August 11, 2008

 We loaded the passenger bus in Kigali, headed for Kamembe/Ruzizi District (ex Cyangugu), Rwanda at around 11:30 AM – Pastor Safari, Danny Walters and Pastor Leonard.  As we looked around we saw that Apostle's father – Andre Kajabika – was already on board.  Soon Bishop Mukwiza and Isaiah Misariro, pastor of a Four Square Church in Kigali, but from Mulenge (a translator) joined the 23 of us already boarded on the small bus.  So, we were off on the 4 hour ride, heading in a southwest direction to the Rwanda/DR Congo boarder.

 This was Glory Day (Ex: Monday), the 11th, and we were scheduled to return to Kigali the following Glory Day, the 18th.

 It was a very scenic, very beautiful drive, including a passage through the Nyungwe forest (which is among Rwanda's National Parks); a very lush section of the drive that Rwanda has preserved.  We saw several groups of monkeys during that section of the drive.

 We eventually arrived at Kamembe/Ruzizi District, pulling into the Ste François D'acisse (a Catholic-run hotel) where we were going to be staying for the night.  We had very nice rooms with mosquito nets over our beds and our own bathrooms.  We went across the street for tea while we waited for Apostle Paul and some others to arrive with equipment for the conference.  Then we had dinner at our hotel at 7:00 PM where we learned that we were to leave the hotel at 7:00 in the morning to begin the process of leaving Rwanda and entering DR Congo, and then getting transportation to take the 1.5 hour drive to the airstrip, for our 11:00 AM flight.

 The next morning we met at the dining hall of the hotel at 6:30 or so for tea/coffee, bread and omelettes.  At just after 7:00 AM we began to gather our things for the luggage transport.  There is a lot of gear now because Allain and Patrick (audio and video engineers) brought their equipment, plus two very large boxes that contained the battery operated megaphone speakers that were to be used at the conference, and some things that were being brought for our stay in Mulenge, like food, water, etc.

 The hotel we stayed at was right across the street from the border crossing.  All that was between us and DR Congo was a river.  Ruzizi is a very long river that runs from Lake Kivu all the way to Lake Tanganyika, which they call the big lake.  We were at the South end of Lake Kivu, which extends from Gisenyi/Goma in the North to Cyangugu/Bukavu in the South.  They say Lake Kivu is the size of Lake Michigan in the states so Lake Tanganyika must be a very large lake.

 August 12, 2008

 We walked over to the Rwanda exit and filled out our paperwork for leaving the country and stood in line to be processed.  After a little while we learned that there was some sort of issue with the private aircraft that we had hired to take us from Bukavu to Minembwe/Mulenge, and Apostle Paul and Ephraim were working to understand the details.  We were now all assembled and our group consisted of Apostle Paul and his dad, Pastor Leonard from Zion in Atlanta, USA, Bishop Mukwiza from Zion in London (Apostle's brother in law), Pastor Isaiah Misariro of a Four Square assembly in Kigali, Pastor Safari Theodore of Zion Temple Kigali, Ephraim Rugazura – a Zion coordinator, Professor Daniel Ruturwa from Zion Kigali, Patrick and Allain from Zion Kigali, Apostle Kolbeinn and Ella Sigurdsson from Iceland, and Danny Walters from Colorado, USA.

After a couple hours it was time to cross so we walked across the bridge to the other side and began walking up a road in DR Congo to the border entry for that country.  Immediately there was a change in atmosphere and environment.  It was a bit eerie at first.  Many, many people around – some walking toward the border or away from the border, and some sitting on the side of the road.  Many, many money exchangers set up with little counters, or not, with what looked like millions in currency.

 We came to the entry point and began to work our way through that process.  It took quite a while but then we were done and transport was arranged to take us into the city-proper.  It cost hundreds of dollars in payoffs for 7-day visas to get us through the border processing, due to claims being made that some of the international travelers didn't have their shot records, among other erroneous things.  It was clear that if we had satisfied those accusations they would have been angry and come up with other reasons that we would have to overcome.  So, you just pay.

