I Thank & Praise you Lord Jesus for the promise you gave me today (17th January) through a word of knowledge at the Mabole Prayer Meeting.
I am a server of the Risen Lord Community Los Angeles. I have been in the US for the last 11 years. I was doing a good job for about 6 years and in 2006 we moved to another State and since then I have never been able to secure stable employment until now with the prevailing tough economic conditions. Due to this reason, I have been becoming quite disappointed in life. On the other hand, I became more and more closer to God and I knew only He had the answer to my problem. I thought of getting back to Sri Lanka many times, but I could not make up my mind to take a firm decision. Although many times I received messages through the Holy Scriptures, I was too weak to understand God’s will for me.
For a long time, I have been praying to the Lord to show His will for my life very clearly, as I knew He had a better plan for me.
”Lord You asked me today to stop looking and trying to find out for myself as to what I should do. You promised me that, if I give you the ownership of my life and allow your love to flow into my heart, that You will show me a Clear Direction and give me an answer to my problem. This is what I have been waiting to hear from you Lord.
I promise you Lord Jesus to give the entire ownership of my life and to let your divine love flow into my heart and I will be listening to your more closely and waiting to hear your Word Lord.
Thank you Lord Jesus for Loving me just the way I am.
Therese.I would like to share my experience of how i met the Lord and how His amazing power and mercy has changed my life.. Many of you would have seen me on a wheelchair a few months and today as i stand before you i want to share how my life has turned around and how i have come to know the living presence of God!
On the 6th of March last year, I had a fall; I was rushed to the nearest hospital in the hope of nothing severe had taken place inside of my body. I was in pain, and I’m sure the entire hospital would have heard me scream. I wasn’t able to feel anything beyond my hip. I couldn’t move my legs nor was I able to move at all. The next thing I remember was being transferred to another hospital in the ambulance. Being a Sunday, there were not many surgeons available. But somehow my family was guided to get in touch with one of the best surgeons in Sri Lanka who was ready to take over immediately. this i believe was the beginning of the great love of God that was starting to enfold in my life.
After many tests and review of reports, to everyone’s dismay the surgeon stated that I had to be taken into surgery immediately. My fall had been really bad and my spine had suffered a huge blow and a part of the vertebrae was squashed. When someone had asked the Doctor “will she be able to walk again?” he replied, “We have to fight to make her live first!!” I can’t imagine the fear, anxiety and that helpless feeling my family, friends and their families had gone through at that moment of time. It was chaos. my condition was getting really bad. i had a burst fracture in my Lumber vertebrea with retropulsion into spinal canal with severe compression. The fractured vertebrea caused a puncture in my aorta which led to internal bleeding. I was losing blood excessivly and 23 units of blood was transfused. the doctors were not sure themselves if I was going to make it or not. The options were that I may never survive this or even if I did I would have to spend the rest of my life on a wheel chair due to paralysis. There was nothing anyone could do other than the Lord.
i was taken into surgery, Almost 12 – 13 surgeons were involved to save my life. the first surgery lasted about 7 hours. after 2 surgeries I was in coma for 3 days. A miracle was all what everyone was praying for. Given u p by the doctors, yet there were people who believed in a miracle. They continued to pray and believe that I was going to be touched by the Lord. So many people known and unknown prayed and fasted for my come back. My family and friends were in and out of the ICU hoping that the surgeons would give them some good news. I was told by my friends that at that desperate moment in the ICU when my heart beat started to drop and pressure started to fall, a Buddhist doctor called my friends and gave them a piece of paper which had a pastor’s contact number. He insisted that they call him to pray over me. He also said although he belongs to a different religion, he believes in Jesus and in miracles. When there was no such hope among others who were around, there was even a time when the final blessing was supposed to be arranged. But my friend had said, “you cant believe in two things – if you believe in God – you better expect a miracle, you cant believe in God and also want to give the final blessing, we believe in God and so we are praying, you decide what you want to believe in” I was lying as a vegetable lifeless, surrounded by machines. I was breathing with the support of a machine since I was unable to breathe on my own. And Suddenly Something happened. I woke up. As i opend my eyes for the fist time after 2 major surgeries – i was only sure of one thing – The Presence of the Lord! The moment i woke up i knew for sure that the Lord was present in that very room. This awesome sense of peace overwhelemed me. I felt something different. I was able to feel God’s presence. I was happy amidst the physical pain I was going through. And I knew no matter how scary the surgeries would have been, I was going to be ok. The doctor was trying his best to explain without alarming me that i may never be able to walk again..but before he could finish his sentence I told him, “Doctor, I know I’m going to walk again and I’ll be fine” He just stood there in a shock. I don’t even know where that came from. There was fire, strength, courage and positive vibes all over. I was smiling and I strangely enjoyed the stay in the hospital.
