Update on TheCall Detroit!

TheCall Detroit (11/11/11)

Last weekend, the NightWatch students of IHOPU had the opportunity to strengthen the nightwatch at TheCall Detroit, a 24 hour prayer rally in Michigan.  A couple months leading up to our trip to Detroit, we prayed every night from 1-2am in a side room within the prayer room.  We developed a burden and a heart and a love for Detroit before even going there.  Most of us had never been to Detroit, except maybe a layover (as was my case).  Detroit airport was all that I had seen of the city and a cabin somewhere on the east side of Michigan with my Ohio family is all that I had seen of the state itself.  Those nightly times of prayer focused on Detroit so impacted me and it prepared me a tiny bit as we went to TheCall.  

We had no idea what all to expect as we headed to Detroit, except that it was going to be mostly driving, very short, and that God was going to do something!  We left in a 9-10 car caravan (split up into 3 sets of 3-4 car caravans) on Thursday after classes and got to Detroit about 15-17 hours later, depending on which caravan.  Then, we slept for just a few hours and then woke up, drove to one house for breakfast (all 40 of us were at 3 different houses, hosted by very amazing and generous families!).  At 5:30pm, we drove a half hour to Detroit.  From 6pm till 6am we were at TheCall, and from 9-2am we were asked to count the offering, a two hour task took (some of) us about 4 hours!  Then, around 2am, we were called up onstage to pray and participate (I was still counting and didn’t get there in time).  We then left TheCall around 6am and slept for about 7 hours, woke up and headed out to eat before leaving at 8:30pm. We got back to Kansas City around 9am.  

Much driving, but it was all worth it!  It was so awesome being able to go, even if it was very short.  I got to know more students better and we have many inside jokes, as is the usual result of any ministry trip!  I am so blessed to be in this school and among this community of students, running together and provoking one another to righteousness!  God is so good! :)

Oh yeah, and while at TheCall, my foot started hurting really bad again, and I was becoming very upset.  At one point I even had to be wheeled to my seat.  However, at 5:33am (yes, we looked at the time!) I got healed again!!  God is so good!

~Emily :)

Praise be to the Wounded One!

Well, about 3 weeks ago, as I was sitting in the back of the prayer room in my wheelchair, my friend Emma came and prayed for me.  Receiving prayer for healing was now normal and from her was no different.  Except, when she knelt down to pray for my feet, I suddenly felt awkward because I remembered her saying sometimes how she was not fond of feet and here she was kneeling down, and touching them!  What was also different when Emma prayed and why it was a little more awkward would probably be the fact that I have known her for over 12 years, longer than all my IHOP-KC friends.  As she knelt down, I was just trying to shake the weird feeling from me, but the moment her fingers touched my toes, I felt electrical-type shocks racing through my legs from my toes.  I have never felt that before, to tell the truth, it tickled really intensely and I am a very ticklish person!  As she was praying, I was just trying to ‘adjust’ to these feelings, and then she looked up and asked me how it felt and I replied ‘no better.’  Why?  Because every other time someone had prayed, it was never any better.  But, as soon as I heard myself say what had become so automatic to say, I realized I wasn’t actually feeling any pain in my feet.  Up until this point I had either constant pain or numbness in my feet, but suddenly it was actually a good thing to have no feeling in my feet, no bad feeling that is.  So, I told her, in almost complete shock that actually there was no pain, and she prayed a couple more times.  I don’t know how to exactly explain what all I was feeling but along with the lack of pain, I was feeling the actual fractures in my feet, but no pain. How is that?  I have no idea!  So, the next day I woke up, still no pain but fully aware that the fracture was still there and let me tell you, that day in class was the hardest!  I could not concentrate because I was so excited!  God had actually healed me!  