 We were taken to Zion Temple in Bukavu while they worked out the air travel issues while air travel issues were sorted out.  It was phenomenal to walk into this building that was under construction, and hear them praying and singing in intercessory prayer.  The building is 4 or 5 stories tall and as mentioned, still under construction.  There is a roof on the block-walled building, but the floor is still dirt on the bottom level, and just planks on the other levels, except the entry level which is concrete.  The bottom level is where service takes place and where prayer was being conducted. 

 We went down and met the group in intercession and Apostle shared a few words.  The pastor arrived and things began to happen.  It turns out that our chartered plane had suffered some sort of engine trouble and had flown to Nairobi for repair.  This was Blessing Day (Ex:Tuesday) morning and we were told that he wouldn't have the plane repaired until Covenant Day(Ex: Saturday).  The conference was supposed to end Transfiguration Day (Ex: Sunday) so that was not going to work.  They continued to work to get to the bottom of things while we prayed.

 After an hour or so we were all gathered up and taken to a restaurant for some lunch.  The options available to us were explored, including driving the 206 kilometers which is a minimum 12 hour ride, and may take as long as 20 hours.  Those who were more informed about that trek recommended that we not choose that option, since the road is very unreliable and we could at some point get stranded.  So, the church in Gisenyi was tasked to come up with other options for us out of Goma, and Brother Martin who is in charge of logistics at Zion Bukavu church went into action to secure rooms for us to stay the night.

  We were checked in and then late in the evening Apostle came back by to look in on us and said that there was a plane available for us the following morning out of Goma.  The only issue is that they were not sure if the available pilot was familiar with the area of Minembwe/Mulenge.  Flying through those mountains is not something for those who are not familiar and trained, to attempt.  At any rate, we would not know the answer to that question until morning.

 Our hotel was a surprise after driving around Bukavu.  Outside the wall the street was typical ungraded dirt, lined with dirty walls.  But inside the wall it was like an oasis.  It was actually a converted house, with three bedrooms which share one large, nice, bathroom.  The restaurant was quite nice with seating inside, in what was probably the living room and dining rooms, and then seating outside (the front door) on a very nice covered patio, with two fireplaces cattycorner to one another – very nice ambience.

 The food was included in the room rate and was very good, and wonderfully presented.  The service was the best I've had in Africa – very attentive and responsive.  After a day of praying and waiting it was a very nice place to rest and refresh.

 The rest of our group came out after a while and then we got word that a Burundian pilot, Mr. Leonard – trained in Lyon- France – had been found there in Goma and was trained to fly over mountains and would be able to make the flight from Goma to Minembwe easily.  He would fly down from Goma to the strip of Kavumu Airport located at 30 kilometers outside Bukavu for take-off at 2:00 PM.  So we loaded up and met the rest of the group at a guest house Zion has in Bukavu that overlooks Lake Kivu.  Some had stayed there overnight and others elsewhere.  Another team member was added; Alexis who is a soldier in the DRC.  It was thought that we may encounter some resistance at the airstrip since it is actually a home of the UN, and Alexis' military position may come in handy while in Congo.

 August 13, 2008

 We hired a couple of drivers to take us out to the strip.  It was a very slow and bumpy ride but we arrived at Kavumu Airport right at 2:00 PM.  The plane was already there sitting on the runway – a 14 passenger Russian-made plane – 9Q-CUB.  We got out of the vehicles and entered the shack to show our passports and get clearance to depart.

 At first everything seemed routine.  But then all of sudden there was a commotion and another man walked in and out of the shack and stomped off.  Everything was now halted.  The story was that he wanted an official document describing our mission and noting all the participants, since there were so many from other countries.

 It was a ridiculous request.  We all had our visas which should grant us access to travel inside DR Congo but they were being impossible.  Hours passed, and we knew this was not good for the pilot who had rearranged his schedule to accommodate us, and this delay was obviously costing him money.  Alexis was not able to help because the officers holding us back were police, and not soldiers.