God blessed me with a family who would just do anything to get me back. And friends who were like angels to raise me up from the bed of paralysis. The strength God gave each one of them during this traumatised period is just unexplainable. My uncle who can never take it even if there was a wound in my hand, stood near my bed in the ICU where machines and tubes were all around me, with a brave face and assured that I was going to make it. My friend who would just encounter a black out when it comes to hospitals and ICU was given so much of strength and courage to face it. There were many people praying for them, so that God will provide them with strength and courage to face it all. And yes as their faith remained in the Lord, He did not let them down. He breathed life into me. I was shifted to the ward after being in the ICU for 7 days. The care and love I received through so many people are just beyond description. Especially the staff at the hospital went beyond their limits to just make me comfortable and happy. Every person I met since then had some connection with the Lord. Strangers would just come and pray and bless me.
I have been bed ridden for 9 months. Since then every stage of my recovery had been just amazing. It was my aunty who was looking after me, God gave her so much of love and patience to do the challenging task of taking care of me even under very difficult circumstances. God led every step of the recovery. He taught me to be patient and to pray. I never really prayed for healing. All I did was to thank the Lord for giving me back my life with so many countless blessings. I experienced his love and felt it every time I prayed. I became a stronger person. Few months ago, while i was still bed-ridden my friends started to bring me to the wednesday prayer meeting on the wheel chair, . I must say that i consider them as angels that God has given me, they stood beside me and fought through this whole battle with me.
I remembered last Wednesday’s message while writing this testimony. Thaatha said that in the middle of our weakness if we cling on to the Lord, he will make us strong. Looking at my life it is true to say that when i Am weak then i am strong. because looking back at the things that have happened I realised how weak I used to be before this incident and God has transformed me into a strong person. I’m not someone who’d appear in a middle of a crowd and speak. before this accident i was a very timid person. I was a person who was hurting inside. I was a person who had lost the meaning and purpose of life. i never knew Jesus this intimately. I was a person who was living with so much of fear and anxiety. But today one year after my fall, I have inside me a true sense of joy and peace that adds a greater purpose and meaning to my life. I have learned to go on a journey with Him on a day to day basis. I have learned to trust him with my entire life.
I am standing before you as a proof of the Living Power of Jesus!!! there is noone or nothing else that could have brought this change inside me. even if i may have to face more challenges in the future I know with Jesus by my side it going to be ok. I dont want to trade this Peace Love and Joy i have inside for anything. If anyone of you is going through a great stuggle or pain i want to tell you that Our God is strong… therefore when you are weak, Trust in Him… He will lift u up to a level that you could have no imagined before. I thank God for this accident, because it has turned my life around and made me a completely new person. I take this time to thank all those who prayed for me, all the members of my family, my friends and all those from the CRL who believed in a mirracle even at the most challenging times.
God Bless you! praise the Lord!!!
KameliaPraise you Father!, Thank you Jesus!…First of all I want to start by mentioning that it is through this Mabole prayer meeting that our faith started to strengthen. My name is Dinusha Deemanthi Kalupahana and I am a 21 year old girl currently residing in the USA with my family: Mom, Dad, Two sisters and brother. During the beginning days of September 2011, I fell very ill. I felt massive pressure on my head, with a really bad pain and constant throwing up. All these symptoms hit me at the same time along with a backache. My parents were constantly taking me to the emergency room as I was screaming with pain all the time. I was in the emergency room all most every other day. Yet, no good came out of any of these visits to the hospital. Firstly, I have to mention that I had a brain surgery due to a growing archanoid cyst on the left temporal lobe of my brain. Since major blood vessels were connected to the cyst, the surgeons found it impossible to remove the cyst. Instead they drained the cyst out during the surgery and placed a shunt (a tube running from the brain to the abdominal cavity) to continue draining out the cyst if it were to get filled again. This year, every time I was taken to the emergency room, the doctors and the hospital staff performed CAT scans and other tests on me such as the spinal tap (puncturing the lower end of the spinal chord to obtain some Cerebral Spinal Fluid for testing purposes), to ensure my shunt is working correctly and to look for any abnormalities in my head. But all these exams and tests performed in several hospitals showed no problems with my health but my pains were still there. No one was able to give a clear diagnosis of my painful condition.
