It has been too long since we posted and we apologize. Emil’s mom, Helen Liko, went home to be with the Lord June 2nd in Prescott, Arizona. We visited her in mid-March, and Emil spoke to her almost daily since. As he says, “She was the foundation of my faith, making sure that we went to church, read the Bible, and learned of the things of the Lord! She was a giant in the faith. However, you could never tell her that because her first reaction would be to tell you to be quiet because she never saw herself that way!” Helen was part of the Vineyard Gilbert in Arizona for over 20 years before moving to Prescott, and her pastor wrote a wonderful tribute: “Helen was a wonderful lady who lived a life of compassion and mercy. For many years she headed up our monthly neighborhood compassion ministry, leading a group of people from our church to give away food and clothes in a poor neighborhood and pray with them. Her favorite part was when people would give their lives to Christ. She engaged with people in the neighborhood, built relationships with them, and found out what they needed and then went out and got it for them. Sometimes it was a couch, or a bed, or kitchen table–all sorts of things for people who were in need. She was a friend of Jesus, a friend of the poor, and a friend of mine. Heaven’s gain is our loss.” We mourn our loss but at the same time are so happy she’s with Jesus, rejoicing in her new life in perfect health and wholeness!
All posts by Emil Liko
Newspaper Article 5/13/20
We were interviewed on the roadside at the end of April and the article came out today in our local newspaper, the Pikes Peak Courier. It will be published May 17th in the Colorado Springs Gazette. We are very happy with the article and grateful that the reporter was able to capture the ministry in a way that gave God the glory while giving the community an accurate description of what we do! Thank You, Lord for the favor! Look in the Photo Gallery section, scroll down to the bottom of the Colorado 2018 – Present section for scans of the article. Or follow this link to view it online: https://gazette.com/pikespeakcourier/florissant-couples-free-roadside-prayer-ministry-more-than-a-passing-attraction/article_260f640a-8bd0-11ea-b7cd-9b509c9ecf9e.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share
God’s Favor
On March 26th, our state was put under the Stay-At-Home order, as many of yours have been. We couldn’t imagine that God would want us off the roadside at this time so Emil went to the Sheriff’s Department the next morning to present a plan according to new regulations. The deputy he talked with had seen us many times on the roadside and agreed that we needed to be out there for people. She said our ministry falls under essential services and gave us the go-ahead to stay out! The approval was forwarded to the State Police as well. The next day we were out with our new set-up: people had to remain in their cars and we had to be 6′ from their window! It’s worked fantastically, and every person who stops is grateful we’re out. We are so happy to lead people to the Prince of Peace for the first time! Thank You, Lord, for your continued favor!!!
Psalm 91
Our Declaration (Verse 2): “I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, My God, in Him I will trust.'”
Promises to Stand on: No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling (Verse 10). For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways (Verse 11). You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot (Verse 13).
When we went to Walmart here a couple of weeks ago after just returning from a visit to AZ to see Emil’s mom, we noticed all the people who were grabbing items left and right! At first we got upset at the way people were hoarding, and then we began to see the fear and the panic on the faces of the people! And we came to the conclusion that the grocery stores right now are a great place to be able to take the Peace of Jesus to the people who are full of fear and panic! We are going into the stores to pray with people whom we can see are overcome by anxiety and have completely lost their peace. And we would like to encourage you to do the same!
God, our refuge, strength, ever-present help Ps 46:1
This verse is debatable for many Christians! Going into our 17th year in roadside ministry, Karen and I have ministered to thousands of people. One thing that sticks out to me are the number of people who went through, or are in the midst of, a difficult situation and have the same question on their lips, “Where WAS God?” or “Where IS God?” The Lord had a long conversation with me about this not long ago! Friends from out-of-town came to our home for lunch one day. They were staying 40 miles away in a pretty rough area. That night, one block from their motel, a man was shot and killed by a stranger. When Karen and I saw this on the local news that night, we thanked God for His protection over our friends’ family. The Lord said, “This is everyday life to most Christians, but they don’t realize it!” I asked, “Lord, what do you mean?” He explained, “Your friends are enjoying a relaxing evening in their motel room and don’t even know that a life was taken one block away. They were completely unaware of the magnitude of the evil which took place just around the corner from them.” He continued, “This happens so often in the lives of Christians. I protect them tens of thousands of times throughout their lives, but they don’t know how I am watching out for them, keeping them from being at the wrong place at the wrong time, scaring away someone meaning to do them harm!” The Lord said, “I protect My people over and over more times than they could ever count. But then they experience a hard time and they get angry at Me and walk away, saying, ‘Lord, where were you? Why didn’t you stop this? I can’t trust you!’ Yes, trials will come in life. I never promised that once you become a Christian, nothing bad will ever happen again. But you have no idea the number of things that I take you through safely!” The Lord began to show me how many times He was there for me, for me and Karen, times when He told us to leave, times He told us not to go, times we had a check in our spirits that prevented us from being in the wrong place at the wrong time! The Lord is always there, whether we feel Him or not. If you’re going through a hard time, sit in silence in the loving presence of your Father and, as a child talking to your daddy, say, “Lord, help me understand how you were there through this time in my life!” Then let Him talk! Stop, talk, most of all listen. He will show you how He was always there, loving you through the events in your life, bringing about the plan and the purpose He’s always had for your life.
90-Day Devotional
We have just completed a 90-day devotional, which we’ve been working on over the years. As a fundraiser for Roadside Free Prayer, we are selling them for $10 each plus $3 shipping. At this price, $5 will go directly to the ministry. For more information on how to order, check out our new Devotional Fundraiser tab!
Back on the Roadside
We took a short break after the passing of Emil’s father November 6th. When we returned to the roadside the next week, people immediately stopped, saying they had been looking for us. We got to minister to several people and there hasn’t been a boring moment out there! Now we are experiencing a snowstorm, but anticipate being back out Sunday morning.
Prophetic Word
The roadside has been extremely busy since our last post in August! Hope you received our August e-newsletter. If not and you would like to, sign up on the Contact Us page. We attended a conference with Billy Burke last week and he called us out. He asked us what we did and when we told him about Roadside Free Prayer, he was amazed and gave us the following word: “God is going to send unlikely people to see unlikely miracles, roadside miracles. You’ll get a mailing list and you’ll have partners. This is one of those highways and byways unique ministries at the end times. You’ll find you’re going to have people stand with you and a team will develop. In the summer of 2020 there will be a team, just three, just four, but it will grow, and you’ll have places to go here and there and over there and down here. Get ready! Get ready! Get ready!” Then he touched us lightly and down we went, experiencing floor time with God for about 10 minutes! Thank You, Lord!
Roadside Explosion!
The roadside has exploded this month. Multiple people at a time have been stopping with issues ranging from grief from loss of loved ones to marriages on the brink of divorce, people in desperate need of guidance from the Lord to people who just want to stop and thank us for providing the service of Free Prayer! We come in every day tired but joyful! Thank You, Lord, for all You do–for the salvations, for the healing of broken hearts and marriages, for the encouragement and direction You provide!
Great Evening with Friends
We had a wonderful time with the 26 old friends and new friends who came to our get-together Friday night in Gilbert, AZ. We were able to do a little ministry and pray for people afterward. Next time we come to Arizona, we would like to have an opportunity to stay a few more days to make ministry/prophetic appointments with those who would like them.