Jesus is Victorious in Iganga
March, 2006

Perseverance paid off in Iganga, Uganda! An unknown person once wrote, "In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins--not through strength but through perseverance."

Just weeks before our festival was to begin, the Ugandan government moved their volatile elections to the opening day of our Festival. Their law prohibits any public meetings 48 hours before or after the elections. Since the presidential elections were between two military leaders, both with blood on their hands, the outcome was going to be tense at best.

For some reason, the Lord gave me peace about going forward with our dates and adjusting our schedule as needed. He confirmed this decision through our board members, as well, so we pressed on. The elections did become tense and the city seemed distracted over the whole election process. Bombs going off near the airport might account for the distractions. We also battled unseasonable rain and unbearable heat. I praise the Lord that we had a team of "can do" people who were ready to push forward in every situation!

As a result of persevering with our "Water of Life Festival", we saw over 3,000 people come to Christ even with our shortened program! In the midst of the tension there was power as the Spirit of God worked freely in Iganga. The amazing thing to me was to see how eager some people were to receive Christ. The question, "Sir, what must I do to be saved?" was a reality for many people. As we approached the police station to share with the officers, a police officer walked up to our group and asked that very question. Pastor Daniel, our chairman, led him to Christ as we stood there by the side of the road. The same thing happened to the owner of the radio station who was promoting our Festival. He came to meet with the committee on the day we arrived and wanted to know how he could be saved. Praise the Lord!

Iganga is named for the Ugandan's spirit of captivity, and I can tell you there were plenty of spirits manifesting themselves there. Jesus has authority over dark angels and I am so pleased that many of our team members knew how to take that authority and drive out the spirits through the power of the Holy Spirit. As one new team member said, "I have never seen anything like this, it's like right out of the Bible." One witch recanted all of her vows to the dark world and accepted Christ because living in constant fear exhausted her. She was released from the spirits and went into the loving arms of Jesus Christ.

Now three thousand new brothers and sisters have the Spirit of God in them and follow up books in their hands that friends of our ministry gave to provide. You cannot imagine the joy that receiving materials with the entire Gospel of Luke brings to these people. We so take the Bible for granted, but for them to have Bible studies based on Luke is truly water of life for them. The wells are great but the Word is even greater!

We give God the glory for all that He did in Iganga! We, as a ministry team, want to thank you for your prayers and gifts that enabled us to minister. Praise the Lord that all the money we needed to finance this festival was raised!

Next month we return to Iganga to help with the follow-up of these new believers and to take Bibles to many of them. After our time in Iganga, we will travel to Arua to begin our preparations for a festival there, which will take place in June. Arua is near the Congo-Sudan border where there has been much rebel activity in the past. Their needs are great and we are eager to help them spiritually and physically. Our last stop will be in Burundi to discuss with the President of that country the possibility of holding a festival there this fall. Praise the Lord that we are gaining favor in Africa and God continues to open doors for ministry!

Be Blessed,

Dan