HOW TO BECOME A DISCIPLE

Sayings:

Some old men said, "If you see a young man climbing up to the heavens by his own will, catch him by the foot and throw him down to the earth; it is not good for him."

At first abba Ammoe said to abba Isaiah, "What do you think of me?" He said to him, "You are an angel, father." Later on he said to him, "and now, what do you think of me?" He replied, "You are like Satan. Even when you say a good word to me, it is like steel."

Abba Moses asked abba Sylvanus,"Can a man lay a new foundation every day?" The old man said, "If he works hard, he can lay a new foundation at every moments."

Stories:
It was said of abba John the Dwarf that one day he said to his elder brother,"I should like to be free of all care, like the angels who do not work, but ceaselessly offer worship to God." So he took leave of his brother and went away into the desert. After a week he came back to his brother. When he knocked on the door he heard his brother say, "Who are you?" before he opened it. He said, "I am John, your brother." But he replied, "John has become an angel and henceforth he is no longer among men." Then John besought him, saying, "It is I." However, his brother did not let him in but left him there in distress until morning. Then, opening the door, he said to him, "You are a man and you must once again work in order to eat." Then John made a prostration before him, saying, "Forgive me."

Abba John said, "A monk is toil. The monk toils in all he does. That is what a monk is."

OBEDIENCE ...Desert Father's stories

Sayings:

The holy Syncletia said, "I think that for those living in community obedience is a greater virtue than chasity, however perfect. Chastity carries within it the danger of pride, but obedience has within it the promise of humility."

The old men used to say, "If someone has faith in another and hands himself over to him in complete submission, he does not need to pay attention to God's commandments but he can entrust his whole will to his father. He will suffer no reproach from God, for God looks for nothing from beginners so much as renunciation through obedience."

Abba Mios of Belos said, "Obedience responds to obedience. When someone obeys God, then God obeys his request."

Story:

They said that abba Sylvanus had a disciple in Scetis, named Mark, who possessed in great measure the virtue of obedience. He was a copyist of old manuscripts, and the old man loved him for his obedience. He had eleven other disciples who were aggrieved that he loved more than them.

When the old men nearby heard that he loved Mark above the others,they took it ill. One day they visited him and abba Sylvanus took them with him and, going out of his cell, began to knock on the door of each of his disciples, saying, "Brother, come out, I have work for you." And not one of them appeared immediately.

Then he came to Mark's cell and knocked, saying, "Mark". And as soon as Mark heard the voice of the old man he came outside and the old man sent him on some errand.

So abba Sylvanus said to the old men, "Where are the other brothers?", and he went into Mark's cell and found the book in which he had been writing and he was making the letter O; and when he heard the old man's voice, he had not finished the line of the O. And the old men said, "Truly, abba, we also love the one whom you love; for God loves him, too."

MIR Christian Internet TV Station

Just an announcement that the MIR TV website is now up and can be found at the link on the right or going to http://mirtv.weebly.com .

Any producers of Christian content out there who would like their work to be on the channel let us know. If it glorifies God, we want to see it.

Go to the site and take our poll, what do want from a Christian Internet TV Channel ?

The Railway Children

Fr Stan Fortuna ... everybody got to suffer

St. Bridget Prayers For 12 Years

These prayers, as given by the Lord to St. Bridget of Sweden, are to be prayed for 12 years. Was the person praying these to die before the twelve years are over, the Lord will accept as having been prayed in there entirety. If a day or a few days are missed due to a valid reason, they can be made up for later.

1) The soul who prays them suffers no Purgatory.

2) The soul who prays them will be accepted among the Martyrs as though he had spilled his blood for his faith.

3) The soul who prays them can choose three others whom Jesus will then keep in a state of grace sufficient to become holy.

4) No one in the four successive generations of the soul who prays them will be lost.

5) The soul who prays them will be made conscious of his death one month in advance.

O Jesus, now I wish to pray the Lord's prayer seven times in unity with the love with which You sanctified this prayer in Your heart. Take it from my lips into Your Divine heart. Improve and complete it so much that it brings as much honor and joy to the Trinity as You granted it on earth with this prayer. May these pour upon Your Holy Humanity in Glorification to Your Painful Wounds and the Precious Blood that You spilled from them.

1) THE CIRCUMCISION

Our Father... Hail Mary...

Eternal Father, through Mary's unblemished hands and the Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer You the first wounds, the first pains and the first Bloodshed as atonement for my and all of humanity's sins of youth, as protection against the first mortal sin, especially among my relatives.

2) THE SUFFERING on the Mount of Olives

Our Father... Hail Mary...

Eternal Father, through Mary's unblemished hands and the Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer You the terrifying suffering of Jesus' Heart on the Mount of Olives and every drop of His Bloody Sweat as atonement for my and all of humanity's sins of the heart, as protection against such sins and for the spreading of Divine and brotherly Love.

3) THE FLOGGING

Our Father... Hail Mary...

Eternal Father, through Mary's unblemished hands and the Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer You the many thousands of Wounds, the gruesome Pains and the Precious Blood of the Flogging as atonement for my and all of humanity's sins of the flesh, as protection against such sins and the preservation of innocence, especially among my relatives.

4) THE CROWNING OF THORNS

Our Father... Hail Mary...

Eternal Father, through Mary's unblemished hands and the Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer You the wounds and the precious Blood of Jesus' Holy head from the Crowning with Thorns as atonement for my and all of humanity's sins of the Spirit, as Protection against such sins and for the spreading of Christ's Kingdom here on earth.

5) CARRYING THE CROSS

Our Father... Hail Mary...

Eternal Father, through Mary's unblemished hands and the Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer You the Sufferings on the way of the Cross, especially His Holy Wound on His shoulder and its precious Blood as atonement for my and all of humanity's rebellion against the Cross, every grumbling against Your Holy Arrangements and all other sins of the tongue, as protection against such sins and for true love of the Cross.

6) CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS

Our Father... Hail Mary...

Eternal Father, through Mary's unblemished hands and the Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer You Your Son on the Cross, His Nailing and Raising, His Wounds on the Hands and Feet and the three streams of His Precious Blood that poured forth from these for us, His extreme tortures of the Body and Soul, His precious death and its non-bleeding Renewal in all Holy Masses on earth as atonement for all wounds against vows and regulations within the Orders, as reparation for my and all of the world's sins, for the sick and the dying, for all holy priests and laymen, for the Holy Father's intentions toward the restoration of Christian families, for the strengthening of Faith, for our country and unity among all nations in Christ and His Church, as well as for the Diaspora.

7) THE PIERCING OF JESUS' SIDE

Our Father... Hail Mary...

Eternal Father, accept as worthy, for the needs of the Holy Church and as atonement for the sins of all Mankind, the precious Blood and Water which poured forth from Jesus' Divine Heart. Be gracious and merciful toward us. Blood of Christ, the last precious content of His Holy Heart, wash me of all my and other's guilt of sin! Water from the Side of Christ; wash me clean of all punishments for sin and extinguish the flames of Purgatory for me and for all the Poor Souls. AMEN.

"If God Is with us, who can be against us"

Every married man has a mental (well thumbed) copy of the manual, compiled by men across the centuries, entitled ‘How to come through when your wife asks the impossible’ It was 4.30am, 30’C, 90% humidity, and she had to leave early for a factory visit and where were her only pair of jeans ? (she had nothing else to wear).They were in the laundry shop because someone had forgotten to pick them up. I groaned internally. 

It was true. It was my job. Every week, with the precision and efficiency of the German Railways, I picked up the laundry and dropped off the new batch. It takes 20 minutes dead. The shop didn’t open until 8am and she needed to leave by 5am. 

I reached for the manual. There was only one reference entry for this situation, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. One stick of dynamite on each side of the laundry door, blow it open, rush in , get the jeans , come back, save the day and do 10 years for criminal damage. It might have been worth the stretch too but my dynamite was in my other jeans, and you know where they were. No, not even Beckham could score from this angle. 

 At the end of my strength I did the only thing I could do, I hid; behind the shield that we use to put out the flaming darts of our loved ones, I stated the obvious: ‘I was not a magician’. And then, as if by magic, the cavalry arrived. 

 The power and majesty of the living God could not have been more obvious if a giant hand had shot down through the sky, come crashing through the roof and pointed, or if a voice had bellowed ‘Behold’ or if my Guardian Angel had grabbed the last un-chewed part of my remaining ear and pulled it down into the laundry basket. 

I knew in this moment how Moses felt as he watched the Red Sea open before him: there they were, sat on top of the basket: her jeans. I was tempted to savour this moment, borrow a top hat ,black cape and white gloves,(maybe a cane), string a few socks together and put on a brief show first but the clock was ticking so I just brought them over to her and got back the sweetest smile ever. She knows a miracle when she sees one too. The ball was in the back of the net, and God saved the day. 

 In my minds eye I could see all my tutors grinning back at me, the men I respect and admire who have gone before me, who had stood in the arena alone, who know, as I am beginning to know, that God is Good, faithful, present, and He is our alliance.

My last mental image as dawn breaks and the coffee percolates is my favourite, a Spitfire, skirting the white cliffs, engine roaring, about half throttle, the pilot gently pushes the stick to the right and it turns over in a smooth victory roll; then banks right and climbs steeply up into the sun. The post-it note on the altimeter reads, ‘pick-up laundry’. Not by precision or efficiency but through adversity to the stars.

Our Lady's Message from Medjugorje to Mirjana

Today, August 2, 2011, Our Lady appeared to the visionary Mirjana Soldo at the Blue Cross. Thousands of people came to be present at the apparition, many of them young people who were in Medjugorje for the Youth Festival.


"Dear children; Today I call you to be born anew in prayer and through the Holy Spirit, to become a new people with my Son; a people who knows that if they have lost God, they have lost themselves; a people who knows that, with God, despite all sufferings and trials, they are secure and saved. I call you to gather into God's family and to be strengthened with the Father's strength. As individuals, my children, you cannot stop the evil that wants to begin to rule in this world and to destroy it. But, according to God's will, all together, with my Son, you can change everything and heal the world. I call you to pray with all your heart for your shepherds, because my Son chose them. Thank you."

Setting the prisoners free….a story from Ireland (by Padraig Caughey)

(By way of introduction,the chap in the story was a member of the IRA (Irish republican army which seeks to liberate Northern Ireland from British control ..)

In 1981, when I was 26 years old, I was captured by the British Army and thrown into Crumlin Road Jail, Belfast, in the North of Ireland. At the time I was extremely bitter and full of hate, not believing in God at all and very angry at the Catholic Church, which I considered to be pro-British.


But the years of rage and violence during the ‘Troubles’ had taken their toll on me and I was increasingly suicidal. The only thing that stopped me from killing myself at once was the knowledge that it would bring great pain to my family.


One night, as I entered my cell, I found a newspaper photo of Padre Pio, bearing his stigmata, lying on the floor. I don’t know how it got there as neither myself or my cell-mate were believers. Anyway, as I looked at the marks of the Passion on Padre Pio’s hands, I thought, “The old fool did it with a screwdriver!” But I wondered how he had never gotten blood poisoning and been caught cheating over such a long life.

That night as I was going to sleep, I said in despair, “Padre Pio, go to God, ask Him to prove to me He really exists in the space of one ‘Hail Mary,’ for if He doesn’t, I will know for certain that He does not exist and I can go ahead and kill myself.”

As soon as I said ‘Hail Mary,’ my eyes flooded with tears in rivers, for there, standing at the end of the bed in great glory, was the Mother of God herself. Extraordinary holiness, and beauty, and majesty, and motherliness and love and kindness: indescribable!!

