We had another staggeringly fruitful outreach campaign this August with Harvest Initiatives. We sent out over 1,700 evangelists across the country. They had meaningful interactions with an estimated 65,000 people, of whom just shy of 16,000 accepted Christ for the first time, with over 26,000 lapsed Christians strengthened in their faith. Burundi is certainly ripe for the gospel.

Nadine had been suffering from fits, vomiting and rashes for two months. Medical tests and treatments were inconclusive. When the evangelists started praying in the name of Jesus, Nadine started to scream, shout and fight. Recognising the spiritual battle before them, they prayed until the demons left and she became calm. Returning the following day, they found Nadine back to normal, with the rashes gone and her appetite returned. Nadine’s Mum surrendered her life to Jesus as a result!

Joachim was preparing to take his own life when there was a knock at the door. He had lived with horrendous stomach pains for years, and just couldn’t take it anymore. When the young men at his door said they felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to come to his house to offer comfort, Joachim broke down in tears. They prayed with him, and gradually his pain subsided. Joachim grinned: “I feel like a new person!” He has since got stuck in with his local church.

Souavis had started selling her body for sex to earn extra money when she was only 15 years old, and because it made her good money, she dropped out of school. Now aged 32, she was the leader of the prostitutes operating in her town. When the evangelists shared the Gospel with her, under deep conviction she blurted out, “God, I’m a sinner. Save me from my sins and from death!” She committed her life to Christ at her local church, which is helping her set up a vegetable business as a healthier revenue stream!

Asmali was walking home from the mosque when he met two young evangelists who engaged him in conversation. It quickly turned into a debate about their different faiths. Asmali was interested, and agreed to visit the church later that week, but actually showed up the following morning, saying, “From the time we parted, the Spirit convicted me. I couldn’t sleep all night.” He gave his life to Christ there and then!

Rosine had stopped going to church a decade ago and fell into alcoholism. She was on her way to her regular bar when she noticed a film screening in the street – it was the Jesus film. Intrigued, she watched it, and was moved to tears, recommitting herself to Christ. That night, 70 people made the same commitment. The church that ran the screening has tripled its congregation to 300 members since they got involved with the Harvest campaign!

Celine’s family feared she had been poisoned (sadly this is a common means of revenge in Burundi). Medication made no difference. She couldn’t keep food or water down and was slipping out of consciousness. Her husband, Ezekiel, carried her to the church in desperation. She was prayed for by a dozen people, but they told Ezekiel that he needed to burn the witchcraft charms they had to get a breakthrough. In desperation, he did it, which was followed by a power encounter with the Spirit of God. He gave his life to Jeus, and saw Celine’s health improve over the following days. The following Sunday, they walked into church together to testify to God’s power and faithfulness.

85-year-old Annesie was a traditional healer who was so physically decrepit she couldn’t leave her house. When the evangelists visited her, she quickly accepted Christ and burned her charms. “I’ve never felt a love like this. I never thought I deserved to be loved,” she testified.

On a strategic level, a huge encouragement is that 27 different denominations were working together. Relationships between denominations are often strained in Burundi, so this level of unity is significant. Many GLO Partners operate cross-denominational events and initiatives in order to maximise impact, build bridges and heal past wounds.