MISSIONS: HOME AND AWAY

Transcription

1 MISSIONS: HOME AND AWAY AUGUST 2015 VOL. 175 L A T V I A July is a popular vacation month in Rhode Island. Thirty years ago Rhode Island had a large number of jewelry manufacturing plants and they all took the first two weeks of July off. We no longer have the jewelry plants but lots of folks still vacation in July. Vacation time or not, I had promised the people in Latvia I would be there from July 14 th to 20 th. It is always a pleasure to minister in Latvia. Pat and I have made so many wonderful friends over the years. As soon as I arrived that evening I taught and ministered at the Effata Community which included a group of 130 people and they were mostly women. There were some men from the MOSJ who came to see me. The secretary to Archbishop Zbignevs was at the meeting also along with a second priest whose parish I preached in two years ago. The second priest ran next door to get me a pair of rosary beads blessed by St. John Paul II when he visited Latvia. That s one of the good parts of being age 73 the young priests are usually very attentive and respectful to you. Father Martin After praying over just about everyone it was 11:00 PM and time for bed. We returned to Christ the King parish where I stayed for the week. Fr. Martin is the pastor and also the chaplain for MOSJ and has been a blessing to me in the past. The parish has a summer seminarian assigned to them and he became my driver for the week. Michael spoke English very well and was very gracious and helpful to me in every way. The following day Michael was driving me to visit the Archbishop and was telling me a story about Fr. Paul, the rector of his seminary. He said, A woman teacher at the seminary was teaching on the gifts of the Spirit and said only a special few would receive the gift of tongues. Fr. Paul told the class the next day that Don Turbitt says that everyone should pray in tongues and we need to believe that. What a blessing to hear that my teachings are having some effect on the Church in Latvia. After that story we arrived at the Archbishop s residence. Archbishop Zbignevs has been a friend to Pat and me for twenty years and it s always good just to spend time talking about events of the past year together. The Archbishop had been to the synod on the Family last October so we spent time talking about that. Renewal Ministries also invited him to do some teaching at a priests retreat in Africa and we shared about that also. We had dinner together, prayed with each other and parted for another year. It is wonderful to have friends around the world but it s difficult when you can only spend a short time with them. I am expecting we will be able to spend all the time we wish when we get to heaven. That visit with the Archbishop took up the entire day. That evening I attended a home leadership prayer meeting. I taught and prayed with each of the twenty or so leaders and received reports on how the Lord is working in their groups. After Friday morning Mass I left to go to camp for the men s weekend retreat. This year s camping retreat weekend was comprised of 85 men, 4 priests and two seminarians. The priests and I did not sleep in tents overnight that was a blessing.

2 The priests returned to their parishes for the night and I went to a bed & breakfast a few miles away. The last few years that I have been going to Latvia someone in the states has been sending me religious items to give away. Last year I gave away many colored rosary beads and I wasn t sure if these manly men would truly enjoy receiving brightly colored beads. They loved them and asked for some for their friends! This year I was given blessed medals to give away. They were Marian medals and I told the men, Every time you see or touch these medals it s a reminder of who you belong to, Jesus and Mary. The men put these chains over their heads and wore them on the outside of their clothes the entire weekend and they kept asking for medals for their friends and family. I saved the rosaries for Slovenia. Teaching and praying over the men takes the bulk of my time but what a gift that is! On retreat I spend lots of quality time one-on-one with the men. We had one man tell me that he had earned eight million dollars by the age of 23 and now a few years later he is broke and wants God s help. But, he said, I don t want to have to obey the rules of a church; I just want God! He was blessed by the weekend but still wanted to do it his way. These men drew a lot of attention but there were also two young special needs men that I saw jumping up and down praising the Lord by the end of the retreat. There is a blessed bonding that takes place on a retreat like this and I am blessed by it every time. Fr. Martin and others resting in the Spirit Forty men shared blessings from this year and last year s retreat. My translator told me that last year I prayed over him and his wife to have a child. She is now carrying twins! A second man asked to get out of his apartment and be able to live in a small house. I said No, you want a big house. He said this year he is living in a big house. Another man wanted to be free from cancer and he reported that this year he is cancer free. Men shared about receiving jobs and financial blessing, thanks be to God! S L O V E N I A Men in the teaching tent A second man was dragged to the weekend by a sports reporter. This man is probably the only Olympic silver medal winner in Latvia. He still holds some world records in his particular event. He was different than the millionaire; he was broken and in need of a savior. When the weekend began his countenance was broken but, after our talks and prayers, his face changed, his attitude changed and he went home very hopeful of beginning a new life. I flew into Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, and drove directly to a church to attend Mass and teach a group of 50 men following the Mass. After my talk I welcomed their questions. Slovenia has a population of 2 million and it was 80% Catholic. Today 10% of the Catholics go to Mass. I am always reiterating that the key to evangelization is getting men back to Christ and the Church. These men are trying to accomplish that, but it is a definite challenge. Each day I was in a different city: Tuesday: Koper; there I taught and prayed with the people after Mass; Wednesday: Ljubljana; ministry in a local prayer group; Thursday: Videm, Dobrepolje; ministry in a parish; Friday: Kranj; ministry in a parish;

