Jewish Youth in Kielce-Part 2

So the story doesn’t end there…So after our meeting in Kielce, Poland, not even a month later I was able to meet up with some of the  youth I had met and we spent a day together in Jerusalem!

My friends Ido, Adi, and Yaniv and I in Ein Kerem, Jerusalem

I met Adi in Poland (the pretty girl on the right) I was browsing on FB and I “accidently” came across her name and noticed she was in Jerusalem.  During the entire trip in Israel I kept praying and never lost hope that maybe I would be able to meet up with someone from the Poland meeting, but as time went on I wasn’t sure it was going to happen. There just wasn’t enough time and also the only other people that I officially met didn’t live in Jerusalem. However, the day I wrote to Adi on Facebook she wrote back and said that she would love to meet for coffee or maybe grab a bite to eat. I was thrilled and I wasn’t expecting her to bring anyone. But to my surprise she said she was going to being two of her friend. So that day I also got to meet Yaniv and Ido. Both whom were in Poland with Adi and at the meeting in Kielce!  Then as I looked closer at Ido, I recognized him! Do you remember the young man from the previous post who was sharing his heart about his experience in Poland? Well that is him in the picture up top! I never imagined that I would ever see these people again, but it was totally God that we got to reconnect in Israel! I told him about the video I took of him and that eventually I was thinking of posting it on my blog. He gave me his permission =) If you are reading this, thank you Ido!

Ido making a funny face!

Yaniv and Adi

They asked me if there was something specfic that I was interested in seeing in Jerusalem. I told them that they could surpirse me and they were happy to do that. So thinking that I was Catholic they took me to a beautiful Catholic church in Ein Kerem. I absolutley didn’t mind and really loved every minute of it. Ein Kerem is an ancient village and the birth place and possible home of John the Baptist.

“And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” Luke 1:41

Church of the Visitation, Ein Kerem

The Catholic church that we visited was The Church of the Visitation. This is the site where tradition tells us Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth where Mary recited her song of praise to the Lord, the Magnificat, one of the most ancient hymns.

And Mary said:

“My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things. And the rich He has sent away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.” Luke 1:46-55

A Statue of Mary and Elizabeth

Beautiful painting inside the church!

After spending the first half of the day in Ein Kerem and having icecream, we took the tram into Jerusalem and the crew took me to Mamilla Mall. It was an outside mall right before you enter the Old City. That was loads of fun and that was where I tried one of the most delicious sandwiches. Can’t remember the name of it, but I do remember it having some sort of fire roasted white cheese. May have been goat cheese. Here is a picture of Yaniv and Adi in Mamilla.

Yaniv with my glasses on!

Before we parted our ways, I asked them if I could pray for them and they consented. I blessed them and asked Jesus to show them how much He loves them! It was a good day!

Jewish Youth in Kielce Testimony Part 1

I wanted to share with you this super awesome testimony from Poland. Back in November 2011 I attended a protestant church in Kielce, PL, “Wierczernik” translated “UpperRoom.”

Group photo of us!

Being one of my favorite churches/congregations in Poland I returned there several times during my time in Poland. One particular Sunday during the announcements I heard an invitation to attend a meeting with some Jewish Youth from Israel who come to Poland on a school trip. A new group of highschool aged Jewish Youth come on these trips. They specifically visit Kielce as this was the place of an unforgettably dreadful massacre that took place in 1946.  An invitaion to attend this significant event automatically caught my attention as I knew that this was not your typical meeting nor highschool field trip for the youth. I was curious to find out all about this meeting because I wanted to be there! The following week I returned to Kielce and along with approximately 30 others from the church we drove to the Jewish cemetary in Kielce to meet up with some tour guides and an estimated 150-200 teenage youth from Israel! This experience definitely took your breath away, not only because it was about 20 degrees F out there that day, but most importantly because for a number of years there have been Israeli highschool tour groups that have come to Poland to remember their history. Unfortunately most of their trip is a heart wrenching journey into the history of the Jewish people in Poland, the tragedy of the pogrom of 1946 in Kielce and overall the not so positive realities of the Holocaust. However, during this special time in Kielce, the Israeli and Pole have a time of reconciliation. It was truly a beautiful and memorable moment. For me the whole experience was me trying to hold in a flood of tears and a an ongoing dialog with the Lord about His great and indescribable love for Israel. I was utterly consumed with love for Israel and the Jewish people. It’s just something super hard to describe.

