LUSAKA, ZAMBIA
European settlers founded Lusaka in 1905. It is located about 1250 metres above sea level on a plateau in southern Zambia. About 1.5 million people live there. With its modern office and commercial buildings, it is one of the fastest growing cities in Africa.
Zambia is more than three times the size of the UK and has 43 spoken languages. English is the official language, but is the native tongue for only a small percentage of the people.
Since 1996, the constitution of the nation has declared Zambia a Christian nation. But, as is often the case in Africa, the people mix Christianity with nature worship. Among other practises, people observe the “Vimbuza” ritual as part of the “Tumbuka” religion. This is one of the demonic rituals that, unfortunately, pervade Zambia.
Zambia has one of the highest national rates of HIV infection. By 2005, life expectancy had declined to an average of 40 years. Today the situation has improved a little. WHO indicates an average life expectancy of 57 years.
We expect a mighty breakthrough in the area of healing – especially from AIDS. In the past we have often witnessed such healing, as well as deliverance from cults and demonic bondage, as people surrender their lives to Jesus Christ.
Please join with us in praying for a mighty outpouring and for God to bring winds of change in the nation.
HE WAS EATING DIRT!
September 3, 2015
Dear Mission Partners,
Tonight our Gospel Crusade in Lusaka, Zambia began and the dynamics here can only be described as awesome! Over 80,000 people were in attendance in the first meeting! The services are being broadcast across the nation on Christian Voice Radio. I was invited to meet and pray with the first president of Zambia and founding father of the nation, Kenneth Kaunda. The press have shown great interest and there is an electricity in the air as the people have come full of faith and expectation that God will do something extraordinary here this week.
This morning the Fire Conference began as Rev. Oliver Raper and I ministered to hundreds of Pastors and church workers. Tonight Evangelist Scott Lee opened the meeting, building the faith of the people and preparing their hearts for the Gospel. Then I preached a message of salvation, lifting up the name of Jesus and there was an overwhelming response.
After the prayer of salvation and prayer for the sick we heard amazing miracle testimonies:
- A mentally ill man who was sitting on the ground eating dirt suddenly came to his right mind as we were praying. When he came onto the platform he was still covered in dust from head to toe, but he began declaring the wonders of God with such enthusiasm, one Pastor on the platform said, “He’s preaching!” and the people were beside themselves with joy! It was like something right out of the New Testament.
- A 7-year-old little girl who had never heard or spoke was healed tonight. She was able to repeat after me, “one, two.” It was so precious.
- A man totally deaf in his right ear for three years received perfect hearing.
- A young lady who was paralysed on her left side received complete healing. Her mother was weeping for joy as she saw what her daughter was able to do.
- A woman with a tumour in her stomach the size of a grapefruit said that it vanished during the prayer.
- A woman who had never smelled anything before said she could suddenly smell.
These and many more miracles took place here in this first meeting. It is obvious that Jesus is at work here. I am sure we will see a huge increase in the attendance as the week goes on. I wonder if the field will be able to contain it!
I’ve received messages that some of you are fasting and praying for us. The Lord is hearing and answering your prayers. Thank you for continuing to pray for us. We are standing shoulder to shoulder in this work.
More to come…
Yours in the Harvest,
Evangelist Daniel Kolenda
Together with Reinhard Bonnke, Peter Vandenberg and the whole CfaN team
INTERRUPTED BY A WITCH DOCTOR
September 4, 2015
Dear Mission Partners,
You may have noticed from the pictures that we are in the parking lot of the national stadium here in Lusaka, Zambia. Someone asked me why we aren’t holding the campaign inside the stadium. It is because it seats less than 60,000. Tonight the crowd grew to 120,000! Needless to say, the pastors are on “cloud 9.” They’ve never seen meetings like these before.
One pastor approached me after I preached tonight and said, “I realise that we have neglected the gift of the evangelist.” He told me that they've honoured the bishops and apostles, but he said, “we need evangelists!” He believes God will use this campaign to raise up a new generation of evangelists and I agree with Him. In fact, tonight I asked an evangelist from South Africa, Tamryn Klintworth, to share for a few minutes before I brought the main message. She did wonderfully and I believe she has inspired many women that God will use them as great evangelists here in Zambia.
Last night, I told the people that I would be preaching on the Blood of Jesus tonight and breaking the witchcraft curses. I encouraged the people to bring any idols, fetishes, charms, amulets or “juju”, especially talismans given to them by witch doctors and we would burn them tonight. This is exactly what was done in Acts 19. Tonight, as I was preaching, a witchdoctor came with a big white bag full of paraphernalia. Right in the middle of my message he put that bag in the drums to be burned. It caused quite a stir in the crowd, but that is the kind of interruption I like.
After preaching, breaking curses and praying for the sick, we heard amazing testimonies.
- A woman’s tumours vanished.
- A woman who had a painful infected growth on her face received prayer last night and by tonight it had dried up and disappeared.
- A girl who could not stretch her arm out was healed.
- A man who was crippled from a fall was healed.
- A woman, deaf for five years was healed (pictured).
