George and Jo's Revival Update: The Miracle Dream - Stroke Victim Instantly Healed

We approach the remote village on the small Palm Boat

A dream come true

As a young believer in Christ I heard the story of John Osteen father to Joel, how he had dreamed about arriving in a small boat on a white beach at a remote village somewhere in the south Pacific.

The villagers were friendly and waited to greet this visiting stranger on the shore in front of their palm leaf homes. Key to Johns dream was that throughout his adventure he was wearing the new suit he had bought just that day. After preaching the gospel he prayed for the sick, many were saved and healed.

On waking next morning he excitedly explained the dream to his wife. He told her how real it all seemed like he had actually been there.

But an even greater mystery was in store for John when on the Sunday morning as he took his suit out the wardrobe for church the same white sand as the beach in his dream fell from out of the trouser leg turn up. Was he translated? Did he actually visit the island and see the power of Christ and His gospel?

Anyway, the dream stayed with me and has been reoccurring from that time in the mid seventies till now. With the exception that I'm the one arriving in the boat not John, everything else is the same, the gospel is preached, the sick are healed but an added element in my dream is that they experience heaven.

Imagine my surprise as we arrive in Marcus two days ago at the southernmost tip of the Philippines. We are here because one of our team Jun Jun comes from this place and has requested that we come here for remote outreach. We prayed about it and felt we should go between breaks in our other outreaches.

The place that he would like us to visit cannot be reached by plane or road only by small boat. So after travelling as far as we can we park the vehicle in the small village of Margus proper and transfer the stuff and the team of 6 along with 3 crew members to a Palm Boat, which is a tiny slim canoe like boat with an inboard engine.

Half the crew - You can see the boat is quite small

Our American missionary friends
from Manila, Jay, his wife Anna Lisa and eleven year old son Jayson have joined Jo, Jun & I for the week. This boat is small and Jo & I are the only ones that find the space where we can sit two abreast.

There is an extra guest - A pig! JunJuns father who still lives in Margus Proper has gifted us the "live" pig for provision so we will not be a food burden to the villagers when we get there. There will be more than enough to feed many with this rare and outside their regular staple of fish & rice.

The forty five minute trip is on a calm turquoise sea only a few hundred metres off the tropical shoreline. It's like something out of a holiday catalogue, blue water and white sand lined with mature coconut trees.
Suddenly, something big like a sea cow breaks the surface then dives right past us.As we approach the beach village that is our destination I shout to Jo my wife above the roar of the inboard diesel engine that I feel like I have been here before. If not here, somewhere else very like here. It all seems. very familiar.

The Pig under Jay's feet

All quite excited to be back on dry land

Then it dawns on me and I realise "this is just like my dream". Soon the shore is close and locals young and old are walking down from their banana and palm leaf huts to the sea edge to greet us.

Soon, we were off the boat and familiarising ourselves with the beautiful hut that had quickly and graciously lent to us for the duration of our stay. Ours, to use for as long as we wanted. Banana leaf woven partitions divided the long hut up giving us 2 separate sleeping areas and another area for sitting and eating along with an outside porch to enjoy the cool sea breeze.

We had began to spread the word to the villagers that we would like to share our story with them at seven o'clock that evening. The spent the remaining few daily light hours exploring this beautiful and unspoiled cove.

At the right time the clanging of a metal pipe drew men and women of all ages to a concrete structure set aside as a church. In moments it was full front to back with smiling enquiring faces. Jay shared the good news of the gospel of Christ and numerous responded, walking to the front to pray and receive Christ as saviour. Twice as many came for
healing prayer.

Packed in under a dim light - everyone eagerly listened to the gospel

The miracles were amazing as usual

Stroke victim healed of all symptoms

The first man was deaf & dumb as a side effect of prescribed drugs, he was not healed but emphasized with weeping that he wanted Jesus to come into his life. Surprising since he had not heard any of the gospel message.

Next a man with back an shoulder injury healed, a woman who had been sick for several days healed
more back and knee injuries. Then a man with cataracts immediately declared "everything is clear, everything is clear".

An older woman leaning on a long staff explained how she had a stroke, had been in bed for a year was paralyzed down one side of her body. Had dim eyesight and a constant banging in her head - Instantly healed
from all symptoms.

The young girl came to ask if Jesus would come into her heart

The rest testified to all sickness leaving there body when we prayed in the name of Jesus. We all stayed around for a while after the close of the meeting learning more about our new friends and them about us. There was an atmosphere of rejoicing.

We returned to the hut to find the roasted pig stretched out across the table surrounded by pots of steaming rice and plates filled with sliced mango and bananas. The only thing missing was an apple in the pig’s mouth. What a feast for Gods humble servants on a remote peninsula of Gods beautiful creation.

Early next morning as we are sitting on the outside porch, the lady that had been healed from stroke danced into view. She is rejoicing as she tells us in singing that she has experienced even more healing and that she had had the most incredible dream of heaven. So real in fact that she's convinced she has actually been and seen the glory of that kingdom. She describes flowers and fragrances that are so beautiful, so wonderful that she does not have the words to explain her visit to heaven.

