ARBA MINCH, Ethiopia Gospel Crusade DAY 1:
We are hard at work in the south of Ethiopia, right up against the massive lakes of Abaya and Chamo. While the natural scenery is stunning, the spiritual atmosphere is intense with opposition to the true Gospel. We have faced many challenges in the planning of this crusade and the battle continues. Nonetheless, we are prevailing! Thousands gathered for the first service of our four-day, six-service crusade and the response to my message was fantastic. I ministered on Isaiah 61, a chapter that so clearly proclaims the sin-destroying, chain-snapping, prison-breaking power of our Saviour King. Multitudes said a bold “Yes!” to Him and heaven is rejoicing. Prayer for the sick followed and one of the miracle testimonies will forever stick in my mind and heart. A young man, Behalu was born deaf and dumb, communicating only through sign language. Tonight, his ears opened and his tongue was loosed. Overwhelmed, he trembled on stage, eyes brimming with tears, utterly emotional. One of his classmates joined him and they gesticulated wildly, soon bouncing up and down together in joyous celebration. When he began responding to words spoken behind him, repeating what was said, the crowd exploded with exuberance. What a mighty God we serve! Tomorrow evening, we continue. Please continue to pray for us with great fervour. The Lord is at work and we are labouring with Him
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ARBA MINCH Gospel Crusade, Ethiopia DAY 2:
Our crowd exploded tonight. News has spread that this crusade is on the go and red-hot with Holy Spirit power. People are flocking to the field in great numbers. What dancing, what rejoicing! Arba Minch is hungry for Jesus and He is pouring Himself out upon this place. I preached two messages tonight, one on salvation and the other on the Holy Spirit. We shall continue this pattern over the next two nights, preparing the people for when we will pray for them to be baptised with the Spirit on Sunday night. Both messages were received with great enthusiasm. Thousands called upon His name for salvation and then hung eagerly upon every word about being Spirit-filled. Prayer for the sick yielded mighty testimonies. Alemitra (28 years old) had been fighting a kidney disease for the past three years. She was in constant pain. Traveling for long distances was torture. During prayer, she felt fire running through her body followed by the disappearance of all pain. “Suddenly the pain was gone. I just couldn’t find it,” she expressed. Bending and stretching on stage, she glowed with joy, glorifying God (see pic). Asrat (35 years old) is a builder. He had severely injured his left arm and hand in a work accident some years ago. The discomfort was never-ending and he could not move the shoulder nor flex the hand. He struggled to sleep. He could not work. Now, all that has changed. Testifying on stage, Asrat swung that arm like a windmill, opening and clenching his fist, eagerly showing off what the Lord has done. Breaking into a dance, he celebrated, the crowd equally ecstatic. Thank you for your prayers, dearest friends. Our Lord is on the move!
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ARBA MINCH Gospel Crusade, Ethiopia DAY 3:
The floodgates have opened here, dear friends. The lost are pouring into the Kingdom in their thousands! Our crowd doubled tonight, a sea of precious Ethiopians flocking to hear His matchless Word. I preached on John 3 and the encounter Nicodemus had with Jesus. Every person in attendance seemed to raise their hands of one accord, confessing Jesus as Lord and Saviour, bold as lions. Jesus must have beamed with joy – I am sure He is smiling still! I continued teaching thereafter on the Holy Spirit, preparing the people for when we will pray for the Holy Spirit baptism tomorrow night. Miracles quickly followed as we prayed for the sick. So many people with kidney problems are testifying of their healing at this crusade. It is quite fantastic. Two woman, Ataferew and Aster, shared how kidney problems had crippled their daily lives. Pain was their ever-abiding companion and this made living in general – let alone working – extremely challenging. Now, they are both gloriously healed! “The pain left so suddenly,” explained Aster, utterly elated. Etagegu (29 years old) had partial blindness in one eye and excruciating pain in her legs and back. She described with glee how during prayer, she felt all pain leaving her body in a wave of Holy Spirit power and the thrilling sensation of sight returning to that one eye. How fantastic! We have some dear friends of In His Name attending this crusade as our special guests, including Ev. Itumeleng Mokganya of Gospel Harvest International. He shared his heart with the crowd so wonderfully and we were all incredibly blessed by his ministry. How stunning to see another young evangelist so on fire to win Africa for Jesus! Tomorrow morning we shall hold a combined service with all the churches who have laboured with us for this crusade. This is something unique to Ethiopia and I have never seen it done in any other African country. The unity among believers here is glorious. Then, tomorrow evening, we will hold our final crusade service. Thank you for your continued prayers as we push hard for one more day. Arba Minch is being saved!
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ARBA MINCH Gospel Crusade, Ethiopia, FINAL DAY:
Our crusade has come to a red-hot, Spirit-saturated conclusion. This morning, I ministered at a combined service held by all the churches involved. I preached to a sea of umbrellas and we had a fantastic time in His presence. This evening, our crowd doubled in size yet again, Ev. Samuel Murrombe preaching the Gospel with passion and power before I gave one last teaching on the Holy Spirit. Then, we prayed for the fire to fall and what magnificent, holy chaos broke out. The Spirit fell upon the tens of thousands gathered and they received Him with desperate hunger. An army of evangelists was born tonight, I believe. Arba Minch – and Ethiopia – shall never be the same! So many poured forward to share their miracle testimony that there was no time to hear them all. Mother of two, Meseret, had been battling a dangerous strain of malaria. “It was attacking my mind,” she explained. “I felt like I was going crazy.” The Lord healed her completely. She stood before us perfectly sound with no fever or signs of ill health at all. Bubbling with joy, she could not contain her excitement. Ato, a 60-year-old businessman had been struggling with serious back pain for years. No doctor could help him. In fact, he had also gone for prayer at well-known churches in the big cities but nothing changed. Frustrated, he attended our crusade on Thursday night declaring to the Lord that if He was indeed God, He could heal him in little Arba Minch. Heal him our Jesus did and this precious man is so wonderfully happy and thankful. He had “tested his healing” for the past few days, finally convinced that he had been completely set free. Testimony followed testimony. We are rejoicing! The pastors are thrilled. They keep thanking us for preaching the pure Gospel, voicing how so many coming to Arba Minch have preached a twisted, corrupted version. “You have shown us how the Gospel should be preached,” they say. “Pray for me,” one whispered in my ear. “I am going to preach this Gospel!” Such compels us, dear friend. We need to push harder and harder, declaring the truth until all Africa knows our Saviour King! Arba Minch, we love you. The Lord shall continue the good work He has started in you. Amen and amen!
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