‘Prophetess’: I spoke to PM 5 times

Newsday visited the woman, who sees herself as a spiritual guide rather than a prophetess, at her West Trinidad home yesterday. She had a few conditions for the interview.

Her identity and address must not be made public. The woman, who is mixed with Chinese and Spanish, spoke for a few minutes outside the gates of her home before inviting me upstairs, into her “counselling room.”

The woman said she invited this reporter in because she thought of me as “a daughter” and decided to have a “little casual chat” with me.

When I asked her about her relationship with Prime Minister Patrick Manning, the woman would only say she met with him on five occasions.

She spoke with the PM on the telephone when he contacted her and also met with him in person. She did not want to say anymore about the Prime Minister, or the visit to American tele-evangelist Benny Hinn at Crowne Plaza Hotel in Port-of-Spain last May.

Instead she spoke about her conversion from Roman Catholicism to the Full Gospel (Christian) religion in 1982. It happened when her daughter fell ill, becoming paralysed on the left side of her body.

The doctors gave up on her daughter ever recovering. But someone introduced the woman to the Full Gospel faith. She prayed for a miracle, and her daughter was healed, gaining full use of her body once more.

Afterward, the woman resigned from her job as a bank employee to venture into full time missionary work.

“This is my calling, missionary work, and because of that most of the times I am out of the country. I even travelled all over the world, even to Palestine just before the Persian Gulf War broke out,” the woman said.

“God told me to leave my job and work full-time for Him. He is the only One I follow, I am led by the Spirit. I heed his voice and He shows me things through dreams and visions, even the people that He wants me to visit,” the woman said.

Pressed again about Benny Hinn’s visit, and what she thought of him, the woman only said, “Touch not the Lord’s anointed. Neither do His prophets no harm...”

Asked again if she had given Manning any spiritual guidance, the woman replied, “I met with him on five occasions, I told him certain things but he was not obedient, that is why things are the way it is now in the country.”

At this point she cut short the interview, and said to this reporter, “I understand that you have your work to do but if you write any report for the papers the judgement of God shall fall upon you.” On Wednesday, Oropouche MP Roodal Moonilal revealed in the House of Representatives that Hinn, in one of his This is Your Day broadcasts on TBN, called Manning “foolish.” Moonilal also said Hinn was visited by the PM and a woman. Moonilal reported to the House that Hinn said as the woman put out her hand to touch him he told her, “Don’t touch me. Who lay hands on me, it will lead to damage, not blessing. I don’t know what spirit you are bringing.”

Shortly after Moonilal’s statement, Pastor Rev Levi Duncan issued a statement saying a delegation of three, which included the Prime Minister and himself went to the Crowne Plaza to see Hinn. Duncan did not name the third member but said that “the woman of God, on God’s direction attempted to pray for Hinn by laying on of hands. Hinn objected but the meeting continued amicably and ended amicably.”

Attempts were made to contact Duncan yesterday. A woman, who answered the Calvary Revival Centre church office line, identified herself as Mrs Duncan. She said, “Rev Duncan gave specific instructions that he would not be talking to anyone about the PM, Hinn issue.”

However, Pastor Winston Cuffie of Miracle Ministries, who was a member of the planning committee for Hinn’s visit, sought to clear the air saying the disclosure in Parliament was “just political propaganda.”

Cuffie also said Hinn’s description of Manning as “foolish” was taken out of context, adding it was not an attack on him.

“The whole issue was completely taken out of context, Hinn meant ‘foolish’ in a joking manner because first of all his tone did not come across with anger or vengeance.

“Hinn I know has a high respect for Prime Minister Patrick Manning as the head of the country and I know that he meant no disrespect or offence and if Manning should take offence I know that Hinn would humbly apologise,” Cuffie said. He said Hinn was using the example of the woman to explain the seriousness of the act of the “laying of hands.”

Cuffie also said there was nothing wrong with the Prime Minister seeking spiritual guidance from anyone.