01 Sep A vision for Madagascar
At Pastor Presley’s chuch I have not seen the Holy Spirit move so strongly since the early days in Toronto.
500 new Christians – over 1000 baptised in the Holy Spirit – many many healings.
At the invitation of my friend Jean Pierre Witzmann from Berlin I spent 16 days travelling through Madagascar setting up 6 new chapters for the FGBMFI.
Madagascar is the 4th largest Island in the world and lies off the East Coast of Africa. They told me that it is as big as France and Germany put together but with only 17.5 million inhabitants. Most of the core group of men and women working with Jean Pierre to establish the FGBMFI in Madagascar received their university education either in Germany or Russia before returning to their homeland. All of them are on fire for the Lord and when needed they immediately dropped everything they were doing to come and help.
Gloria Presley, the wife of Pastor Presley, had just returned from South Africa where she had been appearing on Christian Television but when she was phoned on the Monday morning and asked to accompany me as translator, on a two week trip into the rice lands she agreed at once. That evening she and her husband, her three children, her sister, me and her brother in law Dr. Louis Presley, who was the driver, all 8 of us, piled ourselves and all our baggage into a very rickety Nissan Trouper. In the dark through a tremendous tropical downpour, complete with thunder and lightning, we started out over mountain roads with the most horrific z bends and the largest potholes imaginable. On the second day we faced 120 klms of the worst dirt road I have ever encountered. I lived for 4 years in West Africa driving on dirt roads even in the rainy season and then again in Zambia but this was the most difficult road I have experienced. Dr. Luis was amazing in his handling of our old Trouper on this incredible terrain but even he could only average 15klms an hour over the full journey.
We visited two towns, held 22 meetings and spoke at 4 services in 3 churches in 8 days and 3 Sundays. We saw around 500 people accept Jesus into their lives, over 1000 people baptised in the Holy Spirit and countless numbers receive some form of healing. Much of this is recorded on video along with their testimonies.
We saw 6 new chapters of the FGBMFI established. A men’s, a ladies and a youth chapter in each of the towns. Even though the stated purpose of each meeting was to introduce the FGBMFI every meeting was an evangelistic event. We never missed the opportunity to tell what we know about Jesus. This included our meetings with all those in Authority such Regional and District Directors, Commissars, Mayors and Police Chiefs. The media were very receptive and featured our visit on TV, Radio and in the Newspapers.
41 young people in a Technical School accepted Jesus and then at an evening meeting 12 of their teachers were born again. In a village that reminded me so much of biblical times when I saw them threshing the rice by hand against a stone and then carrying it away on ox carts we held two meetings and witnessed about 200 being born again, 100’s baptised in the Spirit and numerous healings which are recorded. Healings such as the man who responded to my word of knowledge that he had hurt his foot by standing on a nail and the wound had got infected – he finally came forward and found his foot was healed.
We were most impressed by the prison Governor who after at least 40 of the prisoners gave their lives to Jesus told us stories about the prison. He told us of when they only had 4 days food left for almost 1000 prisoners and the Regional Director could make no promises, the Governor went to the prisoners and asked them to pray with him about the problem. They all responded. Suddenly, with no advance notification, a lorry arrived full of rice – people started arriving at the prison with donations of money and food.This Governor is a lovely Christian who cries with the prisoners when they are hurt.
We visited a TB hospital, which is sponsored by the Lutheran Church, and where the Medical Director holds prayer as an essential part of the treatment.
The churches in which I spoke were packed with 400 to 500 in the congregation in each service. One church had to have 5 services each Sunday so that all the members could attend.
The Sunday morning service at Pastor Presley’s church is 4 hours packed with praise, worship, the word and the Holy Spirit moving on the congregation. On the morning I spoke the Holy Spirit came in great power with the gift of laughter. The choir all fell over laughing in the Spirit like dominoes being knocked down. Pastor Presley and his wife Gloria could not stand, many of the congregation were impacted. I have not seen the Holy Spirit move so strongly since the early days in Toronto.One lady in the congregation told me afterwards that she has seen the choir and one or two others seemingly overcome by the power of the Spirit before but thought that they were only acting and being silly but this morning the Holy Spirit came on me so strongly i could not stand up or stop laughing – now I know it is real.
Jean Pierre and the National Board of Directors have a vision for chapters in each of the towns and cities in Madagascar, So Jean Pierre invites teams of European brothers to assist. On this occasion apart from myself there was Andre from St. Petersburg, Andreas from eastern Germany, Sigrid from Berlin and Renate from the German, FGBMFI office in Regen. They divided into teams to successfully establish chapters in other towns and cities.
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