The Transformation Through Prayer In The Midst Of Difficulties from Global Horizons on Vimeo.

This video is about Stacey Spiess from Faith In Christ Fellowship Church in Eagan, MN. Stacey had a series of real difficulties and discovered that Jesus and the connections through her church caused her to have joy in the midst of all of these things.

God’s Healing Presence - John Leonard

As we grow older, many of us face health issues. John Leonard a member of Swansea Community Church experienced several life-threatening health issues and in the midst of these he experienced the peace of God and a glimpse of heaven.

God’s Healing Presence - John Leonard from Global Horizons on Vimeo.

God Is More Than A Friend - Linda Pope

All her life, Linda Pope kept people at a distance until one day God challenged her with His love. Linda is a member of Swansea Community Church.

God Is More Than A Friend - Linda Pope from Global Horizons on Vimeo.

As I travel among the Lifelink churches, I have the privilege of hearing stories of transformation of ordinary people’s lives.

In this case I share two short stories together, each one showing how God surprises us.

The first story is from Owen Gibson and illustrates how God transforms our plans into His plans and a new adventure begins.

The second story is from Jan Watt who went on a short term mission to Lusaka, Zambia and was blown away by the young lady she met and left with a new friend.

Enjoy these stories:

Two Transformation Stories, Cambridge, UK from Global Horizons on Vimeo.

Paul Mitchell - Grace Overflows from Global Horizons on Vimeo.

Paul discovers just how big grace is and how it brings peace to a driven life. Paul is a member of the Swansea Community Church.

God’s Abundant Provision - Liz Malaiperiman from Global Horizons on Vimeo.

Liz had strayed from attending church when God planted the desire to become part of Burnham Community Church. She soon discovered that church is more than a meeting as God began to surprise her with blessings. Listen to her as she shares just how God did this.

No Longer A Victim - Tony Passey from Global Horizons on Vimeo.

Sexually abused as a child, Tony was filled with anger and addiction until transformed by Jesus. Now a member of Burnham Community Church, Tony has found the ability to forgive as he has been transformed to a new man.

Shaun Church - It Took A Miracle from Global Horizons on Vimeo.

Shaun Church is from the London Community Church. He was an atheist when his brother told him to come to a meeting at LCC. He and his wife were unable to have children and although he didn’t believe in God, he decided he had nothing to lose so he asked the speaker to pray they would have children. Three months later his wife was pregnant and within a short time Shaun became a follower of Jesus.

God Has Something For Me To Do - Matt Smith from Global Horizons on Vimeo.

Matt Smith grew up in difficult times in a family that was not supportive. He soon turned to drugs and anything else that would make him happy. God woke him up when he met his wife and was met by God. This is a story of how God miraculously saves people.

Matt and his wife are members of Church Alive in Birmingham, UK.

Sally grew up with dysfunction and rejection which left her alone and depressed. A simple invitation to a church totally changed her life as she discovered Jesus was real. Sallie is a member of Kings Church, Wirral.

James Muffett, an elder in the Lansing, MI church (Liberty Christian Church) has been actively mentoring and training the next generations of government, business, and news media leaders. I believe James has had more impact on our future all of these years.

Watch the video and be amazed with what God has done through the work of Student Statesmanship Institute:

From small beginnings with 14 students, SSI has grown to include: three separate week-long summer camps, serving more than 300 students each year; a traveling, two-day, on-site program for Christian, public and home-school students; and an exciting, discipleship program for SSI alumni called the Ambassador League.

Hundreds of young people, aged 14 to 19 years from a variety of denominations and backgrounds, are touched each year by the ministry of SSI.

The result? Today, SSI is Michigan’s Premier Biblical Worldview & Leadership Training Program for high school students.

SSI represents a whole new way of thinking. Young people come to understand that God has a destiny and purpose for their lives. They start to realize that faith is not a ‘crutch’ for weak people, but rather it has relevance to every area of life. They begin to see themselves as Christ’s Ambassadors, who have been commissioned to influence the world for His Kingdom. They learn to give themselves as servant leaders in a bankrupt culture. They are equipped to counter the narrow-secular worldview that is so pervasive in our society.

