Charles and Rene White with son Sean and daughter Loren

Charles White is a full time pastor with AOG Association and works as a business coach and mentor with several corporations and businesses in South Africa. During our first term we became very good friends and he helped us gain insight into the culture of South Africa and the churches. He also trained Mark in Mentors and Business Coaches International (MBCI). This organization has its headquarters in Australia with offices all around the world. Charles is one of their executives and is responsible for the continuous professional development of coaches internationally.

Charles told Mark about a story concerning his 17 year-old son, Sean, which happened in the later part of 2011. Sean had grown a half a meter (19 inches) in one year. One day when he came home from school he went straight to his room and went to sleep. Charles tried to wake him for dinner and he looked up and went right back to sleep. For the next several days, all he did was sleep. Several doctors examined him and put him through all kinds of tests over a three week period and they couldn’t find anything wrong with him. They thought he may have been drugged by someone at school but his blood work was clear. They thought it was meningitis and did a spinal tap and everything was fine. During this time when he was awake, he couldn’t remember who anybody was, didn’t know people at church, he couldn’t speak coherently, he wandered around in a daze.

Eventually, the doctors came to think it was something neurological and expected to find a brain tumor. A brain scan proved them wrong. At the end of three weeks on a Friday, they ruled out anything physical and decided it had to be psychotic in nature. The doctors made an appointment for the following Monday to meet with a team of psychiatrists and psychologists. Charles and his wife took Sean home on that Friday afternoon sad and exhausted. The next day Charles got away by himself and enquired of the Lord as to why prayers were not answered.

The Lord’s immediate response was that he was praying incorrectly. Charles then asked the Holy Spirit to teach him how to pray for his son. Charles said it was like an audible voice that said, “Pray that his body, mind, and spirit be in unity.” That Saturday night when Sean was asleep, Charles went into his room and through prayer, commanded that his body, soul and spirit would be in unity. Sean suddenly woke from his sleep, looked at Charles for a few minutes and went back to sleep. The next morning he was still the same.

Again, Charles prayed the same prayer before driving the family to church. Charles ministered a sermon entitled From the Pit of the Valley, and Rene sang In the Name of the Lord by Sandi Patti. All this time Sean was present physically but not mentally and emotionally. Without knowing what each other was going to do at church they had each decided to minister to the body of Christ in spite of the fact that they were facing one of the biggest storm of their lives with their son. There was not one dry eye in church that Sunday morning and the room was filled with the presence of the Lord.

On their way home after church Sean asked Charles for his cell phone and started asking about the date and time. As the family walked into their home it started raining and then stopped as abruptly as it had started. The family ran outside to see what was happening since it seemed as if the rain was floating through the air and the sunlight shone through their living room. As they walked back inside Sean started behaving completely normal. They couldn’t believe what they saw. Sean looked at his dad and said, “I was in a dream, and I couldn’t get out.” He has been perfectly normal ever since. The team of psychiatrists were completely confused when they examined Sean the following day.

Sean felt like he was locked in a dark place and couldn’t get out. He couldn’t communicate with anyone and it was as if he was in a walking coma. Charles believes his son was under deep oppression of the enemy. As a result of prayer, Charles heard from His Father exactly how to pray for his son which ultimately saved his life. We know that spiritual warfare is a reality and that Christians are on the front lines of this battle. Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans that the Holy Spirit within us will teach us how to pray when we don’t know what to pray (Romans 8:26, 27).

Dan and Noreen McGaffee

It was a pleasant, late Monday afternoon when I visited with Pastor Benson. We had a Sunday service with him the previous day (March 9^th) and the presence of the Lord was ministering to different ones according to their needs; spiritual and physical. I asked Pastor Benson about some things related to witchcraft in his area. He began to share about a witch who lived near where he pastors a church and how she had put a curse on a strong, young man. As a result of the curse, his stomach began to expand and when examined by doctors at the hospital they could find nothing wrong. The man died shortly after his examination. Pastor Benson said this is common among cases that deal with curses. A physical problem can be seen and felt but no logical explanation can be given. The witch has made threats to others that if anyone tries to defeat her, she will put a curse on them. Obviously this would leave the people feeling very afraid.

