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Ibiza - Prayer does work!

By Lisa Day, October 08, 2010

Claire Ison is mid-twenties, is on fire for God, consumes God’s word and wants to take God out into the community – she holds prayer and bible meetings in Wetherspoons in Bedworth and spends her summers in Ibiza getting alongside young people and telling them about Jesus! She is an answer to prayer and for those of you who have been praying for specific things for a long time without results, Claire is a testimony that prayer does work and that God has his own timing. Here is Claire’s story:

Early September is here at last. There is a saying amongst the working community out here in Ibiza: ‘if you can survive August in San Antonio you can survive anything,’ which is very true… We have our last two-week team coming this Sunday, so it’s time for a final push. I’m quite tired but I’m also enjoying what the Holy Spirit is doing through us… and still loving the Clubs…!

The Radio 1 weekend, one of my fave bits of the summer, was at the beginning of August. Pete Tong came on at Ibiza Rocks; his first song was a remix of a Switchfoot tune (huge Christian band). God is so everywhere…

Last week saw another person give their life to God on the street. Two of our team members chatted to him for a long time and he decided he wanted what they had. God’s really showing us where to go and we are seeing amazing fruit from that. But with that also comes the darkness. One night last week on our way home, some of our team split up and it all got very scary. We had situation after situation of messiness, with people being very aggressive, and extremely drugged-up people with dark things on them not liking us. In all the mess a friend we have being praying for all summer came to chat to us. He said he wanted more of God (he had just finished reading ‘The Cross and the Switchblade’ and wanted to read more of God moving), but we got interrupted by people needing our help, and Poppy (team member) had the chance to tell her testimony, but again got interrupted by the craziness. One girl who I had to carry (she had taken a whole cocktail of drugs) started to whisper chants into my ear. We all knew straight away that this was not good and got onto praying immediately. In the end we got her and her friend back to their hotel room, but prayed some serious prayer over them. This has to be one of the darkest nights yet.
Our involvement with the prostitutes has also grown. I would say that God is really placing them in front of 24-7 Ibiza and we are asking how we can serve and love them abundantly. Just going out for coffee with them, having them round for dinner and hearing their stories of life, is such an honour but also heartbreaking…!

This Sunday sees me, Poppy, and one of the ladies singing God’s praises in front of church. It’s going to be immense. Last night they came and found me and directed me to two different situations that needed 24-7. They are some of our biggest supporters. We really are starting to do life with them, but as its coming towards the end of the season they are all getting ready to go back home, so it’s hard to see how we will keep in contact with them.
I go home at the end of September, which is a bit earlier than planned but it is the right time to go. In the next few weeks all the closing parties happen, which is crazy, but I still have three weeks left to be used by God and I believe there are more salvations and healings to come before I get on the plane home… It’s been a summer of extreme growth and stretching by God, which is not always easy but so crucial.

I feel like I am coming home a different person, that’s what this place always does to you…

Claire