Press release: JERICHO WALLS / MIA2012 PRAYER TEAM FEEDBACK
PRESS
RELEASE
JERICHO
WALLS / MIA2012 PRAYER TEAM FEEDBACK
Written
by Crystal Strydom (Jericho Walls)
Three
ladies went on a prayer journey from West to East over Africa on the
equator in preparation of the MIA2012 outreaches that will be visiting
various EoC's in nations South of the Equator. The teams will depart after the
Missions Empowerment Conference happening at Fountains Valley from 25 - 27
June. Here is a short feedback article of their testimony.
“We
flew to Gabon and traveled from nation to nation. We arrived amid a
ladies conference - a joyful, vibrant, worshipping event! We met local
intercessors, hundreds of them, prayer-drove the capital city of Libreville and
stood on the grounds of the first missionary station set up by Americans
in the 1800's and still going! The church is well established in
this nation, free serving and God-fearing.
We
flew to Congo, and in Brazzaville we were housed by a church situated in the
slum-area of the city. There church is a lifestyle- not a separate
part of daily life. Intercessors were keen to hear more of impacting a nation
from it's roots by prayer - by confession of sin, repentance thereof, turning
away from it and seeking God.
Beautiful
Burundi is full of people! We were housed by a family in there
home - when we went to sleep at night I counted 19 people inside two small
3-bedroomed homes! Only the pastor, his wife and three of their children
were from the same household. The others were orphans, widows and survivors of
murdered families, strangers, but welcomed and taken care of by the Christian
household.
Rwanda
is clean, neat, well organised and the presence of God is felt
everywhere. On the intercity bus we had a choice between the local
radio station, a selection of golden oldies or soothing Christian Gospel music!
We spent a morning of prayer with a group after their all night
prayer meeting. The Holy Spirit lead us to pray for our various nations -
as sincerely as we could, we prayed for them and their nation while they did the
same for us South Africans - what an eye-opener to pray for one another,
according to the Word of God!
In
the Democratic Republic of Congo we visited the city of Goma - the remains of
an erupted volcano is ever present - black volcanic rock and dust, poverty,
thousands of people on the streets. We attended a church service in a big
wooden church, in the middle of the black remains - sat through a three-hour
solid Christian message and was then taken to a house where a group of
intercessors has been praying on a daily basis since 2003. They told us
that not one day went by without prayer from that specific location. The
atmosphere in that room is magnificent - you sense the presence of the Holy
Spirit!
In
Congos and Burundi I was touched by the praise and worship - a different
sound... it has a brokenness to it that touches the core of your being.
In
Uganda we stayed with a family on the outskirts of Kampala. The church
building serves as a crèche and primary school by day and church by night and over
weekends. The head mistress told me that she started caring for the
little ones who were roaming the streets without supervision during the
day. That lead to the crèche and later the school. She waits at the
church till all the little ones had been collected by their parents - some
evenings till nine pm.
Kenya
was in mourning, they had just lost their upcoming new president - radio
and television stations broadcasted his funeral for days. His son's
message at the funeral - an invitation to salvation and reprimand to the nation
to turn to God was repeated several times! We spent time with a pastor
who had spent 13 years in prison. Her ministry is focused on the
prisoners, ex-convicts, newly released people and the families of prisoners.
What an experience! If ever in my life I saw the reality of Jesus' death
that has bought us life - it was there! There is a quality to their
devotion, a value to newfound freedom and an appreciation for what Jesus had
done, something I have never seen before!
We
had thought that we would go ahead of the outreach teams into Africa to prepare
a way for the Lord, but we can honestly say that He had made a way for us!
Ends
About
MIA2012: MIA2012 is a three-day gathering (25 - 27 June 2012) of students,
organisations, Bible Schools, churches, and individuals focusing on
cross-cultural ministry to celebrate what God is doing on African soil, at the
Fountains Valley Resort, Pretoria.
Ends
For
media inquiries and interviews contact Cilnette Pienaar (082 410 2382 / communication@mia2012.co.za).
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