| Bujumbura Evangelistic Rallies—Day 1 | 12-Jul-2007 | Event: Bujumbura - Evangelistic Rally
Today, the first day of the evangelistic rallies in Bujumbura, was a beautiful day. A soft breeze made the heat more bearable but the sun was strong enough that many people brought their large bright umbrellas as shelter. The rally location is a large field that is part of a secondary technical school in the Kamenge quarter of Bujumbura. The crowd started gathering around 2:00PM in the afternoon and remained peaceful and orderly as they waited for the rally to start.
This rally and the two following on the 13th and 14th will be broadcast on radio to Burundi and three neighboring countries: Congo, Tanzania and Uganda. We are believing God for a miraculous move of the Spirit that will bring forgiveness and reconciliation.
The Rally Begins with Prayer
At 3:00PM Pastor Claude Houde welcomed everyone in French with a Kirundi translator at his side. As he closed he asked the people to look for a neighbor to hold hands and pray for the grace and love of God to... in Burundi.
Elder Chuks Ubu stepped to the podium and said to the people “We’ve come here to honor you,” and as he began to pray, he urged the crowd to find a person to pray with and begin the reconciliation process.
Elder Ignatius Chiadika prayed a beautiful prayer for Burundi. He asked the Lord to uproot every darkness that this nation is known for and write a destiny for Africa that it would be a continent o f light, a place of healing and restoration--“That the knees of unforgiveness will bow to you. That the spirit of separation would bow to you, and make everyone of us in Burundi a vessel of reconciliation…What is impossible make it
possible.”
Pastor Claude introduced a young man who prayed for the youth of Burundi, and encouraged mothers and fathers to pray and believe God for their children.
Elder David O’Neill specifically prayed that the Lord would continue to astound us and do something marvelous.
As prayer ended, the Times Square Church ensemble was introduced and worshiped with songs in Kirundi, French and English. The worship leader, speaking in perfect Kirundi, told the people that it was an honor to be here. The crowd responded by joining them in true worship.
This is Why We’re Here
Pastor Carter began his message with a preface saying, “There is a witness that God is about to do something supernatural in Burundi. This is why we’re here. The Lord spoke to me six months ago and told me that Burundi is the heart of Africa. Before a dead man can be raised, the heart must beat first and then the blood flows through…Burundi is going to live!”… “We’re here today not just because God loves you but because we love you. He has put His love in our hearts for you.”
Before continuing with his message, he paused to thank President Nkurunziza and his wife who have been very gracious to us and have welcomed us with open hearts, adding that when the righteous are in authority the people rejoice. He told the crowd gathered that he hoped they appreciated this blessing.
Where is Your Brother?
He opened his message with a question from James: ”Where do wars and fighting come from?” What is it inside of us that causes us to fight and hate each other? He went back to the book of Genesis to answer the question. In falling to Satan’s argument that they did not have to obey God, Adam and Eve opened their hearts to evil. By the first generation, Cain kills his brother Abel because he thought his brother had more advantage, a better place. He begins to hate him, evil fills his heart and he kills his brother. God asked Cain, “Where is your brother? His blood cries out to me from the ground.”
“I bring you a question from God,” Pastor Carter asked the audience at the ETS field. “Where is your brother?” Cain, he explained, had a spirit of fear after killing his brother. He feared that he himself would be killed. But God put his mark on him. The word “mark” in Hebrew means a miracle. “Does more violence have to come to Burundi? Pastor Carter asked the crowd, “God has put a miracle in Burundi. The miracle is this: There is a blood that is greater than all the blood that has been shed in Burundi. God is saying, I am going to cover the blood shed in Burundi with the blood of my Son. Call out to me and I will forgive you. Forgive others and I will forgive you.”
“To those listening by radio, I ask you, ‘Are you willing to forgive those who have wronged you?’”
Pastor Carter then ended by asking the audience to take the hand of someone in another tribe and pray together. “This is the year of reconciliation, he proclaimed. “Satan we recognize you and that where you are there is a spirit of murder and we repent from following you…We stand against the powers of darkness and proclaim you are no longer welcome in Burundi, in my house, in my heart.”
He ended by exclaiming, ”I believe this is a new day for the nation of Burundi. The Glory of God has come to Burundi…This is a day of rejoicing! |
| Pastors Conference Session 1—Call of the Intercessor Claude H. | 12-Jul-2007 | Event: Pastors Conference
Pastor Claude preached the first session today’s Pastor’s conference. It was a hot and humid day, but the church was nearly filled to capacity.
After a time of praise and worship Pastor Claude began by saying that, “God is looking over Burundi, will I find a man, woman or church that will be my heart and hands?”
He took his message from Ezekiel 22: 25-31.
Pastor Claude said that many have lost the fear of God and are speaking one way to people but they are not pure, and this discourages the body of Christ.
Continuing he said encouraged the church by saying it will be the church that changes Burundi. “Satan is afraid of one thing, the church of Jesus Christ. He’s not afraid of a religious church.”
Speaking directly to the leaders he said, “The church can’t go further than the pastor”, and said that pastors need to believe God, and that God is looking for men and women that He can trust.
