MISSION JOURNAL - NOVEMBER 2007

Saturday, November 10, 2007- Our second day in Warangal was much like the first only better... The fireworks outside our hotel celebrating Diwali continued their cannonade throughout most of the night, so to say we were well rested is dramatic overstatement. But regardless of our physically situation, God always seems to provide us with the grace we need to persevere and greet the day head on.

Normally our pastors conferences run 3 days during a 4 day crusade schedule. Because of the hindu holiday, the crusade schedule was cut to 3 days , we only had 2 days for the pastors conference. The good news was that the number of pastors in attendance had nearly doubled as OUR three pastors took the stage.

Jeff focused his message on prayer as our lifeline to God and the power and blessing available as a result of our connection to the one who saves and provides for our strength and every need. Tony spoke on the need for administration in any helping ministry. He later then spoke on the love that passes knowledge and the magnitude of Gods love for us, the depth of which we cannot understand. Our ultimate goal being to submit our limited knowledge to God in order that as our understanding of Him grows, so does our knowledge. And Dave spoke on the humility that a pastor must possess in order to truly serve the body of Christ.

Even though this conference was shorter than usual, God ministered to these pastors and their wives in a mighty way. These incredible men and women of God live on less than $100 per month, for them and their whole family and they are thrilled to have the opportunity to do it. I would venture to say that most of us fritter away 1200 dollars a year without even realizing it We cannot even begin to comprehend the commitment and dedication that they possess to serve the God they love. When you look at the lives of these servants it is almost embarrassing to think about the complaining many of us do in spite of how God chooses to bless us so richly. Just food for thought.

Speaking of food... lunch was prepared for the pastors each day. This operation is not your run of the mill school cafeteria!

lunch

Today, CarolMarie and the widows ministry team, met with widows in the Manna Church that is on the grounds of the school where of the pastors' conference is meeting. They began by given out hand made cross stitched crosses that were anointed and prayed over by the widows at the widows ministry center where CarolMarie and Kathryn are on staff. As this ministry time continued, Peggy played the penny whistle in the spirit and drew the widows into a time of praise and worship. CarolMarie spoke from the Book of Ruth and about choices, and how Orpah and Ruth started out with Naomi to the town of Bethlehem Judah, but Orpah, whose name means "stiff necked" decided to return to Moab. Naomi mentored Ruth and introduced her to her future husband Boaz. And because Naomi had poured herself into Ruth, when Ruth gave birth to Obed, the bible says the baby was credited to Naomi; illustrating that when we mentor another person, what is birthed in them is credited to us. Ruth became the great grandmother of David and as for Orpah, history says that she was the grandmother of Goliath. The consequences of the choices we make are sometimes pretty ironic. The bible says Ruth cared for Naomi and gleaned the fields. CarolMarie told the widows that they had a special purpose to care for others and that there was a field of souls for them to glean. They were excited to know their purpose in the harvest. What hope it gave them to know that when they poured themselves into others, what every those people birthed would be credited to them as well and that through their gestures of care and generosity they could be credited with turning the hearts of India to Jesus.

Then Dr. Pete came forward and the widows raised their hands toward him and prayed over him for the Harvest of Souls. It was incredibly powerful to feel the spirit of God move through that room.

widows empowered

Here is something to think about... utilize the widows in your church to energize your ministries. The bible says, God hears the cry of the widow and that makes them an incredible source of power as we have seen here.

Based on the increase in the numbers we saw at the pastors' conference we expected a larger turnout for the Saturday Night Redemption Festival and we were not disappointed. Once again as we drove through town from our hotel, the streets were teaming with people, out on the town in full force; which I am sure was due to the holiday weekend. Although you often see people in the streets well into the night, especially in the smaller cities. This may be due to the lack of television. Not that it is unavailable, but even for those who can afford a "box" their lives don't seem to center around it. The Indians in these less urban environments seem more social and often spend a lot of time with family and friends. Maybe we should "go to school" on these "less cultured" souls.

