Romanian in Africa

3RD ANNUAL MERCY CONFERENCE

REPORT MADE FOR PR. JOHN WHO WAS OUR GUEST SPEAKER FOR THE CONFERENCE

Mercy house is a registered ministry with the government of Uganda as a non-governmental organization with its registration NO.S.5914/11192.

Mercy house was started in 2012, and these are the objectives.

1. Reaching out the unreached remote areas in Africa with the gospel of Jesus Christ, planting churches, holding conferences and crusades.

2. Reaching out to the less privileged people of Africa with free medical services, by organizing monthly medical camps, establishing referral health units (hospital), and sensitizing the community about disease prevention.

3. Establishing schools for the orphans and needy children who cannot afford the cost of education, and growing them on Christian morals and character.

4. Caring and establishing homes for the needy children, street children, orphans, and elderly people who cannot afford to sustain themselves.

Among these four objectives holding conferences and crusades is among, we organize conferences throughout Uganda and majorly equipping the saints, most of these conferences are hosted by the churches we established, so far we have 16churches planted in Uganda and Congo.

Our churches are named Mercy house of God church, and Mercy house of God Kampala is the main church.

In Kampala annual conferences are held every year in the month of February, and 3rd annual mercy conference is the most recent one.

We are thankful to God that this conference was the first to have international preachers. Thank you Jesus.

How we came to know Rev. John and Jeff lavenda.

It was last year 2014 around may when Rev.John had his first trip to Africa around the same time we were organizing a campus youth meeting at church, And God brought PR.PAUL of Kenya And Jeff Lavenda one evening in this youth meeting, and I got to meet them and Jeff developed love for meet me again to know more about me and he immediately arranged a meeting with me the following day at a place near where they were staying.

I and my wife Dr.cissy Birungi we were to meet him and by God’s Grace we met Rev. John too. The plans of God are way bigger than human understanding God knows where he is taking us, he knows right people.

In this meeting I was able to share with Rev. John about our ministry, the church, and the annual conference, I requested him if he would be willing to come as the guest speaker of the conference. We didn’t know how possible it was going to be, but God is precious and faithful, He made it come to pass.

By October 2014 I sent Rev. John an official invitation to come as a guest speaker in our 3rd annual conference   taking place from 14th February to 22nd February 2015.

He requested me and the whole church to pray with him for almost a month and by mid- November He told me God has confirmed and he was to come. What a joy in my spirit, I shared with my wife, the all church and they were full of joy.

Remember this was our first time to host an international preacher in our annual conference, with much respect I appreciate Jeff Lavenda for loving us and sacrificially coming on board to help us achieve the coming of Rev. John, we are so appreciating that he even went beyond that and invited to us other guests from Kenya who became a blessing to us in the conference.

Preparations for the conference and Rev. John come begun.

Jeff LAVENDA visited us first and he came to make sure we prepare very well and also to guide us on what is needed, it was a good time with him at our home, everybody enjoyed him, majorly two Rasta girls who are in our church, liked him and wanted to be near him because he has a style of hair like theirs. He shared an exalting sermon and the church was blessed.

JEFF LAVENDA PREACHING IN OUR CHURCH IN A SUNDAY SERVICE.ON HIS FIRST VISIT TO PREPARE FOR THE COMING OF REV.JOHN.

HE PREACHED FROM ISAIAH 54

We also reviewed the budget for the conference and adjusted everything to 15millions Uganda shillings which is about 6000 US DOLLARS.

We prayed for Gods provision and we received money in Kenya shillings from him worth 400US DOLLARS  on behalf of the team he was coming with, by this time the church worked hard and covered half  the budget.

Preparation continues:

We made posters and flyers which had all the preachers who were invited to come and speak in this conference.

These posters were distributed in churches around and also taken to branches

After this meeting with pastors begun, we also had meetings with security groups, and different other groups to help us in planning and running this conference.

DAYS DREW CLOSE

Before Rev. John came Jeff Lavenda and the group from Kenya about five people had already come like two days before.

Crusade (open air preaching)

We had arranged an open air crusade which took about five days, and majorly we were targeting UN believers to receive Christ as the Lord and savior.

Jeff and the team from Kenya participated on the crusade in singing and praying. Every evening and morning Sharif one of their team members could take them through fitness excises’ also tried to participate but .lol.”{These guys can jump the rope.”

ARRIVAL OF REV.JOHN IZVENARIA.

It was his first time to come to Uganda by air and he arrived at the airport by 1:00pm unfortunately we reached their a bit late, he was welcomed by us and we took him to eat some Sambusa in a certain restaurant. While in the restaurant ReV. John kept on sharing with Jeff about Australia and the church in Australia, we took some picture in the restaurant, and I was much blessed when I saw him blessing the restaurant attendant for good hospitality. The girl became very happy she went and told her fellow how she was given money by the white man (muzungu).

REV.JOHN was already tired due to long journey; we drove to my home where he was going to stay with the all visiting team. I expected him to rest that day but  He was more than ready and willing to preach on the crusade (open air preaching).;late in the evening Rev. John  was taken by us to the open air crusade ,and everybody was excited for  his coming ,he preached and shared his testimony ,many people were blessed then I was invited to pray for people ,I also did and altar call that evening and seven got saved.

