Tshela

City statistics-
Tshela has a total population of 27,600 including the surrounding villages.
Set in the Mayombe forest the Bayombe people are mainly agrarian people.
Caring for rubber plantations, pineapple farms and a huge palm oil industry.
Driving along the road it's not uncommon to see hunters with huge rifles slung over their shoulders, making a living and feeding their families from wild animals in the forest. Tshela is also the birth place of the countries first president Joseph Kasa-Vubu. This was the very first time an evangelistic campaign had ever been held in the town; almost 2/3 of the city came to the city stadium over the 6 days of the crusade. The meetings were broadcast live over the local radio station reaching into the surrounding villages. On the road to Tshela we were met by a whole village who had been listing to us on the radio. They were overjoyed to see us and brought us gifts of peanuts and fruit. We were able to pray with them and left some literature.

Healing School
When we see so much suffering and sickness and that many of the people can not afford medical treatment. We were moved to teach on Healing.
Each afternoon before the Crusade began Jacques and Pastor Safari spent time teaching on how to receive a miracle, and faith building messages. These teachings also went out live on the radio. After the teaching, all of the sick received prayer by the laying on of hands.

Youth Service
On Saturday afternoon Jacques Venter did a special youth service. Several of our technical team shared short testimonies. It was well received; many exclaimed this is what we need.

One thing good about God
Each day Charlene Harris took time to speak to the children telling them just one good thing about God. I wish you could have seen their faces when she told them God can never lie. These truths will be burned into them forever.

Ongoing Work
Charlene Harris has 6of the ISOM DVD Bible schools that she will be establishing in 6 of the cities we visited. People are very excited and eagerly awaiting for these.

Lives Changed
Mr John Morrris Mutembo known as 'Mr Check' came to the Stadium the first night totally drunk. We later learned he had been an alcoholic for close to 20 Years. John had worked for one of the oil componies in 1999 where he received an injection, some how this became infected and a painfull lump the size of a tennis ball troubled him year after year. Friends advised him that if he covered it with black shoe polish it would get better. Things only got worse. He had to undergo surgery to have it removed but the open wound never healed there was always a discharge from the wound. Well after prayer this wound dried up! This was an amazing miracle for him but not the greatest.
On the second night of the crusade John was born again, the Lord touched him in a powerful way. The desire for alcohol left him and he was able to go an entire week without touching a single drop, or with out any craving for it. His dear wife Jan Marie was so happy the Lord had intervened. The Lord had delivered John and put the family back together.

Totally blind for 2 years.
Mrs Elena Lay sat in her home close to the Gospel Crusade - As she stood at her open window listening to every word of the message faith arose. The next day she told a little girl that Jesus saw Zacchaeus in the tree perhaps he would see her as well, Elena instructed the little girl to take her quickly. After Prayer for the sick The Lord opened her eyes, she began seeing just outlines at first then it got clearer and clearer until she saw the children running around. Elena's healing was so complete that she began weaving mats and baskets again. On the last day it was very touching when she brought me a mat and basket as a gift.