Third week Feb 2020

ALBANIA UPDATE!!  I really felt this week that I needed to try and contact the lady I had shared Jesus with at the hotel in Tiranja, Albania that we visited last Autumn .(see previous blog-post “Adventures in Albania”)   After a bit of detective work, I found the hotel email and sent off a message explaining who I was trying to contact.  To my surprise, a return email came back a couple of hours later and the lady, “Eny”, made contact with me privately on whatsapp.  This is some of her message:

“My colleagues were waiting for me and told me about your email.  They knew it would make me happy to know that you have been thinking of me these past days.  (She then mentions some struggle concerning the future) I think I’m really going to believe in God because it seems like a sign (through your message).  Please write to me any time you want”

Please join me in praying for this dear lady and please take encouragement that even sending a simple message saying you are thinking and praying for someone can prompt them to see that God is real and cares for them - so they can believe in Him! 

Now back to local life!

I popped to Uxbridge for a few bits and pieces, forgetting it was half-term and much busier than usual.  Not raining though, which was a very welcome change.

The encounters today were mostly prophetic, apart from two different back issues.  The first was a “fly-by” prophetic encouragement at a checkout.  There were shoppers behind me but I just had time to tell the cashier that I felt God wanted to encourage her today.  It was a word about her feeling that “time had stood still” in a certain area of her life and that nothing was moving or progressing there.  God was giving the clock a good ‘tap’ and setting it back in motion.  She could watch and see that things are going to get going again!  She repeated back what I had said as a question, to check she had understood it right. “Yup that’s right!  Be blessed and watch and see!”  She smiled widely, thanked me and off I went.  

Next I came across a few youngish chaps in the High Street promoting an energy company.  After a friendly chat, I asked if any of them had back pain or other physical pain.  Two had back pain.  One (“Sami”) said it was about 9/10 level of pain!  He didn’t know what had caused it.  He accepted my offer of prayer, although I could see he was twitchy and rather detached - maybe embarrassed in front of his colleagues.  After a few prayers the pain level went down slowly to 5/10 but I felt clearly that I had gone as far as he was prepared for me to persist and had to leave it there.  I could only encourage him to watch for the rest of the healing, expecting it to happen.  I really don’t like leaving someone with just a partial healing but I celebrate the healing that did happen and trust Holy Spirit for the rest. 

One of the other colleagues (Abu) also had back issues that bothered him most at the end of the day but was happy for me to pray for him now.  After one brief prayer he said he felt much better, really relaxed and light.  He was smiling and asked me more questions about praying for people.  I felt that I had a “download” for Abu about his role in the family – that he is a “lynch-pin” that holds his family together but never seeking attention for himself in that.  He nodded in agreement, saying that he doesn’t even like asking for a birthday present for himself and that he does indeed hold his family together. 

 I also had the impression that as a youngish boy around 8, Abu had dreams of visiting many different countries, even making lists of them somewhere and that he still wants to go to these places.   He was so surprised at this and confirmed it was true – then started telling me some of the countries and sights he has always wanted to see.  It was precious to tell Abu that Jesus did not dismiss or ignore the dreams of a child but that they matter to Him, and He wants to partner with Abu to bring them to pass in his adult life. That is why He had revealed this to a random person like me, to show Abu that He knows about Him all through the stages of his life and cares deeply about healing his body but also His whole life.

By now the third colleague – “Alfie” had come over and was joking around but also interested in what I was talking about with Abu.  We talked about the meaning of their names, and a certain dream Alfie clearly remembered from when he was sixteen. I offered an interpretation of it which he seemed to resonate with.  I had an image impression of Alfie as a swimmer and asked if this was the case.  He was really intrigued why I would ask him that, calling it “random” (!) but then said it was true – he had taken up swimming when he had a girlfriend who competed in swimming.  He didn’t swim now so much.  It felt like it was a certain kind of freedom that swimming brought Alfie that Jesus was highlighting – he went quiet and was thoughtful about it, nodding silently. 

There was one more download for Alfie who was saying – “go on, tell me what else I am passionate about!”  But this download was that Jesus wanted to bring reconciliation for him in his family – I felt it was a parent with whom he has a broken relationship.  He told me that he is actually going to visit his parents TOMORROW for the first time in many months.  He knew this word could not be a coincidence as things were not good with his relationship at home..  I declared over him that he would be a peace-maker in that situation and that Jesus was preparing him for that even now by telling him this. I chatted a little more with them both about the love and complete knowledge of Jesus for each and every person, gave them some contact details and they both thanked me heartily as I said goodbye and walked on.

Holy Spirit, you were the revealer of these secrets today in the shop and streets.  Continue to show who Jesus is to these precious people so that they will entrust their whole lives to Him in grateful surrender.  I pray that for Ami in Albania too.  Glorify your Name through each of these lives, Jesus.  Yes and Amen!!