Arrival

Monday, 12 October 2009

I am in a procession right now riding through Afikpo, Nigeria. We just visited with the traditional ruler and now we are making our presence known in the city. The streets have been lined for many miles with beautiful smiling faces. School children dressed in blue and white uniforms run out of their classes to see us. Men and women lean out of second story windows waving exuberant and shouting hearty welcomes. Everyone stops working and comes out of their roadside shops to catch a glimpse of the caravan. A tailor with his measuring tape around his neck stands near an elderly grandma dancing with joy. This is clearly the event of a lifetime for this rural, city. This is how it all begins and only God knows what is in store for us all over the next 5 days.

The Afikpo Curse

Tuesday, 13 October 2009

Tonight at the pastor’s dinner, the chairman of the central working committee for the crusade gave a powerful and revealing address. We learned a lot about where we will be ministering over the next week. For instance, he told us that a top local Church leader was murdered recently by locals and cut into little pieces.

The idolaters and witchdoctors in the area are very aggressive and there seems to be a heavy yoke of oppression over this land. I am including a few excerpts from his speech that will give you a good idea of what we are up against here and provide some direction for your prayers.

Few excerpts of the speech: “...Let me quickly acquaint you with some of the peculiarities of this land: This city is like Jericho, and her people like the Reubenites. Geographically, Afikpo is pleasant to behold and strategically located too, as you have already observed. It is a strategic gateway both spiritually and physically. A city on a hill with beautiful terrains and scenic out looks, ‘but the water is naught and the ground barren’. Our dwelling seems far from ‘the fatness of the earth and of the dew of heaven from above’. We inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land not inhabited. Good, very often, eludes us, and our rights are taken to other people. We labor much and bring in little, and much of what we bring in, the winds often blow away. …As for our people, they are like Reubens: …we excel only with overbearing difficulties. Our old men spend their days in vanities while our youths languish in shame. We have won several awards but mostly in those things that cause shame. Servants now rule over us

.…Our women are ravished before our very eyes, and our old men are not honored. Our children die in their youth and our mothers are left without care at old age. All these and more have come upon us and we know why it is so.

…Although shrouded in myths and legends, the history of Afikpo indicates that she is under some heavy unbroken generational curses, which came upon her due to some acts of wickedness against strangers and innocents in olden times.

…Our addictive strange beliefs led our forbearers into such barbaric acts as killing twins and banishing their mothers, burying ‘criminals’ alive (burning them alive in the recent times) and shedding much blood in the land, even of ministers.

…We are trusting God that by reason of your visit to Afikpo, the curses on the land will be totally broken and the heaven shall be opened upon our land, making it to yield her increase.

…We are also believing the Lord that the hearts of our people shall be opened to the Gospel and many of them shall be saved and also healed.”Additional prayer requests mentioned:

• That the people would be releasesd to serve god “without fear”
• That the shackles of povert would be broken
• That the Church would experience unprecedented revival
• Integrity in the political sphere
• Overthrow “the spirit of pride”

The Power of the Gospel in Afikpo

Wednesday, 14 October 2009

“Tonight we hit that serpent in the head,” said Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke as we drove off the crusade field after tonight’s meeting – the first of five.  Afikpo is a city steeped in witchcraft and ancient superstitions.  The people have lived in fear and bondage to demonic principalities that have gone unchallenged for generations, but tonight, they were confronted by a force more powerful than any curse – the power of the Gospel.

Yours in His love and service

Evangelists Daniel Kolenda, Reinhard Bonnke,
and the whole CfaN Team.

Thousands Surrender to Jesus

Thursday, 15 October 2009

Our crusade director leaned over to me tonight and said, “This is 'real' Africa”.  He told me that one African evangelist came here recently but turned around and left when he saw the living conditions.  Afikpo is as rugged and wild as it comes.  Everything is raw and organic here – including the incredible power of God that we demonstrate.

Tonight the crowd doubled with over 125,000 in attendance…and this is only the second night!  I preached a clear Gospel message and then invited the people to call upon the only name given under Heaven whereby men might be saved…the name of Jesus!  In this idolatrous land we saw how many people brought their idols, charms and witchcraft fetishes to be burned just like in the days of Paul (Acts 19:19).  By the thousands they surrendered their lives to Jesus tonight.  I am sure that all of heaven has taken notice of what is happening in Afikpo.
 
Many mighty miracles also took place tonight as Jesus was faithful to His Word and mercifully healed the sick.  I have attached a picture of a woman blind in both eyes for 12 years that was healed.  I told her to catch me if she could and…well you can see for yourself what happened.
 
