30 Second Prayer Model for Healing

Day one of our trip and as the plane descended into London, I suddenly felt intense pain and pressure in my sinuses. Yikes, no wonder you aren't supposed to fly when you're sick. Not that I was sick; I was fine before we left. Perhaps I had some sinusitis or something that I hadn't realized. I bought some Sudafed (the good stuff you can't by over the counter in the U.S.) at the London airport and was able to make it on the next flight leg without too much trouble.

The next day I was a little stuffy and had a bit of a headache. By Monday, even though I was taking Sudafed regularly, I'd had no improvement. I could breathe a smidge from one nostril and that was it, plus, I still had a sinus headache. Oy, what a great time to have my sinuses acting up.

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Pastor here had been teaching his young church leaders a 30 second prayer model for healing. It's not a magic formula, but simple Biblical truths that are put into a format that can be used by the church body to glorify God and bring others to know His name.

Adam was given dominion over all the earth, but forsook it when he sinned. Jesus died a perfect man, so death had no hold on him. He took the keys of dominion back from hell when He rose from the dead.  In the book of Revelations it says that in heaven there will be no more tears or pain. We live in the already, but not yet. Jesus has come and fulfilled somethings, but we won't see the full fulfillment until He comes again. So, right now, we have authority and dominion in the name of Jesus - it is a shadow of what will be > illness and death still exist, but so does healing.

Matthew 28:18-19a "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go..."
John 14:12-14 "I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done and even greater works, because I am going to the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name and I will do it!"
Mark 16:16a & 18c "Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved... They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed."

The 30 second prayer model for healing is based on these truths. Keep your prayer short and sweet - all the excess, all the extra words are just to help our faith anyway. Pray in the name of Jesus, for that is the name by which we have authority, and so that the person being prayed for knows where the power is from (it's for sure not from these human hands). Bind the affliction specifically and pray that it be gone. Amen. Then ask the person if their ailment was a 10 on a scale of 1 - 10 before, what would they rate it now? Tell them they should be honest. It's not me doing the healing so I won't be offended if there is no change or if something gets worse! Okay, if the person isn't totally healed, perhaps the healing process has just begun. Pray again (or have someone else pray for them). Re-rate the ailment after the second prayer. If the condition is still not fully healed, again, maybe the healing is just started and the person can always receive prayer again next time. But no matter what our faith is that God is faithful to keep His promises and there is hope in Him. Our hope is that the person receiving prayer will see God working. This is a wonderful evangelism tool.

I love this prayer model. I think as Christians, so often we pray and don't expect anything to happen (we pray because we should). We pray and don't ask the person we prayed for if anything has changed. Or we pray and hope for healing, but then if the person isn't totally instantly healed, we're disappointed. This prayer model makes my faith stronger because it looks at the Biblical principles that give us basis for what we ask. And it realizes that healing isn't all or nothing - that there can be progressive healing. God heals in His timing. Some of that won't be realized until we are in heaven, but some of that really can be realized in the here and now. Amazing.

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Soooo... we're here for 2 days and Pastor teaches us this prayer model and encourages us to pray for one another. I share my little condition and members of the team pray for me - a simple short prayer. Afterwards, I could breathe through the one nostril and the headache felt a little less, but was still there. They prayed for me again. I could clearly breathe through both nostrils (seriously, the change was instant and I'm sitting there breathing in and out through my nose, enjoying the complete openness of my nasal passages) and again the headache was a bit less, but still there. But man, was it nice to just breathe! About ten minutes later, I realized that the headache was gone. God healed my symptoms that very morning, and I haven't had any more congestion this entire trip. Praise the Lord.

The same happened the next day with some serious tummy trouble. I got Delhi Belly - boo. :(  I was rushing to the washroom a lot, even woke twice in the middle of the night to take care of business. The team prayed for me that morning and seriously, from that point on, my tummy was totally fine.

And I'm not the only one. Other people on our team were healed as well.

What a wonderful God who blesses us with tangible ways to see His goodness and faithfulness.

I encourage you, have faith! Greater is He who is in us, than he who is in the world.

India Update - The Poor and the Injustice

I'm stuck here, not by the fact that there are so many poor, but by the injustice of it all. You see, you can't really even help the poor, unless you are VERY strategic.

