B. Fernando was just baptized and anointed with the power of the Holy Spirit! Congratulations! This is what she texted us soon afterward: “Thank you for everything today. I have first been blessed by our meeting, and I am blessed again to now be closer to our Lord!” It was a wonderful morning full of prayer and discussions about the power and love of God.

GREAT NEWS!!! – A few months ago my husband and two boys were visiting Seattle. Very unexpectedly and very last minute, the timing was perfect for them to connect with an illustrator in Port Angeles we had been using for a project. They were only able to visit her very briefly (for about one hour), but in that time they shared with her the gospel of Jesus Christ and prayed for her to be anointed with the power of the Holy Spirit. She was filled mightily, praying in tongues passionately, and she was overwhelmed with joy.

At that time she was going through many difficult struggles and her sister in Portland was dealing with breast cancer. But, her newfound relationship with God gave her peace and hope, and now after five months of keeping faith and waiting upon the Lord she just shared with me some wonderful news:

After moving five times in five months, she was just offered a great job by one of her former clients, her husband’s company suddenly allowed him to work from home with better pay, their former landlord phoned to offer them a rent to own option on the same house that they had really liked, their children are overjoyed at being back in Port Angeles where they feel at home, and her sister’s cancer is now in remission!

What a victory after a trial of her faith! Praise God!

Praise God – just days before our flight, Stacey’s mom (Denise) got baptized and received the Holy Spirit anointing! Stacey and Denise popped by our condo and we got talking to Denise about what had recently happened to Stacey. We explained to Denise that the same promise from God was open for her to experience, too. Despite her strong hesitation about speaking in tongues (influenced by her Seventh Day Adventist background), Denise was keen to pray. So, we all sought the Lord together. However, it wasn’t happening for her. We then encouraged Denise to get baptized first, explaining that some people don’t receive the Holy Spirit until after they’ve communicated their repentance and commitment to God through baptism. Well, it worked! We had more prayer for her as she rose up out of the water, and she received the Holy Spirit very quickly. It was such a joy to see Denise’s beaming face as she came down the stairs after drying off. She said she felt all tingly and so calm and peaceful. She felt closer to God than ever before and even the next day, Stacey said her mom couldn’t stop smiling. Another changed life! We’re so happy for Stacey, too. She now has her mom with whom to share the power of the Lord. We’re now keeping Jessica (Stacey’s sister) in our prayers. May she be won over to Jesus Christ by Stacey’s and Denise’s positive testimony!

Well, we’re nearing the end of our latest trip and, to finish on a high note, another person has been born of water and of the Spirit (John 3:5). (More details in a moment.) This makes it six people now filled with the Spirit, one person baptized but still seeking the Holy Spirit anointing, and one person “revived” in the Spirit (already Spirit-filled but hadn’t prayed in tongues for many years). We all know, however, that God is not concerned with numbers but, rather, with the quality of each person’s walk with Him. So, join us in praying for all these people that they’ll draw nigh to God daily, purposing to use the Holy Spirit to grow and remain steadfast believers until Christ returns.

Anyway, our new sister in the Lord is Stacey. We struck up a conversation with her as she sat behind her desk in the real estate office where she works. We were curious about something to do with her signage in the window, so we just popped in to ask her a quick question. One thing led to another and soon we were talking about the Lord. She has had lots of experience with the Seventh Day Adventist Church and because of this she was put off of pursuing a relationship with God. Like Aquila and Pricilla in the Book of Acts, we expounded the Word of God unto her more fully. She was so surprised and relieved to hear things she had never been told before that are right there in the Bible. Our words (God’s words!) spoke to her heart, truly making sense to her.

We invited her back to our rental home that night to have prayer with us, and she came! After showing her some scriptures and chatting about our personal experiences, we all laid hands on her and prayed. She was filled with the Spirit almost immediately. We prayed in tongues with her for a long time so she could get used to the experience of praying to God in the language of the Holy Spirit. When we finished she told us she felt changed. She said she felt connected with God in a new way that she couldn’t quite explain.

The next thing we emphasized to Stacey was water baptism. She wanted to complete her commitment to God, so she arranged to come back a few days later at which point she got baptized in our bathtub. Praise God! We had dinner together that night, so we had lots of time to chat about different aspects of the Bible and answer some of her questions. Stacey was even more excited about her new personal relationship with God. She even told us how she had woken up praying in tongues during the first night (after first receiving the Holy Spirit). God is very much on her mind and in her heart!

We’re currently planning to get together with Stacey for some more Bible study and prayer before we leave. What a joy to be able to encourage a new sister in the Lord!

Our 5-year-old Spirit-filled daughter has faith in her God!!!…

Today, my husband locked the garage door at the rental property we’re staying at – with the garage door clicker and car keys accidentally left inside the garage! The only way to get into the garage was to unlock an emergency release access hole that housed the release cable (to which we did not have a key!).

Normally we do pray to God for help when we’re in these kinds of predicaments because we know our Lord sees, is all powerful, and wants to provide a solution to glorify His name (and because He simply cares for us!). Nevertheless, today my husband carried on ahead without doing so. He called the locksmith and then asked around the complex to see if someone had a key that might work. He even found a small metal tool in the house, hoping he could pick the lock and save a small fortune before the locksmith arrived.

Just when it looked like there was nothing to do but wait for the locksmith, our daughter very simply and confidently said to her daddy, “We should pray about it! God can find an answer!” My husband happily responded, “Yes, you’re right. We should!” So, they prayed.

Very soon after that, a lady drove in the complex gate. My husband approached her and asked about a key. She said she had no idea but instead directed him to a particular fellow who is one of the managers of our housing complex. The man was completely convinced he did not have a key that would work, but he found his huge wad of keys and came out to try anyway. To his surprise (and to my husband’s relief!) he found a random key that worked within less than a minute.

After my husband cancelled the locksmith and retrieved his door clicker and car keys from the garage, he and our daughter were very eager to share their story. They returned to our townhouse and we all thanked God for His blessing hand – and for the powerful faith within our little girl. She received the baptism of the Holy Spirit when she was 3 ½ years old, speaking in tongues as proof, and it has been such a joy to see her grow in her own personal relationship with the living God since then.

P.S. My husband is happy for me to post this testimony as encouragement for all – no matter how old you are – to exercise your faith in prayer!