George and Jo's Revival Update: Dont Go There

The next 5 posts are all from the same two day outreach 1 of 5

The mountain village of our first outreach

Don’t Go To There - You Are Too White

22^nd March 2013

This week’s outreach had to be revised since the car air conditioning repair took two days longer than planned. So perhaps providentially we reverted to an outreach two hours away instead of the usual seven hours drive. We were again warned “Don’t go there, that is a trouble spot and you are too white”.

On the way we dropped by our friends at the Muslim community and received the usual enthusiastic welcome. People often talk of Muslims as if they were all heartless Jihad bent on terrorism. Though sadly true for a small element, I can personally assure you that is a distorted misinformed view for the majority of Muslims. Generally, they are warm, friendly, loving. I delight to be around them. For many they are simply born into a Muslim family and culture. They certainly do not all believe that Islam is the truth, but that is their culture. However, their observation that Christianity seems mostly divided and hypocritical and why should they leave their culture for that when it's a difficult argument to deny. To convert to a powerless, fruitless style of Christianity would leave them very isolated to leave their own kin for what? They are quite shocked when someone shows up and preaches the gospel with power and signs & wonders following. They are very attracted to that.

This trip we are only a small team of five and soon, we were at the place appointed. It was here just a few years back that Muslim rebels took three villages hostage. We actually visited one family that during that uprising the rebels had come to kill him in his home as he was a Christian and wielded some political power there. But, as the rebels approached they observed the man’s house swarming with unusually large soldiers. Fearing an overwhelming defeat they backed off and within days government troops had restored order to the area and released all the hostages. It was then that it was discovered that there had actually been only one soldier in the vicinity and he was nowhere to be found during the impending assault? To this day, the Muslims maintain that they were outnumbered and the community are convinced that angels were on visible standby.

Miracles up another mountain

Not even half way up and the steepness is taking its toll - For some :)

Meeting with a local Assemblies of God Pastor he directed us to a mountain tribe as our first outreach and offered to go with us. The venue was only around twenty minutes into the forest from his own home? We scrambled up a steep mud hillside and were soon breathless at the top. Some more than others – isn’t that right Jo?

We walked among the banana leaf huts along the length of the narrow plateau. The villagers were clearly surprised to see us but readily rose up from whatever activity they were doing and followed us to a small covered meeting place at the end of the track that meandered close to the cliff edge through their community.

Some of the villagers heading to the meeting place - A young Muslim lady joined us

A section of the small crowd raising their hands to receive Christ - Muslim included

Straight way, Jemima gathered to the children off to the side and told them about Jesus directly. Meanwhile, Jun & Vennie took turns preaching to the twenty plus who had gathered to see why we were here. Jo & I deliberately do not speak at every venue as we want it to be clear that what the team bring is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ not the gospel of the white westerners. Besides the guys do an excellent job of painting a clear picture of Christ and Him crucified and what is required if they want to be forgiven of God and spend eternity in heaven.

As we have come to expect, ninety percent of those present will respond to the invitation to be saved. As usual, we boldly proclaim, now God will confirm His word is true and he will heal your sicknesses.

Praying with the deaf & blind man who I didn't
know he was deaf till he said he could hear

Jo & I join as almost everyone has joined the prayer line for healing. The first man in my line, they tell me is blind. Actually, I had seen him be led in by two small boys, stumbling on the rough track as he came. I prayed with this man several times. What was quite humorous is that after I prayed the first time he said something in his native dialect. Those present that understood him began to rejoice and talk excitedly among themselves and converse with him. I was surprised at their joy as it did not seem to me like his eyes had been opened yet? Then they explained “he can hear, he can hear”. Amazing, as I didn’t know he was deaf and had commanded his eyesight to open, I had never mentioned his ears. We prayed again, and straight away he pointed to the man in front of him and said you are wearing a white T-shirt! Then the man with the white T-shirt began to wave his hand in front of the blind man’s face and asked “how many fingers am I holding up”? The man responded with the exact same action of waving his hand!

Note the man in the yellow t-shirt leading the way home
This man was guided in blind by 2 boys and walked out on his own

Headache, dizziness, chronic back pain - All disappeared during prayer

Child's fever broke and left within minutes of rebuking it

Several back injuries, breathing difficulties, migraines were all healed in Jesus name. Even the AOG pastor that had led us up the hill requested prayer for a three week long painful knee condition he was enduring “instantly healed in Jesus name”. His mercy never ceases to amaze us. Jo and Vennie prayed with a young boy with large open sores on his legs. Within minutes they were dried up and no longer weeping and it looked like healing was well on the way.

Open weeping sores dried up and began to heal within minutes

This woman wanted prayer for her child but didn't believe in the power of the Holy Spirit?
Jo & Vennie prayed and the woman began to tremble and weep - the child was instantly healed

This man works the mountain farm - Pain throughout body
especially the back - Jesus instantly removed all pain

The last person I prayed with was wife of the blind man that experienced a healing, she couldn’t move her neck. It was quite comical watching her move her head and twisting her neck into near impossible positions shouting with surprise “I’m healed, I’m healed”. We spent a short while longer with our new mountain top friends then headed down the hill to preach at our next venue. The pastor agreed to follow up this peaceful tribe.