I met Doug through a dear sister named Wendy. Wendy had been out to Liberty earlier in the year and had told me about Doug. At the time I blew her off, not fully understanding what she was trying to tell me. When she was saying she was in Liberty, Missouri, I thought it was a family reunion, or some social event. I didn't know what she was talking about.
Several months later, the Lord has us talking about Liberty Disaster Relief and Fellowship of the Martyrs and she told me about Doug and Clare. I went to the website and saw Doug's number. I felt absolutely compelled to call, though I had no idea why. It didn't make any sense that I would call a total stranger. I called and Clare answered the phone. Doug was out and I left a message with Clare. In the time between that call and Doug's return call, about 5 minutes, I had all kinds of evil thoughts come at me. "You don't need to talk to Doug." "You're doing just fine in your walk." "Why would you trust someone who could turn out to be a religious whacko?" All of these thoughts came at me. It took me back for about a minute, and then I took them captive and began to search the spirit to see what I should do. I felt compelled again to communicate with Doug.
Doug called back and I began the conversation with, "I have no idea why I called you, but I felt compelled to do so." From there we started
talking about my walk, about Jesus, about what we're called to do, about the unhappiness I was having with the church, about a great many things which were
on my spirit. We spoke for about 1/2 hour. He invited me to come out to Liberty, if the Lord lead. I told him I wasn't sure and that I'd have to
pray about it. We prayed and I got off the phone. Shortly after we got off the phone I knew I needed to go out there. I called Doug back and told him I was
coming out. This was just before Thanksgiving, 2007.
I came out on the Monday of the week of Thanksgiving, and stayed until Friday, when I left. Indianapolis to Liberty is an eight-hour drive. On my way there I
was being seriously spiritually attacked, to the point I almost turned around and went home. But God was with me and I felt in the spirit to overcome, and I
pushed on, having nonstop attacks for the first 4 hours of the trip, and then for the last hour of the trip.
I arrived in Liberty and was greeted by Clare with a big hug. My first impression of Liberty is Clare and a big hug. She's such a wonderful, sold out to
Jesus, loving, caring soul. Oh, Clare... We sat down and had dinner, and then things started happening.
I had never been exposed to real spiritual activity before, but within the first 15 minutes of us talking, Doug prayed a prayer and I could feel in the spirit
a demon leave me. It caused me to shake and shudder when it happened, and I felt different. I asked Doug "what happened? What was what?" He told
me he knocked off the spirit of fear, which was keeping me from being open, honest and moving forward. From that point forward, there was a spiritual focus
about my entire time at Liberty. As I write these words right now I begin to cry thinking back on it.
The Lord had arranged everything. On Tuesday I went out with Jerry and Larry and spent the day bonding with them in the spirit. We became familiar to one
another and the reality of their devotion to Jesus, and mine, was evident before all of us. It was so beautiful, and I am so thankful for that day.
On Wendesday and early Thursday we spent time getting ready for Thanksgiving. We had food to gather and prepare, and the apartment next to us was donated for
us to use by the new tennant, Kay, who was so loving and opened up her not-yet-lived-in-home to total strangers for the purpose of serving food to those in
need on Thanksgiving. We ran power and water over, got the heater working, the stove, etc. We had everything ready for the food, which began being served at
11am on Thursday.
Thursday came and we served about 140 plates. We had so many people's lives that were touched by this act of generosity and giving that Jesus had ordained
for us to participate in. It was so beautiful. By the end of the serving time we were all sitting around eating and I just started crying my eyes out. It
was so beautiful what was done there. Not only were people fed in the natural, but they were fed in the spiritual. The presence of God, and of his angels, it
was everywhere in that apartment, in the thoughts, actions and deeds of all of the volunteers. It was just so beautiful. You couldn't look at anybody and
not see Jesus that day. And it caused me to cry more than I've cried before.
After we had cleaned up we had communion, and we all reflected on the day, the presence of God in our hearts and in the home, and we all wept. It was the most
beautiful communion I've ever been a part of, and it was right there in the living area of the mission house at about 3:30pm on Thursday. After that we
gathered up the rest of the food and asked the Lord where we should go to deliver it. We went out two by two with the remaining meals, probably 60 in all.
Doug and I paired off and the Lord led us to Excelsior Springs, where we ultimately ended up at a home of some children whose mother had just died of cancer,
and whose father was just getting ready to begin serving a jail sentence. We asked the kids if they wanted some food, and they received it gladly. Doug and I
both started to cry immediately because God was moving.
We went out that night on the way back and blessed the new property acquistion in Mosby, Missouri. It was the former Post Office of Mosby, and it's now
called the Holy Ghost Office. A small, 15 x 24 building, but we blessed the structure, the land, and asked the Lord to make sure that anyone passing through
the building's doors would be forever affected by love, peace and joy that comes from a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ.
We came back to the mission house, shared our stories, and prayed together. We went off and prayed as the Lord led us, sharing and giving and caring and
loving. It was so peaceful, so wonderful, so joyous. Absolutely unparalleled by anything in my life. It was of the spirit, not of the natural, and God was
there the entire time. Peace, love and joy overflowing everywhere. Oh, it was just beyond words beautiful.
I left on Friday, crying now as I write words, feeling like I was leaving true family behind. I knew the Lord would have me back out, but I didn't know
when. I knew it wasn't for me to move to Liberty, though much of me wanted to. The Lord has other plans for all of us if we will listen to him. I made
it back out to Liberty December 29 - Jan 5, and the time spent there was equally blessed, though on the second trip Jesus stepped up the spiritual component of
the relationship we all shared there. It was real, tangible, and it was of the spirit. I'll post more on this second trip as the Lord leads.
I pray anyone reading this testimony will search their spirit and ask the Lord if a trip to Liberty or Indianapolis, where I'm from and where I'm
setting up a Indianapolis branch of Liberty Disaster Relief, is in their future. There is love in true fellowship with believers who are sold out to Jesus.
There is spiritual love and a connection beyond words. Beyond natural understanding. In fact, I'm finding time and time again that this natural body
cannot contain the love, the power of the spirit. My heart aches to the point where I think this body will explode sometimes, and I am so filled with joy I
could float at other times.
Praying the hard prayers, to see through the eyes of Jesus, to want to know what it means to be a real believer, a real follower, someone who is in every way
sold out to him and the Father's will... these will wreck your life, but it is a requirement to be born again truly in the spirit with eyes focused forever
on Jesus.
Praise be to the living God, to his son, and to the holy spirit, through whom all things are possible. Peace.
