To God be the glory!!!

The last couple of months have been a struggle for me since Gugu's death. There has been a lot of transitions and loss. God has made me more aware of my emotional side and the suffering of others around me. Not that I was totally insensitive before but it has just been a different level of awareness. I have shared some of my struggles as God has

been stretching me. I pray it is so I will be, as in James 1:4b, "you will be strong in character and ready for anything." I believe as we stand strong amidst the struggles that God is preparing us for some major breakthroughs at Children's Cup in areas we might not even be expecting. "But the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam. He turned the intended curse into a blessing because the Lord you God loves you." Deuteronomy 23:5. Let me take today to share the physical miracles going on this past week!

If any of you are connected with me on FaceBook, you know that Levi Rodgers, Ben and Susan's 10 year old son, was very sick for almost 4 weeks. Whenever he ate he had stomach pains and bouts of what we call here "runny tummy". The doctors had tried all they could think of and he finally was referred to South Africa for help and the search for what was wrong included the fun adventure of a colonoscopy -Ouch! No problems were evident though and Levi was released late last Friday to wait for the tests results. Everyone had been praying for the usually active, love to eat, cute smiling Levi. On the way back from SA on Saturday, Levi started getting hungry and then wanted to go outside and play. By Sunday morning he was at church early and eager to be involved. We still don't know what was wrong with him but know that after almost of month of suffering, he is feeling fine! Amazing!! For a more complete story, check out Susan's blog @ http://susanrodgers.blogspot.com/ .

But listen, it doesn't stop there!! Armando is a young man who was beat up when going to the rescue of a woman who was being mistreated by some soldiers just prior to Father's day. The incident fractured his skull and he was in a coma on Father's Day with 18 stitches in his head. He woke from his coma to find himself with paralysis of his right side and other mental compromises such as being able to read or have short term memory. His family goes to HPC (Healing Place Church where I attend) because of their daughter who attended the Mangwaneni CarePoint and started coming (another story for another day). As I visited Christina in the government hospital, I kept seeing the family and tried to encourage them. They invited me to come to the ward and meet Armando. I was pleased to pray for and with him and to give him scriptures of promise to hold onto. I, along with others from HPC continued to lift him up in prayer as he was discharged from the hospital. The first Sunday out of the hospital, Armando attended HPC church in a wheelchair. He claimed that God had got his attention and he was intent on not ignoring God any longer. The next Sunday Armando came on crutches. Yesterday he walked up to the front unassisted to stand next to Levi as a testimony of God's healing power at work!!!! Awesome!!!

Let me share one last one. Another man in our church, Bruce, has had a problem with a nerve in his jaw. It is not treatable and gave him excruciating pain. His wife prayed and fasted for him after weeks of pain and no relief from the doctors and he was healed instantly!!! Wow!!!

To close, let me give you an update on Christina. A week ago Friday, when Christina looked the worst I have seen her, she told me that God had given her another 15 years! I prayed with her and told her to hold on to that promise. Saturday, she continued to get stronger and more clear in her thinking. Tues. she was discharged from the hospital and is now in a type of assisted living setting with her sister. She tried being on her own for a couple of days but it was evident she is not capable yet of living independently. We continue to hold on to God's words to her of 15 more years and know she will be back singing with the children at Mvutjeni "Em-voo-chee-nee", the Mercy Center she works at, eventually. Praise God!!!

What is next? I don't have a clue, but I serve a God where anything can happen!!! I am excited to see the future unfold as God shows me to pray believing not only that He can heal, but that He will heal!!! Not only that He can restore but He will restore relationships, finances, and whatever else we need. Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow!!!!!