 Negotiations went on and on.  There was talk of money, in fact there were all kinds of talk, in 3 different languages (Swahili, French, and Lingala), but we were not going to be allowed to fly to the home village of most of our group, even after obtaining visas.

 Then all of a sudden we were told to walk out onto the tarmac and board the plane.  Most of us had boarded but Apostle was not with us.  We looked out the window and noticed that he was still at the shack.  The pilot was beginning to get anxious.  He came aboard from the passenger entrance and greeted us very courteously, and then informed us that as the clock ticked, the door of our opportunity to take off for Mulenge was closing.  He said that in 30 minutes he would not be able to take off in time to get us to Mulenge and himself back to Goma. 

 Thirty minutes later he came aboard and said that in another thirty minutes there would not be enough daylight remaining to take us to Mulenge and get him back to Bukavu.  Thirty minutes later he came back aboard and told us that he was soon taking off for Goma and would see, assuming we eventually get clearance to fly to Mulenge, if he could fit us into his already full schedule for the next day.

 Then there was a mad dash to see if the officers would release us to go to Goma, where we were sure we would be released to continue our journey.  After 15 minutes we got word we were released to go to Goma.  Finally, after 3 hours of negotiating we were leaving Bukavu – going in the wrong direction – but we knew in the Spirit it was right.

 Arriving at Goma felt so good.  We were met by leadership of Zion Temple in Gisenyi and taxied off to Le Nyira Hotel.  The streets were amazingly bad, gray and dirty.  Just across the wall was Gisenyi in Rwanda, a landscape that we knew to be completely different.  We arrived at our hotel and again, just inside the wall was a lush garden of plants, trees and grass.  We checked into our rooms, which were old but nice, each with its own bathroom.

 After getting settled we sat with Apostle's Father for dinner.  We hadn't eaten since breakfast and it was now around 6:30 PM.

 Apostle went out to the patio outside the lobby/dining area, and people started showing up to meet with him.  He was beginning to gather and tell about the issue and create a strategy for our release.  He was meeting with about 8 people, 5 of whom were military.  Alexis was with them, along with Ephraim.

 The next morning we discovered that Apostle Paul had been meeting with high ranking Congolese military officials who were from the area of Mulenge!  That night they developed a strategy and began working it out.

 August 14, 2008

 The next morning all issues had been cleared for travel, and the same pilot from the day before was scheduled to take us to Mulenge at 11:00 AM.

 We had started out on Blessing day (Ex: Tuesday) to get to Mulenge, and now it was Silence Day morning (Thursday), but we were excited to be on our way.  It was only a 50 minute flight.  We would be there by noon.

 Everything did go smoothly.  Everything was seemingly lining up.  We were on our way, flying back south over Lake Kivu and then into the mountains.  The flight was quick and our spirits were high.  As we approached Mulenge those who knew, pointed it out.  And then we were on approach to the landing strip and all of a sudden the pilot made a hard banking turn to the left and was circling the strip to come in at it from the other direction.  We came down quickly and we were there.  As we were taxiing to a stop we looked out at all the people and snapped some photos.  It was amazing – they had had no word from us, and we were two days late and there were still many, many people there on the top of the hill in the middle of nowhere to greet us.

 We disembarked the plane and were met by hundreds of people, in their best.  Most of the men had round-top felt hats on.  There were so many hugs.  Apostle Paul and his father were swarmed.  It was an amazing sight.

 Eventually everyone was gathered together and Apostle was called upon to address the crowd.  He spoke for a few minutes and then we were whisked off across the field to a compound of a few huts several hundred yards away.  It was Apostle's cousin's house, and we were seated inside and visitors came by for greetings, hugs, and photos.  After an hour or so a Jeep Waggoner arrived to take a number of us off to where we were staying.  It had to make several trips to get us all there.  It was only about 10 minutes away across hills without paths at times.

