House of Healing History

About 18 years ago Betty Bouma had a dream.  In the dream she saw a large house with a reception desk as you entered the front door, a waiting room, and many rooms where people were invited into for emotional, spiritual, deliverance, and physical healing.  There were two or three people in each room who would receive the clients and love them with prayer and healing.  The place was called "The House of Healing”

Betty knew the dream had meaning, but had no understanding of what it meant.  In the moment she wondered where this place might be and if God wanted her to go there for healing.  Then she went on with her busy day and forgot all about it.

Several years later she was studying to be a chaplain in the hospitals.  As part of their practice they would go to the different hospital floors and support people through their illnesses.  For Betty, it was discouraging to see so many younger people suffering.  She said "Lord, this can’t be right”.  He immediately replied, "I am giving healing back to the church.”  It was like a moment when the sun comes out on a gloomy day for Betty.  She knew Jesus was the only one who truly heals, but had little understanding of what it was to look like in the church. 

In 2009 Janine O’Neil and Betty went to Kansas City to attend IHOP (International House of Prayer). IHOP has a prayer and healing room open 24 hours a day, every day.   Janine and Betty spent a week in the IHOP healing room being quiet, worshipping, and signing up for personal prayer rooms, hungry to taste it all.

One day after they had returned from IHOP, as Betty was thinking about all they had experienced, the Lord said to her "Why don’t you start a healing room?”  Her only reply was "I don’t know how”.  Then he spoke so gently to her saying "just start and I will be there”.  He told her it would be His presence that would make it happen, and instructed her to put up a sign with the words HIS PRESENCE, to remind them of this as they met each week.  This little conversation was so clear to Betty, that she told the Lord that even if no one else came, she would come.  Betty began to invite people to come, feeling a little silly that she had no plans when people were interested in details. 

Marion Abram took immediate interest.  When they began to talk, Marion shared her story of having been sick for many years, continuously crying out to God for healing.  Eventually Marion was lead to a healing room in London, Ontario. Today she is completely healed. At the time of her healing the Lord had spoken to her about starting a healing room in Sarnia.

Marion and Betty began to pray together for direction. For two years many people gathered with them once a week, where they shared what they were learning about healing from the Word of God, reading amazing books on healing, worshipping, and praying for each other and those who came for healing prayers.

They saw some wonderful healings, but the greater thing they were seeing was the unity that was flowing and growing in spirit and belief. Cal Pierce says that God is after unity and healing is the by-product. They were experiencing the body of Christ at a new level. There were no arguments on theory, just excitement in the revelation that God was giving them. Familiar scriptures became alive in new ways.  

After two years, they felt God wanted them to take another step.  They searched out other healing rooms and through a divine appointment, ended up joining the healing room in London for training with IAHR (International Association of Healing Rooms). A group of seven was formed as the foundational team to take the training. 

While attending the training sessions they were delightfully amazed to find out that IAHR operates their healing rooms with a front entrance reception desk, waiting room, three praying people in a room and a sign in every room that says HIS PRESENCE.  Isn’t God amazing?  He always goes before us. Fifteen years later the dream started to take meaning.

The group was so blessed with the teaching and the spirit of this IAHR organization that in February of 2011 they began their own training in Sarnia.  By word of mouth they invited people from many churches, hoping to get about 20 people, and 50 people arrived.  Over the years the Lord had been preparing many for this moment.

In April of 2012 the House of Healing was officially opened as a walk- in- centre, with three rooms open and a thriving intercessory room lead by Teresa Guerette.  While they were preparing to open the Healing Rooms, the intercessors from Spokane Washington (head office) were praying for them.  They are proud to be associated with an organization that is so supportive and walks in great integrity. 

They have seen eyes healed, knees healed, cancer gone, demons released, emotional hurts healed, forgiveness, restoration of marriage,  but most of all, people are finding a place where they are loved back to health.

When asked "What is the tempo of the healing room?”  Betty replies, "Some days we see miracles, some days we walk in faith, some days we wait and wonder ..., but we are certain that it is only HIS PRESENCE that heals.