to activated it and make it to help you go head  no with that situation in your life.

If you can continue reading the rest of the chapter, you will understand what God thought of Phenehas' attitude. It is Numbers 25.

Stay Blessed!

 

Follower or Visitor?

I once wrote something on my blog and people really loved it. I got many facebook messages telling me about that article I wrote there and how it helped them. I must say, I was happy when they told me that because I knew that it was God who spoke and now people are being blessed.

I then decided to view my blog and see if they have commented. '0 comments'. That's what I found. Why didn't they comment? It was because they did not follow me on my blog but are all the time reading my posts. Amazing! Then I asked why? “ I don't know how”, they said. Unbelievable! I have nothing against those people, really! I actually thank God for making them not to 'know how' because it leads us to today's topic:

We have many people who always claim to know God and as a matter of fact, they even understand well what the pastor was preaching about and the message was delivered to its exact meaning. Wow! They even share it among others and you can bet that they are in spirit. They appear to be good soil that the seed was planted in them and it gave ground to the plant and the plant grew.

Only to find out that they are considered as visitors in God's eyes. They are not followers. They did try to follow Him but it was not easy and they said ' I don't know how'. Who said following Jesus was easy, anyway? It isn't! They found it difficult to give up their old lives and be of God, to say no to their loved ones as they begin to say yes to God's will in their lives.

These people they have been in the church their whole lives believe me... but it is so hard for them to say, “ I will not give up till I get in”. We have to note that God has His own Blog as well where He writes everything for us and about us. This blog is the Book of Life! Even if we see that it is not easy for us to follow God because the circumstances limit us, maybe our level of education, lack of knowledge, or what ever, we must be I CAN driven.

Our strive must not to be visitors but to be followers of Christ in every way and in every hardship!

“The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels.” (Revelation 3:5)

God is not looking for your list of excuses but for your drive.

Stay Blessed!

Why Do I Have to Stay Down?

"In five years from now I want to have a car of my dreams, married, living in my own house and at least having one kid. By then I know I will be working and my finances will be stable." One said. "I want to go up there with my life but I don't know how! I don't have condition to make my dreams come true and I don't have anybody to help me go high! I am still working out a plan on what I should do for me to go high." The other said.

This what many of us keep saying but the question behind all of these words is: What are you willing to do for you to go high? Oops! I did not think we like the sound of that!

Wait up, Zacchaeus was on the top pf the tree because he wanted to see Jesus, isn't it? For sure! He was ordered by the Lord Jesus to come down, after he had come down form the tree, The Lord Jesus then blessed him. He did not find what he was looking for while on the tree but when he came down to the ground.

It is the same with our dreams of being there at the top. The hand of God is not on those who make their efforts to go high but it is for those who wants to go down. We have to acknowledge that up there is the hand of the devil and he wants to snatch us brings us down. He is not looking for losers because he has nothing to gain from them. God is looking for those who are down for His name to be praised because He will lift us up.

Let us look to God for our victories and never stay proud because He is a God of the humble.

Stay Blessed!

I Confess, I am Weak

Why do I have to tell someone about my weakness when they don't know about it? Why do I have to humiliate myself in front of everyone while they think that I am all perfect and am a good girl? Sure, I have a bunch of skeleton in my closet and I would die if someone finds out about them because I am not proud pf them. So, why should I blow the trumpet?

There is something that I am doing and I know that is wrong, I don't want to let anyone know about it and I would honestly die if people found out. It makes me unhappy, I want to quit but, who cares because no body knows? Obviously no one! (as if I knew)

This is how I used to be. I had issues but did not want to confess them and I would say that  what's the point for me to confess because no one knows that I am this bad person in the planet? I did not see the point! In the process, that shameful thing I was doing became a habit because it was comfortable and I did not show that I want to get rid of it. The stronger it stuck to me, the angrier and defencive I would be with it. And I tell you, it killed me. Big time!!

