A New Begining

Something amazing happened to me Thursday the 28th. It was an amazing and mysterious night. I don't know how well I can explain all that happened....but I will try! :)

6 of the Dove Voice guys had come home with Paul and Pam Wednesday night from picking a couple from the airport. They arrived back home at 2:00am Thursday morning. I was so excited to have my amazing brothers of the Dove Voice Band back at arms reach. In fact, I was so happy that I was awake at 6:00am, ready for the day, ready to greet my brothers and give them all hugs.

We spent the day just hanging out, spending quality time together, talking, and loving each other. After dinner, 2 more of the Dove guys joined us for a time of worship..(my favorite part of the day!)....just before we all gathered in the sitting room, the power went out. Honestly I didn't care! We lit candles, which created a very peaceful serene feeling to everything...it was perfect!!

The Dove Voice opened by singing a song called Upendo (which means love). It gave me chills all down my spine. I've never had music minister to me as much as it did that night! As they sang, I felt convicted and began to pray. I cried out to God, repenting and asking for strength to be the person that He wants me to be, praying that He would take away my fear, praying that whenever I opened my mouth, words would be given to me to speak into other peoples' lives. I didn't know why those things had come to mind; there are so many other things in my life--in my heart that need change. 

" I just want to live for you Jesus, I want to live for You.......I want to live for you, I want to live for you Jesus"
...over and over and over again I cried.

I continued to cry and pray through the next couple of songs, then silence overtook the room, a deep but quiet voice spoke, a chair was placed in the center of the room. Hope (from the Dove Voice Band) began to prophesy, first that there was spiritual warfare against love.....they had Papa Paul sit in the chair and began to pray (African style). Everybody, all-at-once, in their own language prayed against the evil spirits.
Hope continued to prophesy through the darkness. We prayed and prayed again. You could sense spiritual warfare, the presence of demons, yet the Holy Spirit was there too!

The power came on. Many eyes were damp with tears. We all stood, took each others' hands to make a circle, and prayed again...opening up our hearts to God. Then to my surprise, Hope said that they were going to pray for me. Me? Why me? I was overwhelmed. I slowly made my way to the chair that was in the center of the room when a hand reached out and took the chair away. Freddy (another of the Dove guys) said that God told him that I was supposed to kneel instead of sit, so I did. Hope prophesied Ephesians 6:14 - 15 over me. He said that I would be filled with the Holy Spirit, that God had plans for me and that I needed to not be afraid. He said that I needed to be ready, I needed to put on my shoes and buckle my belt.

Papa, Freddy, and Jeff came to me, put their hands on me, and then the whole room was filled with voices lifted up in prayer, louder and louder. Emotion flooded my soul. Tears rolled down my face and splashed onto Freddy's hands that were holding mine. Slowly by slowly the voices faded. I thought that it was over but Freddy kept praying. He was speaking in his own language so I couldn't understand what he was saying but somehow I knew. I needed to let go. Every emotion swept over me and I was unable to control myself. I wept and my body shook. I can't explain how I felt; it's almost impossible to recount. There was helplessness, disappointment, shame, grief, the pressure of my feelings/emotions and something else (which I know now was the Holy Spirit) knocked me to the ground. Still praying, Freddy touched my shoulders.....then my feet, and I was unable to move. I felt the presence of God and was filled with peace, a peace that I had never felt before. Then Lyzette (Jeff's wife) took my hand and gently brought me to my feet and set me in a chair. The room was quiet and Mama Pam put her arm around me. At that moment I knew that my life had been changed, that I had experienced revival, and that I had been given a new beginning.