She said, “Now you believe.” I could only nod and say, “Yes, I believe.” Then she said, “Faith without love is vain. You must forgive; do you forgive?”

Then I saw before me picture-forms of all whom I had hated, while Mary’s voice gently kept asking me, “Do you forgive, do you forgive, do you forgive, ...” as each one passed before me.

She then said, “Now is there anyone, anyone at all, to whom you bear hate?” There was no one; I forgave them all; it was as though the weight of the universe was lifted from my soul. For the first time, Mary smiled, “Now you have faith and now you have loved; now you must pray, for prayer is the food of faith. Pray, pray the Rosary,” and she held a set of beads towards me. But I was embarrassed and said, “I am sorry I have forgotten how to say them.” Then Mary said with great firmness, “I myself will teach you!”

And she was gone

Well anyway I cannot tell the joy I felt; it was as though I was reborn. I found it hard to say the rosary at first, but then I came to love it. Eventually, I ended up saying it all the time; the way Mary taught it was not at all as we prayed it as a child. It was slow and thoughtful

Well, when I left prison I entered a Cistercian Monastery for three and a half years. But I will never forget that night in prison.

She hated her father! .a story from Germany

From the Children of Medjugorje Newsletter

During the 70’s, in Germany. Monica was 17 when she lost her mother whom she loved very much. She was left behind with three siblings and her father who was a non-practicing protestant and an architect near Bonn. Monica detested her father. He had very little interaction with his children, so she found him cold, rigid, and insensitive. Since she was unable to connect with him on a heart level, she moved out at 17, using her studies as an excuse.

At the age of 20, she had a deep experience of God in her bedroom, and she conceived a great love for Jesus. Through some Protestant brothers, she understood that loving and forgiving her father are part of God’s commandments, you will honor you father and mother, so she made several attempts to do so. Eventually she offered to spend a vacation alone with him in the beautiful Swiss mountains. In the heart of this magnificent scenery, she discovered the truth about her father’s heart and started to love him. She also understood that his suffering was caused by a very difficult childhood. She forced herself to focus on the positive points of their relationship, rather than straining with the contentious ones. She also became aware of her own faults, the ones she had in common with her father; and she began asking him for forgiveness. She prayed and slowly discovered within her father a child capable of being in awe.

Then a providential event took place. She was with her father and his friends (who had, like him, run away from East Germany just before the closing of the Berlin wall) when her father became a different person. In a different context he was vulnerable, open, obviously his true self. Monica discovered everything he had suffered because of his exile and how he was forced to harden his heart in order to survive. She understood also how children can too quickly reject their parents and make them become as hard as marble. Monica’s heart opened to this “unknown” father and at last a dialogue started between them.

When she was 26, she was working as a nurse in a home for the elderly. She worked the night shift and often found herself alone in the service. Every two weeks, she visited her father. She worried about his loneliness.

At 77, her father enjoyed good health and there was no inkling of any medical condition. One day he went to the hospital for a minor overnight procedure. That same night, Monica was working the night shift when suddenly a strong feeling seized her. In her heart, she knew that she must go immediately to be near her father. At sunrise she got into the car and drove two hours non-stop at full speed in the rain and fog. She was going through an inner struggle, ‘I’m crazy, I could go see my father later, why should I go there now?’

However her intuition was too strong. She sensed that this encounter with her father would be important, and she began to pray. When she arrived in Bonn, instead of going to the hospital, she felt an urge to go first to her father’s house, without knowing why. The house was empty. Monica walked toward the armoire, opened a drawer and found a document unknown to her. She took it and quickly went to the hospital where she found her father in excellent condition. They opened the document together and found the diary that he had written when he was young.

They came upon a story of a hike that he had made with his friends when he was 17, during the War of 1940-1945. On that day, at the top of the mountain, her father and his friends had marveled at creation, as if they had seen the glory of God. The story was extremely moving. Monica and her father started to cry. For Monica, the moment was as if a corner of heaven was opened. The visit lasted 3 hours. The father-daughter relationship deepened and there was a true exchange of hearts.

Monica asked him if he would give his life to the Lord. Her father accepted and there they prayed together for the very first time! Since her father did not know how to pray, he asked her to say the prayers and he would repeat them after her. Monica began a spontaneous prayer, simple, as the Holy Spirit inspired her. A great union of hearts developed during that prayer too.

Taking advantage of the occasion, Monica told her father how much she loved him and she thanked him. It was a little like a declaration of love, sober but sincere. She asked his forgiveness for all the hurt that her attitude toward him might have caused. Then his roommate returned and her father walked his daughter to the door. From a distance he waved to her good-bye and Monica noticed a light surrounding him. Monica was full of joy and returned to work. Three days later she received a call from her brother saying that their father had just died very peacefully, alone.

Monica is now catholic. Her journey to forgiveness is encouraging! At times we feel unable to forgive a person who has hurt us. But doesn’t God offer each one of us a path of mercy and peace? We find it only kneeling down, in a heartfelt prayer. This reconciliation between Monica and her father is beautiful, but more beautiful still is the way Monica listened to the Holy Spirit and let Him guide her, without taking into account her feeling of repulsion towards her father. We depend too much on our feelings; we speak too much about them; we judge too much; we ‘ruminate’ and we constantly comment on evil; we feed upon sad stories. But happy are those who listen to the whisper of God in their hearts and who let the beautiful flower of forgiveness bloom, sprouting even in the middle of sordid garbage. Our garbage will pass but the flower and its fruits will remain. They come from God.

A Testimony from the Himalayas .. raised from the dead

"Praise the Lord! My name is Dolo Sono. I grew up in an area where nobody had ever heard of Jesus Christ, not even once in our lives. My fathers worshipped the spirits for countless centuries, and they encouraged me to follow them and become a priest of the Donyi-Polo (Sun-moon) religion. We didn’t know who the Creator was, so my tribe had no option but to worship His creation. We considered the sun and the moon our father and mother, giving sustenance and light to us.

