Reports from Carl Henderson
Carl trained with The Elijah Challenge in 2006, and then served as a missionary for five years in the Philippines.
September 3, 2007
Outreach to Silaki and Santiago Islands
“My speech and my teaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstrations of the Spirit and power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” I Corinthians 2:4
We arrived at the Bulak-Bulak Church on the island of Santiago. I spent most of the first day revising the course and shortening up the presentation to cover the most important information in the Elijah Challenge course.
That afternoon I met a villager who spoke excellent English, Anna was her name; she had worked for five years in Hong Kong as a maid and had perfected her English there. We had a great, but brief conversation. It was obvious she had been influenced by the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Hong Kong. I invited her to The Elijah Challenge (TEC) training that evening. I went back into the church building to work on abbreviating my presentation when God urged me to go and talk to her again. I argued with God that I was busy trying to prepare this lesson for the evening. God asked me “Why?” I argued “So the lost can come to a saving faith in Christ”, and God reminded me, “Anna is lost.” As always, God had the final word.
I went back outside and found Anna involved in a conversation with Pastora Jemimah and others. I got back into the conversation with her and took her through the Way of the Master (WOTM). She ended up in tears of sorrow, but was reluctant to make a commitment to follow Christ at that time. We talked a while longer and she thanked me for sharing with her. She shook my hand several times and promised she would be back for the service.
By the time the service started, Anna was seated and chatting with the many church members from the village that she knew. Towards the end of the service, she came forward with many others to ask for healing. She came forward and asked for prayer for her vision which had been bad for over a year. Everything was blurry to her. In addition to her, 16 other people also requested prayer. We and the newly trained TEC students took authority over Anna and many others that night. Numerous knee, back and hip injuries (which are common to fisherman working in the water and those bending over the fish drying trays) were healed. Anna was not healed in the first round of prayers which surprised me. I felt in my spirit that God would deal with her powerfully.
We took authority over the diseases and illnesses, while our newly trained volunteers laid hands on those they prayed for and many sore throats, headaches, back pains, neck pains, eye pain and body pains were healed. Anna and an old lady (80 years old) were the only ones not healed. The elderly lady had a huge hard lump in her breast. One doctor had told her it was cancer, but she could not afford to have a second opinion or treatment. Many people on these Islands have undiagnosed illness because they cannot afford to go to doctors. As those who were healed shared their testimonies, we along with the volunteers continued to take authority and over those who remained unhealed.
Woman giving God glory for healing her back, neck and shoulder pain
More happy people healed of back pain.
The elderly woman’s breast lump/cancer softened and shrunk. Several of the women and Pastora Jememiah could clearly feel the difference in the size and texture. The woman testified to the power of Jesus name and about the change. She testified that the pain was gone.
The breast lump / cancer is dissolved and the pain is gone.
I looked around for Anna in the group of volunteers. She was smiling and crying at the same time. I asked her, “Can you see now?” She nodded her head yes, and we brought her up on stage and she shared her testimony of God’s healing power in Jesus’ name. She wept all through her testimony (see the pictures).
Anna having hands laid on her eyes by Izak a South African missionary in white T-shirt.
Pastora Jemimah in green lays hands on Anna.
Anna weeps as her vision was restored in the name of Jesus. She said …. “I see clearly now.”
Once the joy and weeping were over, people began to take their seats and I used the WOTM to call people to turn from their sins in repentance toward God and to place their faith and trust in Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21). That night 6 people came up and committed their lives to Christ, including Anna who wept even more as she surrendered herself to following Christ. I stepped off the stage and whispered to her that since this afternoon I had been confident she was going to become a Christian tonight. She told me, “I knew ever since you talked to me, but the miracles proved it was right.” We saw Anna with the joy of the Lord all over her face for the remaining four days we were in the village. Pastora Jememiah had already started counseling and discipling her. Seventeen people were healed and six came to repentance and faith in Christ.
Newly trained The Elijah Challenge (TEC) believers on Silaki Island lay there hands on the infirmed.
Another happy man healed of back and hip pain.
Newly trained TEC students lay there hands on the sick and ill.
This woman was healed of back and neck pain.
More people giving God the glory with Pastora Jemimah in green.
New TEC volunteers laying hands on the pain and healing the sick.