The mission of restoring traditional values to our society is most effectively accomplished by making an eternal investment in young people—the next generation of leaders—our primary focus.

The Student Statesmanship Institute (SSI) is a dynamic Biblical worldview and leadership training program established by the Foundation for Traditional Values (FTV) to further the mission of affirming and restoring America’s Judeo-Christian heritage.

Visit their web site at the following link: www.ssi-online.org

Eric and Ann were in Southport, UK when they encountered a woman at the cafe who needed healing from shingles. Eric prayed a very simple prayer and the woman was healed.

Both Eric and Ann are members of City Church, Liverpool.

God’s gift of healing is not just for ourselves, but for all those around us. Listen as Ruth shares a story of God’s healing power with a neighbor who had cancer. Jesus really shows up when we pray for our neighbours.

Ruth Jones is a member of the City Church, Liverpool.

Stacie Murphy has had the wall of hate torn down and replaced with peace and love through Jesus.

Stacie grew up in an atheist home and although she always knew there was a spiritual part of her, it wasn’t until she realized that there was a “wall” in her life that needed to come down.
Stacie is a member of King’s Church, Wirral, UK.

Jubilee is a day filled with fun, hope and encouragement. Through donations from churches, individuals, corporations, and O2H (you), have brought blessings of food, merchandise, services, all in a fun, festive atmosphere. It’s all FREE!

The Mission of Jubilee is to give away more than just stuff. The true mission of Jubilee is to serve God by giving generously, compassionately and unconditionally to people in order to demonstrate the hope and love that can only come through Jesus. This is the ninth consecutive year for giving away thousands of dollars of goods and services.

This year there were 1815 registered attendees with 24 area churches contributing. 60 + Vision screenings were given away (mobile clinic), 11 attendees had dental treatment (free) in a mobile clinic, 1600+ bottles of laundry soap distributed, thousands of pieces of clothing, baby items, and household items given away. 1728 loaves of bread were served and over 925 families were taking part. 1,700 bags of groceries were given away along with 65 haircuts, 140 family portraits and all with live clowns, music, dance acts, pizza and more.

To serve this many people, 470 volunteers show up to help distribute the goods and services, all in Jesus’ name. Each family receives a certificate good for 7 FREE blessings. These blessings include: a bag of groceries, a choice of services (haircut, photo session, etc.) and many new or gently used items such a clothing, toys and household merchandise. All this while items are being distributed there is food, treats, live music, bouncy houses and entertainment. Truly the people who attend call this their own fair for the poor!

Carol Griffiths has experienced the peace and healing that God gives when we pray. Having gone through a very painful and life-threatening situation, Carol affirms that Jesus is with us in the valley of the shadow of death and brings life and peace in the midst of it.

Carol is a member of the New Life Church, Letchworth, UK

Although Elaine was unaware of it, unforgiveness lay deep within her. Unforgiving of herself and of people who had hurt her. Elaine discovered that the grace of God could not only empower her to forgive, but to be free.

Elaine is a member of New Life Church Letchworth, UK.

Although Ruth knew about God she did not know what it was to have a relationship with God through Jesus. As her life spun out of control with abuse, divorce, drugs, alcohol and depression, God met her and transformed her when she was at her worst.

Ruth Jones is a member of the City Church, Liverpool, UK.

Dave Paterson grew up in Africa and when he needed a career, he decided to move back to the UK and join the Army.

Dave drifted away from God and began to live the life of a soldier, partying and living his own life. He saw his career going nowhere so he decided to take a job change within the army and moved to the Chester area.

Here, he began going to Northgate Church, Chester, UK and it was here that he recommitted his life to Jesus and not only saw transformation happen in his life, but in his career.

John Coppack lived a life of addiction to drugs and alcohol. He was resigned to the fact he would die using; but God miraculously changed him from the inside out and now he is a follower of Jesus! Listen to his story of transformation.