Upon hearing this, we were led by the Spirit to immediately bind the strong man of evil and for the Lord to destroy this wickedness. We prayed intensely for a short season and then I left to go home. The next morning I received a text from Pastor Benson which read: “The witch is dead!” I called Pastor Benson immediately to find out what happened. He told me during the night he dreamt that as he and I were praying, the witch was shrinking. On Tuesday morning she suddenly died for no apparent reason. She was not sick or suffering in any way. God intervened and took care of the problem! The people of the area are rejoicing because the witch is dead and along with her a stronghold of evil. God be praised!!! This is an example of a present-day power encounter.  These things are real because we are engaged in a real war between evil and the goodness of our God. It is an honor to serve the Living God and see how He works in protecting, saving and redeeming people for His glory by destroying strongholds of evil! Keep praying against evil and binding it, God will break down the strongholds!

Gwilym Hesselman
Third Year Student at GST-WC

Gwilym Hesselman, a third year student at GST-WC, told me about a remarkable story that happened to three ladies he had worked with two years ago. I arranged a time to meet with him so he could share the details with me for this post.

In 2011 the country of South Africa conducted a census and Gwilym was hired to work for them as a supervisor of a team. Four other people were assigned to work with him and were responsible for a particular part of the city. He said he prayed for the Lord to give him a Christian team because he wanted to use this job to preach the gospel and win the lost for Christ. Sure enough, God honored his prayer and three of the four people were Christians— two of the three ladies and one man. However, the third lady, whose name was Keshia was not saved. Before they started going house to house, the group met every day for 45 days praying for God’s anointing and favor in reaching the lost and it was at the first of these prayer meetings that Keshia gave her heart to the Lord.

Now that the entire team was born again and zealous to preach the gospel, the Lord began to do some amazing things. One particular night, Gwilym and the other young man were unable to go out with the three ladies and so they went without any male assistance. They went into an area called Banjo Walk, which was especially dangerous at night. One thing was certain, if there were lots of people and noise on the streets, it was safe. However, if it was quiet, you needed to be on your guard because that was usually a sign that danger was looming. That night, the three ladies were walking along and it was eerily quiet. They told Gwilym that they saw a group of men that looked like ruffians coming toward them and they began praying that God would protect them. However, when the men came up to the ladies, the leader asked them who that “big man” was walking with them. The ladies said there wasn’t anyone with them because Gwilym and the other male team member weren’t able to assist them. He insisted that there was a “big man” and then they quickly walked away and didn’t bother them anymore.

After that experience, the three ladies went into one of the houses, which happened to be the home where Christians lived. They sat down and the woman of the house went into the kitchen to get them some drinks. When she returned, she had brought four drinks with her. The ladies wondered why she brought four drinks and she told them the forth one was for that “big man” who was with them. They insisted that there was no man in their group but the hostess insisted that there really was a very “big man” sitting in her living room.

The Bible tells us in Hebrews 13:1, 2 about angels in our midst: “Let love of the brethren continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.”

Mama Lizzy and the Children

This story comes from fellow South African missionaries living in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, Tammy and Charles Hasselbring. At our mission meeting in March 2013, Tammy shared an amazing story about a woman whom they called, Mama Lizzy. She said that they had been caring for five abandoned children, ages five to fifteen, for over four years. The people in the village had very little to do with the children because they had been prostituting and stealing and were no longer welcome. A year ago, Tammy said they started looking for someone to help them and so Mama Lizzy came to them from Zimbabwe to work with the children.

When the children’s relatives heard about Mama Lizzy, they tried to run her off because they did not want the children to stop making money for them. Tammy said they also discovered that the family was very involved with witch craft, the worst they had ever seen. An older sister of the children showed up and tried everything in her power to force Mama Lizzy to leave. The woman finally said she was going to an all-night Satanic worship service and would pray sickness and death to Mama Lizzy and the Hasselbrings. Mama Lizzy then called Tammy and Charles and they all agreed in prayer for God’s protection. They also prayed that this woman would not have any power to harm them or the children. Tammy said they even contacted their church in the US and asked them to agree with them in prayer. Within thirty minutes of their call, the woman was running through the streets screaming that they were burning her and she had no power. Afterwards, she wasn’t even able to approach the property without falling to the ground. She left and never came back.

That was a huge turning point for Mama Lizzy and the children. The children started confessing their sins and told her about the demonic spirits that visited them almost every night. Mama Lizzy taught them how to pray to Jesus and the children were saved, delivered and transformed. The oldest girl struggled for a while but has had a complete healing and has been preaching in revival services in the village.

Mama Lizzy’s story really just takes off from there. She began teaching the children after school because they had been doing very poorly and not making the grade. The school would just pass them on to the next level. One of the children even has cerebral palsy, which after talking with several therapists they said she was incapable of ever being able to read. At the end of the school year, she received an award from her school for most improved reader and all of the children passed with flying colors. Mama Lizzy also started teaching other children in the neighborhood when parents noticed how improved these children were. Other students were also asking for help after school when they saw their fellow classmates improve.

