testimonies
Testimonies
(share what God is doing in your life - email your testimony to info@camasag.org)
10/20/09 - Jim Craig
Tina and I recently went to
Texas to see Nick and Ali and their new baby Aubrey. While we were there the first few days we did some Christmas shopping due to the fact the kids can’t get home this Christmas. Due to my recent accident on June 5th, where I broke both heels and my left ankle it was tough shopping. I would walk into the store, but immediately find a place to sit and wait for the kids and Tina to get done and walk back out with them.
While I could walk, it was just too painful to stand on them for any length of time. The kid’s also live on the third floor, making it difficult to climb and come down from their apartment. It was constant pain, but we were grateful to be able to visit and see our new granddaughter!
We went to service with them and they had a guest speaker, Kate McVeigh. I could hardly stand due to the pain during worship service. She did a healing service and during the service she said someone was there that had recently taken a fall and that had injuries to their feet. Then Kate said that they had been injured for years and had lived with the pain. I have been praying for heeling since the accident, we have listened to tapes and read. But I will be the first to admit, I had points that I was down and not feeling good about my faith for God to heal my feet. I believe everyone has those doubts but I never confessed them out loud. I started to let my mind wander for a second, but then just said I am not letting Satan win. I am accepting this healing and not letting Satan have his way. I kept praying and kept believing, and I could start to feel my pain fade. I just started moving them and praising God more. By the time we left church my feet felt great. God healed my feet, praise god!
Kate warned us, that Satan plays tricks and try’s to tell you that you are not healed. She told everyone no matter if they start to have small pains or even twitches don’t let him take it away. I have to admit I felt some small pains, but kept confessing positive that it truly was God healing me! We left church and went shopping (just what I love to do) but we did go to Cabella’s! I was able to walk around the store for 2 hours and climb the stairs with no pain.
Well today I went to my doctor’s appointment! I told him what happened and he took X-ray’s! He kept going back to my X-ray’s he had taken on Sept 5th and showing me all the hairline cracks and saying look your heels they were a mess. They had hairline cracks all over them. Then he would go to the X-ray from today and say that is remarkable. I say it’s a blessing! He told me originally that I would be in therapy and healing for a year or so. But today he released me from his care after just over 4 months, not 12 like the Doctor predicted!
God is Great and Awesome! I really appreciate everyone’s support and help over the past 5 months!
9/14/09 - Ed Chen
This is a testimony of God's miraculous healing of my left leg on Sept 2, 2009, during Dr. Wes Daughenbaugh's seminar.
I was born in China in 1949, during the Chinese Civil War. I contacted polio soon after birth that paralyzed the lower part of my left leg. By the time I was a teenager, my left leg begin to have a noticeable limp. On Sept 2, 2009, a visiting pastor named Dr. Wes Daughenbaugh visited Camas Assembly of God and I went up and asked for healing. When I returned to my seat, my wife Myrna, said "Ed, the limp is gone, you are walking like a normal person!", others in the church also noticed that my limp was gone.
Due to my left leg being bad, my right leg was forced to carried the load for over 45 years. I can walk at best 4 miles as my leg would get tired. On Sept 3, Myrna and I walked over 5 miles on the Lacamas Trail and my right leg was not even tired, because I am getting contributions from my left leg.
Praise God,
Ed Chen
My son, Ian (9 years old), told me recently that there's a boy in his class at school who thinks that God hates him, and when he has told him that God loves him, he says the only way he'll believe is if he sees a miracle. Ian wants God to heal his eyes so that Travis can see a miracle (Ian has been farsighted since birth, has had 2 surgeries and several years of vision therapy for other issues). I prayed for him that night, and he asked Pastor Brian to pray for him the next night. Pastor Brian said, "If I pray for your eyes, will you pray for my knee?" (he had hurt his knee in kickboxing, it had been swollen and very sore for more than a week). So he prayed for Ian, and Ian simply asked God to make Pastor's knee better. The next morning, Pastor Brian called and told Ian that he noticed when he got home that night that the swelling in his knee had gone down, and he was moving it more normally.
From Mary Peters, 10-23-08
In April or May when I got home from work, Frank told me he had somehow injured his finger. He didn't know what he had done, but his finger was about double in size, and purple. He didn't remember bumping it, or getting a cut that could have been infected. It looked like something bad had happened, but because he couldn't remember hurting it, I thought maybe it was some kind of infection. I told him he should go to the Doctor, but then I said, you know that shouldn't be our first reaction, maybe we should pray for it first, instead of going to the doctor, and then praying. We prayed right then. I forgot to ask him about it the next day, but the day after I called home from work, and asked him about it, and he said it was completely normal. I thought he was teasing me because I didn't see how it could be normal after just looking so bad, an infection takes time to clear up, and bruises usually take time to heal, and it was the whole finger. When I got home the first thing I did was go look at his finger, and praise God it was completely better!! What an awesome God we serve.
