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Mexico Trips |
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Impressions of Mexico 2003 “…I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in heavenly realms.” Ephesians 1: 18-20 As I was pondering how to summarize this year’s trip to Mexico, I opened my bible to the scripture above. I realize that this scripture is what the Lord has impressed upon my heart, for my own life, and for the body of Christ. The Lord has shown His desire for His bride to know Him fully, both in Mexico and in the U.S. More and more I feel the Lord drawing His bride together in unity. Our family in Mexico so warmly welcomed us. Even though there was an inability to use language to communicate, our hearts were joined together. We were greeted with warm hugs and kisses everywhere we went. Their spirit of hospitality was a wonderful expression of what was in their hearts. It is humbling to receive such a great honor as to be allowed to minister in their churches. We only had one interpreter this year. It forced us to rely on the Lord, not only to know how to pray for our dear brothers and sisters in Christ, but also to communicate to them what He was doing in them and for them. Whenever we got together to “compare notes” of what the Lord had done during ministry time, we found out that the Lord’s will had gone forth, even without us being able to talk to people. The Lord ministered to a woman who said that she had a hard time understanding the love of the Lord for her, but she could feel it as we danced and performed our presentations. She told us that her husband was not a Christian and that he beat her. We were able to stand with her in prayer for his salvation and for her protection. Another time I was praying for a man and felt to pray against generational curses of witchcraft and poverty. I found out later that night he was a native Mexican Indian whose tribe was known for incredible violence and extreme poverty. The Lord used all things for His glory, even the language barrier. One night I had prophesied over a lady and wanted to get Jeremy (our interpreter) so I could tell her what had happened. As I was on my way to get him, the Lord stopped me and said that because she didn’t know what I had prayed she was able to accept and receive it. It was so apparent that the Lord wants to bring understanding and overcoming power to His church, even if we aren’t aware of it. It was also clear that the Lord is glorified through His whole body, every part. There were many times during ministry that I was aware of the fact that we are on a team. Many times it took two or three people praying for someone before there was any visible sign of God’s power. Ami and I nick-named it as “ready…(1st person), set…(2nd person), go…(3rd person). By the time “go” came along the person who had received all the prayer was on the ground. I was also aware of the part of the team that was at home praying for us. I know that we could not have done what we did with out the prayers of the saints back at home. I do not take that part of the ministry for granted at all. I would not want to even try to attempt this without the covering provided through these prayers. The final part of the team is everyone who donated through gifts of toys, clothing, candy, or finances. We are so blessed in this country and it is good to know that the Lord wants to use us to bless the whole world. Thank you to those who were obedient to the Lord in your giving. When I begin to think of all the details that go into one of these outreaches, it is amazing that it all happens so easily. Of course there is a lot of work that we all put into it. But in the long run The Lord caries the load. I think of my kids when we are moving furniture. They want to help, so as my husband and I have the ends they come up and place one hand on the side and walk along with us. When we get it to the right spot they back up and we set it down. The next thing we hear as a hand passes across their forehead is, “whew… that was heavy”. I am so grateful for all the help that has gone into making this trip possible. Thank you to the church in America for sending us forth with such blessing. And thank you to the church in Mexico for sending us back home with such blessing. My life is so rich simply because the eyes of my heart have been opened even more with the knowledge of the hope to which He has called me, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. So in closing all I have to say is, “whew… that was heavy”. God Bless You All, Suzanna Doan
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