Sunday, October 24, 2010

Angel choirs join our own...God at work in the Philippines!

As I mentioned in my previous post, one of our ARME Prayer leaders, Melissa, is currently in the Philippines holding all-day prayer rooms, and training different groups there in what we are doing. She is also meeting with conference officials and leaders as plans are being laid for ARME to come to the Philippines in May 2011.

She was going into one meeting on Friday were the leadership seemed to be a bit skeptical of what ARME is all about. Then the Union President (who was there) piped up.... "Oh, weren't you guys just at the GC annual council meetings in Maryland?" Melissa just smiled.... "Yep!" And she had the endorsement she needed, as the officials agreed ARME would be a good event to support in the Philippines. Praise the Lord, He is already paving the way for us and opening doors....He is sooo good!

Melissa called me this morning and told me the following four testimonies. I asked her to write them out so I could share them with our team on the prayer call this morning....And they are soo powerful, I have to share them with all of you as well.

1) A young girl named Jules has only been a Christian for 2 years, and a SDA for the past 6 months or so. A few months ago, she started having dreams about Jesus returning, and different Bible themes. She had a dream where she saw four angels holding back the four winds of destruction. She said they were really strong angels, and were holding things back just a little bit longer so God's people could get ready. She had another dream about two paths, one was a broad way and another the narrow way, and she had to choose which path she was going to take. She started on the narrow way, as she felt that was what God was calling her to take. But as she did, many were grabbing on to her and trying to pull her back down to the broad path. She was struggling to walk the path, and it was slippery, then she cried out to God, "Please help me! I can't do this alone!" And strong arms came down and pulled her up to a safe place. The pulls of those from below were gone. Then she had a dream that there were many young people in army uniforms, being instructed by older people. She saw the same colors that is on our ARMe's fllyer in her dream, the camaflouge colors. She heard a strong voice say "TRAIN YOURSELVES SOLDIERS!" She told me "This is it (as she excitedly pointed to the post card flyer of ARME Bible Camp that I, Melissa, held in my hands). This is of God! I dreamed about it!"

(These dreams occurred months AGO....before this girl ever knew anything about ARME....She even dreamed about the narrow way before she knew the story was biblical!! She was never brave enough to tell anyone her dreams until she met Melissa this past week at the camp in the Philippines....)

2) A Professor of Theology was speaking to me, Melissa, at lunch and as I shared with him prayer room testimonials he said that he was very skeptical, he said that maybe this was "sensationalism." I told him that there was nothing sensational about this and that it was very simple, people praying together. I told him to come by the prayer room. We began to pray for him for a few days. Then I bumped into him and reminded him and he said he would come. Sabbath morning he came by and at first he just sat on a chair with his eyes opened observing. Then the next hour he kneeled. There were 5 young girls praying, I think that melted his heart. When confession part came, his heart was broken, he cried out to God to forgive him for bitterness that he had held in his heart against a family member. I saw how his heart get softer and softer as the hour passed. Afterwards he told me, "If you ever have anyone who is skeptical about this, tell them that you had a professor of Theology that was very skeptical but then afterwards he was convicted THIS IS OF GOD! He was skeptical no longer..."

3) We were impressed to have an all night prayer room the last couple days here in the Philippines. The first night we had 140 people come through and the second night we had 184 people!! We were having MORE people come through the night than during the day! Here is one testimony of someone who prayed all night:

"I challenged God that if I was going to pray all night, that I would not receive any headaches or tiredness the next morning so that I could listen to the Sabbath sermon. I went to the prayer room at 10pm. I never prayed like that before, there were many people praying unitedly. I had a big burden to confess but I didn't want to confess in front of people. But the Holy Spirit guided me to confess. After I did, I had so much peace in my heart. I prayed until 6am. I was able to listen to the sermon in the morning, then the afternoon with no problems, I was not sleepy at all and I had no headaches! I had so much energy in my body! One of the things that we prayed about was that many people would come to the prayer room during Sabbath and our prayers were answered, I noticed many coming to pray!" Saisavanh, Laos student at Mountain View College, Philippines

[Note from Melody - this is my favorite....and occurred just a couple days ago!]

