VENEZUELA CRUSADES MARCH 2007

FOTO ABOVE: Tucupita March 2007

I am writing you this letter somewhere above the Caribbean between Caracas Venezuela and Washington DC , on our flight back home.

Our trip to Venezuela in 2007 was the second trip we have made to this exotic country. Although the beaches and nature were still as beautiful as ever, we were keenly aware of the dangers tourists and citizens face daily.

The US department of State said this on their web site: “Violent crime in Venezuela has spiked in recent months.  The country has the highest per-capita murder rate in the world.  Armed robberies take place in broad daylight throughout the city, including areas generally presumed safe and frequented by tourists.  Well armed criminal gangs operate with impunity, often setting up fake police checkpoints. Venezuela 's most senior leaders… regularly express anti-American sentiment.  The Venezuelan government's rhetoric of hate directed against the U.S. government, as well as American culture and institutions, is slowly affecting attitudes in what used to be one of the most pro-American countries in the hemisphere.”

Four crusades were scheduled for this trip, amounting to a cost of more than $45,000.00. However, our ministry's out of pocket expenses were only about $28,000.00—all paid by our friends and partners in ministry. This lower amount was made possible by God's favor on our crusade director, Diego Ortiz, as he spent God's money wisely. He also utilized the help of various churches, as well as government and medical agencies. The $28,000.00 our ministry invested into the crusades included the direct expenses for the crusades, travel costs and sowing financial seed into local Venezuelan ministries.

On March 11 I preached at Dr. Steve Lowery's National Church of God just outside of Washington DC , my city of departure. I also preached at their Filipino work. I was joined by videographer David Southern from Maryland , my sister Jessica van der Walt from South Africa , Pastor Kim Snyder from Asheboro NC and Californian Evangelist Brian Homesly who now lives and works in Venezuela . We arrived in Caracas on March 13, and picked up my sister Jessica March 14. We immediately drove to Maracay—my crusade director and I on the back of a pickup truck with the luggage, communicating with each other in broken English and Spanish and a lot of facial expressions and sign language. In Maracay we visited two radio stations to advertise the crusades.

The next day we departed for San Felipe where we had been on a previous trip. Although this was not the main advertised crusade and not the largest sized crowds, multitudes still came to be saved or restored to the Lord and to be healed from their diseases.

On a previous trip to this city in 2003, I was welcomed by the mayor, His honorable Carlos Gimènez . He had presented me with the keys to the city and officially accepted Christ in his life on the platform. We prayed for him, his family and his city. Little did we know at that time that he would become the governor of the whole state of Yaracuy, directly accountable to Venezuela 's head of state, President Hugo Chavez. The governor warmly welcomed us to the state offices, where we held a simultaneous news conference. The governor thanked me for coming to his state and helping the poor by giving them the Gospel message. He expressed his thanks to God and declared that no government could work without the help of God, and that he submitted his administration to the Lord. He appeared very sincere. I likewise had my turn to address the press. I don't know much about protocol, but we did have an altar call. I shared the plain salvation message in a few minutes, and also exhorted that we should always stay true to the real Jesus as presented in the Bible, who saves, delivers and heals, and be careful not to politicize the gospel. I concluded my thoughts with a wish for God's blessing upon the governor, his Venezuelan president and our president in the USA . The governor attended the crusade in the evening. He addressed the crowd and we prayed for him as well as the countries and presidents represented—President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela , President George W Bush of the United States and President Thabo Mbeki of the Republic of South Africa .

The state government was so kind as to even pay for the use of the stadium as well as our hotel. This is a courtesy I have yet to receive in the USA, where our permit for a tent crusade has been denied, and where I have been turned down over and over again, not being able to set up our tent, but God will make a way. I hope to hold some tent crusades across the East Coast of the US this year.

