A Really Small Church

June 2008

I have recently returned from another trip into Central Africa. Over all I have to say that it was amazing. I finally reconnected with our original call to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom to the Pygmies.
For a little over a week Edouard and I lived in the villages of North Congo, preaching the gospel and seeing incredible miracles. We flew into Ouesso and then walked to a nearby village of the Mikya, a tribe of Pygmies living in the area. In a just a few days we saw an entire small village of Pygmies give their lives to Jesus. Not only were they all born again but they were all healed as well. One of the leaders in the village was especially amazed at what was happening and took it upon himself to help us. He (Deni), would bring the people up to us and was astounded when they were healed. One young girl had been deaf since birth in one ear and the Lord restored it completely. Others were suffering from various pains and diseases, from malaria to extreme pains in their stomachs and backs. Jesus was so real.

After Deni was born again I began to immediately teach him how to pray for the sick. He was helping me and before too long Deni, Edouard and I were all healing the sick. Instant disciple! He had only been born again for a few minutes but many people were getting healed under is hands. People were saying to each other "could they build a church here?" "When will they be back?" Before long we had a group that was asking for a church and a person (Deni) we could leave in charge until we came back.

The next day we were escorted by Deni to a neighboring pygmy village and Deni was excited to help again. Again we preached the Gospel and many were healed. The entire village didn't turn out this time but out of those that did, many were healed and all bowed the knee to Jesus. It was amazing to see the deaf hear and many chronic pains disappear. One man in particular had a sickness I had never seen with my own eyes. He literally looked as if he had a coral reef growing out of his feet. It was completely demonic and debilitating. We prayed but we did not see any instant results. Hopefully I will be able to bring back a good testimony on our next trip.

After leaving the Mikya village we headed further south and deeper into the jungle to a village called Attention. In French the name means "be careful, pay attention!" We should have done just that. We were told by a pastor in Ouesso that there was a church in Attention that ministered to pygmies. He told us he had planted it years before. Our reason for going was to meet the people there and then go even deeper in to the jungle to a tribe who had never heard the Gospel.

On our way to Attention we passed another pygmy village on the road where there was supposedly a church. I say supposedly because when we got there we found a building obviously built by missionaries but it was not used as a church. It was used to shelter animals. The people there were still following their old ways. Unfortunately some people have the idea that building a structure is planting a church and the two are not the same. No one had been here in years and there was no sign of a Gospel witness. Only an empty shell of a building. My heart sunk for this people that are not only neglected by their neighbors but also neglected by the church. My desire to come back soon only intensified.

We were not able to stay for an extended time in this particular village so we kept going towards Attention. When we arrived in Attention we soon realized that the situation there was no different. The pastor (who was a Bantu and not a Pygmy) that was left in charge of the church planted by the pastor from Ouesso, was ALONE. His church had died and no one had been there to help in over 12 years. Unfortunately the person that had planted the church abandoned it soon after starting it nearly 13 years prior. We decided to stay in Attention and minister. They graciously opened up a mud hut for us to stay in. We had brought a tent but turning down this home would have been an insult.

Because we were deep in the Jungle and most people were in the forest hunting or working their secluded and small crops, we began the services late at night and preached by candle light. There had not been a service there in years. But it was awesome. Many people gave their lives to Jesus and many were healed including the deaf. The only man we found in the village that was a christian was the pastor and his family. After ministering for a few days the pastor's hope returned. He told us later "We can start having church again. The people are coming alive." They were sorry to see us go. There was no promise that we could return soon, but we told him he had to be strong and continue to seek God. I hope one day soon to return but I could not make him promises that i wasn't sure I could keep. He had been promised help in the past and it never came.
Edouard and the local Pastor in Attention

We headed back towards Ouesso. It was the rainy season and the roads were flooded. As we came within an hour of Ouesso we stopped to see the Mikya. We had to rush through to make our flight out of the jungle so we did not have time to really chat. If you miss a flight in Congo you are stuck for days until the next plane comes through.

I was sorry to be leaving this area but God had done so much in such a short time. As our plane was taking off, all I could think about was coming back. This was where the ministry truly is, among the poor, the outcast, the neglected. These people are small in size but their hunger for the Gospel is huge. Many of the websites you look at will tell you that many of the pygmy people have been reached by the Gospel. Unfortunately this is not true. Catholics have built school buildings in a some villages that are rarely used but the Gospel is still not preached. I continue to be amazed at the lack of Gospel preached in this area of the world. These people are ready and waiting for someone to come and tell them the truth. To introduce them to the King and His Kingdom.

Our flight back into Brazzaville was good and only lasted about an hour and a half. For the next two days I was to be teaching Edouard's people in Talangai. I stayed in Edouard's home as much as i could instead of a hotel so that I could spend as much time with him as possible and minister to his leaders.

One of the strangest things happened to me on this trip while i was preaching, the Lord physically shut my eyes so that I could not open them and then proceeded to take over my thoughts. It was a bit scary and exactly what I have been looking for for years. Before the services began He would only give me a scripture to read and then when it was time to preach, as I walked to the front the anointing and presence of God would come on me very strong, my eyes would shut and I physically could not open them. I looked "bizarre", as the Congolese coined it for me (bizarre is also a french word). Then I would begin teaching things that I was amazed at. I quoted statistics, dates, periods of time and facts that I honestly don't know. After a period of time my eyes would open but even then I had no control over them. I was staring at the ceiling for another 10-20 minutes. When I was done the people were extremely excited by what I just taught and preached and to be frank, so was I. This happened for two nights and when I finished the power of God would fall on the people and many were touched by the power of God.
I was a little worried about some of the things I quoted during preaching, hoping that what I just experienced was genuinely God. It was. I checked dates, facts, and years and they were all right on the money. God knew exactly what He was talking about. That really is my desire. For God to put me on like a glove and use me for His glory.

The flight home was rough. All I could think about was getting back into the bush with the pygmy peoples. The next step for us is moving back into Congo and I am REALLY looking forward to it and so is my family.
God has called us to give our lives for these people. What an honor. We can't turn Him down.

Yesu azali Makonzi. Bokonzi ya Likolo ezali Awa!!!!!
(Our message: Jesus is King. The Kingdom of Heaven is here. Matthew 10:7-8)

Slight Change of Plans

and a few miracle stories

Update: My trip planned for March 9th has been postponed for a few weeks. I was trying my best to make it to Congo on the same date as our last trip but unfortunately that is not going to happen. The church in Congo has made March 10th their official birthday because of what took place when we were their a year ago.

The date for the trip has not been finalized, as we are still in the process of changing the ticket but I assure you it will be soon. For those of you who have given to this trip, don't fret. A delay in no way means a cancel. Wild horses, a locomotive, nor a two ton Ford truck could pull me away from this trip. Please be patient while I finalize all the details. I will get back with you soon with all the details.

If there are any of you that wanted to give but didn't have the time, there is still a chance. Congo Support. I really do appreciate all of you that have given towards this trip, whether it be in financial support or prayer.

In the mean time I have some awesome stories for you reading pleasure.

This past weekend a group of us from NorthGate Church were in Oklahoma City at Harvest Fest. You have got to see the conference website. click here for the website.
Imagine that, my picture on a poster for a conference. That is 'stinkin hilarious'. We have done training like this before here in Georgia in places like Atlanta, Jonesboro, Milledgeville, and Newnan and once in Lake Charles, Louisiana. All with incredible results.

If you don't already know, for years here in Atlanta we have been preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom with some incredible results. We are literally seeing the deaf hear, the blind see, the lame walk, cancers disappear, and even a two or three people raised from the dead. And no, I am not exaggerating. The key to it all has been training up everyone to go out and do what it says in Matthew 10:7-8 "Go, preach The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons, and raise the dead. Freely you have received, freely give."

It is because of this that we were invited to this conference in Oklahoma City. Ryan Lawson, Dolly Drysdale (a mother of nine who has been running with this for a while), and I flew out on Thursday and a team of four teenagers, and two mommies and a grandma, decided to drive and arrived in Oklahoma the next day.

I won't bore you with all the details of who preached when, so I'll just jump straight to the good stuff. From Friday night on the people in OKC got to see teenagers, house mommies, grandmas, and normal business men cast out devils, heal the sick, and get very detailed and accurate words of knowledge during the meetings. By Saturday afternoon they were primed and ready to step out and do all of this for themselves in their local neighborhoods. Leading up to Saturday we had already preached several messages, and trained people in power and prophetic evangelism and now we were ready to send them out.

