Gather the Outcasts

Check out our web site www.gathertheoutcasts.com for upcoming events, audio messages, pictures of mission trips, and other contact information.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Kenya Report pt7

Dear beloved: I have received an invitation from the Pastor's Association of Kibera, the largest slum in Africa that is 3 miles from downtown Nairobi, to come back to Kenya to preach a series of revival meetings. Kibera is a district without sanitation and is home to about 1 million people; many children there are left as orphans, and the AIDS rate is quite high. I am in the process now of working out times and strategies for the meetings in Kibera. If you would like to see a touching video of Kibera, go to www.youtube.com, then search:redhead31293, then click on Kibera:Africa's Largest Slum. 3min 51sec. Pray that God would open the doors necessary in Kibera to allow these meetings to go forth, that the provision would be there, that God would bring workers along side for the harvest, and that many in that place would be ushered into the Kingdom as a result of the crusades.
Another pastor from Kibera was touched in a mighty way when I spoke to the pastor's meeting, and later in the week he found me at a revival and asked me what he could do to stir up the spirit in his small church, and in Kibera overall. The Holy Spirit had me to speak to him about a 24-7 IHOP style house of prayer to put a prayer covering over the whole city 24 hours each day. When I started to describe to him the vision I had for his church, he began to weep and cried over and over, "This is from God, this is from God, this is from God!" I received an email from him since returning to the states and have learned that he did get his house of prayer started with 10 people. Please pray that Pastor Vitalis will be steadfast in this venture, that the Lord will bring more workers to his side, and that he will stir up the spirit of the Lord to cover all of Kibera and Nairobi with the covering of the Lord.
I also have an invitation from a pastor in western Kenya, the city of Mumias, to go there and share the gospel with their pastor's association, and to preach to villages in that area. Please pray that God would open up doors in that area, and that he would provide bibles and the provision necessary for that outreach. Thanks to all who are praying for this ministry, for the provision, and for health and safety for me personally.
I will give more details on the return trip as they unfold, just know that I am a willing vessel for the Lord. If you would like to help contribute to this mission, to purchase bibles or for travel or crusade expenses, you may do so through PayPal on this site or on the www.gathertheoutcasts.com web site. Thank you and God bless you, in Christ, Jim

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Kenya Report pt6

Dear beloved: One of the highlights of the Kenya trip was a visit to city hall in downtown Nairobi, where Dr. Joe Kayo holds an evangelism crusade every day of the work week in an auditorium inside city hall. Dr. Kayo is a famous evangelist and pastor who has ministered in Kenya and around the world for many years. He has conducted the meetings in city hall for several years now, and the response has been phenomenal to say the least.

Many of the people who come to the meetings are lawyers, judges, and heads of government and business, all dressed in suit and tie and proper business attire, and they come for one hour every day. Our host pastor Boniface Musoti took Doug McCary and myself down there the first day in Kenya, and we were introduced by Dr. Kayo as men of God from America, it was a thrill to see the Holy Spirit moving amoung the influential and decision makers of Kenya. The hall holds 1,600 people, and there was an overflow crowd the day we were there, and again a week later when we went back and Doug was given an opportunity to bring the message for the day.

We had the privilege to meet Dr. Kayo in a nearby restaurant after the meeting, where he gave us a warm personal welcome and asked questions about our ministries and the crusades we were undertaking in Nairobi. Beloved, this is what we need in America, meetings in every city right under the nose of city government, men and women who are committed to prayer and praise of the Lord right in the middle of their work day! Pray for Dr. Kayo for this vital ministry to continue and to get ever bigger, for the glory of God to take over every aspect of Kenya's government and business affairs. Acts 26:28, And King Agrippa replied to Paul, "in a short time you will pursuade me to become a Christian." v29 And Paul said, "I would to God, that whether in a short or long time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these chains."

May all who hear the word spoken at city hall come to believe and serve the risen Lord. Pray for Dr. Kayo, and that the door will be open for me to speak there when I go back to Kenya. God bless you, in Christ, Jim