As it was comfortable, it started giving me reasons to be well with keeping it. I was falling but I was too proud to admit it ( Oh! My God, I can't believe how foolish I was). There was a voice at the back of my head that was telling me that I was falling but my silence was more dominant over the positive voice. In the sight of people I was that good girl whom everyone wished their daughters, sisters, friends, colleagues and girlfriends were like me. And all that was a lie! It was not me!

I came to realise that I don't have to speak to man (as in flesh) but there is Someone who will never comment back, judge or humiliate me, as those were things I was afraid of, but He will listen to me, comfort me and restore me again. Isn't it awesome? I decided to open my mouth and let Him know my situation. Oh! I cried and I became very ugly. Guess what? He did not say a thing to discourage me but He did the exact three things above. How relieved I was!!!

If you feel that your skeleton is not so pleasing, don't talk to man, he might comment and break you, judge you and destroy you. Go to God as I did, He does not act like man and He does not think like man....He is God.

Do it, you won't be sorry! That's the sweetest relief you can ever find.

Stay Blessed

Ah!!! What a Day!

There are no words to express what a day it was yesterday. As the members were entering the church, you would just, sence the difference of the spirit they embraced. It was so beautiful. They were in spirit and you would detect it from their greetings. There was no chit-chatting like they used to do, they waited for the Holy Spirit to begin His beautiful work in their lives.

Going to the Sunday School; the children were in spirit as if they understood what was the Holy Spirit. Ah!!! What a Day! They were so excited and were all in a very disciplined manner. The aromatic fragrance of the Holy Spirit was so perfect that it filled not only the hall of the church but also the small chambers of the children.

It was so beautiful when the Holy Spirit took over and did His wonderful work. Many were baptised and the church was made into a different church- the church of the Spirit. Many received the confirmation of their baptism and it was the happiest moment of their lives. Tears of joy were falling from the cheeks.

The glory of the Holy Spirit was shinning on each and every one's faces afterwards.

I have got nothing to say further but: "Ah!!! What a Day!"

Stay blessed!

The Work Of God On The Alter!!

When I read this, I was touched and I would like you to read it too and put yourself in her shoes!! 

I received this e-mail from a friend who managed to exchange e-mails with one of our colleagues in Ivory Coast. This is so strong and will bring tears to your eyes, especially if you do or aim to do the Work of God one day:

Hello Mrs Paula, I found an internet café here so I could quickly write to you. The situation here is really bad. To save time, because the internet here is limited, I wrote down what I’ve been living in the past two weeks and here it is:

Thursday, 31 March 2011

It’s now 13:00 and the pastor responsible and the other pastors have not been able to get out of the house. There was a lot of conflict, thousands of armed men shooting everywhere, each with his own reason, but all with one objective – to kill!

André, some other pastors and I were able to get to the headquarters of our church, in the middle of gunshots. I try concentrating on my work in the office, believing that the gunshots will stop, even though I’ve seen various dead bodies on the street...

All of a sudden there is an explosion. We all throw ourselves on the ground and stay there for half an hour, until the noise dies down. The Bishop calls and tells us to go home. We close everything and leave in a hurry…

We have to raise our arms to show that we aren’t armed, the streets are deserted and there are more dead bodies on the way, but we manage to get home...

At night no one sleeps, because the explosions are disturbing...

Friday, 01 April 2011

It’s daybreak and the gunshots continue. We are 12 couples (in the Work of God) here in the building. We are all well, but we are worried about the other pastors, auxiliary pastors, about the Bishop, the assistants and the people. What’s happening? Are they well? We try calling each other, but the telephone lines have been cut.

We start praying together, in the morning, at midday and at 17:00. Not mentioning that we are already in the purpose of praying every six hours and in Daniel’s fast.

Night falls and the gunshots don’t stop. Bombs are exploding insistently.

Saturday, 02 April 2011

Because sleeping is so hard, we get up as soon as day breaks. We have little food left at home. We decide to go to town to buy food. We can’t go by car, because whoever goes out with a car is threatened with an arm, forced to come out of the car and watch them leaving with the car.

So, we go walking. The roundtrip is 8 kilometres. Bomb explosions continue. Though distant, they continue. To our surprise, we meet a crowd when we get to the main street, all seeking what we are also seeking – food.

