The Lord is up to something here in Angono, Philippines! I bought a plane ticket by faith after God gave me a dream. I had no schedule or place to stay until 3 days prior to flying here!
Now, doors are opening like crazy!
Anyways, I want to share one of the many testimonies. Two weeks ago, Pastor July and I went to a prison to preach the gospel. There were 200 men inside one small jail cell. The prison consisted of a few bunk beds, a cement floor, and cement walls. I was surprised they could all fit inside that room. We were told that many of these men sleep standing up. The Lord gave me a message from Isaiah 61. I told them they need to be set free on the inside before they can be set free on the outside. I said, “God wants to set you free in your hearts and minds.” I preached on the power of the blood of Jesus. I’ve never in all my life seen anyone listen with so much attention. They pressed in close to the bars of the cell. I prayed that God would break chains of sin and addiction off their lives. Over 100 of the 200 inmates responded to confess their sins and give their hearts to Christ. Hopefully, all or most of them were transformed. Afterwards, we fed them chicken soup called “sopas”. They were so grateful for the food. Later, I returned to give some of the men some bibles. God is good!
One individual story I would like to share comes from a friend of mine. She was a part of a group of youth I took out evangelizing back in February of this year. Her name is Jovelyn. She is 16 years old. Most of this story does not involve me which is great, because either way God receives all the glory.
5 days ago Jovelyn’s mother had a mild stroke. She was in a coma for 4 hours and woke up in the hospital. I believe she actually died and came back to life. Here is why I believe this. When I went to visit her mom in the hospital, her mom told me what happened. She said, “I had a stroke a few days back. After the stroke I went into a coma. I saw myself going up into heaven. It was so beautiful. I saw many flowers and butterflies. And, I saw the Lord. I was reaching my hand out for Him to take it. I was saying, “Lord take my hand. I want to go with you. It’s so hard down there. And people are so mean. But, He told me I need you to go back for your children. He said, “you have a son and a daughter and they need you there.” I looked down and I could see my daughter crying and praying for me. I was arguing with God. I said, “But, it’s so difficult down there and I’m tired.” And the Lord said I need to come back because He still wants me to touch people’s lives and especially for my children. And I could see my daughter crying. Then, I was back in this bed.
When I went to go visit Jovelyn’s mom she could move in the hospital bed, but had no feeling in her skin. She could only feel the top of her head and the end of her toes. We prayed for total restoration of all the strength and feeling she had before the stroke. While we prayed she fell asleep. I’m not sure what happened because we left after that. Soon, I will return to the hospital to check on her.
But, when I heard her story I realized that she had actually died. And, I believe it was her daughter’s prayers that brought her back. I believe she was raised from the dead. God is amazing! And, when I heard Jovelyn’s mom talk about heaven I felt such an amazing peace!
Yours for Jesus,
Tom Gustafson
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