Testimonies Of Victory

Testimony:

I just wanted to share that my brother in-law, who is 33 years old, had a
2nd brain tumor about 6 to 8 months ago, they went in to do surgery and they could not get it all because it was so far in his brain.  There were many of you who stood in agreement with us for a supernatural healing, he has been soooo sick and losing so much weight, it seemed grim, Well…. he got hisMRI results back this morning and the tumor is shrinking and they took him off of chemo………PRAISE GOD……THANK YOU JESUS!!!!!!!!!

Post Encounter Meeting:

I went to the previous men’s Encounter and it was life altering!!  And the
following Sunday — after some prodding — I gave a testimony before the
church body. This was the only time that I ever got up in front of a large
group for any length of time. but there was something in me and in the body
of the church that allowed me to do so — something –  that wasn’t inside
me before and something I had not recognized in the church before.

Pastor Vin has since spoken about the power of a church group correctly
aligned — on the same spiritual page.

Which brings me the to the Men’s post encounter meeting.  There were many
inspiring testimonies given. But one man stood out to me –as he spoke of
the trials of holding ground in post encounter life.  No mistake –he was a
heroic figure — I mean it -this guy is a hero — and wow — what an
inspirational speaker and such clarity!!!!  Except, in the 15 minutes or so
he was “speaking” he said maybe five or ten discernable words.  And, maybe a
handful of syllables — the rest utterances. In fact, he would make slight
hand gestures — and everyone knew exactly what he was “saying” — came
threw clear as day.  I haven’t spoken to anyone about this —but I know in
my heart everyone in that room knew exactly what this man was saying —
what’s kinda cool is — his message was so clear and unquestionable that it
hadn’t even occurred to me until a week or so later that he hadn’t “said”
anything!!! We were post encountered; we were on fire for God - there was a
Holy thread running through everyone in that room and we were all on the
same spiritual page — the spoken word was not necessary.

And, brother - if you read this — I’m praying for you with the same clarity
you shared with all of us that day — I love you.

Don Fuchs

Though I anticipated my encounter, my mind could not imagine the
supernatural things that would take place…

My spot for the encounter opened up the day before and I didn’t even get the
message until the day of, but my bags had already been packed and ready to
go thanks to my believing wife! As soon as we got to the destination God
started to work in me and prepare me for what was to come. As we walked in
to the Dining area to initiate the encounter with a meal, trailing behind, I
looked up and saw a sign with the scripture “Come to me, all you who are
weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” and I fell to the ground in
worship! The very first night we were there God healed my stomach, something
I had been dealing with for 8 years! That also gave me a new reference point
for believing him for the other health issues that I have! No doctor could
figure me out, no medicine could help, BUT GOD…The second day of our
encounter God delivered me from an ungodly anger that I had developed toward
my 4 year old son that had been burdening me for a couple of years,
done-gone! After they released us to our cabins Saturday night, I felt lead
to go over to the chapel. Along the way I saw 4 men standing around talking
and I said “follow me”. The 5 of us went into the chapel and I began to read
Psalm 103 to them. We ended in prayer and when I looked up there were only 3
of us left in the room. The Spirit of God rocked us as we began confessing
and prophesying (something I have never done in my 5 years of being devoted
to the Lord) and we would worship together in the chapel for the next couple
of hours. As we were about to leave, the Lord lead me back up to the alter
and I opened up the word and began to read John chapter 20 and the Lord
spoke to me with the scripture where Jesus was speaking to doubting Thomas
and said  “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put
it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” And someone had previously
underlined the words “stop doubting and believe.” At that moment God
delivered me from the threshold on my faith and believing in the
extraordinary! Finally on Sunday I was encouraged to be a better father and
husband and God greatly refreshed me with a spirit of Joy and great
anticipation for the extraordinary! He finished my encounter by launching me
in a new direction for my life and my ministry. My life will never be the
same!

