Aguas Chile - The Water Flowed

My team and I just got back from Chile on Monday night—after an incredible 2 conferences in the cities of Concepcion and Santiago. About 1100 people attended the conferences. These were the 7th & 8th Aguas Conferences that we’ve done in a little over a year—they were some of the most challenging ones yet, as we were organizing everything from across the border in neighboring Argentina…but WORTH IT ALL!

Here are some of the highlights:

1. In Santiago, a young lady responds in the ministry time—through her tears, she begins to tell us that this is the first time she’s been able to confront the awful truth of her childhood. Her father having died when she was 3 years old, her mother, as a way to make money, began to prostitute her out to adult men when she was just 6 years old; many times, with her mom standing in the doorway of the bedroom, and her daughter begging for help, with no response. God began a deep healing in this young lady’s life on March 14, in the Telethon Theatre, in Santiago, Chile. Thank God for the 2 professionals we had as part of the Aguas Ministry team who were able to assist her as she started her journey to restoration and healing.

2. Another young lady came to the conference as a last resort. A friend paid her registration and convinced her to go. After the morning service, she told us that God had surprised her—intervened in her plan to commit suicide. She had planned on taking her life on March 14—but left the theatre marking the calendar for another reason—on March 14, she gave her life to the Lord and felt marked with a new hope for healing and freedom from the wounds of past abuse.

3. In Concepcion, southern Chile, in the final service, a young man stands broken and weeping. Soon two young ladies join him at his side, and they huddle sobbing. They are a brother and two sisters; he recently graduated with his engineering degree. Each of them, including one brother who wasn’t present, were horrifically abused by their own father. We stood with them, even wept with them, but also had the opportunity to minister personally, praying over them, and through the ministry of Aguas, we saw them leave with a look of joy and hope on their faces. I just received an email from this young man—and God has made a definite change in his life!

4. Because of scholarships given from people in the States, we were able to give a family of 5 free entrances to the conference in Santiago---in reality, they heard about the conference in southern Concepcion (5 hours to the south)—and out of their desperation, they made the trip to Santiago to attend. Out of the 5, only one is a Christian—recently having given her life to the Lord (about a month or so ago). The family was a group of sisters and one of their daughters…all adults ages 35-60…deeply broken and crippled by extreme violence and sexual abuse in the family. In the ministry time in the morning, and again in the final service, God moved POWERFULLY and ministered deeply to their wounds—it was AMAZING watching them literally physically respond to the very Presence of the Lord as He washed over them with hope and healing. They will continue to receive help and ministry through a local church in Concepcion that partnered with us for the event there.

5. The government agency for women, SERNAM, contacted us requesting to be present at the event—it was an amazing opportunity—we were able to honor the director of SERNAM for the Metropolitan Area of Santiago, as well as the director for the region and city of Concepcion. After greeting the crowd, we were able to pray over them, asking for God to give favor, fresh vision and blessings in their efforts to impact their nation.

6. Because of the high security risk, in the end we were not able to go into the women’s shelters where women and girls are literally hiding for their lives—escaping human trafficking situations and extreme family violence. We were, however, able to prepare and gift an entire packet of all of our materials (DVD of the entire conference, notebooks of workshop materials, other forms of resource helps) to the directors of these agencies so that they can be delivered to the homes themselves and kept as part of their ‘library’ of resources.

7. One of our conference workshops speakers spent time counseling a pastor’s wife who was finally able to break the silence about the physical violence of her pastor husband…telling of the constant threat under which her and her children live. We believe God has started a healing work in her life, and also giving her strength and practical resources to help in the decisions that lie ahead. Breaking the silence is the biggest step towards change, healing, and freedom.

8. One little girl, 15 years old, came and stood by me in the front during the ministry time…when I turned to pray for her, she said she just had a question: “How did you do it?”. I said, “How did I do what?”---“How did you forgive?” She began to tell me in graphic details of horrific rapes perpetrated on her by her uncle…and how her mother was angry at her when she tried to tell. She had never been to church before. I talked to her of my own experience in the process of forgiving the person who had violated me; of God’s grace and help. Then, Graciela Prein and I began to minister to her after I talked to her for a long while. I emphasized to her that God wasn’t standing by waiting on her to forgive—that the main concern of God’s heart was HER heart…and that forgiveness is also a process. God touched her deeply—we stood with her and held her while she wept, alone there in the front. God began a deep work in this little girl.

9. We were amazed at the amount of men that attended in Santiago! It was incredible to watch them responding to the messages and coming forward to be ministered to. In the final service, entire families were walking through the prayer line together…many of the men weeping and receiving right alongside the women. Sexual abuse unfortunately isn’t limited to women only—we are seeing many men finally having an opportunity to break the silence of abuse in their past through the platform of Aguas de Sanidad (Healing Waters) Conferences!

I could write hundreds of stories more…but let me just say—I hope that through these small testimonies you can see and feel the deep impact of your prayers and your partnership with the awesome life and opportunities that God has allowed me to have in the southern cone of South America. THANK YOU…thank you.

The heaven’s are NOT silent---though millions feel that God no longer speaks—He has a voice as we speak up and reach out to those that are sitting in brokenness and silence, waiting for hope and help. If you’d like to be a part of the next Aguas de Sanidad Conference (the first specifically for both MEN and women) coming up in Buenos Aires, Argentina on June 13, please contact me at renaywest@earthlink.net

**to see more fotos of the events, see my photo albums "AGUAS CHILE" 1 & 2.

Love,
Renay