In August we were leaving on vacation, our neighbor came over right as we were ready to pull out of our driveway. She knew we were going, but was asking us about how far we were going to drive. We told her we were stopping at Redding, California on our way down, because we had heard of the great things God was doing there, and I mentioned people getting healed. She then told us that she had just been told she had a hole in her heart. Her doctor could tell she had one, by the tests that had been done, but didn't know how big the hole was, or where it was. I asked her if we could pray for her, and told her that God could just heal her heart, she agreed, and Frank, Briana, Brittany and I all joined hands, and I had her hand out the window of the car. We prayed and afterwards she was tearful and so was I.
When we returned from vacation I asked her if she had been to the doctor, because I wanted to know if she had received healing. She said she had a test scheduled to find out where and how big the hole was. The test wasn't scheduled until September, and happened to fall the same week as our Missions Week. This neighbor usually leaves very early for work, but that day she was leaving as we were all outside waiting for the school bus. Another neighbor asked her where she was going and she told everyone at the bus stop that she was having a test to find out how big a hole was they had found in her heart, and exactly where the hole was. She then said, but I am hoping there is no hole anymore because Frank and Mary prayed for me. Later that evening, when we were hosting the missionaries Dave and Carol Ellis, she knocked on our door, and I could tell she had been crying for awhile. She was so excited and she said there was no hole. They could find nothing. Now our neighbor knows her doctor and she said he told her he knew there was a hole, but now there is none. Praise God that he is our healer, and our provider.
Treasure Hunting – Treasure Finding
Ladies Retreat, March, 2008 (Dorene McClellan, Mary Peters, Patricia Clowers, & Kathy Pinch):
Dorene-
A couple of weeks ago I read a book called The Ultimate Treasure Hunt where I learned how the simplicity of hearing a word of knowledge from God leads you to clues for finding the ultimate treasure – those in need of an encounter with God.
All week long I had envisioned how a treasure hunt would be an exciting tool for sharing the Love of Christ to those in need, what better place for that to happen than at the Ladies Retreat. We had an exciting ride over to
Cannon
Beach where we poured out our hearts to one another in excitement and anticipation for what God is doing at Camas Assembly. Here was a perfect opportunity to share the idea of a treasure hunt for the lost and possibly enlist the help of these ladies. After sharing with them how it worked, we all decided that it was a good idea but we were apprehensive as it involved talking to complete strangers and trusting our ability to hear God’s voice. Saturday morning while I was walking on the beach I asked the Lord what He wanted to do today. He reminded me of the treasure hunt and nervously I said “maybe”. When I returned to my room
Sandy shared her daily devotion with us and of course it was about how we are God’s treasure and He seeks after us. Enough said. I got the message. It was time to be obedient. I didn’t know until later that the Holy Spirit had also been “nudging Kathy to step out and take a chance”. She expressed “a strong desire to do more for God, but admitted it was easier to stay in her box where it’s more comfortable and safe”. She continued, “Sometimes being concerned about what people might think of you can be a good thing, if it gets you out of the box doing God’s work”. After the morning meeting I enlisted the help of Kathy, Mary, and Patricia while Myrna would join us later in the hunt. We spent several minutes praying and a few minutes “listening” for what the Holy Spirit would have us put on our treasure maps. Each map had 5 categories: Location, A person’s name, A person’s appearance, What they might need prayer for, and The unusual.
With our treasure maps in hand, we made our first stop at a candy store where we found our first clue – cotton candy. We walked around the crowded store silently praying for the person God wanted us to approach. Mary, Kathy, and I didn’t feel that God had directed us to anyone in particular so we met each other on the sidewalk in front of the store. At that time we realized that Patricia wasn’t with us. We looked in the window and she was talking to two young ladies.
Patricia-
I went into the middle of the store and waited. I noticed a few things with God’s name on it and a few things on the wall talking about God. It was pleasing to my heart to know that God was acknowledged in this store. I saw two girls standing there and went and asked where they were from. They were from
Pennsylvania and were going to a Christian college in
Cannon
Beach . I shared with them that this was an appointed time for them to be going to college here on the West Coast as God would use this time for them to bring the Gospel back to
Pennsylvania . They will be blessed and remember this, their whole life. We prayed for the Lord to lead them and guide them and fill them with His love and direction for their life.
