Crossing the line in the Domincan Republic

How do I begin!!? This blog has needed to be written for a week or so now.

I just recently went on a mission trip to Barahona, Dominican Republic. 39 of us from my church went. The very first day was great, we went out and invited people to the mass crusade that was going on the next four evenings. But we didnt even understand what was about to happen. Wenesday evening we had a prayer time right before we got ready for the crusade....it was powerful. But it was nothing like what God had in store for us that evening.

30,000 people were there that night, and every following night. After an awesome message from Dominic they transitioned into some worship. Then we got the signal to begin praying. Our team went out and you could feel the presence of God! People began to be healed right away! It was honestly the first time I had been able to be a part of someone's healing. It was awesome!! While the language barrier was hard at times it got easier every night. The people were so ready to be healed and expected it!

Every day the momentum was building as was our faith. The drama's we performed in the area towns were powerful and we saw people get saved and healed after every one! God was getting these people's attention! It was a great expirience to share with all the people from church. We all got closer I feel and became more unified and all caught the same vision to bring this same expectancy and presence home with us.

One great thing was that God wasn't only touching these beautiful people of the DR, he was touching and healing our own team! One girl on our team has been having migarains for a year! And she came to a few of us and asked us to pray-RIGHT there-she was healed. She has had NO problems since!

One afternoon two other girls and myself were being prayed over by one of the interpreters that became a great friend of ours and God touched each of us in awesome ways! He began to speak to personal situations in each of our lives and his presence was so heavy that we ended up on the ground laughing in the spirit for nearly an hour!! I know that it was a needed refresher in my life!

Each night people were conitnueing to be healed-blind people seeing, paralyzed people walking. Deaf ears opened. Simple aches and pains touched and instantly healed! God was moving in such HUGE WAYS! It hard for me to tell you what it was like. Our youth Pastor was talking about the only difference between the power and healings we saw there and the level of power we expirience here is expectancy. These people were expecting God to move-we here in the states often have a hard time expecting God even wants to heal us from our physical pains-I once didnt get it either! But not now!

We crossed the line. The line where expirience and an encounter meet. You walk away from an encounter being changed-not just remembering a good time. This line between an expirience and an encounter is expectancy. We crossed it! The last eveing was so amazing. The healings were still happening in the hundreads and God came in with such a heavy presence! You could feel the enemy getting mad over the souls he was loosing-this was an encounter I would never forget!

Sunday was our free day-we thought we weren't going to have any 'intense God times.' God had other plans. There was a group of us getting ready to say good bye to the same inturpreter who prayed over me and two other girls earlier. And we wanted to pray over him. So we did. Then he says I want to pray over you-this man is very annointed so we welcomed it for sure!

Soon people were weeping, and some were laying on the ground! The presence of God had a work to do in each of us that day. I myself, had a lot of things confirmed. God just convicted me. As you might have read in my blog before this-I have decided to be a full time zealot for God. No matter what I'm getting ot know God and am going to tell everyone else about HIM on the way. Well there are a few people God has watned me to pray over in the past that I see a lot, and I havent done it. God just began to show me-he said "You see the annointing this man has? You can have the same. I am with him just like I am with you. Let me work in and through you." I used to be afraid that if I prayed for a sick person-that they wouldn't be healed. God helped clear that up for sure! I have had it cemented that its not about me at all-its all about God. He is the one who is doing the work and the presure is on him to show up. One thing God showed me was the certain people I was to pray over. He then began to show me how HIS heat hurts for these people. Why they need a touch from him. I was crying uncontrolably as I felt God's pain and his longing for these people. I also got a glimpse of the pain they had gone through. How some may have asked God to show up but didnt understand why he hadnt in a certain way. God said "once you pray over them, they will see me move!"

No longer will I be medicore. I will be different. The tangible presence and power we saw moving in the DR WILL be seen in Michigan. In Battle Creek. In my school and work place. I know now with out a shadow of a doubt what I saw and witnessed down there. I witnessed desperate people meeting with their loving God who had been calling them by name since they were born. God has been calling YOU since you were born. He's been calling everyone around me to come to him-now I will be one to help point the way. I will step out in obedience when he urges me to pray over someone. I know his power-I know he never turned away someone who came to him for healing, so why would he now? According to Hebrews 8:13 he is the same yesturday, today and forever. God is a God of now. Not just tomorrow-he doesnt want you to do big things for him tomorrow, he wants to move NOW. In this moment, in this day-let him use you. Step out in faith and EXPECT him to come in and do a powerful work.

The line between a memorable expirience and a life-changing encounter is a line of expectation. Wont you cross it with me?

"I will thank the Lord with all my heart as I meet with his godly people. How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in him should ponder them. Everything he does reveals his glory and majesty. His righteousness never fails. Who can forget the wonders he persforms? How gracious and merciful is our Lord!" -Psalm 111:1-5

HIS willing hands,
Cassie