After our crusade in San Felipe we took some video footage at South America 's most famous occult center. We visited Sortie Mountain close by, where a trinity of three entities are revered—Maria Lionza, Black Philip and an the Indian Guaicaipuro. Maria Lionza is the most revered. She has reportedly been seen by seekers for four centuries in these mountains. She is a white sensual woman, seated upon a beast, and looks like many of the so called apparitions of the so called virgin Mary in different parts of the world.

The seekers prepare themselves by smoking a special tobacco which makes them spiritually sensitive and aware of their inner self. They then submit themselves to a ritual performed by a local shaman. The seekers lay flat on the ground, where powder is thrown over them and candles lit around them. The shaman takes a sharp razor blade and cuts his tongue with small cuts until the blood runs out of his mouth and drips on his bare chest and belly. He then anoints the prostrate seekers with his blood. The seekers bodies start shaking as the spirits enter their bodies. A typical pilgrimage takes about three days. In an interview with a shaman we were told that he speaks a language not of this world. That he regularly leaves his body and visits other shamans from other countries such as Africa . These African witchdoctors confer with him in this language and have taught him how to speak it. He was 32 years old and has been living there all his life.

A pastor told us of how his friend went beyond the fifth river, where human sacrifices are done illegally and in secret. Homeless people are abducted for these sacrifices and babies are bred for this purpose. He remembers seeing an aborted baby – dead yet speaking by the spirit possessing the fetus.

The seekers and the shamans look empty inside. It is sad to see people following such a radical alternative to the beauty of Christ Jesus on the Cross, who died and rose again to wash our sins away and fill us with His Spirit. The message of Jesus is simple yet profound. God made man to be His friend. The fallen angel Lucifer tempted man and man voluntarily transferred himself out of God's Kingdom into the kingdom of darkness, where sin, sickness, poverty and unhappiness reigns. God did not merely crush satan and dest roy man, for He is a righteous God and respects legal transfer. According to the Bible, the wages of sin is death, defined as separation from God and an eternity in the lake of fire. Yet God so loved the world that He became flesh and dwelt amongst us, called the Son of God. The sinless one then voluntarily took upon Himself the sin of the world, as if He had done it and was penalized for it. Jesus drunk the cup of our sin even after he said if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me. As sin transferred upon Him, God the father turned his head and Jesus said My God My God Why hast thou forsaken me? It was because of your sin and mine that Jesus was separated from God.

Then Jesus was penalized for our sin. The wages of sin is death, and Jesus paid the price of death upon the cross. He buried sin forever and rose victoriously from the dead. Now the world was no longer guilty before God because God's righteous wrath was satisfied, and man has a way to be legally transferred back out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God 's dear Son. Only those who reject Him and so choose to cling to their sin are still guilty of their sin, for God will force no man to serve him. But to as many as receive Him He gives the power to become the sons and daughters of God.

If you have not received Him yet, or perhaps are a prodigal person far away from your God, and you wish to receive Him, pray this prayer with me by faith and sincerity, and Christ will change your heart. After this prayer I will continue reporting about the remarkable events that took place in other cities and how the multitudes came in large numbers to hear this message. I will also show you some raw modern day miracle video footage of the deaf, the blind and the lame being healed. In the end I will show you the largest waterfall in the world, something you cannot afford to miss.

But now, will you take a moment to confirm your faith in Christ. Pray this prayer with me verbally and from your heart:

DEAR GOD IN HEAVEN, I COME TO YOU TODAY ADMITTING THAT I AM A SINNER. I AM NOT EVEN WORTHY TO LOOK UP TO HEAVEN. RATHER I BEAT MY CHEST AND TEAR MY CLOTHES SAYING “HAVE MERCY UPON ME, A SINNER!” I AM A SINNER AND IN NEED OF A SAVIOR. AND HIS NAME IS JESUS. I ACCEPT JESUS CHRIST AS MY SAVIOR AND MY LORD. I HEAR A KNOCK ON THE DOOR OF MY HEART. I OPEN THE DOOR I ASK YOU JESUS TO COME IN. WASH AWAY MY SINS IN YOUR PURE AND PRECIOUS BLOOD. CLEANSE ME AND MAKE ME BRAND NEW. CAUSE ME TO BE A NEW CREATION. LET THE OLD THINGS PASS AWAY AND LET ALL THINGS BECOME NEW. I CONFESS WITH MY MOUTH AND I BELIEVE WITH MY HEART THAT JESUS IS LORD, THAT HE DIED FOR ME AND ROSE AGAIN, THAT HE IS SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER AND THAT MY SOUL IS IN HIS HANDS. IF JESUS COMES TODAY, OR IF I DIE, I CAN KNOW FOR SURE THAT I AM SAFE, THAT I WILL SEE HIM FACE TO FACE AND SPEND ETERNITY WITH HIM IN HEAVEN. BECAUSE YOUR WORD IS TRUE, I CAN SAY FOR SURE “I AM SAVED, I AM BORN AGAIN, AND WITH THE POWER YOU GIVE ME BY YOUR SPIRIT I WILL SERVE YOU THE REST OF MY DAYS. IN JESUS NAME I PRAY, AMEN.

My friend, if you prayed this prayer with faith and sincerity, I believe that you have been born again. I want to encourage you to pray every day and read the Bible. Get connected with a good Spirit filled Bible based church, be baptized and tell someone else about your new life.

After San Felipe we went to the city of Maracay . We went right to where the souls were. We held one great crusade service right next to the fair. The multitudes came in large numbers. Thousands made a decision for Christ, and many were healed. Several people possessed or oppressed by demon spirits were set free. Some people think that so called “good” magic is harmless, as opposed to “bad” magic. But they are both the same. One man was a drug addict. We prayed for him and he received a partial deliverance. At the end of the service we prayed for him again. This time he started shaking violently, growled and his tongue slipped back and forth rapidly from his mouth, much like a snake's tongue. This time he received his complete deliverance, as far as we could tell. We were praying for the sick till well past one a.m.

We then spent a nice day on the beach due to a flight schedule conflict—a blessing we didn't mind having. We took a boat out to an island and enjoyed catching our breath. The view was breath taking, and the sun warm and comforting.

The next day we took a flight with a military aircraft. The government kindly made a Hercules aircraft available to transport our team to Tucupita, nearly on the other side of the country. This time we took a dentist and several doctors and nurses with us, some of them from Cuba . Our ministry paid for half of the medicine, the federal Venezuelan government for a quarter, and another quarter was paid for by the state government of Macuro Delta.

At the airport we received a welcome like no other. About a hundred Christians waited for us the previous day, and this day a whole convoy of about 20 cars drove through town with horns honking and advertisement of the crusade blaring from the pilot vehicle, equipped with a great sound system. Many people waved at us from the road as we drove past large wall posters and 20 foot banners stretching across the roads. We then rushed to our boats to to go minister to the Warau indigenous tribes living on the Orinoco River, which is connected to the Rio Negra, which eventually connects with the Amazon in Brazil. These Indians live in huts on stilts on the water and live a very primitive lifestyle. The area is unspoiled and beautiful, with parrots flying overhead sometimes. The fish life is abundant and we ate well that night. The next day we went to some more densely populated villages. We were warmly received but we felt sorry for the children who had much diarrhea and skin rashes probably due to drinking and bathing in the same water into which sewer flows in these more densely populated areas The area was littered by much trash bags and plastic bottles, and a continuous stench filled the air.

