Healing the Soul—SOMA Seminars in Tanzania 2007

Click the link below to view the 22-minute video. I think you will enjoy the pictures, music and greetings.

Healing the Soul—the Video

Sharing what God did

Official times of sharing have begun. Yesterday (Sunday, August 19), I showed my DVD and shared at St. Peter and St. Paul here in Roanoke. Several of the ladies dressed up in the African fabrics I brought home.

Don't you think they look great? I love the bright colors and bold prints. The presentation was blessed and people asked good questions. I've also begun collecting small offerings which will be used to help one of the young people I met, David Hebron, make a recording of his choir.

Bishop John reports

The following is based on a letter from Bishop John Lupaa to Gail Patton, our team co-ordinator. The photo shows Bishop John with his wife Devota at the Nkonko seminar.

Thank you for coming to do the seminars in the Anglican Diocese of the Rift Valley (DRV). Thanks for those who contributed the money for this wonderful mission. Thank you SOMA–USA leadership for supporting the seminars. And please thank all intercessors who prayed during and after the seminars.

“This simple teaching about Jesus has big power!”

“We’ve never before received such thorough and deep teaching.”

“This was the first big seminar in Manyoni in which all denominations participated fully.”

These comments, heard from around the diocese, celebrate what the Lord accomplished between July 4 and 24, 2007. Thousands attended the 11 seminars conducted by the SOMA teams.

In one day at Manyoni, more than 200 accepted Christ; Chikuyu about 20; Chikola about 150. Many received inner healing or physical healing. God healed one woman of heart decease! Others were set free from evil spirits. Even witch doctors opted to follow Jesus.

One story involves a husband, his wife and his sister–in-law. The husband had had an affair with his sister-in–law. She conceived and bore a child. As a result enmity, hatred, and inner hurt developed between the women. During the seminar they received inner healing and publicly forgave each other.

Pastors have started teaching the seminar at their local churches and report that God is faithful; they are experiencing the same power in their seminars!

Please pray for the DRV as we appoint new SOMA leadership and train teachers who will teach others to teach the Emotionally Free® material. Ask Jesus to grant the money for his ministry.

Pictures

Joy Gwaltney, a team member and our official photographer, has put some photos of the team up on the Internet. I think you will enjoy seeing these.

http://www.kinshipstudio.com/team

Advancing the Kingdom

The purpose of our safari ("journey" in Swahili) was to teach the inner healing course, Emotionally Free®, by Rita Bennett at 11 central locations in the Anglican Diocese of the Rift Valley, Tanzania, East Africa.

My team taught during the first week in Nkonko, the southernmost village we served. For our second week, we moved to Kintinku. During our third week we joined all the other teams for one large seminar in Manyoni, where the diocesan cathedral is located.

We were six for the first two weeks, Bonnie Bashor and myself from the USA, Captain Anderson Medimillo (a priest and our translator), and three lay teachers from Mpwapwa Diocese (to the east of Singida District). The team are the people with the yellow badges in the photo above. From the left they are: Janeth, Nely, Joyce, Bonnie, Anderson and Julie. The other man in the photo was our driver. The woman in the back on the left is Judith, the Mother's Union representative from the diocese. The other young woman is one of the workers at Ndlaa Guest House where we stayed in Kintinku. Our team leaders were Bonnie and Anderson.

Each seminar started with a confirmation service. The Bishop, John Lupaa, combined confirmation with the seminar to minimize the number of trips he was required to take around his large diocese.

The roads are impassable in the rainy season. This is the dry season, when travel is possible. Bonnie and I sat crammed together into the front seat of the Land Cruiser for our journey from Nkonko to Kintinku. It took all day long. The stretch of road in the photo above looks quite good, but it was common to have to come to a full stop, shift into first gear and gently navigate around deep ruts and holes.

At each location, we listened to choirs sing, prayed with the team, planned for how to present the seminar, shared the teaching opportunities and ministered to those who came for prayer. The Lord moved mightily in each seminar. Many miracles happened and stories are continuing to come in to the Diocesan office.

In Nkonko Bonnie and the TZ team members prayed for a demon oppressed woman during the confirmation service. She was delivered and came back for additional prayer during the week.

