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76,000,000 Documented decisions for Christ

OPERATION DECAPOLIS OCTOBER 2021: TANZANIA

DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA // 6 – 10 OCTOBER 2021

It feels like we’ve only just shaken the dust from our shoes from the last Operation Decapolis in June, and already we’re just days away from the next one. This time, we will be holding six campaigns simultaneously, another level up for our teams. Our previous record was in June, when we held five campaigns at the same time in five different cities in Tanzania.

But the number of campaigns is not the only thing that is different about this Decapolis. This time, all six campaigns will be held in one city, and there are very good reasons for this. In the Decade of Double Harvest, a major part of our strategy is flexibility. We have to look at the circumstances of each region or city individually and use the tools at our disposal to reach as many people as possible. So, why this particular strategy for the port city of Dar-es-Salaam?

SECOND-FASTEST-GROWING CITY IN THE WORLD

The last time CfaN was in Dar-es-Salaam, in 2013, the population was just over 4 million. Now it’s nearly 7 million, and experts predict it will hit 13 million by 2035. Of course, that pace of growth comes with huge challenges, especially as more than three quarters of the city’s population lives in informal settlements.

With the city infrastructure stretched to the limit, it can easily take over two hours to drive just ten kilometers. That’s a massive obstacle to a non-believer thinking of coming to the campaign. If we were to host one mass event as we have done in the past, only those who live in the vicinity would be able to come. As we studied the problem, we felt the Holy Spirit telling us to instead hold multiple campaigns in different areas of the city, so that hearing the Gospel is within reach of everyone. No matter where in the city someone lives, they’ll be within half an hour from a campaign.

OVER 2,000 CHURCHES INVOLVED

There’s no way we could possibly accomplish this without the active involvement of the local churches. Our campaign directors have been preparing the ground for months, meeting with pastors, bishops and church leaders. We’ve been training counselors and ushers, setting up the follow-up systems, ready to immediately guide new believers into churches close to where they live.

We’ve also trained over 1,000 local evangelists from all denominational backgrounds, and they will be putting that into practice in the two weeks leading up to the main events. Along with about 20 CfaN Evangelism Bootcamp graduates, they’ll be involved in a “Gospel Invasion”, where we do multiple mini-campaigns all over the city on the streets, in marketplaces, kids’ outreaches – anywhere and everywhere! The tide of salvations begins here, before the first meeting of the main events.

DAR-ES-SALAAM IS A KEY AFRICAN CITY

Not only is it growing incredibly quickly, it’s also the most important port for trade for the landlocked countries around it like Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It’s the largest city in Tanzania, and the business capital of the country. That means there’s a constant flow of people, and Dar-es-Salaam has great influence in the region. Add to that its prominence in the arts, media and television, and we have a special opportunity to spread the Gospel far and wide in East and Central Africa

SPEAKING TO THE YOUTH

Like all African countries, Tanzania has a very young population, with an average age of only 18. It’s crucial for us to speak to this generation effectively, so we are going far beyond the newspaper ads, posters, television and radio adverts of the past, though those are all still happening. To get the word out, we’re utilizing every social media platform. We have recruited young Christian influencers like local soccer stars and YouTube personalities, speaking on their shows to encourage young people to attend. If there’s a way to communicate, our teams are using it!

ALWAYS A STEP OF FAITH…

Every single time we commit to Gospel campaigns in Africa, we’re taking a step of faith. We’re trusting that the Lord will provide in every way – finances, personnel, permits, equipment, local churches and everything else that is needed. We’re believing that the Holy Spirit will speak to others just as He has to us and bring it all together for His glory.

…and always in partnership

We are not doing this alone. It’s only possible because of partners like you, who take that step of faith with us. So, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for standing with us. Thank you for praying for us. Thank you for supporting this ministry financially. The seed you are sowing is bearing an almost unimaginable harvest, and you share in that reward with us before the throne of God.

Look out for all the latest news from Operation Decapolis next month. Connect with us on our website, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube – and witness for yourself what God is doing. We know it will be glorious!