4) At the beginning of a prayer hour session, there were a few people inside the prayer room. When they reached the end of the prayer hour, they closed with the song "Thank you LORD." Usually as the hour of prayer goes by, more people come in and join. So they may start small, but then the group gets bigger. They thought there were already a lot of people that entered the room during the hour, (their eyes were closed during the whole hour) because as they sang the closing song they heard MANY voices singing the song and were beautifully harmonizing together. The song was sooo beautiful, it echoed all around the room. In fact, it was so loud inside the room that the people outside heard the wonderful music and wondered at it. At the end of the song, they opened their eyes and stared in startled surprise at each other as goosebumps went over their bodies. There were only a few inside the prayer room, almost the same number that had started. The only explanation for the beautiful music of many voices? We believe angels were singing with them!

Endorsements for ARME...notes of thanks and appreciation from church leaders

Dear Melody and Arme Prayer Team Partners,

Those of us here at the General Conference want to thank you and the team for what you let the Lord do through you during our Annual Council last week! We saw the answers to prayer throughout the week as the Lord moved on all our hearts in major ways. The cover of intercessory prayer and the opportunity for our delegates to come and pray and be prayed for made a major difference in these meetings. We won't know until eternity what the Lord was able to do because of those of you who spent so much time running the prayer room for us!

We saw the difference made in the responses of the delegates to the call for Revival and Reformation, the Appeal Document and testimony times and messages presented in His power. The meetings which had such a lengthy agenda, some feared they could not be finished, were actually completed nearly a day early leaving time for sharing testimonies at the end of the meeting! From our previous experiences at Soquel Camp meeting with the "Prayer Room," and from when we worked in the Central California Conference, we have found this kind of "united prayer" very reverent and have seen over and over again that "God led prayer" makes an immeasurable difference in meetings to His glory.

Thanks again, and we will be praying for you and want your continued prayers for us all as we seek "our greatest need," "a revival of true godliness among us." We will be wanting to have you help us in the future as the Lord opens the doors. We can highly recommend you for this ministry to other groups and know they too will be richly benefited.

Your Brother in Jesus,
Jerry Page
General Conference Ministerial Association Director

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I’m glad for the chance to share a testimony regarding the spiritual blessing that Martin, Melody and their prayer team were to us here at the Pioneer Memorial Church. We had just concluded a 40 Days of Prayer journey here at Andrews University and Pioneer. Lee Venden was to begin a nine-night revival series. And we sensed the need for intense prayer cover. When Martin and Melody offered to coordinate and conduct a Ten Days of "Prayer Room" here in the church, we seized the opportunity. The designated room was open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. for ten straight days—and what a blessing it turned out to be. Over 1,300 individuals joined in collective prayer during those days—and we could sense the Holy Spirit’s responding. Our evening revival meetings were filled. Jesus was lifted higher and higher—and the decisions for baptism and rebaptism, along with prayer requests and requests to join a small group are all evidence of the Spirit’s mighty response to our prayer team’s ministry. Martin, Melody, and their team are passionately committed to Christ and His longing to revive the church and reach the world before he returns. I heartily and earnestly recommend such a "Prayer Room" in churches across the land and around the world.

Pastor Dwight Nelson, Senior Pastor of Pioneer Memorial Church, Andrews University

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I was so blessed by the experience I had in the Prayer Room at the GC Annual Council, lead by the ARME Prayer team. I went to the prayer room as many times as I could, and was very inspired. It was a reviving, refreshing experience! We are actually doing similar prayer efforts (we call it "The Epaphras Ministry" based on Col 4:12) in the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division, and we have seen God work in mighty ways. So I was happy to enjoy the same prayer experience when I came to the GC.


I was so inspired with the ARME Prayer team and their ministry, during this last General Conference Annual Council, that I have invited Melody and the team to come and work with us in our year-end meetings in South Africa, where our church leadership from 23 countries will be gathering together. What this ARME Prayer team is doing is not new, or part of some new “emergent movement.” It is very Biblical...remember the story of Joshua's victory over the Amalekites when Aaron and Hur held up Moses arms during the battle? (Ex 17:8-16) This united prayer is also evidenced in the life of Moses, Abraham, Daniel, Esther and others in the Bible. This kind of earnest, fervent, united prayer, (if experienced) will bring great blessings to every church and every conference around the world, and as a result, God’s Spirit will be poured out, and Jesus will come back as He has promised!