It was during this time that my mom informed her sister, Malani Samarakoon, of this situation. She at once got in touch with a friend of her son by the name Romesh and inquired about the Mabole meetings’ website information. We were also provided with the website information for the Supuwath Arana, and brother Charles prayer group meetings. Right away my mom started to listen to these websites at home through the web. She started joining the prayer meeting as well. This was during the middle of the month of October. I was always lying on my bed constantly screaming with massive pain. At this point the doctors had told me that they couldn’t find out what was wrong with me and that I should start seeing a therapist for possible depression. When my mom started playing these websites at home, I couldn’t bear to listen because my pains would increase to any sort of a sound. But my mom didn’t give up. She continued to insist that I listen to it. I have always loved music: dancing, singing, listening to music: I love it all. One day, I heard a beautiful melody and I didn’t realize that the Mabole meeting’s website was its source. So my defenses were not up as I continued to listen to it, I started hearing the word being sung with the word of the melody. Before I even realized that this was a hymn, before I got defensive and put my guards up, the words of the hymn hit me. The words pierced right through my chest and found their way to my closed up heart. I started tearing; it hurt my head to cry. But I continued to sob on my sick bed. The hymn had me mesmerized and the words said it all. I realized that the unconditional love, forgiveness, and guidance of God is not just an idea or an abstract, His LOVE, FORGIVENESS, and GUIDANCE is real, VERY REALL!! I couldn’t believe how open to love my heart felt, how I didn’t have to work hard to break up those walls I had built around my heart to guard it. I just had to let go, get lost in God’s words, and God found his way through those walls to my heart and filled me with love. As if he had been waiting and waiting to grab the opportunity that I would welcome His presence. As I realized that my Lord’s Love, forgives and Guidance are real, I also realized that I really am a sinner. This feeling of being a sinner felt very real, the repressed feelings, memories were back in my conscious. I realized how unworthy I am of his love, unconditional love. I have never felt such unconditional love, through out these 21 years of my life. I was used to receiving love as a reward for how “good” I was being. The moment I displeased someone, I lost their love! But here my God is already showering me with his love, when I have done so many wrong doings that have displeased him! The thought was unbearable and I continued to sob. As I was sobbing I felt a relief, a rush. I can compare it to the rush and the care free thoughts I felt when the doctors injected me with morphine to reduce my pain, only difference was this rush I felt on my bed in God’s presence was filled with emotions that I had refused to feel for a long time. My mom came into the room to ask if I liked the hymn. When she saw me crying, she came to my side and hugged me and encouraged me to feel the emotions I was feeling. After this incident I began to eat about once a day as my nausea improved, walk round my home on my own. As my condition was improving, I began to join the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament held by Lalith Thatha and Father Darrell on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. During one of the adorations held by Lalith Thatha on Tuesday, there was a word of knowledge that through the condition of a child’s head, the lord has taken her entire family under his arms. I was still in doubt that the Lord could talk to a sinner like me. Yet my mom claimed the word of knowledge for me. Deep inside my heart I knew that the lord was talking to me because I have a brain cyst, had a brain surgery in 2007 and a tube placed in from my head to the abdominal cavity during the surgery. During all this somehow my family has come closer to God. After the word of knowledge, I saw a change in my family. We were becoming more faithful and talked so much about the love of God at home. For the first time I saw my health condition as a blessing rather than a curse to myself and my family. About a week later there was another word of knowledge stating that a girl with depression is having severe nausea and headaches. I knew that the lord was speaking to me again. About two weeks later father Darrel gave a word of knowledge that a young girl abroad participating the adoration through the web is dealing with lost hope and suffering from depression. She has thoughts about ending her existence. But the lord is asking her to give the ownership of the past to him and he will do great things through her. I started to cry because I realized that my Lord was speaking to me again and again. God was not letting me go without a chase. After this I started having many dreams where I was constantly pleading God to forgive me.
During this time period, my right eye got misaligned. Out of the blue I started having cross-eyed vision. My therapist told me that it was due to depression and it will get cured once I pass through the depression phase. One Friday morning (December 9th, 2011) I woke up from a dream. When I opened my eyes after the dream, I instantly knew I have to see an ophthalmologist. I informed my mom about this and though I was in no physical state to go alone, I found the strength to somehow do it on my own since my parents were busy that day. After several examinations, the ophthalmologist informed me that my optic nerves are swollen and is the cause for my cross eyed vision. He advised me to go immediately to the emergency room as I was at the risk of loosing my sight permanently. The very next morning (December 10th) my dad took me to the emergency room. Once there, my Neurosurgeon, Neurologist, Ophthalmologist and the Neuro ophthalmologist did several, CAT scans, MRI scans, X-rays and other tests on me. They evaluated me and concluded that my brain might be either producing excessive amounts of CSF (Cerebral Spinal Fluid) or the necessary amount of CSF was not being drained out. My health was under immediate risk. The very next day (December 13th) I had a brain surgery done to drain out CSF to experiment because the doctors were not sure what should be done. Right after this surgery, my vision became normal and the misalignment in my right eye had corrected itself. Even the clogged feeling in my ears had disappeared. After keeping me in the Intensive Care Unit for about five days, the surgeons decided to place a permanent shunt in one of my ventricles in the brain to continue draining out the excessive CSF. This surgery was done on the 16th of December. After being discharged from the hospital, I continued to see quick recovery. I started going to my appointments alone with the strength of God because he was always with me, every step of the way. I am writing this on the 20th of January 2012.
