They called for a flood, and the rain came down!

Five short weeks after the rallying cry went out to gather together to proclaim the power of God and His Sovereignty over this capital region of Canada, history was made as hundreds gathered together at Logosland to cry out for and proclaim revival starting in the Ottawa Valley and spreading across the rest of Canada.

An incredible sixteen churches from across the valley, from various denominations and faiths, gathered together and as one voice proclaimed that God is pouring out rushing rivers of his Holy Spirit. The heavens responded and mirrored their cry, pouring down sixty-eight mm of rain in the forty-eight hours leading up to the opening of the first tent meeting. This was the highest accumulation of precipitation in any two day period this year, and more than most months’ total precipitation since January. A local area farmer, who has just begun harvesting his fields, stated that the rain this week came “just in time” to ensure an excellent harvest.

Prophets, pastors and participants agreed that the location was the right place for this to occur. It was also the right time.

Interestingly enough, the placement of the stage was a mere ten feet in front of a monument explaining that this location was the exact spot that Samuel de Champlain had travelled through in 1607.

He was seeking a passage to the west for the King of France. While traveling up the Ottawa River he met the obstacle of the Chenaux Rapids and was forced to detour around them, hence needing to portage and travel through this area, which links several smaller lakes and streams. During these portages through very rough country, Champlain was met with amaze by the Algonquin people, who were incredulous that he had been determined and persistent enough to travel through country that was even too entangled for them to travel: they would usually skirt around it.

Sometime during this difficult portage, Champlain lost his Astrolabe. This was a round, metal navigation device in use at the time that showed directions when lifted up to the heavens; where he had been, and where he was to go.

The monument details how a fourteen-year-old boy found Champlain’s Astrolabe at this location in June of 1867. Significantly, it was found at the same time that Canada was being founded as a nation.

Champlain was a very spiritual man and taught the First Nations People about God and claimed the area for the kingdom of God. He was a man of peace and negotiated with various tribes to bridge their differences and work together for the common good.

A highway is currently being constructed that involves building several bridges that will increase the flow and speed of traffic travelling north and south in the Ottawa Valley. The girders are just being placed across the span for the bridge decks, and like the team God is assembling, connections between communities and churches are also being made.

Four hundred years after Champlain’s arrival, just like the Israelites were freed from the slavery of Egypt, the churches in the area have joined together and proclaimed this gathering as the time and place to leave the slavery of past local religious constrictions behind them and step forward into the Promised Land of Kingdom Vision and claim the harvest of souls as their inheritance.

The first evening featured the husband and wife team of Valerie and Fred Bennett from the Vision Channel. They spoke on the impartation of the “Baptism of Fire and Revival.” Fred stated he heard “thunder” in the heavens, and again nature echoed the words in reality.

The next morning, they were scheduled to travel across Canada to assess what is happening all across this nation for God and they stated that they were surely taking the fire of God with them all across the land.

To every pastor who attended the “Flood the Valley” gathering, Pastor Mark Redner, of the West-Carleton Christian Assembly, gave a jar of honey with honeycomb in it. He explained that it took many workers labouring together to produce the honey and that no one bee or cell could nourish and expand the hive unless many cells were joined together. He explained that each cell had seven others cells adjoining it and together they could sustain the hive and bring forth the next generation to fruition and similar production. The sweetness that resulted was because of the many workers who contributed to the same cause.

By day two, skies had cleared and the evening meeting occurred under an “open heaven.” Worship to God resounded across the lakes and hills under a star-filled sky. During praise and worship, a giant circle was formed by most of the people attending. It passed across the alter area and spilled out onto the grass surrounding the tent. Stomping and words of battle were spoken forth against the powers that would defy the armies of God and their attempts to hold back the advance of the Kingdom of God. Just as the “warshippers” of God spilled outside the walls of the tent, so did those in attendance determine to spill outside the church walls and go to those in their communities who were in bondage and need, and bring them to Christ.

Paul Wetzel, the “granddaddy” of the Brownsville revival spoke on “What does this mean?” and the questions the locals had on the day of Pentecost.

The Spirit of God fell in a mighty way, and healings, people being slain in the Holy Spirit, and holy laughter broke out. Some were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke with tongues. Outside the tent walls, several people were falling over from the power of God and no one was even touching them. Many people needed assistance to walk to their cars or campsite.

The third day, again, dawned clear and hot. Open heavens once again blessed the gathering. Pastor Mark Redner referred to “The Ottawa Valley Outpouring,” and the uniqueness of the unity of the many churches who gathered together to proclaim the move of God in that place. The original owner of Logosland was called up and honoured for the vision she had and all she had done to develop property and by dedicating it to God’s glory and purposes thirty years earlier.

Paul Wetzel spoke on the “Year of Jubilee” from Leviticus 25 and proclaimed we were living in a Jubilee Year. In a year of Jubilee, a trumpet would sound, and all slaves would be released, all debts would be forgiven, a rest would be proclaimed for the land, and no crops would be planted, just the harvest from past years enjoyed. All property and family members that had been confiscated or taken as payment of debt were returned and restored to their families and everyone had a new beginning to start life afresh, unencumbered with debts or payments. Hope was returned, and joy, peace, and reconciliation were the over-riding emotions. Everything was pure and clean again; just like salvation for the soul.

The alter time that followed was incredible as person after person fell under the power of God. Bodies piled up on top of each other and even the speaker had to be supported so as to continue praying for “folks” until finally, he too, succumbed and was gently laid down on the floor. Some of the seekers were children, young people, and adults who were so weakened and “drunk” in the Holy Ghost that they wobbled all over, couldn’t get up at all, or had to be helped to the extent that several had to appoint alternate drivers to take them home when it was time to leave.

Friday, the last day, was the busiest one of all. A water baptismal service was planned for the afternoon and several of those prayed for had to be “rescued” from the water as they collapsed into the water and had to be lifted up and out. A Baptism of Fire came down and salvation, healing, and Holy Ghost baptisms came to several people.