“Unfortunately most of their trip is a heart wrenching journey into the history of the Jewish people in Poland, the tragedy of the pogrom of 1946 in Kielce and overall the not so positive realities of the Holocaust.”

Towards the end of our time together was the moment everyone was waiting for. There was introductions and then an elder from the church and several other members of the congregation who are residents of Kielce welcomed the group and began to share their hearts. They said such things as “There are still many in Poland who love you” and “we would like to repent and apologize on behalf of Poland for everything the Jewish people went through on this land,” “We pray for you” and “We welcome you back on this soil” There were many tears and lots of hugs! Many of the youth thanked us for this time. Also many of them wanted to know why we cared some much. Some expressed that they thought that everyone in Poland hated them. I wanted so badly to have more time to talk with them, get to know them and their life stories! Little did I know, I would get that opportunity and it would be in Israel!

An important highlight was a moment of reflecting upon the approximate 900 years in which the Jewish people were welcomed and lived along side the Polish people. “According to some sources, about three-quarters of all Jews lived in Poland by the middle of the 16th century.” -Wikipedia. Before World War II, more than 3.3 million Jews lived in Poland, the second largest Jewish community in the world.

Here is a good article in Wikipedia  History of the Jews in Poland

The Story Behind These Meetings

Kielce Sunken Menorah Monument

The testimony of how this church got involved with meeting, welcoming and loving on these Israeli youth started many years ago.  Approximately 20 or so years ago Wieczernik “Upper Room” church in Kielce received a mandate from the Lord to pray for Israel. One seemingly inignificant day, the date was August 26, 2007, during the unvieling of the Kielce Menorah Monument, some of the elders of the church met a buisness man from Israel, a Kielce native. A few months later, while in Israel they contacted him and he invited them to an event put on by the Kielce Jewish Association in Israel. Two elderly woman in their late 80s possibly early 90s attending this gathering. When they heard that Polish gentile men from Kielce had been invited, their first impression was not pleasant. Both woman were Kielce native and one of them experience the pogrom first hand. They were not ready to receive anyone from Poland as they vowed to themselves that they would never step foot onto Polish soil and this wasn’t far from it.

During this meeting however, there was a significant amount of mutual sympathy exchanged and the two woman were now more ready to open up with the visitors. After getting to know these two women better, they soon found out that one of the ladies has a son who is a tour guide and takes groups of Israeli youth on trips to Poland. During this visit in Israel between the Kielce Jewish native and the church elders a meeting in Poland was organized. And this was the beginning of this beautiful story of reconciliation. For many months after this, the Lord confirmed these meetings because a certain elder from the church kept running into this specific tour guide ( the son of one of the elderly woman) during his trips all around Poland for a few weeks in a row! In different cities at different times, they would run into each other. God is uhmazing and His love and zeal for the Apple of His Eye is unrelenting! To this day every Jewish trip that comes to Kielce has an opportunity to come face to face with Gentile believers in Yeshua who love Israel and will stand with her till the end! The church has been able to interface with apporximately a dozen groups between 80-200 of Jewish highschoolers ages 17 and 18 and approximately 10 different Jewish tour guides! Amen!

11.11.11

Today is 11.11.11. The Lord is gathering His people. It is the work of the Holy Spirit!! I am content to know He is in control!

I wanted to post this scripture from Isaiah 11 because it talks about how the Body of Christ will worship the Lord in Jerusalem and we will behold His glory when He returns to take a seat on His Throne once again, this time here on the earth, forever! He came in the form of a baby, died a suffering servant, and will once again return as a Victorious King!

10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious. 11 In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the Mediterranean. 12 He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth. -Isaiah

TheCALL Detroit, Michigan!

Today Thousands are gathering in Detroit, Michigan, to fast and pray for America and for the city. Praying that the racial, socio-economic, and cultural wall would come down in Detroit and the Glory of the Lord would be unleashed. Detroit is considered among America’s top most dangerous cities. If you cannot attend The Call which starts today 6pm at Ford Field, you can tune into God TV, here http://www.god.tv/!!!

