From the desk of Jerry Gaffney
Dear Friends:
It has been a couple of months since we last sent you a newsletter and so much has happened. I just don't know where to begin. We just left Payette, Idaho at the Assembly of God church. Arlen Benson is the pastor there. He is a wonderful man of God and so are his people. The Lord moved so wonderfully the first two weeks, in ways few could understand. So many got saved. So many were touched by the Holy Spirit. So many were healed. Jefferson, about 5 years old, with leukemia is pictured below. He had been fighting this for three years. His mother sent us the following letter.
Dear Jerry and Jan.
Thank you so much for ministering to my family. You truly have God's heart. What an awesome God we serve! I had just taken my son Jefferson to the doctors. He was in remission from leukemia for the past 3 years. On April 9th 1996 exhausted after a day of hunting for a job after losing my job 3 weeks ago. Dr. E. had called and left a message stating there was a problem with the tests and for me to call before 5pm. The doctor told me Jefferson's spinal tap came back with some severe problems. His white blood cell count was over 100 and the doctor said Jefferson's leukemia was relapsing. l started to cry. I tried to be strong because my three children were with me but I just couldn't ....I went to my church in Ontario, Oregon on Wednesday night but I wasn't really there. After church was over I didn't feel like going home. I put the three children in the car and for what reason l didn't know why I drove to Payette, Idaho. I saw my best friend there at 9pm. She told me Jesus brought me there for a reason. There was a man at Payette Assembly of God church who was praying for the sick. I didn't have the faith to believe that it could work. I need to hold the tangible. We went to the meeting anyway and Jerry Gaffney prayed for my son. Then he looked at me and held my face in his hands and said "You don't need to bring him to me anymore; he is healed. Don't worry, it is not your faith that the Lord is looking at tonight but our faith here. You are broken and tired. Please, promise me you will come back here though to touch the Lord for yourself." I gave myself to the Lord's healing power that night for 10 days. On April 18th 1996 Jefferson went back into the hospital again. They began the painful spinal tap and bone marrow test again. For the first time I had peace. I just knew he was healed. After they were done I was looking out the window crying. Twenty minutes later the doctor came in and sat down on Jefferson's bed. I looked at the doctor with tears streaming down my cheeks. She looked at me and smiled and said that Jefferson was just fine. His blood count was normal. The doctor said "it was impossible- it couldn't be." But it was a miracle. Jesus gave me another miracle that day. Jesus healed my broken spirit and took a woman who doubted the healing power of the Lord and turned her into one who believes. I went to Payette Assembly of God that night to share my miracles. Jesus gave me my little boy back. He also gave me peace and the fire of the Holy Spirit again. What an awesome God -we serve. Love in Christ, Rebecca
Pictured below is another young boy named Charlie. He became one of the special helpers who didn't ask for anything in return. He just liked to be in the meetings. There was a word from the Lord that those with a hearing problem were to come forward. When I saw him in the healing line, I wondered what was up with him. He was so young. Then his mom told us that, ever since Charlie was born, he was 99% deaf in his left ear. The doctors said that it was nerve damage, and no hearing aid would help. He would always be this way. When I started to pray the Lord told me that what was impossible with man was possible with God. He also told me to tell Charlie to pray in tongues for one hour a day for seven days and he would be healed. I want to tell you that when Charlie had said yes to this condition my heart jumped for joy. I just knew he was being healed. The Holy Spirit came upon him two days later in such a holy way. For almost three hours he was under the power of God at the altar area. His brother was touched by the Lord that day also. The Lord had me go up to Charlie and put my finger in his right ear and see how he was doing. There it was, that gift of faith again. That healing touch of the Master's hand I have seen so often now. Charlie could hear! He could hear perfectly out of that left ear! The Lord didn't make him wait the full seven days, but he still finished his promise and prayed all seven days anyway.
