Visiting the town of Madruga in 1995, I saw a church which still has the same fire it had in 1988. It is a church that understands the power of prayer, as do so many churches in Cuba. On my last night, we arrived at the church about 1:00 a.m. and encountered a group of about 40 young people on the 18th day of a 21 day vigil of prayer and fasting.

All-night prayer vigils are a weekly occurrence and Cuban Pastors typically invest two to five hours a day in prayer.

The pastor of the Madruga church, Guillermo Valdez, has an amazing boldness and passion. He seemed to be constantly praising the Lord.

Valdez reported how recently, the Lord had been revealing specific things about people to him in order to bring healing.

A few weeks prior to my visit he had been preaching when he saw a woman walking by the church outside. The Lord showed him that she had a growth on her throat. He stopped preaching and directed some church members to bring her inside.

They walked her up to the front of the church and when Valdez asked her if she had a problem with her throat, she responded, "Yes, my throat problem is so bad that I can't even swallow any more."

Valdez prayed that she would be healed, and instantly, she was! They brought her a glass of water and she drank it. Then, much to their surprise, she ran down the aisles and out of the church.

Later, she returned with her son who was blind. "Would you pray for him to be healed too?" She asked. Guillermo prayed and the boy received his sight! Of course the congregation members gave glory to God for this miracle.

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