I just kept thinking back to a cute little video I had seen online at godtube.com about this joyous little 3 year old who is running around her little playroom yelling ‘He healed me! He healed me! Jesus healed me!’  The little girl goes on praising God for her healing and her parents begin to interview her and ask her what happened and she tells them that she prayed for her mouth to get better and it did!  This little girl’s faith and reaction to healing has so provoked me to have child-like faith in God.  Copy and paste the link below and be blessed as you witness an amazing, innocent act of true child-like faith…

http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=7PPGLWNX

So, that weekend, at our Saturday night church service, I had my friends continuing to pray for me because my knees were really hurting and I was really sore.  Since I hadn’t been walking (normally) for about 2 months, my muscles in my feet and legs were really sore.  My knees were suddenly having to hold more weight than usual and plus, I just have painful knees in general but had never really thought of praying for them.  But now, since I was healed of my toes, I had faith to dare to believe that maybe, just maybe, I did not have to live with knee pain.  Sure enough, after they had prayed the pain drastically became less and even my toes were starting to feel even better!  So, I left my wheelchair in the back and walked up to the stage to write down my testimony!  They ended up pulling me onstage to share my testimony.  Just walking up those 5 steps to the stage was amazing enough!  I walked up with no pain and with such ease.  What I said is all a blur but it was so awesome just being able to share my testimony of healing and to pray for others who had bad knees.  Ever since then, I have been out of my wheelchair (a little too fast perhaps, because my muscles needed to be eased into it a little better), and have been re-training myself how to walk.  Every now and then I have to remind myself that I need to take it easy and then other times I need to remind myself that I don’t have to walk funny because I am getting better.

Now, if this weren’t enough, I also went to the foot doctor for an already scheduled check-up appointment for an x-ray to show progress on Monday (11/14).  After the x-ray, the doctor pulled it up on his computer (I am still so in awe of the technology now and how fast x-ray results come back), and he was shocked.  He said ‘huh, I can’t even tell where there ever was a fracture…it is your left foot correct?”  He just kept pulling up previous x-rays from the past 2 months and comparing them, and he just couldn’t believe that my foot no longer showed hardly even any evidence of an injury ever being there.  If you know anything about foot injuries, you would know that it is near impossible for complete healing and restoration of bones in the toes and feet, so this is a miracle!  I then asked about my toe fracture and he said the tiny bone chip was still there but it shouldn’t ever bother me.  It was so cool! My foot doctor didn’t know what else to say except ‘well, if you ever need me again, you got my number.’  I told him that I prayed for healing and he responded that he believed that it was important to put faith in God and believe for healing.  It was one of the most encouraging doctor’s appointments I have ever had!  

Thanks for praying and please let me know what you need prayer for!  :)

~Emily :)

October 2011

 

2011: A YEAR OF GREAT CHANGE

Emily Kissell                                                Oct. 2011

Dear friends and family,

Well, much has happened this new school year!  I have had dramatic changes in my health, faced many challenges with my health issues, and have encountered God through it all. 

For those of you who don’t know, at the end of August, I tripped and caught my toes in my flip flop sandals, spraining pretty much all of my toes.  I didn’t take it easy and have since suffered the consequences.  I eventually re-fractured my big toe (previously fractured in 2008) on my left foot.  At first I had two post-op shoes on my feet (one black and one blue), setting new trends in mismatched shoes AND socks!  A couple weeks later, walking was still very painful and I was even borrowing the wheelchair at the prayer room.  Of course the prayer room only takes up 4 hours of my day and I was painfully walking everywhere else.   Finally, I ordered my own wheelchair online.  I was really worried about how I was going to pay it off, and only told like 3 people about my order.  Well, the day after I placed the order, someone handed me a blue Hallmark (I love Hallmark!) envelope with a Hallmark card inside and $125 cash inside of it!  I was in shock!  I have no idea who gave me the money because the person insisted it was not from them, so I have no one to thank but God!  In the end, the wheelchair only cost me $0.63 cents! 