Curtis Forbes

I want to tell you a little about myself.  I grew up in a Catholic church, and I
was always raised to love GOD no matter what the circumstances were.  About 8
years I ago I moved to the US from Colombia, unfortunately I made some bad
friends in high school and ended up moving out of my home with a girl. I
thought she was the only one that loved me and could ever make me happy.
NEWSFLASH, I was WRONG!!! Sure enough she left me three years later for
someone else. My heart was broken. The only person I turned to was GOD, and I
asked him to take those feelings away.  As time passed, I was healed from that.
GOD is so GREAT, and works in very mysterious ways. I fell in love with my
best friend. I was shocked because I thought I was gay and would never fall in love with a guy.  Anyways,  we realize we are meant for each other and GOD was the one who
put us together. When I decided to go on this encounter I was happy, not
excited, because I didn’t know what to expect, but in that weekend GOD showed
me a lot of things he has in store for me.  He told me that I don’t have to beat
myself up when I make a mistake, because we are not perfect and he knows that.
That’s why he gives us forgiveness so we can be better every time. This
encounter was a weekend FILLED WITH LOVE AND PEACE that I’ve never felt
before in my life.  I WILL NOT be the same person I was before. I’M FREE
YEAH!!!………….THANK YOU SO MUCH WOCIC for making this happen. I WILL BE
BACK!- Luisa V.

Testimony:

Hi my name is Duane and I wanted to share a little about myself before I tell
you about my encounter. I come from a family that shared the love of Jesus

to their best ability.  At an early age I said all the right things and was able to get involved with alcohol, and drugs, and from the 7th grade bringing alcohol and weed to school to 10th grade using an dealing meth.  By the time my mom and
others figured it out it was to late I had an serious addiction.  I have
battled with it for 22yrs. A lot of pain, hurt, depression,and more not only to
myself but to all you loved me. I always said I’m not married don’t have kids
not hurting anybody but myself sooo not true! Many jail sentences and 1 prison
sentence which made things worse. Well enough about the past, let me tell
you about MY GOD! He delivered me june 2nd 2006 in a jail cell from which i
started partnering with him went to Harvest House, met Jim Rouches and
partnered with them as well so I was already taking steps the father wanted
me to have breakthroughs losing stongholds and much more. So I was invited
to the encounter by my brother Art Adkins and was willing because if GOD was
going to show up an show out i know i needed it.  There is something about our
fathers presence, you really can’t explain it.  It’s GOOD which leeds me to tell
you about the JOY I encountered.  Jacob Owens was my server and GOD showed me
his heart and how much he really loves us through Jacob which I have built a
forever lasting relationship with.  Matter of fact he just sang at my wedding.
Truly there was many jacob’s there, but he was mine and I thank JESUS for him all
the time.  So why don’t you come meet your Jacob Peace and Joy of the LORD

WHEN I WENT TO THE ENCOUNTER I WAS SURE THAT I DID NOT BELONG WITH THIS GROUP.  I AM 81 YEARS OF AGE, MOST OF THE MEN WERE IN THEIR 20″S MANY HAD TATOOS, HIP HOP PANTS ETC, I WANTED TO BOLT RIGHT THEN AND THERE.  I WAS TOO JUDGEMENTAL. THESE MEN WERE THERE FOR THE SAME REASON THAT I WAS.  BY SATURDAY NIGHT I WOULD HAVE DIED FOR ANY ONE OF THESE MEN.  THEY WERE MY BROTHERS.  NO AMOUNT OF MONEY COULD HAVE BOUGHT WHAT I GOT FROM THE ENCOUNTER.  IT WAS AWESOME.

I HAVE HAD BACK TROUBLES FOR YEARS.  WHILE IN A MEETING I WAS IN EXTREME PAIN I PRAYED TO THE LORD AND ASKED HIM IF IT WAS HIS WILL COULD HE GRANT ME SOME RELIEF FROM THIS PAIN.  IN NO TIME I FELT THE PAIN SUBSIDE.  I STARTED TO CRY AND SOME OF THE SERVERS CAME OVER TO ME AND AS I RELATED MY STORY THEY
PRAYED WITH ME.  I AM FULL OF THE LORD AND HIS MERCY THAT WILL NEVER LEAVE ME.  I STILL HAVE PAIN AT TIMES, BUT WHEN I NEEDED THE RELIEF MOST,THE LORD ANSWERED MY PRAYERS.