Day four revealed that pastors from as far away as Cornwall, Manotick, Petawawa, and Quebec were attending with even United Church clergy taking part. The evening service was a special one because Rev. Bill Prankhard, who had facilitated a revival in nearby Beachburg in the 1970s was the featured speaker. He is a healing evangelist who has a passion to see an army of healing evangelists raised up to minister in this country. He and his wife have traveled across this country preaching and healing for thirty-five years. His topic was “Choices and the Power of Faith-Filled Words.”

“There is a new sound being released in the Spirit,” he said. “It’s a sound of joy, a sound of worship and praise, a sound of thunder, like the rattling of old dry bones coming to life again. Tonight is not the end of the meetings, but the launching pad of what is to come!”

]]> http://www.valforsyth.com/eleventh-edition-august-2010/feed/ 0 http://www.valforsyth.com/eleventh-edition-august-2010/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ValForsyth/~3/Wi0dSEghsmU/ http://www.valforsyth.com/the-praise-papers-tenth-edition-july-2010/#comments Sat, 31 Jul 2010 19:02:26 +0000 Val Forsyth http://www.valforsyth.com/?p=179 Awesome!   Incredible!   Astonishing!   Fantastic!

These are just a few of the words people have been using to describe the healing meetings being held recently in the Ottawa Valley, and at the West Carleton Community Church (WCCA). Bill McMillan continues to pray simple, faith-believing prayers for those with needs and God has been faithful to respond in greater and greater ways. God is building up his people and showing them signs and wonders that have not been seen for decades.

Dozens of people participated and prayed together for the healings and saw these amazing things happen, as one by one, the people came forward to the front and displayed their arms and legs and how they were different lengths. Those who had legs that were uneven were placed sideways to the audience in a chair with their hips tight against the back and their feet up on a chair opposite to them. Those with different length arms were asked to stand sideways to the audience and stretch out their arms with their palms facing each other, almost touching. As their arms were lined up in the centre of their bodies, the simple prayer would begin in a quiet and firm voice, “In the name of Jesus, in the name of Jesus, and we thank you, we thank you.”

JR Easton had been in a car accident on October 30, 2008. X-rays showed that he had torn the rotator cuff of his left shoulder joint, as well as some of the muscles. Even after twenty-two weeks of physiotherapy, he had been unable to lift his arm higher than shoulder height. 

One Sunday evening in June of 2010, he went forward for prayer at Renfrew Pentecostal church. He felt a pop and lots of heat in the shoulder. JR’s arm started to swing back and forth. Gradually his arm lifted higher and higher, until it could be lifted high over his head! He had not been able to do this with his arm for over two years. God had done in seconds what no doctor or physiotherapist had been able to accomplish!

Malcolm went forward for prayer at WCCA because he had one leg shorter than the other. It had always been longer than the other; for as long as he could remember. When he sat down on the chair he saw it grow out right before his eyes and become even with the other one.

Zupure is his wife’s friend and co-worker. When Malcolm and his wife told her about Malcolm’s healing, they said, “You have to come tomorrow and get prayed for too!”

Her foot, ever since she had been about two years old, had been several centimetres shorter than the other one and she walked in with a very pronounced, “rolling” gait. She also had felt very sore after standing for any amount of time. She sat crooked in the chair as well. Her specialist had told her that she would eventually have to use a wheelchair to get around.

She stated that while Bill had been praying for her, the leg just kept growing and growing. She actually had trouble walking afterwards, because she had to adjust and relearn to walk on her new, longer leg. For the first few days afterwards, she even fell several times as she was getting used to the feel of this.

“Now I feel full and at peace,” she said. She demonstrated to the crowd how she could run now, something that she had not been able to do for many years. (Zepure went to see her specialist on Friday of the next week and her leg was measured and found to be only one centimetre shorter than the other.)

A man from Texas, who’d been in a snowmobile accident about ten years earlier, came forward to have his ¾” shorter leg prayed for. As he sat down, Bill McMillan commanded it, “in Jesus name,” to grow out. It stretched out and became exactly the same length as his other one. He also reported that his hip, which had not had full range of motion since then, also felt like it had adjusted itself.

A man asked for prayer for his Achilles tendon. He had damaged it by overstretching it, and it had a lump on it and was very sore.  After prayer, the lump and pain were gone.

Lori asked for prayer because her upper vertebrae had been injured in a car accident 2 ½ years before. As Bill prayed and told her arm to align itself, it immediately shot forward and became the same length as her other arm.

Glenn was complaining of a sore left shoulder. He had been hurt at work three years previously and had pain when he would lie on it at night. Bill had him stand sideways to the crowd and extend his arms to check their length. Sure enough, one was 1½” shorter than the other. As he was prayed for, the arm grew out the difference in length and became even.

A tall, young woman came to the front and stated she had scoliosis in her back. Bill prayed for her arms, legs, neck, and whole spine. She fell to the floor with a thump. When she had lain there a while, she got up and said all her pain was gone and her arms and legs were checked too. They were all in perfect alignment.

Another man complained of right shoulder pain. His arm only appeared to be ½” shorter than the other, but as soon as his arm was given the command, it stretched way past the other one by 3”! Everyone ooh’d and ahh’d. “Now we’ll have to pray for your other arm to grow out!” Bill joked. So prayer was given and the other arm stretched way past the first one by 3 more inches! Finally Bill said, “Now arms come into perfect alignment,” and they both shortened a little and became the same length. 

A young woman came up with her husband assisting her. They stated that she had suffered from MS for two years and she had lost the ability to balance herself. After being prayed for, she walked back and forth on her own and had a big smile on her face. “It worked!” she kept saying over and over to her husband. She walked out of the meeting on her own that night. Praise God!

Sarah asked for prayer for three benign tumors on her lower left leg. The skin felt numb and her ankle was in a splint. After two or three commands by Bill to disappear, the lumps were gone and so was the numbness. We could all see that they were no longer bulging under the skin. Sarah had removed her splint and she carried it back to her seat with her.

Another lady had five tumors on her leg. As she was prayed over, she stated that her leg was getting very hot. The lumps slowly shrunk until they disappeared.

A woman came forward with hearing aids. She said she had 30% hearing in her left ear and 50% hearing in her right ear. After several attempts at prayer and testing her hearing, she had regained probably half of the difference of  the hearing loss she had stated she had. “Just keep thanking God for the healing and don’t put those hearing aids back in!” Bill admonished her. She carried her hearing aids for the rest of the night.

