God at work in the UK

I have just returned from nearly 3 weeks in the UK visiting Church Mission Society (my sending organisation) as well as various supporting churches, branches of the Anglican Communion and mission agencies. I was personally struck by the faithfulness of individuals and churches in praying for our family and the ministry in Goma, with some churches mentioning us in prayer by name every week. An incredible act of faith and generosity. People were hugely encouraged by stories of what God is doing in Goma and keen to know how they could pray and give and partner with us. 

I also heard so many powerful stories of God at work in the UK. People with no church background just turning up at church hungry to read the Bible, children’s ministries growing so much they are running out of space, 4 teenage friends who all had dreams about Jesus on the very same night and sought out a church youth group together, dozens of students coming to faith on the same day, the most unexpected people turning up to youth groups, one city where a student had come to faith every day in the first 3 weeks of term. We pray for more!

God at work in Walikale

Since our summer visit to Walikale, evangelist Innocent (above left) has been back to our missionary archdeaconry in the forest. And things have not been quiet. We have bought more land, started 2 more churches and the Gospel is changing lives. Our next focus is on building 3 schools and a guesthouse, buying more land, and continuing to preach and train church leaders at every level. Click here for Innocent’s testimony of his calling as an evangelist, and here for the write-up and video of the previous mission in July. Read on for stories from our open-air evangelism in August.

3 faith-stretching stories

A young man in one of the villages testified, “My heart was touched, I trembled and almost collapsed when the preacher preached the good news. I felt as if he was talking about me. When those who were going forward to receive Jesus Christ were called, I felt Jesus was calling me. I was listening to Him telling me “Come to me, come to me". I quickly came to meet Jesus. I was a witch doctor, in the service of Satan, I sacrificed my life and the health of my family members to the ancestral gods, but glory to God through Jesus Christ, I am a Christian, saved and ready to serve Him.”

After Innocent shared the Gospel with one village chief who was also a prophet of Yando (local deity), he believed in Jesus along with his family and the elders of the village. And once they had put their trust in Jesus, they brought the objects and charms they used in serving and worshipping Yando and publicly burned them all. The village chief then introduced the open-air evangelistic campaign declaring: "God is mighty and faithful, he is the King of kings. Today he has made me bow before Jesus-Christ. Today I declare before you that I am no longer a servant or prophet of Yando and neither is my household. Instead, we have said yes to Jesus and will serve him". The people were amazed and 43 others believed in Jesus.

Another village chief said: "For years, we have been hopeless, we have been living under the power of negative forces and bound to false ancestral practices, in ignorance and without hope. Even our children have been dedicated to demons and the altars of our gods.We thank God for sending us the Anglican Church and their willingness to come and preach to us the good news of salvation and the truth of God's Word. I, my family and my elders accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and we will serve Him with our families and accompany the activities of the Anglican Church in our home."