Tanzania: Conference at Masama Kati, and Rally, 7/8/2009

This mornings I was on bus #2 again, as we drove again to Masama kati church, where the pastor and some of the ladies greet me like an old friend -- I get the double cheeked embrace rather than just a handshake.

Once again we sit around waiting for things to begin, (...This is Africa...) so we take the opportunity to pose for our own team picture.

The local pastors and leaders gather in the church but we wait outside until 'tea' is ready - another meal of hard boiled eggs, bananas, bread, peanuts, and tea. After we eat, I again give my Swahili 'Thank You' speech, and then we go into the church. Jim preaches, and for ministry we form a fire tunnel, so we can pray for each one. The people obediently line up, but are clearly uncertain verging on scared. Clearly this is unfamiliar not only to them, but to their pastors. They sing hymns to give themselves courage, and shuffle ahead until they get to the 'tunnel', where the presence of the Lord is strong. Some of the people fall under the Spirit, and when they fall, they fall hard, in all directions, as we desperately try to keep them from crashing onto the stone floor.

I've got Swahili prayer phrases written on my palm, so I have my cheat sheet handy. It's fine to pray in English, of course, but I want to help orient them as to what is going on, since they seem so uncomfortable. We try to listen to the Holy Spirit to know what to pray for, but I can't tell for sure whether the Lord is speaking, or whether it is just me, until suddenly I find myself inexplicably in tears, and hear the word 'martyrdom'. Everything in me wants to pray for protection, for safety, for a different outcome, but the Holy Spirit tells me to pray that the man would be bold in spreading the Gospel. We've been seeing the fun part of the Gospel this week, but there's a more dangerous side too.

Finally the crowd makes it through the fire tunnel, and we are done, but then we have to wait again for them to serve lunch. I use the time trying to learn a couple of new sentences in Swahili, since the kitchen helpers here have already heard my little 'thank you' speech, and I want to mix it up a little.

Eventually we eat, and then get back onto the bus to go to the rally field. Attendance was sparse initially, but picked up later on. Again we wait (...this is Africa...) until the local pastors arrive. Jim preaches an excellent message and calls for salvation, but no one responds. I'm confused.

Next we start praying for healing, category by category. The deaf. The blind. the lame. Those with tumors. After the first few people are healed, Jim asks again who wants salvation, and hands go up all over. I've read about this in books on missions, but now I understand it. They are afraid to turn to Jesus, because they know that the local spirits have power and they are afraid to make them mad. But after seeing the healings they are convinced that Jesus is stronger than the witch doctors, and they are ready to switch allegiance.



I see a lot of partial healings again, but nothing dramatic (unless you are the person feeling better, of course!): an ear that improves, an eye that goes from dim to clear, a leg that feels better.

A deaf girl clearly got a bit of hearing back. Her mother gestured to her to ask if she could hear, and the girl pointed to the speakers, so at least she was discerning the loud volume. I prayed again, and then as I spoke to her she suddenly turned her head toward the sound of my voice, but her mother said she still not understanding speech. I'm not sure how to explain this from a theological perspective -- if God is healing her, why isn't she all healed? But the mother looks happy, so she is definitely validating that there is an improvement. I just pray that her healing continued later on.

A girl's leg pain disappeared, and she was so happy she ran up to the speaker platform to give her testimony (picture above). And a woman also had her leg pain disappear (picture to the right).