Rochester High Street - MFC Hunt

Hello friends!

Just a quick report of today's treasure hunt at MFC.

We had 6 people this morning - Andrew, Laura & Esther in one team and Damien, Helena & myself in another.

We hit Rochester High Street and here are a few of our highlights from my team.

Damien had a clue about a right arm problem - As soon as we were driving to our location there was a man in light clothing that had an amputated right arm (i had broken arm, it was kinda broken in a way) so we turned the car round and Damien jumped out and spoke with him - But he insisted he was OK and didn't want any prayer, so without pushing it too far we blessed him and headed back to our location.

There was an elderly man with a straw hat dressed up in 18th century clothes (it was the Dickens Festival today!) - He was in a rush but we got to talk to him but it didn't really develop from there unfortunately.

We approached a man on a mobility scooter, on the street corner, by the large clock - He wasn't interested at all, but I was sure that God wanted to do something, but cynicism and unbelief are a real barrier!

As we were standing in a space that was in between the street corner and the cathedral garden area, near the large clock I saw a group of teenager, one of whom had a baseball cap on back to front. I approached them and started to talk to them. They were all French students and spoke basic English, but luckily Damien & Helena can both speak fluent French!!! - It was most surreal as I spoke through my 2 interpreters, explaining that we were ion a treasure hunt and that I believed that they were our treasure. The lad with the back to front baseball cap said he was a Muslim, and did that matter - We told him it didn't but struggled to develop the conversation as more of their friends came and some of them left. But we blessed them and really felt buoyed up in our spirits that a seed had been planted - Praise God!

We then approached a man sitting on the wall directly opposite the garden area of the cathedral -He also had on a straw hat! - When we explained what we were doing he was very open and when we asked if he wanted any prayer or help he responded "Actually you can help me with something!" - It turned out that he had just bought a new jacket and felt it was too large, and wanted our opinion - Amazed I showed him my clue large coat that we hadn't even noticed on him and the conversation opened up some more - He explained he was a Christian from London and visits regularly, we didn't pray for him but he was encouraged by our divine appointment.

The other team experienced similar encounters that will be posted up soon...

So all in all a would say we hit approx 1/3 of our clues but didn't have any concrete things to report back - But I felt hugely encouraged that our team here is growing, that there is an increased expectancy among us and that we are learning how to host the presence of God and be moved by Him - All in all very encouraging and for me, personally very positive!

Happy Hunting!

Gordon Watson
Medway Family Church, Chatham

New Life Church - Outside Natwest!

Hi,

Here are the testimonies that are a result of a few of us venturing out this morning.

We just had one team go out in Tonbridge town centre today (Friday). We’d had a couple of conversations but couldn’t find anyone who matched any of our clues. We were at our last location, OUTSIDE NATWEST having a look around when we spotted someone who matched a description of WEARING A DARK JACKET WITH COLOURED STRIPES DOWN THE ARMS. He was actually a biker wearing a leather jacket but it totally fit the description. His name didn’t fit any we had but two of our needs where BROKEN FINGER and DAMAGED LEG. He had previously hurt his leg and broken his finger in a motorcycling accident, and still gets pins and needles in his arm from when he broke his finger. Our random/miscellaneous clue was A SPADE and we found out his occupation was a landscape gardener! We chatted for a long time and were able to pray for his arm and he said he’d test it when he got back on his bike. We gave him details of our church and he seemed genuinely interested in coming along. I’ll let you know if we see him again or if he contacts us with any improvement in his arm.

After he had left and while we were still OUTSIDE NATWEST we got chatting to someone else. He matched the clue of another need which was HEARTBURN. Again, we were able to pray for him and he said he would contact us to let us know if there is any change.

I wanted to post these testimonies to encourage you! - When we first started treasure hunting in Tonbridge last year it was really hard work. Now we seem to be learning how to hear from God better, and how to be courageous and step out in faith. Week-by-week we are making only small progress but it feels significant.

Craig Spickernell
New Life Church, Tonbridge & Tunbridge Wells

New Life Church Testimony

Hi,

We’ve been doing some treasure hunting in Tonbridge and I have a testimony to add.

This is fairly low key but there were only two of us on Friday and we only had a really short amount of time. But we were encouraged because we definitely found our treasure…

Some of our clues were OUTSIDE POUNDSTRETCHERS and a name; SHEILA. So we went to Pounstretchers, hung around for a bit but couldn’t see anyone who matched any of our descriptions. Then, right in front of us two women greeted each other, with one saying to the other, “Hi Sheila” (nice one God!) When they finished their conversation we approached Sheila and explained what we were doing, that God had told us to come to that location and we overheard her name. I showed her treasure map and two other clues matched as well; PNUMONIA and JOINT PROBLEMS. She was totally fascinated that we knew her name, knew where she would be and knew her ailments. We talked and she explained that as a teenager she was desperate for a revelation from/of God. She hadn’t received it so eventually fell away from the church. At that point she had to rush off because her bus arrived but we prayed that she would finally receive a revelation.

So no healings or anything but we were really encouraged and she was amazed that God had lead us to her.

