Ethiopia

Official Durame, Ethiopia Africa Holy Ghost Conference Report
February 14-16, 2003

Team Leader: J.A. Aguilar
Crusade Team: Michael Baeza, Jesse Mendoza

Dear Pastor John Arcovio,
And JAM Partners,

We are on our way back from Ethiopia rejoicing in the Lord Jesus Christ!  It was an incredible experience.  The fire of the Holy Ghost was so great that people were healed, many received the Holy Ghost, and even devils cast themselves out without the laying on of hands.  God was so good and the people of Ethiopia were so happy.  Bro. Teklemariam and the Apostolic Church of Ethiopia send their love to you and your family.

This praise report does not come without many obstacles, but in the end the Shekinah Fire of God’s Glory fell.  Bro. Baeza and I traveled together from Los Angeles to Chicago.  In Chicago, our flight to Frankfurt, Germany was cancelled.  The agents were not very helpful and the flight schedule was very limited.  By the grace of God and according to His plan we caught a very rigorous and long reroute through London and Rome, and on to Ethiopia.  As we backed out of the gate in Chicago, a snow storm hit and it seemed as though we might not be able to take off, but back home many emails were sent to my wife telling her that God spoke to them at different times of the day during our journey overseas to pray for our safe and speedy arrival.  After a 45 minute wait in the plane, our flight left for London and on to Ethiopia 14 hours behind our schedule.

We arrived in Addis Ababa on Thursday to discover that our luggage was left in Chicago.  Spending only about 2 hours in Addis, we jumped in a car and drove about 6 hours to the city of Awasa.  During the drive, the truck carrying the sound equipment and some of the brethren, which was following us, broke down about halfway to our destination.  We had to turn around and return to a small town 30 minutes away to make a phone call to the brethren in Addis.  Thanks to the Lord Jesus, some one there was able to pick up the equipment and our stranded brethren later on that day.  We moved on and arrived in Awasa safely.  After 2 days of straight traveling we finally rested on a bed.

Friday morning, we held our prayer and planning session with the team and Bro. Teklemariam.  God confirmed the order of the preaching and that the fire would fall.  That afternoon we traveled another 3 hours to the crusade site in the city of Durame where approximately 3,000 plus were in attendance.  When we entered the crusade grounds, the energy and anointing was electrifying.  We could just feel that the fire was going to fall.  Bro. Jesse Mendoza kicked off the crusade and preached "Let the One True God answer by fire."  Bro. Jesse spoke the word of faith for an outpouring of healing and many were instantaneously healed.  One notable testimony that comes to mind is that of one of the pastors (and one of our interpreters) who claimed to have had a very strong pain in his stomach area that he felt everyday for about 5 years.  The doctors and even his wife could not understand what was wrong with him.  But during the preaching he told the Lord Jesus, "If these preachers," speaking of us from America , "are sent from you, then you will heal me now!"  He gave testimony that when Bro. Jesse spoke the word of faith he felt fire in his body and felt the pain no more!  Praise Jesus!

Flowing with the direction of the Holy Spirit, I stood up to preach "The Sword of the Lord and of Gideon."  I encouraged the people to use their weapon of the spoken word of faith.  At the end of my preaching, I released the word of faith over the people again by having them jump seven times for a breakthrough and at the seventh time we shouted for victory and many were filled and refilled with the Holy Ghost!  It was a tremendous service of victory and faith building!  We concluded the first day praising Jesus with singing and dancing!

Saturday morning approximately 2,000 plus people heard Michael Baeza speak on "Confession" and give a moving testimony of his personal life.  Bro. Teklemariam told us that this testimony gave people hope for their lives.  They saw how God could take a life of disaster and turn it around to a life of hope.  Many confessed their victory that morning.  Immediately, Bro. Teklemariam felt to speak about giving.  They lifted up an offering that day to build a church that had been burned down by the protestant church movement.  During the offering a lot of commotion was happening in the crowd.  We looked on curiously.  A woman began shouting something in her language very loudly and the church people began shouting also.  When they reveled to us the words coming from her mouth we were amazed at how a devil spoke through her and said, "I have come from Shenkola Mountain.  I am leaving this woman here.  I am going away. Goodbye!"  Hallelujah!  Praise Jesus!  That devil cast himself out without anyone laying hands on the woman.  The faith of the people grew.  Bro. Teklemariam told us to report to you that in this crusade, they raised enough money to build two churches!  Thank you Jesus!