 We arrived at a compound with an L shaped house.  It was like two houses butted together.  Each had a sitting room and multiple bedrooms, and a bathing area.  The sitting room was good size with two small sofas, some chairs and a coffee table.  The bedrooms were just a bit bigger than the bed, with no room to walk around in them.  Basically you open the door and fall into bed.  But it was probably the only house in the village with bedrooms.

 After getting settled in and having some tea we walked a couple hundred yards to the top of the hill to address all those who had now been waiting for us since Blessing Day including Apostle Paul's brothers, Ruben Kajabika (the Bishop of Zion Temple Burundi) and Pastor Azarias Hakizimana from Zion Temple Kigali, along with the Rutonda assistant pastor from Zion Burundi, Butoto Nahum and Nana, his wife from Bujumbura, Burundi.  Now the delegation was complete and the atmosphere was thick with anticipation.  A crowd had assembled and we heard one estimate that there were between three and four thousand that first afternoon (the next day the numbers had increased dramatically). 

 Apostle Paul spoke about how the Conference came about. The Lord had begun to speak into him from the passage in Galatians chapter 2, regarding the return of the Apostle Paul of the Bible, to Jerusalem:

1. Apostle Paul had received revelation about the situation back home (in Jerusalem) and like Nehemiah, was called to returned to rebuild the walls;
2. Like the apostle Paul of the Bible, Apostle had heard about the trials and tribulations the saints had gone through, and were being sent to comfort them;
3. Like the apostle Paul, he was returning home after 14 years, to testify about the grace that was given him;
4. And the Lord added the time when Mary and Joseph also returned to Jerusalem, looking for Jesus. They couldn't find him anywhere until finally they looked in the Temple.  Apostle Paul was called to return to Mulenge to challenge them to return to the Lord Jesus who is not found in denominations, but in His holy Temple, which is His body, the Church!

 It was a very intimate opening as Apostle's heart was knitted to theirs.  Their son had come home, having gone out from them and traveled far, establishing the ministry the Lord had given him in a dozen nations on several continents, and had come home as a prophet sent by the Lord to restore what had been lost in the land where he had his beginning.

 After the service we walked back down the path to the houses and noticed something unexpected – light in the sitting area!  Both houses had a solar panel that during the day charged a large truck battery.  And the battery powered a taillight bulb from a car dangling from two wires in the ceiling.  So we had a 12v bulb in the ceiling of the sitting room of each dwelling – very nice!

 We had a nice time of visiting, eating, singing, and then finally planning the agenda of the next day. Around 10:00 or so, a few of us straggled off to bed while the rest continued to enjoy the atmosphere.

 August 15, 2008

 In the morning our hosts brought in very warm water to the bathing stall for us to wash ourselves, as they continued to do each morning.  We would cycle in and out in turns.  Then tea would be brought in with powdered milk and sugar and Nescafe and Ovalteen, and sometimes bread and omelettes. 

 Around 9:00 AM we would walk up the hill to the meeting area and join the crowd for singing, led by the Runundu-Swedish Pentecostal Choir of young people, who were very, very good.  Then the leadership would continue to prepare our hearts, leading in some scripture meditation and prayer, and then more singing, and then the choir would lead some more, and then introductions would be made and the Word of the Lord would begin to be imparted by the scheduled ministers for an hour or so, and then Apostle would share for several hours.  Then, around 3:00 in the afternoon workshops were held for Pastors/Leaders, Women, and Youth.  They were held simultaneously with programs that included facilitators leading in song and scripture meditation, and generally had several speakers lined up to share.  They were finished sometime between 5:30 and 6:00 as darkness was upon us by about 6:15.

