Engage the Nations

Sammy preaches at Sunday's opening rally. On Sunday at the opening rally, they streamed steadily into the stadium from all across the city.  Those who are already believers walked from their churches singing in groups.  Non believers filled the bleachers.  The city mayor was on hand to officially welcome our team and declare the evangelistic campaign week open.  "As Rwandan people, we humbly recognize our need for God in the governing of our affairs and well-being of our individual lives and nation!" she declared in her welcoming remarks.  "Today we say Musanze belongs to Jesus!"   Local pastors and evangelists that participated in Evangelism conference hosted by GoodWord Partnership, Open Air Campaigners, SWIM and Rwandan partners Africa Enterprise  Later I presented the Good News of Jesus to the thousands of eager listeners.  Drawing from Luke 18: 35-43, I told the audience that Jesus's invitation is for them.  As with Jericho, Christ w

A past event at Musanze Soccer Stadium that will be the sight of the evangelistic Festival this Sunday.  Pray for Evangelist Sammy's message to connect with thousands that will throng the field to hear the gospel  Jesus was pointing to the Samaritan villages and not to the Rwandan ones that dot the hillsides of the Virunga mountains, habitat to the world famous gorillas, when He said to His disciples, "Lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest," (John 4:35).  There is no question, however, that had he been entering Musanze that day, He would have said exactly the same thing. Today as I hop onto the plane and head to Kigali and later snake my way up and down the land of one thousand hills to Musanze to join Jesus in the week-long intensive mission, I look forward to the people saying, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the worl

Brilliant, insightful and passionate, the Kenyan youth are eager to shape a different future from the past of broken dreams, corrupt leadership, and incompetent autocracy.  A future informed by the values of Jesus Christ and anchored in the hope that the gospel provides. Among our speakers was Dr. Wanjiru Kamau Rutenburg, assistant professor of political science at the University of Southern California.  While she was a PhD student at the University of Minnesota a few years ago, Sammy had the privilege to introduce her to the gospel.  Today, she is a passionate follower of Christ and making a difference in hundreds of young lives in Africa. Dr. Rutenburg has received several awards and a White House recognition for her work in empowering young women for better societies. In late May and June as Kenya commemorated fifty years as an independent nation, over five hundred students, drawn from eight different Universities around Nairobi, attended our two-day leadership co

"The Tanzania mission to Kigoma and Mwanza reflected the true move of God as hundreds received Christ and God confirmed His word by healing many physical ailments," reports Anaclet Phiri, who represented our ministry team in the East African nation in late May into early June while Sammy and others were in neighboring Kenya.                                                                    "Hundreds gathered each evening on a dusty ground outside the church building in Kidahwe, a small agricultural village of 12000 residents on the outskirts of the city of Kigoma. Several trees provided shade for many who attended from the surrounding areas. The crowd grew every night during the week-long mission. Choirs, musicians, and praise teams performed incredibly singing and dancing with all might."                                                                    As Anaclet presented the gospel each evening, dozens would respond to the message preached, repent a

A recent movie titled the Land of Pi depicts the life of a young Indian boy born in the South Indian city of Pontecherri who leaves with his family for the promise of a better future in Canada on a Japanese ship only to be met by disaster on the high seas.  His whole family and the entire pax perish at sea except for him and a tiger from their family zoo.  The opening scenes are laced with deep spiritual and philosophical questions as the characters wrestle with life's meaning and purpose and the nature of divine revelation.  Several hundreds of believers stand to rededicate their lives to bold witness at one of the services yesterday morning. In a way the boy's story captures the incredibly complex reality of the Indian people that spans the globe.  In his quest for divine revelation, he embodies the searching nature of the Indian soul from time immemorial. I arrived here in Bangalore on Saturday morning for a time of ministry on two  fronts: one to the Indian loca

How sad it is that a human being would be so set on destroying others through acts of terrorism as seen at the Boston Marathon! In the midst of grief for the lives lost and those injured, we raise our eyes to Jesus Christ to pray for the United States and for our world. He is the hope of the nations! May we also reflect on the privilege, longevity/bravity, and meaning of life so as to apply our ... hearts to wisdom (Psalms 90:12). As we can all atest, the statistics on death are impressive. One out of one dies.    The irony is that the statistic, none the less, speaks of hope for the Christian. It is hopeful because it informs us that there is more to life than what we presently see. It assures us that our longing for more than this world can offer is not merely a dream. In Christ we are invited to a new life of forgiveness, newness, and new quality of relational life that will never fade nor be tarnished.  In the terror of the cross of Christ was born the seed and mystery

“Sir, He is not here!   Could you please make your way out, sir!” requested the Catholic monk as I tried to linger on at the tomb inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in East Jerusalem, Israel.   That was in January of 2011 during a visit to the Holy Land.   At the entrance of the tomb inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, East Jerusalem, Israel. Like many pilgrims, I was fascinated by the significance of what happened here two thousand years ago.   Corresponding to the early visitors on that Easter morning, I inadvertently drew the same reminder, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He is risen!   Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again” (Luke 24:5-7). The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is indisputably the single most powerful event in all of human history with natural and supernatural i

  Sammy speaking at a Church Service in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia January 27th 2013 Yes, we hear a lot about the Asian century in terms of economics.  The high rise cities of Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, India, and myriad others in China and Thailand.  What we don't hear enough about is the spiritual match clearly evident in many of these places.  My time here in Kuala Lumpur visiting with the city's largest and most influential churches and Christian ministries has convinced me that God is doing something unique that is set to benefit the global church. This conviction is not guided by the sizes of the ministries I visited as much as they are significant.  Rather, it is guided by the quality of the leaders of these ministries and the values upon which they place premium in their service to God and fellow believers.  Without exception while not mentioning names due to the sensitive environment within which a number of them serve, they are all men and women of prayer intent