Manado Pastor's Conf., Day 3

We've just completed what may have been the most outstanding pastor's conference I've ever been a part of - in fact, Dale Witt from Global Advance says it's in the top 10 they've ever done - and that's saying something when you consider that they've trained 400,000 pastors & church leaders in 70 nations since 1990!

There's so much to say about this conference in Manado, Indonesia:

• the change in the conference delegates from Tuesday until today was unbelievable - from very reserved, holding-us-at-arm's-length initially, to boistrous, exuberant praise and requests for pictures and hugs from practically everyone present by the end of the conference!
• in this morning's opening session, Dr. Sally Knox-Witt asked for people who wanted to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit to come forward. (Keep in mind that this is a pastor's conference, but we do draw representatives from many different denominations throughout this island of Indonesia and beyond). At any rate, about 20 people came forward almost immediately - and within just a few minutes, it seems each one of them had received and was using their new prayer language - it was beautiful!
• These precious pastors and leaders, despite their obvious poverty, gave a freewill offering to help the next conference that Global Advance will lead in a few weeks in Sierra Leone, West Africa - and when the offering was counted, it came to $1000! (That's over 9-million of their currency, and incredibly generous considering there were only about 800 people present)
• this afternoon I met a pastor who used to teach imam's in a Muslim seminary...until he started having dreams and visions in which Jesus appeared to him! This went on repeatedly for over 3 years, until he finally surrendered and was born-again! Now he is a pastor on this island who is leading other Muslim's to Christ!
• I also met several pastors and leaders, part of a group of about 600 people who used to live several hours away. They were all Muslim, but Jesus began appearing to the men as they worshipped at their local mosque. (He appeared to all 150 of them several times!) Finally, they asked their local imam what they should do, and he advised them to get a book of blank paper and write on it, "Jesus' book" and that they should pray to Jesus and record what happened. They did....in effect, they 'journaled' of prayers that Jesus answered for them over the next few years!!! Finally, they felt 'led' to sell their homes and property and move to this majority-Christian city to learn more about this Jesus. They are now all born-again and are focusing their efforts on reaching Muslims for Christ!

I could go on, but I think you get the picture. If you're a part of our CLC family, you would be so proud of the Heart to Heart team of Ivory Bishop, Courtney Franklin, Nannette Pachol and Regina Williams - who poured themselves into these Indonesian women. I don't think I've ever seen such an outpouring of love as was demonstrated at the close of the conference today.

It's about 9pm on Thursday as I write this, and we leave for the airport and the first leg of our return to Chicago in less than 8 hours. I can't wait to see all of you again, and I've got a message to close our "Heroes" series this weekend that you don't want to miss!