 So, on this day, Victory Day (Ex: Friday), Apostle Paul delivered a powerful prophetic message announcing a season of new beginnings for Mulenge in which they will experience resurrection power characterized by all eight resurrections in the Bible:

1. Elijah raising the widow's boy (1 Kings 17:17-24): the stronghold of sexual immorality was exposed,  the need for repentance was prescribed to uproot that spirit, so that the people can bring their hearts back to God;
2. Elisha raising the boy of the Shunamite (2 Kings 4:32-37): an invitation for intimacy with the Lord was extended to all to allow for the restoration and the impartation of dormant spiritual gifts;
3. Elisha bones raising a dead man to life (2 Kings 13:20-21): Out of the ashes of martyrs in Mulenge, God is raising a new generation of Authentic Christians caring only for the Word of God, hating sin, and dwelling together in unity;
4. Resurrection of the boy at Nain (Luke 7:11-12): First-born people who are pioneers and responsible in all things are lacking, but God is going to raise them up;
5. Resurrection of the daughter of Jairus (Luke 8:40-42, 49-56): God is going to raise priests committed to live holy lives and righteous political leaders committed to keep the land;
6. Resurrection of Lazarus (John 11:39-44): Restoration of Zaddock ministries, ministries of people who remained faithful. God is going to remember them;
7. Resurrection of Dorcas: restoration of those with good works (Acts 9:36-43)
8. Resurrection of Eutychus, the lukewarm Christian (Acts 20:7-12)

 It was amazing how God orchestrated each day's ministry.  There were four strongholds that the Lord had impressed upon us to confront:

Ø  death,

Ø  witchcraft,

Ø  hatred,

Ø  and adultery.

 By the time the plane had landed in Mulenge on our arrival, the first two had been defeated.

 Of course the issues are more complicated than this brief report but there have been many wars that have taken the lives of many men in the region.  As we were praying in route to Mulenge the Lord revealed the spirit of death had fled the region. 

 And as we were on approach to land at the airstrip in Minembwe/Mulenge, you remember that the pilot took a sharp turn and came into land from the other end of the "runway".  Apostle Paul had seen in the Spirit that witches had been praying to their god and had established a spot of trouble on the airstrip at the usual place of landing.  The Lord had caused the pilot to decide to approach the strip from the other end, avoiding that spot.  Our prayers had been heard and the Lord had confounded the plans of the enemy, and that stronghold had been defeated and had fled the region as well.

 In fact, during one of Apostle's messages he spoke directly to those responsible for the witchcraft, saying, "You know what I am talking about.  I know you are here, and you know that your plans were foiled and your power has been made impotent".

 And here, on this first day, right out of the gate the Word of the Lord came against the stronghold of hatred, which had its root in the disunity of the Body of Christ in Mulenge.  The Word of the Lord was identifying the root; factions caused by inordinate loyalty to doctrines of the minds of men, called denominations.  Division had come to the Body, separating the Body into bodies of belief systems, destroying the unity, love, power – the very life of the Body of Christ.

 The agenda for the next day was created very late in the evening each night. Every workshop group wanted to hear from Apostle Paul so an attempt was made to schedule him for a short time at each session, each day.  But the Spirit would often modify that schedule.  The first meeting with the Pastors and Leaders was supposed to be the Apostle for an hour but the Lord led the Apostle into an illuminating history of the origin of denominations.  There were some very poignant moments, like when he read a letter from his father in the late '40s, accepting the agreement offered by the Swedish Protestants to be recognized by them as a minister of their denomination.  He had to take a vow of poverty, expecting no remuneration from them for his service, and further accepting no support from those he ministered to in Mulenge.  The Spirit spoke through Apostle for 2 ½ hours and it was a very weighty moment, as the Spirit moved upon the minds of His appointed regarding the schemes of His enemy, and theirs, and continued to speak into them as they departed from that meeting.

 And then as he did every evening, the Apostle met with a select group of Pastors and Leaders afterward for several more hours.  I remember on Covenant Day (Ex: Saturday) evening we turned in around 10:00 PM and he still was not back from that meeting – God was moving.  

