Prayer Works 12

ZIMBABWE - CHRISTIAN LEADER HEALED

Shortly before a strategy meeting of 100 Christian leaders from 9 nations in Zimbabwe in early summer 1998, Xolisani Dlamini, the main organizer, was brutally attacked by three men. After stabbing him with knives, hitting him on the head with a rock and stealing the money for the conference, they stripped him naked and left him to die. Hours later, Xolisani somehow managed to drag himself to his car, which his attackers had been unable to start, and drove home. "I have no idea how I managed it. Angels must have helped me!" he says. Eight days after the attack, Xolisani was sitting on the podium in the conference, covered with bandages and plaster. He was due to have another operation that day, but the doctors cancelled at the last moment after suddenly deciding that it was unnecessary. "One doctor said 'Something is happening which we don't understand'. That's a miracle."

6,000 new churches in the last 6 years

According to Xolisani's detailed research, significantly more than 6,000 churches have been planted in Zimbabwe over the last 6 years as part of a strategic plan named 'Target 2000', in which various churches and denominations aim to plant 10,000 churches between 1992 and 2000. The church-planting has added 2.24 million new converts to the evangelical churches, which is almost 20 percent of Zimbabwe's population. At the conference, Xolisani said "The devil is not at all pleased by the Christians' strategy. It is destroying his kingdom. He doesn't just sit around with his hands folded in his lap, watching people fill countries with churches. I can very well understand that Satan wanted to kill me. But he simply does not understand that I am now even more determined to continue, to do even more. I would happily give my life for the project of 'making disciples of Zimbabwe'.

http://www.jesus.org.uk/dawn/1998/dawn9835.html#Zimbabwe

Prayer Works 11

BABY HEALED

Becca Bates and her son Dustin were just eating their lunch in Centralia, Washington, when they were disturbed. An ambulance drove on to the parking lot with sirens blaring, and a large group of people had gathered. Becca and her son also went outside to see what had happened. A 22-month-old baby was lying on the ground, and the paramedics had just started to examine it. The baby had stopped breathing, had lost almost all of its color, and showed no signs of life.

17-year-old Dustin went forward and did the unthinkable: "Could I hold the baby?", he asked the paramedics. They gave him the baby. He then asked "Would it be okay for me to pray?". As Dustin was praying for the baby in front of all the people, Becca went to the distressed mother to comfort her and pray with her. Just then, the baby started to move. Dustin put the baby on his shoulder and started to caress it. Moments later, its color returned and it began to cry.

http://www.jesus.org.uk/dawn/1998/dawn9831.html#USA2

Prayer Works 10

1,000 HEALED IN CANADA

We have received two very similar reports of a conference in Victoria, Canada. To quote the report from David Wilkinson, Fellowship at Road's End, Washington: "My wife Marjory and I are on the way back from Trinity Christian Centre (Pastor Ivor Lewis) to Methow Valley, near Winthrop, Washington. In Victoria, during events with Charles Ndifon from Nigeria, '100 were saved and around 1,000 healed'.

We saw - and we mean literally SAW - blind people throw their white sticks away; we experienced how people could suddenly hear again, that a woman's tumor vanished, a cross-eyed boy could see straight, how people stood up out of their wheelchairs and walked around, and some believed to be healed of cancer and could hardly wait to go to the doctor to be examined. Most of the healings occurred during the worship time and Charles' preaching. The sermons were so simple, that you almost had to be there to believe it: 'If you came for a miracle, go to him who works miracles. If you came to be healed, go to him who heals. If you came so that Charles would pray for you, you've come to the wrong address. I am just like you. Seek Jesus, not me.'

I was standing next to a man who limped because his legs had been different lengths since birth. He was over 40 years old. I saw him healed right next to me. His father, who was also there, was beside himself for joy that his son no longer limped."

http://www.jesus.org.uk/dawn/1998/dawn9822.html#Canada

Prayer Works 9

MORE RAISED FROM DEAD IN ETHIOPIA

"I went to the hospital in Atad to speak with people about Jesus and to see if I could pray for anyone. When I arrived, I discovered a dead young woman on a stretcher, surrounded by weeping relatives. I went to them, thinking I could perhaps comfort them, and was told that the daughter had been sick for a long time and had just died. I helped the family in their preparations for the burial, but wanted so much to do more than that. I started to pray. As I did, I felt my hands moving over the dead woman's stomach, and heard myself praying 'I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, even if they are dead, will live!' I repeated this prayer over and over. The family soon became disturbed and even angry, but one of the relatives was a Christian. He felt that something special was happening, so asked the others to leave the room for a moment. The young Christian, who I did not know, then joined me in prayer. I felt something like fire enter my body and pass through my hands. Suddenly, the woman opened her eyes and sat up. The relatives rushed in, naturally rejoicing. I was able to explain the gospel to them all. The following day, the woman was released from hospital, because the doctors could no longer find any signs of illness. She told her young Christian relative to teach the family how to follow Jesus."