The first week, school hadn't started yet, and many children sat everywhere in the aisles. My heart is for children so I talked to Anderson and Bonnie about organizing a children's program. We needed a translator. As if planned, 23-year-old, David Hebron, who was leading one of the many choirs, just happened to be standing near us and said he could translate. So, by day two, I was out under a tree with 80 to 100 children clustered as close as possible around me. I taught them to sing two songs, taught them a Bible verse and told several stories, including the call of Samuel, Adam and Eve, and putting on the whole armor of God.

On the right is a photo of David and I with the Nkonko children. We are standing under the trees that served as our classroom.

At the final Sunday service, which closed the seminar in Nkonko, Bonnie preached the sermon and I gave the children's sermon. In it I challenged the children to learn to pray and suggested they could, even now, pray for their future spouse: boys for their future wife and girls for their future husband. They thought this uproariously funny!

These children will not forget the special work we did with them. Their parents were thrilled. Praise God! Amen!

The morning we arrived in Kintinku was the first day of school for the season. Tanzania is located just below the equator. July is the first month of cool and dry season. Although equatorial, the weather is modified by altitude. Most locals thought the temperatures outside were cold and some were even wearing down jackets on the morning and evenings. The land is semi-arid. It reminded me of California, especially with the palm trees and low chaparral.

Everyone seemed to be suffering from seasonal colds. Within two days of arriving in Kintinku, I missed one-half day of seminar with a cold. Bonnie also got sick. We didn't realize that her sickness was malaria until we got to Manyoni.

The spiritual needs in Kintinku were very different from Nkonko. Led by the Lord, we began by presenting the need for salvation. Team member Nely preached her heart out! (Our TZ lady team members were normally quiet and soft spoken, but Nely in front of an audience changes into a powerhouse for God.) That evening 47 people came forward to make a profession of faith.

The same night a woman came for prayer who was oppressed by evil spirits. She seemed very closed, head hanging as she quietly told us that the spirits had bothered her ever since her last pregnancy. She lost the baby, but the spirits continued to deny her sleep and torment her. She had been prayed for several times and experienced deliverance only to have the spirits come back.

Led by the Holy Spirit, Anderson asked her if she was a Christian? She said, "No." Where had she been when we made the invitation? She told us it was very hard for her to stay in the church. She had not been there for the evening's teaching. Anderson decided (and we concurred) that, rather than pray for deliverance, we would pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus to her. She needed to get saved! After prayer, she went home.

The next day we talked about the scriptural basis for inner healing, had the group renounced the occult and witchcraft, and concluded by inviting the Holy Spirit to come. He came! Our demon oppressed lady was there. She fell to the floor and several people took her into the Sacristy. Our team was ready to pray for deliverance, but Anderson told them to leave her alone and let the Holy Spirit do his work. So they left her in the Sacristy.

Later, when Nely returned to check on her, she was dry heaving. Apparently, this is often what happens as the demons are coming out. She was completely set free without hardly any input from us!

On our last night in Kintinku, as we were having a late supper, the delivered young woman came to say good bye. We didn't encourage her to come. She just wanted to come. What a difference in her demeanor! She is the one in the middle on the photo above. No longer sad, she confirmed that she slept soundly the night before and that she is now a believer in Jesus!

Two other supernatural events blessed me in Kintinku. One occurred while I led the guided prayer for inner healing. (I used the same type of prayer that Mike Flynn uses in which we visualize Jesus reaching into the heart to remove the painful hurt and replace it with His light and love.) We asked for testimonies and the young man who leads the worship band stood up. He is the pastor's son. He explained that when the seminar started he didn't believe there was anything to this inner healing business. (Typical preacher's son! He's seen it all.) Then, as the guided prayer began, he felt the Holy Spirit stir his heart. He had been rejected and deeply hurt by a young woman to whom he was engaged to be married seven years ago. The emotional pain had immobilized him. Since then, he has not dated. But, during prayer, Jesus took the pain and set him free! Hallelujah! Amen!

The other event in Kintinku occurred when Bonnie was leading the prayer to break the generational bondage. This is a powerful prayer that can result in the healing of the land. I felt led to walk around the church and pray. Four of us team members then stood in the center aisle praying over the people as the prayer reached its climax. Suddenly, just as Bonnie pronounced the breaking of the bondage, a severe wind whipped up clouds of dust and engulfed the building. Bonnie went over to the side door and spoke directly to the wind, "Stop it!" she demanded. It stopped!

