Bensa Daye Gospel Crusade, DAY 1:
The build-up to this crusade has been absolutely fantastic. We have always trained local believers for soul-winning and conducted street evangelism in the preparation phase. However, here in Bensa Daye, we employed two Ethiopian evangelists, Samuel and Chaltu, solely for this purpose. What training they conducted, what one-on-one soul-winning and mini-outreaches they led. It has been splendid! The churches here are not in the habit of doing street evangelism. Now, we believe, such shall change. Our team will stay connected with those locals who have been trained as they continue to initiate evangelistic activities in their community. How exciting!
Our Gospel Crusades are always trying. Why? We are preaching Jesus in areas plagued by unrest. Security-related challenges prevented us from holding our service today in the local stadium. However, we never cancel services at In His Name. So, we shifted the meeting to a church compound that is located—conveniently—alongside the stadium. The Good News went forth with fire and force. The lost were saved, the sick healed and captives set free. We are hopeful and prayerful that tomorrow and over the weekend, nothing will prevent us from holding our meetings in the stadium. Open-air is our heartbeat. We hate being limited by ceiling and walls. Also, very importantly, open-air meetings are more easily attended by those who will suffer persecution from becoming born-again. They can more easily stand on the fridges or disappear among the masses. We are always extremely mindful of this. Please stand in agreement with us and pray that no weapon formed against this crusade shall prosper. The people here are hungry for the Lord and Bensa Daye belongs to Jesus!
Bensa Daye Gospel Crusade, DAY 2:
What a day it has been! Our crusade service was terrific in every way, waves of redemption rippling across the crowd and mighty miracles manifesting. This crusade continues to be a fight. However, the In His Name team has been anointed and appointed to wrangle and wrestle in the fight of faith! Even though it is not the rainy season and the weather forecast predicated clear skies, heavy storm clouds gathered and dumped their load with great ferocity on Bensa Daye. Our team, together with the local pastors and believers, prayed, praised and persevered, the weather settling in time for the Gospel to be preached at not too late an hour—on a rather mushy field! The message went forth with gusto and the response to the altar call for salvation was marvellous. I preached from Luke 15 and shared the stories of the lost sheep, coin and son. The crowd raised hands and voices heavenward and asked Jesus to become their Great Shepherd. Amen and amen!
Prayer for the sick was followed by some tremendous testimonies. Among them was 20-year-old Habtamu who had fallen from a tree over a month ago. His right arm had been badly injured and his right hand, broken. Limited access to medical care made giving that arm and hand the needed attention, impossible. The arm remained in agony and the hand, immobile. A day labourer, Habtamu could no longer perform his duties. He was frustrated, out of pocket and in pain. During prayer in our service today, Jesus touched this young man in a powerful way. His hand is now perfect and his arm, strong. Ecstatic, Habtamu showed off his newfound mobility. “I thank my Lord!” he expressed. “He is my only Saviour forever. My life has completely changed!”
Tomorrow, we will hold both morning and evening services. Please continue to pray for this crusade. Your intercession undergirds us and gives wings to every effort. Together with you, Bensa Daye is being saved!
Bensa Daye Gospel Crusade, DAY 3:
We had a bustling day of word and wonders. This morning, Ev. Samuel Murrombe preached a red-hot Gospel message that resulted in an avalanche of saving power. This afternoon, I took up the baton and proclaimed the glorious Good News that Dr Jesus can heal our spirits from the sickness of sin, using a very special medicine: the blood that He shed upon the cross! Thousands called upon the Lord and asked Him to become their Doctor. How marvellous! Thereafter, I taught on the Holy Spirit, laying a foundation on which we will build further tomorrow before praying for the Holy Spirit baptism. After praying for the sick, testimony after testimony was heard. Be blessed by these three.
Roda is a 47-year-old farmer and father of five. He has been mad for fifteen, long years, his mind utterly tormented and confused. He was unable to think lucidly and his family suffered terribly as a result of his mental distress. Today, he received Jesus as Saviour and with his salvation, came his deliverance. “You all know me,” Roda shared from stage. “You know how mad I was. Now, my mind is clear. I am completely changed! I am free!” Raising his hands and rejoicing, this precious man glorified His Saviour and the crowd shared in his ecstatic praise. Hallelujah!