Poland Update-Oct 18, 2011

“There is power in the name of Jesus….to break every chain, to break every chain, to break every chain…”

Today I couldn’t stop singing, “There is Power in the name of Jesus….to break every chain, to break every chain, to break every chain…”  This makes me think of Jesus in Matthew chapter 9, healing every sickness and every disease. I wonder what “greater works than these” will look like (John 14:12). Whatever that means, if I can have it, I want it!  When I was meditating on this passage today, I wasn’t thinking to myself, “Wow, how could Jesus have done it,” but if He did it, I can do it. Because the Word of God Himself said that the works He did I would do, and greater works than His I would do. Wow! That blows my mind. I want this mystery to become my reality! The Jesus who walked the streets and stopped and healed the paralytic man. This man had a name.

Check out these faces!

Jesus, steadfast, in control, who exercised patience perfectly, waited to answer the cry of the ruler for his dead daughter, while He healed the woman who had the issue of blood, did as His Father led Him. I fully know that the only way Jesus did what He did is because He only did what His Father told Him and He stayed in His love. Oh for the empowerment to stay in Papa’s love. I think this is definitely one of the keys to “greater works than these.” Wow, those words are a bit overwhelming. I want to be like my big brother. So here I go. This is where I will start, keeping myself in the love of the Father. Meditating on the Word of God. Meditating on Jesus, His works and emotions, and on the amount of abiding He did in His Father and His love. What does that look like?

I say all of this because I am longing to step out on the street, fully immersed in the love of the Father, with the of life of Jesus flowing out of me and the power to see the sick healed!

If you keep my commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. John 15:10

So here I go! I will be making this my prayer! “Lord, I love You  and I ask You today to teach me Your ways and help me to search out Your commandments, that I may remain in Your love. I want to walk in Your footsteps and love like You loved.”

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Matt 9:35-38

Lately

So what’s has been happening here in Poland lately? Ha, First of all, I want to apologize for not writing sooner. Blogging. Not my favorite thing. Maybe one day that will change. 2 months down since the rest of the crew left, two months to go. So I didn’t know exactly when I would be coming back to the states, but last week I was able to purchase my ticket to NYC! After praying and asking God for His will, I strongly felt like He wanted me to spend Christmas with my family this year, considering that I wasn’t with them last year. At around the same time that day, a dear friend contacted me and said that she had some money set aside and that she would like to sow it into me. Perfect timing because

Daniel Lim was in Poland! /Words for Poland

While Daniel Lim was here this past weekend He got a glimpse of the Lord’s heart for Poland and what He wants to do here! Daniel didn’t know this, but he said that he feels that about a generation ago, 20-30 years ago, there was an outpouring of the Holy Spirit and many lives were touched. This is in fact true. All over Poland, a little bit over 20 years ago, the Holy Spirit came to the Catholic Church in a profound way. Lives were touched and many fellowships and Protestant Churches formed throughout the years. Poland has a profound Prophetic History that I look forward to chronicling in the future. Many remember those days and are hungry and crying for more. Below are a few glimpses into the Lord’s heart for this beautiful nation!

Daniel also had a vision of stadiums being filled and the gospel being preached and people getting saved and healed in masses! The prayer warriors have been asking for this! This is what we are believing for! In 1996, Lou Engle, visited Poland and prophesied the House of Prayer in Poland. He said that the church was not only going to be making Christians but Disciples. I feel like this is the beginning. The Lord is preparing His Bride in Poland for what’s to come and the many who are going to be flooding the churches and Prayer Rooms. People are hungry. The Lord is bringing forth a pearl into the world!!!!! Poland get ready!!!

Here are a few words that my friends got for Poland! I pray these will be encouraging to you! 

This one is from a 1st year student who came up to me last year at IHOPU. She isn’t Polish but a few years back the Lord started to give her a heart for Poland in a massive way. He began to visit her in her dreams and giving her dreams about Poland. Here is a short excerpt of some of what she has given me for Poland. This is some interpretation of her dreams and revelation.