John is a member of King’s Church, Wirral.

Maria’s life was a mess and no matter what she did she sank deeper into that mess. With 6 children she was desperate to get out of all of the things which were destroying her life but it wasn’t until she had an authentic encounter with Jesus that her life began to change.

Watch the video as she shares how Jesus transformed her to a life that blesses everyone around her - especially her family.

Maria works with the youth of King’s Church, Wirral, UK where her life has become a message of hope for the transformation of that generation.

Ted Forman (Vladimir) was an orphan with no hope living in Russia. He shares how a shoebox gave him hope and eventually his life was completely turned around by adoption and his new life knowing Jesus.

Speaking at the Christ Church, MN family camp, Ted was part of a project with Christ Church to be the “hands and feet of Jesus”.

This story will inspire you that God uses the littlest things to make big changes and that Jesus really meant that if we give a cup of cold water in His name there is reward. If you have ever been part of “Operation Christmas Child” you will want to see how much one shoebox changes lives and brings hope.

Shannon Mitchell was heading the wrong direction in life feeling pushed and shoved into boxes that just weren’t meant for her until she was transformed by Jesus. Shannon was encouraged by a friend to come to her youth group where she felt acceptance and love. Shannon’s friend then invited her to her church, New Life Church in Rugby.

Shannon no longer feels she has to fit in a “box” others put on her because now she is in the “box” God designed for her.

Shannon’s mother, Karen Mitchell, observed the transformation in her daughter and was drawn to the same church where she ultimately met Jesus for herself. What impacted her was a women’s breakfast where three women talked and that spoke right to her heart as if it was designed just for her.

Karen now feels all things are new for her because she now understands what it means to be “reborn”.

Both of these women are changed forever!

Irena Toska grew up in Albania where the Communist Government did everything it could to wipe out religion. Although Irena grew up in a family that held no spiritual believes Irena discovered Jesus was her source of hope.

Watch her tell the story of just how this transformation took place. Listen to Alan Scotland share of how he and others at the Bible College of Wales were led to pray for Albania which had been declared a country where God was dead.

Surprise - the old regime died and Jesus is very much alive in Albania!

Jenny Coles of Chester, UK was diagnosed with breast cancer and needed surgery. Jenny felt the peace of God to go ahead with the necessary operations all the while sensing and experiencing God’s peace.

However, when it came time for chemo therapy, she lost that sense of peace and sought God as to what to do. This video is the story of how God led her and his participation with her in her situation.

Up to 22 men meet weekly to study and apply the Bible to their lives. Based on a book called Divine Mentor by Wayne Cordeiro, Guy Lister called men to meet every week at a McDonald’s restaurant at 6:30 a.m. to apply what they read to their daily lives.
To say the least, this has transformed their lives. Watch the Video to capture from some of the men themselves what they say has happened to their lives!

Shirley Brown of the Northgate Church, Chester, UK shares how God has called her to support families of children with additional physical and communication needs, from birth to school age.

                                              Shirley Brown Sharing About LINKS

Named “Links”, she aims to provide a venue where parents of children with additional needs can come and meet other parents experiencing similar challenges and provide a compassionate environment where they feel they belong.

Nathan Paylor and Aaron Edwards of Northgate Church, Chester, UK have a heart to reach lost people on the streets on the streets of Chester.

They both admit that this is outside the box, but they sense a call to the twin ideas being both wise and fools in order to proclaim the Gospel on the streets in the same way that Wesley did many years ago.

                                                      Video of Nathan and Aaron

They both claim this is a blessing and an honor. They want to be relevant but not skip the truth. They observe that people are listening and responding.

They say, ‘You can dismiss Christians, the church, but not Jesus for he is still respected and admired by people even in this post-modern age.

              Left to right: Jenny Coles, Mark and Emma Ramkelawan with baby Jacob

Mark & Emma Ramkelawan of Chester, UK have experienced a very miraculous birth of Baby Jacob. Virtually given no real probability of conception and birth, God had other plans for them. Watch their story unfold in the video below:

Mark and Emma tried for one year to have a baby when it was discovered that they had a 0.04% change of ever getting pregnant. Needless to say, they were very discouraged.

