DAWN Fridayfax 2003 #44

Spain

Psychiatrists can't, Jesus can

Maria Isabell is married, has two children and was the head of the local post office. Through tension at home and at work, she fell into a deep depression. A psychiatrist finally diagnosed her as unable to maintain normal social contact and a danger to herself and others. She was isolated in a psychiatric clinic, where not only her family, but also members of a local Christian church visited her. She reacted well to the visits, so the doctor allowed her to attend meetings in the church. She was soon allowed to attend the Sunday services. After some months, she said "Jesus spoke to me here in the church. He has taken the burden of life and fear of other people from me, and set me free!" Maria Isabell now lives happily with her family, and the psychiatrist commends the church members' efforts.
Source: DMG informiert (newsletter)

Ethiopia

Peace comes to the spear throwers

Their neighbouring people groups feared and despised Ethiopia's 50,000-strong people group Me'en for their drunkenness and violence. "Violence and daily drinking parties had their toll," reports Ruth Weber, missionary in a bush clinic. Spear wounds were commonplace. That, and the local spirit cult gave rise to hopelessness, illness, undernourishment and poverty. The Me'en first heard the Gospel from missionaries in 1993. At first, they all reacted skeptically towards the Gospel, except Gebre, the first Me'en to become a Christian. He then helped in the hospital as a translator.

Deliverance as the key

The first open conflict between the Gospel and the true power behind the Me'en was when Esther, Gebre's stepsister, was tormented by demons. It seemed certain that she would die. The entire clan was afraid, but Gebre proclaimed Jesus as Lord, commanding the demons to leave her. Something entirely unexpected happened: Esther was freed on the spot. The following morning, she said "From now on, Jesus is my Lord." The news of her deliverance spread rapidly, and others followed her example. There are now more than 40 churches in the Me'en area, with over 10,000 Christians. Their faith in Jesus has transformed them: the spears are no longer needed in many places, because they have placed their protection in God's hand. Peace has come to the Me'en.
Source: Ruth Weber, DMG informiert

Mongolia

Hot summer with consequences

"Mongolia experienced a special sort of heatwave in the form of a hot Christian breakthrough this summer," says Walter Heidenreich, leader of the FCJG youth mission in Ludenscheid, Germany. Mongolia was a Buddhist nation for centuries, with 45 monasteries. The Gospel first reached the nation only 10 years ago; today, there are some 250 Christian churches. In June 2003, 116,000 people attended healing events with evangelist Charles Ndifon; over 35,000 showed a desire to follow Jesus. Thousands were healed: the blind gained sight, the deaf heard, and invalids left their wheelchairs. The Gospel became talk of the nation. In the Gobi Desert, where there were no Christians only a few weeks ago, 60 people were baptised this autumn. There's also a new world record: 145 people crammed into a Ger (Mongolian circular tent) to hear the Gospel.
Source: Walter Heidenreich, FCJG in "Summer or Love"

Mongolia

Midwife has faith for the premature baby

"Peldshid, a midwife in Selenge on the Siberian border, was healed of a liver problem during the evangelistic outreach with Charles Ndifon in summer 2003," reports Ruth Bat, a pastor's wife in Mongolia. A few weeks later, a baby was delivered prematurely in her hospital. It weighed only 1.4 kg (3 pounds). The doctors thought that it would not survive, so they should just let it die. The mother was sent home, apparently normal when the baby weighs less than 2kg. Peldshid had attended a pro-life seminar, where she heard of a 500 gram (1 pound) baby which had survived. In faith, she said "This is a special child. It will survive." Together with a nurse, she cared for the baby, putting it in an incubator until it could go home to its mother after a few weeks. That astonished the doctors, including those who had previously ridiculed Peldshid for her Christian faith. The baby survived because God had touched a nurse, who could now believe that God could perform miracles for others.
Source: Ruth Bat, e-mail batruth@mongol.net

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