My son developed a blood disease. He suffered terrible pain as his condition worsened over time. My wife and I could hardly stand to see the pain he was in. I called on the spirits to help, but he only grew worse. I visited other priests and asked them to pray for my son, but the more they prayed, the worse he became. Then, like a dagger through my heart, my precious son died. I was grief-stricken, and wept uncontrollably as I stared at my little boy’s lifeless body. I didn’t realize it at the time, but a Christian lived in a nearby village. When news spread that the Donyi-Polo priest’s son had died, the Christian came to my house and asked if he could pray for my son, who had been dead for four hours already. I didn’t see any harm in letting the follower of Jesus pray for him. He started to pray, and a short time later my boy suddenly came back to life! He sat up and was fine.

We later found that he was also completely healed from the blood disease that had caused him so much suffering! As you might imagine, when news of this great miracle circulated, everyone was amazed and rushed to our home to see my son for themselves. I didn’t know anything about Jesus, but from that moment I knew that He alone was the true God, and I decided I would serve Him for the rest of my life. The first thing I did was search for other Christians. I thought they must be really special and powerful people, because they followed the true and all-powerful God who has the power to bring the dead back to life and change people’s hearts on the inside. After searching far and wide, I was shocked to discover that there was just one church in my entire region, with only eleven people in it.

The eleven Christians were weak and persecuted. They met in a small, run-down building. I found this really sad. My own temple where I had served as a priest was beautifully decorated by comparison. I could scarcely believe that the followers of Jesus were so crushed and timid even though they possessed the Truth. My forefathers had followed Satan for centuries without any light from God. Those who followed lies were much larger in number than those who followed the Truth. This was wrong, and I decided to do something about it. From that day onwards I determined to help God’s Church grow.

From the day God raised my son from the dead, I started telling people about Jesus. This was the least I could do. I thought everyone would be excited to hear about Jesus, but I soon found that it made people angry. My own parents and family threatened to disown me if I continued to follow Jesus. I told them I must follow Him, because He is real and he raised my son from the dead! I started preaching everywhere I could, walking from village to village and encouraging people to abandon the false worship of our forefathers and to stop bowing down to the sun and moon. I didn’t know anything about the Bible, but I boldly testified to what had happened, and that Jesus alone was true and powerful. A short time later someone told me there were many Christians in Nagaland, a state south of Arunachal Pradesh. This news excited me, so I caught a bus there and met with many true believers in the Lord. Almost the whole of Nagaland was Christian, and I was greatly encouraged. I returned home with more Bible knowledge, and could better explain the gospel to people.

The tribes of Arunachal Pradesh have worshipped spirits and demons since the beginning of time. The only other religion that people respect is Buddhism, which came from Tibet many centuries ago. As I continued to preach about Jesus, I experienced many attacks and problems. People thought my conversion to Christianity had brought great disgrace on my ancestors, especially because I had been a priest. I was beaten on many occasions, and attacked with swords and spears, but God preserved my life, and there were always a few people interested in listening to my message. Jesus helped me so much in those early years. Once I visited some villages for the first time and found that God had prepared the people by giving them dreams in advance of my arrival. Because of this, the people were kind to me and listened to the Good News I had come to share. I believed everything the Bible said. I read that Jesus told his disciples to only take one coat with them when they went out to preach, so I only wore one shirt until it was filthy and covered with lice. The years went by and I was so glad that many more people in my tribe and other tribes started to follow Jesus too. In many places I saw people healed by the Lord and delivered from demons. Hundreds of people believed in God. In each place where people decided to follow Jesus, we organized small house groups for them to meet together in.

A strange thing happened right at the time when God was moving so powerfully and saving many people. Other Christian leaders started to attack me and tried to stop me preaching. They said I was not qualified to preach, because I had never been to a seminary. I told them it was a shame I didn’t fit into their mould, but that there was no way I could stop preaching because Jesus was in my heart and He must come out! This only seemed to make these religious people angrier and they even traveled around different villages, telling lies about me and warning people not to listen to me. People in many places turned against me and refused to welcome me.

God encouraged me from the Bible, as I read how many of His children in other times had experienced similar opposition from those who claim to be His followers. Jesus was always attacked by the Pharisees, and I realized that there were many people like Pharisees operating in Arunachal Pradesh. I wept many times because of the lies being spread and the great opposition. I became depressed. Then one night I had a dream where I heard a voice saying, "Dolo Sono, I have called you to preach. Get up and preach!" I replied, "But no churches want me any more. The religious people have told the unbelievers not to listen to me. What is the point?" I then heard the Lord say, "God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble."

After this dream I knew that I could no longer bow to the threats and intimidation. I read in the Bible that if God is with me, who can be against me? I obeyed the Lord and started preaching again, and God helped me and opened many doors and opportunities. In many villages, people who had worshipped the sun and moon were saved and Jesus entered their hearts. For years now I have been travelling all over Arunachal Pradesh. People know me as the former Donyi-Polo priest who found the true Way. By the power and grace of the Living God we now have more than 60 fellowships, and more people are meeting Jesus all the time. Please pray for our state, and the 60 tribes who live in it. Please pray that everyone in Arunachal Pradesh would soon love Jesus. Thank you and God bless you!"

“We Just Prayed!”

One of the most remarkable stories of how God is using humble, simple-hearted Christians to build His kingdom on Hainan Island was related by Carl Lawrence in his book “The Coming Influence of China.” Lawrence recounts how, in the mid-1990s, two young women came to faith in Christ in another Chinese province after hearing the Gospel via shortwave radio broadcasts.

