CAVANNA

It was a real treat to catch up with some missionary friends, Nick and Linda Montalto, who minister on the island of Malta. This was a return visit, as we had held a couple of outreach meetings for them before in late 2008. On Sunday morning I had the privilege of speaking in the church, this time on the subject of “Faith’ and the Lord confirmed the message with signs and wonders. We were pleased to hear five different testimonies – many who asked for prayer received. A young Canadian boy healed of pain in his side (instantly); a lady freed from a back pain; a young worship leader feeling relief from a problem in her neck and back; and a Maltese man wonderfully set free from a knee problem (although his painful shoulder remained largely unhealed for a number of days). This same man, an elder of the church, leapt up in the air with joy, shouting hallelujah and then proceeded to run up and down in the church, clearly demonstrating his renewed ability to move quickly without hindrance!

Sometimes God heals in these kinds of services without any laying of hands or the need to come to the front. Nick and Linda have been reaching out to the Islanders and sitting in the Sunday morning service were a couple of women from the world of showbusiness. Their names would be well known in Malta due to their involvement many years ago in the Eurovision Song Contest. Both of these ladies were healed in their backs while sitting in the service. This did not come to light until the following week, when the women shared in their housegroup that since the meeting they had both been strangely free of any pain. No prayer was specifically offered for them – this is simply the goodness of the Lord!

But by far the most exciting of the testimonies in Malta was that of a woman who heard me share some of the Brazillian stories, where three growths dissolved in consecutive meetings, and she presented herself at the front of the church requesting prayer for her growth. The small but tangible growth was both cosmetic and painful, situated at the bottom part of her neck. I prayed a number of times – at first there was no change, and then the lady began to become very excited. ‘It’s getting smaller’ she gasped! A further prayer and the pain disappeared, promptly followed by the growth itself. It had gone! Her friend came to the front to check it for me. ‘It is even’ she said, speaking of the lady’s neck and skin. The Lord had healed her and there was no trace of the growth. I would say the whole process took less than five minutes.

As you can imagine, the congregation cheered and applauded, praising God! The lady also leapt up and down, like the man healed in his knee had done. Perhaps leaping up and down is a Maltese thing, but thoroughly warranted. The Lord had truly shown His power!

While we were on the island, the Icelandic volcano erupted and Jane and I were not able to fly back to the UK for a number of days. This allowed us to pay a visit to the Malta Maritime Museum, with Nick Montalto as our guide, where a set of first century anchors are on display. It is believed by some in the biblical archaeological world that these are the very anchors dropped by the terrified sailors in Acts 27:40, as their discovery fits very closely with the location of the boat in which Paul and Luke were travelling and shipwrecked, just off St Thomas’ Bay.  What a thrill to think that we could be touching something that is referenced in the Scriptures. Of course, we couldn’t resist having a picture taken (see left) with the anchors.

Back at Nick and Linda’s home, it was exciting to hear that the healing move of God that had begun afresh on Mothers’ Day 2010 in Cambridge was still demonstrably at work. We listened in on the church’s live internet link as people shared their healing testimonies. Miracles were happening! This made us all the more eager to return to Britain and see the Lord at work in our own land too.

Praise God!

April 2010