Other various pains, and conditions were prayed for also. Some had very obvious changes happen that all our eyes could see. Other things, like heart conditions, diabetes, back pain, and sleep apnea, were not visibly healed and will take time and verification to determine exactly what God has done. Some people were healed instantaneously, some after repeated commands, and others happened slowly over a period of time. A few of the arms or legs grew out in little spurts with rest time in between. All felt and saw the power of God manifested in a marvellous and miraculous way.

The highlight of the evening came when an elderly woman came to the front, limping slightly. When she sat in the chair, it was very obvious that her legs were very different from each other. Her right foot was somewhat curled and twisted and the left foot appeared very flat. There was probably 1½-2” difference in their length. As Bill prayed over and over, “In the name of Jesus, in the name of Jesus,” the leg started to grow in little spurts. Then someone manning the camera said, “I think her foot is growing too!” We had been looking at her legs and hadn’t realized that her right foot was much smaller and shorter than the left one. That’s when she admitted that her right foot was actually a size 4, but her left foot was a size 7! By the time she left the chair, all three pastors agreed that her feet were probably within a half a size of each other, which is about normal for most people.

 It was just so fascinating to see the limbs responding to the Word of the Lord and so quickly. Everyone’s faith was built up and there was so much excitement in the building, as each person leaned forward and intently gazed at the person being prayed for and believed together that God would act and change that earthly body with heavenly might.  It was a sight not to be forgotten for a very long time by every person who was there. God was present and He is STILL working with “signs following those who believe.” Acts 2 is as much a reality today as it was 2000 years ago!

The NeighbourLink Fountain                  Arnprior, On

 “To the thirsty I will give to drink from the fountain of living water, without cost.” Rev. 21:6

Welcome to the NeighbourLink Fountain located in the former Alexander Reid Elementary School at 128 Mary Street in Arnprior.

The NeighbourLink Fountain is a Christian Life Centre committed to providing a welcoming place where people are encouraged and empowered in their everyday lives. In this welcoming environment, life skills are taught, practical support and guidance are offered, and the message of God’s love is shown.

We invite you to come in, look around, and have a cup of coffee and a snack, compliments of one of our participating churches.

In our Café you will find games or a puzzle to enjoy with a friend while you eat and socialize. Barb, our Food and Nutrition Coordinator, serves up a hearty bowl of soup at lunchtime for our volunteers and friends. A couple of times we have been treated to a pancake breakfast as well!!

Your children will be lovingly cared for in our supervised Wee Shine Day Care, while you enjoy time to participate in one of our activities.  Marlene is the qualified coordinator and worker for our centre.

For anyone interested in learning a new skill, you can learn how to manage your money, stretch your grocery dollars, cook nutritious meals, take a painting class, or join the walking club. We offer a variety of classes each week, as the need and availability of instructors mesh. 

 Tina is our Activity Coordinator in charge of organizing events. Let us know if you have a skill to offer, and we are presently looking for someone to teach sewing.

In our Thrift & Clothing Exchange, you will find Lydia serving our visitors and diligently sorting items of clothing and household goods.

Also working together with our many wonderful coordinators, volunteers, and friends is Gwen, our Volunteer Coordinator and Administrator; Sarah, our Assistant Director; and Lois, the Director.

Every morning in our chapel, the volunteers for that day meet for a time of devotions and prayer. A large prayer board is filled with the names of Fountain friends and families that we lift up to God in prayer every day. Special prayer and some spiritual counselling also happen here.

An Alpha Course (an introductory class on basic Christianity) welcomes new participants every Wednesday evening.

If you need furniture, a ride to appointments, physical assistance with a job you are unable to manage, or help with a desperate financial need, you will be interviewed and we will do our best to help you find the resources you require, with the assistance of the NeighbourLink Resource Centre.

Lois Bogar, along with pastors from our community, is readily available for those in need of comfort and counsel for spiritual and emotional needs.

Over twenty-five years ago Lois had a vision for a Community Centre, born out of a conference where the speaker challenged the women to envision what they would do for God if time, education, and money were no object. Lois immediately had the Community Life Centre idea,burst, full-blown, into her mind and heart. The vision “percolated” there while she raised her children and studied. Now, with the time and a Masters Degree in Theological Studies, Lois has moved ahead with the inspiration trusting God for the financial needs to be met.

 God opened the doors for this project in 2002 when Arnprior & District NeighbourLink was established. This is the foundation upon which the Fountain Life Centre has been built.

The Fountain opened its doors to the community in October 2009. Together with the participation of several churches, God orchestrated every detail: the site, furnishings, and volunteers. It offers a place and opportunity for Christians to invest in others through personal interaction and acts of service: to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

The Fountain is a place for everyone: people from all walks of life, the disadvantaged or privileged, those seeking assistance, people desirous of learning a new skill, or making a new friend. It is for people looking for an avenue to teach and serve. Services are available to individuals and families who require emotional, physical, or spiritual support and encouragement. 

All services are offered at no cost; however, people are encouraged to make a donation if they are able.

Throughout the year, special fundraising events such as the Easter Bake Sale, Spring Variety Sale and BBQ, Christmas with Neighbours Music Evening, and a church-sponsored Walk-a-thon are held.

As well, people who would like to financially sponsor the Fountain on a monthly or yearly basis are appreciated and welcomed. Receipts are issued for tax purposes.

Volunteers are making new friends while they serve, and members of the community are eagerly requesting they be permitted to help. Everyone is learning to appreciate and value one another, no matter what the appearance, station in life, or beliefs.

Already, the Fountain has had to expand into more rooms of the school in order to accommodate the growing needs of this eager community initiative. A music room, exercise area, and community kitchen are some of the dreams that are being realized at the Fountain.

The love of Jesus, and individuals who mirror his love, are drawing those hungry and thirsty to a source of refreshment, and they are being satisfied at The Fountain of Life.

The Fountain Life Centre can be found at 128 Mary Street, Arnprior, On

Open 9 am to 3 pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday

Closed on Wednesdays and holidays.