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Kenya Report pt5

Dear beloved: I had an opportunity to preach in a church in Nairobi that was established back in the 50's as one of the first Pentecostal churches in Kenya. Among the evangelists who had preached there over the years was Oral Roberts and T.L. Osborne. I preached a noon meeting at the church and during that meeting God gave a miraculous healing to a lady who had a very painful eye infection.
The lady came forward for an altar call for salvation and for healing, and it was then that I saw from the swollen socket and the redness of the eye that it was a painful infection. As I touched her and prayed over her, the Lord gave her a mighty healing touch, and instantly the pain went out of her eye. I asked her to give a testimony of the healing and she took the microphone and told the people in the church how she had been relieved instantly of the pain that she had felt in her eye. I then asked the pastor to allow her to give her testimony at the Sunday morning service, which he agreed to do.
Beloved, God wants to heal you of physical infirmity, it is His will for you and for all His children. Jesus said in Mark 2:9,"which is easier to say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Arise, take up your pallet and walk?" v10 But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins-He said to the paralytic v11 "I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home." So Jesus was saying that the One who has the power to forgive sins also has the power to heal us, and also that inherent in the atonement, the sacrifice of Jesus blood, is the ability to heal our infirmities. He demonstrated His salavation power by healing the paralytic. Beloved, believe for your physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. Jesus took the stripes for your healing, Isaiah 53:5. God bless you, in Christ, Jim

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Kenya Report pt4

Dear beloved: While in Kenya I heard testimonies of three former Muslims who the Lord had touched in a mighty way and brought them to a saving knowledge of Him. The first was a former Muslim Imam, or spiritural leader, who had been an imam for most of his adult life. At middle age in his life he was involved in a car accident that left him crippled and in a wheel chair; at that point he did a lot of soul serching and he accepted Jesus as his Lord and savior, and now he is a pastor of a small church in Nairobi! The focus of his church is to reach out to those Muslim communities in Nairobi with the good news that Jesus saves, a mission that he thoroughly enjoys.

The second testimony came from a lady who was walking down the street and had a radical encounter with the Lord. God led her past our crusade grounds where we were singing and dancing, and preaching the message of the gospel, which we did each afternoon in various locations around Nairobi. As she walked past the crusade grounds, she was prompted by the Holy Spirit to stop in and listen to the singing and the message. She was wooed by the message and she stayed on, then the altar call was given and she came forward to answer the call and confess her faith in Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior! What a dramatic end to her Muslim faith and a new beginning with Jesus Christ!

The third testimony I heard was in the church of Pastor Boniface Musoti, our host pastor for the time I was in Nairobi. I had the privilege to preach in his church the last Sunday I was in Nairobi. The testimony was given by a lady from Sudan, who was now living in Nairobi and had come to faith in the Lord after a faith shattering dream she had of Jesus. The events that led up to the dream were that her family was all Muslim and was also involved in black magic and witchcraft to the point that many of her family was being wiped out with sickness and death from practicing the black magic. She prayed for stronger magic but only got sicker and more terrified. Eventually she gave in to a plea from a friend who told her of Jesus Christ and that she needed to give her life to Him and be "born again". So she prayed that Jesus would reveal Himself to her, and that very night Jesus came walking up to her with His nail-pierced hands reaching out to her; He told her how much He loved her and that He wanted her to serve Him forever. She was so shaken by the dream that the next morning she got up and ran to her friend's house, where she told her friend of her dream encounter and Jesus words to her. She prayed with her friend to accept Jesus as her Lord and Savior, and was born again! Since that day the Lord has used her to be an evangelist to her family, and by the power of the Holy Spirit she has brought 10 people in her family to the Lord. God does work in mysterious ways! All through the Muslim world this is happening, Jesus is revealing Himself in dreams and visions to the people trapped in the darkness, it is a testimony to the power of prayer as Christians all over the world pray for those held in captivity in far off lands. Beloved, pray for those trapped in all false religions and cults that Jesus would set them free, free indeed! God bless you, in Christ, Jim

