Last week was busy with the first of the evangelistic campaigns.  This one was a healing campaign by a group from Sweeden.  It was advertised as a “Festival of Miracles and Healings.”  Not being very used to this sort of thing, Jennifer and I both have mixed feelings about it:  on the one hand many people attended and heard the gospel, many people testified to being healed and delivered, and many people indicated they were accepting Jesus for the first time.  But on the other hand, there were also many people who did not.  Jen and I watched from the back as people arrived full of hope and expectation and left very much disappointed.  We struggled to hear the message as the crowd around us chatted away, sometimes mocking the proceedings, clearly only interested to see if anyone would be healed.  The healings themselves were also difficult to see, and, from the perspective of an unbeliever, not very convincing.  We believe they were genuine.  We know the team to be wonderful Christians and got to interact with them on a personal level.  We believe many people did in fact receive Christ.  But it was rather difficult to understand why God chose to heal some and not others; why God allowed so much room for doubt and unbelief; and why there seemed to be an equal amount of sorrow as there was joy.  At the end of the day I am resigned to trust that God’s ways are higher than mine, His wisdom much greater than my own. 

     Still, despite some confusion, there is one personal story I am excited to share.  It’s the story of Calissa.  Since I had had the opportunity to share the gospel with Calissa, I decided I would invite him to go with me on the first night of the crusade.  I did not tell him it was a “healing festival.”  I just decided to let him experience it without any preconceived ideas and see what would happen.  Interestingly enough, Calissa stayed through the end of the gospel presentation and then received a phone call from his boss.  We noticed as he talked on the phone that he was clearly disturbed by something, but we did not know what.  He ended up having to leave even before any prayers had been offered for the sick. 

     A couple days later, he asked me if I would be willing to take his father to the campaign.  I was rather surprised by this but happy to comply.  I asked him what he had thought of it, and he told me we would have to sit down and talk later.  So the following night I helped him take his father.  His family is Landouma, but they live in Correrah (the Jahango village), and his father has severe back problems, so that he can’t walk around very easily.  That night the event went well.  Large crowds were in attendance.  The church noticeably improved their organization, having faced lots of chaos the first night.  The presentations and prayers were very simple and effective—actually I loved the humility of it all.  Each night after giving a gospel message the speaker would pray a large group prayer, inviting people to pray themselves in Jesus’ name to be healed.  Without any other drama or flare, he would then instruct them to check their bodies right where they were to see if God had done any miracles—Many people testified to being healed, and I had the opportunity afterwards to pray for several others still seeking healing and deliverance from evil spirits.

     After the program ended, I drove Calissa and his father home.  Calissa does not live with his father, so he and I found ourselves together in the car with some time to talk.  Right away he told me that if the people at the stadium had truly accepted Jesus they would be healed.  I asked him if he believed the things about Jesus were true.  He said, “yes.”  I asked him if he had prayed and accepted Jesus into his heart.  He told me that he had already done it the first night.  He then went on to share that the past few years he has struggled with stomach problems.  They grip his belly for a few hours every afternoon, leaving him weak and unable to work.  He shared that the night of the campaign, when he accepted Jesus the pain had gone away, and he hadn’t felt it again since.  That was why he was so eager to bring his dad. Calissa wanted to see if he would get healed too.  As far as I know he was not, but he did ask if he could go the following night.

     As we were leaving Correrah, Calissa also asked me to stop the car to say hi to his boss.  His boss’ daughter has eye problems.  They invited me into the house and asked that I would pray for her to be healed.  I took a few minutes to share with them about Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God, died on the cross for our sins, and is the only one who can give true healing.  I told them that to truly find freedom they had to accept Him and follow Him.  I also explained that they should get rid of any witchcraft they had in the house.  Immediately the father reached behind the door and brought out a bag full and tossed them out the door.  We then prayed for the girl and left.

     Overall, I think the lasting impact of the campaign is that it has opened the doors to share about Jesus.  People here love to see supernatural powers and “miracles,” and there is indeed a lot of power amongst the Marabou and Shamans.  But now they have been exposed to the fact that Jesus also has power, and they are being confronted with the fact that He is the only one with power to forgive sins and give eternal life.  The Jahango also have heard the news and are asking questions.  Many of them went to the campaigns and heard the presentations, and the Sweedish team took time today to meet with and pray for various individuals from the village.  We don’t know what the people are thinking, but we know God is stirring things up and continuing His work amongst them.  We continue to hope and pray God will do big things.  And we continue to feel blessed that we are able to play a small part in it.  Praise the Lord!

     Lord please use the events of this past week to draw people into your mercy and grace.  Please reveal yourself to them and convince them of your truth.  Please protect those who did not receive healing from hard hearts and bitterness.  Please continue to bring healing and miracles as a testimony of your power and love.  Thank you, Lord!  Amen