Since we did not conduct a simultaneous children's program in Kintinku, we gathered the children at the end of the seminar for one session. I decided to teach the story Jesus told about the 99 sheep and the one who goes astray. Nine children represented the 99 and one child went her own way lost at the back of the church. The shepherd (a tall girl) went to find her and carried her back to the fold. The children love to participate in illustrated stories. Anderson translated for me. We had rapt attention for at least an hour and I really sensed the Holy Spirit at work. I asked who would like to accept Jesus and all 40 children raised their hands. Anderson prayed with them the sinner's prayer and afterward we encouraged them to remember this day, 13 July, 2007. The photo shows me with these precious children.

Our final week in Manyoni was also wonderful and challenging. The seminar took place on a one-km-square soccer field with a stage to one side. On the second day we started the children's program, but this time we had at least 200 children. It was impossible to keep control of them under a tree with the sounds and sights of the adult program going on simultaneously and the occasional scorpion to deal with.

The Lord answered prayer and one of the other Americans, Michelle, volunteered to lead part of the group. We had a few anxious moments without translators, but soon each of us had a translator and we launched into our lessons. Additional challenges faced us immediately. We had moved beyond the borders of the field to another smaller soccer field. But the military was doing training on this field, marching and chanting with wooden guns. Although it was hard to keep the children focused, 12 in my group prayed the sinner's prayer to accept Jesus. The photo is of the older group, which I led.

At the final closing ceremony, the children said their Bible memory verse (John 10:10) and sang a song in English and Swahili. One never knows how much they are absorbing. Having a program for the children emphasizes how important they are in the Body of Christ!

Several hundred people accepted Christ in Manyoni and many healings occurred. One young man said he had not wanted to attend, but his mother told him to come. So he came, and he gave his heart to Jesus. His name is Emmanuel. I asked him if he knows the meaning of his name, and he said, "Yes!"

The last event of the seminar involved reconciliation. This was a powerful experience. At first, we Americans asked forgiveness for the way our part of the Communion has forsaken the authority of scripture and rebelled against God. Then, we reconciled over the issue of historical slavery. (This is always a moving experience. I was directly involved in Kintinku where I asked forgiveness for anything my German ancestors may have done to exploit Tanzanian territory.)

The final reconciliation occurred between the denominations who were present: Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Pentecostal, Baptist, Moravian, Methodist and Assemblies of God. Tears flowed freely on the platform and in the audience. I only wish I could have understood all of what was being said.

In the photo above the pastors of the various denominations listen to the spokesman asking for forgiveness. The nearest person on the left is Anglican Bishop, John Lupaa.

There is much more to tell, but I hope this gives you a flavor of what we experienced. We were very aware of your prayers for us. Each day I would wonder how things were going to turn out—especially with the children's ministry. But, it was as though we were fulfilling a master plan that we hadn't made! The Lord provided at every turn. It felt easy! That's what prayer does!

We will never be the same. Part of our hearts we left in East Africa. Thank you again for your prayers and for your financial support. God bless you.

Mission accomplished!

Hello everyone! We left Tanzania two days ago. Total flying time was 19 hours with stops at Mt. Kilimanjaro (the airport), Nairobi, and London. It feels great to be home! Thank you all for your prayers.

But don't stop praying now! Several team members are experiencing symptoms of illness. I have had a sore throat. Our team leader, Gail Patton writes, "Stay alert-the enemy keeps trying to bring symptoms, but we do not have to accept them. Remember to rebuke the symptom, the thoughts that agree with the symptom and the emotions that agree with the symptom. Having done all we are to stand."

I have a warm glow around my heart when I think of all that has happened in the last three weeks. Over the next few days I'll put up pictures and tell the stories. The Lord's hand was with us every step of the way.

Feel free to add comments or questions to these posts.

God bless you! Julie

Departure day has arrived!

I can hardly believe that today is the day!

The USA part of the team gathers this evening at 4 pm in Northern Virginia. We will share an "African meal" and get acquainted. This will be followed by training both this evening and tomorrow morning. Then we head for the airport!

This is the last time I will post until I get to a computer on my return, July 21. I'm excited for what the Lord will do! Thank you for your prayers. My prayer for you is that you will draw closer to Him through your participation in this effort!