This woman with a small child on her hip is one of many who will come and tap tap tap on your car widow when you're stuck in traffic. If you happen to make eye contact, she won't leave. If you say no, she won't leave. If you help her, all the others may swarm your car asking for aid too (and in Delhi, the traffic is so gridlocked that you may be there for a while). And if you help her, you don't know if she'll get to keep any of it for her and her baby or if she has to give it to someone watching. And mothers with babies are only some who tap tap tap. Then there are the children who perform between the cars hoping you'll roll down your window and just give them something. 

This family lives in an underpass. Daily cars scream past. You can see the little ones without clothes in the back. They have a bucket you can't see for taking baths and a small fire and pots to cook on. This is their, dare I say, home. And even though money goes really far here, I still can't roll down my window to give. It's dangerous when you're sitting in traffic and literally have no place to go if something were to go wrong. 

This is quite common - people on the side walk with their little stove. She might be selling small goods to get by, but when she's tired she'll take a nap here on the street-side. Just walk around the poor.

And of course, there are those who sleep anywhere they can, because they have nothing. 

But what makes me mad is not being able to help. We walked out of a restaurant on Monday and there was a woman on the walkway with a scale. Her way of making a living is to swat and wait for people who might pay a few rupees to get weighed. I commend her for finding a way to make a living instead of begging. I wanted Adonai to go and get weighed, just so we could help her. We were advised against it because truly, you don't know if she gets to keep any of the money. Even amongst the poor - CORRUPTION! How can you steal from the least of these? But it's such a reality.

At the train station the children mob us begging. Carl offered some snacks that he had and was turned down by one kiddo. He just wanted the money. Others were happy to take it, but not all. And why aren't these kids in school?!

There is HUGE value on education for some. It's almost difficult to get a job with only one degree because India is so well educated. But among the poor, there is no value. You have to test into school. Christian organizations have set up tutoring to help children place. Government schools aren't well regulated though as far as curriculum and testing, so sometimes the teacher only has a monitor watch the class while they go  in the back and play cards. There are private schools, some are expensive, some are very affordable and they offer top-notch education. But even the government schools have something to offer - the kids do learn English (which knowing would help them get a better job here). But the parents would rather have them working than be in school. Income is more important than education, and so the cycle perpetuates itself. Joyce sat for 2 months, 8 hours a day teaching a girl the basics in math and reading so that she could place into school. The girl placed at 4th grade. She attended for a few weeks and then stopped going because her mother would send her to work cleaning houses so that the mom could take on more houses to clean. Needless to say, Joyce was furious.

I love Mukesh's school. He works in a slum and parents send their kiddos to their Christian school, knowing what it is, because it's only for a few hours and the kids are getting value out of it. Learning the basics and some of them have gone onto real school. You see, not all help is balked at. 

There are ways to help the poor here; you just have to be strategic about it. You have to be conscious of how and when and where you help, especially as a Christian. But I want to give instantly - even 20 cents would go far, and it kills me that I can't. 

But then I am thankful for people like Pastor and Mukesh who live here and know the right ways to poor out and truly help the poor. To give fish when needed, but to also teach how to fish. To offer prayer and healing in the name of Jesus, when silver and gold can't be given. Who poor in day over day with love. 

Our church did an early Angel Tree for the children in the slums here. Yesterday we packed up 93 backpacks that will be given to the children at Christmas. Each child will receive a backpack, new shoes, socks, a sweater, a beanie, a lunch box, a pencil case, and three small toys. This all cost roughly $12 U.S. Back home, we could maybe get just the backpack for that price. And what a blessing it will be to the kiddos!!!

 So, as frustrating as it is that there are so many poor, and there is so much injustice, it's encouraging to know that there is still hope. That people here are making a difference and know the right way to do so.

India Update - Church in the Slums

With some of our sisters.

Last night, we went to Pastor Steven's church. We left after dark so that our presence to the surrounding area would be less obvious. Even though it isn't required for women to cover their heads here, the girls on our team did to draw less attention to our white-selves being in the area. You see, Pastor Steven's church is located in a structured slum.

Our taxi driver dropped us off where the road ended. We walked via flashlight across the railroad tracks. Through brush. Over refuse. Past a child defecating freely in the open (because there are no bathrooms anywhere). We walked to a small one-room building the church rents out. There is no a/c - just two slowly oscillating fans. The ceiling is made of sticks and something like burlap. Mats are laid across the floor to give a place to sit. 

All of the attendees at the church are women, except for two blind man, and one other. 

