Testimony.....

August 2018

Testimony

“Oh, there you are,” said a woman at the ASI Convention. “I came here looking for you, hoping to find you and give you something for your ministry. I really appreciate the CDs you send. Thank you Pastor Mayer, for those insightful messages.”

Finding someone in that throng of people was nothing short of a miracle. I had no idea she was looking for me and she had no idea whether I was even at the convention. But there we were, in the middle of the aisle, catching up with each other.

One day, I was standing by one of the exhibits at the ASI Convention when I noticed a man standing near me scrolling through the Prophetic Intelligence Briefings on his phone. I sidled up to him and asked him what he was looking for.

Without looking at me he said, “I’m looking for a [briefing] on [such and such].” Then he said, “This man really helps me. I really appreciate these briefings.”

I then asked him, “Have you every met Pastor Mayer?”

“No,” he responded, “but I would like to.”

“Well,” I said, “he’s standing right next to you.”

When he looked at me, you should have seen the surprised smile on his face.

“Oh Pastor Mayer, it is so nice to meet you.”

We had a very nice chat for a few minutes.

“Thank you for your wonderful sermons on CD. They have been a blessing to us.” Kristin

“Dear Pastor Mayer & Betsy, So glad I had the opportunity to hear you speak in Forth Worth… I love Early Writings, thanks to you and Betsy.”

Some time ago, I had encouraged our listeners to read and understand the book Early Writings. I’m glad at least one person took us up on it.

“Dear Bro. Hal, Thanks for keeping on with your most important ministry.” Roy

Keep The Faith Website
Abide Wellness Retreat,
Victoria



“I always wanted to understand the book of Revelation! said Virginia, one of our guests, as she took a set of Bible studies from Lolita.

Virginia was from the Greek Orthodox tradition. But she was disillusioned with them because she had had a bad experience with them. She was discouraged by the “frailty of men,” as she put it. So, she does not attend the Greek Church.

Virginia also expressed how much she appreciated the young staff members at Abide. “They are so different from other young people,” she said. People notice when young people are kind and respectful to them.

She went into the lounge room and the whole group of other guests started looking at her. She told them that she had just gotten some studies on Revelation. The other guests wanted some too. So, not only did they get their set of Bible studies, they also had some simple evening studies on Revelation. Pray for these guests.

Denise, a Roman Catholic guest, was very impressed how the staff handled themselves. “They are so professional and work together very well.” She said. Denise lost three kilograms and she had no more sciatica pain. At her exit interview Denise prayed for Lolita and Abide Wellness Retreat.

“Regular dietitians and doctors don’t seem to be interested in me,” Vince said. Vince came to Abide Wellness retreat because his blood sugar was over 27. The machine could not even read it. Normal is considered to be between 4-7 before meals and 9-11 after meals. “But the staff at Abide really spend time and are interested in me,” he added. Vince was very happy about getting is pre-meal blood sugar down to 12, which is very close to normal.

Vince, whose business is decorative concrete, told us that doctors wanted to put him on insulin. But Vince wanted to try getting his blood sugar under control through natural means. That’s why he came to Abide Wellness Retreat.

Vince and his wife loved the atmosphere and the quietness of Abide Wellness Retreat. They loved the trees and the freshness of the place. Vince and his wife will come back again. He wants to get his blood sugar down further and even under better control.

Mae has been visiting Clara, one of our guest alumni, every week to study the Bible with her. Clara had been miraculously delivered from the occult and now she hungers to know God. She looks forward to her weekly Bible study with Mae.

One day Clara asked if she could invite other people to join the study. One of her neighbors who lives in the same block of apartments heard that she was studying the Bible with Mae and asked if she could join the study.

Halfway through their first study, two men showed up. Both of them had anxiety and depression, so Mae taught them a song – A Merry Heart doeth Good Like a Medicine. They responded very well to this, and when they were invited to join the study again the next week, they said, “might as well.” Pray for Clara and her friends.

Our Market work continues to reach a few souls and drop seeds of truth.

A man in a wheelchair passed by our market stall. Eddie called out to him and said “Hi” a few times until he finally looked and wheeled himself straight over to him. They had a good 10-15 min talk about health and spiritual things. In the end he took one of the books we give away to help him stop smoking. He also took one of the Last Generation Magazines called Do You Need a Health Revolution. He also said he would like to come to Abide Wellness Retreat.

“A Malaysian family went past our stall and stopped and pointed to the Bible. Eddie asked them if they were Christians. “Yes,” they said, “we are.”

“Would you like a Bible,” Eddie asked them. “We can’t read English, they responded, then moved on. Less than a minute later they were back and said they knew a disabled girl in a wheelchair that can read English. So Eddie offered them a copy of Desire of Ages and Steps to Christ, which they gladly took.