This revelation came when I was trying to fall asleep one night in May 2007. Suddenly God poured down a brilliant white light that I could see in my spirit. It was a certain kind of light that came from the Father of Lights, the light He gave to the Poles to make them Polish and the actual spiritual substance that is the Polish identity. It was so pure, so white and so bright that it was literally blinding. I started to cry because this purity was so unadulterated that it was that it was far too beautiful, far too much for me. I never dreamed that this kind of purity existed, and much less that it could abide in the hearts of men and women. What a wonderful God! I thought that this was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, even though I was unable to look at it! God began to reveal to me that along with His purity He had given the Poles His earnestness which is woven into their basic identities. In keeping with purity and earnestness is a dedicated love for the truth must that naturally manifests in the lives of the Polish people. With dedication to the truth must come an uncompromising honor that insists on standing for the truth no matter what the cost, because to do any less would be to compromise one’s own soul and deny Christ to a degree. I believe that people have sensed this in the Polish people and that’s why Poles have a reputation for being stubborn. It could also be that this God-given refusal to compromise has been misused for selfish reasons, but nevertheless God created Poland to be a nation that would walk before Him in honor-not for men to see but the kind He receives as worship. These qualities of their Father are in every Pole, like spiritual DNA. They’re not conscious or manmade national values or anything external, but they are woven so deeply as to just flow naturally out of every Pole’s life.

Through receiving this revelation I have come to believe that the Father gave a different part of His Light to every nation, and this is what makes a person Russian, Venezuelan, American, etc., not where they were born. I think it follows that all nations have a different part of our Father, and these attributes are so innate that we seldom realize they’re there. Or rather I should say that we seldom realize He’s there, because this is God’s own life I’m speaking of and not a list of good qualities. These anointings of God’s self in us can be utilized to advance His Kingdom on the earth or can be left latent. Only in Christ can these gifts grow, flower and produce mature fruit. I realized that it is a great honor to have been made Polish and imbued with these living lights of I AM.

Fun little video I found about Poland…

Could is be possible that even the media is prophesying? Check it out @ 6:22.

Warsaw Street Church

Kościól Uliczny Warszawa-Street Church every Wednesday downtown Warsaw, PL

Today I wanted to share some photos of the Street Church I have been attending for the last two months on Wednesday nights. Mostly homeless men and women stand in line to recieve soup and tea or coffee. There are about 200 who get served. While they wait they also get fed the Word of God. Every 15 minutes or so a preacher gets up on a chair and gives an exhortation/testimony and/or shares the gospel. For two hours through worship, prayer and the Word of God, Jesus is being proclaimed in the center of Warsaw! The last couple of weeks I have had the opportunity to pray with 2 woman and one man to recieve Jesus as their Savior! PTL. Also we prayed for one man who was homeless, dirty, smelled like alcohol and had an open wound on his leg. It was the size of my hand, bleeding and very dirty. It looked like it had been there for a long time and could not heal. The following Sunday he arrived in church, all clean, dressed nice and bandaged up. He got the help we offered him! Glory to God!

This past Wednesday, a woman who is originally from Bolivia was walking by. She stopped because she heard the music and remembered the worship song that is also sung in Spanish. Someone grabbed me because they needed an English speaker. Comes to find out she is stranded in Poland, fighting for the custody of her 3 year old son who was abducted by the father and his mother. This woman, who is a believer, has been praying for a church family. She said that it is a miracle that she happen to “stumble” upon our group! She will be coming with me to church this week! Yes Lord!

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An Excerpt from Shelley Hundley’s new book! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Jesus’s third request in John 17:26 is the greatest of all—that we would love Him. But let’s look carefully at this. What kind of love does Jesus want from us? Does He want us to love Him as a grateful servant loves a benevolent master? No. Does He want us to love Him with whatever we can muster up after surviving a painful past? No. Beloved, when Jesus asked His Father that you and I would love Him, He reached for the greatest measuring rod He could possibly pull out—the amount of love the Father has for His only Son.

