The Decision Card Count is in! – Freetown, Sierra Leon

Dear Mission – Partners,

We have just returned to the hotel from the last meeting of this glorious Gospel Crusade in Ikot Ekpene/Nigeria. Tonight 400,000 people attended the service. Although it rained in the meeting, Evangelist Kolenda again preached the Word of God with powerful results.

The older I get the greater the wonder and blessings of our salvation become to me. When Jesus told Mary and Joseph, “I must be about my Father’s business” (Lk 2:49 NKJV), he was talking about the business of salvation. It was the Father’s business for the Son to be born and for salvation to be his immediate and direct business. He came to earth to be our Savior. He was the Word that spoke at Creation, but for salvation the Word came personally to us. His coming was life-long, a sustained sacrifice climaxing in the most horrible death. That was love in its most ultimate form. This Jesus is among us by the Holy Spirit.

Dear Mission – Partners,

Today the crowd reached the mark of 300,000 people – so many! I wished you could have been here in person. It’s not really the number that thrills us so much, but what God is doing on such a great scale! It is mind-boggling. Again the Gospel was declared with authority. Tonight’s theme was RESTITUTION, a powerful and necessary truth. The Holy Spirit moved in and touched every heart.

You know, the message is not measured by the messenger. Its wisdom is not the wisdom of the person who brings it; it is the wisdom of God. We may go about the task in fear and trembling like Paul in Corinth, but the Word is a hammer that shatters the rock. Jesus quoted Psalm 8:2: “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise.” Whoever hears the Word of God and speaks it is a bastion of the truth. Moses was not convinced that the Israelites would listen to his word, let alone do what he said, but in the end even the mighty Red Sea reacted to his voice and the waters fled when he spoke with God’s authority. The Gospel has the same word-quality, glory to God.

We have just returned from another wonderful crusade tonight. The response of the people was overwhelming and full of faith. What a privilege it is to preach the Gospel to such hungry people. Below is Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke’s report from tonight…

Dear Mission – Partners,

Although it was a very rainy day today (I’ve never seen such horrendous downpours), in the evening the crowd jumped to 250,000. The Word of God was powerfully and clearly proclaimed – with innumerable salvations. What an honor to preach to such a vast and open-hearted congregation. Next Jesus stepped in as the Healer of the sick, releasing each time mighty salvoes of joy from the crowd. The blind saw and the cripples walked just as in the days of the New Testament.

We have just returned from the second evening of services here in Ikot Ekpene. As we drove to the crusade ground we could see that it would be a challenging night…the rain was falling and the people were huddling together wherever they could find shelter. When we arrived the crowd was quite disappointingly small. Yet we pressed on. When I took the microphone, I was determined to preach as though there were a million people there. Half way into my message the field was quite full and thousands of people continued streaming in throughout. In the end there was a glorious harvest and I am sure that the Gospel message landed in the hearts of the people who received it with great joy!

Dear CfaN – Partners,

The first crusade-meeting today drew 125,000 people – and it was an excellent start. I preached my heart out – and the Lord gave a mighty harvest of souls, as well as glorious healing-miracles….like the 12 year old boy who couldn’t speak from birth. When he repeated every word loud and clear, the crowd went wild (please see picture). What a mighty God we serve. Tonight was a night of truly great deliverance from sin and Satan. Salvation flowed like a river when repentant souls called on the name of the Lord Jesus. It touched us deeply.

I just received this message by email from my good friend, Pastor Russell Benson who pastors our Covenant Community Fellowship church in Indiana. It is about the elections yesterday and I thought it worth posting. Our hope is in the Lord

(By Pastor Russell Benson)

As I write this, Sen. Barack Obama is being declared the winner of the 2008 U.S. presidential election. We have heard that this was the most historic and important presidential election of our time. Whether it was the most important election or not, one thing is for sure, it certainly will have a profound effect on the future of our nation!

Today we arrived in Ikot Ekpene, Nigeria and I am SO happy to have internet access this time! It was a long day that began a 4 am and just finished at 10 pm! It included a procession into the city, courtesy calls on three government officials (including the governor and the King) and a pastors banquet. We are now settled in and ready in our spirits for the kick off tomorrow evening! Please continue to remember us in your prayers.

Below is Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke’s report from today along with some pictures that he sent out a few minutes ago. You will notice that the last picture is of the crowds teaming around our vehicle as it drove into the city. I have included a video of the crazy view from INSIDE the vehicle:-)