And they are each so beautiful. 

Jeeze, we are so spoiled in America. We have everything, light shows, and bands, money and possessions. Yet we bore easily. We don't seek God in most things. And our faces too often show disdain.

During the service time.

These sisters had NOTHING and yet, they had EVERYTHING.

I've never seen such passion. Their faces were beautiful, but truly their countenance is what was shinning. These sisters in Christ were fervent in their worship and their prayers. 

Kristen sharing.

Crystal sharing.

Kristen, Crystal, Eb, and Pastor all shared a word. Then the church prayed for us! What an honor!!!! I couldn't understand a word they were saying (this slum was comprised of a South Indian population and they all spoke Tamal), but it was powerful. We then broke into groups and prayed for them... I didn't know how to ask for prayer requests, so I just went for it, but thank goodness our God can pass language barriers. 

Baby Lerika wearing her Dora shirt.
Mama is on the left.

After service, we provided a snack and just hung-out a bit. There was a sweet little baby, maybe 10 months old. She had on a Dora the Explorer shirt and reminded me of my baby. Her name was Lerika. A set of sisters spoke some English and chatted as best possible with us. They couldn't believe how OLD we were (ha! They were 16 and 17). They all pulled out their cell phones (hilarious) and took photos with us. Sweet spirited sisters.

Fellowshipping after service

I felt very privileged to be there last night. And came across this passage which dawned whole new meaning having seen real poverty in that moment:

"You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich." 2 Corinthians 8:9

This morning my heart tugged in a new direction. I was reading Hannah's prayer in I Samuel 2. Here are verses 7-9 which are my prayer for these sisters: 

"The Lord makes some poor and others rich; he brings some down and lifts others up. He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, placing them in seats of honor for all the earth is the Lord's and He has set the world in order. He will protect his faithful ones..."

My heart was screaming this morning trying to figure out how to help them. Could we visit again and take more food? What could we do. But the tragic truth is that so often here helping actually hurts. To give too much would cause them harassment by others. So I am left with the resolve that even if I can't given them anything tangible at this point, I can remember to pray for them and know that inside they are already truly rich.

India Update - We're here!

Lodhi Park - reminded me of
Picacho Park in Honduras

We made it. After flying for 24 hours, we arrived in Delhi on Saturday morning. Saturday we spent the day having a church picnic with several of the young leaders. It was positively delightful getting to know them. We played games, walked around and saw an old tomb, and enjoyed the day. They are all lovely people. We wound up going to bed very early due to jet lag.

I'm an amazon with my new friends

Sunday we all felt much more refreshed after a good night's sleep. The church meets in a small banquet room at a local hotel. Worship was AMAZING. God showed up. You can see the anointing on these young people. I had the opportunity to speak and share a bit about what the Lord has been showing me in my own life lately  - a challenge in faith... faith in the smaller things, not just the big things. Shari and Eb from our team also spoke, as did the pastor we are working with. It was neat how none of us discussed what we would be sharing ahead of time, but that they flowed together well. Obviously a God thing.

One thing I loved about church was that after service we all had tea. It was very condusive to fellowshipping after service and I enjoyed sitting and chatting with the members.

Walk in the park - You can see Ado
chatting it up

After church we went out to lunch with our gracious hosts. What an amazing meal. And sweet Shari treated us! The food here is so good, although all a bit spicy, but SO affordable. The feast we ate yesterday would have cost $15/plate easy in the States - it was approximately $7 here!! I must say, I've not been too hungry because we are always eating.

Me speaking at church on Sunday
 with my interpreter, Dema.

Several gals from church wore sari's
especially for us

The afternoon was spent on a metro prayer "walk". Instead of the traditional prayer walk, we met with several church members again and they took us on the metro (subway/lightrail). We sped through Delhi and into the surrounding suburbs praying over the city, praying for other people on the metro, and getting to know our India brothers and sisters even more. Again, another delightful day.

It's now Monday morning and we're off to another part of Delhi, Nehru Place, to do a prayer walk, especially as we visit the Lotus Temple. It will be nice to see the real Delhi as we walk.

I also got to Skype with my angels this morning just before they headed off to bed (it's Sunday evening in Phoenix). It was wonderful to see their faces and smiles.

I'll try to continue to keep you updated every few days on our goings-on. Blessings to you and we do appreciate your continued prayers.