"In our house church, I heard that one of the Christian's relatives had been taken to the hospital in Addis Ababa in a serious condition. I went with the Christian to the hospital, but we were not allowed to see the sick woman. After some time, a hospital employee came and allowed only me to go to the woman. As I arrived on the ward, I heard as the doctors were told that the woman had just died. The hospital employee left me alone with the dead woman. I was actually perplexed, because I thought God wanted me to pray for the woman's healing. Then I realised that he wanted me to pray for her even now, so I prayed for her, calling her back to her body. Suddenly, she opened her eyes. She felt much better. The nurses, confused, called some doctors, who immediately examined her, asking why they should examine someone who obviously felt much better. The woman was later released from hospital, and soon came to our church to tell of the miracle."

http://www.jesus.org.uk/dawn/1998/dawn9818.html#Ethiopia

Prayer Works 8

PRAYER AND FASTING LEADING TO UNBELIEVABLE RESULTS IN SYRIA

According to a number of reports, Christianity is continuing to expand in traditionally Islamic Syria. Observers speak of many Muslims deciding to follow Jesus, and attribute this to the country's Christians' intense prayer and fasting. The government is also easing restrictions placed on Christian movements in the country in the past. One Christian organisation was recently granted permission to print and distribute thousands of New Testaments. Syria's Christians are also restricted in their rights to meet, but the government has now donated land to build chapels and churches. In addition, water and electricity are available free of charge, as they are for mosques.

http://www.jesus.org.uk/dawn/1998/dawn9813.html#Syria

Prayer Works 7

SADDAM HUSSEIN'S SON POSSIBLY GIVEN LIFE TO CHRIST?

Saddam Hussein's wild son Uday, whose debaucherous lifestyle has been creating headlines for years, was bedridden for some time last year after being shot. We have now heard from a reliable source that a young Christian called Rahkma (name changed) "saw herself explaining the gospel to Uday in a dream". The dream made such an impression that she immediately set off on her way to Uday's office in Baghdad. "I have a message for Uday from Jesus Christ, which I can only give him verbally," she told the security guards, who initially suspected an unusual joke, but Rahkma persisted. "Jesus Christ is a well-known person," one of the guards said, "so perhaps we should let the woman in," and spoke with Uday. "There's a woman here who claims to have a message for you from Jesus Christ. We can't get rid of her. What should we do?" Uday told his secretary to send Rahkma to him in his limousine.

She spent 2 hours with him, and could not only explain the gospel to him but also pray with him to invite Jesus into his life. According to the report, Uday was crying as he prayed. "What can I do for you or your family?" asked Uday. "Nothing," replied Rahkma, giving him a Bible. "I'm simply your sister now." Observers consider it unthinkable that Uday will publicly speak of his experience with Jesus in Iraq's current religious and political climate. However, during a televised speech some days later, he spoke out for increased tolerance towards Christians.

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Rahkma, the same young Christian who spoke with Hussein's son Uday, recently travelled to Sudan following another dream in which "Jesus asked her to go to Khartoum" to explain the gospel to the Muslim Head of State General Omar Al-Bashir. Christian aid agencies speak of up to 1.5 million martyrs who have died since the start of the civil war in Sudan. Bashir is known for his fiery sermons from the Koran. After a long wait, Rahkma finally had an opportunity to speak with him after his sister arranged for her to attend a family celebration. He was just on the way out of the house after an urgent telephone call when Rahkma got her chance: "You have one minute," he said. Rahkma said "I have a message for you from Jesus Christ. If everything were taken from you, General, power, money, health, what would you do, and who would help you? Jesus Christ is always there for you!" One minute turned into forty, and Al-Bashir listened astonishedly to the gospel. At the end of the time, he asked Rahkma to pray for him. Observers consider this event unprecedented, but Sudanese Christians have just informed us that restrictions on Christian meetings in Northern Sudan were recently "inexplicably lifted by someone in high position."

http://www.jesus.org.uk/dawn/1998/dawn9812.html#Iraq

Prayer Works 6

GOD PROTECTS CHURCH AMIDST WAR

A team sent by mission agency OM to Russia returned with the following report: "During the weeks before the Chechnyan war, many Christian churches in Grozny received words from God telling them that a war was about to break out. As a result, around half of the Christians could retreat into safer areas, while others remained in the town during the war. Because the Russians failed in driving all the rebels out of the town, they decided to use a new tactic: first, rockets were used to destroy the upper stories of all the buildings, and in a second wave, the town was bombarded to destroy the ground floors too. Anything left standing would be destroyed in a third wave.

A Baptist pastor in the town, who was a bomber pilot in the Second World War, said 'I have never seen such destruction in my entire life.' Despite the massive destruction, one single building remained as by a miracle untouched: the Baptist church. That was also where the town's remaining Christians had gathered. During the attacks, other inhabitants of the town also realised that the church was not being hit, and 53 people also fled there. Amidst the sounds of the attacks, the believers preached the gospel to these people, and all 53 became Christians on the spot, including 15 Muslim rebels."

http://www.jesus.org.uk/dawn/1998/dawn9810.html#Russia