Sunday Veritas: The Dark Side of The Intercession of Heaven and Earth

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The Anastasis sailed from Le Havre, France on the first venture of a Mercy Ships to West Africa. In 1990 Europe was experiencing the magnitudes of the fall of the Berlin wall and material support to our new venture in Africa was high. The cargo holds were full with medical supplies, construction material and other goods. The crew in expectation counted the days when they would help people in one of the neediest places in the world.

The cool European air soon began to give place to warmer breezes as the vessel sailed south. Built in 1953, the Anastasis carried the design of the old cruise liners who were projected for smooth sailing. With the engines at full steam she moved forward, her bow piercing the Atlantic waters as a plow pierces the ground in preparation for a new planting season.

Structurally she was built to last forever, but after almost forty years of service it was necessary five crew members on the engine room to operate her when she was sailing; one engineer, one Jr. Engineer and three motormen on each watch.

In the surface everything was going well, but something beyond the natural began to happen as we approached the African coast. Several crew members reported having trouble slipping due to terrifying nightmares that lead to unexplained anxiety and fear.

The Engine room crew also began to notice a different feeling in the engine room spaces as if someone who did not belong there where moving around the machinery. A Jr. Engineer from Mexico reported seeing a little man in the boiler space; when he went over to check there was nobody there. Another Jr. Engineer from Fiji together with a Motorman from Brazil hear something in the main engine space, they could not see anything but bolt felt the evil presence.

Those accounts brought the awareness that we were entering a different spiritual helm that used intimidation and fear as its weapon of choice. The Apostle Paul warms the Christians of Corinth that we live in a physical world, but we fight with spiritual weapons. The arms we have in God are powerful to break spiritual strongholds.

With the conviction that even though there are bolt physical and spiritual resistance as we set ourselves to do what God have called us to do, to bring hope and healing to the forgotten poor, we press forward aware of the dark side at the intercession of heaven and earth.

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