Mark’s mother was praying for them when God reminded her that at their wedding, she felt led to pray for the future grandchildren. Jenny went over to pray for them and “call the baby into being”.

Mark and Emma were at the airport for a much needed holiday when she discovered she was pregnant. It turned out that Jenny said, “They really needed to take a test before they leave.” Mark shared that if they had not taken the test when they did, the fertility treatments they would undergo would have caused a miscarriage!

Terry Bostick is a vital part of CrossPoint Church in Crown Point, Indiana. Although Terry did not know much about healing and how to pray for healing, he felt a strong urge to pray for a woman whom his boys went to school with who had cancer. To his surprise, she did get healed. The following is the story as told by Terry.

Because God had used him to pray for healing, others asked him to pray and he was more that willing. But, as time went on, he did not see everyone get healed and that opened him up to doubts and questions of faith.

Part 2

In part 2 below, Terry is surprised again by God’s healing - this time for himself (even though he did not seek it out). As a result, Terry’s doubts have been blown away and his assurance is that God is in charge of healing, not him. He has again started praying for people to be healed.

                                      Ryan, Joslynn, and their three sons

Little did Ryan and Joslynn know that they would have an “instant” family including teenagers.
Listen to a story that was initiated by the Holy Spirit and has brought transformation to them and all those around.

                                                                    Video Story

Ryan and Joslynn Heath had no idea when they married what God has in store for them. Both had graduated from college and were settling in to their marriage, when after a vacation to Costa Rica Together,  Joslynn had a strong sense that God wanted her to go back to school to learn Spanish. She had struggled with Spanish before in high school and couldn’t believe why in the world God would want her to take more Spanish.

They decided to go on a missions trip to Nicaragua where they worked in a small orphanage. It was there that they first met the three brothers that would end up being their sons. The Holy Spirit spoke to Joslynn first and then to Ryan that these boys would be their sons. When they shared this with their pastor, he confirmed this by saying, “Bring those boys Home.”

When they returned to Nicaragua to petition the government for adoption the authorities said no based on three laws.

1- The age of the children was such that Joslynn was too young.

2 - In Nicaragua, the government chooses who you will adopt, not the parents.

3 - They would have to move to Nicaragua and raise them there until each of the children were 18.

But God had His own plan, and the government later made an exception to each issue and 2 years later the boys live with Ryan and Joslynn in Munster, Indiana as their sons.
God said He was going to transform the Heath’s lives. Ryan stresses “This is how a relationship with God can be where God speaks to you.”

One of the transformational works that Living Word Church, Lansing, IL has been involved with has been fostering children. Most have brought the love of Jesus to families through fostering children through Safe Homes For Children. 

When crisis strikes, many of us rely on relatives and our church family for support. But for some parents, there isn’t a safety net. Often problems such as drug addiction, domestic abuse, incarceration, or illness can be debilitating, making it impossible for parents to care for their children. With the changing economy many more families are experiencing financial crisis, unemployment, and homelessness. During such crisis, children are especially at-risk for neglect or abuse as their parents struggle to cope with crushing circumstances and emotions.

Safe Families for Children has offered sanctuary to thousands of children, minimizing the risk for abuse or neglect and giving parents the time and tools they need to help their families thrive. The ultimate goal is to strengthen and support parents so they can become Safe Families for their own children.

Each family below has a uniquely different story to tell. Each one is worth watching.

The first family we will hear from are Larry and Ellen Barker.

                                          Above Video: Larry and Ellen Share Their Story

The Barker’s first foster child was a 3 day old baby whose mom was in Prison. Because of the care given to the baby, the visits to the Prison where Ellen brought the baby to see her mom, and sharing Jesus, the mom came into relationship with Jesus committing her life to the Lord.

