From Carol after we prayed with her over the phone to be filled with the Holy Spirit:

“Don, I was shaking…and my pup came to the chair I had moved to by the window, stood up and put his paws next to me and stared into my eyes…it was so powerful…and then i got off the phone and words I’ve never heard in my life just poured out of me…tongues? Well, God must be very happy and I know he will use me now to choose to speak to those who need to hear.

OH MY…what a powerful day. PLEASE hug each of your children and your wife for participating in this incredible gift. And, hugs to you as well…from me AND Shawnie!”

Then, she emailed again:

“This incredible experience has me giggling as I speak making words I have no clue I’m saying but I read when I did a search about speaking in tongues, that once we begin doing it, Angels sent by God set this as our vocabulary. I keep asking God if He understands what I’m saying and presume, He absolutely does. I asked the young woman who is my department manager if she knew about speaking in tongues and she immediately responded yes. Told me a lady where she lived some time ago, could be heard anytime she was home, speaking in tongues.

Have a wonderful Easter. Lovely hearing from you. Regards to your wife and children and bless you dear Don. Bless you.”

Carol

Tom H. needs a healing. This is what he shared with us:

Don,

Yes it is bilateral severe glaucoma. I am presently legally blind in the right eye. The left eye is also involved. Glaucoma is a disease where your body destroys your optic nerve with increased pressure within the eyes. I have undergone surgeries in both eyes to slow this process. My right eye miraculously recovered some vision last year (this medically isn’t supposed to happen).

Thank you all for praying for me last evening. I am most grateful.

Tom

I was looking back through some emails and came across this. It was amazing how God called us to help this little fellowship for a brief time. We were able to visit Patrick’s fellowship a few times and encourage him that they were indeed on track regarding their salvation message despite them experiencing much persecution over the years.

“We were truly honored that both of you would drive such a long distance to come see a little church out in nowhere Fontana… a place I fought the Lord that I did not want to come too. I can’t begin to tell you how I have been encouraged and strengthened I was to find others that believe like us, and I was totally floored to see the ACTS 19:2 verse on your website! Again, after our all night prayer that Friday, I know the Lord has brought both of you our way, for what reason, only our Lord knows, but I do not believe ANYTHING IS COINCIDENTAL as He orders our footsteps. I left everything to follow my Lord. It’s been a tremendous journey of trials, tests, attacks, you name it. It seems the Lord sent you at the right time as a confirmation to us that we are doing something right! We have so much to talk about, I don’t feel an email will do it. We are looking forward to seeing all of you again.

God Bless,

Your long lost brother in Christ…

Pastor Patrick Scales

Praise God! Dr. Gonzalez and her sister (both of whom we prayed with quite a while back) finally received the Holy Spirit! We had to go back to her clinic to re-do some tests which was totally the Lord’s doing… This second time, we were able to build on what we had first shared with Dr. Gonzalez and offer to pray with her and her sister again. So, she invited us back to her clinic after closing time. This time, they were both filled with the Holy Spirit, praying in tongues! We also prayed with Dr. Gonzalez’ nephew, Eduardo, again to get him more comfortable with speaking in tongues, and we also prayed with and baptized the doctor’s niece, Ashley (who felt her first water baptism when she was a lot younger was not really done of her own accord unto Jesus). We even got to pray with Dr. Gonzalez’ mother when we joined Dr. Gonzalez and her family for dinner a week later. It was a lovely evening and we feel very blessed to be a part of this family’s spiritual journey!

A few days ago, we also prayed with the manager of our new pool care company when he came to meet us for the first time. He has been attending a local church for quite a while but had not yet been filled with the Holy Spirit. He was very happy to receive the Holy Spirit and to hear us “expound the Word of God unto him more perfectly.”

Then, just yesterday, we were at the playground with our youngest, and a group of people walked up to the gazebo next to us to set up a picnic lunch. We figured they had all just come from a church service. Don got talking to one of the men who, Don discovered, had just started attending the group’s congregation but had received the Holy Spirit many years ago. Apparently, he hadn’t prayed in tongues for a long while, had strayed from God, and was now trying to turn back to God’s ways. Don, Ethan, and Daniel prayed over him. They helped to get him praying in tongues again and offered him counseling from the scriptures.