 At the Fountain people find: Friendship, Opportunity, Understanding, Nurturing, Teaching, Acceptance, Inspiration, and New Hope.

 Any questions can be directed to the Fountain at 613-623-4200.Drop in and visit with us!

Estelle’s Story                                                             

A friend invited me to the Fountain shortly after I moved to Arnprior. I was depressed and keeping to myself. At Christmas time I had even wanted to end it all as I didn’t want to live anymore. Life had not treated me well. I also had a digestive problem that gave me pain in my stomach area all the time. Coming to the Fountain was all I had to keep me going. I started talking with Lois.

One day, I walked into the Fountain and people were talking about the miracles that were happening at a local church and I just had a big question mark on my face. I didn’t know what they were talking about. One lady said, “I’ll come and pick you up, if you like.”

I went with her and just sat in the pew and didn’t do anything. Lois came, took me by the hand, and went up to the front with me for prayer. A pastor came over to me and started speaking in my ear telling me a lot of my problems. I just backed up wondering who he was and how he knew so much about me. (Lois assured me she had not told him my story, but that it was the Holy Spirit who revealed it to him.)

  I was so touched; I started to cry and cry. Some ladies on the prayer team took me aside and talked to me. They had prayer with me and I confessed my sins as I had never done that before.

Finally, I stopped crying, so they took me back into the service and the pastor started praying over me and I just went down. I couldn’t hold on anymore. I began shouting, “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!”

 Then Pastor Mark came and prayed over me and I just started laughing and laughing.  As soon as he touched me, I felt the pain that had been in my stomach area just go down and out. Pastor Mark was so surprised when I hugged him. I knew it was God that did it, and I was just so happy.

Everything just keeps on getting better and better. It’s just amazing!

Now I am not depressed. My food is going down better. My stomach is not hurting anymore. Before Christmas the doctor did some tests and found something. Since going to that church I have had lots of tests and they have all come back negative. They can’t find anything at all!

I even found someone to fix my car. I was having trouble with it and a friend from the Fountain offered to fix it with no labour costs. I had slid into a guardrail in the wintertime and he even fixed that. Because of this, I was able to go visit my family to tell them what had happened to me.

I’m happy with the way my life is going right now. It’s a big difference from what I’ve been through the last ten years.

 Now, Estelle is smiling a huge smile every time we see her. It is an absolute delight to rejoice with her in all the ways that God has saved, healed, and delivered her.

Estelle would like to tell everybody to be careful to do what the Bible says.

She came, she drank, and now she is satisfied with water from the eternal God. Abundant life is hers and it is all the result of drinking deeply of the Fountain that supplies anyone who comes, with refreshing drinks of eternal, living water.

Bill McMillan          Renfrew, Ontario

                Every summer, for the last three years, the people of the Ottawa Valley have looked forward to an exciting summer of healing services, thanks to Bill McMillan and various churches in the Ottawa valley. From Renfrew, Pembroke, and Golden Lake, individuals have come to the church services where healing is taught, believed, and acted on.

            Sixteen-week meetings are the usual “run” and Bill is eager to begin with his commitment for this summer. Past years have resulted in blind eyes seeing, deaf ears hearing, disabilities disappearing, and cancer healed, all after just one prayer, in faith believing.

            “We have the power of the Holy Spirit to contact people and transmit that power to the other person, whether we see anything happen or not,” says Bill. “I know that the power is going to flow and that miracles are going to happen. It’s just that simple.”

            Bill teaches that as we make ourselves available to God, are taught that the Spirit of God is willing and able, we cooperate to be used, and flow in the power of the Holy Spirit, we are anointed with real power. We don’t seek the signs, God simply confirms His Word with the signs and wonders that follow our belief. They are the evidence that what God says is true. He believes everyone can pray for others and see results.

            This deep and abiding faith that Bill has in prayer was highlighted several years ago when Bill suffered from migraine headaches that crippled him and severely limited his activities. As he suffered through one and thought about how Jesus was the healer, he heard God speak into his spirit, “If you rebuke this thing it will leave!”

“That sounds too simple,” he thought. He decided to try it anyways and immediately after speaking to the migraine, it left instantlyand he has never had a migraine again since that time.

About seven years ago, while attending church in Bethel Pentecostal Church in Ottawa, he woke early one morning with the Lord flooding his soul with a vision of healing meetings that would start in his church.  He was clearly to be a part of this move of God that would eventually make its way to other churches. He patiently waited for about a year while the Lord worked on the circumstances that brought about the start of a bi-weekly healing meeting.  When the person responsible for organizing the meetings stepped aside for personal reasons, the leadership asked him to take over and thus began the fulfillment of his vision. God generously blessed with his healing power at every meeting they held.

Three years ago Bill and his wife, Joanne, moved to Renfrew, ON.  A few weeks later, God gave him a night-vision showing him the outpouring of miracles coming to the Ottawa Valley.  To date he has seen God’s healing power touch a multitude of people and believes it is only the beginning of what God has for the surrounding area and beyond.

Bill McMillan is going to be holding healing meetings again on Sunday evenings at 7 PM, starting on May 9, 2010 at the Renfrew Pentecostal Church, 56 Wrangler, Renfrew, On. For further information concerning the meetings, you can contact the church at: (613) 432-6785 and at: www.renfrewcalvarypentecostal.com

January 15, 2010

Testimonies of people who have had prayer by Bill McMillan

Mrs. Wall

I am eighty-three years old. About a year ago I was getting out of the bathtub and I lost my balance and fell. Ever since, I have had to hold onto that walker to get around. After Bill prayed for me I started walking right across the platform and back. I need it on the country roads and things but I haven’t had to use it in the house at all ever since. On the whole, I get around without it. I am so thankful. I tell everyone, “I’ve thrown away my walker in my old age!”

Terri Schembri

            I had been suffering from something since my thirties and probably about a year ago it was diagnosed as Fibromyalgia. Because I had an ulcer, I was unable to take aspirin and so I was in a lot of pain. There were healing meetings being held at the Renfrew Pentecostal Church with Bill McMillan. Everyone was going up for prayer, but I was kind of… you know… shy and scared at first. But at the end I said, “I’m gonna do this!” I felt a warmth come over my body. I didn’t notice anything else until I got home. I knelt down on my knees, and I realized, “They don’t hurt anymore!”

