free trip 2010
January 3, 2011
Just over a year ago the Lord lead me out of a wonderful job that I had held for over 13 years. Because the job was so wonderful it was hard to make the transition but since making the change it has been even more wonderful. When moving with the Lord blessings are sure to follow. My new employer, Viterra, at the time that I started with them had just acquired a business in Australia. With this knowledge I had started praying for an opportunity to spend some time in Australia with my new company and this fall just before heading off to Ogbomosho, Nigeria with Christ for All Nations I had a confirmation that there was a job for me for three months in Adelaide, South Australia.
Carrie Ross January 3, 2011December 16, 2010
What I love about God is that he gives us hints to what is to come and He does that through different ways. Earlier this year in the Spring I was driving from Taber, my home city, to Lethbridge just west of Taber by about 80 km (50 miles) when I saw in the sky a plane that was made from a formation of clouds. It was a very big plane, one that was used for international flights and I sensed that I was receiving something from our Lord. I found it interesting because I travel by plane from time to time for work however I knew this was not work related because the planes I fly with for work are small. At the time I was praying about a trip to India that I was planning so I thought it might be a reference to those plans and I kept this picture in my heart.
Carrie Ross December 16, 2010December 7, 2010
Well it has been three weeks since my daughter-in-law Amanda and I arrived back in Canada and we came home to snow and cold. My home country is so beautiful so the conditions did not throw me and the drive home gave me time to enjoy the beauty and to savor the short time in Nigeria with wonderfully warm weather. It has been anywhere from 0 C (32 F) to -40 C (-40 F) since we've been home so winter is settling in.
Carrie Ross December 7, 2010November 16, 2010
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November 16, 2010
"Fire Burning" ...is the only phrase that seems to fit the questions many people will ask as we return home from being with CFAN the past 8 days. My heart is overwhelmed with the Fire and Love of God burning all over it. For believers this should always be the normal case but now I think the fire has intensified and is still growing. I sincerely pray for what CFAN is doing in Africa and around the world. To see people chasing the buses,weeping before God, crying out for the FIRE of the Holy Spirit...it just makes you say "I want More"!!
Ikem Grigsby November 16, 2010November 15, 2010
5.30 am – Departure from the hotel. I’m glad I don’t have to stay here any longer. We rushed onto the bus. Perhaps I slept just a bit too long. But we weren’t a minute late. We drove from the hotel to the Governor’s house for the last time. By now, I am familiar with the streets. I feel as if I’ve been here for six months, although the time has just flown by. It was all so intense, challenging, arousing.
In the semi-darkness, I quietly say goodbye to the slowly dawning day. I don’t really know the people here and I’m glad to be able to leave this place behind me. Yet I sense a strangely strong bond with the people.
Stephan Mittelstädt November 15, 2010November 14, 2010
Today we were allowed to have a lie-in … until 8 am. All the same, the night wasn’t particularly great. Beneath our window a group of football fans celebrated until 3 in the morning. When the alarm rang, I had nonetheless had a pretty good rest. Taking a shower doesn’t bother me any more. I’ll still be happy when I don’t have to see or use the hotel room any more.
I enjoyed breakfast and the African morning in the open air on a white plastic chair in the tent belonging to the “God’s favor rental” company – Africans don’t have any sense of pain.
Stephan Mittelstädt November 14, 2010November 14, 2010
I woke up feeling absolutely whacked. I’m not going to be able to manage with so little sleep for long. I long for my bed in Heilbronn. I took a shower but it didn’t feel good. The frog didn’t reappear, though. Lars said he’d gone to get his friends. I didn’t think that was very funny. Anyway, I always croak when he goes into the bathroom. He doesn’t think it’s funny.
Today was the day when fire was supposed to fall. D-day for hell. The day started on a very promising note from Reinhard during the morning meeting. To be honest, I don’t remember what he preached about. But the penny dropped and I understood what it means to believe. Yesterday we had a theological discussion in a small group about something that I think is unimportant. But one sentence stood out: “I have to understand before I can believe.”
Stephan Mittelstädt November 14, 2010November 13, 2010
I am not a big Facebooker but it sure is a great tool at times and so it was that I happened to be on Facebook when I saw an "advertisement" for a contest. It was about the middle of September 2010 and as I was reading the advert I got very excited. Reinhard Bonnke!!! He would be someone that I would most definitely want to hang out with! Without hesitation I entered the contest on line and a about a week later an acknowledgement came in the mail. I replied as they requested and then received a confirmation as a registered contestant. This was great to me! I prayed that the Lord would let me go and be apart of this wonderful crusade and this mighty man of God.
