"San Antonio Rally -- God is good!"

"My heart is rejoicing with all that God did this past weekend. I got to go to San Antonio for a SWORD (young adult) retreat. The theme was "playing church" and it was a call for us as the church to WAKE UP and be the church that God has called us to be.
For the past month I have joined with several other young adults from all over the SW District to pray and fast for this event. We've had a "Chain fast" going to seek God's face for revival. Someone had been fasting everyday for a month until the day of the rally. It has really helped to unite us and bring us on one accord. All we wanted was for God's will to be done and for Him to be glorified.

On Sabbath after church services we went to this theater outside by the River walk in Down town San Antonio. It is a theater that is open to everyone who walks by the riverwalk. It was the perfect place to have a worship gathering. That day it was freezing COLD, but that was actually a blessing b/c some of the guys in our group had prayed that God would make it cold so that the women would be dressed modestly. :-) They were also predicting rain, but we prayed earnestly for God to hold back the rains, and he did.
The plan was to have a worship service out there with a praise and worship band and then Brother Allan speaking the message of Jesus Christ. We also had prayer booths where people could gather if they needed someone to pray for them. Things didn't go exactly as we had planned, but they did go according to God's plan. While I was out there I started going up to the people that were passing by and talking to them. Most people were really friendly, but when I started telling them about Jesus they would kinda shut down, tell me they were already Christians, and try to quickly leave. It was kinda sad. As the band was playing I noticed these 3 Indian looking guys standing behind me and I really felt like I should talk to them, So, I introduced myself. They told me they were from this country I've never heard of near Saudi Arabia. This was their first week in the United States. God is amazing and He prepares you ahead of time for the "good works" he has planned for you to do (eph. 2:10) and he had prepared me for this. It so happens that I am going to Dallas Baptist University and I have a teacher this semester that was formerly a missionary in several Muslim nations. Hearing about her passion to reach Muslims has sparked something in me too. God has been continually showing me that He wants us to reach ALL NATIONS (rev. 7:9) That is my hearts desire. I've been realizing that God has put me in the U.S. to reach all nations because at least one person from every nation of the world lives here. A few days before meeting these 3 men I heard a testimony about this brother who was a muslim and came to the U.S. on a mission trip in order to make new converts to Islam. While he was here God revealed himself to this brother and he became a Christian. His testimony really touched me and caused me to realize the great need for Christians to reach out to the muslim world.
As I spoke to these 3 men in San Antonio I realized that they were Muslim. I asked them about thier religion and they confirmed that they were all muslims and the country that they came from was 100 percent muslim. The Spirit of God compelled me to share the Gospel with them. As I started talking to them about Jesus they all huddled closely around me and started listening intently. I began crying and telling them how Jesus had changed my life and he could do the same for them. It was awesome b/c I don't think these men had ever heard the truth about Jesus. They thought he was just a prophet, but I told them that he is the Son of God-- He is God. Afterwards they let me pray with them and then I gave them each the gospel of John. I just had 3 more left, which is the exact amount I needed. I continue to pray for these men daily that Jesus Christ would reveal Himself to them during their stay here in the U.S. Can you imagine if one of these men gives his life to Christ and then takes the gospel to his nation? His whole nation could be reached! God has put us each in the U.S. to reach the NATIONS.
There is so much more that I could say about what God did in San Antonio. There were many more "divine Appointments" with people that were receptive to the words of Jesus spoken through us. It was so refreshing to go outside of the church building and take "the church " (body of Christ) with the Gospel to the world. That's what we should be doing everyday. We must be Jesus' hands and feet to all who cross our paths.

If you have any praise reports, or testimonies of what God has done in your life or what He did for you at the San Antonio Rally, please post them here. I would love to read about them and I am sure others would too.