Our first meeting was a disaster. I preached in English, Brian translated into Spanish, and a local Warau translated from Spanish to Warau. It seemed that he had trouble understanding Spanish, but I hope the Message came through to the people. That evening I insisted on better translation, and it went very well. Hundreds received the Lord and many were healed. We did the same in another village, with wonderful results. An outbreak of miracles took place which is hard to describe. It seemed like the miracles just flowed with ease as people were healed of many sicknesses and handicaps, one after another. The whole town had only one church, with 20 people attending weekly. We also ministered to the local Warao pastors from other towns and villages. This was the first time they had come together into one place. Pastor Kim and I ministered to them on the topic of preaching the original Gospel with the original Power. Pastor Kim donated a roof for a church in a village, and our ministry donated nearly 1,000 Bibles that had just been more accurately translated into the Warao language. We also committed to paying for the more comprehensive books of Luke and Acts to be translated into the Warao language. This way the Gospel will continue to be preached by way of movie entertainment. It was an amazing site to see these thatched roofs on stilts, with people living in primitive conditions, yet they had direct TV and a dish on their roof, with a TV and a DVD player inside.

After two days we went back to the main city Tucupita for our well organized crusade. About 5,000 showed up for the first service, 8,000 for the second and nearly 10,000 for the final night, in spite of heavy rain. Hundreds of wall posters were put up all over the city to draw the crowds. 12 Banners stretched across the city streets. The pastors in the city were united and a worship team of more than 20 people whom I call the HillSong of Venezuela rocked the place on the professional stage, with colored lighting, giant sound system and all.

Multitudes made decisions for Christ for the first time in their lives and many made a rededication to the Lord. Miracles happened in great volume as the deaf could hear, the blind could see and some of the lame could walk and run. We prayed for people until after 1:30 in the morning and got to bed by 3 am . The first night 19 people indicated that they were healed instantly of blindness or severe sight problems and 18 deaf or partially deaf people were healed. Two boys who were either paralyzed or partially paralyzed were wonderfully healed. One of them could only move around by dragging himself on his buttocks, but when the Lord's power to heal showed up he started walking and even running. His legs were still stiff from years of inactivity but through exercise and common sense therapy he will be completely made whole.

We felt fulfilled and wonderfully satisfied at what the Lord had done. We were also exhausted but we had to move on to Cumana . A thousand people showed up at the first meeting, and about 1,800 on the second night. Again many hundreds made a decision for the Lord. The healing ministry felt very stressed and limited. I found out later that several pastors did not want a healing meeting—only salvation, of which I always present a descent doze of. But it is also God's will to heal. He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, but in addition to that, it also say By His stripes we are healed. Still the Lord did some miracles. The work of the Lord was so marvelous, that some pastors came to the crusade director to ask for forgiveness for not supporting the crusade more enthusiastically. They even asked for the crusade to be extended another day, but it was logistically too difficult to do and we felt peace that what the Lord wanted was accomplished. There was a little financial shortfall too, but one Venezuelan businessman paid $1,700.00 in US currency to the crusade. What a blessing to see the local people give into crusades in their own country!

We then had one day on an island close by and snorkeled. The marine life was abundant. The fishes of all sizes were beautiful and the Caribbean underwater fauna was gorgeous.

We then went back to Caracas for three more meetings. These meetings were in churches and here we received our first offerings, totaling about $142.00 in US currency for all three services. They gave from their heart and we appreciated their giving.

The crusades were now completed and we set out to go the Canaima National Park to see the largest waterfall in the world. In 1937 the American bush pilot and gold digger Jimmy Angel discovered this 970 foot giant waterfall and landed his plane on the massive 700 square kilometer tepui, or flat topped mountain. These tepuis rise nearly a kilometer high from the forest floor and are so steep that man has yet to set foot upon them. Jimmy Angel's plane was stuck in the mud, and he had to find his way down the tepui. Eleven days later he came in contact with some indigenous Pemon, who fed him and helped him. We took a three day excursion to get to the Angel Falls . We traveled by motored canoe and by foot and slept in hammocks at some bush camps. The view was absolutely amazing, even though the water levels were low during this low-rain season. The positive side is that we could get much closer to this natural wonder of the world and even swam in the pool beneath.

Notice the little human on the left. Now let's zoom in, out again, back in. This waterfall is so big that the 40 foot high trees around the mountain look like mere brush or moss if you have nothing to compare it to.

We loved our trip, but were very glad to go back home and be reunited with our families and loved ones.