The two new believers received Bibles and immediately wanted to serve God with all their hearts. A Hong Kong-based pastor met with the two and tried to teach them that they should remain where they were and minister to their neighbors. The girls protested, “No! The Bible you gave us says Jesus told us to go into all the world. We want to go.” Finally the pastor, feeling ashamed at his own comparative lack of zeal, relented and told the girls there was a need for workers on Hainan Island.
The duo had never heard of Hainan Island before but were certain God wanted them to preach the Gospel there.

Two years later the girls returned to the Chinese mainland where the pastor met with them. He had not heard any news since their departure. The Hong Kong pastor used the meeting to introduce the girls to several visiting Western church leaders. After introductions, the girls were asked how their work had been and whether or not they had been able to start any churches. Lawrence explains, “The women put their heads down and answered, ‘Oh pastor, we have only been there two years...yea, two years. Not many. Not very many’. Their voices were apologetic. ‘We have only been there a short time. The people were not very friendly, no, not very friendly. Sometimes they became very vicious. Yes, sometimes they told us they were going to drown us in the ocean. Several men threatened us. Oh my, and because we were so young, even some of the ladies did not like us. Yes, some even called us terrible names... so not many churches... no, not many’.”

Finally, after being asked again by the frustrated pastor, the girls apologized that they had been only able to start 30 churches since their arrival on Hainan Island!
The pastor and his Western friends were taken aback by the news. They asked how many people attended their new churches. After again going through a process of apologies and self-effacing comments, they answered, “Two hundred and twenty.” The listeners presumed that meant the girls had won a total of 220 converts in their 30 churches, but 220 was the number of members in the smallest of their churches! “How many people do you have in the largest of your churches,” the pastor demanded to know. “Oh...not many.... Less than five thousand.

Only four thousand nine hundred. Yes, less than five thousand. We have just started.” The Western visitors were so touched by the humility and zeal of the two young ladies that they began to weep. One of the visitors told the pastor to ask the two ladies how they managed to achieve such great results.

“What did we do? Why nothing. Yes, we did nothing, nothing.” The amazed onlookers protested, “You did nothing? You have thirty churches – the smallest with two hundred and twenty people, the largest with almost five thousand new Christians! And you did nothing?”

The two evangelists simply said, “We just prayed.... After we prayed, the Holy Spirit would tell us exactly what to do. We would keep praying and He would tell us what to do, we would do it. Then we would pray again and he would tell us what to do again.

Note: When we first read this story of the two faithful girls, we were not sure of the story’s accuracy, as it almost sounded too good to be true. We sent the story to a friend who is an expert on the church in Hainan Island. Somewhat surprisingly, our informant responded that indeed the story is true, these two young women had done great exploits and planted many churches in the face of great opposition and struggle. They primarily worked in southern Hainan Island, including several counties around Sanya City. However, our friend also added that because of a lack of follow up and discipleship, that much of the fruit had been lost to cults, and that by 1999 perhaps “only” 5,000 of the duo’s converts remained true believers.

When God Would Not Let His Name Be Defamed

A remarkable testimony occurred when new house church believers traveled to a Hainanese village in Lingao County, in the northern part of Hainan Island, in November 1995. The church planting team arrived in one village to preach. The local people said there was no way they would believe in the Christian God because they already worshipped the most powerful spirits.

The locals gave a stern warning to the evangelists. They said that the village shaman (witchdoctor) had, six years previously, received a vision that Christianity was the one true religion. This man was so convinced that he immediately burned all his spirit charms and other paraphernalia, even though he had not yet heard the Gospel and was not a believer. As soon as he did this, the people said, the shaman started to have visions where he saw many demons flying at him to eat his internal organs and completely destroy him. He was so scared that he tore his clothes off, ran around naked, and went insane. He also lost the ability to speak. The shaman would pick up stones and throw them into the air, throwing the stones at the demons that were tormenting him. He lived in a hut with a thatch roof and walls so soon his rock throwing and other antics had completely knocked away the roof of his home. His life had become pitiful. He was exposed to the elements, naked, unable to speak, and completely tormented by demons.

The shaman was only kept alive by the kindness of the local people. Every night they would place some rice and other food outside his door for him to eat. The villagers said that the shaman’s experiences were proof that their local spirits were more powerful than the Christian God, so they told the evangelists not to waste their time, for they would never believe in the Christian God. They said if the Christian God was truly able to heal and deliver this man, then they would all know that Jesus is the true and only God.

The evangelists were new believers. When they heard this story they didn’t know what to do, so they returned home. Over the coming weeks the church started to pray and fast for this village and for the shaman, asking God to glorify His Name among the villagers because His Name was being defamed.

The evangelists were taught how to cast out demons. They then returned to the village and cast the demons out of the man. Immediately he regained his speech. They clothed him and helped him rebuild the roof of his home.

After hearing the Gospel, the ex-shaman became a Christian. When they saw the tremendous change in the man’s life, almost the entire village became Christians. The new believers then took the Gospel to the neighboring village and the vast majority of that village also believed.

As a testimony to God’s power over the forces of darkness, the Christians began to meet for worship and Bible study in the home of the ex-shaman! He was not the church leader himself, but his powerful life-changing experience was the catalyst for many to come into the Kingdom of God, and for the Name of Jesus Christ to be rightfully honored among the people in that area.

God’s Video Screen

When some house church preachers visited one district, a strange occurrence happened. While they spoke, the crowd was able to see images of what the preachers were speaking about at the time. Witnesses said it was as though a slide projector or video was playing in midair, even though the evangelists were employing no such device.

When they spoke about the crucifixion, everyone present – believers and unbelievers alike – saw a gripping image of Jesus hanging on the Cross with His Blood flowing down. When they said, “Jesus was born in a manger” they saw a picture of a manger in front of them. This continued for more than four hours, and was witnessed by more than 1,000 people. Almost everybody repented and dedicated their lives to follow Jesus Christ. They said, “God is real and lives among you. What can we do except thank Him and believe in Him?”

