This is a true story – you may wish to share it in one of your posts.
The Prophet lent over her and touched her head resting his hand on it, he closed his eyes and prayed:
The Lord says; “You shall go to London my sister and you will preach to many Peoples and Nations”
The young girl from a poor African family could scarcely believe her ears, how was she ever to even get the money for the flight let alone the Visa? But how she had served the Lord in her country, with Prayers and Fasting and Crusades into the Villages with her friends! Surely the Lord would make a way? Her mind started to fill with thoughts of huge auditoriums where she would preach her message to the Nations – in London, changing the lives of all who heard her to the Lord. Surely, prosperity, success and recognition would follow her all the days of her life once she got there and started His work . .
The girl told everyone she knew about the Prophesy, many quietly scorned her Faith whilst others felt a twinge of jealousy that it was not them who had been ‘chosen’ for this mission, but those who knew and loved the young Girl understood; Her heart was pure and she lived her life for the Lord – who better than to take His message to the nations? And one day, the Lord fulfilled His promise and the young girl, with only the most basic grasp of English, found herself on a huge plane (something she’d only ever imagined), high above her beloved Country bound for Heathrow Airport – London calling . . . .
It was December in England, and the temperature was close to freezing as the great plane lumbered down the cold, hard runway – the girl was wearing open toed sandals and a simple dress all, completely unsuitable for the English weather. As she stepped out of the plane to descend the steps she shivered as a blast of icy air hit her barely protected skin whilst orange floodlights cast an eerie glow on the dark tarmac as the Sun had yet to rise – it was 6am but London didn’t look or feel how she had imagined, but when she came out of the airport, there was a kind family waiting who knew her sister and who’d agreed to give her somewhere to stay until she sorted her own accommodation out. She didn’t worry about finding somewhere to live or even how she might pay for it – after all God had brought her this far, surely He would organise her a place to stay and the money she’d need to begin her Ministry preaching to Peoples and Nations?
Little more happened after that although the Girl would go out each day onto the cold harsh streets of London and preach the Gospel, telling busy men and women how Jesus loved them even though her grasp of English was scarcely good enough for her to be able to speak about anything else. People would spit at her, assault her and throw verbal abuse in ways that were utterly unlike anything she had seen in Africa, men who at first appeared kind and wanting to help, would try and trick her into returning to their flats for God alone knew what, but somehow she managed to avoid the danger all around her and continue to preach the Gospel. It was hard, it was cold and she was alone in a Country where so many saw her as at best a second rate citizen or at worst a black mad woman who really ought to go home and leave them in peace. Was this the promise she’d been given? Yes it was, but not the way she had created in her mind . . .
Time went on, and eventually she found a job, it meant leaving home at 3 in the morning followed by a two hour bus journey in the freezing cold and then having to work flat caring for the elderly until perhaps 4pm when she would repeat the long bus journey and return home for 6 at night if she was lucky. Her life was harder – far harder than it had ever been in Africa, where in Africa she had been surrounded by family and friends who loved her, in London she was all but alone. Like all the Preachers and Prophets of old sent by the Lord, she had gone to a foreign land to take His message to People and Nations who refused to know Him, and been treated with utter contempt to within an inch of her life.
Of course, those in Africa are still jealous of her new found life in the West, the streets after all are paved with Gold aren’t they? No, – the truth is they are paved with Cold, and if you want the Gold (and you are pretty enough) you’d best sell your body or if you’re not, then just sell your soul to the Devil and join the party in modern Nineveh. . .
The simple African girl remained Faithful when many of us would have fallen away – maybe that’s the reason the Prophet was given the words to speak over her and the Lord chose to use her – it’s just a crying shame that no-one in the Church thought to tell her the truth about what happens to the Prophets God sends to the Nations and remind her of the fate of His own Son . . .
The Blessing is to be chosen – nothing more. Remember, we are told to take nothing with us for the journey nor accept any gifts for the blessings we share . .
“Oh my Church, how thou hast fallen” saith the Lord thy God
God bless you