Paul Ratsara, President of Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division (fastest growing division in the SDA church with 2.5 million members)


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I found ARME Bible Camp to be an incredible experience!! It was renewing for my spirit, energizing, exciting and very inspirational. The prayer room and having the opportunity to pray with others was truly a blessing as well. I highly recommend ARME Bible Camp to anyone who is seeking to learn how to take their Bible study deeper and have a closer walk with God. I am so glad that my wife Cindy and I got the opportunity to experience it for ourselves!

Robert Carmen, President Adventist Health Systems (An organization with 17,000 employees in SDA institutions)


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On behalf of my family, and myself - I'd like to extend our heartfelt thanks for being included in the ARME experience. Truly it was a mountain top experience for my family and for myself. The children are still singing the songs they learned in the children's programs. They learned a lot. I have met with my staff at AFCOE and shared with them the wonderful experience - as well as "lessons learned" while at ARME. Each of the presentations I was able to hear were a blessing - thank you. We are planning to let everyone on the Amazing Facts mailing list know about your upcoming events. Thank you again!


Don Mackintosh, AFCOE Director


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And to top it all off, Doug Batchelor, director and speaker of Amazing Facts, and listened to by thousands on the radio and television, featured us in his letter "The Pastor's perspective" in this month's magazine edition of INSIDE REPORT. God is getting the word out! We aren't hardly even trying ourselves...Praise the Lord!!!!!

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Big Dipper blessings...Our God is Greater!




Where do I even begin...This last month has been a flurry of activities...

After our last ARME Bible Camp, we've had a flood of invitations and requests, for more camps, for more locations...and especially for the Prayer team, to come and assist with different events around the country. Andrews University with Dwight Nelson's team at Pioneer Memorial Church collaborated with us to assist them in hosting a 10-day (all day) Prayer room during Lee Venden's revival series, "It's all about Jesus." Then after we started planning that, we got a request from Jerry and Janet Page (Jerry is now Ministerial Association Director at the GC), to come and do a Prayer Room during this year's GC annual council. At the same time, we also got a request from Amazing Facts to assist them with their MIQ Youth Revival series that Doug Batchelor was doing.

To back up and give some history, our ministry team has just been blown away as we are seeing God's spirit poured out more and more as we've bonded together in united prayer. We're seeing marriages healed, people freed from years of bitterness, children falling in love with God and with prayer, parents praying for their children and seeing answers...and on and on. It's just like the flood gate of Heaven has opened and there is not room enough to contain the blessings!

Anyway, several weekends ago - Oct 2nd to be exact - my friend Kim and I were attending some meetings in Southern Oregon. In a break between sessions, I started talking to Kim about prayer and about the amazing things we've been seeing happen in the prayer room at ARME. "Kim!" I said, "Wouldn't it be sooooo amazing and wonderful if we could get our entire church into this kind of united prayer...where they made it a part of every church service, and a part of every prayer meeting! Just imagine the blessings God would pour out..."

Well 2 days later I got a call from Janet Page at the GC, my friend and prayer mentor that has hugely impacted my life over the last few years. It was all rather last minute by now, but she said she felt impressed by God to ask anyway! So she asked if there was ANY way our team could come lead a prayer room at the GC. (And it wasn't just her that was wanting it, even Ted and Nancy Wilson - our current GC president, had said they wanted us to come!) She had asked our team earlier, but at that point, it was unclear on the dates, or we thought it might be the same time as the Andrews event we were already scheduled for, and we didn't think we could send anyone. However, as she called again, expressing the need, and that she needed people NOW - I knew it was something we had to make work. So, the plan was formed, tickets were purchased, and within 24 hours I was on a plane to Washington DC to our church's world headquarters. What I didn't realize was, that these meetings she was asking us to help with, were NOT just normal church meetings. They were the yearly Annual council where the leaders of the entire SDA church from all over the world come together! (About 300 delegates, presidents, and conference officials all in all! We are talking about the top leaders of our church!) She wanted us to lead a joint morning prayer time for about 40 minutes before each morning session, and then host a prayer room that would be open all day. So, still very naieve and not comprehending the full scope of things, I arrived and set to work to organize and help her get things going.


