In 1998, Silvia and about four of her friends were living in Encarnación, Paraguay when they realized that there was an estimated 13,000 people in that city who were extremely poor and desperate because they had very little food and absolutely no healthcare. Over the last 11 years this very dedicated group of people have been holding makeshift medical clinics in churches, schools and even underneath trees simply in an effort to provide healthcare for folks in need.

While I was visiting Paraguay for the first time recently, Silvia and her group approached me and asked if I would help build a clinic in Encarnación. If that stirs something within your spirit, then take a moment and pray about it then contact us at Rivers of the World (ROW).

Many people like Silvia throughout the world are finding creative ways to provide healthcare to people desperately in need. Did you know there is a direct correlation between a healthy spirit and body? In Proverbs 3:7-8 we read one way to accomplish both at the same time:

“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.”

When we seek the wisdom of God, display a reverential fear of the Lord and actively reject the evil of this world it will not only provide health to our spiritual bodies but we will also experience well-being throughout our physical bodies.

As many of you may know, my wife, Mickie, finished her chemotherapy and she recently had a follow-up CAT scan to check the status of the cancer. We had to wait a week for the results and then I had to wait for her to call me with the news. She was supposed to call me around Noon her time in Doha, which would be 4 a.m. here in Georgia.

On the designated day, at the appointed time, I began praying at 4 a.m. Yes, that is somewhat early in the morning for me, but it was a big day finding out if my wife was going to be okay or not. At exactly 4:30 a.m. the phone rang and my heart skipped a few beats. I paused before picking up the phone and said, “All right, Lord, whatever the results we’re going to be able to face it.” I answered the phone anticipating Mickie’s voice and it was some guy from the Rotary Club wanting to know if I was going to be there or not!

I just laughed and thought, “God you are so good!” At about 5 a.m. the phone rang again and this time it was Mickie. She gave me the best news I have ever heard. The CAT scan was clear and we are praising the Lord!

If you have been praying for a physical healing for what seems like forever, let me encourage you to not give up. Press in closer to Christ and persistently pray until God answers, even if that answer is no. We have a powerful example in Luke 8:43-44 (NKJV) of a woman who refused to give up hope, even after 12 agonizing years of battling a blood disorder. We read:

“Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.”

Despite the multitude of people who surrounded the Messiah, this woman managed to push her way through the crowd, knowing that she likely wouldn’t be able to actually speak with Jesus or even touch him personally. She had enough faith to know that all she had to do was merely touch the hem of Christ’s garment and healing would take place.

How about you? How persistent are you when you need a healing touch from the Master? Do you pray one time, wait a few weeks, or perhaps a couple of months, and then give up? Is your healing important enough to spend additional time in prayer, extra time reading God’s Word and more time pursuing Christ until either He gives you an answer or you experience a healing?

Mik fought valiantly against the cancer while living in Doha, located in the beautiful country of Qatar. Praise the Lord, she recently finished her last chemotherapy treatment! I decided I would call her and see how she was feeling. The first time I called her she was still hooked up to a chemo pump and was standing behind former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright at the Four Seasons Hotel getting ready to have dinner.

I called Mik again the next day and she was out shopping with a bunch of her friends! Bless her heart! I’ve never seen anything like this in my life. I just know that she gets that power and energy from your prayers, concern and love.

We have very clear instructions what we should do when we need help or a healing. Read James 5:13-16:

“Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

It is not the faith of the person being prayed for that is necessary in making the sick person well. Instead, it is the faith of those believers who are praying. Our prayers for others can accomplish mighty things, can tear down strongholds in people’s lives, can impart physical healing in someone’s body and can literally pull someone out of the depths of sin.

Spend time today with Jesus, who is the very source of the power experienced in our prayers.

The buffet I experienced on a recent trip to Honduras would actually take pounds off instead of adding them. Our buffet happened to be an entire 40-foot container filled with medical supplies and equipment that we unloaded when it arrived at our new clinic, Las Lajas Centro de Salud, located near the town of Taulabe.

