Visakhapatnam, India

Your Update

Update from Mercy Mbindyo on January 30, 2012 at 9:20pm

The Kingdom of God is at hand! This was very evident in every aspect of the India JOC. From the city to the villages, the presence of God moved and people received healing, salvation, deliverance etc., absolute life transformations. I'll highlight a few examples: On Sunday night (day 7) the A2J (Addicted to Jesus) band, which is part of Friends Meet Ministries, hosted a worship concert at a park in Vizag city to officially release their second CD. Hundreds came and the presence of God was really powerful. Many wandered into the park, drawn by the music and left transformed for life. So many responded to an alter call to be set free from emotional bondage, I was especially amazed by the number of young men who laid down their pride and vulnerably responded to be set free - there was an amazing deliverance happening that night as the team prayed for them. 

 

We also had a chance to go out in a city neighborhood on day 5, visiting with people and praying for them. I recall one elderly lady that we prayed for who was sitting on the side of the street, she had pain all over her body and her back was pretty hunched over. After praying for her, the pain was gone and she was able to stand up much straighter than she could before. She was so moved by the healing that she was in tears, saying she's not been able to stand up like that in a very long time. As people nearby saw what was happening, they started coming to us asking that we pray for them also - it was like witnessing a revival on the streets of Vizag, as people came for prayer and one after another they received healing. 

 

At the villages, people received healing and salvation throughout the day during the medical clinics and at the evening open-air meetings. I especially recall two people I prayed for whose eye sight was restored. One girl could not see/read my name-tag before we prayed for her. After praying, she could amazingly read my name plus some much smaller print beneath it even as I stepped a few feet back...Another man who we prayed for could not see my hand as I stepped a few feet back before we prayed for him. After praying, he could not only see my raised hand, he could tell me how many fingers I held up as I stepped back almost twice the distance that I did before...We shared the gospel with many explaining to them how Jesus was demonstrating His love for them through healing and many invited Him into their hearts.

 

Vijay's team (Friend's Meet ministry) was incredible. They worked so hard, day and night to set up the medical clinics/nightly meetings, translate for us and complete so many other activities behind the scenes that we will never know, to make this JOC a success. In spite of getting only a few hours of sleep, they welcomed us every morning, with huge smiles, drums, horns and fireworks. Their compassion for the people of Vizag was very evident in everything they did, it was a great honor to serve with such an amazing team.

Update from Grant Truscott on January 28, 2012 at 1:01am

There is so much to share that it is hard to know where to begin. I don't remember talking to anyone on the team that wasn't deeply impacted. It was a life changing experience for many of us. This was my first Journey with Impact Nations. We saw so many ordinary people do extraordinary things in Jesus name. Steve told us to keep a journal because even though we think to our selves we will never forget this moment, we will see so many amazing things that we will not remember everything and it will all get blurred together. He was right. It is so hard to remember how many people got healed or saved or had their lives touched. How many of you would agree that seeing so many miracles that you can not remember them all is a good thing? As Kris mentioned, the late nights and bumpy bus rides did not allow for much time for journal writing.

There are a few experiences that I will never forget that I would love to share. Probably my biggest growth experience was the second or third day. I was praying for a Deaf Mute man and he did not getting healed. All kinds of thoughts are going through my head. I grabbed another team member standing close by that I knew has been used by God to heal many people before, thinking maybe my faith was not big enough, but certainly his would be.He still did not get healed so that team member said wait here and I will grab someone else. the next person arrived and after being persistent the man who was deaf from birth could hear again. The next person I prayed for could not see out of one eye. I prayed for him not thinking about my faith or what a great testimony it would be or any of those other thoughts that go through my mind and he was totally healed.

On the last day God really blew my mind. I was on the prayer team and over the course of about 3 hours, every one that we prayed for was healed. Every single person! Two of them were partially healed but all the rest were completely healed. It was so much fun seeing people healed, knowing that God wanted them healed and seeing the delight on their faces when they were healed. At times during the trip I wondered if people were being polite after we prayed for them but this day I could see it on their faces and on the face of my interpreter.

There are so many experiences that I would love to share but these were just a few highlights. I would like to thank everyone who was praying for the team, All the Friends Meet volunteers who prayed and worked so diligently to make our trip a success and open the way for the Holy Spirit to use us.

Update from Kris MacQueen on January 25, 2012 at 5:01pm

Greetings from Visakhapatnam!

Things have been extraordinarily busy, 7am departure and 9:30-10pm return, the breakfast and dinner on the other side of those.  It's been an incredible time.  We've seen and experience so much.  Back pain and neck pain and shoulder pain, all very common in the villagers who live a VERY *hard* life, are being healed with such regularity it defies belief.  Amazingly, I prayed for a young woman the other day who was mute, and from what the translator told me, had never spoken.  We prayed, and she began to make noises with her mouth.  The people around her, who knew her, started murmuring and looking around at one another, eyes wide.  We prayed again, and her voice got stronger.  By the time we finished, a couple of prayers later, she was saying her first words:  "Brother", "Sister" in Telugu.  It was an amazing, and deeply humbling, thing to be the first to hear the sound of this woman's voice.  Others on the team have seen deaf ears open up, and a woman who was crippled by a stroke, healed.

We've been out to the villages a couple of times this week, and we went out and fed the beggars yesterday.  These people, many of them, are not like our "homeless".  Nobody cares about these people.  No one feeds them.  Many of them are born on the street, literally, and die on the street having never called a place home.  There are no hostels for them.  They're always on the streets, day and night, in the scorching sun or a monsoon, it never changes for them.  

