Guest Blogger #2

Today I offer another Guest Blogger who attended Booth-Tucker Institute in Vancouver, Canada this year- Mary MacKay from the Bangor Corps! We were so excited when Mary stated her desire to go this year (we're proud of you, Mary)!

Praise God for our Army who supports us by sending us to such vital spiritual events! You're in for another great blessing when you read of Mary's experience:

Booth Tucker Institute - June 23-30, 2006
by Mary macKay

Bed Bugs, roaches, and rats, oh my! Incarnational Living- I am not sure that I even fully understood what this was until now. I also know that a couple years ago I could not have gone to Vancouver all by myself, let alone stay in the "poorest postal code"’ in Canada and do things so completely out of my comfort zone. But this was the time- God's time, and I really felt that God wanted me to do this. So after a long day in the air and arriving in Canada just in time for Knee Drill (a really cool time of Praise, Worship and Prayer) I was off to find where I would stay for the next 7 days.

My next and first official day of BTI started off with a War Room (Prayer room) shift at 5 a.m. and would last until 8 a.m. I can honestly tell you that I have never, I repeat NEVER spent three hours in prayer at one time but this was awesome. I found that you could pray, sing, read your Bible, look out over the intersection of Hastings & Main, (the main intersection in the Downtown East Side), to see the people that have pretty much been there all night, and even do God inspired art work. I spent some time reading my Bible and God gave me the verse in Isaiah 42:6b-7 that says, "And you will be a light to guide the nations. You will open the eyes of the blind. You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons." And I thought, "what am I going to do with this? Is it for me or someone else?" I really wasn't sure what to do with it so I marked it and prayed about it and for the people sitting and sleeping on the steps of the Carnegie Center (library etc).

The time passed very quickly and then it was off to Crosswalk to begin my day, and what would be every day, with "Praying the Bible." We then met with the other delegates and shared a time of "why we were there and what we expected to gain from the experience." I was then paired up with a young woman named Fleur to Prayer Walk in the DTES for 1/2 hour each day.

I do have to say that one of the things that affected me most was the day that we saw a young woman sitting on the sidewalk just down from Crosswalk, her shirt pulled up to expose her very pregnant belly, and she was shooting up. I found myself welling up with tears and Fleur began to pray as we walked. She prayed for the safety of that baby, protection from drugs and many other good things. I have thought of that young woman many times in the days since and pray for her as well.

After that we were paired up with our partner for our daily BTI Challenge. The challenges ranged to everything from prayer walking a local store (check out the size of the store before you decide to do this one!), to praying in a government building, obtaining a meal for a homeless individual using the barter system and no money of our own, praying for people in the safe injection site (they wouldn't let anyone in), to a number of other challenges. Lt.-Colonel Howie Burr and I tried several different challenges with a margin of success. We prayed thru a department store one day and set up a "free prayer booth" another day among other things. It was a good experience and definitely out of my comfort zone.

The lecturers for the week included Michael Collins, Associate Pastor of Cariboo Hill Corps; Captains Steve and Danielle; Ian Gillingham and Aaron White, from the War College. Great speakers, definitely anointed and qualified to speak at Booth Tucker College. They each had inspiring topics and gave us a lot to think about.

I think one of the highlights each day was the daily "dusting off" sessions. The scripture says that Jesus told the disciples in Matthew 10:14 "if any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to you message, shake its dust from you feet as you leave." If I am not mistaken, I believe that Charles Roberts coined the phrase, "dusting off." Each day 2 delegates were given their own time for some listening prayers and prophetic words of encouragement and other revelations. There was some powerful stuff happening each day!! Sherry's (another woman from Maine) dusting was incredibly powerful as she was baptized in the spirit.

My own dusting was very meaningful for me and I was encouraged to use my healing gift more and to accept it. (By the way, Howie, I went to the hospital the day after I came home and prayed with a soldier that had four cardiac arrests and surgery while I was away and not expected to make it. He is now in his own room at the hospital, was alert, and doing quite well when I saw him this past Sunday)! It was very encouraging, not only for the person receiving the blessing or dusting, but for those listening as well. Fleur would transcribe the words given and then a time of discussion would follow. It was incredible each time that someone would hit the mark straight on (Duh!?). We were listening to God and it should not have been a surprise to anyone!!

I had two more shifts in the War Room (both were 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.) and also went out on Tuesday night for Street Combat. I had no idea what to expect but Crystal (a young War College Student) was patient with me. We walked a bit, talked with some people (one of which Crystal had not seen for a while) and we ended the night with a quick dusting off session and prayer before joining with the Canteen from Cariboo Hill as they passed out soup and sandwiches and just talked with the people from the DTES. A highlight of this night (and I didn't have my camera) was seeing Howie, in full uniform (it was tunic Tuesday), with Lisa, sitting on the sidewalk in conversation with a gentleman from the street.

The War College also operates a coffee house/cafe out of the Crosswalk Building (an emergency sleeping mat shelter) a few nights of the week. The coffee house/cafe is called REcre8 (sound it out!) and serves coffee, tea, and refreshment. The delegates to BTI are also scheduled for shifts in the cafe. The guests are also invited to play games, talk, or just sit and enjoy the company if that is what they want. It is a great way for them to connect with the 614 corps and community.

I really feel that I was truly blessed by this experience and am praying into what to do with all that I learned during this week. I know that people at home were praying for my safety and God truly blessed me and protected me while in Vancouver. When I got out of my shifts at 11 p.m. in the War Room, Wes (one of the tenants in the apartment) was there to meet me and walk me home then and on our last night after Recre8 at 10ish p.m. Bram (one of our cadets from the SFOT) walked me home as well). I think all these people just felt I was too old to be out alone)! Whatever the reason, I know God's hand was definitely in it!! Thank you , Jesus!!

Oh, yeah, I am pretty sure the scripture given to me on the first day in the War Room was for me. One of my goals for the week was to leave Vancouver a changed person.

In the words of a Hillsong song,

I will never be the same again,
I can never return, I've closed the door.
I will walk the path, I will run the race.
And I will never be the same again.
And I will never be the same again.
And I will never be the same again.

Jesus, may it be so.