This woman was healed of arthritis pain in her hands and wrist and severe back pain.
An elder in the church giving glory to God that his knees no longer hurt.
This man’s back and hip pain were healed.
More people rejoicing over their healing with Pastora Jemimah
Woman healed of a week long headache that made it hard for here to walk, sit up or move her eyes. She made necklaces of shells for those on our evangelistic team.
Another woman healed of back pain.
Giving God glory this woman proudly holds her son to show that she can lift him and carry him now that her back pain is gone. She had not been able to lift him up for several months.
This woman was healed of a sore throat and neck and back pain.
People raising their hands, wanting to commit to turning away from sin and put their faith and trust in Jesus.
Anna on left and others turning their lives over to Jesus.
The next day, we did more house to house visitations, evangelism and prepared for our big outreach in the main township of Bolinao. In the afternoon, we walked to the township from our outlying village. On the way to the township, as we passed houses, we invited everyone we passed to join us. We started out as five people and ended up with 30 people following us to the crusade/outreach.
Pastor Carl preaching and evangelist Marc interpreting before the rain came.
The crowd gathered and the black clouds gathered at the same time. As we started the crusade the rains poured down. I spoke very briefly to the hardcore crowd gathered under umbrellas that were doing their best to resist the rain. Unfortunately, many of the unsaved went home due to the severe storm. We invited those who needed healing prayer up on the stage, out of the rain. That night 10 people were healed of back, neck, hip, and shoulder pain. Sore throats were healed; arthritis was healed as well as numb and tingling fingers. It was complete confusion in many ways, because the sick and the trained volunteers all had crowded up on the stage to avoid the rain. Despite that, joy and rejoicing was everywhere. The stage held four times more people than it was designed for. (See the pictures) Ten people were healed and two seemed to come to faith although most of the unsaved people went home during the rain and before the healing and alter call was given.
Those needing healing come up on the stage out of the rain. The old man with the hunchback in the blue blanket is about to be healed in Jesus’ name. He could barely climb the steps to the stage.
Here he is being prayed over.
Here he is giving God the glory for his healing.
Standing straight and tall, now he is able to walk and climb steps.
Even children were laying there hands on the sick.
That night we walked back in pouring rain along with many of the children from the church. The water and mud in the paths/roads was frequently over our ankles. The kids turned a miserable wet walk into a joyful event. Walking in the rain, mud, and muck, while wearing flip flops, with one flashlight between twenty people, can only be fun when combined with the hearty laughter of Filipino children and our memories of God’s healing power.
We arrived on the island of Silaki and trained the new church in the Elijah Challenge (TEC) by kerosene lamp, and conducted a crusade. We had no electricity so instead of a PowerPoint we just used the scriptures and a few notes I made after arrival. The trained believers took authority over and healed seven people from their village and several more came to faith and repentance. We had many healings of eye problems, back, hip, neck, and knee pains, etc. More sore throats and body pains (there was a flue type sickness going through all the villages) were healed as well. Even children joined in to pray with authority for those who needed healing. God showed up again as we have come to expect and ten were healed and three came to faith.
We fell in love with the people in Silaki and Santiago islands all over again. God healed 34 people in two crusades and one Elijah Challenge training seminar. At least 9 people came to faith in the Lord and many others seemed strongly affected by our teaching, preaching and the power of God. We left behind two churches of trained believers. God showed up even during the wind, rain, mud and lack of electricity. What is amazing is that we were basically rained out, everywhere we went. Many sinners went home but the sick that came to be healed would not be detered by the rain. They were determined to be healed. We persevered with them and many were healed while standing in the rain.
We had taught two Elijah Challenge seminars, and conducted three crusades, in seven days. Over fifty people were trained in the Elijah Challenge including some children, who also laid hands on the sick and healed them. Two churches were trained in the Way of the Master (WOTM) and The Elijah Challenge (TEC), and the leaders of the two churches went through both training sessions twice. Praise the Lord! Many came from one Island to heal people on the next Island and many who were healed one day were healing other people the next day in Jesus name.
We expect to hear great things from them, and Lord willing, we will return and build on the foundation we have laid.
Pastor Carl Henderson
TEC Philippines Coordinator
MOR – Mission of Reconciliation