Pastors need to be intimate with God so that their lives reflect Jesus Christ. If pastors are not, “the spirit of the shepherd is always on the congregation. If he is arrogant, they are arrogant, if he’s cold, they are cold, if he steals they will steal, if he’s harsh they are harsh.”
He exhorted the pastors to get alone with God. “Communion with God allows us to be intercessors.”
Pastor Claude closed by praying for the body, and then he had them turn to one another and pray. A sweet cry arose in the building and then sweet songs of worship,
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| Pastors Conference Session 2— Who’s Image Is On You? | 12-Jul-2007 | Event: Pastors Conference
Pastor Carter ministered at the second session of the pastor’s conference. He took his text from Hosea 6 and Ezekiel 8.
He started off by telling the leaders, “there is only one image of God and this image is manifested through Jesus Christ.” Then he asked, “When people of Burundi look at the church are they looking at the image of Jesus Christ?”
The question that followed was challenging, “are you willing to let the Holy Spirit examine you, and if your image is not Christ’s are you willing to give it away?”
Pastor Carter went on to say that outside images are overpowering many. He said some are using their ministry for wealth, power or reputation, and that they are not there to serve.
“God came as a man because He wanted to touch the poorest of the poor”.
A soberness hit the leaders when Pastor Carter told them the Lord had given him this message JUST for Burundi, and that “there can be no victory in Burundi unless the image of Christ is on it.”
He continued, “If you want to know what God looks like look at Jesus Christ”, and added that, “there is going to be a righteous ministry in Burundi,”
The next question put to the body was this, “Who do I represent? Have I embraced His image or another image.?
Pastor Carter told them that true ministry, power and compassion is in the image of Christ, and that you will see Him in the scriptures. “Knowing me, I will open your mind I’ll open your heart and rivers of compassion will flow through you, and people in Burundi will see the image of Christ in ministers.”
“This is a wounded society,” Pastor Carter said, “they need to see the image of Christ in the pulpit today.”
“Jesus is looking for soldiers with the right heart willing to bear God’s image and to go where He goes.”
Using the story of Judas at the last supper, he said that Judas had a choice to either dip the bread in the wine, symbolizing that he was willing to embrace the image of Christ, or reject it.
Pastor Carter then asked how many are willing to go with God, and to bear His image. “Who will be my child, touch the untouchables, feed the hungry, minister to the oppressed, who will walk with me?” He said they had a choice to make, and it had to be made today.
“Who wants the true image of Christ?”
The alter call was then given, and many people stood or went to the alter to pray and the day ended with a time of worship and rejoicing.
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| Stretching our faith to glorify His name | 12-Jul-2007 | Team: Medical - Ngozi
One of the outreach team members who assisted the medical team in Ngozi shared at dinner today. Other than EMS training, she has no medical experience whatsoever and the Lord has really stretched her on this trip. The medical clinic in Ngozi was housed in a place with no electricity or running water. They had minimal supplies and hardly any surgical instruments or equipment. One day a man was brought with a deep cut from a machete. The team member was astounded that even with the little they had to perform the procedure to close the wound, the Lord miraculously supplied everything that was needed.
Today she traveled with the team to a Twa village near Bujumbura. The team member’s faith was even more stretched, as the team brought only the very basic medications and supplies to address the many physical ailments of the people. A tent was set up for dental work and she was asked to assist one of the dentists. Needless to say she did not have a clue about what that entailed but having seen what the Lord can do, she just trusted Him. A woman was brought in with a hole in her cheek, caused by a degenerative disease, which exposed the inside of her mouth. They had no tools whatsoever to perform the procedure that was necessary to close up the hole, nor the proper sutures to sew it up. Someone mentioned that they knew someone who had a pocket knife and the team member was sent to get it. The dentist was miraculously able to close up the hole with the pocket knife and sew it up with whatever was found. All this was done without any anesthetic. The team member asked us to pray that God would miraculously provide the drugs this woman needed to deal with the pain from the surgical procedure.
The dentist who performed the procedure later testified that he has been on many medical clinics like this one where he had very little to work with but this incident was particularly challenging. He was able to re-create a cheek using the pocket knife and after it was sown up he called another colleague to examine the work. The colleague was surprised and said: “Wow, this is beautiful, don’t touch it, just let it heal.” To God, and God alone, be the glory for what he is doing in our midst.
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| Unashamed to give their hearts to Christ | 12-Jul-2007 | Team: Prison Ministry
The leader of the prison team shared about the team’s experiences visiting prisons in Ngozi and Gitega. In Ngozi they visited a prison where the courtyard of the prison was packed wall-to-wall with prisoners. Some of the men climbed the walls to get to window bars to be able to see and hear the visitors. The presence of God was strong and most of the prisoners gave their hearts to Christ.
In Gitega, the team visited a prison where there were many of the women had babies with them. Convoy of Hope, our ministry partner on some of the outreaches here, provided clothes, toys and food for a month or the women and their children. As the team ministered the Word, they heard mockery from some of the prisoners. When they gave the altar call at the end, a remnant responded to God’s call that was unashamed to give their hearts to Christ. Praise be to God!
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