I really want to tell you about the amazing time I had in Milan but first a quick update on the house.
After my last post, I offered to rent the house to the couple who had wanted to buy it because I believe this is what God said to me to do. They did not want to rent it but said that this offer was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for them. What a blessing to be able to do that, even if the offer was not accepted!. However, it meant I did not now know which way to go with the house. I prayed and said to God I would pursue both renting and selling and asked that he close the wrong door and let the right one open wide. On Saturday I received an asking price offer so I am now believing for contracts within 6 weeks. So by the first week in June it should all be completed and keys handed over. I will keep you updated.
So to Milan, I am very blessed to have a dear friend who lives there and speaks fluent Italian which makes visiting such a joy. This time when I went because of where I am in my life, that is, wanting to push deeper into all God has for me, I went asking that God would use me out there, that he would inconvenience me. I am so thankful to say that he took me at my word and my friend and I were greatly encouraged and blessed.
We planned two trips while I was there, one to Lake Como and the other to Verona. The trip to Lake Como went off without a hitch and we had a beautiful day. The rather long and steep climb to the lighthouse was hard work but gave the most breathtaking views.
The next day we planned to visit Verona. We got our tickets and looked at the timetable and caught the only train at 10:35, the time of our train. After a little while the conductor came, looked at our tickets and began a discussion with my friend. Interestingly to me, the people on the table opposite seemed to be joining in too. It appeared we had got on the wrong train. Now if it had just been me this would not have been surprising but my friend has lived there for 9 years and has never got on the wrong train before. We decided to get off at Parma and spend the day there instead. My friend was most apologetic that we had got the wrong train but I asked, who said it was the wrong train and so we invited God to come and inconvenience us.
We had a great day and headed back on the train to Milan. This was where the inconvenience came in, though in truth it was enjoyable and not very inconvenient! A young man came and sat with us and soon began to talk to us in English. This was unusual as there are not many fluent English speakers in Northern Italy and I spend most of my time there having 3 way conversations through my friend. He told us that he was half Greek and half Italian and was off to see his family in Greece. He had been brought up with knowledge of Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholicism but had come to the conclusion that you can reach God without religion. He had decided this because his mum had been asked to leave the Greek Orthodox church near her home in Greece because she crossed herself the wrong way. Rightly, this young man thought this was ridiculous and this led to a great conversation about grace. He then told us he was finishing his MA in Engineering and looking for what to do next. One of his options was to spend some time in Australia and as soon as he said it I felt this was his right next step and was able to encourage him to give it a try, even if just for a short time. As we got off the train in Milan, he thanked us for our time and encouragement and went on his way. Who knows what God has planned for this young man but it is clear that God's hand is upon him, even if he does not yet see it!
That was the end of our exploits outside of Milan. The next day I was giving my testimony at my friend's church's meal for the people who lived in a nearby hostel. There were 5 people there from the hostel and a number of helpers. We worshipped for a little while and then one of the men spoke for a little while. During the worship my friend came and told me about the lady she was talking to as the lady wanted us to pray for her. This lady said that every Thursday for 4 years she had manifested many demons and been exorcised by her local church at their weekly exorcism service. I did the only thing I could! I prayed for the rest of the evening saying, Holy Spirit reign in this place and guide our prayers. This definitely felt a little inconvenient to me, or at least much more out of my comfort zone!
The evening finished and we took this lady upstairs to pray for her. I had no idea what to expect and was a little apprehensive. I invited Holy Spirit to come and instantly felt his tangible present. Awesome! I then prayed as I felt led, lots of identity stuff over her and the blood of Jesus. My friend translated as I prayed. When we had finished the lady said that she had never had such gentle ministry and she felt the touch of Jesus. Wow! Thank you Holy Spirit for your guidance. I was then able, through my friend, to suggest to this lady that she ask God about moving church and she said she would.
This lady has seen my friend since and is talking about going to my friend's church. Please pray that she does. I have spoken to a friend here who has been dealing with this kind of stuff for years and he said it sounds like Holy Spirit used me to shut the door, the thing he thinks her church had not been doing for 4 years. Isn't Holy Spirit amazing? He truly is our counsellor and guide as I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. Hallelujah!
I hope you have been encouraged so far but for me, this next incident was the pinnacle of an amazing few days. It was Milan rush hour and my friend was on the phone when I spotted a man with two crutches walking very slowly. Instantly I knew God wanted me to pray for him. However, I began to walk away with my friend when her call had ended. God had other ideas though and as we reached the middle of the road I knew I had to go back and pray. I asked my friend how people were in Italy if you asked to pray for them in the street. She said she did not really know as she had only done it once on an outreach. I pointed to the man and said I need to pray for him and bless her, she said okay. I am very aware that this was an easier task for me than for my friend, she was the one who had to do the talking!
We reached the man and my friend asked if we could pray for him and instantly he said yes but he needed to sit as he could not just stand still. Wow! My faith levels rose and I was believing God for healing. We walked about 150 yards and it took about 20-25 minutes as his walking was so slow. During this time we found out that he had MS and it had been worse for the last 4 years since he came back from France. He lived in a local hostel but it was closed during the day so he just had to walk around. He walked around because the alternative was giving up. After 10 minutes or so of walking with us he said he would understand if we left, he did not want to inconvenience us! I got my friend to tell him that I was on holiday and so time was not an issue and who knows but that I flew to Milan for this very reason. Eventually, we sat down and I commanded the MS to leave and prayed for him and my friend prayed to. Nothing! As I stood up though God told me to hug him and so I asked my friend to ask him if I could. Instantly his face changed, he said yes and I hugged him followed by my friend. Wow! I was sent to Milan to give this man a hug and show him that he was loved. How awesome is that? How privileged am I?
That was the last of my Milan adventures but my challenge is to continue to walk that way now I am back in the UK. It seemed so much easier in a different culture with someone having to translate for me. My prayer is though each and every day, inconvenience me Papa, let me be used by you. Give me ears to hear and eyes to see and boldness to obey. I pray you are encouraged and I pray that over coming weeks I will have more encounters to share but also that you will have some of your own. When you do, please share them, it is so encouraging to hear of God at work.
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