Together with you in the harvest,

Evangelist Daniel Kolenda
(and the whole CfaN team)

JESUS MAKING HISTORY! - DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA

Our third "Operation Decapolis" Campaign began here in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, tonight. Over the next 5 nights, we will be conducting 6 simultaneous crusades in 6 different areas of the city. Dar es Salaam is the largest city in Tanzania, very densely populated and very spread out. Travelling from one side of the city to the other can take many hours. This means that a crusade in one part of the city would be unreachable for the rest of the population living in other areas. The solution the Lord has given us to this (and many other problems) is to hold these multiple simultaneous crusades, which together will allow us to reach almost the entire population!

In each area, there are two CfaN evangelists stationed (most graduates of the CfaN Evangelism Bootcamp). They will minister two nights each, and I will arrive on one of the nights to preach as well (five nights in each crusade). Each night I travel to a different crusade to give a boost to the team stationed there. On Saturday, I will actually preach in two different crusades the same night - something I've never done in a CfaN crusade before. This is an amazing season of growth, fresh vision, and supernatural increase!

Tonight I started out preaching in the area of Kimara, where Evangelists Evelina Smane and Denis Artyushevskiy are stationed. After preaching the Gospel, they ministered to the sick, and amazing miracles happened:

  • A Muslim lady was in an accident a year ago and could not walk without pain. Tonight she gave her life to Jesus and was healed. All the pain left her body, and she could walk!
  • Another woman was having problems with bone marrow in her legs and could not walk without a cane for many years. Tonight Jesus healed her, and she was able to walk without her cane.
  • A man who was deaf in his ear for 16 years was healed tonight.
  • A woman who was deaf in both ears for three years was healed tonight.
  • A woman who was blind since she was a child was also healed!

These are just a sampling of what Jesus did here tonight in the Kimara area of Tanzania. And remember, this is just one of SIX crusades that took place in this city tonight! The testimonies are flooding in from all sides. There's far too much to tell in one report, but suffice it to say that Jesus is making history here!

Thank you for praying for us.

THIS IS ALL POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF YOU! THANK YOU!

Together with you in the harvest,

Evangelist Daniel Kolenda
(and the whole CfaN team)

WALKING, LEAPING AND PRAISING GOD! - DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA

Tonight I preached in the second of six cities where CfaN crusades are ongoing simultaneously this week. The area, known as Gongo La Mboto, is where Evangelists Daniel Garcia and Lukas Repert are stationed (both graduates of the CfaN Evangelism Bootcamp). After I preached the Gospel, they ministered to the sick. Many amazing miracles happened, but especially many disabled people were healed.

One lady couldn’t walk for six years. She came on stage partially healed. Daniel Garcia prayed for her, and she received her full healing right there on the platform in front of everyone’s eyes! She danced and began to praise Jesus!

Likewise, another disabled lady walked on stage with her crutch high in the air and began to dance with it!

A man testified that he could not walk for two years. He wasn’t actually able to even bend his legs. But tonight, Jesus healed him!! He danced and bent his legs on stage.

In each of the six crusades ongoing tonight, amazing things have happened: blind eyes and deaf ears opened, people rose off stretchers in front of the huge crowds, disabled people threw their crutches away, and most importantly, we counted thousands upon thousands of documented decisions for Christ! 

It’s harvest time here in Dar es Salaam. Thank you for continuing to pray for us. Three more days to go!

THIS IS ALL POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF YOU! THANK YOU!

Together with you in the harvest,

Evangelist Daniel Kolenda
(and the whole CfaN team)

THE DAY OF POWER! DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA

I wish that you could see with your own eyes what is happening here in Dar es Salaam. It is absolutely astonishing and supernatural. I honestly do not have the words to adequately describe it. There is truly a MOVEMENT of evangelism and harvest taking place. Of course, there are thousands of volunteers and nearly 2,200 churches participating (that is normal). But what is astounding is that just within our CfaN team, more than 120 people (most of them Bootcamp graduates and nearly all of them volunteers) are working with a zeal that I’ve never seen anywhere. It can only be something the Holy Spirit is doing.