The first morning prayer session, we had over 80 people in attendance for the prayer time. And while people didn't flood the prayer room (after all, they had many important meetings going on), they did come. Leaders, presidents, church officials, even the local janitor and GC staff. Sometimes they stayed for the full hour, sometimes only a few minutes, but there was much confessing, weeping, and pleading for the Holy Spirit. It was beautiful! Some came back again and again!


On top of this, I was asked to interview with Mark Finley on Sabbath and share about how God had been blessing the prayer room. This was Sabbath morning, right before Elder Ted Wilson gave his Sabbath address. I not only got to share about the miracles God had been doing, but I got to share our vision for the leaders to be united in prayer...it was amazing. Afterwards, many told me how much they'd been touched...even Mrs. Paulson. However, it wasn't until it was all over that the reality of what had just happened sunk in...and I realized that the "vision" I had shared with Kim the week before, about getting our church excited about prayer, was actually taking place before my very eyes! Though Elder Wilson's desire for more prayer, through Jerry and Janet Page's testimony and desire for more prayer, and through their invitation to come and share and pray, God was opening the doors. It was hard to comprehend, and it was even more hard to understand why God had allowed us to be part of the process.... I may be in my 30's already, but I still feel like such a kid when it comes to all this ministry stuff. But God is so good. Even when we don't have everything figured out, He sees the desire of our hearts and He still can work when we give ourselves to Him. 

As the meetings continued we all got to witness as Ted Wilson's Revival and Reformation team shared a document that I believe will forever change the church. It was a document calling people back to repentance, back to true humility, and back to the original purpose God has given all of us in His Word. As Elder Wilson kept saying, this is not to criticize leadership that has been before, but the simple truth is....Jesus has not come back yet. It's time we did something different and really got serious about putting ALL on the line for Him!!!!

I couldn't stay for the entire event, but God blessed us with a wonderful prayer team. Sarah Rouse and her mom, plus my friend Kim (who I mentioned earlier) were able to join me and were a huge support as part of the prayer team at the GC. Dave Steward joined as well. Unfortunately, I could not stay to see the event finish, but after being at the GC for 5 days, I had to leave and fly to Andrews to assist with the 10 day prayer event that was already taking place there. Martin and Melissa and their team had already been doing a wonderful job, but Melissa had to fly to Philippines to start more Prayer Events there....so I took her place. So....wow....from one prayer room to another, across the country we go! (Below is a picture of our prayer team at Andrews.)


Andrews was a great experience as well. We had the prayer room open 14 hours a day, and each hour we would start a new session. Many stayed for hours at a time. One girl, Kandi, we saw changed from a spirit of absolute enragement at God to actually praising Him and seeking Him. She was a complete miracle!!! Many other miracles occurred, as people joined together in prayer, praising, confessing, and seeking God with all their hearts. Over the course of this event we saw over 1,300 people come through the prayer room....and many decisions for Christ were made by the young people. All the glory to Him!!!!


Finally, it was over. There were tears as many did not want to see the prayer room closed. We didn't want to leave. But most of our team lives all around the country, so it has to lay in the hands of the Andrews Community to keep things going. And as a result, we did see other prayer groups and teams formed. Praise the Lord!

I thought I was coming back to Oregon, to finally catch my breath, be available for my famiLEE, and actually enjoy living in my new apartment. But while in Chicago, mid way home, I got a call from Paul Ratsara, the president of the Southern-Africa Indian Ocean division. His is the fastest growing division in the SDA church with already 2.5 million members. And it's no wonder because he and his team are people of prayer!!!!! Anyway, we had met at the GC, and he was really excited and supportive of what we are doing with the prayer team as they have been doing similar things in his division. But he wants MORE of it! And so he was calling to ask me if I and a prayer partner, could come to South Africa to do the same thing we had done at the GC for their year end meetings. Evidently they have the leadership representing about 23 countries coming together to make decisions and plans, and he is in earnest that prayer be even more a part of things. As he talked, I knew it was a great opportunity with the possibility of impacting MANY more people with the importance of united prayer. However, the hitch was...the meetings are next week!!! Gulp, swallow..."God, I don't know if I can afford to take off again so soon! I need strength, I have obligations and needs I should be here for, I'm already behind on so much with ARME....I haven't worked in weeks, I need money to pay bills!" At first I told Pastor Paul that I didn't see how I could do it, but I told him I'd pray about it. After talking with our team, and a prayer mentor, I felt convicted, regardless of my personal needs, plans or inconveniences, we needed to put these things aside and just go!!! Deep breath!!

