Raw & real!

Hola! Como esta? We are home from Peru! What an amazing time we had! The overall trip was incredible and the Lord did some mighty things. I cannot believe how fluid the prophetic and healing was. I think there was only one time I really had to ask the Lord and wait for something. We just opened our mouths and out it came! Total faith that whatever we asked for would happen, and it did! Not a doubt to be found anywhere! These people were expecting miracles and they got them! God is good! We have so many miracle stories to share and we will, but this post I feel the Lord wanted me to share saw real and raw stuff we went through.

Most of you reading this blog know that my life, at least for the past 27 years, has been a battle with my health. I have been dealing with migraines for 27 years. I have a disability in my right leg, called RSD, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, resulting from a knee surgery in 1992. I have chronic neck and back pain. In 2009 I closed my mortgage company down (per the Lord) primarily due to health reasons. I was experiencing chronic fatigue, brain fog, liver issues, etc. It wasn't until 2010 that I was officially diagnosed with Adrenal Fatigue and also Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease which was caused from all the pain meds I took for migraines. My immune system and endocrine system was basically crashing. Now I share all this with you to set the stage.

In September, the Lord connected us to James Horan of Fresh Mercy Ministries. We went to Tulsa to meet him and get to know him and only two weeks after that visit, the Lord sprung on us to go to Peru with him. The first question out of my mouth to God was what about my health? How can I travel to a foreign country and have little energy, low immune? I sensed He said He would sustain me. How could I go to a 3rd world country and be ok? However, there were so many confirmations, many of which I shared with you all in previous posts. We knew were to go and all I could do was trust and believe that God would see me through. This was a huge leap of faith. But there I went... jumped into the deep end believing God would take care of things.

We arrived in Peru just before New Years Eve. The New Years Eve services began and we arrived at the church approximately 10pm. It wasn't until almost 230am that James was up to speak. It was 5am when we returned to our hotel. Did I tell you it was extremely hot there. The temperatures were only in the upper 70's, low 80's but the humidity was unbelievable. Of course, we were in jeans, long sleeve shirts and suit jackets as required by the church. We were soaking wet. At midnight, probably 100 people came to hug us and they didn't seem to care how hot we were..but just very loving hospitable people.

Our hotel room was considered a 3 star hotel... and I would guess that is because we had a toilet seat and toilet paper in the room. Our bed was like a sheet of plywood with a thin sheet over it. The pillows were lumpy. The air conditioning was a window open and praise God we had a fan in the room but it was still very hot. Though the hotel was very old, they did a nice job of keeping it clean. Thank God!

On Sunday, James knocked on our door and said come upstairs (to the rooftop restaurant) as he had something he wanted to share with us. What Ken and I had been sensing for a day already became a reality when we got upstairs. James said that he had to get home, that there was a family crisis and it was imperative he was home (back in the usa). FYI- God is definitely working things out there and all is well on that front. So we are on day 2 in a foreign country still trying to get acclimated to the weather, the culture, the food, the language and James tells us he is going home. He is telling the church that he has every confidence that God orchestrated this so that Ken and I would be fully launched into what God has for us in Peru. James interpreter, Sammy would stay the duration of the trip and would be our interpreter. Oh and did I tell you, probably due to all the stresses, I was sick. I had a fever, cough, sore throat and chest congestion. So James changed his flight and fortunately for us wasn't able to get home until Monday. So we had at least all day Sunday and most of Monday with him watching his routine there before he left. That was a blessing!

Our schedule there was pretty much the same each day.... we would wake up, eat breakfast at the hotel... Pastor Agapito from the church Fuente de Benedicion would pick us up, we would go to the tv station, Ken would preach for about 10 minutes, then I would share 15-20 minutes of prophetic words of knowledge the Lord gave me and pray over each of them (and the tv station would get calls in while on air, confirming the words and that they were healed by the prayers), then we would pray over prayer petitions live on air. After tv, we would often move to radio and do the same thing. We would then have lunch around 4 or 5 and then would go to the church or another church to preach and minister until late. After that service we would go for dinner and then back to the hotel to bed. On average we would get about two to three hours of sleep.

In Peru, most of the public restrooms (except the very nice restaurants) had NO toilets seats, no toilet paper, no soap or paper towels. Thankfully, the Lord gave us some knowledge of this before we left - so we had lots of kleenex and hand sanitizer with us. But to actually experience it firsthand (even with prior knowledge) did not make it any easier. Especially when you are sick, you want clean.