Teams led by a few of our folks and a few from Brian's group went into some of the worst neighborhoods in OKC. 70 plus people were sent out. They came back with some incredible testimonies. Teams came back with stories of cripples being healed, multiple salvation's, and incredible prophetic words. One older lady even gave her cane to one of the teams after prayer because she no longer needed it. A few teams, like mine unfortunately, couldn't find any sick people. But that didn't stop us. The prophetic began to flow and when God reveals a mans heart to you and you begin telling them the secrets of that heart, they break and it is easy to have them on their knees giving their lives to Jesus.

The people that attended the conference were truly pumped and couldn't wait to go out again. Four churches got together for this conference. That in itself is no small thing. They are meeting together this week to discuss how to keep this move of God going. The hunger of the people in Oklahoma to actually go out and "do the stuff" is amazing and we were so honored to be there to help.

By the time we left on Monday our teams had seen deaf ears opened, blind eyes seeing, bad backs healed, demons were cast out, and multiple diseases including a 28 year battle with a brain disease all healed by the power of Jesus. And we still haven't heard in detail all the testimonies that came out of that weekend.

Jesus is KING!!!!!!

In Woodstock

I have to share one more story. Yesterday, March 6th, I had stopped at a local park after work to walk and pray for a few minutes. I noticed a young couple standing a few yards from me and asked the Lord for a word for them. He showed me that the young man seems to always be were the action is. Right in the middle of things. If there was a big event, for some reason he was there. This really didn't sound like an impressive word to me but I stepped out. I started off by telling them Jesus was King and that is Kingdom was on the Earth. I then began to share the word I had for him. He and his wife's eyes got big and their answer was "You have no idea!" They began to list off events that they had witnessed and I was amazed how accurate the word was.

I then looked at the young man and said "You have a problem with your left ear, don't you?" "Yes, I'm partially deaf in that ear." His wife confirmed that he has to turn to the right to hear her and he is always saying "WHAT?" I asked to pray for him and wile I had my hand on his ear, it popped and he was instantly healed. His wife checked him out and was amazed. I loved her response "well you can't use that as an excuse for not listening to me any more."

I began talking to them about the Kingdom and by this time they were all ears. The wife noted some anger she had towards the Lord but didn't tell me exactly why. Her eyes got even bigger when i told her the details of why she was angry and explained to her that premature deaf was the devil's fault not God's. Before long i was praying with them. I got their address and hopefully will see them again very soon. The Kingdom was established in another household. JESUS YOU ARE AWESOME!!!!!

First off I would like to thank all of you that have given towards the trip coming up in March. Thank you so much for your financial support. We are not quite there yet so please continue praying for us. If you haven't given and would like to, there is a link at the end of this email.

To those of you who have been praying for us, thanks and please keep it up! I am not saying this in desperation but in sincere gratitude. I have had multiple calls and conversations with some of you that have had words of encouragement from the Lord, visions, and a few confirmations that have really helped solidify what we have been feeling like the Lord has been saying. It has been awesome. I really appreciate you taking the time to lift us up and it has been interesting to hear what the Lord has been speaking through you.

I have felt for a few weeks now that I should send out another email giving you a brief description of my mission this trip. This trip is very pivotal for Edouard's churches in the Congo. Yes, I did say "Churches". Since our last trip another smaller church has emerged in a distant village that could easily take off. It is under Edouard's leadership and was started by someone trained in Edouard's church. So far it is the first official church plant, but as of right now it resembles more of a small cell group, but if they continue with Edouard they will undoubtedly grow quickly.

I have a little understanding of how Paul must have felt after he left a church in a far away region. Many of his churches experienced persecution and needed someone to visit them and encourage them in their journey. The church in Congo feels the same way. I have heard on multiple occasions from Edouard, "It is good that you are coming. My people need to know that we are not alone. It is easier to fight wen you are not alone."

Not only am I going to encourage them to fight the good fight but also to impart some of the knowledge that we have learned in Atlanta. Things like our position in Christ, the true power of the Gospel, intimacy with God, and impart to them more spiritual gifts. Most of this comes not by teaching only but literally showing them. Jesus did his training on the go and it is definitely the most effective way.

Just this past weekend our church held a conference where 120 people were trained to go out and pray for the sick and preach the Gospel. They were not just told what to say or how to say it, they were shown, and it produced incredible results. Jesus modeled it. He didn't just talk about it. That was how His disciples learned.

So please pray for me. Pray for Edouard. And please pray for the church in Congo. We are also planning more trips in the future so keep us all lifted up. This is an incredible journey. Jesus is truly KING!!!

Congo Support

Back into "The Heart of Darkness"

Act 1:8 "but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." This has been our commission from the beginning of this new age. For centuries Christians have been looking to this verse as a compass for their life and purpose. It has been a driving verse to me and I can honestly say we are following the call.
Starting in Jerusalem (Woodstock for us), Judea (the metro Atlanta area), Samaria (Jonesboro), and even to the remotest part of the earth (The Republic of Congo). There has been great fruit and power. In Woodstock people continue to get healed, saved, and delivered. Our out reach in Jonesboro has been a blast. The instant healings, salvations and disciples we have made make it well worth the hour trip. Now it is time to continue with the "remotest parts of the earth."
We haven't been back since our trip last March. Things needed to settle down a bit. Our coming at one point could have stirred everything back up again. But now its time to return. I will be leaving the second week in March to go right back into the "Heart of Darkness."
Mat 4:16 "THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SITTING IN DARKNESS SAW A GREAT LIGHT, AND THOSE WHO WERE SITTING IN THE LAND AND SHADOW OF DEATH, UPON THEM A LIGHT DAWNED." This scripture is a perfect scripture for this area. Since we left from our first trip the light has dawned in Brazzaville and Edouard has been an incredible steward of the fire Jesus has given him.
I want to ask you to please pray for my trip and please consider giving towards the costs. Trips into the Congo aren't cheap. This trip will cost a little over $5,000. It really is some of the remotest parts of the world. Where there is darkness the light is that much brighter. Many of you have given in the past and I really do appreciate your support and thank you for sowing into such fertile soil. All the money is sent through our home church. To give double click on this link Congo Support. Make sure to write David Congo Trip in the notes line

Whenever I call Edouard he is over joyed to talk and wants to hear the stories of what is happening here in Atlanta. The stories push him forward and change a lot of the mindsets that have been preached to African cultures for years. I told him stories about my kids and other kids preaching the gospel with signs and wonders and he got excited. Not too long after that while praying for a sick woman in her home, Edouard saw a young neighborhood boy peeking through the window. The young boy was amazed at the healing power of God and began to ask Edouard all kinds of questions. The boy lives in a district far from the church but his parents send him 3 times a week in a bus (overcrowded van) to the church to be discipled. This takes incredible commitment of his families part because that is money they could be using for food. He is now considered one of the leaders in the church and moves incredibly in healings and prophecy. He is only 10 years old.
Edouard is hungry for God and his goal is to see the Kingdom come to Congo. Edouard and his disciples consider our trip in March of 2007 to be the birthday of his church. They have preached the Gospel unwavering in the persecution, imprisonment, and assassination attempts. But they are asking for more. "Come help us! We need more and we know you can impart it to us." I am truly humbled that Edouard looks to us for help. He is such a Godly man. But it is impossible to deny the fruit that has been born from these trips. I know there are many more to come and I look forward to going every time.

More stories and updates to come. Please keep lifting up Edouard in your prayers.

Mission in the Congo: Updates on Edouard and Upcoming Trips

Persecution
or

Superman wears Edouard NGoteni Pajamas

As many of you know from reading previous posts that our friend Edouard has been under tremendous persecution in The Republic of Congo. He has wholly given his life to preaching the Gospel and he has paid a tremendous price for it. Since the team left in March 2007, he has lost his wife back to her family who is deeply engrossed in witchcraft, been imprisoned and had multiple attempts on his life. I think it is necessary to tell more of his current story.

The day that we left Congo was also the same day that we buried John Wesley. It was a defeat that greatly affects us to this day. Personally it has driven me back to our original objective to see the Kingdom of Heaven established in this war torn area of the world. Edouard's persistence has truly paid off. Everyday someone has been added to the church in Congo. Everyday there is a healing or a miracle that just adds more fuel to the fire. Edouard's church leaders really heard what we were there to teach; that everyone is called to preach the Gospel and are we are to take this message of the Kingdom into everyday life. One of his leaders in particular has taken his calling seriously and is now considered a prophet among his peers. His name is Emme (not sure of the spelling). He is the worship leader in the church and is also one of Edouard's closest friends. They are not friends because they grew up together or even because they like the same kinds of movies. They don't have that luxury. They are the closest of friends because they preach the Gospel together and Emme has stood by his pastor and friend even when it could have cost him his own life.