So….in less than 3 days, I will be flying with my partner team for Johannesburg South Africa. With travel time, I will be gone almost 2 weeks...

I can only shake my head and marvel...and I'm reminded of my teammate Melissa's words from a few weeks back, "Melody - God is telling us... Catch up to me, catch up to me! You are on the right track, but I have so much for you to do! You are behind, catch up to me!" Wow - what more God?! Where are you taking us, where are you taking me?

The Big Dipper!

On the flight from Chicago back to Portland, after we got out of the city lights, I looked out my airplane window and was awe struck to see the constellation of the "Big Dipper" right out my window over the airplane's wing. It was HUGE...so HUGE, it was as if sitting on the airplane's wing! Bigger than I had ever seen it before. It was beautiful....as I looked in amazement, a shooting star came out of the sky overhead and shot right into the big dipper. It was such a beautiful site, I continued to stare...and as I did, it's as IF I heard God's voice in my ear... "Melody...if you trust me...if you keep walking with me, if you and your team continue to follow me with surrendered hearts and on your knees in prayer...I have heaven's blessings that I will pour out upon you. You see how much this Big Dipper holds? It's only a small portion of what I want to pour out of heaven upon you!"

My mind ran wild with what this means to God...cause if you think about it, if you hold up one finger against the night sky, you are shutting out "supposedly" about 10 billion galaxies. Just imagine the billions and trillions and qua-trillions of galaxies contained in the spanse of the Big Dipper...?? It's un-comprehendable...

My mind went back to a couple of my favorite verses:

"Ah Lord God, behold thou hast made the Heaven and the Earth by thy great power and stretched out thine arm, and there is nothing too hard for you." Jer 32:17

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. For as the the heaven's are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isa 55:8,9

"Prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of Heaven and pour out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it." Mal 3:10

The whole 4 hour flight back to Portland, I kept resting, then pressing my face back to the window to see if the Big Dipper was STILL there. I couldn't sleep....my mind was so filled with worship and praise to my King. The Big Dipper stayed there over the right wing, unmoving, the whole flight home! It was amazing...

So...it's been three weeks now since I made that simple statement, sharing my vision (God's vision) with Kim to get the church into united prayer. And in these past three weeks God has opened the doors for us to work with the entire church leadership at the GC, with Andrews University, and is now opening the doors for us to work with multiple countries and conferences all over the world. Even as I type this...our own Melissa is in the Philippines leading prayer rooms and seeing many lives changed!

It's only been a little over a year since ARME began, and 6 months ago that we started the "all day Prayer Room" - and yet...as our prayer team has spent this past summer traveling to churches, camp meetings, done training at Amazing Facts, and worked with youth groups all over...God truly is saying, "You think you are going fast, but actually you are slooooow! Catch up to me! Catch up!"

Honestly, I don't even understand WHY He's giving us the honor to be used in such ways for Him. We are nobody's in human perspective, just young Christians on a journey...seeking to get people into the Bible and into prayer...and yet I feel like we have touched fire to dynamite! And I'm realizing our God is big...and He is up to something BIG...much bigger than us...much bigger than any of us dreamed, envisioned or planned!!! And why? Because He is coming soon...

I'm just so thankful to be on this journey with Him! "HOW GREAT is our GOD!"

*Endnote: As you might have noticed, we weren't able to get a team together to assist with MIQ, but are hoping as we get more prayer partners on board, we will be able to send out multiple prayer teams all over the country at the same time in the future. So continue to pray for us. And pray for me and Shanter, my prayer partner, as we travel to South Africa. And pray for Melissa and her partners, as she continues to reach people in the Philippines!

To see more pictures of our Prayer team's time with the GC and Andrews, please click HERE! To see my interview at the GC with Mark Finley sharing about the prayer room, click HERE! :-)