They have also taken in a special needs child who had a stroke. When the baby arrived, he couldn’t sit up nor do much of anything. Both Larry and Ellen learned what they needed to know to help the child from many people and when the child went back to his family 9 months later, he could sit up and feed himself.

You could say that fostering and adoption is a transformational theme of how the churches in the Chicago region have been moved to bring the life of Jesus and His Kingdom to their world. Listen to their story as they share how this has transformed them as well as to the families they have been ministering.

Larry and Ellen have 9 children of their own and everyone pitches in to bring life to these precious foster children. They all have learned what it means to deny themselves for the needs of another.

The next family is Neil and Lori O’Dea.

Listen to each family member as they share that although there are difficulties and inconveniences in fostering, they each have been transformed by the servanthood God has involved them in. They say the blessings are worth everything!

                                      Above Video: Neil and Lori O’Dea And Family Share Their Story

Bob and Brittany Jansma have chosen to “foster to adopt” through the Indiana child welfare. Bob and Brittany have adopted one son and continually foster other children. They both see this as a call of God on their lives. Listen as they share how although they had to struggle through a lot of red tape, God has helped them realize their hope and dreams.

                                          Above Video: Bob and Brittany Share Their Story

Andy & Michelle Smith
Andy & Michelle have always felt they would have a family in addition to children born to them.
Andy had mentored Illya for several years and when Illya’s mom needed some help, Andy and Michelle brought Illya into their family as a spiritual son.
Andy and Michelle have a 3 year old daughter, Autumn and are expecting another child.
Andy is the Youth Pastor at Living Word Church where the family actively participates.

                                      Above Video: Andy, Michelle & Illya Share Their Story

Both Brad and Lori Feltis are part of Faith In Christ Fellowship, Eagan, MN USA. Brad is one of the leading pediatric surgeons specializing in pre-born surgery (surgery on fetuses in the womb).

Listen to their story as how God transformed their marriage when all seemed hopeless.

Brad has always believed he could depend on himself to solve all of his problems until one day he woke up and found his marriage, family, and house were about to be removed from him. When all hope seemed lost to both Brad and Lori, God began to bring about a dramatic change in the same way a caterpillar enters the confines of a cocoon and emerges a butterfly.

You too can experience the transformation power of Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 40:29f says, ‘He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.’

There are times we fly over our problems (like an eagle) or we run and don’t grow weary but sometimes we walk and don’t faint. For the believer in Jesus, God is present and giving grace by each of the above. Jill shares how God’s grace was present in adverse situations where God walked with her through her move to Rugby in His loving provision through impossible situations and through cancer.

Gill Roberts tells her own story of transformation to encourage you that for those who believe in Jesus’ name, there is grace, peace, and provision in all of life’s difficulties.

Video of Gill Roberts

Gill is an active member of the New Life Church, Rugby, UK.

From time to time we will highlight stories of transformation because of the obedience of God’s people to Christ in reaching the lost and extending their blessing beyond the walls of the church. These stories of how life has changed due to the Gospel speak to a generation that knows only about self-help and self-hope. Jesus grants the grace and power for an abundant life.

Alistair Pirrie from Glastonbury, UK,  has a heart to minister to the homeless and to a group of people known as the ‘Travelers’. The Travelers are a group of people in the UK who have dropped out of society and live in caravans in quarries, or any place they can settle for a bit of time. Alistair felt compelled by Jesus to visit the Travelers in the Glastonbury region when the presence of Jesus surprised one of them with His presence. Watch the video as Alistair shares what happened next.

Alistair Pirrie

Simon Williams from Weston-super-Mare was surprised by the healing power of God in Lusaka, Zambia. Having traveled to minister to the New Springs of Life Church in Lusaka he strengthened the relationship that Woodspring Community Church has with Peter Kaunda. He spend time preaching and teaching when God surprised him with healing a woman who had cancer.

Simon Williams

Our first story was about a pastor who traveled to one of our related churches in India and experienced the miracle power of Jesus to heal. Watch and Geoff Brown from Northgate Church in Chester, UK shares what happened.

Geoff Brown