Right after we left, Edouard's wife became bitter that John Wesley did not get raised from the dead and she focused all of that bitterness and anger on her husband. She was sequestered by her family and they rallied to have Edouard thrown in prison. They accused him of sacrificing his first born son to the devil and then selling his body parts to the white men. A ridiculous accusation that led to Edouard's arrest and imprisonment. Edouard was locked in a cell and chained hand and foot. Because of the favor of the Lord on Edouard's life, he was brought before the highest judge in all of Congo and was able to tell his story in it's entirety. He told him of his belief that Jesus raises the dead and that he prayed for his son to be raised from the dead. He then told the judge that the fact that even though his son did not get up, it does not change what the Bible says. Edouard testified that everyday people were getting healed and delivered and that Jesus was working miracles through them. The judges response was classic: "You believe that your God raises the dead? What kind of God is this?" Edouard then told him that even if the judge were to die that day he believes that God would raise him from the dead and that he would gladly pray for anyone who died and God would be faithful despite what happened to his own son. When the judge saw his unshakeable faith he exclaimed "You are a man of God. These charges are false! You can go now!"

When Edouard's wife saw that he was released, she was furious. Her father is the equivalent of a Senator and had used his political power to effect those charges against Edouard. They then hired a witchdoctor to kill Edouard. Those who have always lived in the sheltered environment of America, sometimes find it hard to believe that witchdoctors have any power. But let me assure you that this is nothing to scoff at. These guys are the real deal and mean business. After multiple attempts to kill Edouard the witchdoctors concluded that the power that Edouard has was superior to their own. This took things to a totally different level. Edouard's wife then rallied her family together to hire four assassins to kill Edouard physically. These four men did not understand the power of Jesus when they took the job.

The first attempt happened on a week day when they were sure Edouard would be at his newly rented church property. He was not there. The second time they tried to poison his food and the Lord told him not to eat it. The third attempt led to the assassins loosing one of their own to the enemy. The enemy here being the Lord Jesus. The assassins had assembled together and had decided to send one of their own as a scout to find Edouard and report back to the others after Edouard was found so they could all go and kill him. The scout found Edouard but after a few short minutes Edouard had led him to the Lord. The assassin is now a born again, spirit filled believer and is winning people to the Lord and healing the sick right along side Edouard.

When Edouard's wife heard that the assassin was born again she became very afraid because he was spreading the news to everyone that she had hired him to kill Edouard. She then hired four men from the local police precinct to gang up on the ex-assassin and kill him. She did not want him spreading her story around. The police, wearing only street clothes, found him and tried to over power him. What they did not know is that this man is the Congo wrestling champion and easily overpowered them and left them bleeding in the street. During the fight a general in the Congo army happened to walk by and see the ruckus. He pulled the man aside and asked him what was happening. He told him the whole story. The General responded "I do not know this pastor you are talking about but this woman will not get away with this." A search was started for Edouard's wife and forced her to withdraw the attempts on Edouard's life. The story doesn't end there, things get even wilder.

One afternoon the former assassin had a visit from an old friend, a witchdoctor that he had known for several years. The witchdoctor told him a story of a lady who had come to see him. She paid him to kill the former assassin. He ended with this: "I am not going to kill you. Here is half the money she gave me, go and buy yourself some juice." Edouard told me that that afternoon the former assassin came smiling into his house with a wad of cash in his hands telling the story of what had happened with the witchdoctor. JESUS IS KING!!!!!

Since then another witchdoctor has approached Edouard with pictures and personal items that Edouard's wife had given him as a point of contact to kill him. The witchdoctor said to Edouard "I can protect you if you are willing to pay me." "I don't need your protection. I have much better protection than you can give. I have God. Take your witchcraft and go." was his reply.
The truth of it is, Edouard is nothing short of a spiritual stud. He has never backed down and even facing the worst possible circumstances he has not wavered in his faith and love for his Lord Jesus.


The Return

The church in Congo is growing despite the continued persecution, or maybe I should say is growing because of the continued persecution. Church history has shown us that persecution has always helped to grow the church in strength and in number. That is exactly what is happening in Congo. Though they are growing they still need our help. The American church is known for its great teaching, its revelation of the Word. Though we have recently seen an increase in the number of those here who are stepping out in their authority to bring the Kingdom, in general most of the church doesn't act on the revelation that they have. The people of the Congo are not only hungry for that revelation, they are hungry to walk in the power of it. The Friday night that John died was proof of that. After teaching them about their authority to preach and heal the sick, many stepped out and did exactly what we told them that they could do. The result was hundreds experiencing Jesus in the streets. The following Sunday was again proof. After a short prophetic teaching and activation time, many of the congregation stepped out and upon receiving very accurate words of knowledge and prophesy for people in the streets, lead many to the Lord.

This is something that we have a responsibility to foster. I have been in regular communication with Edouard and his comments are always the same, "Please pray for us, and please come and help us to preach the Gospel more effectively." For years, with some of your help we have sent books, tapes, and made trips to this part of Central Africa. The books have been helpful. The tapes have been encouraging, but the one thing that has produced the most fruit is showing them first hand that with God all things are possible. This has been evident here as well. We have written stories, shared revelation but the one thing that has truly encouraged others to do what they are designed to do is taking them out and showing them that if you will obey the Lord, he will back you up with healings, miracles, signs and wonders.

This principal is the reason that Edouard is in ministry today and producing the fruit that he is. In 2002 my family and I moved to Congo as missionaries. It was during that time that Edouard and I traveled together preaching the Gospel. Edouard at that time was just my interpreter. He had been born into a Christian family but was frustrated at the church's present condition. Because of the miracles and power that he saw as my interpreter, he completely surrendered himself to the Lord, moving in the power of God and is now discipling others to do the same. I knew when Faith and I left Congo with our kids in 2003 that we would one day return to help finish what we started. It is no longer just our vision. God has since spoken to others in leadership in our home church. The Lord made it quite clear that it was not just my family that was called to Congo but our church body as well. Because of the events of our more recent trip and the fruit that Edouard is obviously producing, we are now supporting Edouard financially and by organizing trips to serve what he is doing in the Congo.

We are in the process of organizing another trip that should take place at the end of August or perhaps September. Because of the increased persecution I will not be taking a team with me. This will be a solo mission. My heart has never changed for the Congo and the timing is right.
Most trips cost between $3000 and $5000 dollars depending on season and how much time is spent traveling in the bush. After trip expenses there are also bills that need to be paid at home. All of this can add up quickly, and there are more trips we are planning in the near future. We thank God for the opportunity to go and serve what He is doing in Congo.

If you would like to sow into the work in Congo you can through our home church. All donations given through our home church are tax deductible and they will immediately issue you a tax receipt. You can give in either of two ways:


Online - With a credit/debit card here:
http://ngca.org/congo.htm
just be sure to write "David Congo trips" in the notes line


By Check - Made payable to:
Northgate Church of Atlanta
ATTN: David Congo Trip
PO BOX 2190 Woodstock, GA 30188


The Vision

Our vision now is to spend as much time serving Edouard as possible. This means starting with short term trips until longer trips can be planned. Two to three weeks is actually considered a short trip in Congo. Especially if you are leaving Brazzaville and going into the bush. Africa is a totally different animal. It takes twice as long to do anything, sometimes longer. I am speaking of natural things like buying tickets and getting your baggage straightened out (flights do not come in and out of the country everyday. If your baggage did not arrive with you, you could be without it for quite a while). These are a hungry people and they are good soil.

When we lived in Congo, Edouard was my disciple. He followed me and learned from me. He served me, taught me, and was a good friend. Now things have changed. Edouard has a heart that seeking God above all other things. At first I was the leader, now I truly want to return as the servant. I want to help him fulfill what God has called him to do and that is to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to Congo.

Long term goals that God has given Edouard for his church:

1. A place to call their own. Right now they are having to rent the space to hold their church services and because of the persecution they have been forced to moved from one place to another, uncertain of how long they will be able to be in one place. Land in Congo is expensive (around $40,000 for property and a shelter) but it is the only way to ensure that they will have a safe place to meet and teach those they are bringing to Christ. They also want to equip the facilities to bring in other pastors from surrounding villages who want to be trained. They can then be sent back to their villages full of the power of God. One brother named Christopher came while we were in Congo in March and is already starting house churches in Pointe-Noire.

2. Church planting in other villages. There is a village that is very pivotal for all the river travel in Congo. It is a village called Mosaka. It is situated on the Congo River and there is a huge mixture of people from every tribe that meet here for the fish and bush meat trade. From this village all the villages up and down the river could be evangelized. This is also a village that we will possibly be visiting on my next trip.