Payette was a special place. There were nights when the Lord came down so wonderfully almost no one could stand. I would look around and see that even the whole worship team had their faces on the ground. I cannot describe the feeling of holiness when the glory cloud came down. Night after night the spirit of the Lord touched so many. I could just sit and cry with joy at how so many seemed to enter in. I wish you could have been there with me. I wish you could have been with me in the prayer lines to see their faces when Jesus comes in and fills them with so much love. To see the tears of fear turned into tears of joy ...when the revelation of God fills someone's heart with the knowledge, "Jesus loves me! He really loves me. Jesus just healed me! He just touched me. I don't deserve it, but He just told me He loves me"! The picture below was taken at the Assembly of God church in Payette, Idaho. This church was founded in the revival fires of Azusa Street. We were told that A.A. Allen was saved at this church. Kathryn Kuhlman started some of her first tent meetings not far from this church. Bob and Phyllis, from Mount Vernon, drove almost 500 miles just to be in the meetings. Paul and John G came over 500 miles from Nooksack to help lead worship and be filled by the Holy Spirit some more. Andy and Mary, who used to live in Aberdeen, WA, and moved to Oregon came. Merle and Roxsane came all the way from Ocean Shores. Earl A came from Port Angeles, Washington. What is it that draws them? What is it that compels them to come so many miles? They do not come to seek any one person. They come to seek the touch of the Holy Ghost. They come to feel that wonderful, precious presence of God we all feel when the Lord moves into the meetings. They drink in that awesome presence of the Holy Spirit into their spirit. Some just come and sit. Some just come and soak. Some just come and bask in that awesome presence of God our spirit yearns for.
I want to take this time to thank you all for your love, your prayers and your support. So many have sent us letters of testimony of God's miraculous touch. You just don't know how wonderful it is to hear from you. Our Lord is getting ready to break out in one of the greatest moves of revival this world has ever seen. Most of you who have been in the meetings are being prepared for that great day. There's so much work to do and so little time. If I tried to list all the people who have helped it would take pages and pages of just names.
Almost 7000 people have been saved in these meetings now. Can you believe it? We have had almost 900 services in just two years! What a mighty God we serve! The Lord took this fat man without a good reputation. The Lord took the man no one would have picked. The Lord picked this man who could barely read till he was 23 years old. The Lord took the old drunk, who still is learning how to make right choices, and asked him to share His good news.
Jesus, I will compel them to come in. Jesus, I will go into the highways and the byways and provoke them to come in. Oh, how they love it when they see what You have planned for them. I know some do not want to come at first. I know some grumble, but what joy it is when they see You, Jesus. I would never have picked me for this, but from the foundation of the world, You have always given great faith to the poor - for You said the poor are rich in faith. We love so much because we have been forgiven so much!
On this two year anniversary I do want to thank some of you for letting me be a small part of your life. Pastor Darrell Beebe for asking me to speak in the very first meeting where the Lord moved. That first week Darrell ran up and down the aisles and said, "This is God! This is God!" and then told the whole District Council what the Lord was doing in his church. Pastor Dave Westman for always being there when I needed him. For that day last year when you came up to me in the meeting with Marilyn and said, "Please, never let me forget this feeling of of the Lord." Pastor Ed Maser for touching my son when he needed it and for praying for the Holy Spirit to move so mightily in the meetings. Pastor Robert Rester for being a friend. Pastor Benny Perez for believing in me and what the Lord is doing. Pastor Ken Squires for standing in the fire with me. Pastor Larry Reed for supporting us in prayer when we needed him. For Pastor Phil Hines for showing me the true heart of a pastor and his desire to see his flock move in the things of God. For Pastor Don Welt for caring so much for me and my family. For Pastor Norm Sorenson who encouraged me so much when he said this was truly one of the greatest moves of God he had been in. For Pastor Vince Schott who publicly made a stand on TV and said this was of God. For Pastor Kevin Holland for being a friend when I needed one. For Pastor Arlen Benson who gave me some of the best, practical advice any man could give. For Pastor Corb Morgan for making me see the joy of the Lord. I will never forget the baptismal!
The following is a copy of part of a letter sent to me by Rev. Corb Morgan. He is an associate pastor from Covington Christian Fellowship. We were at his church for six weeks this year. I thought some of you might enjoy it. It was sent 3 May 1995.