I would have never guessed there was more to come. On the 26th of January I went for my check ups with my Neuro-Ophthalmologist and my Neuro-surgeon. During the check ups and the scans, both the doctors advised me that the tube they had placed in December had stopped working and once again I was at the immediate risk of loosing my vision. My doctor wanted to admit me in to the hospital immediately and perform yet another brain surgery to replace the tube. I was alone when I was informed of this. I felt warm tears flow down my cheeks and my heart was beating fast. I could not understand why I was having one brain surgery after another. This was to be my fourth brain surgery since 2007. I called my parents immediately and informed them that I was to be admitted. I tried to reason with my doctors and see if I could wait a little longer before this surgery. But he explained to me that the excessive CSF in my brain is putting excessive pressure on my optic nerves causing the damage. So I went through with it as the doctors advised me. I felt immense pain in my heart because there was no one with me. After waking up from the surgery I realized that I was in so much pain and started crying. In the midst of this pain, I realized that even though my earthly parents could not physically be there with me, my spiritual family was always there. I went back to see my surgeon on the 5th of March. He informed that my new shunt is working correctly and I can slowly resume to me normal life. Praise the Lord! My father in heaven proved that he is the solution to the impossible. I felt just a glimpse of how much more Jesus might have suffered. Also my spiritual mother, Mother Mary was always with me, even in places that my mother couldn’t go to.
How I met JesusThe experimental surgery done on the 13th of December is the most memorable experience of my life. The Neurosurgeons put me to deep sleep before the surgery. But during the surgery I woke up to experience the worst pain I have ever felt. The doctors were still operating on my brain, and they continued to inject me with sedatives to put me back to sleep. But nothing was working. I was screaming with intense pain. I pleaded and begged the surgeons to give me what ever they can to get me unconscious. But nothing they gave me worked and I continued to stay conscious. Finally one of the surgeons came to my side and said, “I am really sorry but we don’t know why the sedatives are not working. Here hold my hands and press hard into them.” He took his gloves off and took both of my hands in his, holding them very tight. I was screaming with pain as I felt the surgeons doing something painful to my head. The surgeon by my side asked me to dig my hands in to his as hard as I can to lessen the pain. But confused with intense pain I felt paralyzed. He continued to hold my hands very tight looking deep into my teary eyes. Eventually I felt the surgeons operating on my brain starting to put stitches to bring my skull together. All of a sudden I stopped screaming. Even though I was feeling immense pain, I realized that I was feeling much peace deep within me. I felt as though I was not experiencing this pain by myself. My heart was resting in peace. During the last few stitches the intensity of the peace I felt increased with love, I became numb to the pain. I started to cry because my heart was now glowing with love and peace. Right after the stitches were done and the surgeons said my parents can see me, I felt a switch in the way I was feeling. I felt like I had been resting during the entire process and I had just now returned to my body. When my parents saw me they said I looked like I had a good sleep.
It’s hard to feel happiness and pleasure through an experience like that, but I felt it. I would go through this experience again if I had to. I thank you lord for being so patient with me and never giving up one. I have only seen a glimpse of what your love can do for me. With in a few seconds you have the ability to turn my whole life around and turn. Through all these experiences I have learned to not ask you for what I want lord, instead to give you the ownership of every thing in my life because I know you are doing what is best for me. You will give me everything I need at the right time. I will continue to thank you for my hands, legs, vision, hearing, my brain, my family and all the curses I have brought upon myself through my wrong doings which only you have turned into blessings. I suffered for so long unable to eat, talk, laugh, walk, sit or even sleep. Doctors had no clue of what was wrong. You my God saved me and healed me! Now I see that you are not done with me. I thank you for giving my mother the strength needed to continue to bring me closer to you. I love you my father in heaven, my sweet Jesus, and my holy mother. My life and soul belongs to you forever!
Dinusha Deemanthi Kalupahana USAPraise the lord my name is Prashan Peries, I'm 21 years old and i live at mount Lavinia. In my family there are 4 people including me, that is my mother, father and brother. My parents are strong Catholics and I also studied in St. Peters college. When I was a teenager I got addicted to smoking and drinking, later on I started many unworthy relationships as well. I thought this is the way that I can enjoy my life. After sometime my parents also got to know that I'm drinking and smoking because i got caught several times in the house by doing those things with my friends, but I didn’t really care about my parents.
