Grace Abounds

by Leslie Royalty
Mar/Apr 2010

Just last week we held our 3^rd Internship program in conjunction with The Journey to Healing Retreat. For those who may not know, I would like to share an insider’s point of view of what the Internship and Journey to Healing Retreat are really like. Through reading the following first–hand testimonies of participants, I hope you are blessed by a glimpse of what goes on and the powerful grace of Jesus!

The internship portion involved two days of preparation with the group of interns who traveled here from all over the country. We spent time getting to know each other, ministering to each other in prayer sessions and in soaking prayer, worshiping, eating together, interceding for the upcoming Journey to Healing Retreat and listening to the Lord. Our new Prayer Ministry Support Team, comprised of five experienced prayer ministers, participated in each prayer session and offered valuable feedback to the interns. Additionally, each intern was individually commissioned through the laying on of hands, as a blessing for their ongoing ministry. These two days together provided the essential time of bonding as a team, as well as a practical preparation for the ins–and–outs of running a conference. Having bathed the subsequent Journey to Healing Retreat in much prayer, we approached the weekend expecting God to move in deep ways. As many testimonies revealed, He exceeded our expectations!

Our little group of interns expanded exponentially as the number of recipients who came to join us grew to approximately 85 people! They came from many different backgrounds and for a variety of reasons. Some came desperate for a touch from God to receive physical healing, others for emotional healing, and others for spiritual freedom and peace. Some didn’t know why they had come, and felt a bit apprehensive, not sure what to expect.

As I scanned the group the first morning, preparing for a time of worship, the Lord reminded me of my Bible reading that morning. In Luke 5, a man with leprosy approaches Jesus, begging for healing, saying “Lord, if you are willing you can make me clean.” As I read, I sensed Jesus’ heart both for the man with leprosy as well as for each person attending the retreat. In the passage Jesus reached out and touched the man, in complete disregard of all cultural and religious restrictions, and healed him while showing great love and acceptance. In the same way, I sensed Jesus reaching out to each recipient, unafraid of any brokenness, sickness or sin, as if to say with such tenderness, “You won’t make me dirty by your brokenness. I make you clean by my holiness.” One recipient told me later that the same passage had actually been the Gospel reading that morning in the Catholic liturgy! It seemed to confirm God’s desire to really get his message of love across to his children, which He continued to reveal throughout the rest of the retreat.

During the one–hour individual prayer appointments, the 8 ½ total hours of soaking prayer, the teachings, worship times, and services (including generational healing, the mother and father blessing, and the healing service) God poured out His love and grace in abundance. We heard many reports of God’s healing touch. I will let the people speak for themselves!

• One person received “…unbelievable understanding of Jesus’ love — breadth, depth, and height.”
• “I left feeling like a different person. It was similar to the sacrament of Reconciliation, but with women who looked at me with so much love and understanding and forgiveness. I think in the future when I think of the painful things I talked about, I will think mainly of their loving eyes.”
• “I came seeking inner healing and received more! I am leaving with new friendships and a renewed spirit!! Surprised — no, I’m not — the Holy Spirit is amazing and never lets us down.”
• “Before I went to my prayer team, I was having pain in both shoulders and both hips due to sickle cell anemia. My right hip hurt really badly when I walked and I couldn’t lift my shoulders beyond a certain point. My team prayed for me and after that I was able to lift my arms, and my hips also did not hurt anymore. The next day during praise and worship I lifted both arms all the way in praise of Jesus.”
• “Amazing healing — seemed to come in waves and I think it is still coming.”
• “I was filled to overflowing with God’s peace and love.”
• “The bursitis in my left shoulder was really bad and now I can hardly feel it. Praise God!”
• “I received more inner healing. Every time I receive ministry my physical and mental condition improves.”
• “During prayer I was able to receive forgiveness and release shame and guilt, also forgiving myself.”

Overall, the time was incredibly blessed. We give praise to Jesus for His unfailing love and power to heal! May you be encouraged by these stories. Also, if you would like to participate in either the Internship or the Journey to Healing Retreat, you are welcome to contact us

Leslie Royalty is in charge of Prayer Minister Care at CHM.