On the morning of October 2nd, seventy or so people from various towns and cities throughout the U.S. and a few from overseas met for the first time in the airport of São Paulo, Brazil. Our team was composed of several people who had previously been on Global trips (mostly Brazil) and many who were on our first trip. Over the course of the next 6 days, we would all grow much closer to one another and in our personal walk with the Lord. We had all either read Randy Clark’s books, seen him speak on video, or perhaps seen him speak at a conference. Randy is famous for sharing the most amazing stories of healing, and everyone was eager and hopeful to experience this firsthand in Brazil. Randy was also equally famous for his gift of impartation, and we all eagerly desired to receive whatever the Lord wanted to pass on to us.
The first day was mostly just a very long bus ride to the city of Jales. We were divided between two buses for this ride (and for the entirety of our stay in country) and were further divided into small groups of 8 or so people. We had a stop on the way there for lunch and learned quickly that Brazilian food is amazing! That night, upon arrival at our hotel, we were again divided between two different hotels, with the distance between them only a short walk. We settled in, in some cases meeting our roommate for the first time.
After getting settled in, we all met in a dining/conference room in one of the hotels. We had a quick pizza dinner and then sat and heard from Randy Clark for the first time. He talked a short while and then had us stand up, clear the chairs from the center of the room, and be ready to receive impartation. This was an amazing experience by itself, and many of the team fell to the floor after being touched by God. I think we all felt that this was a sign of great things to come in the week ahead.
The next day we took the buses to Jales PIB (a large Baptist church). The services began with worship from Pier 49, a band whose lead singer has been Randy’s translator on many Brazil trips. That morning William Wood preached and gave his testimony. Many came forward to receive Christ at that time. Afterward, we went into ministry time. Many received miraculous healings that morning! Everything from back pain to blindness, deafness, and metal were healed, and I think everyone’s level of faith rose greatly from this. We now knew God was going to do something special during this trip, both in us and through us.
The evening was even more miraculous, with Randy Clark preaching and giving words of knowledge. Well over a hundred people received healing before Randy even prayed or the team was brought up to pray. The team was also brought up to give words of knowledge and many responded. By the end of that first evening, out of a crowd of perhaps a thousand people, hundreds received some type of healing. One in particular was a man who had a metal bar going from his ankle to his knee cap with two screws on each end. He could not bend his knee before coming that night. He was also in great pain. After Randy gave the word for metal being healed, he told the crowd to try to do something they couldn’t do. When this man tried bending his knee, he found he had received complete mobility and could squat all the way down and stand up easily! At that time we were not sure if the metal was gone, or God was simply restoring his mobility.
The next day in Jales was equally amazing, with Tom Jones preaching in the morning and Randy that night. In both services the power of God was again on display and hundreds more were healed. One in particular was a lady who was wheelchair bound and had received prayer the first day from our team. This time a member of our team heard God tell her to tell the woman, “Rise up and walk.” With this, she took the woman’s hands and helped her stand. Initially the lady was not confident, but agreed to try. After a long time of walking with considerable help, she eventually began walking between the chairs without help! She and her family were overjoyed and the team’s confidence in the Lord for healing went through the roof at that point.
The next 3 days were in a city called Marilia. The church there was even larger and the crowds also were standing room only. Again hundreds of amazing healings took place: some through words of knowledge, some through prayer. One example: a lady on our team gave a word of knowledge of someone laying down a motorcycle and being in extreme pain from the accident. Three people came up and received prayer for this and all were healed. The next day it was revealed that someone else had been sovereignly healed from that same word the same night!
One final testimony was an older lady in a wheelchair. She had been paralyzed from the waist down for a year and a half and also had suffered a stroke and lost feeling in her lest side. Over the course of the three days in Marilia she received hours of prayers from different members of our team. At one point, a team member identified and called out a demon and the lady began to manifest. That was the first of three deliverances she received. By the time we left her, she had regained feeling and use of her left hand, and some feeling and movement in her feet! Her daughter even wrote one of the ladies the next day to express her gratitude and how happy her mother was now!
The final day included another impartation from Randy and his team. I think many received even more this time than the first time. Throughout the week there had been manifestations of God’s power on different people at different times, and it was amazing to see them go through this.
As we rode back to the São Paulo airport, and gradually went our separate ways, there was some unspoken sadness that this amazing, transformative week was now over. For those who had come a bit anxiously, wondering what would happen, they were now leaving filled with excitement and stories of God’s manifested power and love. For those who had come weary and burnt out, they were leaving with a new energy and enthusiasm about what life held in store back home. Look out Satan! We’re ready for you now!