Ken and I have learned a very nice song that reminds us of Peru. :) Everywhere you go, you hear "beep beep" and in many different sounds and styles of horns. This is because there are 9 million people driving all at once (ok just a little exaggerated) and they don't stop for pedestrians or for red lights or stop signs, they just beep their horn twice to forewarn you they are coming through. At first the noise level from cars, horns, busses, people was overwhelming but before the end of the trip, it became music to our ears. We never saw someone show any anger or impatience on the road and in so much traffic. The traffic was crazy but yet there was a peace to it all. Very odd! This is a city that does NOT sleep!!!!!

The people we were with and the church people we ministered to were the most humble and hospitable people we have ever met. If you went to the restroom, they escorted you and sometimes at the church, someone would hand you a paper towel to dry your hands off with (instead of using your pants). If we used a taxi, there was somebody from the church in the taxi with you and they paid the fare. Everytime we went to eat, they order family style and its free for all in eating. I think only once or twice when we ate on our own did we eat from our own plates.

The food was good - good flavor but I had no idea what I was eating most of the time. They have over 5000 variety of potatoes so I know we ate lots of those. I tried Ceviche (the crab one) which is raw fish cooked in lime juice. Tasty. Ken was more brave and at the fish and octopus variety. Most of the dishes the bones, fat and skin were in it. Great flavor, crazy textures!

Many people are poor but they are generous - generous in spirit, in love, in humility, in serving you, in hospitality. I fell in love with a little girl there and would love to have brought her home. Pastor Agapito and his wife Marlena and her sister Bibiane (i think that's how you spell it) were such a delight. When we were saying our goodbyes, we cried. Their hearts are so in love with Jesus! We love that!

On the flight home from Peru, I think everyone on the plane wanted to shoot me. I was sooooooo sick and coughing literally non stop. I coughed so hard that I was vomiting pfleghm. I know, probably too much information but the reality was that I was miserable. I just wanted to be home and in my own bed. I have to say that this was probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life. The whole time I was there, I kept asking God why? Why did you allow me to get sick? I thought You were going to sustain me? I begged and pleaded for my healing but it never came. I was really questioning my faith and yet God was doing so many miracles through us. It was the best of times and the worst of times. I still don't have the answers but I do know that God loves me very much and does have my best interests at heart. I have been in bed since we arrived home and am resting and recouping very slowly. Please pray for healing!! And THANK YOU to those who have been praying. If you hadn't been, I wouldn't have survived this trip.

One last story before I end this post. Five years ago, Ken and I had a prophetic word given to us that we would be traveling and that we would have an international ministry. The person shared a vision they had of us and saw two trees. They didn't have an interpretation for that. I often joked that it meant a "Doubletree" hotel and Ken would say it was two trees holding a hammock. Three years ago we were at Morningstar Church in South Carolina . Ken and I were selected to sit in a circle and 50 people prophyseid over us - international ministry, cargo coming from a plane to use to provide to those in need, and again someone said I see two trees. There were several folks that confirmed the two trees.

When we arrived at our hotel - Hotel Internacional - the logo we saw behind the front desk jumped out at us! It was the two trees!!! The picture at the top of this post is the logo!! You should be able to click on picture and enlarge it. Can you believe God orchestrated this trip 5 years ago!!!!!

And what's more interesting... is that we feel that we are to return to Peru.... and possibly move there... short or long term, we don't know yet. We are praying and asking God for clarity.... We will share more on this in future posts!

If you feel led to support us and the ministry God has for us, this is how you can do so!

Tax deductible donations can be made by visiting:
1. https://www.hhmin.org/make_donation_projects.php, select Ministry Projects, then use drop down box Ken & Michele Cole - Want InSight?
2. Or you can donate through my medical account, select Medical Projects, then Michele Cole.

3. Non tax deductible donations can be made directly to us by:

4. Paypal - account is michele@wantinsight.com

5. Send check to our home. Please contact us for the address.
Any donations made through Helping Hands will be anonymous. If you want us to know that you supported us through them, please let us know personally. Thank YOU

Thank YOU so much for your kind comments and offers to pray. This is also a very important part of our trip!


And some events you won't want to miss!

JANAURY 2012
James Horan of Fresh Mercy Ministries will be here in January 21. We will be hosting him at our home to teach and minister. You can check him out at www.freshmercy.com. If you are interested in this event, please email me as seating is limited.

We will also be hosting another Shelf Reliance Food Storage show January 28. www.shelfreliance.com. If you are interested in attending, please email me.

FEBRUARY 2012
Jerry Baysinger of Life Healing Ministries http://lifehealingministries.us/ will be here February 18th. We will be hosting him at our home to teach and minister. God has used him mightily in the area of healing!! If you are interested in attending this event, please email me as seating is limited.


God Bless You!

Ken & Michele Cole