 August 16, 2008

 On Covenant Day morning Danny Walters had a chance to share to a crowd of more than 10,000.  His topic was: "Who is going to Define Your Reality".  He started off with examples of David being commanded to rule over God's people when he was but a youth out of 1 Sam. 13:14, and then the story of Elisha and the ruler who didn't believe the Lord's word that flour and Barley would be sold for a penny the following day, then Acts 18:10 where God tells Paul, when Paul first arrived in Corinth, not to fear because He had many children there.  He then spoke about the Corinthians, how they were not just a body of Corinthians, but a Body of Christ, and how Paul chastised them for creating factions of Paul, Apollos, and Peter.  He then began to emphasize what it means to be of the Body of Christ, that the purpose of the body is to give expression and animation to the life within.  That if we are of Christ then the nature of Christ should reign in our mortal bodies, that "as He is, so are we in this world".  He concluded by speaking to 1 John 3:2 which talks about what we shall be when Christ appears in us, and then verses 4 & 8 where the Word states that Christ's appearing in us, His manifesting in us is destroying, or loosing us from the works of the devil.  And finally that our purpose as the church is to manifest to the principalities and powers the manifold wisdom of God, which has been hidden from the foundation of the world (Eph. 3:9-11); that He was the lamb slain before the foundation of the world, and that as well, we were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world.  That we are to be that manifestation of the wisdom of God – Christ in us – a new race of humanity, born after His likeness.  That's who we are: "Christ, the wisdom of God and the power of God"!

 After that, Apostle began to declare the vision the Lord had given him regarding the Mulenge area.  Then all of sudden the Spirit led him to conduct an anointing ceremony of a team of six delegates who will be responsible to bring transformation to Mulenge. They were anointed to take possession of the land and keep it, to have the Spirit of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding such as Bezalel and Oholiab had (Ex. 36:2).  Their names are: Daniel Ruturwa, Isaiah Misariro, Azarias Hakizimana, Ephraim Rugazura, Leonard Mana, and Nahum Butoto  

 Afterward Apostle shared a very powerful word and then the Spirit led in a move of healing for people.

 Covenant Day afternoon Kolbeinn and Apostle Paul spoke to many hundreds of youth.  We were inside Runundu Pentecostal Sanctuary with the Pastors and Leaders, about 40 yards uphill from where they were meeting outside with the youth, just down the hill from our general meeting area, and every few minutes we would hear sounds and applause of celebration.  

 Hundreds and hundreds of Pastors and Leaders had gathered for the session again on this day.  Danny spoke first and then Apostle's father gave an incredibly poignant and touching message about the shepherd's heart, and their responsibility as God's representatives in communicating His life. This moment stood as one of historic spiritual breakthrough, since the man through whom God began His move in Minembwe/Mulenge was sent back to give this address after 28 years of division among denominations in the region. 

 Communicated by the Spirit was a theme woven into many messages to the general population, to the women as a group, and to the youth, regarding the accepted cultural practice impressed upon this impoverished society by the enemy to force young girls, as young as 14 years old into marriage.  The culture was for men to give cows as a dowry to the woman's father for the right to marry his daughter.  One man told me he gave 14 cows to the father of his bride.  However, the spirit of poverty has introduced a scheme which the church had not risen against because it was associated with marriage.  Due to the economic situation it had become an accepted practice to coerce or force if necessary, 14 year-old girls to marry 18 to 20 year old men to satisfy the need for marriage while obviating the dowry requirement.

 This scheme had far-reaching tentacles as the spirit over this stronghold of adultery and sexual immorality partnered with the spirit of death, and drew the young widows – made so by the wars – into this scheme of sexual violence.  Young widows, sometimes very young would be assumed by family members or fellow soldiers of their deceased husbands into their family as wives. 