You are Like a Pencil

Here are the five things that are common between you and a pencil…
1. A Pencil Has PurposeGod made a pencil to make its mark in this world. Early on, it must establish its purpose—it’s not a backscratcher, or a toy that you twirl around your finger, or a can opener, or (sorry for the grossness) an ear cleaner…
If a pencil diverts its purpose, it will destroy its very existence. It you use it for something else, it will endanger its life. The pencil gets broken and you won’t be able to write anymore.
In the same way, you need to establish your purpose. You can’t be distracted, or you endanger your very existence. You must be focused on one thing. What is your one thing?
I don’t know about you, but I like to be with people of purpose. Who know their one thing. Because they are focused on one thing, they are excellent people. They move with direction.
I ask you again: What’s your one thing?
2. A Pencil Has PriorityThe inside of a pencil is more important than the outside of the pencil. Because the insides are connected to its purpose. On the outside, it could be have dirt, have bite marks, have chipped paint, but that doesn’t matter as long as its insides are working.
Like the pencil, your purpose is connected to what’s inside you, not what’s outside you.
What am I saying? Your money or your house or your car or your watch or your cell phone won’t make you happy. It’s what’s inside you that will make you happy.
The Divine imprint is in you. Inside you is the image and likeness of God. The Bible says “Christ dwells in you.” (Colossians 1:27) and that you are the “Temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 3:16).
Value what’s in you more than what’s outside you!
3. A Pencil Needs PainA pencil has to go through painful sharpening if it’s to be useful. If it doesn’t go through pain, it won’t be able to fulfill its purpose.
In the same way, you need to prepare yourself to go through painful sharpening—if you want God to use you. You will go through trials to test you, teach you, and train you to be better than you were before.
Look back into your life.
There must be a reason why you went through what you went through. There’s a reason why you went through that molestation, that separation, that abortion, that deprivation, isolation, that temptation, that purgation, that tribulation…
I was molested as a child. I will not wish it on my worst enemy. Yet I am able to speak words of healing today because of the pain that I went through.
4. A Pencil Needs PerseveranceIf it makes a mistake, the pencil doesn’t give up. Why? Because it knows it has an eraser. The pencil simply erases its mistakes, and moves on. It doesn’t beat itself and condemn itself and say, “Oh, I’m so terrible. Why did I make a mistake? I’m a total failure.” No such words. When it makes a mistake, it simply erases and moves on.
In the same way, when you make a mistake, God gave you an eraser. It’s the most powerful eraser in the world. It’s called forgiveness.
God forgives you. And asks you to forgive yourself. And asks you to forgive others.
Use your eraser everyday!
5. A Pencil Needs PowerA pencil left by itself cannot fulfill its purpose. Because its power doesn’t come from itself but from the hand that holds it. For the pencil to make its mark in the world, it needs to allow someone’s hand to hold it.
In the same way, you need to allow God’s hand to hold you so you can fulfill your sacred purpose.
Are you allowing God’s hand to hold you, direct you, and use you now?
Friend, let God hold you now.
May your dreams come true,
Bo Sanchez

Going the Extra Mile in China and a blind man healed

The house churches in Henan never pray for a change of government, but rather they pray God would save the souls of the lost in China! In fact, many Chinese Christians pray persecution will continue in China, because they are afraid if life becomes easy and their faith does not cost as much, the church will get lazy and fall asleep. They pray their attitude will be one that embraces suffering as a gift from the Lord. With that attitude, they are willing to go the extra mile, and there is nothing evil men or the world can do to them.

Brother Shui lived in Fangcheng County in southern Henan Province. During the Cultural Revolution, Christians were often forced to parade in public wearing large “dunce” hats, made of heavy bamboo. The people came out to mock and abuse the “criminals” who wore them. When the time came for Brother Shui to be paraded in public, the police were unable to find a spare dunce hat for him, so they made him walk without one. This deeply upset him, because he wanted to bear the reproach of the Lord. Each prisoner’s crimes were written on their hat. For Christians they often wrote, “This person believes in Jesus.” This was meant to be a humiliation, but many believers wore the hat as a badge of honor for their Lord. It was a witness to unbelievers, who could clearly see the peace and joy on the faces of the Christians compared to the other criminals. Brother Shui cried out , “O Lord, why did you forget me?” On the second day a dunce hat was found for Brother Shui, which made him so happy. His face shone with joy and tears welled up in his eyes as he paraded through the streets, now he was considered worthy to fully suffer for the Name of the Lord.

After the ceremony Brother Shui asked the police if he could keep the dunce hat and take it home when he was released from the prison, as a reminder of his “crimes.” The police found this request very strange, but they consented! When he returned to his farm, his neighbors were amazed to see Shui tending his cows and sheep while wearing the dunce hat! For him it was a treasured souvenir of when the Lord allowed him to suffer for the Name of Jesus. His neighbors thought he had lost his mind, and that he was a shameless man. They despised him. But Brother Shui was a man who loved Jesus with all his heart. The government was infuriated when they saw Brother Shui embracing what was meant to be his humiliation. They realized they could do nothing to make him change his ways or renounce his Lord.

The world can do nothing to a Christian who has no fear of man.

Brother Shui wholeheartedly served the Lord for the rest of his life until he went to be with Jesus last year, leaving a testimony of courage and faith to many believers.

Bind Man Healed

In 1966, in Nanzhao County (Henan Province), in a small town called Yunyang, one brother also had the experience of wearing a ‘dunce hat’ and being paraded through the streets for the Gospel. This brother was blind and couldn’t see a thing. Everyone knew he had been totally blind for many years. The people came out and beat him on the back and on the front, smearing dirt and rotten things on him, and riled against him. Two guards were placed on either side of him in order to lead him forward. Suddenly this brother began to shout, “Please don’t guide me anymore! I can see! I can see!” God had miraculously opened his eyes right in the midst of his persecution! This brother is still alive today in Nanzhao, and can still see!

