I arrived in Burkina with the tentative itinerary in had to minister to pastors, preach in churches, and minister to the widows only to find that this had been totally scrapped, and we were now doing (4) six hour seminars on "Women in the Church." Br. Hagin's admonition rings in me even now as I think about it, "Prepare the messenger, not the message." This is missions, things change, maximize flexibility, and let God be God. Fortunately, for me, this is a subject that is near and dear to me, and it stews in me on a regular basis. With just a little time to jot a few notes, I outlined the Seminar and prepared myself in prayer.
Day One found us at Pastor Timothee's church for a prayer meeting that would set the tone for our time together. We arrived to find them already praying with passion and diligence. Oh the sound of voices raised in intercession. We prayed, we worshiped, we prayed, we worshiped, and we prayed some more. It wasn't like we had anywhere else to be or something else to do. Praise God, faith works around the world.
Sunday found us at Pastor Abraham's church, but he had not yet returned from his own ministry trip to Togo. The service was very good and 6 responded to receive a genuine, personal, interactive relationship with the Father. They had prayed the "Sinner's Prayer" but did not enjoy the kind of dynamic relationship God intends. 3 times as many responded for healing and gave testimony to the manifestation of it, one after another. One woman came to us afterward and testified, "I do not go to this church, but I was drawn here today. Today God has spoken to me and called me into ministry, and I must obey Him."
I need you to understand that the things I shared were just teachings on Scriptures you take for granted: Joel 2:28, Acts 2:14-17, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-18, and especially Daniel 11:32 which says, "... but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do great things." For some, this was the first time they had heard such things, and they just don't know enough to NOT do them.
The Seminar, "Women in the Church," involved four teaching sessions and two question and answer sessions. About 160 women attended over the course of our trip. The sessions included:
● Women in the Word
● What can Women do in Church?
● What can Women do in the Home?
● How to be a Woman who Changes History
Back at Pastor Timothee's church, picking up right where we left off, we entered into praise and worship I saw the heavens opened and the Father was dancing back and forth in front of the throne, a typical African dance.
Zephaniah 3:17 (NKJV)17 The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will dance over you with singing."
Does God dance over you? Does He see your worship as something that thrills His heart? What a joy to be able to share with these precious people how God was celebrating over them with exceeding, great joy.
Closing out this seminar I came under attack and spent the next two days in bed, a real challenge when you have been teaching faith. But, God is faithful! I am healed, He said so, and all we need do to appropriate it is to take Him at His Word. I was laying there praying "in Jesus's Name," and I began to hear the words coming out of my mouth. "You cannot make me sick; I already defeated you. I hold the keys of death and hell. You are defeated, and I will not abide your lies." When we pray "in Jesus' Name" it is the same as if Jesus Himself is speaking. How can sickness and disease resist the power and authority of the Word?
Sunday came, and we were to go and preach at pastor Pengwende's church, but it was raining. Rain back home is not much of a problem, but this is Africa, and the rules are different. Rivers ran in the dirt streets of the capital. With no indication of where the hazards were, our Director said we would have to cancel, but this was not what the Father had in mind. After some discussion and a call to the pastor, we set out. Fording the flooded streets, navigating around various hazards, we finally got out of the city and the roads got better. Then our Director's fear was realized, a hole across the road with no way around. In he drove, the water rolling up over the hood, and then it quit. I knew we were done, Constantin knew we were done, but that was what we could see, and faith does not go by what it sees. As he reached for the key, I could see his hesitation, and the car started right up. Off we went and even got to the church on time - two miracles in the same morning.
The church had asked that I do a summary of the Seminar for the morning service, and I had every intention of complying, but the Holy Ghost had other ideas.
Daniel 11:32 (NKJV)32 Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and do great things.
I began to share with the church and the Father kept steering me toward the stories that came from the great Indonesian revival. There they saw great miracles signs and wonders. They walked on water, they raised the dead, they healed the sick, they cast out devils, and they changed their nation. They saw creative miracles, spectacular things, and could only explain it like this, "We didn't know enough not to believe the Word we had heard." If God will do it in Indonesia, he will do it in Burkina Faso; He will do it anywhere He finds people who are just willing to take Him at His word and do it.
Two weeks isn't very long to accomplish much. Here is what the pastors reported the day I left:
❏ 4,700 people were ministered to either in church or door-to-door
❏ 1,692 people saved
❏ 448 people healed
God did great things and people like you made it possible. For those who supported us financially, thank you. I know God will multiply it back to you. For those who prayed for us, I cannot begin to express my gratitude. Your prayers changed the course of history and made our efforts successful. May the Father grant you the desire of your heart for your faithfulness in covering us in prayer.
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