So, all in all, this last week has been a very interesting and profitable one for the Lord’s work!

Two more people filled with the Holy Spirit this week! First, Don met Nicole outside of Walmart. He saw that the hood of her car was up and asked her if she needed help. They got talking about life and its various struggles which led to Don sharing his personal testimony. Nicole ended up coming back to our place to pray. She received the Holy Spirit fairly quickly, speaking in tongues as proof, and then got baptized in our tub.

Then, just today Don received an email from a customer (Bo) from North Carolina, needing some extra help with his dog. Bo shared in his message that he has a feeding tube, so we figured the Lord was directing us to speak with him about healing. After an hour-long conversation, Don said to Bo that we could pray with him over the phone. He was very keen. So, Don and the kids and I all gathered in the living room to pray while Bo was on the other end of the phone, seeking God for the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

We could hear when Bo received the Holy Spirit. He was praying in tongues very fervently. Afterward, Bo explained what a powerful experience it was for him. We talked some more to make sure that Bo had been properly water baptized (which he had been), and we all prayed in the Spirit again for healing upon him. Bo was very excited by the whole experience and expecting a miracle. We look forward to hearing from him after his next doctor’s appointment!

Yesterday, we had a very interesting experience: We met a lovely gentleman at our local Starbucks and ended up inviting him over for lunch to chat about business matters. Over lunch, the conversation turned to the Lord since he had gone to a large variety of churches over the years, somewhat subconsciously searching for truth. After sharing with him our personal testimonies and accounts of praying with many people around the world, we offered to pray over him to receive the Holy Spirit. We was keen, so we all went into the living room to pray, but nothing happened as he sought the Lord. However, right afterward, he started to share how every morning when he wakes, he feels moved to start talking in words he cannot understand – that he feels good when he speaks like this, but he doesn’t know what it is. He demonstrated for us and we knew right then he was speaking in tongues.

We got him to pray one more time and he spoke in tongues along with us – so amazingly clearly and fluently. Suddenly we knew why God had connected us together – he’d received the Holy Spirit many years ago during his search and growing appreciation of God’s creation, but he never knew exactly what had happened to him. We were able to clarify things to him according to God’s Word and he was quite amazed. We then encouraged him to spend time reading the Bible to get to know Jesus and, of course, to continue to pray in tongues daily. We also shared scriptures regarding the importance of full immersion water baptism in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins (as he’d only been baptized as a very young child without any knowledge or understanding). Please join us in praying for him that he will return very soon to be baptized and make a complete commitment to following Jesus Christ.

While viewing a house for sale, we got speaking with the realtor (Amy) about her acting roles in some Bible-based movies (she has had a very diverse career). This opened the door to an amazing conversation that revealed that our coming together was absolutely no coincidence. A dear friend of hers had even just very recently talked to Amy about speaking in tongues and Amy had been wanting to learn more. We offered to pray with Amy right there in the house and she was very keen, so we all sat down in the staged living room and laid hands on her, asking Jesus to fill Amy with the Holy Spirit. She received instantly, speaking forth in tongues.

Amy told us afterward that she felt incredibly peaceful with no fear, something she had never ever felt before. We explained how that was consistent with the many things God says in His Word about the Holy Spirit. We all had to quickly leave in order to get to the next showing we had planned, but straight afterward we went back to Amy’s house where Don baptized her and spent more time sharing God’s Word along with a sampling of our many amazing testimonies.

It was a wonderful evening getting to know one another and rejoicing in God’s hand upon the day. We have been in touch with Amy since and we’re looking forward to the next time we can all get together. We just never know when and how the Lord is going to put work before us to do in Jesus’ name. What a blessed privilege to be His vessel!

I forgot that I hadn’t yet recorded another amazing story from our recent vacation. The very first day we checked in to our hotel, a porter named Godwill helped us with our luggage. As I tipped him on his way out of our room, I asked him if he went to church and handed him one of our cards. He was eager to chat about the Lord, and we soon discovered that he is born again (water-baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit) and loves serving God.