3. The Pygmies. This has been a passion of mine even before our first arrival in Congo. It is the reason I originally went. There are thousands of people living deep in the forest who have never heard the name of Jesus. Most call them pygmies. Though these days the term pygmy is considered a derogatory term meaning small stature (their average height is 4' 8"), it is still the most common name used to represent the numerous tribes of forest people living in the jungles of Congo. They are looked down upon by their own neighbors as sub-human and are often treated as animals.
On our trips into the jungle, Edouard and I had amazing miracles happen among these little people as entire villages would get healed and born again. Both Edouard's and my heart aches to get back to these people. This is a recent news story that will shed some light on their situation.
pygmy group segregated- click here. This article tries to explain it away but the truth is they are almost always viewed as sub-human.

4. Transportation. Because only the super rich have a vehicle in Congo, getting from point A to B can be quite an ordeal. A good source of transportation is needed to make ministry trips possible. There are quite a few pastors asking Edouard to help them and right now it is not possible because of travel limitation.

Please pray for Edouard and his church and also please pray for me and my family as we continue to make trips into the Congo. The Lord has started a great work and He will continue to provide.
Thank you so much for your prayers and support.
David Dixon

Flesh Eating Bacteria - Grady Hospital Atlanta

It was a Sunday afternoon and the forecast was threatening rain. We were completing an incredible weekend of evangelism training and impartation meetings with our hero, Surprise Sithole. This was our last chance to take teams into the streets and show them how to preach the Gospel, heal the sick, prophecy, and cast out demons. Soon this awesome weekend would come to a close. But what an awesome weekend it had been so far.


I was heading up a team that was sent to Grady Hospital in downtown Atlanta. Our mission was to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to Grady. My mission was to show how easy this can be when you just rely on Jesus and do what he told us to do (Matt. 10:7-8, look it up).


All the teams met together in the parking garage next to Grady and then split up to go to different parts of downtown. Some went to a nearby park others to "The world of Coke" and others to Underground Atlanta. We were staying put outside of Grady. I was excited. I had never been to Grady without seeing someone healed or born again. It was going to be a good day. As we left the parking garage reality was standing their proudly as if to deter us from our faith that things could change. The first person we saw was a lady obviously strung out on drugs who was trying to sleep wit her head propped up on a nearby newspaper machine. Wino's and drug addicts surrounded us for a few feet. The good thing about "reality" is that Jesus can make it bend to his will. "Reality" comes crashing down at the feet of Jesus and his true reality takes its place.

We had a brief chance to lay hands on the lady who was trying to sleep before she asked us politely to leave her alone and let her sleep. As we made our way across the Entrance grounds to Grady I commented to the three ladies that were with me that this was highly unusual for their to be so few people sitting out in the benches in front of Grady. This is usually where all the action was and to make it really bizarre, there was no one sitting out there with any obvious ailments. After a few minutes of walking and scanning the area I had a slight pressure in my sinuses and a slight impression of a head ache. There were two ladies sitting in a bench nearby and we made a b-line towards them.

"Excuse me ladies i have a weird question for you. I might be way off in left field with this but are either of you having problems with pressure in your sinuses that are causing problems with headaches." The lady to my right had a puzzled look on her face and exclaimed "Yeah, me!" "Well I just wanted to let you know that Jesus is King and his Kingdom is on this Earth. Can we pray for you? The pain will leave and not come back." "Sure but I am not feeling it right now it is something that comes and goes pretty frequently." We laid our hands on her and prayed for her that it would not return but then things got even better.

"We prayed for you about that, is there anything that that is pressing right now that needs prayer? We want to help bring the Kingdom of God to you."

"Since you asked we are here because our sister is upstairs in the ICU because she has a rare flesh eating bacteria and is in a medically induced coma to make sure she doesn't get any worse. You can pray for her." we couldn't get up into the unit so one of the ladies pulled out a handkerchief that she kept in her bible and we began to pray for her healing while laying hands on the handkerchief. (Acts 19) We then told the lady to go and lay that handkerchief on her sister and she would be healed.

For most that would have signaled the end of the ministry time with these two ladies but the Lord began giving us words of knowledge. Their hearts began to race and tears filled their eyes as we began to reveal their hearts and talk about a conversation they had just had a few hours previous. I can not express the joy that two ladies had when we finished telling them what God was showing us. "We were just talking about that not an hour ago and I said those exact words. This must be God." It is amazing to me how encouraged people get when God shows you details especially about their giftings and callings. Most just want to know why they are here and to know that they have a purpose.


As we were about to walk away one of the ladies from my group had an idea to give them the church's address so they could tell us any news about the sister who had the flesh eating bacteria. I quickly asked one of the ladies we were praying for, for her number and text her the church's website address. When we left they hugged us with tears in their eyes and thanked us for the words. Both of them had previously given their heart to the Lord but this was what they needed to get back on track and they were amazed at what God had just done.

We went about trying to find someone else to pray for around Grady but as i said before it was an unusually slow day for the outside of Hospital. Our group passed back by the ladies about 30 minutes later and they were still in shock. Amazed and still crying they thanked us again and waved to us as we walked off heading back to the parking garage.

We were all encouraged but we had not seen anything dramatically healed on the spot. That night when we met back at the church to tell the stories we sat and listened to the other teams tell amazing stories of healings. Blind eyes, visible swelling, all kinds of things had been healed that afternoon but we didn't have a story to tell. The words of knowledge were incredible and these ladies were encouraged but there was nothing along the same lines that everyone else was sharing. This is unusual for me. I am accustomed to being up there telling the stories with everyone else. We had a good day and the team that was with me was really excited. Most of them had never done anything like this before and this was just what they needed to help them step out and do what God had told us all to do in normal, everyday life.



The Report

The following Wednesday afternoon my wife was busy with the kids and wouldn't be home till late so I headed out with a friend into a neighborhood where he had been going every week to preach the Gospel. When we loaded into the car he told me about a strange email he had received on the church website asking about our outreaches. He sent a quick email back explaining our vision and what we do. The reply he got back was amazing.

The email explained that a group from our church had prayed for a prayer clothe at Grady Hospital and told her to lay it on her sister who was in the ICU with a flesh eating bacteria. She went on to explain that she worked for the CDC and that the bacteria was unusually rare and was definitely life threatening. She laid the handkerchief on her sister and within an hour all of the flesh eating bacteria was gone. JESUS!

This is what happens when we obey. The sick are healed, the blind see, the dead are raised, and the Gospel is preached to the poor. Jesus truly is King and his desire is for His will to be done on Earth as it is in Heaven (Matt 6:10).

Congo: Heaven and Hell Collide part V

Is this really happening?

That night was very difficult for all of us. We decided to stay up all night and pray. Edouard had told us that they would try to get the body out by the next morning, which was Saturday. We knew what was ahead of us and we prayed all night. Oh boy, did we pray. We all gathered in one room in the Hotel crying out for the mercy and grace of God to raise the dead. The effects of being in a situation like this, makes it is impossible to accurately explain the emotion involved. It was intense.

The thoughts that ran through my head only solidified my resolve. "It is the Gospel that I brought that caused the attack that killed this baby." Only hours before, we were standing in a crowd of hundreds on people seeing the sick healed and people on their knees giving their hearts and lives to the Lord Jesus. Not only were we preaching the Gospel, we had trained others to preach and heal the sick as well. It is one thing to have a missionary team come through and preach, it is a totally different situation for that team to raise up others from that area that will preach the Gospel everywhere they go after the missionaries are long gone. This is why Hell took action. Luke 10 is the only place in scripture where Satan falls like lightning from heaven and it happened right after Jesus sends seventy people to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom.

We knew there would be a fight but we did not know it would hit so close to home.

The next morning Edouard arrived early at the Hotel. The plan was for Edouard to go to the Hospital and retrieve all the necessary paperwork to have John Wesley delivered to his house for a "funeral service." We took up a quick offering and presented Edouard with about $600 to cover all the expenses. As Edouard left it was evident that his resolve had not changed. "We serve a God that raises the dead. We will give him back to his mother."

I had to fight back the tears. Tears not from the sorrow of loosing John Wesley, but the amazing realization that my friend, my good friend, whom I brought the Gospel too, was not wavering in his faith to hold his first born son again. Because his God raises the dead.

As the day went on we continued to pray. That evening we had a meeting scheduled. Not sure of what was going to transpire we prepared for anything. Edouard had made it clear to his family and to his in-laws that no one was allowed to mourn in his house. The house of God was for worship and praise, not mourning. His brother opened his home to allow the family to mourn there. This was not a popular decision among his family and Edouard was already receiving a lot of flack for taking this stance.

Later in the afternoon, word came from Edouard that it would not be possible to get John Wesley's body from the morgue. It was a Saturday and many of the government offices were closed and he needed their signature to release the body. This is Congo and you need numerous signatures for everything.