There is a Fountain filled with Blood

There is a fountain filled with blood,
Drawn from Immanuel's veins;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains.

The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain in his day;
And there have I, as vile as he,
Washed all my sins away.

E'er since by faith I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die.

Dear dying Lamb, thy precious blood
Shall never lose it's power,
Till all the ransomed church of God
Be saved, to sin no more.

William Cowper (1731-1800)

Bread for China..

About 30+ years ago, in Henan province in China a teenage boy, later to become a mighty evangelist, knelt by his bedside praying for a bible. He had seen his father healed of cancer a few days before when his mother prayed for his healing in the name of Jesus, and he wanted to know who this Jesus was. In those days in China there were no bibles, during the cultural revolution they had all been burnt and all the missionaries expelled, executed or imprisoned. In his small village no one had ever seen one, although some had seen handwritten passages many years before. He began what was to become a 100 day fast as part of his prayer for a bible. He neither ate nor drank all day and just had a bit of rice in the evening. By the end, almost delirious with hunger he had a vision during his prayers where he saw his bible being delivered to him. As he woke from this vision, there was a knock at the door and two men entered and handed him a red bag with his bible inside.

An old evangelist from another part of China, who had suffered terribly for his faith during the cultural revolution, but had managed to successfully hide his bible by burying it in the ground in a can, also had a dream. He had seen the boy’s house, the village he lived in and the province and the Lord told him to send his bible to this boy. He asked two Christian friends to deliver it to him , the ones who knocked on the door 100 days later.

The Chinese bishop 王宠林主教.

(from the Children of Medjugorje newsletter)

During my trip to China last month, I visited the province of Hebei in the North of the country. There my friends spoke to me of a man dear to them, their bishop, born in heaven last year, Mgr Wang Chong-Lin Lin.

As a priest, arrested in 1958 and a prisoner for 21 years, he was only able to return home in 1979. Ordained as a bishop in 1983, his diocese had become lifeless: no priests, no nuns, no convent, not even a church, nothing! He made a pilgrimage to the Marian Shrine of the Shanxi province in order to implore the Virgin Mary for help. He had unbounded love for her. He would tell his friends, “You know how noble the calling of Bishop is and how heavy the responsibility is. I can only confide in the Blessed Virgin Mary! She is the Mother of God, the Mother of the Church and also my beloved Mother. The Church made me a bishop but here the Church has nothing! No land, not even a room, no seminaries… I am such a poor shepherd! What does the Mother of God want?”

He heard about the Marian Shrine of Bansishan where the Blessed Mother had been appearing since 1982 and he decided to go there. Here is his story: “A voice seemed to urge me to go meet my “Mother” there. We prayed the Rosary on our knees and during the prayer she appeared to me near the church, dressed in white, with a blue belt. I looked into her eyes and she looked into my eyes. ‘O Mother, may you always keep your gaze on me!’ The next day, I celebrated Mass in the church for her intentions, a very important mass for me because I offered the 60,000 faithful of my diocese, I offered myself, and I consecrated them to the Blessed Mother. I told her: ‘Since I have nothing, I cannot do anything. So I consecrate my diocese to you, my Mother, take care of it yourself!’ My Mother Mary told me, “Do not worry, I will take care of you as I take care of my son Jesus!”

And it was so! The Blessed Mother answered: when he went back, priests and seminarians started to come in great numbers. In a short time, he was able to create a seminary (1985), restart the congregation of St. Theresa, open an orphanage, a Vocational Center, a Formation Center for the laity, etc…

This bishop was able to make the impossible succeed: In his complete poverty and solitude, he prayed with faith, he consecrated everything to the Mother of God, and surrendered to her with the confidence of a child. He knew that she would take her Son’s business to heart better than anyone else. Today, how many consecrated people are facing similar situations of want, solitude, and are tempted to give up in front of the enormity of the task to be filled? But Our Lady is ready to work miracles as soon as her Son’s affairs and her children’s salvation are at stake! That’s why, for 30 years in Medjugorje, she has been trying so hard to make us fall on our knees!

A personal testimony .. a true story from the Philippines

On Good Friday, on a TV show a young Filipino man told his story. He had been a practicing homosexual for some years, going to parties at houses of others of the same persuasion and sleeping around, it was not clear whether he was paid to take part in orgies or whether it was entirely voluntary but he led a promiscous life. Soon he was HIV positive and later became sick. Maybe the story is familiar, but his response to it is less so.

Now , some years later, his life has been transformed. His work is in communicating the dangers of his former lifestyle to his peers and helping them. He now says that gettings AIDS was a 'gift from God' to him because his life changed and he is forgiven and redeemed and now able to use what is left of his life to help others, praise God ! What an example to others !

Our Lady's message from Medjugorje (May 2nd 2011)

"Dear children; God the Father is sending me to show you the way of salvation, because He, my children, desires to save you and not to condemn you. That is why I, as a mother, am gathering you around me, because with my motherly love I desire to help you to be free of the dirtiness of the past and to begin to live anew and differently. I am calling you to resurrect in my Son. Along with confession of sins renounce everything that has distanced you from my Son and that has made your life empty and unsuccessful. Say 'yes' to the Father with the heart and set out on the way of salvation to which He is calling you through the Holy Spirit. Thank you. I am especially praying for the shepherds, for God to help them to be alongside you with a fullness of heart."

TRUE PEACE .. (Desert Father's)

One of the brothers asked abba Isidore, a priest of scetis, "Why are the demons so terrified of you?" And the old man said, "Ever since I became a monk I have tried never to let anger rise as far as my mouth."

Abba Joseph asked abba Nisteros, "What should I do about my tongue, for I cannot control it?" The old man said to him, "When you speak, do you find peace?" He replied, "No." The old man said to him, "If you do not find peace, why do you speak? Be silent, and when a conversation takes place, prefer to listen rather to talk."