There is confusion. Few shops are open and thousands of people want to buy things. Queues aren’t respected. At the bakery, people are fighting over bread. At the market, the few venders who are there have only a few items to sell and are selling them at an absurd price. But, we have no choice. We buy what we can. The fear and desperation of the people are great, which makes them fight and attack others, just for a bag of rice. On top of it all, we have to get back home quickly, because our curfew is at midday.

The day is ending and pastors agree to go to the church in the morning.

Sunday, 03 April 2011

The Bishop calls us very early to tell us to stay home, because he tried going out and was forced to lie down on the floor for 20 minutes, with a gun pointed at his head. By the Hand of God, they let him return home and threatened him not to go to the church.

Revolted, we began praying, because it is unacceptable to stay home on Sunday. In some churches there are services with 10, 17, 30 courageous people who live near and who put themselves at risk...

In the afternoon we gather together and seek the Presence of God and HE is present. I can hear the sweet voice of the Holy Spirit, which is consoling us and giving us strength. I feel an inner peace, a tranquillity that only He can give. Even though we hear the explosions, we have the assurance.

Night falls and we’re going to try to sleep...

Monday, 04 April 2011

We wake up with news that one church was destroyed. They stole everything, only leaving behind the chairs. The people and assistants call, worried about us, but the power is cut and the batteries of our mobile phones are dying. Water is also scarce. We have to save gas and food, because we don’t know when we’ll be able to go out next...

It’s 16:00 and we notice many helicopters flying very low above us... The Brazilian Embassy calls us, wanting to know our exact location and tells us to gather our documents and to keep them safely, so that we would be ready, should an emergency evacuation be necessary... Of course, in our hearts we tie this up saying: no way!

It’s 16:45 and we are ready for the 17:00 prayer, but we notice that the helicopter dropped something strange a few kilometres from our house. All of a sudden it explodes, shaking everything, and other helicopters continue doing the same thing. We all go to the kitchen, lie down on the floor and pray. I am afraid, as I have never been in my life. I close my eyes and all I can do is trust in God... France was bombing 4 targets – the President’s house, the presidency and two military camps, one of which was 5 kilometres of our home. Our thoughts go out to our people, the assistants, the other pastors and auxiliary pastors who are in the churches.

What if one of these bombs falls on one of the churches? How is the Bishop?

The lights are out, the telephone line is cut. Night falls and the explosions continue. One helicopter was overthrown. Where did it fall?

We spent the night on the kitchen floor, we can’t sleep with all the noise, not knowing whether we are going to be hit or not, in this hideous darkness...

Tuesday, 05 April 2011

I fell asleep, the tiredness overcame me... I can still hear bombs!

We are all happy to be alive! We glorify God and plead tirelessly for the others!

We spend the day in prayer, which isn’t every six hours anymore, neither three times a day. We now pray every hour. The women try to spend the day cleaning the house. We read the Bible and church books... The day goes by... We always hope that the next day will be the day we can go back to our normal lives, but…

Wednesday, 06 April 2011

Tonight I slept, praise God! We decided to go out to buy coal, because the gas will finish any moment. Arriving in town, the situation is worse. There are even fewer things on sale and what’s left is even more expensive. The few supermarkets we have have been plundered and are now empty and destroyed…

We didn’t buy a lot of things, because they had nothing and because the amount we normally spend on a month’s groceries can now only get us a week’s groceries… We get back tired from walking and struggling to find things. We are revolted about the situation of the population.

After three days, the lights come back, praise God. We were afraid that the little we had would spoil. We didn’t even have cold water!

Even if we weren’t in this 21 days fast, we would not be able to follow the news, because the only TV station we have has been bombed. But, a ceasefire has been declared.

It’s midday and we are gathered to pray. Bishop calls, telling us that armed men entered his house and robbed the car and things from the house. We thank God, because a few minutes before this happened, he had gone out to try and buy something. At that point the men came in, but didn’t harm his wife and daughter at all!

Our revolt increases!