It's hard to describe India.  It's beautiful and colourful.  The people are extraordinary.  It's difficult to begin to do justice to either the beauty or the poverty we've seen.  It's an altogether different world.  I'm loving this trip.

Update from Vince Carter on December 28, 2011 at 9:35am

We are all eagerly awaiting on the arrival of the Impact Nations team in January. The work has started, preparations are well under way. The churches are fasting and praying for the medical camps that will occur, for healing miracles to be released and for the Gospel to be heard and for many salvations.

We will be visiting villages, a couple of new ones as we expand out and conducting 6 medical camps touching many who would otherwise not be able to get medical attention.  

The team will have the opportunity to partcipate in a pastor conference and a worship night for all christians in Visag City where we are expecting up to 2,000 youth. Keep praying for the worship team as their second worship cd is soon to be released.

Keep us in prayer as we are praying for you daily and for the adventure God has in store for you!

 

 

Update from Steve Stewart on June 15, 2011 at 1:16pm

Many of you are aware that, together, we work with some very heroic teams in the developing world––none more so than Vince’s team in India. 

 

He and Neeraja have trained a team of young men and women who achieve a truly astounding amount of high impact ministry. And they do it week after week: feeding sidewalk beggars, visiting the children’s prisons, running programs for widows, doing street concerts, working 3 days every week in villages away from the city (where they have planted a number of churches), conducting village medical clinics, taking the Gospel to unreached people in the mountains.

 

When Swee Lip and I met with Vince and his key leaders, it was apparent to us that they have one great over-arching need: a vehicle (project #506). We can hardly imaging the challenges and hindrances that they face every time that the go out to impact lives, either in their city, or  in the countryside. This is not a luxury; it is a necessity.

 

An anonymous donor has generously responded by pledging to match donations up to $5,000. If together we can raise the other half, it will allow Vince’s team to purchase an SUV, which is necessary to manage the rural roads. They also need its size to carry hundreds of meals, sound equipment, team members etc.

 

As seriously as I know how, I am asking you to do two things. First, please give to make this happen. Second, please make this need known to your friends, family or co-workers. The need is immediate and urgent. The stakes are high for our Indian family and for all those to whom they are taking Jesus.

 

There are of course other projects that we want to help Vince with, like a sound system, medical supplies etc. But the SUV is the essential building block for everything else.

 

The Apostle John wrote a letter to his friend Gaius. Knowing that Gaius himself could not presently go on a missionary endeavor, John said this to his friend––

 

⁷For they are traveling for the Lord,  and they accept nothing from people who are not believers.  ⁸So we ourselves should support them so that we can be their partners as they teach the truth. (1 Jn 3:7-8)

 

Together, let us activate and demonstrate our commitment to the Gospel and to our family on the front lines.

 

Steve

 

 

Update from Janine Crocker on March 10, 2011 at 12:39pm

'Jesus Christ declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead." Romans 1 v 4

Update from Sue Walker on February 28, 2011 at 2:04pm

Psalm 145 says Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them; who keeps truth forever, who executes justice for the oppressed,who gives food to the hungry. Father we pray for a greater release of your justice, for your continuing provision for Vijay and his team and we thank you for these ones who have heard the call to 'go' and do not hold back.

Update from Doug Penner on February 28, 2011 at 7:47am

Email update from Vince.....

 

These are the details of last month.

11th - Feeding the poor - We fed 180 beggar friends and  shared the
Gospel to them. Menu- Vegetable rice, egg and water.
13th - Market evangelism-  We've preached Good news and distributed
tracts to more than 300 people in a very big market place.
14th - Love Tohar- Valentine's day special. Preached good news to
non-Christians.
17th -Feeding the Poor -  We fed 163 beggar friends and shared the
Gospel to them. Menu- Lemon rice, egg and water.
20th - Special children's program-  65 children have attended, heard
the Gospel, many took commitments to follow Jesus.
23rd- Village Out reach - We've reached 4 interior villages preaching
the Gospel, very strict Hindus, many opposed the Gospel, we are unable
to preach in some streets.
24th - Feeding the Poor -  We fed 185 beggar friends and  shared the
the Gospel with them. Menu- Rice,potato curry, egg and water.
24th- Pastor's Conference in Arilova. To teach and equip the Pastor's,
strengthen and encourage their faith.
24th- Village Out reach and Evening Crusade- Reached 2 big villages,
preached to more than 500 people.
26th- Worship Seminar to youth- -We've organized Worship Seminar in
our village Church in Lakkidam Village, where 60 youth have attended.
To make people worshippers of God not to religion or traditions.
26th - Couples Seminar in Vizag - We've organized Couples seminar in
Vizag where nearly 200 couples have attended. Many broken families
were healed, many repented of their extra marital affairs  and were
renewed in their marriage lives.

Love & Prayers,
Vince

Update from Steve Stewart on February 15, 2011 at 12:27am

Hi Velta. Wow. Thank you, thank you, thank you. That is fantastic.
Christina and I finished 2 weeks of ministry and are now resting at a wonderful apartment on the Gold Coast of Australia. TIred, but very happy.
Say thanks to Joan for me. Ministering with guys is absolutely terrific.
Bless you, Steve

Update from Velta Jean Daigneault on February 14, 2011 at 4:03pm

Steve,

Joan and I shipped 6 proclaimers today to Vijay. He should receive shipment on 2/25. Joan is also contacting the Faith by Hearing in that part of India and giving testimony of the work that is being done. Glad we are able to help in furthering the gospel in the villages. Blessings, Velta

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