Juazeiro do Norte, Ceara, Brazil
October 2012
The Elijah Challenge in Brazil
The state of Ceara is in the northeast corner of Brazil
Evangelistic tent meeting in the evening
At the Elijah Challenge Training in this darkness-infested neighborhood, the Lord’s grace was evident. Each day for four days, we conducted the Training in the mornings. In the afternoons the trained disciples went door to door to heal the sick and proclaim the kingdom of God. In the evenings we preached the gospel and the disciples healed the sick in an open-air tent meeting in the neighborhood.
The miraculous and the striking
Two disciples, a young man and young woman, went door to door in the afternoon following a morning Training session. They came upon a lady in a house who was not able to walk because of severe stiffness in her legs, and offered to minister healing to her. Her neighbor, a woman, came in and warned her not to receive any prayer. She even tried to take the lady over to her house next door. But the young man was able to lock the door. In this way the two disciples had an opportunity to minister to the lady as they had been trained to do. She was healed and able to walk about normally. Seeing this the neighbor also asked to be ministered to, and the Lord healed her as well.
A pastor named Jose-Roberto went into a house and met a boy of about ten years old whose body was covered with sores. As Jose-Roberto prepared to minister to him, the boy emitted low guttural growl. Sensing an unclean spirit, Jose-Roberto said to the demon “Jesus is your master.” Then he commanded it to leave. Immediately the boy was thrown a distance of two meters onto the floor and was set free. An amazed crowd of about twenty people gathered, and Jose-Roberto was able to share the gospel with them.
It just happened that police were close by frisking a suspect in that crime-ridden neighborhood. They were able to witness the power of Jesus Christ healing the boy. When they heard that Jose-Roberto was a believer, they were glad to hear what he was doing in their community. They shared that people in that neighborhood would summon the police for just about any situation, including strange things involving the spirit world that they were completely unable to handle. They encouraged Jose-Roberto to bring the kingdom of God into the neighborhood, even offering to provide security for our tent meeting and other gospel events.
Baby’s bowel moves miraculously
Later that evening at the open-air tent meeting, we preached the gospel. After that we asked the Lord to confirm the gospel by healing infirm people who had come.
Above & below: trained disciples prepare to minister healing to confirm the gospel
As the trained disciples ministered to them, nearly all of them were healed and testified. One woman brought an infant who had been unable to move his bowels for ten days. She approached Jose-Roberto, and asked him to minister to her baby. He noticed that the baby was wearing something resembling a bracelet around his tiny wrist. It was a “charm” prescribed by a witchdoctor. Jose-Roberto promptly removed it from the baby’s wrist and commanded him to be healed and his bowels to move in Jesus’ name. The mother than opened up the child’s diapers and saw clear evidence of a bowel movement! She testified before an astonished crowd.
At the end of the meeting following the testimonies of those who had been healed, all those in the meeting raised their hands indicating their desire to follow Jesus Christ.
Above & below: people testifiying of being healed by the Lord
At the final tent meeting on Saturday evening, Pastor Jose-Roberto who trained with us at the Valley of Blessing in Sao Paulo preached. Many were healed of their infirmities, and 25 neighborhood people accepted Christ as Lord and Savior for the first time.
Nurse shows up in heels
At the Thursday evening tent meeting our hostess Kamyla de Lellis ministered to a nurse midwife who had been suffering from constant pain from her lower back down to her leg. It was so severe that she had to stop working. She had been seeing a doctor and taking medication but to no avail.
She came forward for healing and Kamyla laid hands on her. The Lord promptly healed her, and she was the very first of several to testify that evening.
We saw her again at the Sunday evening worship service three days later. She came up to us doing a couple of vigorous shuffle steps wearing her high heels with a gleeful grin on her face! Below is a photo of her next to Lucy clutching her pink Bible.
(High heels not shown)
Lucy and local kids at meeting
More healed at Sunday worship service
At our host Peniel International Missionary Church we introduced The Elijah Challenge Training to the entire congregation. Following the teaching an elderly woman seated at the front was the very first to come forward to be healed. She was barely able to hobble forward stiffly, suffering from pain in her thighs and knees—perhaps from some severe arthritic condition. Two sisters, including Pastor Arnobio’s wife, came up to lay hands on her. Afterwards I took her by her hand and walked her down the aisle. After a few steps she picked up speed and was walking at a normal pace without unusual effort. We turned around at the back of the sanctuary and sped back to the front. The congregation broke out in praise to the Lord for what he had done.
The lady testified excitedly for a couple of minutes about what the Lord had done for her. She even led us in a few dance steps swaying back and forth (after all, we were in Brazil ~). That’s her below.
Where we stayed in Juazeiro do Norte
View from front door of our hosts’ farmhouse
Sheep raised by our gracious hosts Severino & Newta
Lucy & new friend farm watchdog Magila