Amaroo Water Gardens Health Retreat
Highwood Health Retreat
Highwood Soul - Highwood's Alumni Page
Abide Wellness Retreat at Amaroo Water Gardens, South Australia



“This place is gorgeous!” said one of our patients. Its too nice, you won’t get rid of us.” Our patients continue to increase in numbers and have topped 200 now. They keep on expressing their love for the peace and serenity of Amaroo Water Gardens.

“We're not going home – we’re staying right here, I feel like I could fall asleep here,” they say.

We keep ministering to their emotional as well as their physical needs. Our staff is kind to them. They give them hot tea when they arrive. They just love the environment. They come early to their appointments, just to enjoy the lovely grounds, waterfalls, birds and the pure tranquility.

We are earnestly praying that God will bless these people with His presence and solutions for their lives.

Friends, please keep praying for our work. We pray for you and thank you for your support and prayers for Keep the Faith Ministry.

Pr. Hal
Keep the Faith Ministry

Amaroo Water Gardens Health Retreat
Highwood Health Retreat
Highwood Soul - Highwood's Alumni Page

Nature Knows Best



Plant-based Diets Put to the Test for Diabetes

“Plant-based diets not only appear to guard against getting diabetes in the first place, they may successfully treat the disease better than the diabetic diets patients typically are placed on, benefiting both weight and cholesterol.
“Diets based on whole plant foods can result in significant weight loss without limiting portion size or counting calories, because plant foods tend to be so calorically dilute.”
The volume of 100 calories of broccoli, tomatoes, and strawberries compared to 100 calories of chicken, cheese, or fish is substantially more. “People just can’t seem to eat enough of the plant foods to compensate for the calorie deficit, so they lose weight eating whole plant foods.
“Most importantly, a plant-based diet works better. A plant-based diet beat out the conventional American Diabetes Association diet in a head-to-head, randomized, controlled clinical trial, without restricting portions and without calorie- or carb-counting. A review of all such studies found that those following plant-based diets experience improved reductions in blood sugars, body weight, and cardiovascular risk, compared with those on diets including animal products.
“Cardiovascular risk is what kills diabetics the most. They’re more likely to get strokes, more likely to suffer heart failure. In fact, ‘[d]iabetes has been proposed as a coronary heart disease risk equivalent, which means diabetic patients without a history of coronary disease have an equivalent risk to that of non-diabetic individuals with confirmed heart disease.’
“A newer study used a technique to actually measure insulin sensitivity. It improved on both diets in the first three months, but then the vegetarian diet pulled ahead. The researchers also found that the LDL cholesterol fell significantly in the vegetarian group. Indeed, that’s what we see when people are put on plant-based diets: Cholesterol comes down so much it can actually reverse the atherosclerosis progression—that is, reverse the progression of heart disease.
“We know about the beneficial effect of a vegetarian diet on controlling weight, blood sugars, cholesterol, insulin sensitivity, and oxidative stress compared to conventional diabetic diets, but what about quality of life and mental health? How did people feel after making such a dramatic change in their diets? In a randomized, controlled trial, study subjects were assigned either to a plant-based diet group or a control group. The plant-based group ate vegetables, grains, beans, fruits, and nuts with animal products limited to a maximum of one daily portion of low-fat yogurt. The control group followed an official diabetes diet.
“Quality of life improved on both diets in the first three months, but, within six months, the plant-based group clearly pulled ahead. The same results were seen with depression scores: they dropped in both groups in the first three months, but started to rebound in the control group.
“The bottom line is that the more plant-based diet ‘led to a greater improvement in quality of life and mood. Patients consuming a vegetarian diet also felt less constrained than those consuming the conventional diet.’ People actually felt the conventional diabetic diet was more restrictive than the plant-based diet. Disinhibition decreased with a vegetarian diet, meaning those eating vegetarian were less likely to binge, and the subjects in the vegetarian group tended to feel less hungry. All of this helps with sustainability in the long term, which is, of course, critical for any dietary change. So, not only do plant-based diets appear to work better, but they may be easier to stick to. And, with the improvement in mood, patients may exhibit desired improvements not only in physical, but also in mental, health.”
“Grains, fruits, nuts, and vegetables constitute the diet chosen for us by our Creator. These foods, prepared in as simple and natural a manner as possible, are the most healthful and nourishing. They impart a strength, a power of endurance, and a vigor of intellect that are not afforded by a more complex and stimulating diet.” Ministry of Healing, page 296.
Nature Knows Best!
Adapted from NutritionFacts.org.

Source Reference:
Plant-Based Diets Put to the Test for Diabetes