Side Note: my wheelchair’s name is Boaz, which appropriately means ‘swiftness’ in Hebrew! Also fitting because my middle name is Ruth… 

Another praise report in between my fall, post-ops and the wheelchair, I got a ‘new’ used car!  My parents traded cars with me, so I got to upgrade to a one year younger car with power windows which was very exciting for me!  At first, before my injury, I was going to drive up to Des Moines to meet my parents for lunch and trade cars on September 11 (aka: my half birthday!), but we had to cancel due to my sprained toes and pain when driving.  Instead, my parents decided to drive all the way down here, trade cars, go out to eat, shop, (dad fixed some stuff around my houseJ), and they headed back the next morning.  It was awesome! 

God had been teaching me how to rely on Him and trust Him alone.  He has also been showing me how He really is my provider!

Over the past month and a half, my medical inventory has enlarged more than I ever have wanted it to.  I had a black post-op shoe from my previous fracture, and since then, it feels sensitive and I just needed to use it temporarily.  So, I had that just laying around and thankfully I had that because I sure needed it when it happened.  But, I eventually needed to get another one, and they only had a blue one and it was a completely different style.  Then, I added the wheelchair (to which I added a cup-holder and a small bag on each side!), then my asthma got really, intensely bad to the point that I ended up buying my own nebulizer to do breathing treatments at home.  What a month….what a year this has been! 

Even still, I am daily overwhelmed at how Good God is!  Lately the hymn: ‘It is well with my soul’ has been in my head and I cannot help but agree with it, as well as sing it out of faith in prayer:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
(Chorus)
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
(Chorus)

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

(Chorus)

I just read the story behind this hymn and it has wounded me deeply.  Horatio G. Spafford was like a ‘modern day Job’ in the sense that he suffered unimaginable loss through death of all of his 5 children, as well as the immense financial loss he encountered.  If this man, when he was sailing over the very shipwreck that claimed the lives of his 4 daughters, could write this hymn, on top of still mourning his son’s death and financial trouble, my problems now seem extremely minor in comparison.  When I read through the books of Job and letters from Paul during all their sufferings, I am struck again with the sobering reality that I am so blessed and God still cares about me, a mere human being.  How great is our God?

I end this letter feeling overwhelmed with gratitude and burdened to pray even more for others around me.  Please, never hesitate to send me any prayer requests you have.  I don’t have much, but what I do have is a voice and a willingness to intercede on your behalf! 

You can also pray for me in the following ways:
- Healing
- Financial Breakthrough
-Wisdom in daily living
- Humility; I want to be a servant like Jesus is to us (I encourage you to read Matthew 5-7)

Thank you and I love you all very much and am so grateful for each and every one of you.

~ Emily Kissell 

emilykissell@ihopu.org

If you would like to partner with me financially, you can send checks made out to IHOP-KC and send them directly to me or the base.  IHOP-KC is recognized by the IRS to be a religious order and any donations (so long as my name is NOT on the check) will be able to be tax-deductible.  It is very important, if you do want to have tax deduction, that you do not put my name anywhere on the check. 

If you send it straight to the mission’s base here please do not include any personal note or letter to me as they will discard of it and I will never see it.  There are thousands of people at this mission’s base and they cannot just personally deliver my mail to me.  You can simply put a post-it or a scrap piece of paper with my full name on it in the envelope or stuck to the check, it is better that you not write my name on the envelope.  Kansas City and the United States government require that at least 20% of my check go towards federal, city, etc. taxes, so I will only get to keep 80% of the amount.  If you wish to support me and do not want those taxes taken out you can simply make the check out to me.  

 “Contributions are solicited with the understanding that IHOP-KC has complete discretion and control over the use of the donated funds” 

Support checks for tax deduction may be sent to:

IHOP-KC Support                                                              

3535 East Red Bridge Rd.        
Kansas City, MO 64137 

    Or                                

Emily Kissell*
11008 Newton Ave.

Kansas City, MO 64134

                                                                                               

(*only send personal stuff to my home address)

Look What the Lord Has Done!