As the evening service time fast approached, I wondered what would happen. Would the people be grieved so much that we would have to spend the entire time consoling them? What would Edouard do? There was no way to know. Many of the congregation were not there, but those few present were obviously worn out. Not Edouard. Praise and worship began and we watched something that sticks in our minds to this day. A man of God that just lost his son, his only son, his first born child, began to praise the Lord with such intensity and fervor that it spread to the rest of the congregation. And he did not only worship in front of his seat, but he grabbed the mic and led worship in front of the whole congregation for a brief time. The worship leaders were obviously affected by the loss, but a man who had not subscribed to the idea that his son was truly gone, worshipped the Lord with all his might and it became contagious.

We encouraged the people that circumstances do not change the Word of God; to keep their focus on the Kingdom of God. The basis of our faith is that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. The meeting was incredible and we all began crying out for more of the Lord. The following day, the Sunday morning service was very similar and we knew that soon we would have John Wesley back with us.

After the Sunday morning service, we expressed to Edouard that it was not necessary for us to have any more meetings, but he insisted that we go ahead with our training that was planned for Sunday night. "You are only here for a short while and we need to be equipped to preach the Gospel more effectively." What a strong man of faith. That night we taught on prophetic evangelism, visions, words of knowledge and then prayed for impartation. Many moved in prophesy that had not done so up to that point.

Monday morning

When Monday morning arrived we had left the hotel when we got the call from Edouard. The body was on it's way to his brother's house. We rushed to have everything in order and were soon on our way to the house where the body would be delivered. The house was located on a back road off the main road that runs through the city. After a maze of dirt and sand alleys blocked by mud, trash and sticks we arrived at the house.

The concrete courtyard in front of the house was filled to capacity with family friends and mourners. The hand made cinder block wall and house was typical of Congo and every space was filled with people. Some sitting, some standing, all there to mourn and pay their respects. As we walked into the house Edouard asked everyone in the front room to leave. There would be no mourning here. As the people cleared the room a small wooden coffin was revealed in the center of the room. It is difficult to portray the reality of the situation, but we were there to raise the dead.

The coffin was open and beads of condensation were standing on top of John's cold head. We began to worship with everything we had. We were told that we had an hour but it ended up being much less. Standing over the casket, singing with all our hearts, I could feel the power of God in the room. It was more tangible than anything I had ever felt. I knew any second little John would open his eyes and take a breathe. As we were praying a man entered the room talking loudly in a mixture of French and Lingala. I understood very little but I could see that he was not happy. He was soon ushered out by Edouard's older brother Pierre. We found out later that he was Edouard's brother-in-law and he was not happy about us praying for the child.

We were then told that we had to get the body in the ground in the next 30 minutes or we would be breaking the law. At this point we had only been praying for 20 minutes. The worship and the prayer intensified. Just a few minutes later men began to put the lid back on the casket. "Not yet!" was the thought that was screaming in my head. Edouard then assured us we would have a few more minutes to pray for him on the way to the cemetery. No one had given up yet but we had to start moving in the direction of the cemetery.

A few men carried the casket out of the house and headed for the alley with us right behind them. As we cleared the gate leading into the alley, we loaded the casket into the nearest taxi's back seat. The sound of a large crowd to our left caught all of our attention. There was a fight breaking out in the alley and our first reaction was to walk towards the action to see what was going on. The next thing I saw was a picture I will never forget. A woman with hands lifted up, asking the crowd to stop, was beaten to the ground by a man with a tree limb in his hand as he stepped over her. What was going on? At least a hundred people were headed in our direction and maybe only about 150 feet away. Their intent? Killing us!

I was standing in the doorway of the taxi with one hand on the casket when I realized what was happening. Ryan, Danny and Nathan were in between me and the crowd. The interpreter that was standing with them, with a big goofy grin on his face that he always seemed to have, relayed the following message, "Your lives are in great danger, RUN!!!!"

Edouard loaded me in the first taxi with his son's casket in my lap. Ryan, Danny and Nathan ran past me on their way to the Toyota taxi behind me. The scene was more confusing than even movies can portray; people running in different directions, taxi drivers with their foot on the gas backing up to avoid getting beat. Our team and Congo brothers were scurrying to get in another taxi that was free from the sand and able to move. I remember yelling to Edouard's men to protect my guys; that they did not know the language and could not fend for themselves. Immediately Edouard' men surrounded them like secret service men and ushered them in a different direction. I buried my head in the casket praying in tongues thinking to myself that if they yank me out of this car, this casket is coming with me. My taxi headed down one alley only to be blocked by mud and sticks. Then down another alley this time blocked by people from the mob bent on killing us all. Finally we were out on the open road, flying down the street, dodging men and other vehicles by mere centimeters. I still had my head laying on the casket and praying in tongues.

I found out later from Ryan, that his very full taxi had almost over-turned on a few occasions while trying not to slow down as they were driving for their lives. While we were all on the road, Edouard got a call from his in-laws accusing him of witchcraft and telling him that they would find him and kill him and that they would search for us all and kill us.
As you can probably imagine Congo is full of witchcraft and one of the highest sacrifices is your first born son. This was the accusation being thrown at Edouard. The accusation also came that we, the mondeles (white guys), were the high priests that helped him.

We arrived at the cemetery in record time. It was an unkempt field filled with mounds of dirt, some covered with concrete and tile but most were poorly marked. The small dirt path that we were now on ended abruptly as more graves were being dug where the road had previously continued. As we exited the taxis, nuns and mourners returning to the main road, starred at us with curiosity. "What is a white man doing out here?" We made our way to a small grave on the far side of the road. Still praying in tongues, I asked Edouard one more time to check John to see if he might be alive. Edouard consented to check one more time. He lifted the top from the casket and revealed John's still lifeless body. I broke as the body was lowered into the ground. We were all fighting back extreme sorrow. National and tribal laws force the dead to be buried within a certain time limit. This we were unable to fight. Edouard then took the first shovel full of dirt and placed in on the casket. He handed the shovel off to someone else and said, "It is done, but Jesus is still King." He then began to worship Jesus, saying "John I will see you in heaven." I did not see him shed one tear. He had told us all along that if he buried his son he would cry but not until then, but even now he stayed focused on his God whom he serves with all his heart. "The Devil will pay for this!" were his final words before leaving the grave site.

As we walked out of the cemetery thoughts of John's birth echoed in my head. I remember the day John was born and Edouard was so happy. I talked to John over the phone on many occasions in the last few months. Edouard would put his cell phone up to John's little ear and he would laugh when I spoke to him. I remembered that just a few days ago when I met John face to face how much it was evident that Edouard loved him more than anyone else alive. Now he is buried in the ground. We had lost!!!

Getting out of Congo

With the final goodbye to John Wesley Ngoteni we headed out of the cemetery to the main road. Reality hit us again. We came in two vehicles, a 1980's Toyota corolla and an even older Toyota van that were used by the Congolese as taxis. We were advised by Edouard to find another taxi to help us get back to the Hotel. All four of us in one taxi would not be able to safely evade the mob that was still waiting to kill us. After Edouard found us a new Taxi he advised the driver to take as many back roads as possible instead of driving straight through town. Edouard sent his most trusted men with us to make sure we got back safely.

Our hearts were still racing but there was an eerie numbness because of all the events that had just enfolded. Now here we are again running for our lives.

We made it back to the hotel and Edouard's men waited in the front lobby instructing the front desk to keep our whereabouts a secret. We headed to our rooms, grabbed our things and packed them all into one room, locked and secured the door. Our luggage was set in a way that if we had to leave we could grab it quickly. Thoughts of moving to a different hotel were being tossed around but we only had a few hours before our plane flight. But moving hotels might be a necessity if the mob finds our hotel.

A few hours passed and Edouard came to the Hotel. He told us that he met with his leaders and encouraged them. WAIT!!! Did you just read that?? He encouraged them! This is the man who just lost his son, encouraging his church to not give up. What an incredible man of GOD. He then told us that the mob went to his house and destroyed his church building. We fell on his lap as he sat on the side of the bed praying for him and asking him to pray for us.

Danny pulled out the video camera and Edouard sent a greeting and a plea for prayer for him and his Church. He ended by declaring that he would run with the baton that we had passed to him without failing and that Jesus is King and His Kingdom is on the Earth.

Later that day we said good bye and headed home to the States. The experience we had in Congo was life changing. It was a reality check that forced us to view this Gospel that we preach with more reverent fear. When we arrived back home we told the story more times than we can count. Each time the response was the same from those hearing the stories: "WOW!" Stories like these can do two things to those that have lived through the actual events. One is to live your life telling the past stories of God's wonders and your battles, or two, it can compel you every day to lay your life down again for this Jesus who has so lovingly poured out His life for us. We have all chosen the latter.

