www.greatlakesoutreach.org

From: Simon Guillebaud [simon@greatlakesoutreach.org] 
Sent: 23 October 2007 

Dear Warriors, 

Greetings from Burundi! Truly, life out here is so challenging. As I wrote that sentence, a friend walked in to tell me two of his family had died in my absence in the last few months, aaargh. There are some incredible positives amidst lots of incredible grimness. Life is soooo hard for most people. Due to the current political instability, prices for basic foodstuffs have doubled, meaning that plenty can barely afford to eat on a daily basis. They are living in such total grinding poverty, it breaks my heart. I will hopefully get a prayer letter out shortly, but wanted to get some quick prayer back-up for the next few weeks. 

I have just seen Onesphore, and thought I'd encourage you with some more testimonies from his recent evangelistic campaign. He had their big team debrief and feedback yesterday. A few stories: 

In Gisoro, a madman terrorized a whole village, wandering around for years with a machete. A team came and prayed for him, he was healed, and for the rest of the two weeks' outreach he went around with them testifying to the power of God at work in their lives. 

Another team found a girl who hadn't been able to walk for six months. The mother wouldn't let them preach, saying she'd only listen if she saw the power of God healing her daughter. They prayed and told her to get up. She literally hadn't been upright for six months, and she stood. They prayed further and her trembling legs became strong, and she walked to church the next day to praise God for her miracle, along with all those who were converted watching the miracle take place. 

Another team went straight into a witchdoctor's den and started dismantling all his fetishes. He came in and screamed in anger at them. What they were doing was unthinkable in that most people would expect to drop dead if they did such a thing. But these guys knew their power was stronger than the witchdoctor's satanic power. There was one particular powder over the entrance that he would use to cause lightning bolts to strike people dead, and he screamed in fear when one lad was about to grab it. "Don't do it, or we'll all die!" The lad continued clearing it away, and when nothing happened, the witchdoctor agreed to burn all his fetishes and give his life to Christ. I hesitate sharing such a story with the wider prayer letter gang because many people would struggle to believe such bizarre stories; but the fact that the witchdoctor was so scared himself having used the powder to kill so many people shows those of us who are more skeptical that at the very least he thought it was real. Hmm… 

Anyway, there are plenty of such stories that Onesphore had, but he said again thankyou to the army of warriors that stood in prayer behind his troops, because they felt the prayers, and experienced far less opposition and sickness than previous years - that's why I so love having you all involved! 

Please pray for the bus project. It is going through birth pains and hopefully will grow into a thriving business to finance the streetkids' project. 

The nation really needs prayer. The poverty is actually worse than it was during the war because of inflation and bad crops. The political stalemate has been crippling on many levels. There was bombing two nights ago and eleven people were killed. I fluctuate in my moods out here between great optimism (when I hang out with the likes of Onesphore) and the darkest pessimism when I consider what Burundi is up against. There is so much darkness, hopelessness, crime, division, in the church as in the world. Pray on, please, and as always for the President and all ministers in authority, and for the Church to be both salt and light. 

I head back to the UK on Sunday, hopefully Lizzie will still be pregnant and won't have given birth by then - please pray for that! May baba G come in God's good timing, healthy and whole, and may I be there to support Lizzie through the huffing and puffing! 

This missive is less coherent than usual coz I am against the clock, and heading upcountry to the orphanage right now, excuse the rush, wanted to keep you informed though, and aware that your contribution is so very real in the battle being waged out here. God bless you all,

God bless you all,

Simon Guillebaud

Great Lakes Outreach
www.greatlakesoutreach.org