Miracles in Poltava

During our recent ministry with the ORU team that we hosted, we worked with a church in Poltava. It was a church planted out of a very, progressive, Krivoy Rog Church. This church had itself planted around 20 churches in the three years since it was planted. We were doing a number of services and outreaches in the villages where they had planted churches.

Most days, during the day we would split our team up into smaller groups and hit more villages. The first Sunday we were in Poltava, I lead one of the groups to one of the smaller villages and we led service in the congregation there. At the end of service we offered, to pray for the sick. Natasha was the only interpretor we had with us so I lent my nominal services to the group as well. If it was beyond my ability I would ask Natasha to jump in for a moment. One Babushka (Grandmother) came forward and requested prayer for her right arm. It was crippled and in a lot of pain. She could barely move it. One of the team members, Chris, and I prayed for her. Chris began to move her arm around as he prayed. When we had finished praying we asked Natasha to ask her how her arm was. She said that it didn't hurt anymore but she could only lift it shoulder high. I felt the Holy Spirit impress upon me to tell her that everyday she should lift her arms as high as she could and declare to the Lord "These arms are yours and I lift them unto You for Your Glory. Thank you for healing them."

One particular day, one the teams was evangelizing in a village that was mostly inhabited by older people. Basically there were no babies, children, or youth. The team asked the people who had gathered to her them share the gospel, what they could pray for. The ladies of the village said rain. They had had no rain in a long while and their crops were suffering. At that time it was a beautiful sunny day and there was not a cloud in the sky. The team prayed and told the people that when it rained they would know that God answered the prayer. Within a few minutes the sky began to darken and fill with clouds. WIth in the hour heavy rain fall began. The women who had asked for rain, said that God had sent the rain. They were right...He did.

The second and last Sunday we were there, I took a team back to the same small village church I had been at the Sunday before. At the end of service we again offered to pray for people. The little old lady we had prayed for the previous Sunday came to the front. She testified, "I did what they told me to do...Everyday I lifted my arms as high as I could and declared to the Lord 'These arms are yours and I lift them unto You for Your Glory. Thank you for healing them.' And look..." She began to throw her arms to and fro above her head without pain!!! She also brought a group of people with her to the church that she had testified to. God is in the Miracle Business!!! He is God and He is Good!!!