Edouard's steadfast heart has inspired us and we will continue to support him not only with our prayers but with finances and more trips in the future to go back and help him strengthen his church.

Through it all Edouard has stayed strong. The days following our departure from the Congo have been just as tough. Edouard has suffered great persecution. He has had numerous attempts on his life, lost his wife to her witchcraft family, and through it all has seen incredible church growth and miracles. He continually stands firm and never wavers from preaching the real Gospel. Have no doubt about it, the persecution has come because he refuses to back down from the Gospel and the Devil hates him for it.


More about Edouard and up coming trips soon!
to be continued...

Congo: Heaven and Hell Collide part IV

Arrested

The taxi was crowded with four of us, plus the driver. My head was pointed out the window but I didn't see anything. My mind was somewhere else. The gravity of the situation flooded my thoughts and all I could do was pray in tongues. We were headed to the hospital morgue. Why? To raise a baby from the dead.

The scene at the church moments before, had been almost unbearable. The sounds of the grief stricken kids, and a wailing mother still filled my ears. As we walked from the church to the Taxi, Edouard and I only said a few words to each other. "It's not over yet. We serve a God that raises the dead." To most death is a finality. Something that states the end. To us it is another opportunity for God to show his power. Our faith is built on the fact that God raised Jesus from the dead. The basis of the christian religion is faith that God raises the dead. This belief, this fact sets us apart from every other religion in the world.

As we were nearing the Hospital I heard Edouard turn to Ryan, in the taxi and say, "We will give him back to his mother." This was not a loose statement. This was a statement of faith. This was a statement of study. This statement revealed where Edouard's heart and mind really were. He was referring to Luke 7:12-15 where Jesus came up on a funeral procession. Jesus touched the casket of a widow's only son... "The dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother." Many people would not remember that detail in Scripture, but Edouard did. He had prepared himself to raise the dead.

The hospital grounds were dark when we arrived. During the day it is a bustling epicenter of activity, hundreds of people going in and out; many to see loved ones, others for medicines and treatment. It looked deserted now. Our Taxi driver was not exactly sure where to go but soon we were out and searching for John Wesley. Our first attempt was to go where he had been just a few hours before in the infant ward; a small room with very old rought iron cribs. As we peaked into the room we saw that little John Wesley's bed was already filled. The site of John's previous bed being occupied, solidified the situation further.

We were then told that without the correct paper work we would not be able to locate John Wesley's body. The phones we had were all empty of credit and there was no way to retrieve the number from Edouard's wife without calling her so we rushed off to buy minutes for the phone. While we were purchasing a phone card from a local street vendor, Nathan and Danny and two of Edouard's leaders emerged from the hospital parking. They had been travelling behind us in a seperate taxi. Obtaining the numbers we needed, we were off again to find John's body.

Making our way through a maze of hallways and corridors, we again found ourselves outside. The morgue was located behind the hospital in a building seperate from the main building. With every step the anticipation of what God could do grew and grew. Danny stopped right outside the morgue to document what was going on. He turned the camera on himself, and while pushing through tears, told the details of the last few hours.

The gates going into the morgue were iron bars. Edouard stood in front of the door while the rest of us waited, propped up against the wall. When the attendant came we all walked single file into the hallway. About 50 feet in front of us was a large cooler door. That was where my eyes were fixed. I knew that was our next destination. Edouard presented the papers and numbers necessary to find the body and we were soon standing in front of the cooler door waiting to get in.

When the door finally did open a sea of bodies and drawers lined the walls. Normally this would have grabbed my attention but all I could think was "Where is John Wesley?" Three drawers from the top on the left side; the attendant pulled open the drawer. In it were three little bundles of rolled clothes. One of them was the same pattern as Edouard's wife's dress. The attendant checked the number Edouard had presented him with and we braced ourselves for prayer. After he confirmed the number, the attendant quickly shut the drawer and made a motion for all of us to follow him out.

"Are you kidding? Open that drawer back up!" raced through my head. Edouard followed the attendant out trying to reason with him to let us see the baby's face and allow us to pray for him, but he would not allow it. I was the last the leave the cooler. As the attendant and Edouard were talking, I took my stance in the door way of the cooler. Edouard tried repeatedly to persuade the attendant to let us pray for his son but made no progress. After a while of arguing, we were locked inside the morgue hallway. The intensity of the situation set in as the attendant and a another man hurled insults at us and yelled that the police where on their way.

We were locked in with no where to go. They saw us as a threat and called the authorities. The double barred gates were locked on both sides with no way to leave. There was nothing to do except wait and pray, and pray we did. The police were coming and we prayed for a Christian officer. We all knew that if the military police were not Christians or did not have a Christian in their ranks, we would be beaten and thrown into prison. We all sat down on rough benches lining the walls and began to worship Jesus. What else can you do?

Was it a bad idea to stand in the doorway of the cooler? Was pushing to pray for the baby too much? Was my attitude wrong and my words harsh? Honestly, at that time I could not say. All we could do was call on the mercy of Heaven.

The attendant and some other men were pacing outside conjuring up all kinds of ideas of what should happen to us. They were yelling accusations at us, telling us what they would tell the police, most of which were lies. They were angry, especially the one holding the AK 47. Several times he let us know by pointing it at the gate we were behind.

Soon the sound of four wheel drive vehicles filled the hallway, and uniforms jumped out of the sides of the trucks. It was the military police. Their faces and the manner in which they were holding their guns made it quite apparent that they had come ready for a fight. With fingers on the triggers of their military rifles, they ran up to the gate yelling questions at the attendant who was ready with all types of accusations. If the gate had not been locked I do not believe that they would have hesitated to attack first and ask questions later. I thought to myself "I hope they knock me out quick. I don't want too much pain. But either way I am here for the right reason."

Soon the commander was ushering us to the trucks. First they were telling us to sit on the floor in the truck bed and then they told us to sit on the benches in the back of the open truck. Once we were seated the situation began to intensify. One of the officers began yelling at us and pointed his rifle right in my face with his finger on the trigger. One slight movement of that finger and I would have been a dead man. One of the officers heard me speak a little in Lingala and began to ask me questions using words I did not yet understand. Edouard translated. They asked if we were allowed to pray for the dead in the United States. "Yes, on a few occasions Ryan and myself had prayed for people that were in the morgue." "It is illegal here. Why do you pray for the dead?" he asked. We were able briefly to tell them why and that we believed God raises the dead. Things seemed to become more calm and more manageable. Though the attendant was still in an uproar, the officers appeared to settle down. With guns in our faces, barrels poking into our sides and hearts beating faster than if we had run a marathon, we began to see some hope of getting through this with our limbs and lives intact. But that small feeling of relief was short lived.

The sound of screeching tires had us all jerk around to see what was happening. Military men in full uniform dressed for war jumped out of their camouflage trucks and began commandeering our truck, pushing the police aside. Just when things seemed to be bad, they got worse.

The truck that had just arrived was not the military police, but the military itself. They had not come to back up the police; they had come to take over. The police officers were pulled from their truck and told to stand down as the military tried to assume command. Soon the commanding officer of the police stepped up and began ordering the military to stand down; he was there first and everything was under control. An argument was breaking out between the military and the police. This did not look good for us.

After a few minutes the police officers were allowed their truck back and we were moving. I glanced over at Nathan and a look of extreme concern filled his countenance. I noticed one of the officers had placed his rifle right in Nathan's side and it was jabbing into his ribs. Some officers were riding on the outside of the truck holding to the back of our seats with guns hanging on slings around their necks. Unfortunately they were all hanging towards us. After driving a few yards one of the officers told us the best news we had heard in the last two hours, "We are not going to beat you! If you promise to leave this property tonight we will fine you for our trouble and we will let you go." WOW!!!!! Thank you Jesus! Our response? "Thank you! Yes sir!"

What changed their minds? Just a few minutes before, this had not been their attitude at all. They now parked the truck in the hospital's front parking lot and had us exit the back of the truck. As I paid the fine of $60 (U.S. equivalent), one of the officers pulled Edouard and I aside and began to ask where his church was. He was so impressed that we truly believed in a God that raises the dead that he wanted to know where to attend the services. Another WOW! He told us "under this uniform I am a Christian like you." Thank you Jesus. This might have been the key that changed everything.

The Christian officer hailed us a taxi and soon we were off. Edouard took a taxi back to his home while we headed to the Mandarine, a Lebanese restaurant in Brazzaville. The taxi ride was quiet. Our heads were still spinning. As we picked through our dinner, we discussed what had just happened, thanking Jesus for delivering us. But one reality hit us again, John was still dead.

to be continued...

click here for Congo: Heaven and Hell Collide part V

Congo: Heaven and Hell Collide part III

HELL STIRRED UP


Monday morning came with much anticipation. This was the day the rest of our team would arrive. Already so much had been done, but the realization hit us that "we were just beginning." Nathan and I had decided to take it easy and relax at the Hotel but our hunger got the best of us. Nathan, Edouard and I went to seek out something to eat. Snak Nura was our target and after scarfing down some Lebanese chicken we went for a walk around Brazzaville (the capital city).

