Panzi DRC Gospel Meetings
6th to 10th July
Isaiah 9:2b Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.
While looking at some of the video footage from the Gospel outreach, it was amazing to see how the Spirit of God had touched the hearts of so many people – their faces were full of emotion, whilst tears flowed and rolled down their cheeks. Truly, upon Panzi a light has shined.
Main Open Air Meetings The Lord graced us with five days of good weather. While Funu had rain every day, Panzi had good weather. Rain would have made it almost impossible to get to the field along the very narrow and busy road to Panzi. The crowd stayed roughly the same each day except on Sunday, when the attendance increased greatly. I preached a clear Gospel message and the response was powerful. Many were deeply touched by God’s Spirit and bowed their heads and called on the name of Jesus from the bottom of their hearts.
On Saturday, I preached on the heart of the Father and the wayward son. There was a real connection with the people, as thousands responded by running back to the Father and turning from careless lifestyles. During the prayer for the sick, many trustingly called upon the name of the Lord, and He showed abundant mercy to them, and delivered them in the day of their trouble. The whole team went among a group of very sick people and laid hands upon them and prayed for them. Everyone was moved with compassion as we saw the desperate needs that surrounded us. The Lord healed many of the sick and testimonies began to flood in. One particular woman comes to mind – she had been paralysed on one side and suffered great pain, but now she testified that she could walk without any pain whatsoever.
Leadership Seminar Rodney Lloyd was inspired and used by the Lord to impart so much to the leaders. Together, Rodney and I ministered for six hours to open and receptive people. I truly believe that God is raising up His church in Bukavu. All the seminars were recorded by the local radio station, and will be broadcast again over and over. Several leaders asked us how we knew and understood the situation in Bukavu, as we were able to address the very points of issue that were causing problems. We explained that we did not know, but that Almighty God knew and cared for them so that these issues were resolved. I have great expectations that there will be lasting results from this work based on one good reason – there was a real spiritual hunger, which seemed to be almost at starvation point!
Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
Joshua On The Team It was such a help having Josh on the team. He has now completed his high school in England, and feels that God has called him to the mission field. He is currently doing the International School Of Ministry (ISOM) correspondence Bible school, and next year we plan to send him to UK to do an excellent short course called School of Christ. Josh took over the video shooting, production and photography on this outreach.
Technical Team Muraguri Benson and Alex worked very hard making sure that everything went according to plan. In one video meeting, our generator coughed and died! We later discovered that water had spilled and entered the diesel tank through a small service hatch. What a job to pump out almost 900 litres of diesel and then separate it from the water, and what a great team we have who could sort it all out! Thank you team. We were soon up and running and not a single main meeting was interrupted.
A Fountain Of Healing A young boy on drugs who wanted nothing to do with God or the church ‘happened’ to be on the field, and during the prayer time for the sick, God touched him instantly healing him of terrible back pain. The goodness and mercy of God led to instant repentance! Now that he is forgiven, he wants to follow Jesus. He was completely healed, physically and spiritually.
Knee problems are a major cause of difficulty in Bukavu, since people have to walk everywhere up steep hills and carry heavy loads to the market. A lady was overjoyed and jumped for joy as the Lord touched her knees restoring strength and taking away pain.
The Mashie tribe has a history of many suffering with diabetes. A dear man came and told us that he had been healed of his diabetes. We advised him to go to his doctor and have his condition medically checked. He returned later with his doctor’s report showing that his blood sugar was now normal. Jesus heals impossible cases.
Teams Preach In Churches All Over Panzi Rodney and Nita Lloyd together with Jim and Sue Christie were able to build up, strengthen and encourage many as they ministered all over Bukavu, including visiting two local hospitals. The needs are overwhelming, and the situation is desperate. It is impossible to help all those who are in such dire need, but we were able to assist some. We will remain in close contact with our friend Dr Sosthene and give him as much help as we can.
Nightly Follow-Up Programs Continue Many people tune in and listen to these discipleship classes taught by Charlene Harris from the local radio station, even from as far away as Goma, which lies across Lake Kivu from Panzi, some forty to fifty miles away.
