NEWSLETTERS

Wheels for Burundi!

Two years ago Dr Raymond Lombard of Wheels for God’s Word and Word on Wheels received an invitation from Bishop Bosco Sindambiwe to come and train pastors and evangelists in Burundi, as well as lending help with bicycles. Meanwhile, one of our church members sponsored a missionary to go to Burundi for five years full-time. A few months ago this missionary – Tim van Aarde – visited South Africa and requested Dr Raymond Lombard to please consider coming to help in Burundi. A man who is very well known in Burundi, Ruben Safari, who works for Scripture Union, Tim van Aarde and Bishop Bosco Sindambiwe, working in co-operation, set up two conferences – one in the north of Burundi (Muyinga) and one in the south of Burundi (Makamba).

Conference in the North: Muyinga
This conference was very well attended, as 41 pastors were trained in the use of the Heart of Man chart. On the second day of training more than 800 people were confronted with the gospel during the period of practical training. Approximately half of these people committed their lives to Jesus Christ! During the time of testimony – when the pastors reported back on their practical experiences – one of the teams brought back amulets and charms that were used in witchcraft; the pastors had encountered a group of people who were involved in witchcraft; when these people accepted the saving message of Jesus Christ, and as they were repenting, they handed over all their witchcraft items that they had been wearing on their bodies to the pastors to burn, since they had now been set free from the bonds of Satan. It was awesome for us to see all these witchcraft items being handed over to be destroyed. Praise to God!

Another amazing testimony was when a pastor stood up and said that he wanted to confess something. He confessed that he had been a pastor for quite some time but that he had never led someone to Jesus Christ personally. However, since he had been trained in the use of the Heart of Man chart the previous day, and went out to do the evangelism practical that morning, he had led many people to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour. He is incredibly joyful of the fact that he can now lead people to Jesus Christ. He is rejoicing about how God is using him now to lead people to Christ!

In total, 25 bicycles and many Bibles were distributed to these pastors.

Conference in the South: Makamba
In Makamba, 30 people received Heart of Man chart training and 30 bicycles were made available. Once again, during the second day of the conference, at the report back session, amazing testimonies were heard concerning many people who had accepted the Lord Jesus. What astounded me in particular was when one of the teams reported that, during the time of the presentation of the gospel, some of the people told them that they have never heard of the gospel of Jesus Christ and that they never understood the gospel! It is hard for me to think that somebody can live without knowing the Lord Jesus Christ. Another amazing testimony was when Rev. Martin Blaise Nyaboho told us the amazing story that the Heart booklet had been banned in Burundi years ago because, in Kirundi, the title of the Heart booklet (which is now UMUTIMA W’UMUNTU) was previously UMUTIMA… “the name of the then president of the country!” And because of this, since the Heart booklets speak of the Heart of the sinner, it sounded like the booklet was speaking of the heart of the president as the greatest sinner in the country! Therefore the then president banned the booklet! Thankfully, the booklet’s title has been changed in Kirundi to what it is at present. We can report, however, that the current president of Burundi is a true believer and Christian evangelist in his own right.

During this conference, it was reported that a few hundred people committed their lives to Jesus Christ because of hearing the gospel through the use of the Heart of Man chart during the practical session.

Sunday Service in Bujumbura
I was pleasantly surprized to see more than 800 people in our Sunday morning service in Bishop Sindambiwe’s church. We had a wonderful church service that morning. As I was ministering, the Lord really touched the people. I made two altar calls – one in the middle of my sermon and one at the end of my sermon. The one in the middle of my sermons focused on confession of sins, whereas the second altar call focused on commitment to Jesus Christ. Hundreds of people responded at both altar calls! Praise to God!

I have been invited by Bishop Sindambiwe – who has been asked to be a special adviser to the president of the country – to have a meeting with the president of Burundi when I return to Burundi for another conference at some point in the future.

Summary
In total, 55 bicycles, 80 large Heart charts, 400 Heart booklets and 96 Bibles, as well as 80 Heart pocket charts, were made available to the pastors of Burundi.

The Missionary and the Witch Doctors
An Inspiring Testimony from Francois Rauch

When I think back, it already started the night before. Friday evening. A terrible smell filled the air around our house in the bush that night. It was 22:00 when I was on my way to lead a late night prayer meeting in the bush. Suddenly we heard noises on the roof. As I ventured into the dark night, flash light in hand, to investigate what was going on, I saw snakes on the roof. On my way back to the house to ask my wife to keep the windows closed so that the snakes cannot enter it, I realized with a shock that someone had smeared blood over our outside doors. I am living deep in the bushes of Mozambique and have scarcely been in the bush as a full-time missionary for a few months. I immediately realized that this had to be the work of witch doctors. I was shocked and said nothing to my wife about the blood on the doors.