Dorene-
Patricia joined us when she was done and shared with us her conversation with the two young ladies. Praise the Lord! Our first Treasures! We decided we may return to this location later for more clues. As we were walking we realized that sidewalk was also on one of our maps so we kept our eyes and ears open for where the Lord would direct us. We had only walked a short distance when a college aged girl and her family quickly walked past us. I noticed she was wearing a blue scarf, another item on our map. They were walking so quickly that we would have to run to catch up and we thought that would be weird to run after them so we decided that if they went into the store with the cotton candy we would go back and approach her. Sure enough, that’s exactly where they went! Our hearts were pounding as we met up with her. I explained to her that we were on a treasure hunt and I believed that she was the treasure we were looking for. I showed her one of the treasure maps with cotton candy, sidewalk, and blue scarf and explained to her how we prayed and asked God to show us His Treasures so we could share His love with them. Mary asked her several questions gaining insightful information. We asked her if we could pray with her and she said “yes”. Her family joined us and once again, a prayer was offered up in the middle of the crowded candy store for one of God’s Treasures. As we were leaving the candy store Kathy noticed a display case with doors made from chicken wire resembling a honeycomb. She reminded us that honeycomb was an item on our treasure map, once again confirming we were in the right place!
Patricia –
Our next encounter was in a small indoor mall. When we entered the building I noticed a Buddha statue sitting at the entrance, I felt compelled to bind the spirit of false gods and pray for it to be removed. We went into a little gift shop and I saw a young man (18-20?) wearing a t-shirt that said “Fallen”. As I passed by him I said out loud “He is not fallen, he is raised up in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ”. Dorene was with me and we walked a little farther into the store. I felt the Holy Spirit on me to pray for that young man. I could not move my legs. I knew I had to stop and pray. Dorene looked down and noticed a counter with several novelty items on it and among them were packages of decorative band-aids for kids. This was an unusual item on one of our lists. We did not see any other items of this sort in the store. We knew this was an encounter designed by God. When we finished praying I went back to the young man and told him that “Jesus Loves You and you are not fallen but raised up in the name of Jesus Christ”! He smiled and kind of giggled and said “thank you”.
Mary -
We went to JP’s for lunch after we had been “treasure hunting” for awhile. After we were seated I looked over at a woman that was eating at a table to the right of us. She looked familiar, so after a few minutes I decided to ask where she was from. She replied that she was from
Salem . I didn’t think that I had seen her there, so I asked her name. I thought maybe she would have a name on our list, and maybe I was supposed to talk to her. She told me her name was Jan. I told her that my reason for asking her about her name, is that I thought she may be on our list. I explained that we were on a treasure hunt and that; we were looking for people God put in our path to let them know they were his treasure. I told her that although her name was not what I expected. She was Gods’ treasure and He wanted her to know he loved her. She asked everyone else if I was normally this friendly.
I asked her if there was anything we could pray about. She replied actually yes! She and her friend Connie had been discussing Connie’s sister, Janet. Janet’s husband Dirk has
ALS and for the last 4 years, Janet has been taking care of him. He can only move his eyes and blink, so Janet has had a tough time caring for him. She is tired, and has suffered much watching his body slowly shut down. They were discussing why God would allow her to suffer so much. I asked if they were believers and they both responded that they were. She then said she would appreciate the prayers. I felt that she was giving us permission to pray, but not then. I told them we would pray for them.
Our food came, so we let them get back to their meal. Dorene leaned over to me and said "We need to pray for them before they leave" and I had been thinking the same thing. I turned to Jan to ask if we could pray for them, but before I could say anything, Jan was scooting over the chairs between us, and she said to me “You want to pray for us, don’t you?” I had not said anything, but she could just see it in my eyes. At this time the owner of the Restaurant came over and said to Jan, Are you getting to know each other?” The owner knew Jan and Connie, and I know they have been coming there for years. Jan replied that we were going to pray for them, and the owner asked if she could pray with us.
Kathy asked if she could begin the prayer. She remembered what Pastor Brian and Jill had taught on Wed. night when people ask “why” during difficult circumstances. She lovingly reminded them of God’s character, His Love, His mercy, His faithfulness. She also prayed for blessings upon the owners and their business. I prayed for healing for Dirk and strength for Janet, and Dorene prayed as well. God was moving!! When we were done praying some of us were crying, the owner was crying, Connie was crying. It was awesome to see God move, all because we were looking for his treasure.
Kathy-
When I think of that day, I remember Uncle J – the kid from
Cannon
Beach . We had been sitting on a bench where we could see the market, a location on our map. While we were waiting an old man walked by and made his way into the Post Office. On his way out of the Post Office he walked by us again and Patricia invited him to let us pray for him. What a blessing he was! His blue eyes sparkled, and beautiful, possibly prophetic poetic words spilled from his lips. He was filled with joy, and it seemed to overflow and spill out on all of us! I didn’t catch it at first, but he told us that he used to light the lanterns along the main street in
Cannon
Beach at Christmas-time. Dorene remembered the clue of “fire” and it was a lantern that I had seen when we prayed. Dorene felt strongly that we should pray for Uncle J’s hands, since he had what seemed like arthritis and couldn’t light the lanterns any longer. God blessed us by allowing us to spend time with that beautiful man. At times, I actually felt like we were in the presence of our Lord, that it was Jesus Himself speaking to us. I pray that God completes the healing in Uncle J! God is so good! We were all blessed by this” Divine Appointment”!
