Last month was a very busy month with the trip to India followed by ministry with City Light Church from Chico, California. The ministry in India was incredible and I enjoyed having the opportunities to minister in several places. When I arrived I was met by staff from YWAM Chennai who took me to their base and let me stay with them for 5 nights. I visited several of their ministry sites and wished I would have had time to see more of the great work they are doing in a city of 8 million people. After I arrived I was asked to conduct 3 meetings at New Life Assembly of God Church in Chennai, a church of 35,000 members. These meeting had already been arranged for Tom Elie of Oasis World Ministries but he was not able to come due to breaking his hip playing racquetball. The entire trip to India was almost cancelled because of his injury but once Tom found someone to go with me everything was back on schedule including the 3 meetings in Chennai which included a seminar on Evangelism attended by 800 people, preaching at one of the 5 Sunday morning services and conducting a healing meeting on Monday night attended by 2000 people. The Lord gave me messages to share and everything went well. Many people were healed at the meeting on Monday night including a lady who manifested a demon at the end of the service when we prayed for the sick. One lady gave testimony that she had a burning sensation on her side that was very painful for ten years but after we prayed for her the pain immediately left her body.
After the 5 days in Chennai I traveled by train to Anantapur where we hosted the first 5 day festival in a small town about 40 minutes from the city. Each night the crowds got bigger as word spread in the community that people were being healed and the message of salvation in Jesus was being preached. We saw over 3500 people make decisions for Christ and witnessed many miracles of healing. We also conducted a 3 day pastors school that was attended by 200 people. After the first festival I spent one day traveling to a church dedication service and dedicated 5 fresh water wells. At the church dedication a young couple came forward and asked me to name their baby boy. I was unaware that this was going to happen so when I was asked to name the baby I had to think real fast and pray the Lord would give me a name that would be meaningful and agreeable to the parents. I chose "Timothy" as the name and both parents had a big smile when I spoke the name.
After the first festival we traveled to another small town, Velagorde to conduct another Pastor's conference and 5 nights of evangelistic meetings. Like the first festival the opening night we had about 500 people attend and by the final night about 7000 came. It was amazing to see the crowd grow in number each night. We had over 3500 cards filled out by people who accepted Christ as their One True God for the first time. It is always a joy for me to see so many people come to the front at the invitation to give their lives to Jesus. We also witnessed many healings of blindness, deafness, heart conditions, pain in joints and a host of other things.
It was a special time for me to be a part of all that God did during this trip to India. I was also blessed to be able to minister with my friend Darrell Dobbelmann of Dove International. We have ministered together in Guatemala and Mexico for many years so it was a privilege for me to have the opportunity to join with him again to preach the gospel. I have been invited to return to India to teach in a Bible School for a couple of weeks and would love to be able to do it when I can make arrangements.
As soon as I returned from India on June 16 I was busy helping with the outreach with the church from Chico. Part of their 19 member group stayed in Antigua to minister and the other part went to San Pablo La Laguna to build 2 homes and conduct ministry in 2 churches we work with on a regular basis. They prayed for Pastor Efrain's wife, Betty who had a tumor on her breast. The tumor disappeared some time after prayer but another tumor showed up on her arm and that one also disappeared! Betty has been battling cancer for a couple of years and we are praying that God will give her complete healing. Pastor Efrain and Betty have gone through some difficult times of late as their 12 year daughter was brutally beaten by a young man who was angry with her for not showing him enough attention. His solution was to beat her, he broke a bone in her arm and forehead and bruised her back. When she did not arrive home at the normal time and they suspected something was wrong and left their home to look for her. They found the vehicle she normally rides in to return home parked on the side of the road. A soccer field is close by so they went there to look for her and found her being beaten by this young man. The man was arrested and was looking at being sentenced to 8-12 years in jail. The day before the court sentencing his parents who had previously retaliated against Pastor Efrain after their son was arrested came knocking at their door and asked for forgiveness for their actions as well as their sons. It was a moment that was a real test for both Efrain and Betty and after prayer they felt like the Lord was asking them to forgive the young man and his parents. When they went to court and told the attorneys and the human rights representative that they were forgiving them and not pressing charges they could not believe it and became angry with them. They wanted this young man placed in jail. Since this incident the young man accepted the Lord as his Savior and is attending another church!!
We are now preparing to host our final group in July as well as making preparations for the Discipleship Training School which starts September 6. I have received applications from 4 students from San Pablo La Laguna who want to attend the DTS. They are from families with few resources and will need financial assistance to make the school a reality. I have received $2000 in donations for them but still need at least $3000 more to help them attend. Would you consider giving a donation to help them come? I cannot think of a better investment in their lives at this point than to make possible something that has the potential to change not only their personal lives but the community they come from. If you can send a donation in any amount it will be greatly appreciated. Please send a note with your donation indicating it is for the DTS student scholarship fund. Thank you in advance for your partnership in making this possible.
For the past 4 years Higher Grounds Coffee House has been under my supervision and it has been a tremendous blessing to many people who pass through Antigua or who are working here. Financially it has always been a challenge to pay the rent and bills but we have always stayed current. The owner of the property will be raising the rent at the end of the contract which is October 31 and we have decided that we will not continue the ministry after this time. We are praying that God will raise up another location and ministry to take it over as we do not have the staff to continue its operation. Our energies and time will be focused on other ministries that we are currently conducting as well as ministries we want to develop.
Thank you for your continued support for the ministry God has given me. Your prayers and gifts have made possible all that has happened as well as all that God has planned for the future. I am grateful for your partnership and pray that God will continue to lead me each day to accomplish His will.
For Him,
Bruce
New Correspondence Address:
Bruce Ahlberg
3ra Avenida 1-30, Zona 6
Ciudad Vieja, Guatemala
Contribution Address:
YWAM Chico
15850 Richardson Springs Road
Chico, CA 95973
(Please attach a note indicating your designation)
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