Sawla Gospel Crusade, Ethiopia DAY 1:
We are in a rural area, here. To reach Sawla, an hour flight from the capital city, Addis Ababa was followed by four hours of winding roads and mountainous passes. This afternoon, my team and I had the privilege of having kitfo (raw meat) with the mayor and his cabinet. I shared the Gospel with them and the message of the blood of Jesus and its sin-destroying power was wonderfully received. Then, this evening, the local soccer pitch was covered by thousands, all eager to hear the word of God. Multitudes are expected to join us from the outlying villages over the weekend, coming to sleep on the crusade field and shop floors, hungry to encounter the Risen King. I preached a simple salvation message and the crowd reached heavenward with one accord, calling on the name of the Lord. Prayer for the sick yielded fantastic testimonies. One young man had been shot by soldiers four months earlier and his right arm refused to heal. He could not move it freely or without pain. He rejoiced on stage, elated (see pic). His arm is now perfectly whole. A woman had given birth to twins and her insides had pained her ever since. In addition, her kidneys ailed her terribly and her eyesight was failing. Tonight, Jesus did a complete work in this woman: womb pain, gone; kidney pain, gone; eyesight, perfect. Hallelujah! An older gentleman had no strength in his ankles and his left ear was going deaf. He likewise received total healing. He lay prostate on stage, glorifying God. Heartfelt thanks for your prayers. Sawla is encountering Christ our Lord!
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Sawla Gospel Crusade, Ethiopia, DAY 2:
What joy there is in Sawla! I told the crowd today that the angels are struggling to keep up with them, so jubilant is their rejoicing. I preached two messages this evening: first, a Gospel message on the Samaritan woman in John 4; second, a little message on the Holy Spirit. My first message resulted in thousands of hands raised heavenward to receive the gift of God, namely, Jesus in one’s heart and heaven as one’s destination. My second message was the first in a series of three that I will preach over the weekend, culminating in prayer for the baptism of the Holy Spirit on Sunday night. How exciting! Prayer for the sick resulted in much celebration. One gentleman was set free from a tumour on his upper chest and chronic back pain that left him unable to bend. The tumour disappeared as we prayed and his back is completely healed. He bent and stretched on stage, glorifying the Lord. A lady attended our meeting yesterday vomiting blood due to a terrible gastric disorder. She came to share this evening that since that service, she has been well. The vomiting has stopped, the pain is no more! An elderly man explained how he had been an athlete as a youth and injured his leg badly in 1974 (see pic). Since that day, he could not walk properly on it. In his words, “When I hurt my leg, the bone popped out. Tonight, as we prayed, I felt the bone popping back in.” Medically, I have no idea exactly what was wrong with this gentleman and what God put to rights. What we do know is that the Lord did the job and did it well! How he leapt and bounced on stage, dancing for the first time in decades. Hallelujah! Tomorrow we continue. Sawla is being forever changed!
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Sawla Gospel Crusade, Ethiopia, DAY 3:
The atmosphere is electric. The people of Sawla are surrendering all to Jesus and He is pouring out gifts of salvation, healing and deliverance upon them. I preached on Luke 15 tonight, sharing on the three stories Jesus told therein. We took a journey through the tales of the lost sheep, coin and prodigal son and then, we asked Jesus to make us children of God, giving our lives over to Him. It was glorious! I continued teaching on the Holy Spirit and then, we prayed for the sick. There was tremendous joy as precious people testified what the Lord had done for them. One old lady must have hugged everyone on stage, so great was her exuberance! She had been unable to walk without pain, her legs plagued with an undiagnosable ailment. She had been from doctor to doctor but no advice or medication had lessened the agony. Tonight, Dr. Jesus stepped in and the pain stepped out. How wonderful! Another woman wept with heartfelt emotion, explaining how she had been confined to her bed for the past year, her body besieged by ailments. This evening, Jesus did a complete work. She is now liberated from both her pain and her bed. We thank the Lord! Tomorrow morning, all congregations will gather on our crusade field for a combined service at which I shall minister. Tomorrow night, we conclude. Thank you for your prayers and support. They are moving mountains here in this corner of Africa!
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Sawla Gospel Crusade, Ethiopia, Final Day:
What an extraordinary final day we have had in Sawla. This morning, the involved churches closed their doors and we gathered together for a mass church service on the crusade field. Our congregation huddled under umbrellas and I preached in my sunhat. We had a marvellous time together. This evening, our fifth and final service was held. Our Crusade Director, Ev. Samuel Murrombe proclaimed the Gospel with passion and power. I followed hot on his heals with my last message on the Holy Spirit before we prayed for the fire to fall. It felt like that prayer opened the windows of heaven! Men and women, young and old were baptised in the Spirit of God. Some fell to the ground, overwhelmed by His presence. Others wept with joy, allowing Him to permeate them through and through with Himself. Broken bodies were put to rights. Demons fled. It was fantastic, glorious, God-breathed chaos. Sawla shall never be the same again! What testimonies were heard. One gentleman was a soldier who had been shot in the back five years ago. The injury resulted in his arms being paralysed, hanging limp at his sides. The miracle started on Friday night. He noticed an improvement after attending our service. Tonight, complete mobility returned. He bent and flexed those arms on stage, absolutely elated (see pic). What a mighty miracle! A lady attended who had been battling numerous issues over the past six years. Her right ear could not hear, her right eye could not see properly and her womb pained her constantly. Tonight, she was restored: ear, eye and womb. Another woman had been tormented by such heart pains that she thought she was near death. Coming to the service tonight, she fell under the Spirit during prayer and when she awoke, all pains had vanished. Testimony followed testimony. What a mighty God we serve! Jesus is our Healer, indeed. We prayed a blessing over the crowd and leave Sawla with hearts filled with joy. Thank you so, so much for your support, dear friend. Such has resulted in another mighty harvest of precious souls. Tens of thousands have been saved and filled with the Spirit. The sick have been healed and the tormented, liberated. Another African town has been utterly transformed by the power of the Gospel and your heart to see Africa saved! Please keep the local pastors in your prayers as they begin following up all the new converts.
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