When I consider this truth, I always think of little children. Have you ever seen a child spread out his arms, stretching them as wide as he can, to show his parents how much he loves them? Or how about a kid who goes crazy with analogies? “I love you from here to the moon and back, and around the earth a gazillion times!” Jesus reached out as far as He possibly could, beloved, and in doing so He ended any notion that Christianity would be boring or that you and I could allow our pasts or family backgrounds to keep us from loving Him and being transformed into His likeness.

I know this language may seem awkward, but Jesus pulled out His Trinitarian checkbook and wrote you the biggest check He could. He put the whole account at your disposal. What Jesus did is sort of like a father who explains to his son that Father’s Day is coming up. He then takes the boy to the store, helps him pick something out, and hands the child his credit card to pay for the item. At home the father helps the boy wrap the gift, and when the big day comes, the father helps his child pull the gift down from the closet shelf. When the boy hands over the gift, the father still lights up with joy, exclaiming, “I can’t believe you got this for me. It’s just what I wanted!”

Beloved, it really is that good. Jesus ends His prayer in John 17 by saying that the Holy Spirit’s job description will be to take the love Father God has for His Son and put it in us. This way Christ Himself will be formed in us, and we can love God with the supernatural love He gives us. The kind of love Jesus is talking about here is eternal and unquenchable. It is a torrent of desire, a raging fire of light and exhilaration. Truly, out of the heart of the one who believes in Jesus will flow rivers of living water (John 7:38). God longs to release a river of pleasure inside you and me. It is a river of fire and of love that is waiting to be released in our hearts. When we come to know Jesus and receive the Holy Spirit, a river begins to flow in us, a river that has one desired end. The Holy Spirit in us longs to take us into the depths of God to remove the veil from our eyes and to help us see the glorious riches of the man Christ Jesus, converting even the most hostile heart into a torrent of holy affection for God. Do you have this vision for your life? Oh, my friend, if you are bored, I dare to say that it is your own fault. If you have quit trying to grow in love or have waited for “someday” to take on this pursuit, I beckon you back in to the journey.

Nothing about Jesus and what He has done for us is boring, and nothing in your past, present, or future can exclude you from knowing the love of Christ. He desires that you allow His waves and billows of affection to crash over you, leading you to new heights of love and compelling you to let your light shine before men. We read in Psalm 36:7–9:

“How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light. “

Wrocław Intensive Testimony!

By: Daniel Delgado

A testimony:

We have had the opportunity to join the House of Prayer in Wrocław and hold a one week Intensive. Marcin and Ewa are the directors of the House of Prayer. They have been so great to us and they have welcomed us with open arms. It has been a real privilege to come alongside them and strengthen the place of prayer with them in their city.

The Lord brought a young lady to the Wroclaw intensive who said she was there by “accident”. She was skeptical and she was wondering if God was even real. The team had a real heart for her and we wanted to see God encounter her heart. On Tuesday night, Travis and I were praying for God to break in and we knew that the Lord was going to encounter the people at the intensive. The Lord highlighted to me that he was going to use my story and journey with Christ in order to minister to this young woman.

On Wednesday morning, I shared the message and I spoke about difficulties, triumphs, and the continual process of growing in love. Ultimately, I preached Christ and the Lord moved on the heart of this young woman. There was an altar call for people to respond to the message. Ewa prayed for her and the young lady rededicated her life to Christ. Later that night, the young lady came to me and said there were no words in the English and Polish language to describe how much the message was for her. She shared with me that there was a specific story that really spoke to her heart. Jesus encountered this young woman! The young lady was able to share here testimony and everyone rejoiced with her. I’m convinced that I came to Poland for the one person God wanted to bring back to Him. The Bible speaks of Jesus Christ being the Good Shepherd. He leaves the 99 sheep to find the one that has gone astray.

In addition, the woman who was translating for me was deeply touched by the message. She came up to receive prayer during the time of ministry and she was able to weep before God. This woman is a pastor and a dedicated believer and she was even touched in a deep way. Jesus will receive the reward of His suffering. We are so thankful for what God is doing in Poland. He is raising up a true witness of who He is in this Nation. May Christ receive the praise of this Nation!

Thank you for your prayers! You have partnered with the Lord’s heart and with us as we are doing His work. We are forever grateful to the Lord and to all of you! We are storing up treasure in Heaven together!