Word spread that Mama Lizzy was helping children after school and they were all improving and all the parents were very grateful to her. They wanted to pay her but she did not feel right about taking money. Instead, the parents brought food, clothing, shoes, and whatever else the house needed to help support the children. The community has even started taking care of their own needy children. The community not only has come to love the children, but they also assist in caring for them whenever they are asked. As a result, the size of the house and number of children have grown.

The police department also brings their troubled children to Mama Lizzy when it is a case of demonic possession and they don’t know what else to do. As a result, families are being saved. The local church has begun a building program to accommodate the new converts. Tammy has also heard the testimonies of several ex-witch doctors who have come to Mama Lizzy for prayer. They couldn’t understand why they lost their power and became sick. They are coming for prayer and leaving as new Christians and delivered from their demonic possession and oppression.

The community continues to support Mama Lizzy and the children. Originally, they thought she had come for the children but now they realize that she ended up helping them all. This is the living testimony of a person who has given God her all and the harvest continues to be plentiful. God took this abused wife of an alcoholic and transformed her into someone who is truly an inspiration.

Carol-Anne Isaacs

Mark and I have known Carol-Anne since we moved to Cape Town in February 2006. We left Kenya after twenty years to assume the position as the principal of Cape Theological Seminary, which is now called Global School of Theology-Western Cape (GST-WC). At that time Carol-Anne was a third year student enrolled in the four-year Bible and Theology degree program. The instant we met her, we immediately noticed something very special about her. She not only had an outgoing and friendly personality, but she was like a woman on a mission—never slowing down and always looking for ways to be a blessing to everyone around her. The longer we have known Carol-Anne, the more inspiring her life has become.

Born on December 24, 1964, she was diagnosed at birth with a bone disease called athrogryphosis. This is a rare congenital disorder that is characterized by multiple joint abnormalities and a shortening of muscles that causes muscle weakness and a deformity in her joints. She also has a condition called bilateral dislocated hips, which means she was born without any hip sockets or knee caps and she walks with a severe limp. In addition, she also inherited a condition that affected the development of her hands and feet. Her fingers are webbed up to the first knuckle which makes it difficult for her to spread her fingers out and she cannot lay her hands down in a flattened position. Throughout her years as a student she earned extra money to help pay her school fees by typing other students’ papers and she can literally out-type everyone on the campus. However, this particular condition has made playing the piano impossible.

Carol-Anne with her graduating class from CTS in 2007

In November 2007 Carol-Anne completed her four year BA degree at CTS and immediately following graduation, the school hired her to be the full-time librarian. On October 11, 2013 she completed her second BA in Library and Information Science after five years of part-time studies at University of South Africa (UNISA).

Carol-Anne’s entire life has been a series of miracles but the most recent one came to my attention through a fellow missionary, Rosie Gilbert who teaches music at the seminary. One day she heard someone playing the piano and wanted to know who it was. She peeked in the door and was amazed to see that it was Carol-Anne. Carol-Anne had decided at the beginning of the year that she wanted to learn how to play the piano. She took a few lessons from her friend and fellow staff member Clarina’s husband but due to the deformity in her hands, she was unable to spread her fingers out and play without causing great pain. After a few lessons, she became very discouraged and decided to quit trying. Normally when she would get disappointed about something she would go to her room and sleep. However, that particular day she put her school bag down and decided to pray instead and afterward she sat down to do her school work. As she was typing an assignment she felt the urge to pray again and when she looked at her hands she couldn’t believe it—they were straight! She burst into tears and ran to Clarina’s flat on the campus and showed her what had happened to her hands. Clarina started to pray and praise the Lord for healing Carol-Anne’s hands. Carol-Anne stated proudly that she can now play the piano but still needs to take some more lessons so she can learn how to play “properly”.

