ZIWAY Gospel Crusade, Ethiopia, DAY 1:
We are off to a phenomenal start in this small fishing town! The majority of its inhabitants follow the Islam or Orthodox faiths and we are eager to share with them the glorious Good News that Jesus saves. Thousands flocked to the local stadium tonight and the attentiveness with which the Gospel was received, the response to the altar call for salvation and the miracle testimonies that followed, left our team rejoicing. When the simple Gospel is preached, the results are simply wonderful. Voices were lifted heavenward and the name of Jesus called upon. Sinful hearts were washed clean by the blood of the Lamb and then that same Lamb took up residence in those spring-cleaned hearts. One such person was a witchdoctor – the most prestigious and feared in the greater area – who was invited to attend the meeting by a missionary. What happened? That dear lady received Jesus! She testified boldly before the crowd that she was turning her back on her former ways and would serve Jesus as Lord and Saviour from this day forth (see pic). “I am no longer a witch,” she said. “I belong to Jesus!” The crowd went berserk. It was an awesome moment. Many testimonies were heard of physical healing. The ear of one young man popped open, having been previously deaf. A new mother stood with her baby in her arms and shared how she had been tormented by horrible, unrelenting womb pains since the birth. She is now agony-free. An elderly woman had not been able to walk without pain for years. She both received Jesus as Saviour and was made utterly well. “I fell to the ground during the prayer for the sick,” she explained. “Now, I am free. My life has completely changed!” Already, there are so many queuing to share that not all of them could be heard tonight. We shall continue tomorrow. Heartfelt thanks for your prayers, dear friend. Let us continue pressing into His presence until Ziway is saved!
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ZIWAY Gospel Crusade, Ethiopia DAY 2:
Our crowd more than doubled this evening. Word is spreading of how mightily the Lord is moving, signs and wonders following the preaching of the Gospel. Tamryn ministered on the sickness of sin and how only Jesus can set us free from its tormenting vice. Thousands called on the name of the Lord and He washed them in His precious blood. What joy followed, what rejoicing! Tamryn then spoke briefly on Acts 2, laying the first layer of teaching, preparing the hearts of the people for Sunday when we shall pray for the Holy Spirit baptism. Prayer for sick resulted in mighty miracles. A lady came from Hosaena, a town 100km away. She had heard about our crusade from a TV advert. She had a tumour in her womb, a horrid, protruding thing that had tormented her for the past six years. As she stepped foot onto our crusade ground this evening, the power of God came upon her and the tumour disappeared. Hallelujah! “I cannot explain how I am feeling,” she said on stage (see pic). “I feel so great!” A young man had a tumour on his leg for the past five years. That thing is likewise no more. A gentleman from Addis Ababa had been unable to put weight on his right leg for months. Now, he is leaping up and down, ecstatic. Yes indeed, our Jesus is at work! Thank you for your prayers, dear friend. The devil is taking his sticky fingers off Ziway and the light of God is shining supreme!
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ZIWAY Gospel Crusade, Ethiopia, DAY 3:
The atmosphere here is saturated with joy. The preaching and praying are being punctuated with such singing and dancing that even the dignitaries seated on stage are being caught up in it. Simply put, they do not remain seated much at all! Tamryn ministered first on salvation. She preached from John chapter 4, the story of the Samaritan woman and the gift of God that Jesus wants to give all who ask Him for it. Ask we did. It was a holy moment. Following the distribution of follow-up material and collection of decision cards, Tamryn continued teaching on the Holy Spirit. Tomorrow evening we will pray for all believers in attendance to be filled with power from on high. Tamryn explained how easy it is to be used by God and everyone is highly expectant. An army of power-packed soul-winners shall soon be unleashed upon Ziway! Prayer for the sick resulted in wonderful testimonies. One lady had struggled terribly to breathe for the past five years, severe asthma plaguing her with unrelenting ferocity. Last night at our crusade meeting, the Lord touched her mightily and her breathing has been free and easy ever since that matchless moment. She is thrilled. The churches here will hold a mass service tomorrow morning on the crusade grounds at which Tamryn shall minister. What a sign of unity. Please keep us in your prayers. We have one more day ahead of us. Ziway is being saved!
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ZIWAY Gospel Crusade, Ethiopia FINAL DAY:
Our time in Ziway has come to a fire-filled conclusion. This morning, all churches closed their doors and we gathered on the crusade field. What a time was had together! The mayor addressed the crowd and our team handed Certificates of Appreciation to some key committee members before Tamryn proclaimed Jesus with great gusto. Come evening, the crowd doubled in size yet again. Ev. Samuel Murrombe preached the Gospel in red-hot fashion, weaving his testimony and Scripture together until it looked like the entire crowd in one accord cried out to the Lord and received salvation. Tamryn followed on his heels with another message on the Holy Spirit baptism before we prayed for the crowd to receive this glorious gift. The outpouring we witnessed was phenomenal, thousands being saturated in His presence and power, demons screaming and skedaddling in the wake of that divine onslaught. These precious believers are now going to go out and continue the good work started by these crusade meetings. Hallelujah! People were invited for the last time to share their testimony of healing and one precious lady explained how she had been suffering from diabetes for seven years, her entire body impacted by the dreadful disease. On Friday night, the Lord touched her mightily and since that encounter, every symptom has vanished. Praise the Lord! The pastors are overjoyed. They have already started processing the decision cards and shared with us how so very many of the new converts have Muslim names. Please, dear friend, pray for these new believers. Religious persecution is rife here. What we do know is this: Jesus has them safely and securely in His arms and Ziway has been forever changed!
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