Friday, October 15, 2010

Kenya report pt3

Dear beloved: While in Kenya I had the opportunity to preach in a 2,500
inmate prison called Kamiti Prison. Three of us from the mission team went in, where we were met by a lady chaplain who guided us around and took care of the details for our visit. When we first arrived we were taken into the Office of the Chief of Security, where he gave us the authorization to hold two services of one and a half hours each, one on the maximum side and one on the juvenile side of the prison. Before we left his office, he asked us if we wanted to pray, so we all held hands in his office and prayed for the men and the services! No separation of church and state in Kenya!
The first service was held in a big yard with about 100 men, it was quite dirty and the facilities were quite basic. A gazebo in the middle of the yard was the stage for a band and the preaching platform. When the inmate band started to play(it consisted of 2 guitars, a keyboard, and 2 singers), about 50 inmates got out in front of us in the middle of the yard and started to dance to the Lord in a choreographed dance that went on for about 30 minutes; it was a vigorous dance that was led by an inmate who was grinning from ear to ear and loving every minute of it! I had to keep pinching myself that I was really in a prison, it looked more like a Broadway production as every dancing inmate was in perfect step and rhythm, and they were all obviously enjoying it all immensely. After I preached we had an altar call and about 20 men came up for salvation decisions and prayers for healing.
Then on the juvenile side in the afternoon we had a similar service with about 50 inmates, lots of singing and dancing and testimonies. Six young men came forward to make salvation decisions; as I went down the line praying for them, two were slain in the spirit and stayed on the ground for about 15 minutes as we prayed for others who needed healing or encouragement. It was an awesome time in the Lord.
Jesus said in Matthew 25:36 when you visit those in prison you have visited me, that those in prison are the least of these of mine. Only Jesus could give these prisoners the joy that they were exhibiting, nothing else on this earth could give these men the joy and the peace that passeth all understanding, in spite of very difficult circumstances on this earth. Paul said in Hebrews 13:3, remember those in prison as if you were in prison with them, as those in adversity are part of the body. Pray for those in Kamiti prison as if you were in prison with them. God bless you, in Christ, Jim

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Kenya Report pt2

Dear beloved: The last night at the prison before I left for Kenya, we were in trevail praying over the Kenya trip and the souls to be brought into the Kingdom. A brother came up to me after the prayer session and told me the Lord had given him a vision of a lady in Kenya who I was praying over and casting demons out of her. In addition to that, she had a child with her that the brother in the prison was supposed to pray for, for the rest of his life. As we neared the last of our revival crusades in Nairobi, I was conscious of the brother's vision, but had yet to see a lady who met the description of the events marked in the vision.
On the last day of crusades, the Uhuru Park crusade was the final event. I was receiving people at the altar call, taking their confession of faith and then praying prayers of repentance or of healing, or just praying the Lord's blessing on them, whatever the Lord required. A lady came down to me, she looked rather wild and forlorn, the Lord said to me this is the one. From physical appearances she certainly fit the description: eyes wide in a startled look, hair unkept, and I knew she had a rough life and she had a child in her arms. I asked her if she wanted to accept Jesus as her Lord and Savior and she said in Swahili, through the pastor who was interpreting, that she did, and then I prayed with her and gently bound the demons in her and in the name of Jesus cast them out of her.(Mark 16:15 to end of chapter). After doing that we prayed together for a bit, then I asked her, "what was the name of her child?" She said,"His name is Immanuel, which means God with us!"
When she said Immanuel, I stepped back a couple of steps in amazement as the Lord spoke to me, this is the one for whom the brother in the prison is to pray, for the rest of his life. Immanuel, God with us, the name given to Jesus at the time of His birth. May God be with you, Immanuel and your mother, we are all praying for you! in Christ, Jim

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Kenya Report pt1

Dear beloved: I am home from Kenya and getting adjusted back to life here in the states, although I must say it will never be quite the same again after seeing Africa and all the transforming experiences we encountered over there. A team of 20 of us, evangelists, musicians, children's ministry people, and administration and logistical people ministered for 10 days in the Nairobi area of Kenya, as well as a couple of days south of Nairobi at the Masai Mara Wildlife refuge.
God blessed me with many opportunities to preach the word and to pray for people, to receive many confessions of faith in Jesus Christ, as well as pray for healing for sick and hurting, even pastors and church leaders who were discouraged and needing a touch from the Lord. At a pastor's meeting in Kibera, the slum district of Nairobi that is home to half a million people, the Lord gave me this verse: Acts 2:22, Peter speaking, Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know...
And so as I prayed for these pastors in this meeting, the Lord gave me a word of knowledge that several of them were discouraged and ready to quit, that they were overwhelmed with the burden of their flock and their churches. Several came up for prayer, as they stood before me I had the heart of compassion for them and their flocks... I touched the first one and he got a mighty touch from the Lord that shook him back five feet and put him on the ground. As I went down the line and prayed, all were given a mighty touch from the Lord,strengthening and restoration. The greatest miracle of all is the healing and restoring touch of the power of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the living God. Before the meeting was over I laid hands on all 50 of the pastors in attendence, and God did a mighty work in our midst. Give God the glory!
I have been invited back to preach a series of revival meetings by that group of pastors, the meetings will be held somewhere in Kibera, one of the worst slums in Africa, a place of immense brokenness, AIDS, drug use, alcoholism and glue sniffing, open sewage and trash heaps burning everywhere. Please pray for my return, the timing and for the provision, God has anointed me to preach deliverance to the captives, to bring the good news of the gospel to a desperately hurting world. Thank you for your prayers, God bless you, in Christ, Jim