One week after that I had an appointment for my back. The last time I had been to the doctor he had asked me if I had been in an accident because my back was so bad. When I went back after being prayed for the doctor said there was nothing wrong with it at all. I was so shocked! I told him, I’ve been healed! I was so amazed. I was so grateful. I was so elated! It was wonderful!

Sharon Riopelle

            I had Uterine Cancer a year ago. I had the surgery, and then they wanted me to have radiation; twenty-eight treatments. I was seeing a naturopath and he suggested I shouldn’t take too much radiation, so I stopped after six treatments. I didn’t have “chemo” at all. Then, I went in to see Bill McMillan. I fell to the ground three different times while he was praying for me. I felt like a tingling going through me. I had a CAT scan and I haven’t heard anything from them, so I know everything is all right, because they only contact you if they find something. I’m not taking anything at all now. I feel fine. Everyone tells me how good I look and how good my colour is. I am back to work and I took another little job last Friday.

DOC and The Walk-in Clinic              Ottawa, Ontario

         You see the sign on the sidewalk, walk into the clinic, complete the appropriate paperwork stating why you have come.  As you wait, you read magazines and articles, listen to music and gaze around at the others, also waiting for their turn to be shown into a room.
        Finally, it’s your turn. But wait!
        First, the file is handed to the prayer team and they pray over your chart before you are shown in. What?   It is the Dominion Outreach Centre’s Walk-in Healing Clinic you have been waiting for and the Doctor is Jesus.
        He is always available and each time you meet with him he can supply everything you need. He can save, heal, deliver, provide, and guide you.
       After being called into the room, a team of three will talk to you, ask some questions, and pray about each of the items you have listed as concerns. As they pray and listen to God, they may give you some Godly principles to follow, a prophetic word, or a “Scripture Prescription.” One thing is certain; you will feel accepted, cared for, and loved. Hope and faith will lift your spirits up.
       Many people receiving prayer have reported instantaneous healing. Others notice their condition and problems gradually fade away. Some receive strength to carry on with their lives with new determination to serve Christ. Everyone leaves with hope, encouragement, and feeling loved as a result of the prayer.
       Repeat visits are encouraged and many of the visitors do exactly that; returning weekly or up to fifty times for the same or new difficulties.
      The warmth and love shown by the workers at the clinic is a veritable drawing card to return.
      The walls are covered with “snap-shot” testimonies from many of the people who have attended the clinic and reported the changes in their lives.
      Based on a model of healing rooms that Reverend John G. Lake, of Spokane ,Washington, introduced in the early 1900s, the Walk-in Clinic idea was birthed by Reverend Bill Prankard as a response to a vision he had in the seventies about an army of healing evangelistsin Canad that would rise up after him.
     The ten to twelve visitors who came in the first few weeks has grown to more than 4000 visits by approximately 1500 different individuals since the clinic began four and a half years ago.
     Visitors are often lined up outside the door when it opens in the morning and spaces are always filled for the entire day. Normal waiting times are two to three hours and everyone gets ministered to on an average of twenty to thirty minutes, even if it means that the clinic has to stay open past the closing hour to do so.
     People coming the clinic often travel several hours to be ministered to, and several come regularly from Montreal for prayer.
     Over ninety workers have been trained to minister and forty plus team members are regularly involved in the clinic. They join together from fourteen different churches and several denominations, all with one heart to help, love, and care for hurting and needy people. The teams include members from the Catholic, Anglican, Coptic, United, Pentecostal, and Canadian Alliance Churches. Over the years, Mennonites and Baptists have also been involved.
     Priests from the Roman Catholic Church and pastors from around the city send their members to the Walk-in Clinic for prayer knowing that their church members will be touched and receive help for their needs.
    Very soon, DOC plans to expand the clinic from being open only on Fridays to having their doors open two or three days a week, and ultimately to be available to the public 24/7.
    At present, the hours of the Walk-in Healing Clinic are Fridays 10-4pm and 7-9pm. The address is 8A 2016 Ogilvie Road, Ottawa Ontario K1J 7N9.
    Ken Smid is the director of the clinic and is part of the pastoral staff at DOC. He can be reached at Ken@bpea.com or by phone at (613) 749-5050 for any questions or further information about the Walk-in Clinic.

Rev. David Smith Napanee, Ontario

     Deacon David was in Ottawa for a “Timothy School of Ministry” at DOC and decided to take advantage of the opportunity to attend the Walk-in Clinic held there every Friday. He asked for prayer for his ears because he needed two hearing aids to hear. He also asked that the team to pray for his sciatic nerve as he was in great pain.
     After prayer the team members asked him to remove his hearing aids and he did so. He could hear what they were saying and two years later he still doesn’t need them to hear. His hearing is not perfect, he says, as some situations make it difficult for him to hear certain things. Deacon David has never had any pain from his sciatic nerve since the prayer, but he remarked that now, he needs to go and have his eyes prayed for!

     Last summer, Deacon David was called by Norma Fitchett, one of his parishioners, asking him come and pray for her. The doctor had just done a breast biopsy and he had reported that it was cancerous. After the doctor had finished preparing for surgery, Deacon David arrived at the hospital where Norma was waiting with her husband to go into the operating room. After anointing her with oil and praying with her and her husband for healing Deacon Smith left the hospital. About an hour later, Norma called him and told him the doctor had opened her up, but was unable to find sign of cancer. It was completely gone!

