YIRGA ALEM Gospel Crusade, Ethiopia Day 1:
Jesus is on the move here in Yirga Alem, dear friends! A small town in southern Ethiopia, the people here are hungry for the matchless message of salvation. The rain that fell this afternoon was torrential and we had a late start on account of this. Yet, thousands still flocked to the crusade field, standing in the mud and puddles to hear what the Lord would say to them. I preached on the rich, young ruler of Mark 10, explaining how while good works cannot conquer sin, the blood of Jesus most surely can. Young and old listened with such tremendous attentiveness, hanging on every word, waiting with baited breath it seemed for the moment in which they could call on the name that our Heavenly Father has raised above every other name. Then, that moment came. The entire crowd it appeared called on the name of Jesus and were catapulted into His arms. How fantastic! This is why we came. We prayed for the sick and the Holy Spirit moved mightily. We will take testimonies tomorrow as time ran away from us this evening due to the late start. The pastors are already thrilled and all are excited for the next three days. Please keep us in your prayers and pray specifically for the weather. There is a great harvest here. Hallelujah!
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YIRGA ALEM Gospel Crusade, Ethiopia DAY 2:
Your prayers worked wonders today, dear friends! While heavy rain was forecast, the storm clouds passed harmlessly over our heads, lightning flashing in the distance but not a single drop falling on our little stadium. The crowd exploded in size. Tonight, it was as if the Lord threw a huge dragnet over the field, ensuring not one person escaped its girth. Then, as I proclaimed the matchless message of salvation, I felt as if every word pulled that net in bit by glorious bit, until each person was safely in the arms of our wonderful Jesus. We are rejoicing. Thousands have become children of God! Prayer for the sick yielded many mighty miracles. One young lady named Hannah has never been able to see clearly. Her sight was so poor in fact that she no longer attended school. During prayer, she explained how she felt something falling out of her eyes and then suddenly, she could see perfectly. Hallelujah! An elderly gentleman (see pic) has been fighting kidney disease for the past five years, in and out of clinics. Healed last night, he wanted to ensure the pain was indeed gone before he testified. The pain is gone, the torture over, he has been completely healed. Praise the Lord! A young man has been unable to walk on his right leg without pain since childhood. His right knee was a constant torment. Leaping up and down on stage, bending and flexing that limb, he bounced for joy. How fantastic! The atmosphere here is electric. The crowd danced home, blocking the main street and singing songs of praise. Yirga Alem is being shaken by the Gospel!
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YIRGA ALEM Gospel Crusade, Ethiopia DAY 3:
Attendance doubled this evening, tens of thousands flooding our grassy field, eager to receive all the Lord would give them. Our Crusade Director, Ev. Samuel Murrombe preached the Gospel with passion and power, young and old calling on the name of the Lord. I followed with a message on the Holy Spirit. Tomorrow morning, all churches will gather on the crusade field for a combined, mass service. I shall continue teaching on the Spirit and then come evening, we will pray for the Holy Spirit baptism following the salvation message. Expectations are high! We prayed for the sick again this evening and heard phenomenal testimonies. One young woman (see testimony pic) was born with a severe nervous disorder that caused her to shake constantly. She could neither stand nor walk without assistance and her speech was impeded. Last night, Jesus touched her with such power that she fell to the ground, trembling under His might. This divine shaking shook all the bad shaking out of her. When she arose, she was perfectly well! Impacted by this show of God’s love for her, she received the Lord as Saviour tonight and came forward to testify. The young man who often assisted her was by her side, bouncing with exuberance. He had needed to stabilise her before but now, she stood firmly on her own two feet, speaking with absolute clarity, beaming with joy. What a mighty miracle! A teenager shared that tumours on his ears had disappeared. A young man told us that an operation on his stomach months earlier had resulted in painful wounds that refused to heal. Such had incapacitated him. He started doing push-ups on stage to the delight of the crowd, eager to show us that Jesus had healed him completely. Testimony followed testimony. It was fantastic. As we drove home down the main street among throngs of dancing people, the rain started falling. The pastors who were in the vehicle with us began exclaiming, “God is with us! God is with us!” He is with us indeed. The Lord held back the rain again and we are thrilled. Let us continue praying, dear friends. We have one more day before us and thousands more with whom to share His love and grace. Hallelujah!
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YIRGA ALEM Gospel Crusade, Ethiopia FINAL DAY:
Today was a day of fire! This morning, our mass church service was fantastic. All the congregations that took hands with us closed their doors and gathered together on the crusade field. Thousands scattered across the stadium, huddled beneath trees or umbrellas, escaping the heat. Your prayers for good weather have yielded this sunshine. Heartfelt thanks! Not one single service has felt a raindrop. After a forecast of daily, heavy rain, this is a miracle. Praise the Lord! I ministered this morning primarily on the Holy Spirit – in addition to preaching the Gospel, of course – building further upon the foundation I laid last night. This evening, our crowd exploded in size yet again, resembling a sea of humanity. I preached first on the Samaritan woman and the precious gift of everlasting life that is given to all who ask for it. The entire crowd, it seemed, asked and received. Heaven is rejoicing and so are we. Then, I finished off my teachings on the Holy Spirit baptism before we prayed for the fire to fall. What holy chaos ensued. Men and women, young and old were saturated in His power, presence and personality, never to be the same again. When things settled a little, I asked who would surrender their lives into the hands of God, going wherever He would send them, doing whatever He would bid them, committing themselves to being wholly His vessels and His alone. It looked as if every hand lifted skyward, promising all to Jesus. Oh yes, precious Lord, please use each one of them for your glory! We prayed a blessing over the people and Yirga Alem. The pastors are ecstatic. We handed Certificates of Appreciation to the key crusade committee members on stage and embraced them with great joy. The Lord has done a mighty work here. A young girl testified that she was set free from demonic spirits and given her heart to Jesus. She wept with emotion. Her life is one of many that has been forever changed through this crusade. Dear friends and partners, thank you. Another African town has been swept into the arms of our Saviour King. Rejoice with us. Jesus is alive and mighty to save!
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