Then in 2006 i did my o/ls and got through it. After that my father put me to an international school to do London a/ls, but when i saw how those students were behaving, dressing and talking, i thought now i also can do what ever i want. Then i got new friends, so i can remember there was one of my best friend who had a huge political influence because one of there uncles was working as a head coordinator in the army. So where ever we go there were a lot of body guards around us and nobody came to mess with us and also through him i got to know various political influenced people. On the other hand i had a lot of relationships with girls, i cannot wait in a proper relationship. Time to time i changed my relationships like changing clothes. However in 2008 i failed my first year exam of my London a/ls, then my father told me to repeat those exams by staying @ home. So as i was getting prepared for my exams i got on to another relationship with a Muslim girl, this relationship went on for few months and one day she called me and told that a major issue has happened in her home, because there parents have got to know our relationship and have told her that they will not give any permission to continue unless i had to convert to their religion. At that time for me religion was nothing, i thought god is an idea and good for people who don’t have nothing to do. So very easily i told her that I'll come to your religion, then from that day onwards i started practicing there religion. But after few weeks later we had a big issue and week before my conversion to her religion we stopped our relationship.
By that time i was heavily addicted to smoking, drinking, weed and Lustfull pleasures. Every weekend i was at a night club. Then in 2009 January again i got on to a relationship and she asked me to come for the Wednesday prayer meeting, so i said that I'll come but in my heart i was telling to me all crazy people are there. When i came inside the hall praise started and all the people started praising and shouting i thought these people are really really mad. But i remain candle standing. So every Wednesday i came because i have to please her otherwise the next day I'm in trouble. Then after few months both of us told our parents about our relationship and they also agreed with it. So i was thinking every thing is going smoothly.
After 06 months later again there was a big problem with our relationship and i could not handle it then she broke away with me. This is the moment i went mentally down, i became a depression case and started taking medicine also i stopped coming for prayer meetings. So by that time i got through my a/ls started hotel school course. Then in 2009 Dec i finished my first basic and started working as a chef in a city hotel. Even i was working and getting good salary i was not happy inside so the moments i felt lonely i started drinking and getting on to other pleasures as well. In 2010 may my contract with the hotel got over and came back home, by that time i got a job in Dubai and i was waiting for the visa. Since i don’t have any thing to do at home i started hanging out with my friends and started drinking, smoking, smoking weed and doing lustfull things through out the day.one month later a big fight went within me and my friends, so they told me that i’m not a friend of them any more. So one day at night i was thinking to my self “there is no one in my life now, my family members are far away from me, i lost my relationship, so much of depression in my job, also i have lost all my friends”. Then i felt like i have come to an dead end, so i thought I'm going to end my life. But suddenly a thought dropped on to my mind “why don’t you go to tarbor and do a counseling”, immediately i remembered the news later which i’m getting every month. Then next day morning i went there and did a good counseling, after i finished the counseling and came out of that room i felt like a heavy stone was removed from my life. Then the person who counselled me ask “why don’t you come and serve in the community” , since i also don’t have any work i told I'll come. So whole one week i went for different programs in the country, suddenly after one week later i realized something different has happened to me. I realized i didn’t drink, smoke or had weed, also i realized my attachments to those addictions are slowly slowly going away from my life.
So i started spending more in the presence of god, after one month later i was completely out of it. So on one Wednesday i came to the meeting and worship started suddenly when i was in my closed eyes i saw all the sinfully things that i have done in my entire life, i started crying then suddenly i heard a voice talking to me from deep inside my heart saying” i love you, i want you to server me as a priest”. I got a shocked i was thinking what is going to happen to me but i surrendered my life to lord. So how ever i got an opportunity to attend a 4-step retreat, this is the first time i went to a retreat like this. When i went there i felt like the whole retreat is for me, on the 2nd step( give the truth of your hart) i started crying and did a good confession which i have not done for many years. The next day, on the 3rd step (surrender your life to the lord), i surrendered my life to the lord. Then immediately there was a word of knowledge for me saying “god is calling to one brother and a sister to be a priest and a nun”, i knew that it was for me because the word started burning in me. So after few months i met a foreign priest who had come from Australia to give a message in our community. So I had an interview with him and he selected me. But he gave me one year of discerning period and on 2011 June he came back and had the final interview and he selected me. So i got my visa on November and i will be flying to Australia to start my seminary studies. Praise the lord…….
