When the Reverend Lisa Osborne’s son Jordan was three, she learnt he had a severe speech impediment. She took her concerns to God.

At the International Prophetic Encounter Conference, an annual event hosted by Restoration Fellowship church, she received His response.

“The Lord spoke to me through the prophetic presbytery and encouraged me that my son’s speech problems would be completely removed and he would be completely restored,” said Mrs Osborne, a church elder.

“[When] he was a toddler, he had a terrible speech problem and had to go to a speech therapist, but as he got older, God stayed true to His word and my son joined the debate team at his school. He’s now gone on to become a lawyer and graduated in 2016.”

She encourages people to experience God for themselves at the 19th International Prophetic Encounter Conference taking place this weekend.

“If you’re seeking God and desperate for Him to show up in your life, He’ll come through at this event,” she said.

“We do our best to cultivate an atmosphere where people can easily hear from Him — that’s the mandate for our ministry.

“We know that through a personal encounter, people’s lives are transformed, and that’s something no one can take away from you.

“Some people have been turned off of the church and religion, but now is the time to seek God for who He really is.

“If you search for Him, He will show up. He can answer your prayers and be that Father to you or a friend. He is a provider and will give you wisdom if you need it. He will guide you and provide you with direction for the next step.”

While difficult circumstances cause many of us to be stressed out and distressed, God promises to be a support.

“I’m excited that we don’t have to struggle through life or feel alone because He says He’ll be there for us,” Mrs Osborne said.

“My whole family has been impacted by the ministry of the International Prophetic Encounter Conference. In addition to my son, I’ve also received many physical manifestations through this event; I had a heart challenge due to medical issues back in 2017 and I was miraculously healed at this conference.”

She was introduced to Restoration Fellowship in 1983. The group’s founders, the late Bishop Christopher Haynes and his wife, Bishop Roxanne Haynes, had a great impact on her life and spiritual walk.

“At first I knew them as my pastors and then as leaders of a prayer group I attended. I’ve been an ordained minister under their ministry for seven years and count the Haynes family as my greatest mentors, having spoken over me for my entire adult life since I was 18 years old. As you can imagine, their impact has been significant.

“I’ve learnt so many things from their life and testimony. They have helped to shape my life and bring about transformation not just for me, but for so many in the congregation.”

Mrs Osborne is part of the conference’s organising team and the leader of its dance ministry team.

“The dance ministry is an integral part of the event and helps to set the atmosphere for worship and praise,” she said.

“Our job is to help and encourage the congregation to stay in a position of expectation and to experience a life-changing encounter with the Lord.

“As believers, we see the kinds of experiences that people in the Bible encountered through Jesus. I’m thinking about the woman in Luke 7 who was a sinner, but brought an alabaster flask of ointment to Jesus. She poured out worship on Him and was overwhelmed and overcome by her tears. When she finished worshipping at His feet that day, her life was completely changed.

“Jesus told her that her sins were forgiven and that her faith had saved her. There are many other instances like that in the Bible. This is what we are encouraging believers today to do — to encounter Him through their praise and through the prophetic utterances and manifestations of the Holy Spirit so they can experience God’s healing and miracles.”

The International Prophetic Encounter Conference is on today at Fairmont Southampton and concludes at 6pm tomorrow, when Rev Dr Roxanne Haynes will be installed as Bishop of Bermuda and the Caribbean for the United Fellowship of Churches International before government officials and local clergy. Registration for the conference is free: rfbermuda.com