God be with you all and your families!

The countdown is on!

It's hard to believe that Tanzania 2007 is almost here! I am working long hours on a project for my client in CA. Please pray for focus and concentration to get this work done with a few hours of rest before the trip begins on Friday.

Lon has been really struggling this week with his health. Thank you for your prayers!

God is moving!

In my last post I told you about the joint prayer meeting last Tuesday night. The Wesleyans were so hungry for more that they met at lunch on Wednesday to pray. Lon and I joined them on Thursday, and they prayed again on Friday.

After prayer on Thursday, I talked with the assistant pastor at FWC about our lack of space at SPSP for a dedicated, 24/7 prayer room and asked if a room might be available at FWC. She went immediately to the senior pastor, and we have our prayer room! We also lent the assistant pastor John Guernsey's video presentation on the "Prayer Driven Church." If you haven't seen it, you can get a copy from the American Anglican Council.

For me, there's been a qualitative difference in all my prayer experiences since Tuesday night. I have a sense of expectation like never before that God is moving here in Roanoke!

Lon has been really struggling with his heart and his hypertension. Through a book he's reading, he learned that hypertension may be the body's response to early-childhood trauma. We will be doing inner-healing prayer for him this afternoon. I'll let you know what happens!

People who love to pray

"Hello, my name is Mary." (name changed) the young woman on the opposite side of the table introduced herself. It was the sort of exchange one has before any business meeting or social event. As we each told a bit about ourselves one could feel the human warmth in the room! Things really began to heat up, though, when together we turned our attention to our Lord Jesus and began to worship and cry out to Him. Tears, songs of praise, exclamations of joy, and groans of supplication followed. By the end of two short hours, you'd have thought we were members of the same extended family!

We are! When you belong to Jesus, the deep fellowship with other believers is such a blessing! What I just described occurred last night, June 19, 2007, as five people from St. Peter and St. Paul (SPSP) and four people from First Wesleyan Church (FWC) just up the street from SPSP, met for the first time to pray!

I'm excited about what the Lord is going to do through this partnership! How wonderful to find a group of people who want to pray!

Interesting links

To find out a little more about where we're going, check out this web page: http://www.anglican.or.tz/rift_valley.htm

For a series of photos showing what we will see, including a photo of the front of All Souls Cathedral in Manyoni point your browser to:
http://www.mccannmission.org/broadband/photogallery.html

Chikola, Chikuyu and Manyoni

The three places above are where I will be in central Tanzania. Two different satellite maps seemed to locate Chikola and Chikuyu in different places, as they don't appear on any political maps. Wikipedia says they are wards in the Manyoni District, which is west of Dodoma, the capital city of Tanzania. Manyoni the town will be the site of the third week's seminar to which 20,000 people are expected to attend!

Wikipedia also says that this is one of the poorest regions in all of Tanzania. This area experienced drought in 2006. There's a wealth of information on the Internet. Just search on "Manyoni Tanzania."

When it rains it pours

As a gentle rain falls outside, I sit at my computer working! I haven't had a paying project for several months. Suddenly, at the beginning of this week, a client called, and I will be working flat out right up to the day I leave for Tanzania! This is good news because we need the income. I'm also pretty much ready to go having purchased most of what I need for the trip. But, please pray that the project won't totally exhaust me! I don't want to begin Tanzania with a sleep debt.

You can be Emotionally Free

The above is the title of Rita Bennett's book published by Bridge-Logos of Gainesville, Florida. In preparation for Tanzania, I'm reading and loving this book. I think we all need inner healing. When I first experienced this type of prayer many years ago, I more or less assumed that I had to be prayed for "officially" by someone like Mike Flynn for the technique to "work!" But, this is not true. Our God is truly an awesome God. I was so blessed yesterday as I recalled childhood experiences (good ones, actually) and recognized Jesus loving the nine-year-old I was then. I encourage you to get the book and pray for yourself and for each other. Jesus wants to heal us!

A living book of Acts

I've been inspired this week by reading the current (June) Voice of the Martyrs magazine/newsletter. It focuses on Vietnam. Believers take advantage of their prison incarcerations to evangelize, and many criminals accept Christ! Their home Bible Schools offer a course on how to deal with the police. But, instead of focusing on legal issues, this course teaches, "'not to be afraid; that perfect love casts out fear...not to worry...the Holy Spirit will give ...the words to say at the right time.'...Vietnam is a living book of Acts."