As told by Norma Fitchett Sooke, BC
     My story starts with my annual mammogram, which took place last summer in June 2009. I was not expecting any problems as it was just my routine appointment for breast screening which I have every year as I had breast cancer eight years ago. (It was in the early stages, I had surgery, and they removed the mass, with no treatment.) Two days later, I got a call to come in for a needle biopsy. A few more days went by and I got a call for another mammogram. In the mean time, I had booked a trip to fly to BC for a wedding and then to visit on Vancouver Island for a week with our son. So, off I went on my vacation and my husband couldn’t go with me, as he had to work. Three days after I left, he got a call from the Cancer Clinic to say they wanted to see me right away. He told them I was away for two weeks and he never told anyone about this except Deacon David and they had prayers. When I returned home, my husband met me and told me the news and that I had an appointment the next day to see a Breast Cancer Specialist. He informed me there was something very suspicious in my breast and likely I would have to have a mastectomy. Surgery was three weeks later and as I was waiting in pre-surgery room, Deacon David arrived and anointed me with oil and prayed for the Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ, to take this disease from my body and free me from this disease. My husband, Brian, was standing by my bed and had to hang on to the railing, as the Holy Spirit was so strong. I had trouble breathing for a few seconds from the force of the Holy Spirit going through me. When the Doctor opened me up he saw nothing that looked like anything that would spread or was suspicious. They sent a biopsy away and it came back early stages again, but no full-blown cancer. No treatments needed. I was healed through prayers and the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ. Praise be to God!! I am so grateful for God in my life! Norma

*Carol

     I was having a lot of pain in my right hip, to the point where every time I put my full weight on it when climbing the stairs or dressing, that I would either cry out, or it would give out. I took two other ladies to DOC’s Walk-in Clinic and decided that while I was there I would also ask for prayer for my hip. The woman praying over me said, “There’s nothing wrong with your hip!” I just thought to myself, “Then why does it take me two hours to get to sleep at night because of the pain?” The next day I realized all the pain was gone and I had fallen asleep very quickly. It’s been over a month now and that hip has not bothered me at all since I was prayed for.

*not her real name

Fan the Fire

    Alpha and OCDC                             Ottawa, Ontario

There’s a Holy-Spirit fire burning at the 550-inmate Maximum Security Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre (OCDC) in Ottawa.

In 1998, the Anglican Church Army introduced Alpha into the facility. Since 2002, Dave Atkins, Prison Alpha Ministry Advisor, has been coordinating teams to go in every Saturday and share Christ with the inmates of the 180-bed Minimum Security Male unit. With Alpha teams of eight to ten people, the members and other volunteers alternate going in to offer the rotating fifteen-week program.

Studies provided by Alpha and fellow volunteer programs are offered in each of the maximum and minimum-security areas of the prison in both the men’s and women’s units, each led by different teams.

These dedicated people are helping to make a difference in the hearts, minds, and actions of the men and women who have fallen into a lifestyle that results in their needing to spend time in the facility. The

volunteers are sharing the light of the gospel and igniting the fire of God with its power to transform lives.

            The Minimum Security Alpha Male Course meetings start with general information followed by the inmates enthusiastically singing music led by the team, jokes, and a video teaching segment. Then, they break into smaller groups, each with an experienced leader, to discuss issues of deep concern to the inmate guests and to answer their questions. Bibles, study materials, and testimonies of former offenders, like Ernie Holland, of Hebron Ministries, are shared and discussed.

With the emphasis on non-judgmental love and caring, and personal accountability, the volunteers interact with the inmates on many levels. Besides the voluntary attendance at the meetings, the dedicated volunteers and ministry partners offer a welcome visit for some who never have any other visitors, a reliable and compassionate person to talk to and trust, and a source of teaching not otherwise available at the facility.

These include conflict resolution, anger management, fathering, relationship building and value-based training.

Additional services offered to the residents include: ex-offender aftercare, drug and alcohol treatment, community reintegration, reconciliation with loved ones, and help finding a place to live, work, and attend church when they are released.

“Restorative Justice” is another way volunteers are helping the inmates to resolve issues and change their lives for the better. This involves forgiveness, acceptance of wrongdoing, accountability for their own actions, reparation for the harm they’ve done, and healing for themselves and the victims they’ve acted against.

The Ottawa Chief of Police has spoken on two occasions in the meetings about Restorative Justice and has been at the door, shaking hands and greeting the men.

He shares how he grew up in an economically challenged area of Cape Breton with his mother and how so many of his boyhood friends are either dead or in jail today because of the destructive lifestyle they adopted due to their rough upbringing. He tells the inmates that it was only because of the positive influence of his mother, coupled with an RCMP officer who took him under his wing to mentor and help him, that he was able to escape the same fate himself.

 In a place where the conditions of uncertainty, overcrowding, and despair are the over-riding keynotes, inmates participate in the program out of a whole spectrum of reasons, from curiosity to expressing that they need the program as a lifeline for their very existence. Those inmates in the most dire straits are the very ones who show the most intense interest. Survival is often the only focus of the day and the light offered by the visits, the opportunity to receive love, forgiveness, and a brand new way of thinking and living is an offer that many inmates are taking God up on.

 When the twenty, or so, Minimum Security Male Alpha participants return to their dorms, they always do so with plenty of literature, hope, and challenging thoughts to share with their roommates. In this way, up to 180 men (in six dorms of thirty beds) are hearing about Christ and his power to change lives every week. The flame of Christ is spreading and fanning out in an ever-widening circle.

One young fellow told them the story of how he had read a testimony book brought back to his dorm by a peer and how he felt he just had to ask Jesus into his heart afterwards. The only place he could think of to find privacy was in the empty shower room, so he went into a stall, knelt down, and prayed “the sinner’s prayer,” written in the book. He said, “The pain left me.”

Another inmate, who is in the Detention Center on an Immigration Order, holds a Bible study in his dorm every day, which twelve of the twenty-five men staying in his dorm attend.

One older fellow was so bitter and angry but just a short time after receiving Christ he became peaceful and calm. (His testimony appears at the end of this article.)

The residents are usually very transient because they are awaiting bail, hearings, sentencing, appeals, or transfers to long-term facilities. Because many of the residents are unable to attend more than one or two sessions, the volunteers try to give a salvation message every week. They also urge the participants to continue with the Alpha program at one of the forty-four other prisons that offer the program or at one of the twenty-five hundred different locations across Canada that run the program through a church when they’re released. In this way, the flames are being spread throughout the country.

Over 1,500 inmates have participated in the Alpha program since its introduction. Since June of 2007, when the first big breakthrough for God occurred and the first inmates requested baptism, 101 inmates have been baptized in the large, wheeled laundry carts in use at the prison. That is not accounting for the many others who have made decisions for Christ but have not had the opportunity to be baptized as well.