Mesifin is a 20-year-old motorbike driver, a vehicle used here—as in many towns across Africa—for quick and affordable transport. Five months ago, he had broken his right leg in an accident and that leg had not healed properly. Its range of movement was limited and it was very painful. Naturally, this disability impacted the ability of this young man to do his work. Wonderfully, Jesus has done what the doctors were not able to do! Mesifin is healed. He jumped up and down on stage, leaping on his right leg and kicking it with glee. “I thank my Lord!” he expressed. “He is my Saviour forever!”
Buzuna is 35 years old. He works in education. For the past five years, this dear gentleman had struggled with terrible depression. “I could not sleep,” he shared, “the depression was so great.” During prayer, that blanket of hopelessness lifted from his mind, leaving him completely liberated. “I am so peaceful! I praise my Lord because He has healed me without any payment!” Yes, indeed. Our Jesus gives freely to all those who call upon His name!
Tomorrow morning, the evangelical churches in Bensa Daye will close their doors and we will gather on the crusade field for a mass service. Come afternoon, we will hold our final meeting. Heartfelt thanks for your continued prayers. They are shaking the darkness out of Daye and the Light of Life is shining supreme!
Bensa Daye Gospel Crusade, DAY 4:
Our last day of services in Bensa Daye was fire-filled and Spirit-saturated from beginning to end! We began the day with a mass church service on our crusade field, all the evangelical churches in the town having closed their doors to unite as the Body of Christ, regardless of denomination. It would have felt like heaven—if it wasn’t for the heat! I preached from John 4 under a blazing midday sun, my congregation huddled under umbrellas and obliging trees, telling the story of the Samaritan woman and how one conversation with Jesus—about the gift of God—changed everything for her. Many unbelievers attended and they eagerly called upon the Lord to give them this glorious gift. What does it entail? The receiver becomes the house of God here on earth and goes to Heaven when they die. How spectacular! We also handed out certificates to lead pastors and volunteers, thanking them for their support, together with copies of the Amharic version of my book on evangelism, “Spirit of Fire”.
Our final service exceeded every expectation. Thousands flooded the local stadium, hungry for the things of God. The two Ethiopian evangelists who have laboured with us in the build-up to this crusade, leading street evangelism teams and conducting outreaches— Samuel Desalegn and Chaltu Godana—each shared briefly with the crowd and did phenomenally well. The Lord is raising up young evangelists who proclaim Him with purity and passion. Africa is exceedingly blessed!
Ev. Samuel Murrombe preached the Gospel message and shared his testimony, reading from Isaiah 55 and explaining that only Jesus can quench the thirst of the human soul. I followed with one last message on the Holy Spirit, teaching how to partner with Him and how we are responsible to share about Jesus and pray for people in the name of Jesus. The Spirit does the rest! Thereafter, we prayed for the fire to fall—and fall it did! Jesus baptised His children with His Spirit and holy chaos erupted as believers were filled to overflowing with the presence and power of God. We prayed for all the prayer requests that had been submitted over the crusade period and also, the nation of Ethiopia.
Stunning testimonies of healing were heard throughout the day. Among the sharers were Buja and Degu. Buja is a 60-year-old mother of nine and grandmother of many. A year ago, a tumour started to develop in her lower abdomen. It had grown so large that she could easily feel the mass and her doctor had told her that she would need to be operated on very soon. Today, Dr Jesus performed His own procedure and Buja could not contain her excitement as she testified. “I do not need an operation any longer!” she announced. “The tumour is gone! I can no longer feel it in my body!” The crowd celebrated with her. Degu is a young man of 18 and a day labourer by profession. Three years ago, he had started to drink and very soon, alcohol controlled his life. “I was addicted,” he confessed. He started attending our crusade a few days ago and received Jesus as Saviour. Since this encounter with the Lord, he has had no desire for alcohol whatsoever—and no withdrawal symptoms either! “I was sick with sin,” Degu shared. “But now, I am free!” Hallelujah and amen!
Thank you very much, dear friends and partners for your unwavering support. Your giving and prayers have resulted in yet another remote, Ethiopian community being eternally impacted by our Jesus. He bids that we go into all the world and we are going very eagerly. Thank you for sending us!