Samuel Shirongo and His Wife
Addis Ababa Ethiopia
2002-03

I would like to share an incredible miracle that happened to one of our students at the Bible school in Ethiopia in 2002. During our last term in Kenya, we were asked to assist the Addis Ababa Bible School (ABC) for six months to fill in for missionaries going home on furlough. As the acting Dean of Students, I was responsible for meeting with every student returning from the long break and collecting their ministry reports and following up their practical ministry experiences. This was my first introduction to a student by the name of Samuel Shirongo, a man in his forties, married, and father of three children. Samuel was saved out of a Muslim culture and faith and was quite radical in his newfound faith in Jesus Christ. He told me that he and another student from ABC went to a Muslim community to share the Gospel and upon arrival a funeral for a young girl was in progress. According to custom, the dead body was carried to the grave by the members of the community who formed a queue from the home to the place of burial. Samuel told the student with him that this was their chance and to follow him and join the queue. His friend asked him if he was crazy and declined the invitation and ran the opposite direction. Samuel was not to be deterred and jumped into the queue and waited for the child to be placed in his arms. He told me that the Holy Spirit gave him a boldness that was even surprising to him. When the child was placed in his arms, he lifted her body into the air and shouted out with a powerful voice commanding that she come back to life in the name of Jesus Christ. Abruptly the noisy weeping and wailing came to a stop and all eyes were immediately focused on Samuel and the child. At that moment, the little girl’s eyes opened and she began to breath. Yes, God had raised a child from the dead. Chaos broke out as the people were stunned by the demonstration of the power of the living God.

This was not the end of the story. Samuel returned to the village the following week and held a church service and preached the Gospel for the first time to this village. Samuel said that a spy had been sent to bring disruption to the service but instead, he became a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, along with the village witchdoctor and his family. The entire family of the little girl accepted Christ and 215 were baptized, 103 of which were Muslims.

If you were to ask Samuel if Jesus still performs miracles through His Church today, he would declare unequivocally from first-hand experience that He does. Jesus performed many miracles during His time on earth and according to His own words, He said that miracles would continue to follow those who believe. Jesus said, “Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me; otherwise believe on account of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father” (John 14:11 and 12).

Gwilym Hesselman

Last year Gwilym was a student in my Life Group at the seminary. A young man in his twenties, he was in his 2^ndyear of studies for a degree in Bible and Theology. He told me a story about something that had happened to him and several of his friends who had been reaching out to their community by going from house to house preaching and ministering to the people. That particular area was extremely impoverished and he said many of the people live a hopeless existence and are addicted to alcohol.

He and his friends would meet and pray together every week and God had opened doors for them to minister in different homes. On this particular occasion, he and five of his friends were invited to a “very old” woman’s home to preach the Word. Her name was Aunty Monica and one of her friends was with her. I asked him how old he thought she was and he said she was very, very old—probably 60. I didn’t have the heart to tell him I was 64 at the time. After he preached the Word, they sang a worship song and Aunty Monica stood up shaking and told Gwilym she had a lot of pain in her chest. She told him she had gone to the hospital that day and had gotten three packets of tablets and was intending to kill herself.

The next thing he knew, she took his hand and lifted up her breast and shoved his hand against her chest and told him to pray for her. After praying he looked up into her eyes and she had a startled look on her face and was crying. When he left, he promised to return the next day at 5:00 PM to check on her.

When he arrived he was surprised that she was sober and waiting in anticipation for him to come. He told me that the people in this community are so addicted to alcohol that they start drinking first thing in the morning and continue all day long. He assumed that when he arrived she would be drunk, but instead, she was waiting for him to come and minister the Word of God to her again. That was when Aunty Monica told him what had happened the evening before. She told him that when he prayed for her, she felt fire from his hand when he touched her and she knew she had been healed. She then said that when she looked into his eyes, she saw Jesus and that’s why she was startled.

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul told the believers, “…my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God” (1 Cor. 2:4, 5). We are called to a lost and hopeless world and we need the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit along with the preaching of the Word to penetrate the darkness that is impossible without it.

For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

 We heard an incredible testimony from one of the pastors at an AOG Church conference in the Western Cape.  The miracle took place in a Muslim region of Nigeria.  A young Muslim girl had attended a church service and was gloriously saved.  When she went home, her family was enraged that she would abandon their religion for a foreign God.  Instead of killing her, the parents disowned her, beat her and striped her of all of her clothes and cast her out into the street.  She walked naked through the streets trying to locate a friend’s house.  Eventually she asked the children in the town if they knew her friend and where she lived.  They told her where to go and she was able to find her friend’s house.  She knocked at the door and her friend was shocked to see her standing there naked and asked her what happened. After she related the story, the friend went out to find the children who had given the girl directions to her house.  She wanted to thank them for not making fun of her friend because she was naked.  The children asked, “What do you mean? She wasn’t naked.” They told her that her friend was wearing a beautiful white robe and they were marveling about how beautiful it was.

In Revelation 19:8 John wrote “And it was given to her [the Bride of Christ] to clothe herself in fine linen bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.”  This miracle should give us hope knowing that when we asked Jesus Christ to be our Savior, He not only saved us from eternal damnation, but He also clothed us with His righteousness so that in the spiritual realm, we are literally walking about in beautiful robes, bright and clean.