Dear Family and Friends,
So much has happened these past 6 weeks since we started our journey to Eastern Europe, traveling to Ukraine, Romania, Venice, and Croatia! We’re currently in Ukraine (again), having just finished an amazing conference with our team in Izmail, ministering in Odessa, and now heading to Poltava on an overnight train. Thank you so much for your prayers - God hears you and is answering beyond our expectations!
While at the retreat described in our last newsletter, I sat casually one afternoon with a group and asked, “Can you tell me any testimonies of where God did something miraculous in your life since the war started?” I heard many wonderful stories that day. Here is one of them:
“I (a mother) and my 2 children are now living in England. We attend a weekly Ukrainian refugee home group where one of the ladies there shared her story”:
“‘We had been hiding in a bunker with about 30 other Ukrainians for a month. Frightened but compelled, my husband and I with our two small children finally decided to leave, even though the sirens and bombings continued. We got in our car and began driving towards the first Russian checkpoint. They let us through! We approached the second checkpoint. They let us through again. Then gun shots fired upon our car! Bullets everywhere. My husband kept driving. Later when he was able to check the car’s condition, he noticed something miraculous. When he took the carseats out, he saw there were gunshot holes in the back of them, but they had only gone through half way! Only God could have done that! I did not believe in God before, but now I do!’”
This lady gave her life to the Lord that night in England at the Ukrainian refugee Homegroup.
This past week we’ve been in another part of Ukraine called Izmail where our team was invited to do another pastors’ conference. The Holy Spirit moved powerfully in all the meetings. No one was in a hurry to go to bed - most chose instead to stay in His beautiful holy presence and worship up till 2:00am. Encounters, healings, joy, visions, freedom, deliverances. We always pray they receive everything they need. We believe they did! Thank you for your part - your prayers are powerful.
On Saturday, many refugees in the community came to our center to receive food for their families. Our hostess preached a salvation message in their language and many accepted Christ.
On Sunday afternoon children came from the community for a kids club and a little later, the youth came. Brian had a wonderful time with the youth. They enjoyed his stories and had so many questions about the world and our missionary life! By the end, he gave the gospel message and many accepted Christ!
On Monday, word had gotten out that we had food, so more people were at the gate. Among them were four ladies from the preschool next door - the director and her three staff. Natalia, our hostess, explained the gospel to all four ladies and they all gave their lives to the Lord! Two of them, however, were in a lot of pain. Natalia called me and Simon (our teammate) over, asking us to pray for them. Being new believers and having no time to think or be told they couldn’t be healed, they agreed easily and eagerly to receive prayer for healing! As you can probably already guess, God healed them! One lady had pain in her neck, shoulder and back. She said it was VERY painful. She was also suffering from depression and explained a little bit of dark history in her life. As we prayed, she said she felt the presence of God come over her. She had never experienced this before of course, and described it as tingly, warmth, and a little wooziness (with giggles). She said “something” left, and was filled with peace. So fun and such a privilege to see people born into the family of God, then healed and delivered at the same time!
We have been in Odessa now for the past 3 days. It is truly a beautiful city.
Two nights ago a Messianic church invited us to do a healing service after they began Yom Kippur, which is the highest holy day for the Jewish people, also known as Day of Atonement. Odessa has many Jews, so it was a blessing to celebrate with our Messianic Jewish brothers and sisters.
For the healing service, Simon taught a little, the team shared a few healing testimonies, and then Simon began activating them to pray for each other. Our team leader, John, misunderstood the pastor about the time the service needed to end. The church had rented a large conference room in a hotel for this special meeting and had a specific time they needed to be out. Way before Simon was ready to end, he was told he had 5 minutes left. When he got this information, he ended his instructions abruptly and quickly dismissed everyone! He felt bad about this, but then we started hearing testimonies of how people were getting healed earlier during the teaching and testimony time! When it came time for them to pray for each other, many said, “Oh, I’m already healed!” So Jesus had it covered. The time change was not a surprise to him. Even on the way out, a frail, skinny, pail man asked me to pray for his kidneys. Having no time basically, I laid my hands on his back and prayed quickly. He said, “I feel warmth in that area!” Another lady on our way out said she thinks she has breast cancer but hadn’t been to the doctor yet. I quickly prayed for her with my translator and she started crying. She said she had a vision of a snake going up a stick. Then Jesus took a sword and chopped the snake’s head off! I asked how she felt and she said before her breast was “tight” and now it felt “loose.” All I know is Jesus showed up and something good happened! Lol All this happened within 2 minutes. So much for needing long religious prayers! Our time for teaching and activation was short, but people were experiencing a touch from God in minutes all over the room. I’ve never seen so many healings and encounters in so little time before!
Last night the same church invited us back to do the whole service, emphasizing healing once again. Brian taught and I led the activation afterwards. The Holy Spirit flowed so peacefully and effortlessly through everyone, as they all participated in praying for each other. So many got completely healed in minutes. Among these was a man with knee pain for 5 years. At the meeting he said his pain was at a level 7. After receiving prayer, it was a 0!
We spent the day today with friends of John, our missionary team leader. They showed us their food and supplies for the refugees stored in the underground catacombs beneath their church!
Odessa and other cities here have miles and miles of catacombs under them, dug out in the early 19th century. Now they serve as bunkers during this war. No official gatherings are allowed, including churches and schools, if they do not have adequate bunkers. Consequently, many schools are only doing it online.
As we were leaving Odessa tonight on our train, the air-raid sirens were sounding as we heard an anti-aircraft shoot down an Iranian Kamikaze drone.
We are hearing that two more drones were shot down after that. We know God is with us and leading us. We covet your prayers as we head closer to the front lines now. Our team will be splitting up as many churches want us all at the same time. We will also be visiting some villages recently liberated, bringing them needed food and supplies with a local pastor.
Lots of Love,
Lorena and Brian
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Transforming Lives Ministry
1908 S El Camino Real
San Clemente, CA 92672
