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From: Simon Guillebaud [simon@greatlakesoutreach.org]
Sent: 27 October 2005 12:01
Revival embers, Revival fire in Burundi
PRAYER LETTER NO.40. www.greatlakesoutreach.org
Dear Tigers, 27th October
Hope all is well your ends. I'll be honest and say that things haven't great my end, although I chide myself for feeling low when I compare myself with the sufferings of those around me. I've been ill for a week now, having got back from another amazingly fruitful outing in the bush. Last time we had been there, some Muslims, angered by the Jesus film we were showing, had crept under the van and sabotaged the engine so we couldn't leave - that film always provokes a response!
The living conditions of these weekends are often so grim that they knock me out for extended periods. I am due to go tomorrow to a refugee camp miles upcountry for a few days, but we'll see.
As well as being sick all by my lonesome and missing my gorgeous pregnant Lizzie (poor me!), yesterday I went to the funeral of the one-year-old daughter of some of my best friends. She drowned in a tub containing a couple of inches of water. I feel absolutely devastated for Emmanuel, Asele, and their children, Jolie and Lewis - do pray for them.
You may remember last time I wrote I was turbo-charged and having incredible times with the Lord, having been profoundly influenced by a book on John 'Praying' Hyde. Well, I'm learning some more lessons in prayer, and below from my diary are a couple of highlights:
"Whilst I was in the bath in the evening, Bruno (from three houses
along) came to visit, and so I knew he would be around again shortly.
Instead of viewing him as a nuisance who wanted to learn English and use up my valuable time, I decided to see him as someone sent by God to come to faith through me. I claimed his life for Jesus, and interceded on his behalf. But whereas before reading this Praying Hyde book I would have just prayed a fifteen-second-prayer: "Right, Lord, Bruno is coming round. Please open the eyes of his heart to see you, and give me the right words. May he come to know you." Instead I really prayed, and spent serious time at it, putting off supper until I had done so. Worshipped away on the guitar, and proclaimed the Lord's victory until my fingers were just too sore to carry on.
Then Bruno showed up again. He's a nice lad, 22-years-old, we chatted about football, school etc, and then I asked him is he would say he was a Christian - was he ready to face judgment? Basically went through the gospel, and asked him if he wanted to receive Christ as his Lord and Saviour right now - no pressure - but do you want to be ready? He did! I prayed and he repeated after me. He's coming with me to church on Sunday. We will hook up and regularly read a passage from the Bible together. Seal your work in his life, O Lord!"
And then on another day I shared with those who get the more regular prayer requests about Dieudonne of New Generation. I had decided to be hard on him, because he had huge debts towards me, and yet kept coming to me to rescue him. He busts a gut to provide for 80 streetchildren whom he simply cannot abandon. He is a superb man of God, and there are few people on the planet whom I respect more. We needed to see a breakthrough. A few days later I wrote:
"Fasting day. Praying in desperation and with a heavy heart for Dieudonne. Our last conversation still weighed on my mind. It is hard to say no, but he must learn to look to God and not to me to bail him out. So meantime the kids and him are all going hungry and not going to school. He rang late morning, and ended up pleading with me for $10. He sounded broken, stressed, tired and discouraged. He was just phoning from the street, and had nothing left. It was a painful conversation. I said I was in prayer for him that God would bail him out with a miracle of provision today. I felt heartless on the one hand, but no, we will rejoice when we see the Lord intervene and confirm the fact that it is His work for His glory. Made good progress on my book. Prayed, read, sang, did admin, wrote emails, cried out repeatedly to God for DD and the kids, bath, video, and checked emails for the last time just now, gone 10pm, having asked the Lord to provide the answer before the day was over. AND THERE IT WAS! A gift of $900, which is just what he needed with all his debts.
HALLELUJAH!!! I love it, the life of faith! God you are awesome! Can go to bed now with a smile on my face... I love you Jesus!"
Such experiences keep me hanging on in there when feeling rough. God is powerfully at work in Burundi these days, and it is very exciting to be part of what He is doing. There has been revival here in the past, and we long for another full-blown visitation amidst the extraordinary openness and fruit we are witnessing these days. Thanks to all of you for your involvement. I am positively staggered at the wonderful correlation between what I highlight for prayer in these missives and then what happens in response. What a great God we serve!
If time is money, then time with Him is well spent! Let's do it.
I'll leave you with two things I read recently, do meditate on them, God bless you all,
Simon Guillebaud
"We are too busy to pray, and so we are too busy to have power. We have a great deal of activity but we accomplish little; many services but few conversions; much machinery but few results." (R. A. Torrey)
The members of the Punjab Prayer Union (Hyde amongst them), who experienced revival in their midst, signed the following declaration to become
members. It was in the form of questions:
1. Are you praying for quickening in your own life, in the life of your fellow-workers, and in the Church?
2. Are you longing for greater power of the Holy Spirit in your own life and work, and are you convinced that you cannot go on without this power?
3. Will you pray that you may not be ashamed of Jesus?
4. Do you believe that prayer is the great means for securing this spiritual awakening?
5. Will you set apart one half-hour each day as soon after noon as possible to pray for this awakening, and are you willing to pray till the awakening comes?
(Praying Hyde - Apostle of Prayer, ed. by E.G.Carri (Bridge-Logos, Gainesville, FL 32614, 2004)
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