In the afternoon we receive news that two mortars were fired at our headquarters, destroying a part of the wall of the church and a car that was parked outside... Once again, God delivered more than 30 people, among which were pastors, auxiliary pastors, wives and some assistants, who were sleeping there. They did not have even a single scratch. God has been listening to our prayers!

It’s 17:00 and we are going to seek the Presence of God and participate in the Holy Communion there at home. It is a blessing, something very strong. Like in the primitive church, the Holy Spirit is here, strengthening us and giving us peace... Always remembering our people and assistants, we ask the Holy Spirit to give them the same peace and assurance wherever they are!

Thursday, 07 April 2011

The day is apparently calm and since the curfew is midday, people are running to find something to eat. Today pharmacies are open; there are hundreds of people, a lot of confusion. We can only imagine how many people are hurt, with no medical attention, no money. I think about the hospitals. I imagine what could happen to someone with heart problems when bombs explode...

Until now, the number of dead people has been estimated to be 1500 for this week, not including the number of casualties!

One week at home is revolting! We thank God to be alive, to have something to eat and to have water and lights, because we know that many do not even have that!

Always praying that our people and assistants should lack nothing, the day ends and we are going to try and sleep... Now, house invasions have become routine. Rape and violations are constant, but we are going to believe, because if the Lord does not build a house...

Friday, 08 April 2011

It’s morning and we don’t hear any gunshots, although some pastors who had gone to town and come back say that there are many armed men near our house.

We finish having lunch and when I’m about to start washing dishes, shooting begins in our street. We remain lying down on the kitchen floor, praying until 15:00. The bombing and shooting stop. Praise God we are all well!

Saturday, 09 April 2011

In the morning the pastors went to town and came back saying there were six dead bodies in our street corner, because of yesterday’s conflict. In 4 kilometres, there were more than 5 barricades, where people and cars (the few who risked going out in their cars) were searched...

We gather to listen to a message from Bishop Macedo, which strengthens us even more. We have difficulty listening to the message (because André is translating simultaneously for the pastors who don’t speak Portuguese), in the middle of gunshots and bombings which started at exactly 16:00.

We receive news that 3 couples in the Work of God who live in another neighbourhood had to leave home and run to the church, so our prayers are exclusively on their behalf...

It’s night already and the gunshots continue. We are all locked at home, praying that we will be able to sleep in peace, despite the revolt in our hearts for not being able to go to church yet another Sunday, because we have to stay at home tomorrow.

The members call us, telling us that they are not able to go to church tomorrow... In the end, the pastors decide to take a risk and all go to the church nearest to our neighbourhood, which is about 9 kilometres from home. They will go walking. Only the wives and two pastors will stay home. That’s the plan, let’s see tomorrow.

Sunday, 10 April 2011

The pastors went to church and came back in peace. They had to stop at a few barricades. The problem is, whey they see that they are missionaries, they become angry, because they say that Christians pray against them. The pastors tried explaining that they pray for peace and nothing more. They don’t like it very much... So, we made letters saying that they are volunteers of ABC [the help centre of the church] and that’s the document we’ll be showing now.

We had services in some churches. I was very happy when one assistant called me, saying that some assistants and members prayed in the church that was destroyed. I told her that’s what God expects from us, our own independent faith... Another girl from PA also called me, saying that she was okay, but unfortunately, another assistant working with us in the KidsZone has disappeared. I believe he is well, God is faithful!

The explosions continue. It’s strange, but we have become used to the them. They don’t scare us as much any more. We pray at 17:00 and seek the strength of God, which has not been lacking. I’m sure that all this will end. This assurance comes from the Holy Spirit!

It’s raining a lot. It is as if the weather were manifesting its revolt! We had no lights during the day, but the lights have already come back on.

I pray that tomorrow we will be able to go out of the house... At this moment, helicopters and planes are flying above, very near. Only God can protect us. We never know when and where they are going to bomb or fire. We only depend on God’s protection!

The Lord has been helping us up to this point!

We have food, water, lights. We don’t hear bomb explosions any more. What’s been prevailing now has been the house invasions. For that we depend on God’s protection and nothing else. Only HE can protect us...

Kisses, continue praying for us, please!

Stay Blessed!