Donations:

We have just come back from two days in two villages, and have counted over 500 healings, and over 500 salvations. One village turned ENTIRELY to the Lord, which was an awe-some sight that deeply touched us, while the other village was entirely a different story.

There were 16 of us who went on this trip - our 7 Austrian visitors, my 2 team members, my 6 teenagers, and myself. Our local pastor Enoch also joined us. We rented a little bus, and off we went to the villages. Our visitors loved it, and one said she doesn't want to go back to Austria. I told her she was very welcome to stay :-).

BAMABOUGOU SAVED

Bamabougou is a little village about 7 km away from our local pastor's village. The village chief and the inhabitants have been pleading with us to come. They had heard of us bringing healing to other villages in the area, and wanted us to come to "treat them" as well. Several people came up to us and asked us when we'd do that. I told them we had the best doctor there with us, and he would take care of them later in the meeting.

When we arrived, we had a huge welcoming committee of several hundred people. We were told that they had thought we'd come in the morning, and so they had been waiting all day for our arrival (it was late afternoon). Some people came from villages as far away as 20 km, and God honored their hunger and faith. The village elders presented us with a gift of 8 chickens - very generous! A ninth one was added later.

We set up our equipment - sound system, projector to show the film, etc. - while many people left to have dinner before coming back for the movie. Many had never seen a movie before, and no one had ever come to their village to preach the gospel. Hundreds gathered as the sun went down.

Paul was leading everyone in a time of praising God, with our kids helping him, playing the drums, singing, and dancing. The Austrians also joined in, as well as the locals. After a few words of greeting, we started the movie - the film version of MATTHEW, that I dubbed in Bambara, the best Jesus movie I know (Jesus is actually JOYFUL). People were captivated as they watched and listened to God's word. After the movie, I only spoke a few words telling them this same Jesus was present, and still doing the same things. I challenged them to bring the deaf, blind, lame, and even the dead the following morning. Then I told them we'd pray for every sick person, and hundreds approached our prayer teams to be healed. Paul and I were doing the testimonies on the mic, while praying for a few people in between, and we tried to count how many testified to being healed. We counted 238 healings. The groups were also supposed to ask whether they wanted to follow Jesus, but not all of them did. We still counted 110 people who dedicated their lives to the Lord. Praise God

The following morning, people started gathering very early, even before we got up. They had in fact brought many old people who were deaf and blind, and they were eager to be healed. I had two team members give their testimony - my son Fousseni, and an Austrian - and then I felt to call the deaf and blind forward to pray for them. There were between 30 and 40, and we all prayed for them. Many had cataracts, and a few of them had them disappear. A few also had their hearing improve. There were about 15 whose eyes or ears were healed. We had several testify, also those that had been healed the night before.

Then it was time for them to hear the gospel. I just love sharing the pure gospel with people, starting with Adam & Eve, our condition, and ending with the cross and the resurrection and eternity. Hundreds were there listening intently. When I was done I asked them who wanted to make Jesus their Savior and Lord, and start following Him this day as His child and friend. As every hand went up into the air (see picture), I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit come down on me and touched my heart. What an awesome sight! I was inspired to prophesy over the village what the Lord would do since they all turned to Him corporately. I prophesied that their land would start to produce, and that they would see His blessings in a way they had not seemed possible. (Already one other village that came to the Lord has been spared destruction from a storm, while all the surrounding villages lost big parts of their harvest.)

We prayed a prayer of commitment together, and then Paul gave a short message on having to rid themselves from all idols. He told them to go right away and bring them, and we'd burn them. As some people left to get their idols, our team prayed for the sick again. We counted 180 more healings. Then we broke the power of the idols that had been brought and burned them.

The village chief had also given his life to the Lord, as well as the elders. God also healed several of them. They begged us to come back and teach them, but we had to refer them to our local pastor. They said that Dio is too far away (about 7 km). I wished we had the capacity time-, people- and money-wise to fulfill their request!

MAGNAMBOUGOU

A few hours later we arrived in Magnambougou which is even closer to Dio where our pastor is. In stark contrast to the other village, no one was there to greet us, and throughout our meetings there were a lot fewer people. We found out that people had announced there were coming so many times without doing it, that they didn't believe we were actually coming. Too bad.

Many people in this village had never seen a movie before, and where amazed at the moving pictures on the screen, thinking it was magic. Others were discussing whether our sound system was what they call a television since they had never seen a TV in their lives. Those villages don't have electricity or other amenities of life. In fact, they didn't even have toilets. We were told they simply go on the field next to their houses! That was tough, always wondering whether anyone was out there watching you.

People loved watching the film about Jesus, and again Jesus was there to heal and save. We counted about 70 people healed, and 91 saved.

The following morning, people gathered again, and our program was similar to the day before. About 35 people dedicated their lives to the Lord, and I prayed with them (see picture).