This morning was also the beginning of the Fire Conference, which will continue tomorrow and culminate on Saturday morning.  Please continue to pray for us and for the salvation of the precious people of Afikpo.

Evangelists Daniel Kolenda, Reinhard Bonnke,
and the whole CfaN Team.

The people responded with Joy

Friday, 16 October 2009

160,000 people attended tonight’s meeting on the rolling hillside crusade ground here in Afikpo, Nigeria.  In five days of meetings we have an opportunity to preach the full-Gospel, including some of the less popular topics.  Tonight I emphasized the themes of restitution and repentance: “let him who stole steal no more”.  I can truly say that the people responded with Joy, turning from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God.  

Here are some of the miracles that Jesus did tonight:

• A woman, blind for 2 years received perfect sight
• A man with a leg that was unable to bend for 23 years kicked and danced for joy (pictured below)
• A lunatic woman suddenly received sanity

Even as we left the meeting the people were still lining up to testify.  We are rejoicing and anticipating tomorrow’s meetings where the Jesus will baptize many thousands of hungry souls in the fire of the Holy Spirit.

Yours in the Gospel,

Evangelists Daniel Kolenda, Reinhard Bonnke,
and the whole CfaN Team.

Holy Spirit explosion!

Saturday, 17 October 2009

What a thrilling day we had today in Afikpo, Nigeria!  It started this morning with the Fire Conference where 25,000 delegates gathered for the final meetings and then the moment of impartation.  The Holy Spirit fell in mighty power on the hungry crowd.  I went down and laid hands on about 600 pastors and sent them out into the crowd to lay hands on the people.  “Freely you have received, freely give.”  There was an explosion of miracles.  Many people were healed as the pastors witnessed how the Lord used them in the miraculous for the very first time.  

Tonight the intensity continued.  The barrels were full of witchcraft items to be burned. Also some people brought bags full of stolen items, which we handed over to the police.  After the Gospel message we prayed for the massive crowd of 180,000 people to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  The crowd erupted in new tongues and I could see how the power of God was touching thousands all across the field.

Here are a few of the miracles testimonies that we heard tonight:

• A young man BLIND FROM BIRTH in one eye suddenly received perfect sight tonight.  His mother held him weeping as the overwhelming reality of God had done occurred to her.
• A little lame boy walked for the first time in 7 years tonight.  One day he will play football with the other boys.
• A man paralyzed on his left side for 22 years was suddenly healed and walked from the very back of the huge crusade ground to the platform to give his testimony.  We threw his walking stick away, because he doesn’t need it anymore.  Jesus has healed him…Praise the Lord!

Tomorrow is the final day of the crusade here in Afikpo.  Please continue to pray for one last might harvest of souls.  Afikpo shall be saved!

Yours in the Gospel,

Evangelists Daniel Kolenda, Reinhard Bonnke,
and the whole CfaN Team.

Churches flooded with Converts!

Sunday, 18 October 2009

A group of pastors came to our lodge this afternoon to bring us the report that their churches were flooded with new converts this morning!  This is a wonderful indication that the seed of the Gospel has fallen on good soil here in Afikpo and will continue to produce fruit that will remain long after we have gone.
 
Tonight the crowd increased again to 225,000.  Many thousands were born again and after the prayer for salvation, we prayed for the sick:

• A woman, deaf for 20 years demonstrated her sight with great joy (see picture)
• A man who was bent and unable to stand straight for the past 4 years was healed and stood perfectly upright.
• A man crippled for three years after a terrible stroke was healed

Tonight we also prayed for the thousands of prayer requests that have been sent in from around the world by our friends and partners.  The huge crowd stretched out their hands and prayed that the long arm of the Lord would reach into every situation and meet every need.
 
Just before we left I pronounced a blessing over the people of Afikpo.  With each declaration came the thundering reply “AMEN!”  They have received the full benefits of the Gospel: Salvation, healing, deliverance, peace and blessing.  The city we are leaving now is not the same one we found when we arrived five days ago – all glory to God!
 

Evangelists Daniel Kolenda, Reinhard Bonnke,
and the whole CfaN Team.

Dominion over darkness in Afikpo

A City on a Hill – Afikpo, Nigeria

The large town of Afikpo in Nigeria is a place not frequented by many and is not on any major travel routes. During the month of October, however, it was a centre of spiritual activity for hundreds of thousands as the CfaN team led by Evangelists Reinhard Bonnke and Daniel Kolenda made it the target for a Great Gospel Campaign.

