RITA

 

Beloved Partners & Friends

 

The recent event of the hurricane off Houston is absolute proof that the Lord is a prayer answering God. It was perfectly evident to anyone in tune with the Lord, days before Rita actually hit land that it was going to by-pass Houston. Our intercessors in Africa had the assurance early in the week and stopped the intercession as the word of the Lord was evident and sufficient. He answered the great cries of many people and diverted that hurricane. What a faithful God. One lady in Houston who was about to leave her home and join that mess of traffic leaving the city was advised by Pastor Roz to stay put.  She suddenly realized as she walked back into her home from the garage that the birds were singing again. She had noticed that all the birds,  crickets and other insects had disappeared from Houston a number of days before. She felt that it was a clear assurance from the Lord and she was absolutely correct. This was confirmed by another lady that Pastor Roz spoke to. Sometimes, it does man well to heed what nature is declaring. Just before the Tsunami hit the coasts of India, Sri Lanka, Sumatra and Malaysia elephants and other animals were observed to be making for high ground in a great hurry. Men laughed at their frenzied retreat but the animals survived. What amazing instinct the Lord has given  them but the superior intelligence of man causes him not to heed the warnings of lower Nature.  In Africa in the spring, the famous Weaver birds will build their nests high in the trees if it is going to a wet summer and much lower during times of drought. How do they know? Simple instinct is the answer.

 

Many skeptics may ask but what about New Orleans? Well, when men are lazy, selfish and greedy the consequences are what happened in New Orleans and has nothing to do with the fact that the Lord does not answer prayer. Actually, the concrete evident facts that the dykes were such a hopeless outdated mess and proven to be inadequate to protect the city really means that the mayor of New Orleans and even the governor of Louisiana OUGHT to be indicted and charged with negligence and the loss of life. The destruction and loss of life were not as a result of the Lord not intervening but because of the arrogance and carelessness of men. The attitude, “Oh it will never happen here,” is so foolish. During the war years in Africa, it was literally drilled into every soldier never to think or say that the terrorists could not be around. Usually, such attitudes bred carelessness and carelessness bred death. The Lord came through even for the City of New Orleans with all its vice and wickedness but men in responsible positions utterly failed.

 

What will it take for men to admit and acknowledge the faithfulness and goodness of an Almighty God? He never does fail and it would bode men well to accept His merciful love and stop resisting Him. Next time there is a hurricane or impending natural disaster, believe the Lord and not the world and join your voices with the many to lift up a great cry to the God to deliver and He most assuredly shall. There was no need for any listening believer to have sat in that crazy traffic mess out of Houston. Beloved, repent for lack of trust, learn a lesson and be fine tuned next time the Lord needs you to be an anchor and rock not only for your own but also others. It is so wonderfully victorious to hear from the Lord, stand on HIS FIRM word and be victoriously unswerving and immovable. If you are convicted because you left when you really need not have done so, simply repent to the Lord and be free.

 

WE ARE HOOKED

Greetings from two stateside “nobodies” from the cities and cornfields of Indiana who now have hearts for “Africa” pounding away in our chests, which are swelled not with the vain boasting of man’s glory, but with the confident testimony of His faithfulness to all of you and us as well.  Sam and I (Sam’s dad) are so appreciative of your assistance in arranging for our recent trip to Malawi to gain a hands-on taste of the ministry there through Shekinah Ministries. The wide-ranging impressions and life-changing experiences we had during our few days of participation with the brothers and sisters involved in the ministry, along with the insights and burdens we brought back with us are too many to catalog here, but I will make mention of a few.  What a contrast to leave the familiar lap of luxury and convenience and within a few hours of flight time be dropped into a very different culture of sights, sounds, smells, language, clothing, work ethics, family structure, customs, values, racial mix, laws, money, economics, agriculture, weather, topography, government, transportation, roads, supply and demand, business, marketing, housing, sanitation, food. . . . I’m sure I’ve missed something. . .all very wonderfully new and exciting to me.  Sam has more travel experience than I, so maybe the shock was not as impacting for him.  Our greatest joy though, was the privilege of worshipping, fellowshipping, and magnifying together with fellow-servants the same Lord Jesus Christ, speaking of Him and unto Him --  in different languages maybe, but one in Spirit and purpose.  Different styles of music and dance, songs and instruments (we were impressed by the creativity) but the same resonance of joy in the Holy Ghost.  Revelation 5:9 says, “And they sung a new song, saying ‘Thou art worthy to  take the book and open the seals thereof,  for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation.’ ”     Sam and I were humbled  to realize there were pastors, men, women and children from far and near that came to the meetings by bike or foot expecting to hear us preach and teach, challenge and encourage them from the Word.  Thank you, Pastor Paisley for pressing us out of our comfort zones and not allowing us to opt out of God’s calling and anointing with weak excuses for why we should be allowed to sit in the back and quietly “observe”.   What an honor to be asked to share from God’s word at the funeral of the pastor of that village in the mountains above Nsanje!    What a privilege to be a “tool”, fit for the Master’s use!  And again at Pastor McDonald’s and Pastor Chipolopolo’s churches.  The clay vessel gets sanctified by its holy contents. Our thanks extends again to the families who hosted us and fed us in their homes, to Pastor Matate, James, and Gift who patiently interpreted for us, for James’s driving skills, for the numerous women who quietly demonstrated such strength, care for their families, and endurance under difficult circumstances.  We thoroughly enjoyed the village children, my long talks and bike ride with Sebastiani’s son, Peterson; the “shopping”, Ramon and Juanita’s hospitality and labor of love on the farm,  good teacher Frank for your advice and fellowship. Stanford and Lucca  -- culinary and sundry skills, Anne working her outdoor kitchen, Tenjani and the rest of the office staff, the Finnish trio, the cobra, the sacrificial goat, the fishing, photos and Frisbees,  all of your patient answers to my endless questions,  the warm welcome and send off at the airport.  On and on . . .    clearly, we are hooked.   We carry you in our hearts with fond memories and fervent prayers before the throne of our Majestic King.   Blessed be His Name!

