11.08.2008

the end is always the beginning

New videos posted! I want to share what we played tonight at the conference. It is only a snippet of the two songs...but you can hear the violin soaring through the air. Just imagine 1300 women crammed in that church. wow.

'You are my Sanctuary' by Gary Sadler



'Be Near' by Shane & Shane



Alice, the singer, is the base leader in Skien. I have really enjoyed getting to know her more on our trip. She has become like a big sister or an aunt to me. If she ever makes a cd and travels around Europe with it....she will call me and I will be her violinist! YES!

I don't know why I was here at this conference yet. But i do know that one girl had heard me play violin at Catch the Fire in Oslo and was so blessed as I was walking around the audience and playing to people. She was sitting next to a man that I stopped by to play for. She was so tired in her mind and heart and when I played it just brought streams of refreshing tears to her eyes. Alice suggested that I get my violin and play for her again right now. GREAT IDEA! I went to fetch it.....and then realized that I should be doing this more. Why not? The violin is my spiritual weapon. I use it to bring joy to sadness and healing to brokenness. She was double blessed as she listened to the private concert we had. God used me. I am used.

Unfortunately, I have been having these painful ear aches lately. I have gotten them at other times of my life and now it has been plaguing me since I flew to Norway from the states two weeks ago. It was in the right ear...now it is in the left. Every touch of the outside of my ear is painful and also there is a deep thumping and dull ache. It's painful. Alice with her reckless hands gave it an accidental big smack and I writhed in pain. Perhaps I should see a doctor? I bet it is just deep in the head congestion like the other times.

Well on my way out of the meeting...which lasted until 10 minutes before midnight!.......I saw Carol sitting on the chairs. I was like....'no, why is she just sitting there...so available?' I wanted her to pray for me...for my ear and I also wanted to ask her how her knee was (the one that Will prayed for while we were in Redding, CA) I battled a bit in my mind...'no, she has been praying for 2 hours now...she is tired, you don't need the specific prayer from her, just go....it's late!' BUT NO!! I was bold and I asked an ministry teammate if I could have prayer from Carol. She said YES. So I knelt down beside her and as I started to ask for healing prayer for my ears I just wept. I could hardly speak. The words that came out were..' I'm afraid I will go deaf, my ears hurt a lot of the time, I don't want to go deaf!!' She looked at me...taking my head in her hands and prayed. Her fingers were pressed really firmly in the side of my head and it was not actually painful at that moment. Her ministry companion laid a hand on me too. It was like the whole world stopped and God had given them both the little bit more energy they needed to receive me. Carol took my head again and looked at me....then gave me a gentle kiss on the forehead. I thanked her. My ear was not healed in that moment....but I got a moment to look into those deep eyes of love. The eyes that have seen hundreds and thousands of signs and wonders of the Holy Spirit. And the cool thing was....I was not afraid. I asked her about her knee. How was it feeling? She said it was doing so much better since California. I told her that it was my boyfriend that had prayed for her. She got bright eyes and said, 'was it really??' She said it was much, much better and that I should thank Will for her. So....Will, if you are reading this....THANKS FROM CAROL ARNOTT!

we drive back to Skien tomorrow.
i get internet in our apartment soon!
will we go to Germany for Christmas? I believe so!!!

2 comments:

Will Strickland said...

SING PRAISE!! :)

Laurel said...

oh, how i miss making music with you!