I HAVE RECONCILED WITH MY WONDERFUL WIFE WHO NEVER GAVE UP ON ME.  I LOVE HER MORE THAN LIFE ITSELF, AND I HAVE A DIFFERENT OUTLOOK ON LIFE. THE WORK THAT PASTOR VIN AND THE OTHERS DO IS WONDERFUL. I THANK GOD THAT I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO ATTEND THE  ENCOUNTER.

As a child I had a father who was not really there and an older brother who
refused to fill the role of big brother. I was rejected by children my age
as early as pre-school. I was a very sad and angry child.

As little boys, we are supposed to have men who have gone before us to show
us the way. We crave a leader and boundaries. More than that, we crave love
and affection. And when those God-given, natural needs are not met, our
souls clamor and demand to have them met any way that can be found. From
boyhood we all embarked on a journey to manhood. But going on that journey
without godly men leading and loving us is like going on a journey without a
compass or map. It’s easy to get lost. And I got lost. Very lost. When we
don’t have the love, validation, acceptance, and physical affection of our
fathers, brothers, and friends in early childhood, it messes us all up. It
messed up my mind, messed up my heart, and messed up my sexuality.

There was a time in my life when I would have paid any price, even the price
of a sexual encounter, just to have a man hold me and tell me that he loved
me.

My encounter brought the life-changing revelation that while I was out there
paying crazy, painful prices to receive the cheap thrill of temporal and
conditional love from man, my God in heaven is the only God who paid the
ultimate price of death and self-sacrifice Himself in order to lavish His
extravagant, eternal, unconditional love all over me!

Oh how he loves us! It’s so good - it’s crazy love! The love of God which
flows from a relationship with Him and through men who have  relationship
with Him messed me up so good!

For my entire life I have walked around with the angry, confused, wounded
little boy of my childhood still crying and screaming to be loved within me.
My life has been colored by a unique type of pain that robbed me of true
life in any experience. It was so deep that I was unaware of its presence.
When I went to an encounter celebration before I even went on my encounter I
was so blown away by the open and righteous display of brotherly and
fatherly love that I saw that I felt attacked by if for its lack in my life.
I cried in the lap of the Father as he showed me my brokenness that night.

But He is a God who breaks that He may heal and the Lord would not have me
left on that altar of pain the rest of my life! No, He is a healer and a
deliverer!

And so three days changed my life when God encountered me with His
life-changing, disease-curing, need-meeting, wound-healing love! I was given
so much love that that wounded and hurt little boy inside of me couldn’t
help but be healed!

That weekend is having a ripple effect in my life. There is healing and
peace and rest and JOY ebbing and flowing out from around that experience
which reaches deep into my past, consumes me in the present, and extends
outward to cover and make the way for my future. I have only begun to
explore and discover the depth of the work of God in my heart during my
encounter. It just keeps getting better!

Strongholds in my life have been abolished. I am finally walking in daily
victory. I have conquered sexual addiction and cigarette addiction. I am
free! Free to live for Him and to love and be loved the way He loves! And
the Lord spoke to me and told me, “I was there every time you were neglected
or hurt. And my heart hurt with yours every time. My grace was enough to
carry you through and still carries you today. And I bore the pain of your
past with you. You were not alone but you were made to bare it for my
glory.” So I found some peace in considering that my suffering was not alone
or in vain; but I thought in anger, “Is the Lord some great glory hog in the
sky?” And He didn’t get mad at me; but He replied, “Mark, don’t you see?
Things that are for my glory benifit my children; because when my glory is
revealed in your life people will realize who I am by the work I’ve done in
you. You suffered for my glory to bring many sons to glory.” And so in that
word is my healing, my identity, and my purpose. Hallelujah - my heart is
reconciled to the wounds of my past. I am healed.