It was an extremely hot day and the sun was fiercely beating down on my balding head. I had to use my backpack as a shield. While we were out on one of the main streets in the city, we came across two men selling some custom paintings on the side walk. The paintings were rough but very nicely done. While we were discussing prices we began to get words of knowledge for both of the men. Their eyes revealed their astonishment and their hope as we began to share with them what the Lord was showing us.

As people were passing by, a few curious travelers stopped to listen, wondering what these two Mondeles (us) had to say. One passer-by in particular, watched us from across the road. He stood there trying his best to hear what was being said. When I noticed him the Lord gave me a word of knowledge for him. I knew that he was having recurring abdominal pains and I asked if we could pray for him. His shock at my knowing his problem was only surpassed by his desire to have us pray that it would leave. I shared briefly that "Jesus is King, and his Kingdom is on the Earth." He was instantly healed. When a man is healed, it is easy for the next step to follow; for him to get on His knees and give his life to Jesus. Edouard was now grinning ear to ear. He was quick to get there information to begin follow-up with them.

One thing that we have learned; it is one thing to tell a man how to win the lost, it is another to be able to show him.
Edouard has been preaching, saving souls and healing the sick for years but to see how we used words of knowledge and healing for Evangelism stirred something more inside of him.


The TEAM

The second part of our team (Ryan and Danny) arrived that Monday night. They were worn and tired after the long trip, but a good nights rest was all they needed. For the new comers the next morning was a bit like Nathan's first morning in the Congo, full of questions and comments about the obvious differences in culture. A routine had already been established; first to the Lebanese restaurant for our daily meal, and then off to Edouard's church to equip his people.
Upon our arrival Friday night we had made plans with Edouard that every afternoon we would be teaching his people and equipping them in ministry. This particular afternoon was Ryan's turn to preach. Many people were getting born again and filled with the Spirit. It was amazing how God was moving.

As time progressed God continued to move. The week was going very well and we even commented to each other that God was doing awesome things and we were getting plenty of rest, good food and down time. This was our kind of missions trip! Little did we know that the rest and sleep wouldn't last long; soon there would be a bump in the road that would throw us for a loop.

One particular story stood out during this time of rest and amazement. After eating an incredible lunch, Ryan wanted to see if we could find some authentic African dress to be able to take back to the States. The full garb there is light, comfortable, and perfect for the climate. We all agreed that having some "African" clothes would be cool. We started walking towards the shops. On the way we spotted a man crawling on his hands and knees. He was literally crawling down the side walk using a very worn out pair of sandals to help protect his calloused and bruised hands. When we reached him, we stopped him and immediately saw the terrible condition his hands and legs were in. We stopped him to tell him the Good News, "Jesus is King and His Kingdom is here."

True to form, he asked us for money, to which we politely refused. Instead we asked him if we could pray. His answer made faith raise in our hearts; "Please!" As we laid hands on his back you could feel that his spine was in an "S" shape. "In the name of Jesus..." His back popped right into place and within seconds he was able to sit straight up. He couldn't do that before!

Immediately we rebuked polio, the reason for his condition. This man looked to be in his mid thirties. After praying we tried to pull him to his feet. He was still unable to hold his weight and we were very aware at that moment how much this man really did weigh. For a man with shriveled legs, this guy was packing the pound-age away somewhere. As we put him back down I noticed that his upper body, mostly his arms, were very strong. We prayed again. This time when we tried to lift him, he weighed considerably less. As we looked down we noticed that his weight didn't change, he was actually holding more of his weight with his legs. Each time we prayed, strength would ever so slightly increase in his legs. Although he didn't jump up and run, by the time we left him he had much more strength to hold his own weight. That was definitely an improvement. A small crowd had formed while we were praying and soon those people too were getting born again. One was an orphan who had just recently been kicked out of his home.

Sure, we were disappointed that the crippled man didn't run that day, as anyone would be. But the important thing was to make sure that we thanked God and focused on the miracles that did happen. Later, we would seek God as to why some miracles didn't happen. His back straightened up under our hands and he had more strength than before. Also a hand full of people heard and responded to the Gospel at that same time. To ignore this would be tragic.

Beginning Tuesday night, our team ministered at Edouard's church every evening. The power of God was incredibly tangible as the sick were healed, people were filled with the Spirit, and devils were cast out. One night an incredible prophetic anointing hit the meeting. As we prophesied, people would weep as the Lord revealed their hearts. Destiny and longings of the hearts of many that, until that moment, were kept secret were revealed by the Holy Spirit publicly. The people were very encouraged. Needless to say, it was fun!

On most nights, by lantern light, you could find us equipping believers to preach the Gospel. We were getting plenty of rest in the mornings and ministering in the afternoon and evenings. Then came the bump in the road.

JOHN WESLEY And REVIVAL

Thursday night as we left the meeting we said goodbye to Edouard and his wife and his three month old son John Wesley and we headed back to the Hotel on the other side of the city. That night I got a call from Edouard saying that they were rushing John Wesley to the Physician. John suddenly began breathing heavy. We told Edouard that we would pray.

A few hours later Edouard arrived at the Hotel with the baby and his mother. It was late at night and they all looked tired. Mama looked confused and didn't know what to do. We each held John Wesley and began to pray over him. His breathing appeared to get better and nothing seemed to warrant any panic. All four of us are fathers and we had all seen our children with similar symptoms. His breathing was a little laborous, but nothing really serious. We all continued to pray until we all had peace and after a few hours Edouard and is family went home.

The next morning, Nathan and Danny were on there way to meet with Edouard's worship leaders to encourage them when they got the news that John Wesley had been rushed to the Hospital. Ryan and I soon heard the news and rerouted our taxi to meet them at the Hospital. What had happened? Last night when we saw him his breathing a little heavy but nothing serious, now he is in the hospital.

A few hours after John was admitted they took some x-rays and found that he had pneumonia. How could this have come so quick? Just last night before we left the meeting we were playing with him and telling him bye. He was happy and playful. This was too sudden. This was not normal for a healthy, happy baby.

We took turns going into the room and praying for him. John's little body wrapped in a blanket, lying on a very old hospital bed was not what we wanted to see that day. We prayed in ernest. Before long he seemed to be improving. He began coughing up mucus and the infection that was in his lungs. We were concerned but it seemed that things were going to be just fine. We had an equipping meeting planned at Edouard's church that afternoon and it was starting to get late. Not wanting to persuade Edouard in any decision, I asked him what he wanted us to do. We only had a little time before dark and I thought his answer would be to wait till the following day. Edouard's response is a statement I will never forget. The words still ring in my ears, "Even if I only have thirty minutes in an afternoon, I use it to preach the Gospel. Maybe in that thirty minutes I can reach one soul, and that one soul is worth it." How do you argue with that? So we headed to his church to take out his teams.

We met with about twenty or so of his church members, encouraging them and preparing them to preach the Gospel to their community. We broke into groups and then headed for the main road and market near the church. As we made our way through the busy streets on foot, it was obvious that we did not need to go far to find the lost. We didn't get but a few steps when a lady standing behind an old table got my attention. I asked if I could pray for her. An interpreter stayed with me and so did a few of the church members. The rest of the team kept walking.

There were three teams, each with an interpreter and each with a group from the church. I (David) led a team, that didn't make it very far into the market. Ryan had a team, and Nathan and Danny also lead up a team. Once we began praying we did not move from that spot for well over an hour. The power of God was tangible and people were getting healed as we proclaimed the Gospel of the Kingdom. Many from the side streets and markets began to press their way in through the crowds and ask for healing. It was amazing but not unlike what we have seen here in the United States at events like highschool football games.

Many came in with sicknesses, but everyone left without their infirmity. Immediately I began to have Edouard's church members praying for the sick. It was encouraging to see their zeal and to see that they had truly grasped the teachings on Matthew 10:7-8. Their faces lit up with joy as they saw many getting healed through their prayers. Literally, hundreds of people gathered around to hear the gospel and see the miracles that were taking place. People would come up limping and leave walking with no sign of a past ailment. Malaria and it's fevers left under our hands. Demons were cast out and many people were born again. It sounded and looked like a story from the book of Acts.

This is what we came for and we were seeing revival in the streets!