I am here with my wife to thank God Almighty for mediating to reconcile with my family members after almost 15 years of separation. I am the eldest in a family of 3 brothers and two sisters. I, my wife together with our two children who were very young at that time had to keep away from my family members due to continuous misunderstandings and unpleasantness, and we thought the best way to avoid all these was to be on our own, having no dealings with them whatsoever. During the last 15 years so many things have happened. We have grown up in age and matured. Parents have gone to their rest. Both our children, daughter and son are married and our son is living abroad. But with all our happiness in the family, we still felt emptiness in our hearts and wanted to be closer to God as we knew and believed that he will accept us as we are and show us the way to be together as one family once again.
I and my wife started coming to the Wednesday prayer meetings from the beginning of 2010 and were listening to the word of God through Brother Lalith and both of us were convinced that God will listen to our prayers and to have faith in him. Both my wife and I believed that sooner or later God will answer our prayers and make it happen. During this period my wife’s sister and her husband together with a very close relative of ours have also been praying for us continuously and asking God to show us a way for reconciliation.
We were planning to visit our son and his wife in Australia in July, but deliberately postponed our trip to last week of July in order to stay for a prayer meeting on 14th July which we thought was special for us. At that prayer meeting through a word of knowledge a message was delivered that there would be a change in a life of a father and Jesus is directing and guiding him in the correct path which I claimed it for myself and realized that God is making a way for reconciliation with my family members.
Prior to this prayer meeting, while browsing the internet, I happened to glance at the face book and found my brother (living in Switzerland) accidentally, in it. I was inquisitive to look at the photographs attached to his page. There I saw all my siblings in one photograph taken few years back, under the caption My Family. I was out of the picture. I felt lost and at that moment I cried myself out, and felt that something is happening in a mysterious way and that God is showing signs for reconciliation. However I did not divulge this to my wife as I thought that she may not like to hear this, as we are carrying on with our lives without a problem. But this incident was always coming to my mind at all times more specially at prayers.
However, when I told my wife about the incident on the 14th July while returning home after the prayer meeting, she asked me why I did not tell about the incident to her before. I said that I did it purposely waiting for the appropriate time. I knew and was very positive that God has forgiven all of us for our past mistakes whether we own it or not and that the time has come for a Reunion, which is at hand.
We live in Mount Lavinia. On Friday 15th July (the day after the prayer meeting) God proved that he is truly living with us. That day while my wife was preparing coffee around 5.30 in the morning, I saw a poisonous snake about one and a half feet long coming out, from underneath the fridge and coiling itself as if to attack. I called my wife and asked her not to move and stay calm. I thought it would attack me, but it stayed in that position without moving. I knew this as a sign, that God is protecting us and the evil is going out from our midst. I slowly moved away and brought a rug and put it over and destroyed it. We both started thanking God Almighty for showing us that he is with us and has forgiven us, and the devil has been cast away. We still try to fathom how a snake would come inside the house, as we have not heard of any deadly snakes found in the area we live. It is a mystery that no one is able to explain. We believe it is nothing but God who did this to us and showed us that he is truly living amongst us.
When this incident was told to my wife’s sister and the relative who had been praying for us, they said that our prayers are being answered and praised and thanked our Lord for the way he is showing his love. They said the time has now come for us to make a move and talk to my brothers and sisters. But I was a bit hesitant to make the first move expecting a negative response from them. Then our close relative volunteered to call one of my sisters and made the first move. I together with my wife was quite excited what the result would be, but had faith in God’s presence. In a matter of minutes she called us and said that they all are happy to talk to us. So after 15 years God created a path for reconciliation. I then called my youngest sister first and thereafter others in a matter of minutes. That day all the phone lines had been busy spreading the good news. All were excited and happy and I and my wife felt that God has prepared everyone in advance to face the situation. We have no words to thank Our Lord for the graciousness shown towards us but praise him for all his deeds. My daughter and her husband were very happy to hear the good news, but we did not divulge this to our son in Australia until we meet him personally.
When we related this story to our son on our arrival, he told us that he had also being experiencing things which he had not felt before. He told us how he on his own added my sister’s son as a friend in the Facebook not realizing what was exactly happening in the family. He said that my sister’s son has sent him a message saying that a MIRACLE will happen on Saturday 30th July and that he will come to know on the following Monday, the day that we were to arrive in Melbourne. That Saturday I felt that some unseen hand is encouraging me to visit my sick brother first, and this feeling was there throughout the day. I therefore decided to visit him on our way to the Airport. It was a joyful occasion for us as we were seeing each other after a very long period of separation. We are so grateful to Our Lord to make it happen and showing his love towards each and every one of us.