2 years ago, September 30th, 2009 I began track 1 of Fire in the Night Internship here at IHOP-KC.  The 6 months that I was here for internship were the most life-changing, heart-transforming months thus far in my life.  God has done SO much in my life since Fire in the Night and He begun a lot of it there. 

For instance, I was a girl who hated being hugged.  I can't even express to you the hatred and coldness in my heart towards being hugged or even touched.  I was so hurt and so confused about what love really was.  Love was like a bad word to me...because I had been so hurt in the past, I just didn't want to open up my heart to anyone else.  My heart was hard and cold and I was running away from God.  I thought He was so mean.  I couldn't understand or comprehend His love for me.  I just was not willing to receive from Him.  But, over the next couple weeks and months in the internship I started receiving revelation of Him, I started to receive Him.  Eventually, (during inner healing class) I received a hug and as soon as I did, something broke off of me and my heart began to tenderize.  The Lord was so patient with me.  He never forced anything on me.  He waited for me to surrender to Him and give Him 'permission' to work in my life.  He waited for me to ask Him for help. He is so good!

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Look What the Lord Has Done:
- He healed my food allergies to bananas and nuts
- He healed my pinky when I broke it
- He healed my heart
- He was patient with me
- He was merciful to me
- He gave me grace
- He restored relationships in my life
- He taught me so many things
- He gave me revelation in the knowledge of Him
- He healed my back little by little (and still healing it to this day)
- He never left me or forsook me
- He loves me!
- He put people around me to run with me and fight alongside me
- He fought and fights for me
- He showed me what love looked like
- He showed me that He is my friend!
- He answered the cries of my heart
- He blessed me abundantly
- He is leading me perfetly
- He disciplines me because He loves me




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I could go on forever and ever but I just don't have the time right now. 

GOD IS SO GOOD!!!! :)

Let Him show you today!  Let Him love you! :)

~Emily :)

Oh for Grace to Trust Him More!

Once again, I am reminded of my weakness and His strength.

Once again, I am reminded and shocked of His mercy and lovingkindness towards me.

Once again, I am made aware of how much I need Him.

Once again, I am made aware that it is only through Him and by Him that all things happen.

Once again, He reminds me so tenderly and lovingly that He is in control.

Once again, He reminds me that He loves me and He loves to be with me.

Once again, I am filled with doubt and insecurity...

but once again, He reminds me that He is living and active and dwelling in me!

...

Oh for GRACE to Trust Him more!  If trusting Him is what made me successful, then I would be the least successful of all!  But for some reason, He created us just for love!  And that is what makes us successful??  Why is He so good?  Not that I'm complaining, I am just in awe of this truth!  I need to be reminded of how He feels about me over and over and over and over and over!  I don't see how it will ever get old!  I pray that this revelation and truth hits MANY.......no, ALL hearts today!  No one is too old or too young to hear this message.  There is NO exceptions to this truth!  HE LOVES US ALL!

Now doesn't that just put a smile on your face and warmth in your heart?

God is SO good! :)

...

As long as I keep this truth in the forefront of my heart and mind; and keep getting reminded of it as much as possible, will trusting Him be easier?  Or will it at least make me want to trust Him just because I am aware of His goodness towards me?  I think yes.  Easier....well, maybe not always...but I want to trust Him all my days!  I say this in faith and out of desire...I am most definitely not 'there' yet, but I want to be.

Philliapians 4:13 "I can do everything things through Christ who strengthens me!"

That verse cannot be read/written without reading the surrounding verses... I challenge you to read Phillipians 4 (or even the entire book of Phillipians)!  I want to have faith and trust like Paul (author of Phillipians).

In verse 12 he says "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."
I want to be content in any and every situation!  (Yet again I pray) : Lord give me grace and help me to trust You more; completely! Amen and amen!


May the Lord bless you all and please tell me of ways/things to pray for you and I would LOVE to partner with you in prayer.  I have already received a few prayer requests and I am thrilled to be partnering with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ! 

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

May the Lord make his face to shine upon you,
and be gracious to you.

