We arrived in Sintang at 1 in the morning.and were soon assigned to our room. After the long and tiring journey, we were given extra time to rest that night. Instead of the usual devotion time at 7, we gathered at 10 to make sure the whole team had enough sleep. The devotion was started by the introduction of our new team members, Ps. Franky then shared a verse from 2 Corinthians 10 :3-6 reminding us that our weapon for this war is not of the world but the weapon of God. Ps. Chris added by asking us how are we going to finish this race. There are tons of people who started the race strong. They were on fire and serve the Lord with all their hearts and soul during previous summer missions but as soon as they were back to reality and faced with the problem of the world, they stumble and fall. Ps Chris reminded us that we should finish this race strong and as a winner.
We had a surprised visit from the Bupati of Sintang, Mr Milton Crosby, as soon as we ended our devotion. The Pastoral team chatted with him and he shared on how he was not afraid of being fired by the higher authority if he stands up for his faith. Mr. Milton Crosby is truly a real disciple of Christ and he lives according to God’s word.
The afternoon heat was excruciating. However the team did not complain and they start setting up. But it seems that the devil would not leave us without any fight. One hour before the crusade starts the rain started pouring on our field. Our projector screen was not even fully up and the local people refused to climb up and set it up due to the wind. Leaving us with no choice, our team members took this task to their own hand; we climbed up to set it up ourselves. Alas the weather did not get any better. The rain poured down even harder than before while people have gathered around the field for the crusade. We were about to cancel the crusade when Mr. Crosby approached Ps. Chris, encouraged him and asked him to continue this crusade even with a short sermon and so we did.
It was the first time in Summer Mission history to have rain almost every single day of the crusade and of course, it was the first time we ever held a crusade in the midst of the rain, with and umbrella. 10000 attended the crusade in the middle of the rain, some even soaking wet. We believe it was because of their thirst and hunger for God. God’s presence was so thick in the atmosphere and we believe it was not only raining literally but the spiritual rain of God was also taking place. Ps. Chris still prayed for repentance and healing, 5000 received Jesus Christ as their God and King of their lives. It doesn’t matter what obstacle comes our way, we will continue to fight for Jesus and we believe that His favor will be upon us. We have won the battle that day and we believe that we are more than a conqueror.
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- Setting up on hot sunny day
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- The Sky getting dark
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- Preparing to start the crusade in the rain
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- The Congregration
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- The Crusade with Umbrella