After our return from abroad, on the 18th September all our family members met each other face to face, forgiving and forgetting all our differences and indeed it was a very happy family Reunion. All this was possible, nothing but through the Grace of Our Lord. We Thank You Jesus. Praise you Lord. Ronnie Perera,
I went with my wife to the retreat conducted by Bro Lalith Perera in Aneheim, Los Angeles,with great reluctance, to please my brother who is a server in Melbourne Aus.However, we stayed for all 3 days as we were motivated and inspired to stay on and listen. I made confession, I think after 20 years. We were amassed at what was happening when the Holy Spirit was coming into our hearts. We went for the couples retreat on the 3rd day. A word of knowledge was read by Sister Mercy, quote ” A person with a problem in the feet and finds it difficult to walk will be healed” unquote. I was thinking about me,as I do have the same problem.I have been having a pain in my feet, specially in the hours after noon, when the Sun hots up and blood heats up. This, I have been having since my School days for the last 50 years or so.I always try to avoid walking as much as possible due to the pain. However, as i did not request or wrote a petition, I said, it cant be me. We went home and the next day there was no pain, the day after there was no pain.The third day I exerted myself by walking and still there was no pain!!!….. Praise the Lord. I told my wife after the 3rd day, I don’t feel any pain now on my feet and I have been healed … Praise the Lord. 27 days have gone by and there is NO PAIN !!!!
This is the first time We have experienced the Holy Spirit and it is amassing to feel the change of Life’s perspective, post the Retreat. We thank Bro Lalith Perera and his team of servers for helping us to experience this change and the Miracle of healing my Physical Pain after 50 years.
Regards Dushantha Kurera Corona Los Angeles CalifMy testimony relates to a situation I am in since my conscious entry into a journey with the lord with help of the Community of the Risen Lord.
By profession I am a lawyer who did not want to accept anything unless everything could lead to a logical conclusion. But since of late I have begun to experience the Lord Almighty in my career, where in
matters, I just want to through away with my logical arguments with good clients; God spoke to me and restrained me.
But to my surprise I am the only person who is attending this prayer meeting now, where as earlier my wife and three kids attended the same. This is due to a misunderstanding. God challenged me one day
when I was about to abandon my home leaving my kids ranging from 19 years to 11. But the power teachings which enter my heart daily did not permit me to do anything drastic. God I need your firm hold you have over me as I pass this stage of great crisis.
My name is Gayal. It was during the time I was studying for my O Level examination that my parents’ marriage ran into heavy weather. As time passed, the disagreements and fighting became more severe, so much so that we were afraid to leave our mother alone at home. My younger brother and I took turns to keep our mother company as we were afraid that our father will come along and do something terrible to her. As a result, I could not attend school as much as I would have liked to.
As I changed schools to study for my A levels, I made new friends, who were probably not the best of company to keep. As the fighting and bickering at home continued to escalate, I stayed away from home and hung out with my friends instead. My father had an extra marital relationship and every one seemed to know about it. Every time I got on the street I felt that people were whispering things behind my back. I was so ashamed. Things that other youth my age would do in secret, I started doing in public. I hoped that my father would confront me and try to admonish me. I would then get the chance to tell him “who are you to tell me how to live when you are such a bad example”. Fortunately or unfortunately, my father never confronted me. I used to get into fights often. I was not able to sit for my A level examination as I sustained a serious injury just prior to my exam
After leaving school I got myself a job. As I now had more money to play around with, I began drinking heavily and graduated to smoking cannabis and the like. I also made friends with some mafia style gangsters, commonly known as the underworld in Sri Lanka.
One day I had an accident at work and sustained a spinal injury. I was bedridden for three months and during this time I felt that even my friends had deserted me. I assumed that I would not be able to lead a normal life again. Meanwhile the oppression my mother was going through weighed heavily on my mind. One thing led to another and I decided that I should kill my father and then commit suicide.
On the 16th of February 2006, I put my plan into action. I met one of my friends and obtained a weapon. What happened thereafter was totally unexpected.
As I got home my brother told me that there was a youth program taking place at the Pannipitiya church. My mother chipped in and told me that she would like me to attend this program, which was to start at 1 PM. . I scoffed at the idea and went to sleep hoping to wake up at around 1.30 and executing my plan. However as I woke up early, I thought I should walk past the church, just to kill time.
Bro Lalith was preaching when I got there. He was talking on “come as you are – I love you”. I laughed and thought to myself “what utter nonsense are these people are talking about”. However, as Bro Lalith continued to speak, it seemed as though he knew exactly what was happening in my heart and was talking directly to me. I soon became totally engrossed. When it was time for confessions, I heard a voice behind me saying “My son, you must forgive your father”. I turned around and looked behind me, but I saw no one. Instead I saw a blue light, and in it I began to see my family; my father, my mother my brother and sister, they were laughing and happily talking to each other – just like the days before my O level examination. Simultaneously, it hit me what a wretched sinful man I was. That day I made my confession for the very first time in my life. I cried as never before. The entire front of my shirt was soaked in tears. The pew in front of me was completely wet. That day I went back home a different man.