“See now that I myself am He!
There is no god besides me.
I put to death and I bring to life,
I have wounded and I will heal,
and no one can deliver out of my hand.”
Deuteronomy 33:15

I was a server at this last Encounter. I had been told, serving at an
Encounter is just as good as being in the Encounter, if not better. I did
not understand until Saturday morning about 6:30am. That morning I had My
Encounter with God. Thats when God put these words on my heart:

                                             My Encounter

Oh my God, what did you do? You took all these men broken and blue. You
changed their

lives and made them new. You used the Bible to lead them through, you took
all these

angels dressed in blue. They showed them how to dance and they hugged them
too. They

gave them love and softened their hearts, all for you. Now that they are
free what will

they do? Other than go tell someone else about you. Oh my God what did you
do? You

created more angels dressed in blue.

                                                by Jimmy Bryant

From Living in Hell to Living in the Glory of MY Lord, Jesus Christ

My name is Gus and I wanted to share with you the most amazing thing that
could ever happen to anyone. That thing is GOD. I just got out of
prison,after 2and1/2 years. I want to tell you that I was what they call a
tough guy, O.G. (old gangster) a guy you don’t want to mess with a guy that
doesn’t fear anything or anyone but when my sister whom I love and respect
more than anything in the world told me that I was going to the encounter I
was made and scared to death (I didn’t tell her I was scared just made). You
might ask why was I scared and I’ll tell you. When I was in prison I dealt
with Gangs, murderers, thieves and straight out BAD guys. I never feared any
of them because we had a mutual respect for one another but coming to a
place where I’m suppose to have an Encounter with the CREATER,THE FATHER,
GOD himself scared me half to death. O I didn’t give in to easy but I
finally decided I can deal with him. (Little did I know he was going to deal
with me).We arrived on Friday and all I heard is it gets better. I saw all
these guys jumping around and yelling and doing whatever. (They looked liked
patients from a Sych. Ward) but that I was used to, so I stayed. Saturday
came and I don’t know, but as I was sitting around listening to everything
and I started to go through what felt like an emotional rollercoaster ride.
I guess it was all the demons I have lived with for the past 39 years. Let
me tell you what a battle it was not to run away. Actually, I tried too many
times but they have what I nicknamed as the blue angles. They are the
servers, the crazy ones, the ones that were first to start jumping around
for no reason. They took the time to listen to what I was going through and
each time they brought me back in. Latter on that afternoon I was walking
back from the cafeteria and I sat down on a rocking chair. I started
fighting and cursing at GOD telling him (what are you doing to me I’m going
crazy here).After I was done yelling and screaming I laid my head back in
the chair and closed my eyes and Let me tell you it wasn’t total dark out
but it wasn’t that bright either. As I sat there this incredible peace and
calm came over me I felt numb all through my body and with my eyes closed I
saw the brightest light imaginable, at first I thought someone was playing
with me and I tried to open my eyes but they wouldn’t open. I stayed like
that for a little while I didn’t want it to end. I went back to the hall sat
down. The next thing I new I was the one dancing around and screaming. I
wasn’t afraid anymore I felt free. That is why I am writing my testimony to
tell the world that GOD is so real and these encounters save lives by
bringing people like me to GOD. I thought I was tough before, try and mess
with me now with GOD as my friend. Lastly, I want to tell you that GOD knew
that I would be at that encounter long before I or anyone else did and I’ll
tell you how. When I was in prison I had a vision to get a tattoo, so I ask
someone to draw it up for me the way I described it to him. Guess what, it
is almost identical to the logo for the encounter (the hands breaking
through the chains).Well as of today GOD rules my world and will for many,
many years to come. GOD be with you all and GOD bless everyone.

Wow! I am so grateful to the Lord for WOCIC. The retreat was incredible.
From the very first moment I arrived, women I didn’t know began to overwhelm
me with the Love of God and it didn’t stop the whole weekend. His love
brought the walls down and everyone there, myself included, took a huge step
toward a greater freedom. I was set free from low self-worth. I had no idea
what it was that was keeping me from the freedom to serve God
wholeheartedly. It feels so wonderful. I have a new strength and confidence
that whatever lies ahead I am more than a conquerer.  I CAN do all things
through Christ who strengthens me. I am no longer timid and reticent. I
truly feel able - what a feeling!
Many thanks to all who prayed, all who served, all who ministered the Word
of God. I love you all and I’ll be back to serve!!