Blessings and healings on Sudan trip

As we reported earlier this month, Bradford's Rural Dean Andrew Evans, the Revd Barry Blackford, Christopher Fielden, Deanery Lay Chair John Joy, Ben Jarvis and Peter Waterman all flew to Khartoum for this special visit.

John Joy takes up the story of the visit:

"After a day’s rest, we were driven across the vast Nile River Basin and on to higher ground to Kadugli, a distance of about 400 miles. Bishop Hassan of Kadugli had been offered by the Provincial Governor for the team to stay at the Government Guest House. Still pretty basic in terms of the conditions, though!

"On the Tuesday we went to the cathedral where we were greeted with singing and were introduced. We brought greetings from our deanery churches, and the conference then got under way, with worship and teaching, practice and ministry, and we felt God moving strongly among those present. This continued more markedly during the next 2 days, and we experienced many blessings and healings.

"Among other things we witnessed:
• A message from England (a word of knowledge, as in 1 Corinthians 12:8) that there was a woman in bright yellow and green who had been bitten by a snake. She was present, and was prayed for and healed.
• A young boy so full of fear that he could not let go of his mother’s dress or look people in the eye unless he had to. He was prayed over, and in half an hour was wandering around like other children. At the end of the afternoon he went off home on his own for the first time ever.
• A young man received the gift of tongues, and later had a prophecy to pastors there. He had never experienced either gift before.
• Members of the conference started to minister to each other with prayer and laying on of hands.

"6 denominations were represented at the conference. The local Roman Catholic priest told us that the wars had drawn Christians of all denominations closer to each other - they had all been perceived as the target by the Islamic government. He also said the people were traumatised by war and were much strengthened that Christians had come from England to encourage them.

"The aim of the conference was for them to go home with the confidence to form a group of 12 people to be discipled, just as Jesus did, and to start to deliver the programme which is about making disciples who in turn go and make more disciples.

"Besides conference matters we were also able to meet with the Kadugli and Dilling Mothers’ Union, and to see some of the things to which Salisbury Diocese and Bradford Deanery had contributed: 2 grinding mills and the Peace Primary School.

"Despite the dangers of being close to the rebel-held area, and being stopped by the 'Janjaweed' militia, we were kept in peace and returned home safely."