Love from Delhi,

Kelly (and Adonai too!)

India Update - Leaving on a Jet Plane

I wanted to give you all an update before we head out to let you know where things stand and what the plan is as our itinerary firms up.

I can hardly believe it, but we're actually going to India! We fly out today at 7:25pm heading to London. Thank goodness we only have the one layover. When I traveled to Central Asia in 2000, I took six planes to get there and five to get home. I'm thrilled that it will only be 24 hours of travel before we arrive in Delhi.



We're pretty much ready to go. We still need to pack our carry-ons, but that's about it. For once in my life, I packed days early (it felt really good too) and we took all of the girls' things to our family's house last night, so that we wouldn't have to mess with it today.

Ahead of us is delicious sleep on a plane (I'm the mama of two young children; I don't know what sleep really is and while I know my heart is going to ache - it already sort of does - to be away from my loves, I am also going to relish in sleep. Thank the Lord I can sleep anywhere, including on a plane!).

The main thing we'll be doing while in India is connecting with the local church, attending their homegroups, fellowshipping, and having a big picnic. I'm thrilled that this trip isn't all about us missionaries going in thinking we know everything or can save the world. Rather, it is approached with the questions of, "What can we learn?" and "How can we be of some help?" I truly feel that this is a partnership and that while we will pour into lives, our lives too will be poured into.

Our church has had up an Angel Tree a bit early this year - intended to support some of the children in India. Instead of purchasing gifts, members donated money to sponsor the children so that the gifts could be purchased there (much more economic than trying to ship them all, deal with customs, etc.). I'm excited to say that our team gets to do the shopping. Who doesn't love that? I get to use someone else's money to buy presents for beautiful children in need. And I actually enjoy wrapping gifts, so it works out great. I'm all over this!


We'll also be doing quite a few prayer walks, including in Old Delhi. While there we'll get to visit Red For, a 17th century fort established by the Mughals. It's now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It'll be wonderful to soak up some of the rich history of the area while we are there.


As mentioned previously in another blog post, we'll be taking some children from a slum orphanage to the zoo. I can't tell you how excited I am to see their faces. Beautiful children who have nothing and bringing them simple joy through an experience they otherwise wouldn't have.



We'll also be visiting a well known Hindu temple, which enshrines the god Vishnu. It'll be interesting to see Hinduism in full swing firsthand.On that note, the holiday Diwali, which is the Festival of Lights in Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism, will take place while we are there too. Conversely, we'll visit St. Stephen Church, which was built in 1862. I do believe we will see some of the nation's religious tension. Just so you know, it is not illegal to be a Christian in India (though the government requires that you register if you are one), but it is illegal to encourage someone to change their beliefs. If someone does become a Christian, they must sign papers when they register stating that they do so of their own volition. We of course tread lightly.


And who can go to India without enjoying a day trip to Agra to see the Tag Mahal. I hear it is an experience like no other.

And finally, Ado and I have the pleasure of meeting up with some old classmates from Bethany while we are there. James & Marney moved to another city in India a few months ago and we'll have the chance to visit with them and catch up.

Well, that is a snippet of what the plan is for while in India. We still appreciate all of your prayers while we are there - for us, the team, the church there, and of course the family we are leaving behind for two weeks.

We also owe our church for some of the cost of our plane tickets still. God has been so faithful in pouring out blessings as we plan for this endeavor. He's really been working on my faith during this time and I have confidence that He will supply the rest of the funds needed. If you do want to partner with us financially, just so you know, it isn't too late. :) Feel free to send tax deductible contributions through our church with our name in the memo line:
     Reveal
     17744 W. Charter Oak Rd
     Surprise AZ, 85388
Or you can use PayPal to send to us directly. Just look up our email address:
     themartinezhome@gmail.com

Finally, I wanted to let you know that one of the things I am most excited for in this trip, is that I get to do it with Adonai. In all the missions trips we've each done, this will be the first time doing one together. This is also the first time he gets to travel outside of North America. I'm pleased as punch to spend this time with him, doing this work together. YAY!


Oh, and I'm also REALLY excited about the food. I've been wanting some coconut or peanut curry lately, and biding my time until I can get my fill. Yum, yum, am I going to eat!

I'll try to blog while I'm away, so please subscribe if you want to stay posted.


Thanks again for all of your love, support, prayers, and encouragement. May the Lord bless you richly for being a blessing to me.


Kelly