Dear Jerry and Jan,
Jerry, I want to express my gratitude for the investment you made in my life. I have been around many men of God since l began in ministry in 1984. Many of those who had a "traveling ministry" rarely acknowledged or invested themselves in the whole church staff. I find myself referring often to the formal and informal lessons you taught us I have never been around a man of God who poured himself out like you did for us! For me personally I grew more in ministering in the anointing during the six weeks with you than any other period in my life! ....... There is so much you imparted to me while you were here. Following are some of the ways that your investment has changed my life and my ministry. "Setting our sails" with the Holy Ghost- the importance of waiting before the Lord for the direction the Holy Spirit wants to go in a given meeting. Recognizing the different "streams of the anointing" - that in a given meeting the Holy Spirit will move in a different way - we must step out and lend ourselves to the anointing - for holiness, or healing or salvation - or to "party"... As well - there are streams of rage or malice or bitterness that rapidly become a river - the key is to step out of the stream and step into the opposite stream of the Holy Spirit.. ministering deliverance - the opportunity to watch you take authority over the spirit of infirmity; to watch and learn when and why you rebuked the devil. Why in some instances you bound the demons, while other times you commanded them to go! I will never forget how you ministered to the woman who was overcome with a spirit of fear - and how you peacefully allowed the anointing of the Holy Spirit to drive off the spirit of fear!
Rarely have I seen an evangelist who cared for and challenged young people like you do! For those young people who are raised in the church - having someone challenge them in their walk with God as you did has made for a life-long impact in many of their lives! Watching you minister at the altar helped me so much! I remember watching several instances where you would "step back" from the person being ministered to and ask the Holy Spirit what was going on. Then you would "re-engage" and POW!! This reaffirmed for me that when we will depend upon the Holy Spirit He will give us everything we need to minister real life to the person before us ... no counterfeits!
One day you were ministering to (a woman) in her office about her family situation, l didn't feel as though I should stay but as I was leaving I heard you say, "Speak and believe the things that are not as though they are" and "don't focus on their failures or that is what you will end up with." When I heard this my spirit grabbed hold of it. I am practicing this for my children and sharing it with others in counseling. From you I was able to see why lives change when we do protracted meetings versus weekend blow-outs or one-night blitzes. Because you remained with us for an extended time as a church and as individuals we could move from being hearers of the Word to doers of the Word. I grew because I was able to hear you present the Word. I was able to watch you minister on the basis of that Word, then I tried it myself and was able to ask you why it did or didn't work. Then I grew some more. THANK YOU JESUS!
I truly miss you. I know that we will see each other again. I am grateful for you and the investment you made in Jan, myself and our children. Jan sends her greetings.
ALL THE GLORY BELONGS TO HIM!
With all my love as a fellow-servant... Corb
We will continue to pray for you. Please stay in touch.
I will never forget Covington. Six weeks of heaven on earth. The city was nice. The people were nice. The church was wonderful and the Holy Spirit moved so wonderfully. Sunday after Sunday we baptized almost 20 to 30 people. Hundreds of people were saved and healed and filled with more of the Holy Spirit. Oh, what a mighty God we serve! To see Linda's whole family come back to the Lord after so many years. To see Meg put a piece of paper on a pew, believing the person would not only come, but also get saved. To see it happen before my very eyes! To see the Lord stop a storm was so wonderful. Pastor Corb was starting a bonfire outside, one of the last nights we were there, to burn all the material people had brought. It filled about four fifty-five gallon barrels of drugs and pornography and stuff. Corb kept coming in, and it was "pouring cats and dogs" outside. It was raining so much they almost could not get the fire going. Then someone said, " Let's pray!" To see the childlike glee when it came time for the hundreds in the congregation to go outside. It stopped raining almost to the second when the people started leaving the sanctuary for the bonfire. Was this a coincidence? I think not! Covington, I love you and all the people that shared their life with me .The picture here is of Jan & I standing by the Skagit River in Mount Vernon, Washington at flood stage. At my right hand is the CNN TV News crew filming the flood. Behind us, you can see the sandbags and how the river was within an inch of going over. We were at Zion Fellowship in Mount Vernon twice. When we were there the river started to overflow. Some people asked us if we were going to continue the meetings because of the flood danger. After we prayed, the Lord reminded Jan that He had asked us to come and preach by the river not in the river. Some thought we were foolish, but as you see, the river never came in the town. After the river had flooded in front of and behind Mount Vernon the newspaper article said, "Where did ten feet of water disappear to when it came to Mount Vernon?" The second time it started to flood, all the national TV stations were in town. Well, I want to tell you, our little morning prayer group didn't believe man's report! Man said there was no hope! This was it! It was going to flood into the city! We went out to that river in the rain, in the wind, in the storm, and prayed. Was it dark? You'd better believe it! Was it cold? Piercing to the bone! But, the Lord said "Whose report will you believe?"
