| Bujumbura Evangelistic Rallies—Day 3 | 14-Jul-2007 | Event: Bujumbura - Evangelistic Rally
Today was the last day of the evangelistic rallies in Bujumbura, and we were all excited to be back at the ETS field to worship with the people gathered there, and hear what God had to say to the people of Burundi. The days have been perfect. Not even a slight chance of rain. The sun beats down with force so most of us made sure to wear some kind of head covering today.
You are Noah!
Pastor Leopold opened the rally by welcoming President Nkurunziza and the first lady, the first vice president and his wife, and the mayor of Bujumbura. He invited the president to the stage to join the presidential choir who had ministered earlier. President Nkurunziza joined his choir on the stage and began to sing and dance with them! It was an extraordinary sight to see the president of a nation lead a choir in worship, as he danced with joy praising the Lord. The people rejoiced as they sang and danced along. By the end, the chairs were held high above their heads. The president then said a few words to greet the people. “God has good plans for our country,” he told them. “We thank God for the visitors and what they have done for God.” He gave the people a word from Genesis 6:5-9 which speaks of the wickedness of the earth in Noah’s time and how the Lord said he would destroy it, but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. The president told the people, “Whoever is here, you are Noah!”
There is somebody else you must forgive
While the Times Square Church ensemble ministered with songs in Kirundi, Pastor Carter prayed in his seat. As he rose to give the Word, he sang “Forever You Will Be,”
And a hush came over those assembled. He began by saying it was sad to be leaving Burundi. “God is doing a wonderful thing. It is incredible to be here and see it.” He thanked the president and the church in Burundi for the genuine love with which they had received us. Then he spoke of his previous messages on forgiveness and reconciliation and told the people there was somebody else they must forgive: “every white person that has divided you and brought hate.” “On behalf of my race I ask you to please forgive the great wrong that has been done to you.” He asked for a minute of silence for them to forgive in their hearts. For those of us present the silence was sobering. There was a deep acknowledgement of yet another layer of oppression, hate and resentment that needed to be shed.
He never stopped loving you
Pastor Carter based his message on the story of the prodigal son in the fifteenth chapter of Luke. Like the prodigal son, he told them “you are a people who are come to their right mind…Thank God you’re coming home to your Father in heaven…””No matter what you have done, where you have been, He loves you. He never stopped loving you.” He told them that they would be ambassadors of reconciliation, declaring the mercy of God. “I have not come to win a victory,” he said emphatically, “The Lord told me the victory is already won!”
Many will be coming down the road
He spoke of the older brother who was angry at the way the Father had received the wayward son and exhorted them that there would be “many coming down the road to come home. Don’t point the finger. God is saying: “I’m going to bring them home from where they have been living…do the work of God and welcome your brother home. Forgive him…empower him…and you will know the joy of the Lord.”
“The heart of Africa is Burundi,” he exclaimed. “The blood of God will flow through it and will touch Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda.” “I’m speaking to you in the name of God!”
We’ll see you in heaven
Pastor Carter ended by asking those that had not yet come home to God to pray a simple prayer with him. When they had finished, he prayed a blessing over the people, asking God to seal their hearts with the power of the Holy Spirit. He thanked God for breaking the power of darkness over Burundi and for a president who knows God. As he closed, he exhorted the people to rejoice and asked the Times Square Church team to look back at the crowd and waive good bye. “We’ll see you in heaven,” he shouted. As he did so, many of su wept to be leaving this wonderful, humble people. We all praised God together one last time for the promise that has been fulfilled over this land. |
| Bujumbura Evangelistic Rallies—Day 2 | 13-Jul-2007 | Event: Bujumbura - Evangelistic Rally
The second day of the evangelistic rallies in Bujumbura was sunny and hot. Several choirs ministered between 2:00PM and 3:00PM to the people gathering on the field. One of the choirs was a prison choir wearing white robes that sang some beautiful worship songs. Pastor Leopold, the main pastor we have been working with in Burundi, opened the rally, and then the Times Square Church ensemble led the worship in Kirundi. After a few songs, they sang the worship song our Music Director described as our anthem on these international outreaches: “The Lord is High Above the Heavens.” The people learned to respond “Halle, halle, halle, halleluyah” with us.
Greetings
Before giving his message, Pastor Carter greeted all the people listening to the rally on the radio in Burundi, Rwanda, Congo and Tanzania. He also greeted the members of the government that were attending the rally, including the first lady of Burundi, the first vice president, and his wife, and the mayor of Bujumbura.
The Power of Unity
Pastor Carter based his message on the Old Testament account of Elijah and the 850 prophets of Baal. He did not refer to the scripture but told the story of how Israel was going through a severe drought. The country was divided. People were living in disunity and there was a lot of religion. The word given by the 850 prophets of Baal had no power to break the drought. They build their altars but they did not have the truth and they were divided. God, he told the people, does not answer division. “The moment when the Hutu, Tutsi and the Twa join hands, God will come. He will answer when we walk in unity, when we forgive, when our hearts our clean.”
In the midst of all this religion, God sent Elijah to challenge their religion. Elijah built an altar with 12 stones representing the twelve tribes of Israel. He prays to God and God answers with a consuming fire. “Burundi needs the fire of the Holy Spirit. God’s power will heal your nation, your children, and will cause the ground to yield fruit.” To have the power of God, he explained, we must have the heart of God. “We cannot claim to know God if we do not have mercy.”
“Men who don’t know God will divide the people,” he added, “but men who know God bring unity. Your president is a man who knows God…I am speaking as a prophet to you now, he is going to bring the people together…Wicked men on the radio divided the people. Things that should not be done were done…some even in the name of God. But these men don’t know God. They don’t speak for God.”
”Where God is, there is unity, he repeated four times. When there is unity Jesus Christ comes. “God is building a new altar in Burundi…an altar of unity. The fire of God is coming. Fight against disunity. Turn away from every voice that tells you to hate your brother.” “The reign of the devil is over. God has sent me to tell you a reign of peace has come.”
Pastor Carter encouraged the people that God will give them the power to love their enemies if they are willing to agree with God. He began to pray for them, for unity and forgiveness. When he finished, he asked the people to pray for themselves and for fifteen minutes the only sound that could be heard on the vast field was the muffled sound of people praying and crying. The presence of God was palpable. The Holy Spirit was at work and the people had finally broken through!
When it was over, Pastor Carter returned to the podium and prayed for the sick. As he prayed he asked God to fulfill the promise he had spoken to him that there would be miraculous healings, and he prayed that God would heal people with AIDS, with cancer, with broken bones; that new limbs would grow where there were none; that the blind would receive sight and the deaf would hear.
The Times Square Church ensemble sang a worship song and then the First Vice President of Burundi spoke saying he did not have the words. He referred to the Times Square Church team saying, “Look at how they look, how joyful,” adding “now you look joyful too!” “We are in unity,” he shouted. “If you are depressed and oppressed you must receive Jesus, you need Jesus.” “All the plans I had for tomorrow I give them up. I will be here tomorrow, with you.” Then the vice president asked for a song because the people needed to dance! As the ensemble sang “Ntanumwe yosa na Yesu” (“There’s no one Like Jesus”), the crowd erupted in song and dance! There was unspeakable joy! We all joined in, Pastor Carter danced and raised his chair over his head just as the people were doing. We praised the Lord with Burundi, for He had powerfully visited them. As the dust finally settled, we returned to the hotel knowing in our hearts that even with the awesome manifestation of God tonight, the best is yet to come. |
| 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! |
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