The Tide is Turning ...

This is a longer Blog than usual. I don't apologise because I don't want to miss anything out. If you read it to the end, you WILL be blessed!

This time last week I was in a Manila hospital with a very gravely ill friend and co-worker, Pastor Abe. He could hardly move and was in great pain due to major surgery he had one week before. The Doctors had given us their opinion - "No hope .. Nothing we can do medically ... 4th stage of cancer ...only supportive care."

Our family were only four weeks away from coming home to UK and our plans and preparations were hardly off the ground. I remember crying out to God and saying,"Lord, why? Why are all these things happening? Why now? It does not make sense. Pastor abe has not been sick for a day of his life and now, out of nowhere, a death sentence is upon him. In his prime, with two lovely kids. Why? For what reason?"

Good thing is, you can be truthful with God (even pastors!). He is well aware of our suffering and questions; He knows pain and he knows the reasons why. He sees the big picture, and where we don't understand, He does. Where we can't work things out, He can. Where we don't know what will happen tomorrow ... He's already there. But sometimes - it is hard to trust and believe. Especially when you cannot see the way ahead

That is how I felt 7 days ago. I had left Sefton Village on the busiest week of the year. I thought I would be there for a couple of days, but knew in my heart it would take longer. Financially we were shot, and we were beginning to eat into the money set aside for airfares home. Gulp! Believe it or not, this poverty stricken Island of the Philippines has the most expensive medicine in the world. Hundreds of pounds slip through your fingers in a few days! But your friend is dying and needs it! What can you do?

What did we do? To be honest, we were struggling. But, aren't you glad that God doesn't want us to dwell in the land of discouragement?

I waited patiently for the LORD to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. Psalm 40:1-2 (NLT)

We turned to the Lord. A couple of significant things happened that changed our hearts and our outlook. There is a lovely man from an AoG church in Prestwick who was told a very similar report by a doctor in Scotland. His cancer levels were unbelievably high and he was given a certain time to live. He was devastated but began to believe God for a miracle. A sudden miracle never came, but God challenged him to live in the Word of God & in God's blessing every day.

Bernard began to memorise the Word of God. He began to confess the Word of God and declare them by faith. After 6 months, his level of cancer had gone down to normal levels. He began to memorise and speak out up to 60 verses three times a day ... God's medicine! He sent me a 4-page email to be read to Abe, including all the scriptures. In many instances he had put Abe's name into the verses to make it personal.

Last Thursday, I read out the whole email, including the verses, to Abe while he lay on his bed. I tell you. all in the room felt the incredible anointing of God. At the end of the email, Abe said "Mark, feel my stomach! God is doing something inside me!" His stomach was moving around before our eyes. This gave us hope. We have read that email many times since and it is one of the most powerful words I have ever read.

On Friday, the Specialist gave us the up to date news with the results of Abe's endoscopy. The worst news. It was cancer of the stomach and was very fast moving. Abe would have 6 months to live, although Chemo would prolong life for a few months. When the Doctor told me & Abe this, I will never forget what happened. Abe smiled! It was a smile of faith!

That night he had a dream of two angels coming and taking him away in his wheelchair. He said to the angels, "Where are you taking me?" The angels replied, "We are taking you to the healing room ... don't you want to be healed?"

We came home early Sunday morning. Abe was still in some pain, but his spirit was changed, He was walking by faith. I got a shock phone call at 6:30am on Wednesday ... from Abe's phone. my first thought, "Oh no!" (Man of faith!). But Abe was sounding great! He had has old strong voice back ... not the whisper he had been speaking with the day before! "I am here outside the Bible School. I am here with these lovely students. I have walked right around Sefton Village (with drip attached!) with Gemma and I know I am changed. I have been sitting down for one hour. I woke up this morning and I was thirsty and hungry. I feel strong! God gave me a dream ... come and I will tell it to you."

I went down and he and Pastora Julie were sitting there in the Nipa hut (left) I said, "Wow, is this the new Out-Patient Clinic at Sefton?" Abe told me that during the night he had a dream that he was fighting a huge snake. Finally, Abe grabbed it by the throat and choked it. he threw it away. Then the voice of the Lord said, "The enemy has given up." When he woke up, he was strong. he told me he was going to preach in the chapel service before the week was out! Now that would be a miracle. From bed to pulpit in two days?!

Last night Abe had a text at 3am. The Pastor who lead him to the Lord was woken up by the Lord and was instructed to tell Abe that the Lord had healed him and what he had gone through would prepare him for a greater ministry.

So today, I bring you better news. Of course, medically the news is not good. Tomorrow we go to the Oncologist here in Santiago. But we go in the knowledge that the greatest Doctor and healer of all will give His report on Abe ... and we believe that it is a good one.

Keep praying. Keep believing. Keep trusting. Keep in touch. And no matter how hard and difficult the situation you find yourself in ... Your HOPE IS IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!