Craig Spickernell
New Life Church, Tonbridge & Tunbridge Wells

Oxted Church Treasure Hunt

Dear All,

Below is a selection from the many testimonies from our recent church treasure hunt.
I have included everything... good, bad and ugly!

There were 14 of us that went out from Oxted and we think that we spoke to around 70 people in total. Only 3 of these people were negative and huffed and puffed a bit. About another 20 were quite happy but didn't want to talk/prayer.
The other 50 were happy to talk and many opened up about God and/or struggles in their lives and we managed to pray for a good number of these fifty.

We were out and about for 1 hour 15 minutes.

1 - Two ladies standing under flag outside Chanterelle - had a problem with her left knee and also with her right hand and fingers. Received prayer. Knee healed partially - no longer clicking or painful - prayed again - completely healed! Could not move thumb over onto palm of hand and nerve damage meaning if wrist touched three fingers involuntarily bent.
Received prayer. Afterwards, thumb could move quite freely - her friend said "Christ!" and we said "Precisely!" (She then said "sorry!").

2 - Black woman with headdress - we believe she was the treasure but she was resistant to receiving prayer although clearly had a church background as she wanted to know whether we were Pentecostal, Assembly of God or whatever. She said she might try out our church. We pray God will keep working on her heart. She seemed troubled.

3 - Policeman putting air into his tyres at the petrol station. Mildly depressed. Disillusioned with the violence in society - just finished two weeks back from being on a Murder Squad; still finding it hard to get over the grief of having lost his Dad suddenly 4 years ago. Happy to receive prayer. Whilst praying for him – birdsong started - was able to show him on list that we had birdsong and that I believed this was God's confirmation that he was special and that God wanted him to know that.

4 - Lady wearing a blue jacket, was by the station and was pushing a pushchair. She was very nice, although a little wary. Her nana has a heart condition. She let us pray for her in the street.

5 - One of our unusual clues was 'heart-shaped'. At the cricket pitch we met a young lad named Jack wearing a black t-shirt with a red heart on it. He found sore knee on my list and said that his left knee had been sore for a while. He was quite happy for me to pray for his knee. When we'd finished Danni noticed that he was looking for something and he admitted he had lost a black LG phone. Kate and Josie rejoined us and we all started helping him to look for it, all I'm sure praying hard that we would find it for him. He became a little embarrassed after a while, wanting to rejoin his friends and said goodbye and wandered off. Kate and Josie recognised him from Oxted School and said that they would make a point of asking him how his knee was when they next saw him at school. At this point Jack came rushing up and said he'd found his phone. Someone had handed it in as missing! Praise God!

6 - Well, we were walking along near the station and close to the taxi rank (which is similar to a car park) when I saw a girl crossing the road wearing a fluffy jacket. Two of our group of four had already had their first encounter and I was eager to point out this new treasure… However, when it was suggested that I go up to the girl, I quickly mentioned that I actually hadn’t got any of those clues myself….. (coward, I know!) and the fluffy girl headed off in the opposite direction to us… Moment lost… This was the second time I had chickened out of going up to someone already and I was actually really cross with myself and told myself that I might just as well go home if I wasn’t actually going to take part…..
We proceeded as a group of 4 to go to the other side of the station, close to a coffee shop, and were just coming up to the Morrison’s car park when who should be walking just in front of us but the very same girl with the fluffy jacket!!!! Even more incredible to me because she was on the other side of the station now and this was only 5 minutes after we’d seen her heading off in the complete opposite direction. Well, I couldn’t miss this again. Jo and I dashed after her and Jo explained what we were doing and showed the girl her list. Incredibly, she was suffering from a knee problem and her mother’s name was Fiona. Her mother was dying from cancer and so we offered to pray for her. (I had forgotten to show her my list because I was so amazed that she fitted 6 of the clues already!) We asked her what her name was and she said Denise. I couldn’t contain my amazement when I said that that name was on my list and showed her it written down. Even she said it was an unusual name. A few weeks previously, God had told me in a letter that “I should not be frightened to try new things, as He would surprise me”! Boy, was I surprised!! After praying with her, she shared how her mum was a Christian and her mum’s friends were sure that it was faith that had kept her mum from dying – the doctors had told her 3 years ago that she only had 6 months to live. It was incredible to think that this lady had probably been praying for her daughter for years and here was a divine appointment. Only God knows what will happen next for her… Funnily enough, I saw her again later walking a bit ahead of us… It was as if God was showing me that even if I had chickened out again the second time I saw her, He would have brought her across our path again.

7 - There were two encounters with young women in black v necked jumpers and each received truth and prayer and one a tract. Again it was seed time not harvest but we know that God will answer the prayers we prayed in agreement and faith.

8 - We approached a 90 year old lady at the top of a hill who was wearing a blue top and holding a walking stick. She was very puffed out and struggling to climb the hill. She explained that it was the first time she had been out for a walk for over a month.
We got chatting with her and she was open for prayer. After we prayed for her, she appeared to become completely energised and I would even say she had a spring in her step!

9 - I was walking along with my group and I saw a mother and child and Jen and I chatted to them. They were going to be moving house and we prayed for them.

God bless.

Dale Barlow
Kings Church, Tandridge