Many of them have been here, in Tanzania, for several months. They work from dawn until dusk, often 12-hour days! They are not being paid, and they are not being forced. They all want to be here. They are working because they love Jesus, and they want to see the Gospel change lives. Together they have worked for this Decapolis Campaign for almost 40,000 hours! To put that in perspective, if those were normal full-time work hours (40 hours per week, 52 weeks per year), it’s more than 19 YEARS of work!!

Tonight we met with the whole team for dinner. It was like a big family reunion. Imagine the scene: men and women from every continent on earth - a team that is more tight-knit than most families, all celebrating together, loving one another, and rejoicing together in pure, unadulterated harvest joy! (see the picture above) I’ve never seen anything like this. And it’s just the beginning. Our next class of Bootcamp students leaves Orlando in two weeks and will go to Nigeria for their initiation trip (where many of the graduates here in Tanzania will be serving as coaches and team leaders).

The verse ringing in my heart is from Psalm 110:3 “Your people will volunteer freely on the day of Your power...” I can’t help but wonder if God is not accelerating the harvest for a strategic reason. Could it be that the time is shorter than we can imagine? What if we are in a closing window of opportunity? Much of what we are seeing is the fulfilment of a dream I have carried in my heart. But I can not take credit for it. I cannot account for it. I don’t even understand how it is possible. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes!

Tonight I preached in the 3rd of 6 crusades ongoing simultaneously here in Dar es Salaam. In this area of the city called Jangwani, Evangelists Jim and Kathy Leamon and Evangelist Jacob Ebersole (all Bootcamp graduates) are stationed. All three of them were top organisers in previous Decapolis Campaigns. Now they are the evangelists! I preached on the blood of Jesus, broke curses, and burned occult paraphernalia. Jim prayed for the sick, and wonderful miracles happened.

  • A Muslim woman was unable to walk for five years, but as Jim prayed tonight, her leg started shaking, and the pain left. Now she can walk without pain.
  • A young lady was suffering from serious pain in her waist for almost five years. But after prayers, the pain vanished. She could even bend like she had not been able to do before.
  • Another woman was not able to see for three years but now can see even things that are at a long distance.

A woman also testified that I prayed for her at our crusade in this city back in 2013. At that time, she was unable to have children. But God healed her in that crusade, and tonight she gave this testimony with her miracle child standing beside her!

Tomorrow night I will preach in two crusades back to back (the first time I’ve ever done this in Africa). It will be a very intense day. Please pray for me and the whole team here as we press on towards the finish line.

THIS IS ALL POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF YOU! THANK YOU!

Together with you in the harvest,

Evangelist Daniel Kolenda
(and the whole CfaN team)

THE SAME JESUS - DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA

I've just returned from preaching not one but two crusades tonight, in two different parts of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The first was in an area known as Kigamboni, where Evangelists Randy Roberts and Joe Turnbull are stationed. The second was in a place called Mbagala, where Evangelists Robert Enge and Dr. Roselyne Ayeola are stationed. These are two of six CfaN crusades ongoing this week in Dar es Salaam SIMULTANEOUSLY! In each Crusade, the Gospel is being preached. In each Crusade, multitudes are being saved. In each Crusade, tonight, the Holy Spirit fell as each evangelist prayed for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit!

And in each Crusade, miracles and healings took place. Here are a few from Kigamboni and Mbagala:

  • Christina could not hear in her right ear for 5 years. She said she felt like an insect was running around in her head. During prayer, she felt something crawling out of her ear, and then she could hear perfectly!
  • Ruth had severe liver problems since she was 14. Often, she could not move her body without terrible pain. Tonight, during prayer for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, she fell to the ground and began speaking in tongues for the first time. She felt a heavy darkness leave her, and she felt no more pain at all when she got up.
  • Walter has been walking with crutches for three months after an accident. Tonight, he was healed! He threw his crutches and was able to walk without them.
  • Midizimi had been completely deaf for the last 6 years. Tonight, Jesus opened her ears!

