Index:
Missions Trip: Thailand
Missions Trip: Ecuador
Thailand
THAILAND MISSIONS TRIP
Thailand is one of the leading countries in the world for prostitution with just under 3 million women working as prostitutes. Out of these 800, 000 are under the age of eighteen (UNICEF).
In April 2008 Expression58 and Global Children's Movement will be forming our first missions' team to go into the red light districts of Bangkok, Thailand.
Every spring the children of Thailand have a few weeks of school holidays. During this time a number of kids are circumstantially forced to travel with their mothers to work in the bars and sex industry. In the bars they witness untold atrocities of sexual immorality, perversion and abuse of all kinds.
Witnessing these things the children are affected for life, however with just one touch from Jesus their worlds can be changed forever.
Our desire is to send a team into the brothels and provide an alternative for the children, a place where they can encounter Jesus and his love that sets captives free. For approximately one week we will be running a camp where we will lead the children to Jesus and help them experience his love, teaching them to live from heaven to earth even in the midst of their hell. We will empower them to hear God's voice, get his heart and then release them to infect their city.
We will be partnering with the ministry Night Light (http://www.nightlightbangkok.com/) while in Bangkok and will also have a chance to minister to prostitutes in the brothels and to ex-prostitutes that have just come off the streets.
Ecuador
ECUADOR UPDATE
Our internship did a two month intensive in Ecuador. Jonatan and Jennifer Toledo led the team, and we knew it was going to be amazing but the reports are enough to make any Kingdom minded person jealous for the beauty of God to manifest in their city and country. Here is their report as of January 15, 2008:
Hey Guys,
Finally we get around to a little update for ya! We're all doing really well--the interns are doing an AMAZING job! They are all really easy, working hard, and having a blast! Jen is doing good with the pregnancy, trying to rest more, and of course starting to feel the discomforts of third trimester (not sleeping comfortably). In general, we have been really blessed and can see God moving on our behalf.
We have done a variety of things since we got here and everyday are amazed at the hand of God moving in our midst. Some of what's been happening is as follows:
We distributed baby blankets in a large governmental hospital where all the poor women give birth. We got to pray for tons of moms, babies, and got to witness God really gripping their hearts with his love. (Most of the women in there have very sad stories, some are still little girls themselves, and many of the babies are sick).
MINISTERING TO UNFORGETABLE FORGOTTEN GIRLS IN YOUTH PRISON
We were able to minister in a girls youth prison--and it was so great! They were very open, were overwhelmed with the presence of God and we got to spend a lot of time praying and prophesying over each girl. They really want us to come back as often as we can.
SERVING THE POOR
We helped cook and clean in a feeding program for street children, of course we fell in love with all the kids and we were able to help the organization get into a more suitable building. We are working with this group to start GCM Ecuador and they have asked to come under GCM. It's run by this poor little pastor and his wife who are so precious and humble. They have nothing themselves, but for the last 8 years have been feeding over 100 children 3 days a week. They have a tiny church of single moms, prostitutes, drug addicts, and children. And now they are starting a day care program for babies and toddlers (whose moms have to work and have no where to go). We're really excited about getting behind them and helping to support what they are doing.
MINISTERING IN THE CHURCHES
We've been ministering a lot to different groups of people in the church (the youth, the leaders, the women, the children, etc.) We really want to focus on ministering to this group so that they can carry on what we are doing when we leave. Many of them have joined us for prophetic evangelism and different projects we are doing. The church here of course feels light years behind,...so we've definitely had our work cut out for us. But we do see them being awakened to the kingdom and to a greater level of revelation.
THE BABIES FOUGHT FOR THEIR LIVES UNTIL GOD FOUGHT FOR THEM
We got to pray for two babies that were fighting for their lives in Intensive Care. The doctors said they were between life and death and didn't expect them to live. They both had a rare infection in their lungs (and both were about 4 months old). One of the babies is from a family in the church here. Actually last year, when we were here, we prayed for the mother because she kept miscarrying babies and desperately wanted a baby. She got healed and got pregnant right away--and her baby was the one dying. Anyway, when we went to the hospital to pray for the baby, we met this other family whose baby was in the same situation. When we first arrived we heard the father (of this other family) talking on the phone extremely angry discussing his plans of how he was going to kill the doctor. The whole family was such a mess and in so much anger. So, before we even prayed for the family of the baby we had come to see we started ministering to this other family (hopefully you're following all of this) Anyway, we started giving them crazy prophetic words, weeping and trevaling over the life of their son, and calling forth his healing. After about 20 minutes of intercession outside of his door (with the unsaved family witnessing the whole thing) The doctor bursedout of the room and announced to the family that a miracle had just taken place and the baby woke up from the comma he had been in.