There we were, a small group of prayer warriors. Satan was blowing up a storm just like on the sea of Galilee. But, our Jesus was there with us! When He says, "Peace, be still", you just know something is going to happen! Will you read about us in the newspapers? I know you won't. Did the TV crew film us? No, but I know our Lord saw and heard us. And that's all that matters. The Lord had us pray, "Elijah was a man of like passions, and it did not rain for three and one half years. Lord, stop the rain now, in Jesus name." We then sang, "Our God is an Awesome God, He reigns from heaven above." Right there, in front of all those people driving by the park where we were, right there by the I-5 Freeway, there was a break in the clouds and the sun started shining through. It was as if the Lord put His hand down right there and made a hole in the clouds. It was as if He started moving His hand in a circle. It was a round hole, piercing the darkness of the storm. The hole grew bigger and bigger and bigger right in front of everyone. . Again, the papers said, "Where did the storm go in Mount Vernon?" One headline read. "Who took the punch out of the storm"? Well, I know Who! Do you?
There were so many miracles in Mount Vernon, you could write a book about them. To see how hard Pastor Joseph and his wife Pat Caufield worked was breathtaking! Their hospitality is a gift from heaven! Myles and Sharon and Opie and Tonilu made me laugh. Richard and Lucille, and Bob and Phyllis were always there. George and Louise became friends. And then there was Jim one of the best friends and armor-bearers you could have. I want to thank all of you Pillar partners and Prayer partners who have been standing with us on a daily basis. Jan and I could not do it without you. When we are standing at those pearly gates and see what we have been investing in, I know you will jump for JOY when you see the harvest you will be a part of. I want to thank Bob and Karin for the use of their car, for these past two months. Ours has seen better days. The very last night at Covington, at midnight, our trusty Buick started to give up the ghost. Bob and Karin gave a great sacrifice in letting us use their Lincoln for the last two months. You literally have been laying up treasures for the Lord in heaven. Again, I want to thank all of you who have been investing in what the Lord is doing. I know it will not go unrewarded by the Lord. What better place to invest in than what God is doing here? Our current prayer needs are: we need a car or van to travel in. I need a notebook computer that will run Windows 95. We need prayer EVERY DAY for wisdom to get done what the Lord wants
Our next meetings will be at: Eastgate Assembly of God Church. 1541 Sylvan Way East Bremerton, WA 360-377-3731 Starting Sunday June 9, 1996 for at least two weeks. Don Welt is the Pastor.
Flash: For all of you who have said I would have liked to be at Azusa Street. I would have liked to see what it was like with Charles Finney. The Lord has given us something much better. I have a video we have made called Revival Fires. If you want to be used by God, and would like to see people won to Jesus Christ, get this video. It is from some of the meetings we have had, and I promise you it is not like anything you have ever seen. For those of you who miss the meetings, this will put you right back there. I strongly urge you to get this for your blessing and your children. The price is $20.00
Praying for our children and friends:
1. Lord we pray for our children and families and friends, we pray for their salvation .
2. Lord if You know they are saved we pray they stay saved.
3 . Lord if the Holy Spirit tells us they are prodigals, we will not stop till they come back home to Jesus.
4. Lord we stand in the gap for them and pray for mercy and grace. Ezekiel 22
5. Lord You asked us to - Make up hedges of protection around them so we pray for it. Ezekiel 13 & 22.
6. Lord we take up the shield of faith and put it around them Eph 6 Psalm 91:4
7. Lord we pray for fortress walls around them to protect them Psalm 18:2
8. Lord we pray for a walls of fire around about them because You love them. Zech2:5
9. Lord we ask for Your angels around about them to deliver them from evil. Psalm 34:7
10. Lord we pray God the Father will protect them from the evil one. John 17:15
11. Lord we ask You to see only the covering of the blood of the Lamb. Heb 12:24 1Pet 1:2 Rev12:1
12. Lord we pray to repair the breach in their walls, restore their paths & rebuild their foundations Isa58
13 . Lord we pray to loose the bands of wickedness & to undo the heavy burdens in their lives, Isa58:
14. Lord we pray that they be set free from any oppression, to break every yoke of bondage. Isa58:
15. Lord we bind the principality & powers with chains & fetters Psa149:8
16. Lord we pray hedge them in, wall them up and hide them from the old paths of sin Hosea 2
17. Finally Lord betroth them unto you forever in righteousness, judgment, lovingkindness, mercy & faithfulness. Hosea 2:19-23