It is amazing to think that in each Crusade, no matter who was preaching and no matter who was praying, Jesus is the same! These are not our accomplishments, and we cannot take any credit. All of the glory belongs to the one who said, "without Me, you can do nothing."

Tomorrow is the last night of this Operation Decapolis Campaign for all six crusades. Please continue to pray for us.

THIS IS ALL POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF YOU! THANK YOU!

Together with you in the harvest,

Evangelist Daniel Kolenda
(and the whole CfaN team)

HIGH WATER! - DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA - FINAL DAY

Once again, a new high-water mark has been made! Tonight, we concluded the fifth night of Operation Decapolis - six crusades in six areas lasting five nights each (thirty nights of crusades) - all in one week! In addition, we conducted two weeks of "Gospel Invasion" leading up to the crusades, where Bootcamp graduates conducted hundreds of outreaches in the area. In all, we documented 210,553 decisions for Christ here in Dar es Salaam! Hallelujah!!

The word "Decapolis" means "ten cities" in Greek ("deka" = ten, "poleis" = cities). In the time of Christ, "Decapolis" was a specific (mostly gentile) region in which Jesus performed some of his great miracles. We have appropriated this word because it perfectly describes a vision the Lord has given us of exponential increase (from one crusade per week to TEN)!

Last year we made our first attempt at this multi-crusade strategy. In the middle of our preparations, the COVID pandemic brought the world to a standstill. We intended to start with ten crusades right away, but because of the huge difficulties in the world at the time, at the last minute, we had to quickly shift feet to a completely different country, recruit and train a completely new team and reduce the number of crusades from ten to five (three crusades in week one, two crusades in week two). Then, in June of this year, we had our second attempt, where we successfully conducted five crusades in five cities in one week. This time, as already mentioned, we've scaled up to six crusades in one week. Next time we will conduct ten crusades in ten cities over two weeks (five in week one and five in week two). The next step will be conducting all ten in one week. Then we will scale up as much as possible, conducting multiple Decapolis Campaigns per year!

Soon we will be conducting 20, 30, and 40 crusades (and more) per year! It is a process, but with each attempt, we are making huge leaps forward - even in the midst of great turmoil in the world. Not only so, but the growth is also solid. It's not just quantity - it's quality. Converts are being ushered into local churches, believers are being trained in evangelism, and unparalleled unity between the churches is being forged. I am so proud of this team and so thankful for their enthusiasm, faithfulness, and commitment to the vision!

Last night I preached in the area of Dar es Salaam known as Kawe. The crowd was boiling over with enthusiasm. The two evangelists stationed here are two of the finest. Evangelist Levi Lutz (the Director of the CfaN Bootcamp) and Evangelist Macoby Donaldson (the Director of the CfaN Evangelism Alliance) are working in tandem here. They have seen so many amazing miracles, and the Holy Spirit has been poured out here night after night. I felt that my contribution was quite small, but there is no question that Jesus has shaken this region.

I also had the privilege of live streaming to our local congregation in Orlando (Nations Church) from the platform here in Kawe. A large percentage of the team members here on the ground in Dar es Salaam are actually members of Nations Church (including Evangelists Lutz and Donaldson). The families of these team members were obviously in the service this morning (as mine was) and got to see what their loved ones are busy with on the other side of the world. How wonderful! This is a dream come true.

After I preached the Gospel, Evangelist Donaldson prayed for the sick, and many amazing miracles happened. Several cripples were healed. A man, deaf for fifteen years, was healed. Paralytics were healed, and many others!

I am now preparing to travel to Dubai, where I will be meeting with Evangelists and other leaders from around the world for the next few days. I co-chair an alliance (that we founded) under the banner of Empower21, called The Global Evangelism Alliance. We are bringing ministries together for world evangelism. It's all about Jesus and all for souls. Please continue to pray for us. We are on the front lines. We are pressing forward, and the Devil is not happy about it.

Thank you for praying for us.

This is all possible because of you! Thank you!

Together with you in the harvest,

Evangelist Daniel Kolenda
(and the whole CfaN team)

Click here to see all the mission reports from our guest evangelists.