::ICOC EASTERN AFRICAN CHURCHES - GOOD NEWS BUJUMBURA::

GOOD NEWS FROM BUJUMBURA
POSTED ON 09 NOVEMBER 2009
Nairobi, Kenya

Reported by Tom Akello and Gilbert Wandera

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.(1 Corinthians 15:58)

The end of last year was a busy time for the leaders of the Church in Bujumbura. Anticipating a great following year, it was a time of planning and this kicked off with the launch of our strategic plan. This exercise was overseen by Evangelist George Irungu together with his wife Ann who oversee our church.

The strategic plan gave us a lot of direction on how to advance God’s kingdom. One of the most important decisions we made was to be committed to all night prayers and frequent fasting (specifically about baptisms and church attendance).

We have had consistent prayer meetings since January mostly on Mondays and Saturdays and with the year coming to an end we have already started seeing God glorifying himself in an amazing way.

The whole of last year our attendance ranged in the 60s and 70s and only three times did we reach 80 in attendance.

This year, we have had over 90 people in attendance several times and clocked 100 many times. On October 11 th God blessed us with an attendance of 128, the highest number we have had in Bujumbura in the last two years!

It has been amazing how God has answered our prayers. At one point we baptized four people in a span of one month!

In July, a challenge of fasting for 40 days so as to grow in our relationship with God and also bear fruit for the glory of God was put across to the Bible Talk leaders.

Only two decided to take the challenge myself and a brother called Jean Claude Ndezako.

The impact was instant. God led Ndezako to two men who eventually became disciples within the 40 days fasting period.

One day, while out evangelizing together with Jean I saw a smartly dressed man who seemed to be in a hurry. I felt the spirit urging me to stop this man while at the same time hoping that he speaks Swahili or English (Most people in Burundi speak the native Kirundi and French).

It was pleasant surprise when I realized after stopping him that he was actually studying English at the University of Bujumbura! After exchanging contacts we parted ways with Pascal Ndayisaba and I continued to reach out to other friends.

Pascal bounced me on the first appointment. I followed up on him only to find that the room number he gave me was non-existent!

I called him up and we managed to set another appointment only for him to bounce again. Finally we were able to meet and he came to church and studied the bible with other brothers as well.

After about two weeks he came to the conviction of making Jesus the Lord of his life and he was baptized on the 25 th of July 2009 to the glory of God!

Pascal had this to say: ”when I was stopped by these two smartly dressed men, I thought that they were conmen because people don’t go about stopping strangers".

Thank God, Pascal now stops strangers as he goes about seeking and saving the lost.