God is mighty to save!

(This post is written by a student after one of the most amazing ministry days I have ever been a part of! Our team met and prayed last night, reading scripture and singing together. We prepared our hearts for what we knew would be a challenging day, but never dreamed that God would move in the way He did. Wow! This day will be most difficult to capture with a simple blog entry. Just know that the Faith team is being used in mighty ways by The mighty God! -- Jon)

Hi from Africa! I am truly amazed at what the Lord is doing on this trip! Today was absolutely wonderful! We went to the Hospital Hill Secondary High School to minister in their Sunday morning chapel. This is an optional service, but the chapel was packed with over 450 students. We sang some praise and worship songs in English and in Swahili. Then, we performed our powerful skit and they were receptive to the message that the skit conveyed. Jordan and Mr. Brooks tied the skit together and many people accepted Christ as their personal Lord and savior. We did not get an exact number but we conservatively estimate at least 70 responded to a very clear and difficult invitation to get saved. I liked that school because it was evident that the kids were so happy and they were genuine about their decision to commit their lives to Christ.
After the school, we went to a small church in the slums called God’s Everlasting Ministries, led by pastor Meshack. The people there didn’t let the harsh living conditions determine their attitude and their relationship with their Maker. They were very joyful and praised the Lord for what they had and for giving them the church where the Staats’ family had provided building materials. I got the opportunity to share what Jesus has done in my life when I gave my testimony. It was refreshing just to be able to tell the people that the Lord has been there for me in the happy times and sad times and that he has given me so much joy and strength even in times of hardship and trouble. The Lord moved in mighty ways and spoke through Mr. Brooks and many more people were saved as a result of the Holy Spirit touching hearts. We left the church in awe of how big God is.
After lunch we got the opportunity to go to some individual homes and encourage them and pray for their needs. It was an eye-opening experience to see how these people live and how they are still trusting God to meet their needs everyday when they have so little. We ended the afternoon with a crusade at Hosanna International Gospel Ministries, led by pastor Gerishon. At least 5 more people gave their lives to Christ. One of these was the nephew of the pastor who had decided to come to see “the visitors”, but ended up watching our skit and accepting Christ. (pictured in red shirt) The thing that was so amazing was that his wife had been praying for him for fifteen years to be saved. Needless to say, there was much rejoicing! Another neat story was of a ten year old boy that accepted Christ. He had just been released from the hospital that day, after a one year admittance! (He had been hit by a truck.) When responding to the invitation his arm was raised but was hurting him so much that Mrs. Brooks stood by him and helped him keep it up. In all, we believe over 100 people were saved just today as a result of the ministry here in Africa!!
Once we left the church we went to the Matheney’s to swim and have a time of fellowship and prayer. So much happened today! We serve a BIG God who loves to move through his people to touch lives. I hope everyone is doing well in the U.S. We continue to look forward to more of what God has planned for this trip.

This post written by: Lauren Shawver (Joyful Senior)