Carrie Ross November 13, 2010November 13, 2010
It's 915pm on Saturday night, this is our first blog of the day, because today has been quite hard to put into words. This morning we were both personally touched by God and greatly encouraged. The Fire Conference was a great success and we were blessed to be able to be a part of it.
This afternoon we hit the High Street of Ogbomosho, to do some shopping, a bit of a different experience with a police escort. It was more tiresome than normal experience in the heat, but we bought some nice Nigerian fabrics.
Richard Meikle November 13, 2010November 13, 2010
5.30 am We’re back on our bus travelling in the dark through the still sleeping city of Ogbomosho. I’ve only had four hours’ sleep again because I spent too long talking to Lars about all that had gone on. I wonder how long I’m going to be able to cope with this lack of sleep. 6.00 am – breakfast. It’s slowly becoming a routine. However, I feel a bit like a prisoner. Our hotel is surrounded by barbed wire and there are security gates like a prison. The Governor’s house is surrounded by high walls topped with broken glass. There are always guards with machine guns standing outside. On the campaign field, our area is cordoned off and we always have a police escort when we travel to and from the hotel, the Governor’s house and the field. When we drive back from the campaign in the evening, there are sometimes ten dark four-wheel-drive vehicles ahead of us, some of them with a blue light, and the column is closed by a truck with soldiers on the loading platform. I suppose a president feels like that, too. I don’t want to think about the fact that it is for our safety. That makes me a bit nervous.
Stephan Mittelstädt November 13, 2010November 12, 2010
Wow! We seem to have said that a lot in the last couple of days, God is really doing something here. It was a great evening.
We met some of the technical guys this evening who run the huge sound systems, and we managed to get a cuppa tea from them! A great bonus, even though the thermometer was reading 35degrees celsius outside at 6pm! There is a very hard working team keeping everything going in some very tough conditions, and they are very passionate about the part they play in this work.
Richard Meikle November 12, 2010November 12, 2010
God is very good. We have just finished at the crusade where 250000 people have gathered to worship the living God who is most definitely alive and being faithful today to his promises today. Amen amen amen!
We were able to walk out into the crowd and see at close range the faces of the people we have been ferverently praying for from a distance. Lives are truly being touched, lives set free in Jesus name and bodies being healed.
Daniel Kolenda had the priviledge of opening the word this evening. He spoke on the passover power of the blood of Jesus. People were asked to lay down their charms and idols which were burnt later and curses were broken in Jesus name. Amen. A very powerful move of the Spirit was witnessed tonight.
Richard Meikle November 12, 2010November 12, 2010
The second bad night. I’m sure I hadn’t had more than three hours’ sleep when the alarm went off at 4.45 am. We dragged ourselves out of bed and tumbled into the bus still half asleep. Because our group was twice as big this time and a team from Brazil had joined us, we were going to eat in two shifts. Unfortunately, we were the first. The breakfast made up for it all again – just like yesterday. I was in amazingly good form and was looking forward to the morning prayer meeting with Reinhard Bonnke at 6.30 in our little group. To think that he preached to us with the same passion as he did yesterday to a crowd of 150,000 is really amazing. I’m thankful that I can be so close to such a great man of God.
Daniel Kolenda sat next to me and talked to his 6-year-old son.
Stephan Mittelstädt November 12, 2010November 12, 2010
It's a bright sunny afternoon in Ogbomosho, after a slightly cooler, overcast morning. As all the meetings are held at the crusade ground in the outdoors a cooler morning is welcomed by all. We are very fortunate being able to hear some great messages. We had devotions this morning with Reinhard Bonnke talking about "whom shall God use?" We then went to the leaders training Fire Conference, and Daniel Kolenda spoke on Judges 6 and Peter Van Den Berg spoke on "when is the right time for action?" from 1 Sam 14. The leaders training in the morning is a great time of encouragement for all the church leaders, to help prepare them for all the people who will be coming to their churches after the crusade.
Richard Meikle November 12, 2010November 12, 2010
Hello all, it has been a great adventure so far, one of the first surprises being how hard it is toget next to web access over here. This has been my first opportunity. We have been blessed so far in attending the Crusade, which is an outreach, spreading the gospel and leading people to Christ. This part of the conference takes place every evening. The first night there were approximately 100,00 to 150,000 people, and it has been growing since. This campaign has been a harvest ground, hungry people fining the LORD! We have witnessed healings and worship as I have never seen before.
Carrie Ross November 12, 2010November 12, 2010
Amanda and I have had difficulty getting on internet to blog so John helped us out today and set this time up for us. He has been so wonderful!!! We are well taken care of!
This mornings devotions lead by Reinhard Bonnke was a great start to our day and the messages so far in the campaign have been powerful.
Carrie Ross November 12, 2010