God is GREAT!!

What a great past few weeks!

Today I just want to focus on God's provision.

So much has been obvious to me that God is with us, right beside us!

The first week getting to Rwanda, 3 members of our team were delayed and diverted up past Germany, to Sudan and to Ethiopia where they were denied any further passage. There they called the rest of us already waiting for them in Rwanda. We immediately prayed for the path to become opened to them in Jesus' Name... immediately our phone rang and they said they just let them through after hours of closed doors!!! Praise God!!! What a start to our trip.

There were so many more examples of this throughout the next few weeks. Two of us had a word from God that none of us would get sick the whole time we were on mission also and we didn't -until the last day - I had food poisoning - but it was way after even debrief - so God kept His word!!

On the way home, one member of the team was really sick and had a migraine along with a few other things, so we prayed for her and she was healed, including her bad elbow from months ago - all in a moment.

I heard some news about Mike Guglielmucci from Planetshakers also yesterday. He's been very sick for well over a year now, but my brother told me Mike had a vision of a place he thought he might get healed at, and I read on Mike's myspace last night (http://www.myspace.com/mikeguglielmucci) that the healing has started - he left his wheelchair even as God came upon him. God is Great!!!

As I've been home now for just over a day from Africa, I've felt a new era starting for me in my ministries. Healing feels like it's knocking on the door, any one sick??

What a year 2008 is going to be - pray big, and expect God to do great things this year.

Don't have your arms folded, but have them wide open to receive all God wants to give you. Then go out and expand the Kingdom further

Pray for revival...

"Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give."

Matthew 10:8

All over

Well Im typing here in Kigali; Rwanda a few hours before we fly out using a very confusing french keyboard.

Just a quick summary before I have to run; God has been doing amazing things just in the 3 weeks we have been here; but more so in the past 14 years since the horrific genocide.

God has done amazing works of healing here; the people now dont even raise their voice to argue and everything has a positive connotation; for example cars have been named God is good or bars called Bar Happiness. Amazing relatonships and freindships have been made also. The people here are so lovely and friendly. Ill eventually put a few pics of some of the young children; they are gold.

I have many stories to tell; but its taking too long on this keyboard so Ill wait till I arrive back in Australia.

Till I see you or blog for your enjoyment = may God bless you as we have been blessed here in Africa

Stay posted

Simon

To the ends of the earth.... back in February!

The time has come.

My plane flies out at 8:55 tomorrow morning for Rwanda.

Please pray for our team of 9 from Australia.

Some prayer points are;

• That Feet First (our program in the first week of different electives, Children's ministry, Youth ministry and worship/creative arts) will impact any lives and that we will see the 21 youth leaders that attend raised up in their mission and ministry
  
• That our ministry will encourage the people of Rwanda & that we will be able to overcome language barriers.
  
• For our safety and protection, both spiritual and physical.
  
• That the team will be united and would come home as transformed people.

The web page is http://missionteam.salvos.org.au/p18/project18rwanda.php if you'd like to subscribe to email updates etc. I've attatched a draft timetable of our trip for your information also.

Thanks for all your prayers and support and I'll be back blogging with many great stories to tell early February.

Until then, God bless

Simon.

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Acts 1:8

Are we running out of time?

I've been reading this amazing book entitled "23 minutes in Hell" where this guys has found himself in the flesh in Hell.

His experience and detail of Hell was amazingly horrid, but it made me think of the total opposite, about Heaven and it's going to be one amazingly beautiful place!! But I'm not here to blog about Hell today - I want to share with you about what Jesus said....

This guy only spent a short time in that place for Satan and his angels and was rescued by Jesus. I'll share with you some of the dialogue that this guy Bill Wiese had with Jesus, take note...

"My next thought was, 'why did you send me to this awful place?'.

Before I could ask the question, He answered. 'Because many people do not believe that hell truly exists' He told me. 'Even some of My own people do not believe that hell is real.' I was amazed to hear that some Christians do not believe that hell is real. I know many people think that when you die you are annihilated, or some that hell is just a state of mind. That surprises me, because the Bible informs us so thoroughly on the subject. It does not teach that you are simply annihilated. The teachings are very clear that hell is a place of eternal torment. " p33

I find it amazing that Jesus Himself said this! His own people, don't believe in Hell!! If they were His own people, then they would follow His teachings, wouldn't they?

It continues a bit later...

"Finally He said, 'Tell them I am coming very, very soon'. In my spirit I felt an urgency to warn as many people as possible, as time is running out. He sternly said it again: 'TELL THEM I AM COMING VERY, VERY SOON!' Repeating Himself tells me His coming truly is getting very, very close. Time is running out. We must get the truth out to people so they can know that there is a choice to make. Without Jesus as your Saviour, you will not be going to Heaven, and that is absolutely certain." p37-38

Well! What to say after that.

Make a new years resolution to tell as many people about Jesus and His freedom every day!

If you get a chance to read this book by Bill Weise, just to get a glimpse of what could await you if you don't know Jesus as your Saviour, you'll want to know Him!!

We have immortal souls that will live forever in one of two places, choose today where you spend eternity.

"Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

John 14:6