Of course everyone was overjoyed and we got to lead 7 people from the family to Jesus right on the spot. Not only that, but they all got filled with the Holy Spirit right there it was WILD!!!! So, then, we got to pray for the other baby (from the church). We actually went back several times to pray for her because they had told the family that the infection had spread to her brain and that she would never be normal if she actually lived (she was also in a comma). Anyway,..Jen was able to get favor with the hospital staff and got let into the ICU unit to pray over the baby. She could sense the presence of the Lord so strong and could hear angels singing over the baby. She could hardly pray, and just sang out what she was hearing.
THE SECOND BABY WAS HEALED!
We received word shortly after that the baby had also come out of the comma and was stable--she is still fairly weak, but has been discharged from ICU and is recuperating well. Tests have proven that there is absolutely no damage to her brain and that she will be fine! YAY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We spent a week ministering in an elementary school in a very poor area of town. We ministered to kids age 2-10 and and again, saw God do such great things. They got saved, healed, heard the voice of God for the first time, and it was so much fun to watch God just love on these kids.
MIRACLES AND LIVES CHANGED IN UNCHURCHED PUBLIC SCHOOL
This week we're ministering in a very 'tough' Jr. High/High School, and so far it has been amazing. We do a different grade each day and typically the kids have been coming in very 'cool', 'tough', 'indifferent'. (this is not a Christian school, and we have kids of all different religions and backgrounds) We've just been on our face before God--and let me tell you,..it has payed off! Every time God has SHOWN UP like nobodies business! Yesterday--the spirit of prophesy fell on us and we started calling kids out by name, specifics about their life, situations they were in, and speaking the love of the Father over them. There was great accuracy and it swung open the door for us. Today, was so hard,...the team poured out their hearts talking about true love, the cross, their testimonies (some of them weeping while sharing) and the kids just sat their stone faced (freshman!) and acting uninterested. Then all of a sudden God just showed up! hahahaaha! It was so great!!! Jona told the kids to stand up and they just all started getting hit like crazy with God (mind you,...UNCHURCHED REBELIOUS youth) many of them started weeping uncontrollably, shaking, and falling to the ground. The big "leader" (cool kid) in the group started saying--"this is bunk,...you guys are pushing people down, blah blah blah..." So the team just went and stood around him and said "Really?" Keep your eyes open and no one will touch you. They started praying for him (in front of all his classmates,...and not touching him at all) and the guy got rocked! HE started violently shaking and was undone by the power of God. Another kid who is into witchcraft got radically hit with the Lord and went flying to the ground too,...when he got up he just kept talking about how "good" that kind of power felt (it was different than anything he had experienced). Anyways, it was pretty much amazing, and we're excited to see what God does tomorrow.
LOVING ECUADOR
There are so many stories but this little update isn't little anymore. We've been leading taxi drivers to Jesus, seeing lots of healings, doing lots of personal ministry to all kinds of people, and just enjoying Jesus in so many great ways. We are so proud of the interns, they all have had such a great attitude and have been working so hard and very joyfully. Continue to keep them in your prayers (Cassandra, Crisol, Brittany, Everett, Aileen, Caleb, and Nichole) Tomorrow Shawn's parents get here and we're excited to have them join us! OH yeah,...we did get a fun day in there and everyone went white water rafting, Quadding, and I forget what it's called (they hook you into a harness and you swing from tree to tree above the jungle for like two hours and it is so scary and fun) Anyway, since Jen couldn´t do any of the fun stuff,...she found an amazing resort in the jungle where she spent the day swimming, getting a pregnancy massage, and relaxing! It was glorious!
- Jona & Jennifer Toledo and Team