As we entered the festival grounds, it became quite obvious that our assumptions were accurate. There were nearly 3 times as many in attendance for this Saturday night and the energy that filled the air reflected that sense of hope and expectation that is usually present on those nights where "God is in the house" and ready to move. The choir was "choiring", the band was "banding" and the crowd was on their feet clapping and singing along. We were joined on stage by the professional Indian singer, famous for "singing in films" , that has been with us on every crusade we have done. So by the time, Dr. Pete rose to speak, the sea of the faithful, the hopeful and the curious stretched to cover nearly 1/2 of the available space. The crew from Miracle Net Television was here once again to record the event and they estimated the attendance at around 100,000. Click here to take a virtual look around from the center of the crowd. Click here for a view closer to the stage.

After last night's' event, Dr. Pete felt lead by the Lord to revamp his message for tonight and preach a simple straightforward gospel message that left no room for interpretation or conjecture. He felt the Lord say to him that for this night His message of hope and salvation must be clear. In all we do as a team, our prayer is always that the people we encounter see less of us and more of Jesus and that was certainly Dr. Pete's prayer tonight. Peggy Powers came center stage and began to sing spiritual songs in preparation for the Word. It felt as if the heavens were opened and that literally anything was possible!

There was a freshness to Dr. Pete's message that reflected the compassion he felt in his heart; his burden for the people who literally came by foot, by car, by motorcycle, truck and even tractor to hear about the one they call Jesus. The energy built steadily and Pete moved away from his notes and began speaking with the anointing and authority of one being led by the Holy Spirit. As one who has seen Dr. Pete preach every crusade he has done, I can honestly say it was the most powerful message he has ever presented, and the response was indicative of that.

Souls!

When he gave the invitation to accept Christ, the sea of hands that shot into the air was astounding. Thousands upon thousands of hungry souls came forward to stand publicly before the Lord and accept the free gift of eternal life. The bible says that all of heaven rejoices when a single soul enters the kingdom. Just imagine the party tonight when so many new names, too many to count, were written in the Lamb's book of life. Conservative estimates say that over 10,000 decision cards were handed out, but that was only a portion of those who came to Christ on that field. What an honor it is to be a part of something like this. And for all of you who have prayed and given of your time, talents or treasures, this is your harvest as well. Praise God!

With the staggering numbers that continue to respond at our festivals, we ask for your prayers on improving on our strategy to reach and disciple these new believers. We believe that the Holy Spirit will be a guide to those who could not make it to the front to receive a decision card, but we believe that connecting these new brothers and sisters to local fellowships is critical to their development. Dr. Pete encouraged everyone who prayed the prayer of salvation to get involved in a local body that lifts up the name of Jesus. Bishop Ernest of Manna Ministries is planning to plant 20 new churches following this event.

One of the reasons people come to these festivals is the same reason people followed Jesus around Israel. They heard that a man of God could bring physical healing to those with broken bodies, minds and spirits. So it is no surprise that when Dr. Pete prayed for the sick, tens of thousands reached out to the heavens grasping for their miracle. Tonight they were not disappointed. After the prayer for healing, when asked who felt the touch of the Lord, again the number of hands in the air was staggering. People came forward to testify of God's grace. One woman, whom we had seen wildly flailing about in the crowd the night before, told how God had just delivered her from demonic possession. She claimed to have been set upon by witchcraft 3 months before and had not eaten since that time. Tonight Jesus set her free! Play the video below to see the before and after view of her deliverance.

In the middle of the testimonies, a man came forward with a cell phone having just spoken to the hospital where his newborn son had been for the first 4 months of his life. The baby had never cried in all that time and the doctors were baffled. During the healing prayer the father called the hospital and they held the cell phone to the baby's ear as Dr. Pete prayed for the sick. Immediately the baby began to cry! It was incredible!

At that point, Brother Timothy, Dr. Pete's interpreter told that a person in his church in Rajamundry, the sight of our first crusade, was healed of cancer the same way during our visit there. It is not unlike those friend who carried their friend to Jesus and lowered him through the roof to get his healing. Simple acts of faith that connect the healer to those that need healing... it is truly amazing! And on a practical, cell phones are cheaper than cutting a hole in the roof.

Many others were healed; deaf ears, blind eyes, pain, weakness, paralysis... God is so good.

Tomorrow is our last day in Warangal. Our pastors have each been invited to go preach at different area churches in the morning and we will finish our crusade tomorrow night.

Please be patient with the web updates, as is often the case we have difficulties connecting here in the remoter areas of India. Keep praying and God Bless you.