The Sealed

Açariguama, Sao Paulo State
Thursday, June 12, 2008

Dear Brethren in Christ and Intercessors,

We have completed our meetings here in the Valley of Blessing under Pastor Jonathan Ferreira. The servants of God are most enthusiastic about the teaching they have received from Scripture. The Lord was gracious to confirm the teaching by various miraculous healings.

Last night on Wednesday we held an evangelistic healing service for the community where the training was applied. I preached the gospel. Then we ministered to the infirm through healing-at-a-distance (as Jesus did in Luke 17). Immediately afterwards nine people came up to platform to testify that Jesus had healed them. Then through the individual laying on hands by the trained servants of God, about a dozen more people promptly came forward to testify that they had been healed. The quick miracles demonstrated that Jesus had authority to forgive sin. It was a most exciting (and satisfying) time for the servants of God.

Two years ago in May 2006 I was ministering at this very same church. While those meetings were also attended by powerful miraculous healings, I can recall one evangelistic healing service in particular where hardly anything happened at all. This is what I wrote at that time:

“May 23 Our final meeting here was most unusual. I do not recall ever having ministered in such a difficult one. First I shared the gospel of Jesus Christ. Then, after prayer, I had the trained believers heal the sick to demonstrate that the gospel is true, that Jesus is the only way to the Father. But no miracles happened as the believers laid hands on the infirm again and again.”

I still recall the frustration that I felt that evening over two years ago. But what the Lord did last night in the same church was as different as night and day. Through this He taught me that we should not get discouraged and give up.

Earlier today we wrapped up the Training in two sessions. In the final session held in the afternoon several infirm people from the town came to be healed. The trained believers made short work of the infirmities, and several testified that they were healed. In particular one elderly couple had come, both suffering from debilitating pain. The woman could hardly walk; the man also could not hear normally. Both were shouting in joy from the stage after the Lord healed them.

Guided by the Holy Spirit, Pastor Jonathan is initiating a movement called “Visitation of God” in different Brazilian cities. Among other things, trained believers will be going door-to-door preaching the gospel and healing the sick. A team of servants of God came from the city of Ivaipora in the neighboring state of Paranas to attend the Training in preparation to minister during the Visitation of God in their city. They have already returned home to Ivaipora and are now ready to heal the sick and to tell the people that “the kingdom of God is near” (Luke 10:9). The leader of that team wants to invite me to return in 2009 to speak before 800 pastors (if I recall correctly) in his state.

At the end of the final session today, Pastor Jonathan introduced me to an older brother who along with his wife is a missionary to Spain and was back for a time in Brazil. He told me that the Lord had spoken to this brother that I was to be his mentor and covering. What a privilege it is to train God’s servants to minister in the spirit and power of Elijah!

Brazil is now experiencing revival in the economy through the discovery of large oil reserves as well as spiritual revival in the Church. Brazilian missionaries are now being sent out to many countries. I am thankful that The Elijah Challenge can be a part of training the Church here.

Do pray that the Lord will raise up an Elijah Challenge Coordinator who can coordinate meetings here in Brazil as well as teach The Elijah Challenge.

Tomorrow on Thursday I leave for the nearby city of Sorocaba. This city is the fastest growing city in Brazil in terms of industry. The man mostly responsible for this phenomenal growth is Daniel de Jesus Leite, the Secretary of Commerce of Sorocaba. He recently negotiated with Toyota for the building of an automotive assembly plant here, and Toyota chose Sorocaba over forty other competing cities. Daniel is also the pastor of Ministerio Renovacao em Cristo, a ministry in Sorocaba. I will be ministering with him for the next three days until I return to Houston on Monday. My first meeting with him will be Training at 7 PM on Thursday evening. For Saturday evening he has scheduled an open-air evangelistic crusade in a public square in the city!

Thank you for supporting us in prayer, dear ones.

Sincerely,

William