Great Revival Stories from the Renewal Journal Geoff Waugh (Editor) Copyright © Geoff Waugh, 2014 Compiled from two books: Best Revival Stories and Transforming Revivals See details on www.renewaljournal.com Including free digital revival books ISBN-13: 978-1466384262 ISBN-10: 1466384263 Printed by CreateSpace, Charleston, SC, USA, 2011 Renewal Journal Publications www.renewaljournal.com PO Box 2111, Mansfield, Brisbane, Qld, 4122 Australia Power from on High Contents Introduction: “Before they call, I will answer” Part 1: Best Revival Stories 1 Power from on High, by John Greenfield 2 The Spirit told us what to do, by Carl Lawrence 3 Pentecost in Arnhem Land, by Djiniyini Gondarra 4 Speaking God’s Word, by David Yonggi Cho 5 Worldwide Awakening, by Richard Riss 6 The River of God, by David Hogan Part 2: Transforming Revivals 7 Solomon Islands 8 Papua New Guinea 9 Vanuatu 10 Fiji 11 Snapshots of Glory, by George Otis Jr 12 The Transformation of Algodoa de Jandaira Conclusion Appendix: Renewal and Revival Books Expanded Contents These chapters give details of many events 5 Worldwide Awakening, by Richard Riss Argentina Rodney Howard-Browne Kenneth Copeland Karl Strader Bud Williams Oral Roberts Charles and Frances Hunter Ray Sell Mona And Paul Johnian Jerry Gaffney The Vineyard Churches Randy Clark Argentina as a Prelude to the “Toronto Blessing” John Arnott Worldwide Effects of the Vineyard Revival Impact upon the United Kingdom Holy Trinity Brompton Sunderland Christian Centre Vietnam and Cambodia Melbourne, Florida Revival Mott Auditorium, Pasadena, California College Revivals Modesto, California Revival Pensacola, Florida Thailand Mainland China Russia Prophetic Predictions of the Revival of 1993-1995 7 Solomon Islands Honiara and Malaita, 1970 Marovo Lagoon, 2000 Revival mission team, December 2003 Power from on High Guadalcanal Mountains, 2006 Choiseul Island, 2006 Revival Movements, 2007 8 Papua New Guinea Karawa Village Makirupu Village Kalo Village 9 Vanuatu Hog Harbour, Espiritu Santo Litzlitz Village, Malekula Island Vilakalak Village, West Ambae Island Lovanualikoutu Village, West Ambae 10 Fiji Lautoka and Navua, 2007-2008 Suva, 2007-2009 Healing the Land, 2002-2007 Nuku Village, Viti Levu Nabitu Village, East of Nausori Vunibau, Serua Island, at the Navua River Nataliera, Nailevu North Draubuta, Navosa Highlands, north of Sigatoka Healing the Land Process 11 Snapshots of Glory, by George Otis Jr Miracle in Mizoram Almolonga, Guatemala The Umuofai of Nigeria Hemet, California Cali, Columbia Global Phenomenon Kiambu, Kenya Vitória da Conquiste, Brazil San Nicolás, Argentina Villages, cities, countries Introduction “Before they call, I will answer” God promises to answer us – again and again. His answer is not always what we expect or even want, but bigger and better than our asking. Call to me and I will answer you; and show you great and mighty things, you do not know (Jeremiah 33:3). It shall come to pass That before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear (Isaiah 65:24). If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14). This book tells some of that story. God is faithful to his word. The 21st century sees transforming revivals spreading across the globe. Many more great stories are in other revival books and the Renewal Journals (see Appendix). This Introduction kicks off with another great, true and amazing story of living faith, miracles and answered prayer. Like all the stories in this book it is a reminder of what God had done, is doing and will do. Power from on High Living Faith Helen Roseveare was a missionary doctor to the Congo who recorded this story in her book, Living Faith. Her testimony tells of amazing answers to prayer. She also wrote books about the revival in the Belgian Congo (now Zaire) in the 1950s. One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labour ward; but in spite of all we could do she died leaving us with a tiny premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive, as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator) and no special feeding facilities. Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool the baby would be wrapped in. Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst. Rubber perishes easily in tropical climates. “And it is our last hot water bottle!” she exclaimed. As in the West it is no good crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways.”All right,” I said, “Put the baby as near the fire as you safely can; sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm. The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle. The baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died. During the prayer time, one ten- year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. “Please, God,” she prayed, “send us a water bottle. It’ll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon.” While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added by way of corollary, “And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she’ll know You really love her?” As often with children’s prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say, “Amen”? I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything. The Bible says so. But there are limits, aren’t’ t there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever received a parcel from home; anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator! Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses’ training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there, on the verandah, was a large twenty-two pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly coloured, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas— that would make a nice batch of buns for the weekend. Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the . could it really be? I grasped it and pulled it out – yes, a brand-new, rubber hot water bottle! I cried. I had not asked God to send it. I had not truly believed that He could. Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, “If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!” Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted. Looking up at me, she asked: “Can I go over with you, Mummy, and give this dolly to that little girl, so she’ll know that Jesus really loves her?” Power from on High That parcel had been on the way for five whole months. Packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God’s prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child – five months before – in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it “that afternoon.” “Before they call, I will answer!” (Isaiah 65:24) Dr Helen Roseveare (1925-), an English missionary to the Congo from 1953 to 1973, suffered terribly through the political instability in the early 1960s and as a prisoner of rebel forces for five months in 1964. After her release she headed back to England but returned to the Congo in 1966 to assist in the rebuilding of the nation. Now retired she lives in Northern Ireland. The film Mama Luka Comes Home documents her return visit to Zaire in 1989 (See YouTube).