We also discovered that he doesn’t pray in the Spirit (in tongues) regularly – only when serious situations arise, or during intense worship. So, we shared with Godwill some key scriptures about the value of praying in tongues daily, to help build his relationship with God, and he was very grateful. He knew it was a message brought to him from the Lord.

Before Godwill had to leave and get back to work, we all prayed together which was very special. We could all see – and greatly appreciate – God’s hand upon the situation. Godwill had even just recently left his previous job at another hotel to come work at the one we were staying at. Praise God how He works to bring His people together, to encourage one another toward the Kingdom!

How wonderful! We got to pray with our pool serviceman and he was filled with the Holy Spirit. Last week we received news that, due to illness, Bill is closing his business and recommending his clientele to another company. So, when Bill came to service our pool on Monday, Don went out to chat with him, to share our healing testimonies. Bill was very eager to hear what Don had to say given that he has been a believer in Jesus for many years. He was water baptized a long while ago and his wife is filled with the Spirit, so Bill was keen to pray with us when Don offered. As we prayed with Bill, he said he felt the power of the Holy Spirit within his body. His hands were shaking as he prayed in tongues.

He soon had to return to work as he had other clients to tend to, but we left him with some encouraging words (especially to pray in tongues every day!) and our website details. We look forward to seeing him again, and we expect some joyous news from him – miraculous healing in the name of Jesus!

So cool… Last night on a family walk, we ran into someone we’ve known in the community for many years (over ten years) but never really had a chance to get to know. We stopped and chatted and ended up inviting him back to our place to see a new video production of ours. On the way out, Don spoke with him alone about how he’s doing in life and Don ended up sharing the fullness of our personal testimonies with him. Very soon, we were praying with him in our lounge room and he received the Holy Spirit anointing, speaking in tongues so clearly. He described feeling a sense of complete peace which is what many people share with us when they’re filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Don then baptized him in our bathtub. What a joy it was to finally to see this young man find a personal relationship with the living God through Jesus Christ. Needless to say, it made our day!!

We have learned that God uses certain things to attract our attention. One of these is clothing that mentions His name and/or His Word. This has happened to us quite a few times. Two situations occurred just recently…

While at the playground with our daughter, my husband saw a teenage girl with a t-shirt that said, “Committed to God.” He said to her, “I love your shirt!” and proceeded to chat with the gal’s mother. After sharing some stories of our Christian ministry adventures, the mother said she had been wondering about speaking in tongues for a long time and had even asked her pastor to pray for her for that gift. By this time, I had joined the conversation and together my husband and I explained that we never pray for someone to speak in tongues; we only ever pray for someone to be filled with the Holy Spirit – and then they speak in tongues as the first manifesting sign (because tongues is the “voice” of the Holy Spirit). The mother was eager to have us pray for her right then and there in the middle of the park, so we laid hands on her and asked God to anoint her with the Holy Spirit. The mother received the Holy Spirit very quickly, speaking in tongues as proof, and crying with joy and relief that it had finally happened to her.

We spoke some more words of encouragement and exhortation. The mother could totally see that it was God’s doing that we connected. She even explained that they weren’t meant to come to the park that day and that it was a last minute decision for them. Praise God for the way He moves people about so that His truth can get shared with those that are hungering and thirsting for it!

A few days after this, we were sitting outside a coffee shop with our children when I spied a lady with a scripture on the back of her t-shirt. My oldest son saw it, too, so he purposed to give her one of our cards on her way out of the store. He did so, and began to chat with her. After a bit, I joined their conversation and we discovered that the lady had been water baptized and received the Holy Spirit many years ago, but she had not prayed in tongues much since. We invited her to sit and pray with us which she did, but she was due at work within minutes, so she had to leave soon after that. Please keep her in your prayers. Her name is Laura. She was obviously moved the whole experience because she was weeping as we prayed.

