May 18, 2004
To all our supporters and friends:
Greetings from Africa,
Dear Friends,
We send you greetings from your brothers and sisters in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Our trip over was not without incident. We flew from Raleigh to DC and then on to Brussels and arrived in Brussels about 8:30AM their time. We were not permitted to board the flight to Congo because of some visa problems, so we spent the night at a hotel in Brussels. Even though this was not planned, it turned out to be a real blessing because we both needed sleep in the worst way. Neither of us was able to sleep on the plane and were very tired. In the hotel we slept more than 12 hours. This was a wonderful provision. Not only did we get some much needed sleep but it also helped us past the jet lag associated with the time transition.
The next day we hit the ground running. It was wonderful to see our friends again and to get caught up on all that is new here. Sunday we ministered at two churches. The message in both places was to reinforce the prophecy the Lord had given through Diane in 2002. The response was overwhelming! Pastor Dikaniakina responded as though he were just hearing it for the first time. Even though it was received in 2002, the promises seemed, at the time, to be not possible by any stretch of the imagination. So, even though God confirmed his word in 2002 with some immediate fulfillment, it did not really penetrate the hearts of the Christians here in Congo. In the past two years, however, there have been many gradual changes, which were prophesied in the word. This time the Congolese people received the word with joy and gave it a home in their hearts. They have even been repenting for not embracing it fully the first time.
Africa House of Prayer: As many of you already know, the AHP is a group of about 150 pastors and leaders in many different churches who have a vision of bringing change to their country by meeting and praying together for Congo. We will be doing most of our ministry there while in Congo. Last night we met with them for the first time. The Spirit of God was present in a tangible way. Ministry was completely effortless as both Diane and Nick ministered. The Lord gave us independent messages, which flowed together seamlessly. The prayers of agreement with what God had promised to do in Congo had a unity and passion we have seldom experienced before. God was truly bearing witness to His word and to His faithfulness. We have never seen the Christian Leaders in a City come together in such singleness of purpose and can only wonder what might be the limits of what God can do through them. We could not detect any trace of ambition or private agenda. What a privilege it is to be allowed to be a part of this movement. AHP is scheduling a five-day prayer conference at the end of June, which will include about 4000 Christians from all over the area. The timing is to coincide with the anniversary of Congofs independence from Belgium. The 2002 prophecy will be a major object of prayer for the group.
We are staying with Samuel Dikiniakina this time so we can spend much time together getting to know and trust each other more fully. He has gone to much trouble to accommodate us. He has made improvements to the house just for us. Not the least of the improvements is an air conditioner in our bedroom. We are being well cared for and our host makes sure we are well fed and that all our needs are met.
Samuel is thrilled with the computer, camcorder, and the projector you chipped in to purchase. With these he will able to record lectures and keep them on DVD format for use in the guniversityh (training center for pastors) he is starting. Many thanks to Steve Reed for figuring out how to make all of this work together and for preparing a step-by-step tutorial for the use of this equipment. Bless you brother!! We could have never figured this out without your help. As some of you remember, we had a visit from Esperance Dikiniakina, Samuel and Helen's daughter. We videoed her birthday celebration and all the prayers for her, and Steve edited it and put it on a DVD. Samuel was blessed beyond words to get this disc. Helen is still in Kenya and will see it when she comes.
You may have noticed a temporary change in our web site while we are in Congo. John Higgins, our webmaster, is adjusting the presentation so the site opens with information on this trip. Thank you Brother for your faithful help with the web site.
About the university: Samuel has purchased a large tract of land (more than 100 acres) about an hourfs drive from Kinshasa, which will eventually become the campus. At present there is not enough money to begin building so he is developing part of the land to raise crops on. He has found some farmers who are unemployed and are willing to work the land and wait to be paid when the crops come in.
Thank you for all your prayers and support for this mission. We are off to a really good start with many blessings and much fruit. Please donft stop praying. We will try to get a letter out about once a week.
May God Richly Bless You
Nick & Diane