Soon it was dark and our interpreters cautioned us that it was time to go, so we rounded up our teams and headed back to the church. When we got back Edouard was there fervently praying for his son and he was covered in sweat. Stripped down to only his undershirt and slacks, he began to tell us that while he was there praying he was interrupted many times by calls telling him of all the incredible miracles happening in the streets not a quarter of a mile away. He was overjoyed as we told him story after story of what had just happened.

After praising the Lord for all that he had just done we decided to head back to the hotel. We were so happy we thought nothing could bring us down. We were wrong!

As we cornered the church and were walking up the dirt path a roar began to come down in our direction. We all pulled out our flashlights only to see Edouard's wife throwing herself on the ground screaming "JOHN!!!"

Immediately the children that were there threw themselves on the ground as if on cue. With shrieks and crying, they began throwing dust over their bodies.

In the middle of the confusion and utter chaos I yelled for the team, "Let's go!" as we all rushed up the hill. "We are going to the hospital." The guys asked "What's going on?" Edouard answered "John is Dead!"

to be continued...

Click here for Congo: Heaven and Hell Collide part IV

Congo: Heaven and Hell Collide part II

THE MISSION

There were only two of us arriving the first night but more were coming on Monday. As we stepped off the plane the humidity was stronger and the heat felt different than that of the United States. We were herded into a bus waiting at the bottom of the stairway. It was already different than what I remembered. The last time I was here there was no bus. Just a long walk down the runway to the very small airport in Congo’s Capital, Brazzaville.

There were also many more Mondeles (Congolese word for a white man) on our flight than any flight I had ever been on to Congo. I found out later that they were all headed to Pointe Noire in Congo’s southern coastland. Most there are involved with the oil rigs off of Africa’s rich coast.

As we were herded through the customs counters, baggage claim and through our last security checkpoints I could feel the anticipation rising in me to see my friend and fellow worker Edouard Ngoteni. Edouard is one of the best men I have ever had the privilege to be around. Yes he has integrity, yes he is a joy to be around, but the things that sets Edouard apart from others is his true hunger for the Gospel. I have seldom met a man so ready to take what the Bible says and put it into practice. When we first met he was a school teacher, a believer but not even considering going into ministry. His pastor and brother, Pierre introduced us out of necessity. I didn't speak French or Lingala and Pierre didn't speak English. Edouard spoke English fluently so he traveled with me on my first scouting trip into the interior of Congo. As I preached, he interpreted. As I prayed for the sick and they were healed, he watched in amazement. It didn't take long at all before Edouard caught the fire and we were ministering together. When he saw the Gospel at work there was no stopping him and he became a true disciple, eating up everything I could give him. After my family and I left the Congo he continued to preach the Gospel with signs and wonders following. Today he has a thriving church and more hunger than ever.

We were returning again to the Congo at the request of Edouard; to help him to equip his church for ministry. He had heard from me the stories of what was happening with us in the United States and wanted his church to be equipped to heal the sick, preach the Gospel and reach the lost as a part of daily life. The stories of normal people having incredible miracles happening daily excited him and energized his faith to believe that it could happen in Congo.

Beginning the day after we arrived Nathan Martin and I began equipping Edouard's leaders. Prophesying over them and speaking out their giftings and callings. Immediately after a short session with his leaders, one brother in the Lord went out and began to pray for and prophecy over people in the streets; winning three to the Lord.

The Sunday morning service was awesome. I preached about the Kingdom of God and our responsibility to share it with the lost. At the end of the service Nathan and I prayed for the leaders and they began to help us pray for the sick. Everyone we prayed for was healed except one lady who received her touch from God later on. There were scores of miracles. At one point Nathan and I looked over at each other and asked if the other was seeing the same results; Yep, constant instant healings.

The people were fired up and so were we. We made sure to tell them that everyday this week we would be teaching and equipping them to do what Jesus did. Excitement filled their hearts. Before the week would be over these same people would be participants in a rollercoaster of events that would bring revival and produce riots. But the questions were always "how do we equip these people for the real Gospel?", would they remain strong?

What would you do if the Devil hit you where it hurt the most? Would you give up or become more bold?

to be continued....

Click here for Congo: Heaven and Hell Collide part III

Congo: Heaven and Hell Collide part I

As many of you already know, we just got back from a trip into the Congo. A team consisting of myself, Ryan Lawson, Danny Meece and Nathan Martin made the long journey to help raise up people in the Congo that would bring the kingdom of Heaven to their cities and villages. Even though I had lived there before, nothing prepared me for what we were going to experience on this trip. There was revival breaking out in the streets and yet there were times where we were literally running for our lives.
Indulge me a bit as I lay out why we were there in the first place. This is a story definitely worth telling.

THE RETURN

As the doors to the plane open up you could feel the heat and humidity flood into the Boeing jet. It reminded me of a bathroom after a steaming hot shower. The Congo’s humidity is penetrating and unmistakable. But alas, I was finally back in Africa.

AS we had begun our decent into the Republic of Congo on this Friday night, memories flooded my mind of the first trip I made to this country over five years ago. I was alone, didn’t know the country or the language and had no clue what was about to happen. It was a huge step of faith and trust that turned out to be premature but like many of our mistakes God turned it around for good. I ended up bringing my entire family here to live. We sold everything and moved to the Congo. Many people heard the Gospel for the first time, multitudes were healed, saved and delivered, and a disciple and friend was made, and that is why I am here again now.

God told me over five years ago that this was an area of the world that I was called to. While seeking God in a prayer room in the church where we were employed, I saw a map of Africa. It was as real as I see the room that I am now sitting in. The map was huge. An enormous finger came from heaven and drew a line, a red line around many of central Africa’s countries. I then saw another vision of a jungle path and an older me (with very little hair) walking with a small pygmy child. After that followed many more visions of Central Africa and a burning heart to go. When my family and I arrived I was determined to see the visions fulfilled. Despite some mistakes, we saw God do some incredible miracles and many of them with people that had never before heard the name of Jesus.

This trip would be different. This time I am not moving my family half way across the world; I am just here with friends and co workers in the Gospel. Even though our expectations for God to do an awesome work again, like He did in the past, were soaring, I honestly was not prepared for what was about to take place.

Before our mission here would be over, I would see a friend pay a price that was high and dear and one that I hope I will never have to pay. First hand we would see death, riots, pain, joy and revival just minutes apart from each other. This is the front lines of ministry and the reality of preaching the Gospel.

to be continued...

Click here for Congo: Heaven and Hell Collide part II

10 "Forget the football game, we want to hear you!"

Imagine if you would what it would be like to go to a local high school football game and God show up. Maybe you walk into the front gate expecting God to move. You wait and feel like you have a word of knowledge for some kid that you see standing at the fence watching the game. Let's say you get up enough guts to approach him as he begins to talk to his friends. The word that you give him is wrong but as he tells you this, Jesus gives you a download of very specific things about this guy's life. He is totally flabbergasted. His friends all heard what you said and knew how accurate it was. Before you know it people are pulling at you saying, "do me next". Just for the fun of it let's imagine that it gets totally out of control and in the process of praying for these kids 15 people get born again, 6 get healed, 8 get delivered, and many many have an encounter with the living God. Wouldn't that be awesome? IT WAS!

Yes it happened in Woodstock GA at a football game. Let me tell you, it was incredible. Jesus moved so strongly that mockers were getting healed and had to shut their mouths. Young people full of depression and anxiety were getting totally delivered and full of the joy of God. The harvest Fields were so ripe that the kids were begging us to pray for them and to tell them what God was saying about them. They started coming in waves. Each one of us in our group had about 20 kids surrounding us as we gave prophetic words and prayed for healing. We would preach the gospel of the Kingdom and then they would go get their friends, we would give them words of knowledge and prophecy then preach the Gospel to them as well. In this cycle the gospel was preached over and over again.

Until. . . Unfortunately there is an "until", the principle of the school came over and shut us down saying that if we preached the gospel again on his campus we would be removed. His reasoning was it was not the appropriate venue for it. I told him that Life was the right venue for it. We cordially backed away and shut our mouths after we stated our case and asked a few questions. But if you know any of us you know even that was with a strategy. We asked what we were doing wrong and what laws we were breaking and we got our answers. Don't believe for one second that we are going to back off a harvest field like that. We will just come back ready next time ready to face the music. "Officers do what you have to do, I am compelled to preach."

The kids were angry! Not at us but there leaders who were asking us to leave. You could hear shouts of "why are making them leave? They prayed for me and I am healed!" "They told me things that there is no way they could have known. Let them stay." The kids were definitely disappointed. At least 60 were showing their total frustration openly to the authorities around them. "Let them stay." As we walked out they asked for phone numbers and how to hear more of the Gospel. IT WAS AWESOME

Now that I told you about my Friday night, how was yours?

Joh 4:34-35 Jesus *said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. (35) "Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. Pick up your sickle and get to work!