Healing Waters for Teenagers -- April 4th 2009
....was a day to remember. We started out with around 180 teens and leaders from around the city of Buenos Aires and visitors from as far away as Cordoba (10 hours) and Misiones (12 hours). Our Castle staff started out with a drama that grabbed everyone's attention and brought many to tears, and as the Holy Spirit descended, Renay West shared her testimony concerning childhood physical and sexual abuse that she experienced. As she shared her story of how God brought her into a place of joy and healing, hope began to rise up in the hearts of the kids who were identifying with her. The morning ended with many coming forward for prayer, touching the heart of God and being ministered to by the Holy Spirit, as evidenced by the tears followed by joyful celebration.
The afternoon was marked with workshops that helped teens learn how to maintain their healing, and how to minister to peers who have been abused. It ended by each teenager receiving words of blessing spoken over their lives. Many, when hearing the words, "You are a blessed son/daughter, you are precious in God's sight, you are loved, you are wanted..." would begin to cry, having never heard those words before, or not having heard them enough.
Again, the Holy Spirit would minister to these kids, sometimes using the speakers or other leaders, sometimes just by Himself. After the last one received their "blessing", the worship band began to play and another joyful celebration took place with teens dancing all over the front of the Castle building. (Okay, we leaders got pulled into the fun as well...) Truly an awesome day! We are making plans to duplicate this meeting in at least two other provinces for Castle kids and their friends as well.