As I returned home that evening, a miracle had taken place. My father was in the kitchen and was in a cordial conversation with my sister. The usual arguments and bickering was gone and happiness had returned. Today I am a changed man, my father is a changed man, and God has blessed my entire family.
My name is Inuk and I am 23 years old. I started drinking and smoking when I was 16 and it took me only a few months to become a slave to these habits. One day I went for a party and kept on drinking continuously for about 12 – 13 hours, and eventually I passed out. During this time I used to live down the airport road, and had to pass several security barricades to get home. Since I was not conscious, my friends had to call my parents and ask them to pick me up. My friends had to carry me and put me into my parents’ vehicle. When we reached home both my parents had to carry me inside, undress me and put me to bed. This incident was symptomatic of the way I lived during my schooling years.
The next year , I left school and joined an institute to study for a degree. Throughout this time I constantly clashed with my parents. I used to argue with them all the time, and demand the freedom I thought I should have. At the age of 17 I walked out of home. However, my mother wanted me back and because of her tears I came back. By this time drinking and smoking had become mere kid’s stuff and I had started smoking things other than cigarettes.
When I was 21 my father passed away and suddenly our main source of income dried up. Soon after that, one of my uncles offered me a job and I started working for him. My cash flow increased and I could now afford to take fun to another level. I started clubbing and partying with my friends. My daily routine became working till 10.30 or 11 in the night, and thereafter I would meet up with my friends and go clubbing and be there till about 5.30 – 6 in the morning. I would then comeback home, shower and get back to work. I started doing this about 2-3 days at a stretch. I thought that I led a cool life and was very proud of all the crazy things I was doing.
With time, I began to have differences with my uncle. It soon came to the point where I could not work with him any longer. I quit my job and soon after that I went on a holiday to Australia. While I was there I did more crazy things and I got used to smoking “weed”. Shortly after that I had to end my holiday and return to Sri Lanka as I had to sit for an exam. Upon my return, I got back to my usual routine of doing all sorts of crazy things.
On the 29th of April 2006, I was with a few friends at a hotel in Colombo. On my way back home I realized that I would be passing St. Peters College. I remembered that my mother had asked me to come for a retreat that was being held there (my parents had been a part of the Community of the Risen Lord for the last 20 years or so). If I attended the retreat for a few minutes, I knew that I could get my mother off my back for the next 2 weeks at least. So I decided to drop in at St. Peter’s for a short while.
When I entered St. Peters, everyone was outside as it was time for a tea break. I spotted one of my friends there, and went to say “Hi” to him. I never intended to talk to him about my problems, but something made me. I spoke to him for almost 1½ hours, which is something I would not normally do. Now I realize that it was the Holy Spirit working in me. I was not going to come for the retreat the next day, because I had promised to help a cousin, who was shifting houses that day. However, my friend told me that I needed to spend sometime listening to some praise and worship. The next day when I woke up something was disturbing me. I went into my room and shut myself in. I listened to the “Take me Higher” CD. As I listened to the CD something happened and all my past sins and all the people I hurt started coming into my mind. I couldn’t take it any longer, I just broke down in tears. Now I know that I was being forgiven of all my sins at that time. As soon as I finished listening to the CD, my cousin phoned me and informed me that he was not able to shift houses that day, but instead will be shifting the following Tuesday. I was amazed and I was able to attend the second day of the retreat.
Every word that Lalith Thattha spoke that day, I thought was spoken directly to me. I was like almost in a trance. Words cannot express what I was going through. I was thinking am I worthy? There are so many good people out there, but the Holy Spirit took control of me. When I went home that day, I found that I had developed a huge thirst for God. I shut myself in my room and read the Bible. I listened to whatever praise and worship music I could find. On Tuesday when it was time for me to leave for school, I was still reading the Bible. So I took it along with me. This is something that I normally wouldn’t dream of doing. When my friends saw me they were amazed. On Friday I got drunk with them and on Tuesday they see me with a Bible. There was only one thing that I could tell them; some power had hit me. God took complete control of my life and turned it upside down.
Most of my friends are Buddhists, Muslims or Hindus. They could not understand what had happened to me. However, they knew that I would not do something stupid and that whatever I did made sense. The following Wednesday some of my friends joined me for the Wednesday prayer meeting. Not only has the Lord changed me, but is now reaching out to my friends through my conversion. Today I serve the Lord as a full timer at Tabor, the administrative center of the Community of the Risen Lord.
Praise the Lord!