The most FULL 3 months of my life, and I wouldn't trade them for anything!

Hello my dear friends and family!
I'm finally emerging from three months of blogging silence, and I have SO MUCH to tell you all. This has truly been the most exciting, stretching, and full season of time that I've experienced in my life to date, and the growth and transformation I've undergone is absolutely unprecedented! Since Christmas, my life has been much like this piece of artwork (above)...it's unlike anything I've ever done before! Among other things, God is totally transforming my artistic style and bringing me into new realms in my artwork far beyond what I thought was within my reach. This art piece is a self-portrait in many respects because God has been bringing so much breakthrough in my life. God has been inviting me into such new things, beckoning me to come fellowship with Him and know Him in a deeper way. Answering that invitation is the most incredible thing we could ever do!

One of the most exciting breakthroughs I've experienced over the last few months is that I really feel like I'm settled and established in my identity in God. Sure, that's a very simple thing but it's the most empowering thing in the world to me! A wonderful new level of confidence and security has developed in my life, and I really believe that has come from simply knowing Him, His love, His nature, His character in a greater way.

With only 9 weeks of actual school left this year, I've been spending alot of time thinking about what God has done in me thus far, and what still want to receive before the year is over! There's this dynamic tension in my heart of incredible gratitude toward Him for all that He's done, and yet I am SO HUNGRY for MORE. Every time He does something new, I just realize afresh that there is WAY MORE available to me than I've ever thought. And if we as His sons and daughters don't realize what we have access to, we will never use the heavenly resources we've been given to establish our Father's Kingdom here on earth! We must know who we are and what we carry! That's one of the most significant cries in my spirit for the rest of this year... that I will be so established in my identity in Him that NOTHING can shake that truth inside of me, and that I will be constantly aware of the power of His Kingdom that exists inside of me and the impact of that reality in supernaturally transforming the world around me. Which, in truth, is exactly what this school is all about... So that leaves me with the confidence that my desires are in alignment with what God wants to do :).

I could keep talking about me but honestly, that's gets old REALLY fast so how bout some TESTIMONIES? :D I've got a TON so here we go!

• About a month ago, I had one of the most incredible divine setups I think I've ever experienced in my life. Seriously, I have never seen God's love rock a persons life like this before. It was on a Thursday during our outreach time, and God had put it on our hearts to go to the emergency room, and minister His love and healing to the people waiting there. (Backstory: I had been there the night before, and was just wrecked by the fact that so many miserable people had to wait for hours upon HOURS to get some sort of treatment or relief for their pain and sickness! If anyone needed the love and power of Jesus, it was them!) So we went to the ER, and sure enough, the most amazing adventure began. We got to bless quite a few people (a girl with whiplash was healed from a really bad headache, a mother was greatly comforted and affirmed despite the fact that her son was in incredible pain) but the most significant encounter was began with 12 year-old girl named Crystal. She was sitting a few chairs over from me, all alone, and had a concerned look on her face... so I leaned over and asked her if I could draw a picture for her. She hesitantly agreed, seeming a bit unsure of me but before long, she was having an encounter with the love of God! My friend Jessie had been drawing a picture for her too, and Crystal was blown away when we told her that God took great joy in how much she loved to dance and sing (she was stunned that we could know that about her!). We told her that God had told us those things about her so she could know His love, and she immediately said "I want to hear God the way you do!" At this point, her mom Lisa finally came out, and we realized the real magnitude of what God wanted to do: They had been on a bus, traveling from Phoenix Arizona to Seattle Washington, and just HAPPENED to get off in Redding because Lisa was experiencing excruciating pain from her pancreatitis. We also learned that they left Phoenix to escape the horrible abuse of Lisa's husband who had been oppressive and controlling for their entire marriage. They has been looking for a way of escape, and when the opportunity arose, they took it and as a result, had no food or extra money for their journey! Long story short, our connection in the ER was a radical display of God's love, faithfulness and protection over them, and we got to help and bless them for the next several days. During their stay with us, God did SO MUCH inner healing...I was beside myself as I watched His supernatural love cover and heal all the pain in their hearts. Not only that but Crystal was baptized in the Holy Spirit, and heard Jesus speak to her for the very first time; and Lisa was COMPLETELY HEALED of her pancreatitis!! On Friday she asked if I would take her back to the hospital to have it checked out so before we went, my housemates and I prayed for her pancreas to be restored and for all the pain to leave. When I picked her up from the hospital that afternoon, she said that after a blood test, urine test, and a CAT scan, they could find NO TRACE of the pancreatitis she had been plagued with for 7+ years!! Come on, Jesus! Their time here in Redding may have been the most incredible display of God's love that I've ever seen... they were so transformed, and are so dear to my heart! When we left them at the bus station, after a good 15 minutes of goodbye-ing, my housemate and I were wrecked, and my heart was resonating with the goodness of God. I couldn't stop thinking, "This is what I was born for."
• If that wasn't enough for you, the saga of lactose intolerance healing continues! Since I was healed at the beginning of last year, God has healed over 20 people just by me sharing and releasing my testimony! In the last couple of weeks, two more have been added to God's tally of breakthrough: my friend Erica's friend Amber, who happens to be the church receptionist, and a girl from my class named Ashlee! Praise Jesus for revealing His faithfulness to heal, time and time again!
• Last week during our very first Prophetic Arts conference (I could tell you a million amazing stories just about that!) I got to pray for the sweetest woman who came up to the front for prayer for her scoliosis and hip pain. She also asked me to partner with her in prayer for some specific breakthroughs she wanted to receive at the conference, so we had a wonderful time as God released freedom and strength to her heart. Then I began releasing healing into her back and hip, and the pain in her hip decreased! While we were praying, someone called out a word of knowledge for anyone who had one leg shorter than the other, and she said that was her! So she sat down in a chair, extended her legs so I could measure them, and we simply commanded them to grow! I've never prayed for a leg to grow before so it was kinda exciting :). She said she felt a shift while we were praying so I checked them out again, and sure enough, the 1/4 inch discrepancy that existed before was completely gone, and she began to jump and move with NO pain! Her hip was completely healed! :)
• Last but not least, God sent my outreach team on an adventure to the bus station yesterday, and really wonderful, powerful things happened! I got to minister to the most precious woman named Monica who definitely needed to be loved on by God. She was the first person who God highlighted to me when we got there, so I began to draw a picture for her of a crown of flowers that God was placing on her head, with his favor raining down over her. I specifically asked God what she needed, and He said "She's thirsty. I want to give her refreshing." so I added a picture of a cup full of water. During this time, she has been talking on the phone, and sounded very upset and frustrated so I wasn't sure how she would respond to me... but I talked with a sweet little Hispanic lady while I waited for Monica to finish her phone call, and then just as her bus came in, I approached her to give her my picture. I scarcely got a few sentences out when she just completely melted right in front of me! She began to cry and cry as I told her what God had shown me, and all she kept saying was "Thank You, Jesus.... thank You, Jesus..." She then told me that this had been the most horrible day for her, that her car had been taken, that she and her daughter had a fight, and that I was an angel sent to her by God to tell her all this! It was the sweetest few minutes of praying with her, releasing God's pleasure and favor over her before she took off on her bus! Isn't our God so extravagant? How incredible is His love...

I could go on and on but alas, it is time for me to get ready for school! I love you all so dearly, and pray that these testimonies increase your faith and bring encouragement to your hearts! Anything can happen when we partner with Him!

I'll be doing a blog tomorrow as well because it's my BIRTHDAY! Woot!

Love, love, love,

Melissa