The prayer meeting went ahead and with what had just transpired, I asked the local church leaders to pray for me.

I got up early on the Saturday morning to clean the doors – I wanted to prevent my wife from seeing what had happened. I was busy when my translator called me, looking very surprized. He informed me that there were four witch doctors who had come to see me.

The witch doctors were clad in their traditional attire – something which was in itself an awful sight. They motioned me to come closer. When I was approximately 3 meters away from them, one of them who was clad somewhat differently – more feathers and more paint than the others – loudly uttered some strange, awful words and threw his dolosse and bones my way. He constantly made strange noises en blew black smoke in my direction. For the first time I felt alone, uncertain and afraid. I was afraid for the safety of my wife and myself. My translator stood at the back of me, scared and wide-eyed.

The three other witch doctors agreed with the main witch doctor by softly echoing his chants and speaking in a strange way. I realized that the head witch doctor most likely specialized in black magic, since his curses were aggressive. I realized that I had to do or say something but was too shocked to speak. All words that I managed to get over my dry lips (without looking the witch doctor in the eye) was: “Do you know that God loves you?” He must have seen it coming – after all, I represented the church – he laughed aloud. The witch doctors with him spurred him on by joining him in laughing loudly. My translator spoke softly behind me: “He says that he does not believe there is a God.” Now I was powerless. According to my translator, the witch doctor’s curses were that I would suffer a death sentence and curse in my life. The blood on the door was a testimony to that – my death was announced. My wife’s death was also proclaimed and sicknesses were proclaimed over the rest of my family, far away.

I was petrified by fear. I could hardly pray or remember all my Bible verses, studies, seminars or Sunday school texts. Pure fear. In this condition of helplessness, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind. God had to help me. There was no flash of lightning or thunder or even an angel to help me – just a silent word – a thought that penetrated my heart. “Tell this person his name is written in the Bible!” The thought was so strange that I did not want to utter it. I mean – I did not know his name. The thought kept on churning in my mind and finally I decided to say it. As I was taking out my pocket Bible, I said to the witch doctor: “God told me that your name is in this Book.” He suddenly laughed out loud and gave a few steps closer. He was so full of confidence that I suddenly realized his name clearly does not appear in the Bible. Thoughts of death flew through my mind. This was my end.

“Do you know what is my name?” I stood petrified – I felt like I had betrayed God by ignorantly saying something that I believed had been from God. Did I not know the voice of God? My translator was gray overwhelmed by fear. He knew this was the end and that he would affected by the curse as well. “My name is Alfonso,” he laughed with his big black eyes giving me a fiery gaze.

In my state of fear, even I, with my limited knowledge, realized that the name “Alfonso” does not appear in the Bible. But in milli-seconds my thoughts raced from Genesis to Revelation. There was no prophet or sinner in the Bible with the name “Alfonso.” I feel nauseous. And suddenly – another word in my heart. “Tell him his name is written in Psalm 14:1!” I did not want to say it – I had already been wrong. And I don’t know Psalm 14:1. And I don’t believe there is an “Alfonso” in the Psalms. Asaph, David – Moses there were a few who had written the Psalms, but I am unaware of an Alfonso. “There is no God,” I heard him say again.

In my inability to communicate – paralyzed with anxiety and fear (where is God?) – I addressed the witch doctor in a rather pathetic way. “God just said your name is in the Bible in Psalm 14:1.” I ask if I may read it. My translator gets his Bible and with trembling hands opens the Bible at Psalm 14:1. I also read it. Psalm 14:1: “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”

When I read it, I realized it was God speaking. We read it twice and from nowhere there suddenly came a power (like the wind) empowering me inside. Incredible courage and power vivified my body. The witch doctor frowned when I read the verse with my translator. “So where is my name?” he asked arrogantly. “There,” I showed him – now full of courage. “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” You are a fool! “Do you call me a fool?” he protested. “No,” I answered, “My God says so,” I now proclaimed with pride and my words filled with the power of the King. I felt it and realized it! The witch doctor and his entourage stood there dumbstruck. The black magic witch doctor stood back – speechless. And suddenly – all the verses that had evaded me, now returned. I now spoke boldly. The witch doctor grabbed his bones and walked away with his entourage, cursing. While they were walking away and I was still busy quoting John 3:16, one of the other witch doctors turned around and walked back. She is a woman. She shyly came closer. “What is this power and with what power did you speak that our leader had no words?” I share the Gospel with her in a simple way.

She knelt in the dirt without shame and I prayed for her. She gave her heart to God and invited me to burn all her witchcraft materials. We did so a few days later and placed her in a new congregation that we had planted. She is still serving God. All glory to God alone!