Dorene -
Our next location was one we had been to earlier in the day where we had found several clues in the area but didn’t feel led to pray for anyone in particular. We even went back into a clothing store at this location thinking there was surely someone we had missed. We decided to approach the cashier but when we went into the store it was completely empty – no customers and we had just spotted the cashiers going into the back room and shutting the door. It wasn’t God’s timing and the right person wasn’t there yet. Now we were back in a small courtyard surrounedd by shops which held several clues on our maps. Where the truth is – a clue found at the Christian Bookstore. Next to that a coffee shop with lamps resembling a flame or a fire- another clue found. Clothing store was our next clue where we found a display case facing the courtyard outside. In the display case was a T-shirt that said “hello, my name is Roger”. Roger was a name on our map. Myrna had met up with us and she and I waited in the courtyard while Mary, Kathy, and Patricia went into a gift shop; all of us praying silently for direction. My eyes were fixed on the t-shirt with the name Roger on it when I realized that there was a man and his wife and son sitting at a table beneath the display case. Here was our Treasure! I was sure this time. They had just gotten up to leave and I didn’t want to approach them until Mary, Kathy, and Patricia joined us. Our group was together again just as we saw this family entering the clothing store. Kathy then shared with us that they had just seen a display of perfume called Roger!! God is so good. Every clue gave us the courage to move forward. We met this family as they were leaving the clothing store and explained to them about our treasure hunt, sharing with them all the clues we had found and that we believed they were our treasure. We asked the man if we could pray with them. He laughed and said “Sorry, I don’t think we’re your treasure” and then he asked his wife. She said “Why not”. He was left with no choice! We were standing on a very busy sidewalk and many people passed us while we prayed for this family. The family laughed and snickered while we prayed that God would show them how much he treasured them. We prayed for protection and wise choices for their young son as he grew older. Patricia and Myrna felt strongly to pray for their marriage. God’s peace reigned over us as they continued to laugh and His heart was poured out to them. I believe this was an encounter they will never forget and as others are led to them God’s plan for their lives will unfold.
Dorene-
One of our treasure maps was completely different than the rest. The target was the Ladies at the Retreat where the Holy Spirit affirmed He would inhabit our praises in the evening service. Patricia brought beautiful shawls that we waved in worship. During one of the songs she placed her shawl over my head and shoulders. The presence of God was so strong I could hardly stand! As the Spirit led, the shawls were placed on other people while we prayed for them. The anointing remained strong while Sue shared her heart with us and also while we prayed for one another after the message. The Holy Spirit confirmed to each of us that we truly are His Treasure! He longs to be with us, to love us, and to use us to carry His Glory!
From Cindy Luurs - November 11, 2007
Jason, the young man that stayed with us last summer and was baptized at the church picnic, is doing well and will be graduating Phase III at Teen Challenge in Albany in two weeks! He said it has not been easy but he is commited to continuing! He thanks our church for support and is looking forward to visiting again.
Barbara Ashmore shares praises from the Assisted Living & Nursing Home ministry - August 26, 2007:
"God has been blessing the ministry to Seniors. We have experienced an increase in attendance both at the Mt. View House, Columbia Ridge and Highland Terrace.
God has touched and healed several. Nickie at Columbia Ridge was scheduled for surgery to put a rod in her back. She asked for prayer and God touched her. The next Friday she asked to testify. She has been to the doctor and he examined her and told her she didn't need the surgery. Just check in with him once a month. Praise God!
Also, Ralph Abner that plays his violin at all our meetings, had gout in his feet and hand and arm. He was unable to play his violin for 2 months. God touched him and he is back with us.
God has opened another opportunity to sing at the Washougal Senior Center the first Wednedsday and the last Wednesday of every month. At our first service, everyone enjoyed singing the hymns and also the special music. We had lunch with them and they all wanted us to come back. Praise report from Martin Olson. Martin has lost 65 lbs. He is teaching a bilble study at Vancouver Rehab. Also is walking a mile every day. He is taking a bible course on the internet."
On August 15, 2007, Jason Luurs shared:
"Our guest on Sunday has given his heart to the Lord. Jason also has decided that Teen Challenge is the best place for him right now -he has been accepted into the program in Portland. We are currently working on getting the necessary paperwork done. When he went to Skamania County court house on Monday to see if they would drop his 35 hours of work duty so he could go, they agreed that he needed to go. When he went to Clark County to take care of his dealings with them, they stated that he had nothing showing for him to take care of. All these things God has taken care of for Jason. Jason has to get a blood test that needs to be done and has an entry fee of $300 dollars and we know God will take of these things as well."