Mozambique: Pastor Raised From The Dead
February 15, 2002
"Pastor Lino Andrade leads a church which meets in a mud hut in Gondola, in Manica province," write missionaries Rolland and Heidi Baker from Mozambique. Lino, a widower, lives with his daughter in their small house in Gondola. One day, he became so seriously ill that he could neither eat nor sleep. He could not afford to visit a doctor, so did not even know what was wrong. His condition deteriorated for a month until he died.
Instead of burying him, his daughter called Pastor Joni, who came with four church members to pray. Lino's eyes were rolled back, and his body soon began to smell of decay. Joni had already experienced that people had been raised from the dead through his prayer, so also had confidence this time.
Lino felt himself leave his body, and saw a vision of heaven, but heard God say that he could not yet enter, but should live many more years on earth. He could hear Joni praying loud and fervently. After some hours, he woke, and found himself lying in bed, still very weak and overcome by the smell of decay - but not in the grave.
He soon recovered his strength, and is now back in ministry, more certain than ever that Jesus is alive. The whole church shares his excitement. "If Jesus can raise the dead, he can also solve hunger, poverty and all of Africa's other problems," he says. Lino is one of around ten people who have recently been raised from the dead in Africa, according to the report.
Our best preacher is a 14-year-old...
"Jesus has encouraged us a lot recently," the Bakers continue. "A woman close to death from pneumonia was completely healed through prayer. A man unable to walk for two years was baptised; following prayer, he could stand up and has been able to walk ever since. A woman who had been blind in one eye for 21 years, and could only see very vaguely with the other, is now able to see clearly with both eyes. One of our best preachers is a 14-year-old from the north, with an incredible evangelistic gift; everywhere he goes, people are healed. Last Christmas, we fed 2,000 children and beggars from the slums. After a while, the cook came to us to say that he could not explain how he could have fed so many - he had no idea where the extra chicken portions had come from."
Source: R and H Baker, Iris Ministries, Maputo,
tel (+258)-82-303068,
e-mail rolland@irismin.org
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Text (c) DAWN Europe. Redistribution is explicitly allowed as long as the copyright remains intact with the text. Editor: Wolfgang Simson.
Location: Maputo, Mozambique
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