The Word of Their Testimony...

testimonies gathered to encourage the Body of Christ
May/Jun 2009

A Letter from Skip

Dear Francis and Judith and team,

My wife and my sister, as well as myself, attended the Journey to Healing retreat [back in January]. We were abundantly blessed in many ways.

To begin with, my personal ‘journey to healing’ started about 37 years ago at age 19 when I was baptized in the Spirit. In fact, back in the early 1970’s I had the privilege of attending a retreat in Staten Island, NY that Francis and Ruth Stapleton led, among others. That was a great weekend, but it bothered me that I had to wait in line to have Francis pray for me. However, as my time came to go in for prayer the line was stopped. But now, 37 years later I was finally blessed to make this retreat at CHM and also to be prayed over by Francis!

Like many young men emerging out of the seventies, I carried some burdens associated with drugs, alcohol, and sex and tried to understand my behavior. As Paul describes my condition: “I do the very things I hate….who will deliver me from this wretched state?” (Romans 7) This was my own inner cry to the Lord for many years despite being immersed in prayer groups, leading music ministries and taking part in healing teams. I carried that famous “God shaped wound,” aching for the Father’s love (and my own father’s love).

The Lord did a lot for me in those 37 years; He blessed me with a wonderful wife, six children and much grace to lead me to much personal transformation, repentance and healing. Over those years I read every Agnes Sanford book around, attended retreats (including a glorious weekend with Tommy Tyson) and sought the Lord’s heart in healing prayer. My wife and I (both Registered nurses) sought to bring His healing love to our profession and to those suffering whenever we could. For a few years we were part of a covenant community that spent more time on legalism and control than in ministering the gospel. Thankfully we were not as damaged as many folks were. Nevertheless, it made us gun shy of “renewal groups.”

This past November I came to CHM for a day of healing prayer and a generational Eucharist, and I walked away freed on a deep level. Significant bonds of generational sin were freed during this day of prayer and the Lord Himself restored my healing journey. I had a beautiful experience when Fr. Gene and Sara prayed with me; Gene spoke as a Dad would and (it happened to be my actual birthday that day) reached the deep regions of my heart in a way I have never before experienced.

As a professional healthcare provider, with many years of psychiatric nursing under my belt, I think I would know a good olfactory hallucination if I had one, but during the soaking prayer time in the chapel, I believe I truly experienced smelling a rose–like fragrance that didn’t come from any person there.

This “day of healing prayer” stirred my thirst for more of a deeper and on–going ministry, and so I decided to go on this last retreat. I knew that Jesus called me to this retreat as the first scripture I ever read after being baptized in the Spirit was Matthew 11:28. When I saw that the theme of the retreat was this text I knew His call and hand was upon me to attend.

The overwhelming source of grace seemed to be the unconditional love that was palpable in the air, in the team, and which passed through them in the laying on of hands. During my personal prayer appointment I received the grace to forgive an old injury that I had previously thought I would just have to carry for my entire life. During one of the praise times as we were singing I heard the Lord repeat His own invitation (from Matt 11:28) “Come to me all you who are willing to allow me to do my work in you and I will heal you.”

I could write many pages about the graces I am beginning to see unfold, and so I just want to take a moment to personally thank Francis and Judith for responding to Jesus and being instruments of his healing grace. Thank you to the whole team as well!

May Our Lord Jesus continue to pour out His healing grace on each of you at CHM!

A Businessman’s Testimony

Over the years we have not only learned about God’s love for us manifested in healing prayer but also from time to time, God helps in mundane areas such as finances. When we at CHM were low on finances, our dear friend Tommy Tyson would ask, “How much do you need by Friday?” Then he would pray for that exact amount, and it would always come in!

Now in this time of economic crisis, our dear friend and member of our National Advisory Board, Art Thomson, from La Jolla, CA, told me a remarkable testimony about how the Spirit inspired him before the crisis hit to sell all his stocks – and he did. I asked him to write the story up, and here it is. It’s especially amazing if you know Art, who is as steady as any non–impressionable businessman can be (he is a retired hotel manager)!

“Early in the morning of July 11, 2008 (7/11) I was awakened with a very definite direction of what I was to do. This was neither a dream nor a vision, nor was it verbalized but rather a very strong sense that I was to sell all our stock. The greater part of our retirement funds were invested in the stock market and had performed well for us up to that time.

I listened to what we believe was divine intervention and got up early before the market opened, called our stockbroker and sold everything. Had I relied on my own knowledge as to what to sell and what to keep, I would have made terrible mistakes: the first was Fannie Mae, which lost 95% of its value; another, Lehman Brothers, went into bankruptcy and is worthless; and Barclays Bank (of England) lost 50% of its worth. Our other stock had similar fates.

There is no doubt in our minds that the Divine was protecting and guiding us. Whether it was God or one of His guardian angels who intervened, we give Him all the honor and glory.”

A Letter from Bob Kerner

Francis recently received a letter from Rev. Bob Kerner, who, with his wife Rev. Sandi Kerner, was a member of our CHM staff. They are now Episcopal priests in the Richmond, Virginia, area. In his letter he shared several significant testimonies:

“When I was a young deacon, the first person I ever prayed for was dramatically and instantly healed from terminal leukemia. The results of her tests were sent by her physician to the AMA as a demonstration of the efficacy of healing prayer, and her agnostic specialist was ultimately converted to Christianity as a result of this healing. That got my attention!

“On Cursillo weekends we have seen many profound results. For instance, a priest was healed of progressive, congenital, inoperable eye disease. He was expected to ultimately lose his sight, but he was healed totally. To this day, his sight is perfectly restored. He doesn’t even need glasses!

“Another instance occurred when a team member had a terrible migraine headache. During the team Eucharist, when she received the consecrated bread and wine, she was healed instantly of the migraine. No one ever prayed specifically for this healing, except her. The migraines have never recurred in her life.”