 “Yes, my prison is in revival!” says Rev. Carl Wake, the Coordinating Chaplain at the facility.

Dave Atkins was also excited to share all that God is doing in the lives of these people that he has such a heart for.

With an average of thirty to forty property crimes committed by each person with drug addictions before they are caught and returned to the facility, it is estimated that 95% of property crimes are done by 5% of the prison population.

With such a large response to the life-changing power of God in their lives, property crime in the Ottawa area has dropped 6%-7% in the last two years. There has been no other obvious factor that would be able to explain this figure, as nothing else discernable has changed, except for the incredible increase in the number of released offenders who no longer follow a path of stealing and dealing to support their previously destructive lifestyle.

Dave Atkins writes, “The combination of Alpha and other volunteer prison ministries on the ‘inside,’ together with MAP and other aftercare ministries on the ‘outside,’ seem to be one way God is starting to reverse the tragic 60% to 80% recividism rate (rate of offenders that will return to prison on same charges within a year).”

 At present, many ministries work together to reduce this high percentage by supporting and helping the ex-offenders cope upon their release.

 Together, this cooperation has resulted in an approximate 80% success rate at keeping these newborn-Christian ex-offenders from returning to a life of crime and prison.

 As a result, these orange flickers of God’s fire and love, lit by the Holy Spirit and his many helpers, are igniting this part of the country and are impacting and changing a nation for Christ.

If you would like to know more about how you can be involved in the highly rewarding area of Prison Ministry, please feel free to contact David Atkins, Alpha Prison Advisor for Ottawa at em738@ncf.ca, or his fellow Prison Advisor, Tony Copple at tonyc@ncf.ca.

The condensed testimony that follows was given by a man in his fifties to the Alpha volunteers and his fellow prisoners on the last day of his Alpha program before his transfer to a long-term facility.

By AJ K (December 19, 2009)

I would like you all to know that you (Alpha volunteers) sure made me feel human and loved and you all have been a very vital part of my new life.

The words I share are also about hope, contentment, and more importantly, about feeling free like I have never imagined or ever experienced. My whole and entire life I felt unloved, unwanted, and empty. I felt I never had a purpose, meaning, or any faith. As far as I can remember, I was always in trouble. I lied, cheated, and was so full of denial. I was given chances and I blew them all. I couldn’t tell a lie from the truth.

 At about thirteen or fourteen, I was thrown out of the house because I got into so much trouble. I just felt and believed the world owed me a living. Reform school, psychiatric wards, and incarceration were quite common for me. No one knew what to do with me. I was so self-centred, selfish, stubborn, and full of self-pity. Yes, I was physically, sexually, and mentally abused.

I must say, there were those who did try to reach out and love me, all to no avail. I firmly believed God was out to punish me. In my many periods of incarceration, I felt I came to a dead end. I was so insecure, lonely, afraid, and felt like a total failure. Many times I just wanted to die, but I never had what it took to end it.

Then, to my surprise, an immense thought occurred to me. I realized I had fallen far enough. I wanted to lift myself up but I didn’t know how, and knowing I didn’t have the courage to end it, why not sincerely ask God for help? I had nowhere left to turn. I was totally broken in all areas–mentally, spiritually, and emotionally bankrupt.

I started with daily devotional readings. Somehow, I began to realize and see it was me who had failed and not God. God was there all the time carrying me through every trial and tribulation simply waiting for me to surrender.

I simply can’t begin to tell you what I feel like inside. I know some of you may never believe or understand what a relationship with God, through his son, Jesus, has done for me, but I can’t help wondering where I have been all this time. What took me so long? I owe God everything!

I feel so free and content, like never before!

For me, where I have been is no longer as important as where I am going. For those who may feel lost, open your heart and let God in. For those who have not yet surrendered to God, give God a chance. You won’t be sorry. My prayers will surely be with you all. I mean it!

Again, thank you to everyone on the Alpha team. You do make a difference!

         In closing, I sincerely thank you, as this is my last day at Alpha (at OCDC). I have made an agreement for a four-year sentence. I would very much like to thank you for being there for me and my fellow inmates.

If we, who are in prison, feel like we are walking through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, our despair need not conquer us. When we trust in God, our lives can become joyful despite our circumstances. God is all-powerful. He will comfort and care for us.

Stewart Maxwell                       Arnprior, On

       On Jan. 19, 2010 while Stewart was in the Toronto Airport Church at a Pastor’s and Leader’s Conference he experienced a gift from God.

       The speaker was Bill Johnson. He was mentioning that they’ve been noticing in their church that God has been dissolving metal in people’s bodies; so he said, “If you have metal in your body and you want all things made new, stand up and receive it.”

       Stewart stood up. The people near him gathered around, laid hands on him, and prayed in agreement with the word of the Lord.

       He’d had facial surgery twenty-one years earlier and the doctors had rebuilt his jaw, and there were “pins and all kinds of wonderful things” in his mouth

      During the prayer, Stewart’s face got really, really hot. It was getting so hot, that it felt like it was burning up. Because it felt so hot, he reached up to touch it, and that’s when he realized something; he had feeling in his face!

            “I can feel my face,” he realized. “It wasn’t my fingers telling me that I was touching my face, but it was my face telling my fingers that they were touching my face,” he explained. For twenty-one years Stewart had had no feeling from below his eyes to below his chin.

       The next morning the Lord said to him,  “What did I say to you?”

       He replied, “All things are new.”

      “That’s right,” God answered. “All things are new, all things.”

      Sure, there was a miracle. “The real testimony though,” Stewart says, “is that a person can come into a place of such saturation in the love of God that they are forever changed. God restored the feeling in my face, so I could feel his love. So it was all about feeling. That was kind of cool. I don’t want people to only be excited about the miracle and to fall in love with the miracle. We need to fall in love with Jesus.”

      God said, “Healing bones is nothing for me; that’s easy. I can do that for anybody. What I really want is your heart, and if I’m going to have your heart, you’re going to have to cooperate with me, because that’s a little more difficult and it going to hurt a little bit more.”