 

David and Sam Wilson, Ipls, IN

 

HUNGER GRIPS MALAWI

 

BBC News report published October 7, 2005

 

“It is seven o’clock in the morning and many Malawians we stumble across have been queueing for days.  Queueing on empty stomachs and with bare feet.  Mothers whose breast milk has dried up due to lack of food, jostle for space, their babies strapped to their backs in the traditional African way.  Occasionally a scuffle breaks out as  some hungry person, accused of pushing in, is plucked from the queue by police officers.

 

These are Malawi’s poorest people—unable to buy maize on the open market where prices have doubled in recent months.  Stocks in the main government markets are diminishing fast, so they’re starting to impose rations.  The worst harvest in a decade and failed rains are being blamed for what aid agencies warn is a rapidly emerging food crisis.  What is making matters worse is HIV/AIDS.  One in seven people in Malawi is affected and it is fueling the problem of extreme hunger.  Money that households would normally spend on buying seed and fertilizer is being spend on transporting the sick to hospital and buying basic medicine instead.  Malawians, particularly in the parched south of the country, are well used to hardship but their ability to cope is being severely eroded.

 

Sixty thousand tones of maize is being brought in by the Malawian Government.  The aim is to distribute it in the coming months.  But it is only a stop-gap measure for the most vulnerable and Malawi’s ministers are reluctantly having to turn to the richer world for help.  The real challenge facing Malawi is how to replenish home-grown stocks.  Aid agencies are trying to distribute seed and fertilizer ahead of the planting season which is approaching rapidly but contributions to the UN’s emergency relief fund have been miserably low.

 

In a small village in Mulanje, Southern Malawi we came across Berita Chimtengo.  She is a mother mourning her son, Benito who went out foraging for food and brought back some wild yams.  They were poisonous and Benito fell unconscious and very quickly died.  Eleven other members of the family, most of them young children, were violently sick.  Berita told me that she now was terrified every time her children went out hunting for food, but what can you do when you simply don’t have anything to eat?

 

In other surrounding villages there are families with similar stories to tell.  Aid agencies fear that without massively increased help in coming weeks, the tragedies these families have faced could be just the tip of the iceberg.”

(ed Note)  We are once again purchasing maize for our pastors, workers and their families.  If you can help please send to the Kansas City office with a note in the memo section -"Drought”

 

 WHEN ETHNIC CLEANSING IS OKAY?

 

© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

 

What would you say if I told you the United States is backing a plan to uproot forcibly people from their homes because they are Muslim?

 

You would probably be incredulous.   You would probably be shocked.  You would probably be outraged. "This is a violation of freedom of religion, freedom of conscience," you might say. "Why, this is ethnic cleansing. Didn't we bomb Serbia a few years ago on the basis of such an allegation?"

 

And you would be right.

 

Well, rest assured there is no plan backed by the United States to uproot forcibly peaceful Muslims from their homes anywhere in the world.  There is, however, a plan to do just that to several thousand peaceful Jews, many of whom have lived for a generation in thriving communities - showcases of prosperity and freedom for their neighbors.  This anti-Semitic ethnic cleansing plan is know as the "disengagement" plan in Gaza and parts of the West Bank.  There is only one reason these people are being displaced - because they are Jews in a land where Jews are not welcome.

 

President Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon seem to think that uprooting these Jewish communities will placate and appease their extremist, anti-Semitic Arab neighbors. It won't.  Instead, they see it as one more capitulation in an ongoing struggle to chase out or kill all Jews and Christians in the Middle East. Far from scoring any points with the Islamic extremists and hyper-nationalist Arabs, they will be ensuring the escalation of a never-ending cycle of violence and terrorism.

 

Bush and Sharon believe this "disengagement," as they euphemistically call it, will lead to the establishment of an Arab Palestinian state that will live in peace and harmony with Israel. It's a pipedream. When Israel withdrew voluntarily from southern Lebanon, the Hezbollah terrorists claimed a major moral victory, propelling them to still greater acts of terrorism against Northern Israel. Likewise, when the Jews are forced out of Gaza, Hamas will declare a military victory and escalate its terror attacks on Jews within the Jewish state.  In addition, how can Israel and the United States work on behalf of creating an Arab Palestinian state that does not accept the right of Jews to live peacefully within its borders?

 

This is one of the great untold stories of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Palestinians and their allies demand that all Jews get out of the country they are attempting to create. It's not surprising, since one of these allies is Saudi Arabia, where it is illegal for anyone other than a Sunni Muslim to practice their faith - even in the privacy of their own homes.  In any other part of the world, this kind of racist, anti-Semitic effort at ethnically cleansing a region would be roundly condemned by all civilized people. Yet, because most people simply don't understand the clear, official plan by Arab leaders to force out all Jews from the new Palestinian state as a stage in the war to eradicate Israel, the plan retains political support from most of the world - even the government of Israel.

 

Think about what I am saying: It is the official policy of the Palestinian Authority that all Jews must get off the land! Why is the United States supporting the creation of a new, racist, anti-Semitic hate state? Why is the civilized world viewing this as a prescription for peace in the region? Why is this considered an acceptable idea?  Is there any other place in the world where that kind of official policy of racism and ethnic cleansing is tolerated - even condoned?  Why are the rules different in the Middle East? Why are the rules different for Arabs? Why are the rules different for Muslims?

(Ed note) We all saw the results.  All who touch the “Apple of God’s eye” will one day pay a price for disobedience.