May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
and give you peace.

Numbers 6:24-26

~Emily :)

My Pride and His Merciful Kindness

Wow, this past week has been quite the painful adventure!  Last Monday, in a rush to make it on time to a meeting, I slipped and caught my toes in the straps of my flip flops.  I had to leave right after the meeting to head home to get my special ‘uni-shoe’ (post-op shoe from a previous broken toe incident).  Both feet were hurting but I only had one ‘uni-shoe’.  So, for the next few days I was limping around in a lot of pain and receiving tons of prayer.  By Friday, I finally decided to go to urgent care (only place that was open) and they x-rayed both feet, only to find a fracture in the least painful toe (one that I had broken a few years ago, hence my possession of a post-op shoe).  The doctor was not sure if it was a recent one or older one. 

*Toes actually never heal, and so I never got rid of the ‘uni-shoe’ because I never knew if ever I might need it again; am I ever grateful I kept it!  The only thing to do with a toe injury (ie: break, fracture, sprain, etc) is to rest it, ice it, elevate it, confine it, and take anti-inflammatory medicine. 

After the x-rays, they gave me another ‘uni-shoe’.  My old one was a plain, black one with two Velcro straps.  My new one is blue and black, with two (easier-to-adjust) Velcro straps and is not as flat on the sole.  So now, I walk around with two different color shoes and mismatched socks (which I normally did).  I feel like such a trendsetter!  So, if ever you come across a person wearing different color/types of shoes and socks, think of me, I started the trend! J

Anyway, after still walking around in a lot of pain and elevating my feet whenever possible, I finally agreed to receive more help by borrowing a wheelchair at the prayer room.  I have to admit now after having it for a few days and after being in pain walking around like I was that the wheelchair helps tremendously!  It was awkward and a bit embarrassing at first, but now I have come to very much appreciate it and love figuring out how to get around. 

Pride has really risen up in me as well throughout this past week.  I have to ask for help to do some simple things and it was really annoying having so many people noticing my pain and asking to pray for me.  I have always had this fear/anxiety of people thinking I am faking any pain or sickness, so this experience has been humbling, no less.  I appreciate the prayer, but the looks of pity drove me nuts.  Just today I have gotten breakthrough in my attitude.  When I finally surrendered and accepted help, a big burden was lifted off of me.  I cannot do this alone; I need to rely on others.  God did not create me to be alone, and since that is what I have been feeling since school started, I am actually thanking Him for this little affliction because it has caused me to realize that I am not alone, people are more than willing to help, and pray with me.  I am not in this alone.  I have a whole community, a family on this Night Watch schedule who are willing to stand beside me in prayer and fight with me.  In return, I too pray for them and stand with them in times of need. 

Even in the middle of writing this, some peers of mine gathered around me to pray for me and the Holy Spirit was just so tender with me and I even felt the joy of the Lord once again.  I felt Him so near to me and those feelings are still on me.  My toes still hurt, but He is so good and faithful! 

Psalm 23

1 The LORD is my shepherd;

​​I shall not want.

2 ​​He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

​​He leads me beside the still waters.

3 ​​He restores my soul;

​​He leads me in the paths of righteousness

​​For His name’s sake.

4 ​​Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

​​I will fear no evil;

​​For You are with me;

​​Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 ​​You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

​​You anoint my head with oil;

​​My cup runs over.

6 ​​Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

​​All the days of my life;

​​And I will dwell in the house of the LORD

​​Forever.

The Lord is my shepherd and He really does lead me so perfectly.  His leadership is perfect and He is so gentle and kind and merciful in revealing these things to me.

I pray that you, my friends, family, and perhaps even strangers, will be encouraged as you read this blog and update on my life.  I pray that the God of all hope may give you hope and reveal Himself to you more and more in dreams, visions, etc. 

Much love and blessings to you,

~Emily J

p.s. don’t forget to email, text, call, facebook, (etc) me with any prayer requests, praise reports, and updates on your lives.  J