May God help us to be Beacons of Light for this world."
-D. Lucero
Grand Prairie, TX

SW SWORD Retreat 2006 Under the Sun

"the Holy Spirit's presence had never felt stronger"

Three months prior to the retreat I felt this unbelievable call from God to attend the retreat. Durring the next month I talked with several of the S.W.O.R.D. aged people in my church to find out just exactly what S.W.O.R.D. was. From those discussions came an unquenchable desire to start our Tulsa S.W.O.R.D. meetings. We decided to meet on the first Saturday night of each month. Word quickly spread to the Claremore church and the decission was made to combine for the S.W.O.R.D. meetings.
The first meeting was held at my home on the first Saturday night in April. We had 17 young adults in attendance that night. From that first meeting we have had some amazing testamony of how God was able to move in their lives. I was even told by one individual in attendance that night that the Holy Spirit's presence had never felt stronger to that person. That is just one testamony of how the Jasper S.W.O.R.D. retreat indirectly effected the lives of many young people.   On a personal level, I had marked the weekend of the retreat as... the opertunity that God would use to break me from the bondage of addiction to cigarrettes. All I had to do was trust in the Lord, and step out in faith beleiving that He would, could, and wanted to see me set free from that bondage.

After having been in bondage to that sin for 18 years, it was very difficult for me to let go and give it to God. My flesh was screaming out to me not to go. There were several stumbling blocks along the way, but in the end I made the decision to trust and obey God. So I went, and my life will never be the same. As I am typing this letter I can proudly say that glory be to the living God, I have not touched a cigarrette in 7 days and almost 2hrs. And it's not as if God just freed me from that one area of bondage. You see God is the God of more than enough. He showed me two other areas of my life that I didn't even realize I was even in bondage to. And He didn't just show them to me. Praise God! He gave me the tools I needed to gain the victory in those areas of my life also.


P. Hendershott
Tulsa, OK

SW SWORD Retreat 2006 Under the Sun

"God is of a certainty at work in the lives of our young adults in this present time."

"If ever I could feel the Holy Spirit move as if tangible, I could this weekend. I bring here a blessed report from the 2006 Southwest District SWORD retreat. I--as well as everyone else, I am sure--received a mighty blessing from the Lord this past weekend. God is of a certainty at work in the lives of our young adults in this present time. Words nearly fail me to express the many wonderful things that transpired during this year's retreat.

I am renewed in spirit! I have received both blessing from above and encouragement from fellow brethren. I felt God working on myself more than I ever have before.

This past weekend has impacted me in more ways that I can say or even know. Only time will tell as God's will for my life unfolds. Until that time, I must be in constant prayer. Please remember me, as well as all of our other SWORD, in your prayers."

J. Zuraff - 22 years old
Newalla, Oklahoma

SW SWORD Retreat 2006 Under the Sun

"thanks to God and his amazing love that made it possible."

'Last week I went to the first SWORDS retreat, been to a youth retreat and to different youth camps. But this was a bit different and special. As the Youth/Young Adults Leader/Teacher I made it a plan to take as many as possible to the camp (hoping for 6 people to go including myself). At first it became a money problem, but God blessed us with successful car washes. Then became an I don't have time... and then it came down to only my young cousin and I who ended up going. Well either way I was glad my cousin went with me because I was hoping, God would touch him using his children as examples for him.

It was a blessing to have my cousin hear the word of God and to be challenged to become a better person, for himself, for others but most importantly for God. Glad that the testimonies of my fellow brothers and sisters were able to re light that fire inside of him. Thank you brothers and sisters and thanks to God and his amazing love that made it possible.

As for me, I went there just to take people. But God always has something planned out. I was able to talk to my elder brothers and get some advice on how to better teach and help out my church at home. Not only that but I got some great advice from Israel's workshop that supported and strengthen what my wife and I do in our relationship and our relationship with God. Keep each other accountable for what we do for God and to each other. Glad to see others aren't afraid to have that relationship with their wife. I always looked to talk to older people for advice but never considered some one younger than me. Glad God hammered that into me today."

J. Machado
Midland, Texas

SW SWORD Retreat 2006 Under the Sun

"Man, I wish the retreat was like a whole year I didn't want to leave at all ... well can't wait till the next one."

I.  Machado
Midland, Texas