The conference begins

We had a wonderful time with him that Saturday evening, after coming from the crusade he took me in his bed room and blessed me with a Tablet; it was one of my greatest desires in life, thank you Rev. John for such a big offer to me. I AND MY WIFE SINCERELY APPRECIATE THAT GIFIT.On Sunday the 16th officially we started the conference and Rev. John as the main preacher he shared about the LORDS prayer and people were touched by the preaching many people came in front to repent and renew their salvation with God.

Glado, from Kenya performing in her special songs on Sunday as we open the conference. And down is the picture of the worship team and REV.JOHN preaching.

Sunday evening the worship team had a teaching from Rev. John about time management, focus, purpose and planning.

DAY TWO 17^th/2/2013

In this conference we had four sessions every day and on Monday REV. John preached the second session and preached from revelation chapter three. We were blessed later we went for lunch and he enjoyed African fresh foods, he was encouraged by Jeff to walk every day from church to where were staying but Rev. John didn’t agree with him, then in the evening we hard an argumental fellowship, of course for me I understood it’s because we come from different traditional and culture. But then we learnt a lot from them.

This day REV.John asked me about my home, my family, and my children, he found when I stay with about 12 people and 8 of them are children of different poor background and some are HIV/aids patients, others are orphans, others have other medical issues, we are raising them as God fearing children, provide food, school fees, medical needs and other necessities,.

Am proud to say that Rev. John is not just a pastor but a pastor who cares for people’s needs ,he is so much compassionate, immediately he gave me 100 AUSTARIAN DOLLARS TO BUY FOOD FOR THE  CHILDREN WHO STAY  AT OUR HOME.I WENT A HEAD AND SHARED MY TESITIMONY THE PASSION I HAVE FOR SUFFERING PEOPLE,I ALSO SHARED WITH HIM THE DREAM I HAVE OF BUILDING A CHILDRENS HOME.

DAY THREE TUESDAY /18^TH/2/1015

Every day the conference was becoming better ,in attendance people from far started coming in, Rev. John made a statement and said AFRICA you are the best in singing, worshiping, dancing but you need to grow in managing other areas of ministry, he emphasized the issue of respecting time and program which became a big lesion to most of the pastors who were present.

We enjoyed the day and that day we agreed to have lunch at church with every person who had come in the conference.

This was very glorious Mary Linette from USA, Bp. Paul from Kenya  they, did the preaching also, we had a grouped which performed their dancing in African way, and they called on Rev. John to dance with them.

DAY FOUR (WEDSDAY) 19^TH/2/2015

This was the resting day of Rev. John, in the morning he did the excises training with JEFF, and he was told it’s me who was preaching, I knew he will stay home the whole day but he came to listen to my preaching.

DAY FIVE THURSDAY 19/2/2015

This was one of the best days, many people came and   rev. john preached in the morning hours we had lunch again at church with people, rev. john gave  a number of gifts to church leaders, worship team, some pastors and also to the police men who were in charge of security.

We had the chairman of all the Pentecostal churches in Uganda coming that evening, he taught a number of things including the effect of following traditional cultures.

DAY SIX (FRIDAY) 20TH /2/2015

In all the conferences we do medical missions.so in this conference we had two days of medical mission and 650 patients were treated, during medical missions we treat free of charge all diseases, dental care, HIV testing and counseling, cancer screening awareness, all laboratory tests for the people who cannot afford the cost medical care in Uganda, people from villages, remote areas, slums and the most disadvantaged, We also do health education and prevention. 

Friday evening after the medical camp  we had the service and Jeff  Lavenda was the main preacher ,he preached about true fasting, after his preaching  I was led to ask people to give towards the needs of people who had come for the conference but were sick, during our triaging and medical checkup, we found a child with hernia, two ladies with cervical cancer, and one man with elephantiasis, another boy with hydrocephalus, and another woman with a tumor on the lower part of the abdomen, some of these medical conditions needed our further attention as they cannot afford the cost of medical care.

REV JOHN gave 100$ to help and people begun pledging and giving their property to be sold.

21^ST SATUDAY, DAY SEVEN.

We had a pastors and leaders seminar which was conducted by Rev. John, then in the afternoon we had a baptism class, and we baptized 25 people and most of them got saved during the conference.

SUNDAY 22ND /2/2015. LAST DAY OF THE CONFERENCE.

THIS was a wonderful day, it was a thanksgiving service, many people had turned up .people thought that Rev John and the team from Kenya will stay till evening, but they were surprised when I told them that by 11:30 am they were leaving,

He preached his last sermon in the morning; the church appreciated them and prayed for their journey back.

I was humbled by the faithfulness of God,, how everything happened, how Rev John came to UGANDA .

HE LEFT AN IMPACT IN OUR COUNTRY TO ALL PEOPLE WHO ATTENDED THE CONFERENCE AND ALSO TO OUR CHURCH

Finally on behalf of everybody I want to give God the glory, and also appreciate Rev.John, Jeff lavenda, and the whole team for the tremendous work they did in this conference.

On behalf of the church of Christ and the body of Christian in Uganda, I want to strongly say that Rev. John we REQUEST you to come back in Uganda the door is wide open.

We ask you to; Think about us, pray for us always. We pray the divine connection god has brought between you and us stay and bear more fruits in the name of Jesus Christ our lord.

Yours faithfully in JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD

DR. GILBERT AND DR.CISSY BIRUNGI.

Email: birungi.gilbert@yahoo.com.

Tel: +256 783312860, +256700541335

These are photos we took with you of me, cissy, and some of our church leaders