 And then there are widows who are pressured into sexual immorality for survival in a society where they are not cared for as the Bible decrees, but cared for only as they succumb to the schemes of the enemy.  Such hurt and guilt and bitterness being seeded into the hearts of God's children…

 August 17, 2008

 On Transfiguration Day (Ex: Sunday) morning Pastor Leonard had a powerful message on Gen. 50:20, comparing the story of Joseph to that of the people of Mulenge, about how God meant for good the evil that Joseph own brothers committed against him. God meant it for good not only for Joseph, but for the entire nation of Israel.  As someone who was born and grew up in Rwanda, he was addressing descendants of those who had left Rwanda 400 years before, not necessarily on their own terms. Also, more recently, disputes between both nations did not always get resolved in a peaceful manner, which may have resulted in situations that needed healing. Pastor Leonard took ownership of the wrong that his ancestors and nation were responsible for and publicly asked for forgiveness.  This message of repentance to this people was very moving.  As he wept, the mass of peoples present shouted in agreement their forgiveness.  Rev.Pastor Amedée Kamburishi who was moderating the assembly that day accepted Pastor Leonard's repentance and received his offering, as Leonard took off his watch and gave it to Reverend Amedée as a symbolic act of reconciliation.

 The sharing of Pastor Leonard became an introduction to the message of the day by the Apostle, who addressed the assembly to repent and dedicate the land into God's hand. The brokenness was so evident that old and young people all responded by falling flat on their faces crying out to God for pardon and refreshment for about half an hour.

 You would think that would be a hard thing to follow, but the Holy Spirit was the One orchestrating things.

This Transfiguration day was declared a fasting day according to Joel 1:13-14, and each participant was also requested to bring a handful quantity of soil to be used for land deliverance and dedication.

 Following this time of repentance Apostle Paul went right into a prophetic act which consisted of:

·         Calling the entire delegation, 3 local Pastors representing Mulenge Christian denominations network; 1 Local government official; 1military commander of the area; 2 youths - boy and girl (16 to 18 years); and 1 lady to come to the front.

·         Distributing to them the soil; the bread and wine respectively representing the body and the blood of Christ.

• Asking each of them to mix the above three elements so as to give the way to: "the blood of Jesus Christ that speaks better things" to cleanse the Mulenge land from all curses caused by fratricide killings and the shed blood of martyrs.
• Finally, the assembly in one voice spontaneously declared the land of Mulenge delivered and dedicated back to God.

 All of a sudden, the glory of God became so evident as the Spirit moved upon the people through an old hymn in Swahili:

"Msaidizi yupo, Msaidizi yupo

Comforter has come; Comforter has come"

Ni Roho wake mwema aliyetumwa kwetu;

His wonderful Spirit He has sent to us

Ahadi yake nzuri imetimiya kwetu,

His promise to us is fulfilled

Musadizi yupo".

Anatufunilya habari za maneno yatakayo tokeya

To us he has revealed the secret of the future…

kwa mwisho wa dunia….

And the end time events

 As the singing was going on; the effusion of the Holy Spirit overtook the gathering which broke into speaking in tongues. Then Apostle Paul was led to coordinate the conversation in tongues by the renowned prophets of the area. This visitation lingered for 25 minutes, a moment during which three things happened:

1. Spiritual renewal;
2. Discern the spirit of the prophets;
3. Building a prophetic office.

In fact, this moment seemed heading us to the climax of the conference.

 Also by revelation, Apostle Paul discerned that there were ancient divine Scripts (Amandiko) which had not been interpreted to date and were to be decoded during such a moment of spiritual renewal like this. He then asked the bearers to bring them to the front.  From different directions, people ran unreservedly and excitedly with papers which started piling up on the pulpit.  Apostle mentioned that if they attained the number 40, it would mean the end of spiritual wilderness over the land.  And that number of scripts did come in!

 When decoded by Apostle, the divine scripts contained many secrets but Apostle was divinely instructed to only reveal five majors things to the assembly:

1. That a famous President from a great nation would one day visit Mulenge;
2. That there would be a young person from the area that would come up with a world famous invention.
3. That there would be a great non-denominational Church building erected in Minembwe/Mulenge;
4. That there would be a major shoe factory;
5. And that there would be a precious stone discovered in Mulenge that is unique, and found nowhere else in the world.