We prayed for healing again, and saw about 35 people healed. One boy had been born deaf and started to hear (see picture). One old man (see picture) had all kind of issues. They prayed for him, and then Fousseni simply took his cane away. The man was able to walk without it, which he hadn't been able to do before. Praise God! While Paul prayed for man, he felt the tumor shrink and disappear. What an awesome God we serve! 13 more people dedicated their lives to the Lord after having been healed.

People came for us to be treated, and in fact they were - sicknessed disappeared, spirits fled, and souls were born again. Doctor Jesus had done a complete overhaul, giving them more than they could ever have dreamed of!

Other villages are calling for us to come - the harvest is so ripe, but we do not have what it takes to bring it in. I wished we could go to one village each week, then have one person come to Bamako to live with us for 3 months and be trained, and sent back as the pastor. That's our vision for the future!

Another thing that needs to happen is to make our old car run again. Right now, Seybou has to take a taxi 4(!) times a day to take the kids back and forth to kindergarten & school. If we had another car, he could use that while we are in the village. For $600 we could buy an old engine and install it in our old car, making it run again.

It is so exciting to see God do these wonderful things in Mali, in the 10/40 window, where hardly anyone has heard the gospel, and everyone is Muslim and worshiping spirits. I'm also so proud of my children - of Paul, but also my teenagers. Fousseni gave his testimony several times, and it's wonderful to see such a maturity in him now, and such a love for the Lord.

CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS & BIG CELEBRATION

Our visitors and my team have been busy inviting people to our big 3rd Anniversary Celebration next Sunday, going door-to-door as well as to the market, handing out invitations, giving out pens with our name and details, and praying for the sick, healing some and praying with others to give their lives to the Lord. We're expecting a few hundred people to show up to our celebration on Sunday.

We start at 3 pm with our service. The Austrians are doing a sketch, and my kids learned a dance from Vroni who is with us for over 2 months. We are also baptizing several new converts, including some ladies who've been persecuted for their new-found faith. After the service, we're serving a meal. We are preparing for 200 people, and pray the Lord will multiply it if necessary (He's done so on several occasions). Please pray for many people to give their lives to the Lord and be healed this Sunday. God promised us His glory would rest on our property, and I'm praying He will come down in glory as we celebrate our first service there. I'm going to preach on the Temple and its dedication by Solomon, when God's fire and glory came down. 2.Chronicles 7:1 (see below) is also the verse I was reading when God came down on me powerfully in 2001, starting a 10-day visitation.

This picture shows you the current state of construction. The open space in the front is where we are having our celebration, out in the sun. Looking at our first house, you can see that everything is ready to finish the roof. Our construction manager Kossi asked me to give him $3000 today so he could buy the cement to finish the roof, but I had to tell him I don't have it, and that he'd have to wait until the Lord would provide. Right now I don't even know how to pay the next bills for rent etc. However, the Lord is so faithful, and we put our trust in Him!

Right now we're planning to move end of January, when I come back from the US.

AUSTRIAN TEAM & A VISITOR

The team of 6 Austrians who are with us for 10 days have been a wonderful blessing for us, and I believe they've been blessed as well. It's great for me to have people from my homeland with me, and we're having much fun together. They are leaving Monday night, but not before having a day of fun and rest with all of us. On Monday we are all going swimming in a hotel - my kids' favorite leisure activity - followed by a meal in a great restaurant.

On Tuesday the CBN director for French-speaking Africa is visiting us to see what we're all about. Terry from the 700 CLUB - who I met this summer - told him to change his flights and visit us. Pray for favor and much fruit to come out of this visit.

QUICK NEWS

•        Daouda- Daouda has now been with us a few weeks. He gave a testimony while we were in the villages that was very moving (see picture - he's the one in white). We have not regretted at all giving him another chance. The biggest challenge is that he is on a different level school-wise, and I'm still the only one to teach my kids. Daouda still needs a sponsor for 40€ or $50 a month.

•      Divine Provision - Hama has healed well after his messed-up circumcision. One day, when I did not know what to do concerning his wound, suddenly a lady rang the doorbell. It turned out she was a Christian nurse who's studied in the US, and who offered her help. She's a neighbor and had heard of us. She told us how to take care of Hama, took care of a wound another kid had, and of another kid who had malaria. She's available any time we need her and has been a tremendous blessing. She's of Nigerian origins, and single. I'm praying about having her move in with us and join our team.

•       New Girl Hawa - Our pastor in the village recently took in a 2-year-old orphaned girl called Hawa. She's been sick, and we've been treating her. However, her emotional wounds seem much more severe as she's unable to smile. Hawa still needs a sponsor for 40€ or $50 a month.

•      Monthly Support - Many people have given generously towards our construction project, and we're very thankful for that. The only problem is that we have not had donations towards our daily expenses, and since I only have a third of what we spend a month coming in, our debts have been increasing. Please pray and consider supporting us.

•      USA & Canada - My next trip to the US is January 4-28. I'm going to Ann Arbor, MI, Abbotsford, B.C., Augusta, GA, and Pasadena, CA. Details on the left and on my CALENDAR page.

When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. (2.Chr 7:1)

All HIS,

Claudia