- A woman who was carried to the meetings last night because she could not walk, could walk perfectly tonight!
This is a sampling of what Jesus did tonight. Really, these testimonies are so wonderful I could write a whole report about each one. We are sending film crews to follow up on many of them and I will release them soon on social media.
Tomorrow, the Fire Conference will conclude with an impartation service, as we lay hands on the delegates for the baptism into the Holy Spirit. Please continue to pray…we can really feel your prayers at work here.
Yours in the Gospel,
Evangelist Daniel Kolenda
Together with Reinhard Bonnke, Peter Vandenberg and the whole CfaN team
HOLY CHAOS
September 5, 2015
Dear Mission Partners,
Today has been a day of Holy Spirit outpouring…this morning and then again tonight. There is a tremendous hunger for God here in Lusaka, Zambia. This morning Rev. Oliver Raper and Evangelist Scott Lee delivered powerful words to the many pastors and church workers before we prayed for them. So many were powerfully touched that sometimes it looked like a battlefield. It was holy chaos!
It is worth mentioning that I have heard over and over from the local pastors how extraordinary the church participation is. One top bishop told me that in the past they had struggled just to get a couple hundred churches to work together. But for this crusade, more than one thousand churches are participating! This in itself is a miracle and a testimony to the credibility and trust that CfaN has in Africa. We pray that one of the lasting impacts of this campaign would be ongoing church unity.
Tonight, after preaching the Gospel and praying for those who wanted to receive the baptism into the Holy Spirit, we prayed for the sick and wonderful miracles happened:
- A woman’s painful fibroids vanished.
- A woman totally deaf in her right ear was completely healed (pictured).
- A lady’s breast tumour disappeared after prayer.
- A woman who had been in a wheelchair, unable to walk at all for two years was healed.
And many more.
Tomorrow marks the final day of this Gospel campaign. I believe the people will come from all over the region…we may not have enough space! Please continue to pray for one more huge harvest.
Yours in the Gospel,
Evangelist Daniel Kolenda
Together with Reinhard Bonnke, Peter Vandenberg and the whole CfaN team
250,000 AT FINAL MEETING
September 6, 2015
Dear Mission Partners,
Our final meeting here in Lusaka, Zambia came to a climax tonight as the crowd grew from 150,000 last night to 250,000 tonight! I mention these numbers because they say something about the dynamics in the city. This can only happen when Jesus is touching people in dramatic ways. They are talking about it everywhere and the nation is buzzing!
Not only did the hundreds of thousands on the field hear the gospel through the week, but Radio Christian Voice broadcast the meetings live all across the country. The gospel was heard in Kitwe, Livingstone, Ndola, Solwezi and beyond!
estimonies have been flooding in of people’s lives touched in so many different ways…like this one from a man named James, "I have never felt closer to God than this. After attending the campaign for three days and when Evangelist Daniel Kolenda taught about people and the gift of the Holy Spirit being for them and their children as prophesied by Joel, the following happened to me, I spoke in strange tongues. I’ve never experienced this before because I spoke a foreign language fluently…”
Musonda said, "My faith is at a different level thanks to you, feel like preaching the gospel to whoever I meet…I experienced God's love at a whole new level. I feel He is much closer than before.”
Leya said, "Thank God I was there and got baptised in the Holy Spirit. I experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit like never before. It was an amazing experience. To God be the glory!"
Sunday, after I preached the Gospel, I asked evangelist Scott Lee to pray for the sick and we heard wonderful testimonies of healing. A woman with an issue of blood for 10-years was healed. A lame man got out of his wheelchair. Many people with different kinds of pain were healed. A man with HIV AIDS received prayer earlier in the week and went to the doctor for another test. Tonight he brought two test results – one from earlier that said, “HIV POSITIVE” and one from after prayer that said, “HIV NEGATIVE.”
Thank you so much for praying throughout the week. The Lord has surely heard and answered our prayers. Zambia will never be the same again. I’m heading back to Orlando where we are holding our School of Evangelism all week. We are already looking forward to being back in Africa in a few weeks – this time in Blantyre, Malawi.
I will report back once the decision cards are counted.
Yours in the Harvest,
Evangelist Daniel Kolenda
Together with Reinhard Bonnke, Peter Vandenberg and the whole CfaN team
384,110 REGISTERED DECISION CARDS!
Dear Mission Partners,
We have just received word back from Lusaka, Zambia, where our latest gospel campaign was held. 384,110 decision cards were completed and returned over the four days of meetings! The local churches are now hard at work following up on the new converts and we trust the Lord for “fruit that remains.” Please join us in praying for those who made a decision – that they will become faithful and fruitful followers of Jesus.
We are now hard at work preparing for our next campaign in Blantyre, Malawi where we expect another huge harvest. Thank you for standing with us. This result has only been possible because of your prayers and financial giving, as you continue to stand with us may we see an even bigger eternal harvest for the Kingdom, together.
Yours in the Harvest,
Evangelist Daniel Kolenda
Together with Reinhard Bonnke, Peter Vandenberg and the whole CfaN team