 During the service we learned that the hosts had decided to number the saints in attendance.  There was a huge basket of beans that was hauled in and portions were divvied up into the hats of the protocol attendants.  They walked among the assembled saints and had each one take a bean out of the first hat and put it into the second hat.  Once all the beans in the first hat had been transferred to the second hat, the second hat was taken back and counted.

 We heard at the end of the service that they counted 10,200 beans coming back in the second hats, but that there were many that would not participate, so the estimated count was much higher.

 The entire six hour service was very moving and the hearts of people had been forever impacted.  A promise was made that these sons of the land would be back, that this is the beginning of a move of God in this people, and this land.

 Good-byes were difficult as we had grown close to a number of people.  We were able to pray over our hosts, and all those who served us during our stay, and others as well.  It was such a blessing as we sensed the hand of God moving on all of these, and we went to bed late as we continued visiting trying to make the moment last.

 August 18, 2008

 We had to get up and around and be ready to leave for the airport early the next morning.  Baths began at 7:00 and we were on our way by 8:00 AM for the 1 hour walk to the patch of earth the plane was to land on.  It was good to walk the land.  For the last number of days all our activity had been between our lodging and the hill of meeting; only about 200 yards.  Now we got to walk and see the area.  It was very beautiful.

 We arrived at the area of the future international airport of Minembwe and within a half-hour or so, Apostle arrived on the back of an older Suzuki 125 dirt bike.  The driver took his helmet off and it was the lead by Rev. Amedée who had received the watch from Pastor Leonard!  What a surprise! 

 Within another hour the plane approached and landed.  We loaded without hesitation after a few hugs, having said our goodbyes, and were off again to Goma.  Our hearts were full of thanksgiving and there was a spirit of celebration in the cabin of the aircraft.  There was much talk about all that we had seen God do, and all that we knew He was going to continue to do.

 We landed in Goma and Apostle had a moment with the pilot.  He asked him if he'd flown to Mulenge before.  The pilot said no.  Apostle asked him how he knew the way, and he said they gave him directions.  There is no radar out there, no craft to craft or craft to tower communication.  He said they told him how high to fly, landmarks to look for when needing to make a course change, and when to begin approach.  Amazing!

 After landing, Brother Jean Marie Musoni and Pastor Felix Gakunde from Gisenyi came to meet us at the Airport.  And to our suprise, Mrs. Angelique Gitwaza showed up with rose flowers for each of us!  It was so moving to meet again our families as Mrs. Pastor Safari joined us at our first stop.  

 Our first stop – a restaurant in Gisenyi, with everything arranged and conducted of course, by the local Zion pastors.  It was probably 4:00 in the afternoon by now and we were sitting down for our first meal.  At a few minutes before 6:00 a number of us were rounded up to take the bus for the ride back to Kigali.  Some were kept behind while one of the vehicles that had Congo plates was made ready and tagged for travel in Rwanda.  The two pastors from Zion Gisenyi, even though they'd had a long day already, drove us the 4 hours to Kigali on the very winding and challenging mountainous road.  We departed around 8:00 PM and got back to Zion Temple Kigali around midnight to unload a few things, and then home for a shower and good night's rest.  PTL!

 This first trip to Mulenge had proven to be just a curtain-raiser to see "what eye has not seen and ear has not heard, nor has the heart of man imagined", the things which God intends for this body of His chosen.  But we shall see.  For we have not only been given the privilege of being witnesses of the move of God upon this people and this region, but also have been given the privilege of being co-laborers with God to bring into manifestation all that He has determined to do. 

 The next trip is scheduled next summer 2009.  Are you preparing to join us?

 Until we meet, stay blessed.

 This report was compiled by

Mr Daniel Walters, Colorado, USA
Mr Isaiah Misariro, Kigali Rwanda
Mr Ephraim Rugazura, Bukavu, DRC