That phrase captured my attention. I pray that my life and the lives of my intercessors will be living books of Acts.

God's rich supply

Praise the Lord, we have received to date $700 toward airfare. Thank you to everyone who has sent a check! A letter went out today to more than 50 additional friends and family describing Tanzania 2007, inviting membership in the intercessory team, and soliciting contributions both to help meet my airfare (total cost approximately $2,300) and SOMA's seminar expenses. Please pray that the letter will inspire as well as communicate the need.

Listening to God

My husband, Lon, taught his third adult Sunday School class this morning at St. Peter and St. Paul. He reports great blessing and excitement. Realizing that there is SO MUCH to study in the Word, the class discussed starting a new weekly study group called "God Chat." This idea has to be approved by the Education Committee, but it sounds promising. Praise God!

Lon also reports that he felt directly led by the Lord before the service to go over and pray a specific person at St. Peter and St. Paul. Lon obeyed, and the Lord worked through him in a wonderful way! Prayer changes things indeed.

My mosquito net is on its way. I selected a Mosquito Net Wedge Sleeping Enclosure. I'll share a photo.

Mosquitos

Avoiding insect bites has become a major topic of conversation and planning these last few days. I naturally attract bugs and get bitten at least once every time I spend time in the forest. For some people, taking vitamin B1 daily repels mosquitos. (They say garlic doesn't work.) The B1 may or may not work for me, but I'm going to try it. I plan to take a free-standing mosquito net for sleeping and am contemplating soaking my clothes in Permethrin. Apparently this chemical, which is now made synthetically but comes naturally from the chrysantheum plant, is harmless to humans, but deadly to mosquitos. One brush with a fabric treated with Permethrin kills the insect immediately. My third defense is to use a repellent cream based on the chemical Deet.

Stuff

We have a list of unique items to take. I spent a couple hours in Walmart yesterday making sure I got the right things, including candles, candleholder, insect repellent, bandana, universal sink stopper, clothesline, duct tape, trash bags, disposable cups, mosquito netting(still don't have), men's socks (for cooling water), toilet paper, towel and washcloth, kleenex, comfort foods (peanut butter!). And that's not all of the extras! All of this is in addition to clothing for three weeks! No fashion statements will be made! We'll be wearing the same things day in and day out. ;-)

Specific prayer requests will be arriving via email from Mefi. Preparations are well under way in Africa. Thank you for your prayers.

Tanzania 2007

The team leaves at the end of June and returns mid-July. Important travel days are June 30, July 3 and 21. Please pray for traveling mercies and protection.

In Tanzania we will visit our believing family and friends. Each team member will participate in three seminars titled Emotionally Free®. Rita Bennett, wife of Dennis Bennett is the author of the material we will present.

Huge numbers of people are expected to attend. Please pray for good health leading up to our departure, for good sleep and stamina once we're there, and for unexpected blessings on each seminar.

Source of the power

Your participation in Tanzania 2007 is critical to the success of the endeavour. Prayer knows no geographical boundaries. You will be as equally involved in the spiritual sphere as we will be in the physical. In fact, some battles we face you may actually fight for us. Be sensitive to what the Spirit is saying. If you receive a verse that you believe is meant for us, please send it. If you receive a word of knowledge or discernment, please send it. Use email to Mefi rather than comment on my blog posts.

Inaugural post

Welcome to my blogspot!

This week I got my Kenyan visa and have submitted my passport for my Tanzanian visa. I survived five immunizations (including live Yellow Fever virus!) and have my malaria medication. Now I turn my attention to the list of items that must be packed, including candles and a free-standing misquito netting, and to figuring out how to make everything fit!

Finances continue to come in! Praise God!

I have two more Sundays playing the piano at Salem Nazarene. At that time, formal services will end. The new Nazarene pastor will have arrived and preparations for the restart of the church will begin. From June 17 on I will be at St. Peter and St. Paul in Roanoke, where I will present the Tanzania trip at the 10 a.m. service on the 17th.

Please pray for the final planning to work for the seminars. Each of us will participate in three seminars. It looks like the first seminar I will be part of will minister to some 3600 people. The next seminar could have anywhere from 400 to 4000 people and will include Muslims.