        “We have to get beyond seeking for miracles for the sake of the miracle alone and go for God himself. Yes, I’m glad he healed my face and removed the metal and restored feeling to my face, but the deeper miracle is that God touched my heart and I’ll never be the same.”

Carolee Herbert                                                           Arnprior, On

       Carolee was only four years old when her mother left her, a younger brother, and a heart-broken father.
      Her father met, and later remarried, a woman who had a son, and together, they had another child. Growing up in a blended family was very difficult. Leaving home at a young age seemed better to her than living in an angry home. Looking for love in all the wrong places seemed to be the pattern of her life until she married a kind-hearted man in 2006. Still, something was missing….
      In the winter of 2008, Carolee was invited to a Bible study on “The Power of Blessing.” It sounded interesting, so she attended. It was a long eight weeks, filled with the emotions of sadness, anger, and happiness. It also resulted in a tug on her heart to seek the Lord. She started to attend church, sitting in the back listening, crying, praying, and crying some more throughout worship music and sermons. So much emotion needed to come out.
      In September 2009, Carolee decided to attend a women’s conference entitled, “The Bride of Christ” in Oshawa. She found it incredible that Almighty God wanted to woo her and love her as His bride. She had never really felt accepted and valued as a person, and just having someone pray over her and wanting good things to happen to her, was almost more than she could fathom. The last evening, there was a dramatic presentation, depicting the church as a Warrior Bride. Carolee found it, and the whole weekend, overwhelming and emotional.
      On Saturday evening, as she lay down to sleep, exhausted from all the emotional struggles in her heart and mind, she said, “God, I’m just SO tired. Please, just help me go to sleep.” God had other plans however.
     Just as she was drifting off to sleep, there appeared a gigantic light in front of her. She opened her eyes, and all she could see were little stars, so she closed her eyes again. Then a voice spoke to her. “Carolee, I am right here. I have always been here.”
     Wow! Carolee sat up. Was she dreaming? She looked over at her roommates to see if they had heard it. They were sleeping soundly. She started to weep, but said, “God, I need to get to sleep!” She fell into peaceful sleep and the next morning when she awoke, she wondered if it had been real.
      When she told her roommates about it, one of them, who was a pastor, advised her to not downplay what she had seen. “Very few people ever get an experience like that,” she was told.
      The next morning she re-dedicated her life to God. It seemed to have more meaning than ever before.
      Once she got home, she made the conscious decision to follow God completely. She took every opportunity to learn and have fellowship with other believers. She developed a sense of peace in her work, family, and everyday life, that she had never had before. She had always been terrified of death and things she could not control, but that subsided and she felt like she could trust God about them.
     Carolee has also been able to forgive her mother and step-mother for things that happened in her childhood.
     She has remained close to her Dad, and prayer and bible reading have given her the understanding that God does not give anyone more than they can handle. She believes that everything she has been through has made her the person she is today.
     She believes God has a job for her to do, and she has talents she is to use for Him. She is looking and listening for the calling that God is going to direct her to. People who have prayed over her, have told her that she is going to be the “light to her family.”
      Just as God was always been there for her, she wants to always be there for her daughter and available to God for whatever jobs he has for her to do.

Paul Carlson                                         Ottawa, Ontario

      Paul was busy building a deck for one of his customers in Barrhaven, near Ottawa, on August 14, 2009 when he started to feel a squeezing sensation in his chest, pains down his left arm, and to be faint and sweaty. Gasping for breath, he quickly grabbed his cell phone to call 911 and his wife because he knew he was having a heart attack. When the paramedics arrived, he had already collapsed. Three times in the next hour, once in the ambulance and two more times while he was being treated in the hospital, his heart stopped beating and he had to be revived. After one cardiac arrest, fifty percent of the people can be revived. After the second arrest, approximately ten percent will survive; but after a third arrest, almost no one lives to tell about it.
      Paul’s wife rallied the church to pray for Paul because things were looking so grim.
      After a week in the hospital Paul was stable enough to withstand surgery to replace four blocked arteries to his heart muscle. During the quadruple bypass surgery, things were not going well and it was “touch and go” as to whether he would to live until it was completed. His heart was only pumping at twenty-seven percent of capacity, but after special prayer by his church members, this figure jumped to sixty-seven percent and he began to miraculously improve. Paul fought his way through pneumonia, and still God would not let him go.
      After recovering from surgery, the Heart Institute recommended Paul not go back to work for three months, but seven weeks later, he was declared fit enough to do so. Paul says he “feels better after,” than he did before, his heart attack. His mind is clearer and he can actually work harder than he did before.
      All his life, Paul had battled with a “Spirit of Poverty.” There never was enough income to pay for everything. Since his heart attack, there is more than enough money to pay his bills, and even with losing two and a half months of work, he is in better financial shape now than he had been previously. Paul thought that one of the jobs that he had lined up to do would simply be cancelled, but the person who hired him, extended the time by six months to allow him to complete the job after he’d recovered.
      Paul has worked in eleven countries as an aid worker and missionary, in war zones and in Sarajevo, installing water purification systems. There were three separate times when he should have been dead. Rebels pointed machine guns at him, but God has spared him from all of this.
      Paul’s faith is stronger than it ever was before in his life, and he “doesn’t get upset and worried” and he “doesn’t have to be afraid of anything, anymore,” because he knows God is in control of his life. Even with all the things he has been through, Paul has never seen such a big miracle in his life as the one God did for him this time, when Paul states that God “literally” saved his life.
      If it weren’t for God intervening in his life, Paul knows he would not be alive today. He lives secure in the knowledge that his life is held safely in God’s hands.

My Aching Teeth

Sharon Smith                                                    Arnprior, On

        Sharon has had trouble with her teeth for ten years with pain, infections, and many root canals necessary to try to get some relief from the constant discomfort.

        October 16, 2009, she attended a conference at Dominion Outreach Center in Ottawa. In the middle of the service, a breeze could be felt inside the room, and Bill Prankard called people forward for prayer and specifically mentioned that someone had been having pain and mouth problems. Sharon believed he was talking about her and went forward for prayer. She immediately felt relief and experienced no more pain all that night and the next day. She believes that all the problems will continue to improve and that all her pain will be completely gone very soon.