Also, please keep Joseph and his workmate in your prayers. We were at a Nike store last night and Joseph was very pleasant and helpful as we searched for some running shoes. As he finished helping me and was about to leave, I asked for his name. When he told me it was Joseph, I exclaimed, “Oh, a biblical name!” He said, “Yes, Mam!” and so we got into a conversation about God and His Word. He seemed to listen very intently as I (and Don by this stage) shared various scriptures with him. Joseph’s workmate overheard and commented on what a great converation we were having, so we gave him a card, too, on our way out. I love it when God causes His Word to go out in simple situations like this – while shopping for runners!!

As we checked into our hotel very late last night, Don got talking with the Front Desk Manager. He found out she’d only just moved here a month ago to escape the influence of the Mormon religion in her life (she was raised as a Mormon by her parents). Of course, straight away Don knew that the Lord had set up this situation. We had even been praying during our drive that God would lead us to where He wanted us to stay the night (as we had no plans and we recalled how often God has led us to people on this trip so far).

Don sent for me to come meet her and we all talked some more. It was perfect timing (God’s perfect timing!) that she was just about to clock out from her shift, so as soon as she did, she came with us to the quiet lounge area to pray (she had recently been water baptized unto Jesus Christ). She received the Holy Spirit very quickly, praying in tongues so clearly and very much moved by the whole experience. We talked even more and purposed to get together for lunch the next day – which we’re about to do as soon as I finish this post and pack our luggage.

Praise God for how He sees and connects people together – those that are searching for Truth and those that have Truth to share!

We had an amazing day yesterday. First, here’s a copy of the Facebook post we added to Don’s business page:

“A call for more kindness in this world!! … On our way to Kansas City late yesterday afternoon, we noticed a car starting to smoke by the side of the highway. We stopped to help and tried to flag down other vehicles that might have a fire extinguisher on board. The sad thing is that only one trucker (by law, all big rigs must carry a fire extinguisher) stopped to give us his extinguisher. Literally dozens of truckers passed us – at a crawl pace! – yet all but one looked the other way as I desperately motioned to them. One fire extinguisher wasn’t enough – probably just two more and we could have saved this couple’s vehicle and kayaks on board. We stayed with the husband and wife for over two hours to comfort, encourage, and pray with them, and to assist the lone, brave volunteer firefighter. The couple even had smiles for the camera at the end. We thank God for His perfect timing and for keeping us all safe.”

Now, here’s some more info: It turned out that the wife is Spirit-filled but has strayed from the Lord for a long while. She has been feeling convicted but not doing anything about it. The husband received the Holy Spirit years ago but has never prayed in tongues since. We talked with them both lots by the side of the highway. The lady was especially wide-eyed and totally ready to hear everything the Lord led us to share. At the end, we prayed over her and she dropped upon on her knees by the highway. She cried and prayed in tongues fervently, repenting of many things. While this was happening, Don prayed with the husband, but he isn’t repentant right now. However, Don did get to share lots of scriptural encouragement regarding various issues in his life.

Both of them could see God’s hand on us being the only ones to stop and help. The wife even phoned us about an hour later and we spent another half hour with her talking about all kinds of things to do with the Lord, preaching the fullness of the gospel message, and living a life that pleases God.

We never know what kind of work God is going to call us to…!!

We were in Los Angeles last week and met a lady (Ayrie) in a shoe store. She started chatting to me about how hard it is to find clothing when you’re a small size (we’re both petite). Ayrie and I talked about a variety of things and she shared some difficulties she’s had in the past. I told her how Jesus could free her from her pain and trauma. I briefly shared our family’s experiences and offered to pray with her. She was keen, so we (Ayrie, my husband and I) simply stepped outside the store to a quiet spot. Ayrie was quickly filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues as proof. She has a strong Catholic background, so all of this was pleasantly surprising to her.

We then went back to LA yesterday to baptize Ayrie. We phoned around before we left and finally found a hotel that would let us use their hot tub (Ayrie doesn’t have a bathtub in her apartment). It all went well and we got to spend some more time with her at a coffee shop afterward, sharing more of God’s Word with her. Ayrie was very keen to learn and wants to get together again. Praise God!