The whole area around the town has a reputation as a hotbed of ancestor worship and idolatry, and has been known for decades as a place under the influence of widespread animistic practices. Reports reached the CfaN team that in the build-up to the gospel campaign, animist leaders and elders called their young people together and gave instructions that “Bonnke and his team must be stopped and chased out of town”. Christian leaders triumphantly gave the news that the animists' young people had responded by saying  that the elders and their religion had been around for centuries but no blessings had resulted for the people, that now the CfaN team was coming to bless them and that they would “chase nobody’”. This was a clear indication of what would happen in the ensuing meetings.

 In his welcome address to the CfaN team, the campaign chairman gave an impassioned account of the area’s recent dark history and called out for the hand of the Lord to intervene on behalf of the people. Here is an excerpt from that speech, a true modern-day Macedonian call for help.

“Our old men spend their days in vanities while our youths languish in shame. We have won several awards but mostly in those things that cause shame. Servants now rule over us.

“Our women are ravished before our very eyes and our old men are not honoured. Our children die in their youth and our mothers are left without care in their old age. All these things and more have come upon us and we know why it is so.

“Although shrouded in myths and legends, the history of Afikpo indicates that It is under some heavy unbroken generational curses which came upon It due to some acts of wickedness against strangers and the innocents in olden times.

“Our strange addictive beliefs led our forebears into such barbaric acts as killing twins and banishing their mother, burying ‘criminals’ alive (burning them alive in recent times) and shedding much blood in the land, even of ministers.

“We have an organised system that opposes the light and resists righteousness, especially when it has to do with the gospel – a situation which has made the church sustain so many setbacks in her effort to reach the people.”

It was in answer to this call that the Great Gospel Campaign began.

As Daniel Kolenda preached the gospel and restitution, people responded to the salvation appeal in their thousands and many brought their witchcraft items forward to be burned. Each night two large steel drums were filled to overflowing with fetishes and each night the crowd danced and rejoiced as they were set alight and burned. In addition, many people, after having repented and given their lives to Jesus Christ, returned stolen goods to their former owners and many others, who could not do this, brought the stolen items to the campaign ground and handed them over as a sign of their repentance and a gesture of restitution. There was great rejoicing as the crowd witnessed these graphic demonstrations of the Lord’s saving power and the defeat of the powers of darkness.

As always, the evangelist prayed for the sick after completing the call to salvation, and people streamed forward to testify to the Lord’s healing power in their bodies.

A woman, who had been blind for years, demonstrated her new sight with great joy.

Pastors and church workers poured on to the field where the Fire Conference was held each morning, filling all the seats by 6.30 am in anticipation of the ministry and outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

By the end of the week, a crowd of over 200,000 people streamed to the campaign ground to hear the gospel message and there was widespread rejoicing over the tens of thousands who had been saved and set free from the bondage of idolatry.

Truly, this spiritually dark place had become a beacon of light, like “a city on a hill” beaming out the light of the saving grace of Jesus.

Dear Mission Partners!

Praise God for another mighty victory for his Kingdom and stunning defeat for the kingdom of darkness! Afikpo was a Nigerian city steeped in witchcraft and ancient superstitions but – hallelujah! – we hit that serpent on the head! The people lived in fear and bondage to demonic principalities that had gone unchallenged for generations, but during the campaign they were confronted by a force more powerful than any curse – the power of the gospel.

Evangelist Daniel Kolenda and I preached clear gospel messages and then invited the people to call upon the only name under heaven by which people can be saved … the name of Jesus! In that idolatrous land, we saw many people bringing their idols, charms, and witchcraft fetishes to be burned just like in the days of Paul (Acts 19:19). By the hundreds of thousands, they surrendered their lives to Jesus. I am sure that all heaven took notice of what happened in Afikpo.

Establishing the Kingdom of God
While the enduring impact of the campaign on the region and the collateral damage to the kingdom of darkness are incalculable, our African campaign director has informed us that 412,640 people responded to the gospel, received Jesus as their Saviour, and completed a decision card. Praise the Lord!

Going out to the highways and byways
During one of the evening meetings, our campaign director leaned over to me and said, “This is real Africa.” He recounted how one African evangelist came here recently but turned around and left when he saw the living conditions. Afikpo is as rugged and wild as it comes. Everything is raw and organic – including the incredible power of God demonstrated in the meetings. Thank you for enabling us to go – I cannot imagine the consequence for 412,640 people and the entire Kingdom of God if we had not.

Thank you to everyone who prayed and contributed financially to the success of this Great Gospel Campaign. It was worth the effort and the great harvest will be seen in eternity!

Yours in his love and service

Evangelists Reinhard Bonnke and Daniel Kolenda