She has brought a young girl with her, probably around 10 or 11 years old. She told us that since given her own life to Christ the night before she had now spoke with this young girl about her own need for salvation and that the girl had expressed a desire to be saved also. Jun spoke earnestly with her there at that gazebo table and the girl prayed asking for Gods forgiveness and for Jesus to come into her life. When it came to the amen of the sinners prayer she was smiling broadly.

Our new and healed friend who had brought the child then asks if we would mind visiting and praying with a sick woman who lives in a hut along the beach. She has been very ill for five years, very thin, can't walk and quickly exhausted. She had actually tried to attend the meeting the night before but was too exhausted to make the meeting place even though it was only around 300 meters from her home. Of course we consented and soon we were strolling down the white beach to pray with the sick woman she had told us about.

SHE RAN DOWN THE BEACH
The woman we had come to pray for was sat outside in the shade of her door way. She smiled and seemed both pleased and expectant of the five foreigners plus friends. Physically she looked worse than had been described. But we have learnt not to allow our faith to be moved by what we see only by what we believe. However, she was not just thin but really thin, haunted, she couldn't get up to greet us or for the prayer we were about to offer as she was so weak. She reaffirmed that she had been this way for five years.

We spoke briefly through Jun, qualifying that we certainly were not healers, Christ alone was and in our experience we saw more healing miracles for those who given their lives over to him than those that had not.

She nodded in agreement whilst speaking in her own dialect to Jun that she understood and wanted to repent and give her life to Christ. For the second time in twenty or so minutes Jun was leading another soul in a prayer that will deliver from darkness in to the kingdom of Gods dear Son.

We asked if she was experiencing any pain at the present. She replied that yes she was, always pain, particularly in her lower chest region. We laid hands on her shoulders and head and began to rebuke sickness and disease in the name of Jesus asking for God’s mercy and healing power.
She began to smile, and then stood explaining to Jun that the pain had left and she felt coolness and strength had come into her body. To bring faith and confirm the healing we asked if she would like to walk back across the beach to the small boat that beached there waiting for us. No problem, she began striding out immediately. Several times along that 150 meter walk I asked Jun to ask her how she was "Good" came back the same strong reply every time. On reaching the boat she turned and without being asked by us began to ran back in the direction of her home. All the way down the beach we could see here stretching this way and that enjoying what the Lord had just done for her.

A FEW HOURS EARLIER SHE COULDNT MOVE HER ARMS, A FEW MINUTES EARLIER HER FRIEND COULD HARDLY STAND BUT THEY ENTHUSIASTICALLY WAVED US GOODBYE

Shortly, we were all back aboard to small palm boat. As the inboard diesel engine propelled it's small craft and us 8 occupants parallel with the beach. Our new found friends waved us off into the distance. None more so than the woman healed of stroke and her friend healed of the five year affliction. Waving their arms above their head in a display of heartfelt appreciation. It wasn't till we were ten minutes or so out that I released that even more of my long term dream had come to pass - The gospel was preached, the lost were saved, the sick were healed AND they experienced heaven! My heart felt like it was flipping somersaults of appreciation to the Lord at this amazing fulfilment of a dream and to me of all people. How good is our God!

JSP - JUST STOP & PREACH

Within forty minutes or so we were back at the same beach/dock where we had boarded less than 24 hours earlier. Several docker types were gathered on the beach and helped us to unload our few things. I asked if it was possible to JSP - Just Stop & Preach, we were assured it was sonar invited the seventy or so there Muslims, Catholics, pagans to come and hear the story as to why the foreigner was there. Bemused they gathers round a tin roofed concrete area and I began to give a gospel come testimony. Even the Muslims listened intently.

When we gave the appeal 70% responded by raising their hands. Muslims included. Jun then led in a prayer of repentance first fully explaining the awesomeness of the moment and the commitment they were about to make.

As usual we explained that God was willing to confirm the preaching of His word by healing the sick. Those that would like to receive that prayer please step forward. Unusually only a few stepped forward. Normally 80% of those accepting Christ will also request prayer for healing.

First to be prayed for was an older man who had also suffered a shock and associated partial paralysis. We all laid hands on, we all prayed, we prayed a lot more for this man than the woman who was so miraculously healed the night before... But nothing, not even a partial recovery?

As previously mentioned in another post about the two deaf men we prayed for one after the other one was healed one was not. Same situation in that the one not healed appeared spiritually to have a lot of darkness in their soul. Which darkness takes a while to fully repent and be fully cleansed.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. -1 John 1:9

Next to be prayed for was another middle aged man. He complained of pain throughout his body for quite some time and even now. A short prayer and he matter of factly commented "that's it the pain is all gone".
It's gone I can see!
Next, and last a middle aged woman pushed through the crowd explaining that her eyes were sore and felt full of sand all the time. She said she couldn't look at us as it was like looking at the sun.

Within seconds of rebuking the condition in the name of Jesus she declared "It's gone I can see! there's no pain"! She began to stare wide eyed all around her with a degree of amazement telling all the onlookers it's gone, it's gone no pain! This was somewhat redemptive considering what didn't just happen to the stroke victim.

We chatted with a few and it was time to leave. This lady came through the crowd, both hands outstretched to take mine, sincerely and this time with fixed gaze she said, Salamat means thank you, thank you.

Five minutes later we are on the road back to General Santos. Another adventure in God. Thankful for what just happened, excited for what will happen next.

PHOTO GALLERY