In the afternoon the crowd grew to about 4,000 plus.  Bro. Jesse preached the healing and miracle message, "The Power of the Spoken Word."  During his message Jesus began to heal.  I released the word of faith two separate times and people came to the platform with great testimonies.  In fact, that same woman who was delivered from possession testified that she had been possessed since 1986 with that devil.  The devil told her to sell everything she had which caused her great poverty.  She also said he caused many sicknesses in her body.  But the power of the Word of God was so great in that compound that the devil had to cast himself out.  Praise Jesus!

On Sunday morning, I preached to over 3,000 people a word that was spoken to me early Saturday morning.  God woke me and I heard the words, "Ethiopia, Ethiopia, Share your promise!"  I shared with the people how a seed was planted in my heart in 1997 (which was my first trip to Ethiopia) and how God used that seed to bring forth revival throughout my travels.  I testified how my choir translated two of the Ethiopian songs into Spanish and recorded them on a CD.  They were amazed how their music has reached Chile, Panama, Columbia, Dominican Republic (to name a few of the Latin countries) and even as far as the Philippines!  I made a call out to young preachers to "Go" and preach the Gospel.  Ethiopia has a promise of a 20 million soul harvest and I asked them to share that promise with America!  I asked them to release a blessing on our team so we can have a great harvest in America also!  I released the word of faith and again many were filled and refilled with the Holy Ghost.  I believe an army of evangelists will be raised up because of the Word preached that morning.

In the afternoon, the crowd increased to more than 5,000.  I preached again for the Holy Ghost service, "The Power of the Light."  I led them to repentance and then instructed them in the Holy Ghost outpouring.  The Ethiopian pastors, our team, and I stretched out our hands over the crowd as I spoke the word of faith!  Instantaneously, many people were filled with the Holy Ghost speaking with other tongues for the first time!  Bro. Degu told us that about 1000 people did not have the Holy Ghost before the word of faith.  When I asked how many were speaking with tongues, the majority in the compound raised their hands confirming they spoke with tongues.  We are confident that most of those people who did not have the Holy Ghost were filled for the first time speaking with tongues!  Apart from those filled for the first time, we laid hands on approximately 200 children and many of them spoke with tongues for the first time!  One child brought to us was delivered from evil spirits and when the child was delivered the mother was filled with the Holy Ghost!  It was so beautiful to see them experience Jesus.  We thank Jesus that about 1,000 received the Holy Ghost for the first time over the three days!  We concluded the Sunday service with rejoicing and singing.

I was told, about a week or two earlier there was a large Trinitarian crusade in Durame.  People were told to bring the sick.  Many people attended, but the town of Durame gave witness that no one received the Holy Ghost and no one was healed.  Many Trinitarians attended our Sunday service.  Some came with coverings to disguise themselves.  Towards the conclusion of the service, during the rejoicing, a call was made for water baptism.  One by one people came to the front to confirm that they wanted to be baptized in Jesus Name!  The baptism service is scheduled for the next Sunday.  Jesus was glorified and the city of Durame will never be the same!  Bro. Teklemariam told us that he was very happy and the people were very happy with the results of this conference.

Pastor Arcovio, it was a great honor for you to choose us to go in your stead to this conference.  Thank you for all the years you patiently mentored me and poured your heart into my ministry.  I humbly submit this report to give all the honor and all the glory to our Lord Jesus Christ.  He is worthy!

Jesus Be Glorified,
International Evangelist Jason Abel Aguilar

Thank you to our JAM Partners for making this crusade possible.  Thank you for your burden to reach the world with the Gospel.

Faith has convinced us (and experience has proven) that if we do our part, God will pour out His Spirit, filling not just hundreds, but thousands of lost people with the Holy Ghost, which will lead them to water baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus!  Dare to believe with us that we are going to see the greatest move of God that we have ever seen.  As we agree, touching heaven, we will see the handiwork of God at its finest.

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