We had a ball unloading the container, which was overflowing with bandages, chemical supplies, medicines, medical equipment and other necessary items that will stock our new clinic designed to serve 58,000 people who live in about 41 small mountain villages.

Physicians, nurses and other medical staff will do more for these people than simply provide necessary medical care in this clinic. They will have a chance to offer kind words and emotional support to families battling major illnesses, they will be able to administer compassion and a loving touch to those in need and there may even be windows of opportunity to prescribe the Good News of Jesus Christ.

We can’t discount the effectiveness of medicines and medical care, but as we read in Proverbs 15:30, a simple touch, a gentle smile and a heartfelt caring word can equally provide the necessary healing in someone’s life. This verse states:

“A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.”

There is still work to be done before the medical clinic is finally completed. If you would like to learn more about this Rivers of the World (ROW) project or if you’re interested in lending a hand, visit us at www.row.org.

Many of you are aware of the fact that Mickie has been involved in a very desperate fight against cancer. She has created quite a site on CaringBridge, a web site where anyone facing critical illness, going through cancer treatment or in recovery, can set up their own personal site. Mickie’s site includes several pictures, a personal journey detailing her chemotherapy treatments and her life in the Middle East and a guestbook. So many people all over the world have been so very kind to add comments and encouraging words in Mickie’s guestbook.

Would you mind if I ask you a favor? I want to be able to give Mickie a message from all of you. With your permission, I want to be able to pray with my wife and share with her that you are lifting her up in prayers and that you are celebrating this wonderful time of the year believing in God’s miraculous gift of healing. I thank you all for your love and support over the last few months and for your outpouring of kindness and compassion.

Many Christians who are undergoing a particularly difficult time in their lives will search the New Testament for comfort, direction, encouragement and wisdom. If you are in need of a healing touch from God, then may I suggest you look no further than two powerful verses of Scripture in the Old Testament? Let’s take a look at Isaiah 53:4-5 (Amplified):

“Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried our sorrows and pains [of punishment], yet we [ignorantly] considered Him stricken, smitten, and afflicted by God [as if with leprosy]. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole.”

One of the key words in this passage is “are.” It does not say that we may be healed. We must realize Christ suffered much on the cross at Calvary to wipe away our sins and to provide a way for our healing, both spiritually and physically. Today, if you need a healing touch from Jesus, pray a prayer of faith, believing in the God who heals. Praying God’s blessings upon you and that you have a very Merry Christmas.

I can remember as a little boy when I would get in a fight with my buddy, Doug, about two to three times a week. I don’t recall what we ever fought about and we never hurt each other, just got into big fights. I knew who my “enemy” was when I was fighting because I knew his name.

Well now, many years later, I am in a tremendous fight with an enemy that I can’t see, but I know his name. My wife was recently diagnosed with a type of cancer called adenocarcinoma, which is located in the small intestine. Now that I know his name, I am ready to fight and not give up until we conquer this foe.

The key to being victorious as Christians is recognizing who the enemy is and then realizing the power we have within us to defeat the enemy. Paul gives us instruction on who we are fighting against in this life and how we can be conquerors in the fight. We read in Ephesians 6:11-13:

“Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”

We must realize that our fight is not against people, but instead, against the evil forces of this world which is manifested by sin in people’s lives. Whether you are dealing with someone struggling with an addiction, someone consumed with selfish pride or someone battling cancer, the weapon we must use in these situations is all the same…the Word of God.

Would you please join with me today in praying for my wife, Mickie, as she begins her fight against cancer?

The man’s wound was cleaned then the team laid hands on him and prayed over him in the name of Jesus. They wrapped his leg with bandages then sent him on his way. The next day at the clinic the man returned, pushing his way through the crowd. He handed Teresa a baggie that contained the bandages she had given him the day before. Also inside the baggie was a huge thorn that had worked its way out of this man’s leg.

The man proclaimed that he came back to the clinic in order to praise God and to thank the One the mission members called Jesus for his wonderful healing that took place following prayer the night before.