A brother asked abba Poemen, "How should I behave in my cell in the place where am living?" He replied, "Behave as if you were a stranger, and wherever you are, do not expect your words to have an influence and you will be at peace."

Desert Fathers stories....Judging Others

A brother in Scetis committed a fault. A council was called to which abba Moses was invited, but he refused to go to it. Then the priest sent someone to him, saying, "Come, for everyone is waiting for you". So he got up and went. He took a leaking jug and filled it with water and carried it with him. The others came out to meet him and said, " what is this, father?" The old man said to them, "My sins run out behind me, and I do not see them, and today I am coming to judge the errors of another." When they heard that,they said no more to the brother but forgave him.

A brother sinned and the priest ordered him to go out of the church; abba Bessarion got up and went out with him, saying, "I, too, am a sinner"

Your God in the Philippines is more powerful than our god in Japan

For many years, I worked as an entertainer in Japan, where I met and married a Japanese man in 1989. In January 1991, I got sick. After a careful diagnosis, the doctor found out I had skin cancer. I was hospitalized for six months and underwent chemotherapy. Due to the side effects of the drugs, I suffered baldness

In the midst of this crisis, I listened to the healing messages of Bro. Mike on audio tapes and read Bagong Liwanag magazines sent to me by my parents from the Philippines. As I read the testimonies on the miracles of El Shaddai, God gave me hope that I would be healed. I repented of all my sins, asked for God's forgiveness and received in my heart Jesus Christ as Healer, Lord, and Savior.

Before I had my last chemotherapy, I made an overseas call to Bro. Mike in his office and asked him to pray for my healing. After that, the doctors were surprised with the result of the examination-it was negative! One of them even exclaimed to me, "Your God in the Philippines is indeed mightier than our god in Japan." Thank You, El Shaddai, for healing me!

Masai Evangelist

One day Joseph, who was walking along one of these hot, dirty African roads, met someone who shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with him. Then and there he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. The power of the Spirit began transforming his life; he was filled with such excitement and joy that the first thing he wanted to do was return to his own village and share that same Good News with the members of his local tribe.

Joseph began going from door-to-door, telling everyone he met about the Cross [suffering!] of Jesus and the salvation it offered, expecting to see their faces light up the way his had. To his amazement the villagers not only didn’t care, they became violent. The men of the village seized him and held him to the ground while the women beat him with strands of barbed wire. He was dragged from the village and left to die alone in the bush.

Joseph somehow managed to crawl to a water hole, and there, after days of passing in and out of consciousness, found the strength to get up. He wondered about the hostile reception he had received from people he had known all his life. He decided he must have left something out or told the story of Jesus incorrectly. After rehearsing the message he had first heard, he decided to go back and share his faith once more.

Joseph limped into the circle of huts and began to proclaim Jesus. “He died for you, so that you might find forgiveness and come to know the living God” he pleaded. Again he was grabbed by the men of the village and held while the women beat him reopening wounds that had just begun to heal. Once more they dragged him unconscious from the village and left him to die.

To have survived the first beating was truly remarkable. To live through the second was a miracle. Again, days later, Joseph awoke in the wilderness, bruised, scarred—and determined to go back.

He returned to the small village and this time, they attacked him before he had a chance to open his mouth. As they flogged him for the third and probably the last time, he again spoke to them of Jesus Christ, the Lord. Before he passed out, the last thing he saw was that the women who were beating him began to weep.

This time he awoke in his own bed. The ones who had so severely beaten him were now trying to save his life and nurse him back to health. The entire village had come to Christ.

This is one vivid example of what Paul meant when he said, “I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body.”

The Warrior's Prayer

Long since, in sore distress, I heard one
pray, “Lord, who prevailest with resistless might,
Ever from war and strife keep me away, My battles fight!”

I know not if I play the Pharisee,
And if my brother after all be right;
But mine shall be the warrior’s plea to thee—Strength for the fight.

I do not ask that thou shalt front the fray, And drive the warring foeman from my sight; I only ask, O Lord, by night, by day, Strength for the fight!

When foes upon me press, let me not quail Nor think to turn me into coward flight. I only ask, to make my arms prevail, Strength for the fight!

Still let mine eyes look ever on the foe,
Still let mine armour case me strong and
bright; And grant me, as I deal each righteous blow, Strength for the fight!

And when, at eventide, the fray is done,
My soul to Death’s bedchamber do thou
light, And give me, be the field lost or won, Rest from the fight!

Time to Listen

One young woman came to us recently after going into hospital 3 times to have her baby aborted. Each time she would spend the day dreading the thought of what was before her. She would deliberately arrive 2 or 3 hours late at the hospital desperately hoping that her appointment would be cancelled. She would be prepared for the operation in a state of total panic. She would even come out in a nervous rash.

Like so many other women she was totally confused and without moral support when she discovered that she was pregnant. All but one of the medical personnel that she spoke to put forward abortion as the only solution. The hospital counsellor seemed to be trying to ‘sell’ the abortion to her, portraying motherhood as a silly romanticised notion.

Somehow, each time this woman found the strength to walk out at the last moment (once, literally seconds before being anaesthetised). Each time, the hospital staff ‘kindly’ booked another date for her abortion to go ahead. Finally, through the efforts of a good Christian soul, Good Counsel Network was put in touch with her. After having a chat with us (We spoke for 8 hours and she said "Nobody else had the time to listen") she is delighted to be keeping her baby, which is what she was crying out to do all along!

Why the Rosary ?

Dear Children,

Today I invite you in a particular way to enter the battle against Satan by means of prayer. Satan wants to battle more, now that you are aware of his activity. Dear Children put on, therefore, the armor against Satan, and with the Rosary in your hands you will defeat him. Thank you for having responded to my call.

(Message of Our Lady in Medjugorje Aug. 8, 1985)