3 Saturday: Maribar; all day conference; Sunday: Bloke; a local prayer group. In all I prayed with approximately 1,000 people. One day I did a two-hour interview at Fr. Zoran s television studio and another day a forty-five minute radio interview. I received an excellent welcoming letter from Archbishop Majdo Gunzitte, the new Archbishop of the Maribor diocese. The woman on my right, Tanja Erlah, asked me last year to pray for God to send her a husband. On my left is her answer (Sebastjan) and Tanja is now pregnant. Father Ivan Polrebujes Father Toni (center) In the center of the above photo is Fr. Toni Koret of Slovenia, the other two priests are visiting from Croatia. This particular Mass took place at a Marian shrine, Our Lady of Peace. Later that week Fr. Toni brought me to a village dedication event to preach and pray with the town people. He said the people were not very churched, so I began by handing out rosary beads. They gladly and eagerly took every one of them and a number of them came forward for prayers. At the same church the pastor, Fr. Ivan Potrebujes, celebrated Mass and then went up into the choir loft to listen to my talk and for some prayer time. Fr. Ivan was quite surprised when most all of his congregation rested in the Spirit. We retired to the rectory afterward and all he could say was, If I didn t see it with my own eyes I would not have believed it. Some priests are not comfortable with this, but Fr. Ivan was very pleased! SAD NEWS Fr. Igor Loviscek, one of the first priests in Slovenia to be involved in the charismatic renewal, and a good friend to Renewal Ministries, passed away on May 3, Equally sad news for Pat and me is the passing of Fr. Jim Henderson, Trappist monk. Fr. Jim was our closest friend and confessor, spiritual director from 1970 to Fr. Jim began a prayer meeting with Pat and me in our home and in our early days guided us in our walk with the Lord. He returned to his monastery in 1978 and continued to pray for us all these years. We have lost a family member and a dearly loved holy friend. Fr. Jim, may you rejoice in God s presence for all eternity! Tanja and Sebastjan Erlah

4 TESTIMONY FROM POLAND Dear Don! I am sending you blessings from St. Anna Hill. Here I am learning a prayer of deliverance (5 keys) from book Unbound by Neil Lozano. I have met one woman you had prayed with in Gliwice last year. This lady did not have children and you prayed for her to have them. You said: Next year you will be pregnant. She is pregnant now as you prophesied. Ewa Urbanska If you would care to support our ministry, it would be very much appreciated. Please send your gift to the following address: PGL Mission Fund 218 Paris Irons Road Glocester, R.I * * * * How very grateful we are for your prayers and support of our ministry, Don and Pat A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY Two dioceses in Vietnam have requested help in educating their seminarians. You can support a seminarian for $360 a year ($1.00 per day). The seminarians will receive education, room and board. Once a year you will receive a letter of thanks and a picture of the seminarian you are supporting. He will receive your name and he will pray for you by name. Make checks payable to P.G.L. Mission Fund. (Please write Vietnam in the memo section of your check.) Please mail to: P.G.L. Mission Fund 218 Paris Irons Road, Glocester, R.I All donations are tax deductible. Call Don Turbitt at (401) /02 for more information.

5 Retreat Testimonies #1 I have been greatly blessed on this retreat by receiving great spiritual support from you, Pat, and my sisters in Christ. I was also blessed when you prayed over me during the Saturday healing service. The Lord removed Arterial Fibrillation from my heart, shortness of breath, light headedness and fatigue. I am leaving this retreat with deep peace and joy in my soul and courage to continue living in His divine plan for my life. Maureen Parmenter R.I. #2 Pat, this retreat was a true blessing for me. I am coming away with so many things that in the coming days will help me so much. I do feel strengthened going home knowing God and His Word is everything and the way to peace in this troubled world. I have learned through your teachings, Pat, that fear is useless, what is needed is trust. Negative thoughts are useless and one thing is necessary knowing and trusting Jesus!! Thank you, Pat. Jane Waring N.Y. #3 I am leaving the retreat weekend with the gift of joy and healing that I received after Pat prayed over me and I rested in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit came upon me during Pat s talks and testimony. Her special prayers we recited together freed me from a depressed spirit. The joy of the Lord is my strength! A sister in Christ #4 Pat, I was in a great big dark place before I came on this retreat and now I feel lifted into a great big bright place. I will keep this experience with me so that I will no longer have those dark feelings. Also, I have met several new friends on this retreat that I will keep in touch with. My heart is filled with hope and happiness. A sister in Christ #5 Thank you so much, Pat, for a wonderful retreat! There were so many things that you taught us that really touched me deeply. What truly struck me was how powerful the Word of God can be in healing our bodies. I can t wait to return home and put into practice the Word of God in my Life! Jane Waring N.Y. #6 Every time I attend your retreats, Pat, I am able to come closer to the Lord. There is such a peace I feel when you pray over me I feel so overwhelmed with God s love. Debbie Jachimczyk MA #7 Pat s retreat along with her team truly helped me retreat from the world. Pat s retreat was like experiencing a piece of heaven. During her healing service while she was praying over me

6 and afterwards, it felt like all the pain I had been carrying from previous years, such as guilt, was lifted. Praise God, Donna #8 Thank you, Pat, for this retreat week-end which led me on this intense journey of learning to trust and faith to believe that in God all things are possible. Judie Delaney #9 On this healing retreat I experienced being filled with the Holy Spirit and am now able to begin the healing process of a painful relationship. #13 Pat, your teaching on the healing power of God s Word in our individual circumstances left me full of new hope. #14 I have come away from this retreat with a better understanding of how to co-ordinate prayer and faith for healing. I have learned to trust God as to when and how I will be healed. #10 Pat, the retreat you gave was fulfilling, spiritually enlightening and made me feel closer to God. #11 After this retreat I feel the need to place myself and my family in God s hands more. Also, I now know in a deep way that I am a beloved daughter of the Father. #12 The Word of God has come alive in a more powerful way for me. It was powerful before, but now it is living for me. Roberta Morency R.I.