These dedicated, faithful men and women working in that medical clinic were simply following in the footsteps of Jesus. During His time on earth, Jesus traveled throughout the land touching and healing the sick and lame. He had such a reputation for healing people that we read in Mark 6:55:

“They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.”

Let us go and do likewise—pray for the sick, those who are crippled and those battling various diseases and through the power of Christ they will be made whole. One of the ministries of Rivers of the World (ROW) is to meet the physical needs of people worldwide. Log onto www.row.org to discover how we accomplish this mission.

My wife, Mickie, and I were in Bangladesh when she became very ill. I had to leave her in the care of our housekeeper as I traveled off to the bush. When I came back, the housekeeper was rubbing cut lemons on Mickie’s forehead to treat her fever and they were singing together. I asked Mickie what song they were singing because it was in Bangla. Mickie said it was the Bengali national anthem, Amar Shonar Bangla, or My Golden Bengal.

We laughed but then I realized that housekeeper was just as proud of her country as I am proud of my own. Somehow through the years the significance of our American flag, saying the Pledge of Allegiance and reciting The Star-Spangled Banner has lost some of its meaning. We need to stand united as Americans and be proud of this great nation.

As Christians, though, we also need to be proud of the fact that we are citizens in the kingdom of God. We are reminded in Philippians 3:20:

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Let us be proud of our American citizenship, but let us not be too attached to this nation, for our real citizenship is in heaven. Today, focus your sights upon Him and strive to encourage others to become citizens in the kingdom of God.

Voodoo is a complex theology that includes a system of spirits dominated by one all-powerful god. Within this religion, there are vodoun priests—individuals who have found favor with the “loa,” or less powerful deities and spirits. These priests have supposedly acquired a special knowledge.

While visiting one of our hospitals in Haiti, a vodoun priest arrived demanding we release one of the patients to his care. This patient from his village was desperately ill. During her stay in the hospital, she renounced voodooism and gave her life to Christ. Unfortunately, the woman was later released to the care of this vodoun priest and died. Her death had a profound affect upon the vodoun priest, because this woman was his mother.

The power this vodoun priest had was suddenly broken when he failed to save his own mother. There is much power in the religion of Christianity as well. However, this power, from Jesus Christ, is available to all who believe in Him; not just select people with special knowledge. In John 14:12, Jesus says:

“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

With the power of Christ within us, we can heal the sick, see the lame walk, help blinded eyes to see and even cast out demons in the name of our Lord and Savior.

The vodoun priest’s power was stripped away and he now just sits in his house powerless and clueless to the awesome power of God. However, the power of God can be seen is his village, which has been set free in the name of Jesus. There is now a school, feeding center and a well with clean water. Those who drink the life-giving water of Christ shall never be thirsty again.

Proper storage of blood is essential for it to be useful and made available to those in need. Red blood cells must be stored under refrigeration. This certainly is not a problem in the United States, but travel to areas beyond our borders, such as Africa, and you will quickly discover that refrigeration is a luxury.

At our hospital in Africa, a boy arrived and doctors discovered a tumor growing on his spine. The boy would likely end up paralyzed if the tumor was not removed. Thankfully, doctors removed the tumor safely, but the boy was in need of a pint of blood.

Another doctor arrived in Africa bearing a gift the children soon named, “boom, boom”; better known to us as bubble gum. The doctor stood in the waiting area of the hospital saying, “A+ blood, boom, boom.” A man came forward and just like that, he donated a pint of blood. The blood supplied saved the boy’s life.

Rivers of the World (ROW) staff and volunteers assist in this part of the world in a variety of ways to include annually treating close to 100,000 cases of river blindness, immunizing more than 65,000 children against childhood diseases, and treating cases of tuberculosis and leprosy in the region.

God has imparted gifts and talents to all of us, which should be used to bring honor and glory to Him. In 1 Peter 4:10 it says:

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”

It is a big world out there with many challenges and so many people who are hurting. I encourage you to discover the gifts and talents the Lord has blessed you with then strive to shine forth that light He has placed within you.

To learn how you can be a part of ROW, or to see how God has enabled us to help hurting people worldwide, visit www.row.org.