Report of Revival Fellowship, October 5, 2013      

We gathered from Bowie, Maryland, and Baltimore, from Ephrata, Elizabethtown, Lititz  and Lancaster in the  Fellowship Hall  of the Forest Hills Mennonite Church, Leola, Pennsylvania singing “I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart. I will enter His courts with praise . . . .” 

H. Glenn Stauffer opened the meeting with prayer  (on his 81^st birthday) ! Each person gave their name and where they were from and some included testimonies. 

Wayne Lawton read from Daniel 3:16-18 about the 3 Hebrew children.  They believed God could and would save them from the fiery furnace but they added - but if He doesn’t  - we will not bow down to this golden image. They were submitting to the sovereignty of God. They confessed the word of faith in humility and submission. 

Wayne then introduced  Pearl Kumi,  Ruby Sackar  and  Queenstar  –  and with Mary Lou & Wayne they sang a praise song in IKAN  –  a language in Ghana, West Africa,  “Lift Him up, JESUS is the KING”.   Johnson and Mary Kamau  sang a Psalm  in KIKUYU  –  a language in Kenya, East Africa.  

Johnson is an ordained Presbyterian minister and his wife,  Mary Njenga,  a school teacher – but when they came to America  they could not get positions  because they had not been trained here.   They have 4 children, ages  22,  19,  15  and 9. It is a challenge to get used to a new culture. After coming in 2006 they lived in Detroit, Michigan  –  but a year later moved to Pennsylvania.   Johnson has been studying in the mental health field at Lancaster Bible College. Mary works as a Certified Nursing Assistant [at Landis Homes, in Lititz]. Johnson shared that as a 19 year old student, 200 miles away from his home in Kenya, he heard the gospel preached at his school – but he resisted. He thought old people needed salvation before they leave this life but he was still young. He heard two powerful sermons: one about Zachaeus and the other about the Prodigal Son.  When an altar call was given he would not go forward   –   but spent a sleepless night. He came to breakfast but could not eat. Conviction of sin found him a self-righteous, proud young man.  He came from a  Christian  home  and had not been outwardly rebellious  –  so he didn’t  think he needed to be saved. But the Holy Spirit was faithful and drew him with cords of love to the cross of Jesus where he repented and was saved.  He said  “I thought I was winning  –  but I was losing. Only when you surrender to Christ do you win.     

Johnson shared  at length  about the  sermons  that had so convicted him. He was like Zachaeus – up a tree and too proud to come down! He was like the prodigal son – even though outwardly Johnson was a good young man, he was wasting his inheritance, by refusing to follow Christ.  He said when the  prodigal son  came home the father should have said,  “You have wasted your inheritance   –   get out of my sight ”  but instead he ran to this boy and threw his arms around him and kissed him.  Johnson  could  see  the  unconditional  love  of  the  father  and  knew that is how God felt toward him.  As Johnson spoke of God’s love in saving him  tears ran down his cheeks   –  tears of joy. He mentioned that we sin in selfishness.  We are blest when we think about others.  Death is a comma,  to everlasting life. Johnson hopes to write several books. 

As he concluded his remarks he told how he met his wife.  He had left his copy of a Gideon Bible on a chair.  Mary found it and returned it to him. Some friends  accused him of leaving the Bible there on purpose, to catch this young girl (smile) – but this was not the case.  He sees Mary as Number Two in his life. Jesus is Number One, then Mary, whom he loves dearly.

An offering was taken – brethren in Kenya have requested more copies of “A Gentle Wind of God”. 

Also a team of six from our fellowship [ Samuel Muikia, Anthony Wachira, Gad Kimani, John Maust Tom Hess  and  Wayne Lawton ]  will travel to Portland, Maine in  February 2014  to share with a revival fellowship just beginning there.        

Samuel Muikia mentioned his Mother’s passing in 2011. He told the group that he plans to fly to Kenya in November. His father, Eliud Muikia, will remarry a sister in the Lord on November 16^th. Don Jacobs spoke of Eliud – and his financial position in a large agricultural business in Kenya, and his leader-ship in the East Africa revival movement in Kenya. Don offered a prayer for this trip. And Sister Eva Kingori, who has lived in the United States for 14 years will take her first trip back to her home town of Nyeri, Kenya also. Don also offered a prayer for the meal.       

A book table had been set up and Pearl Kumi placed copies of two books she had written “Get On Board – Stay On Board” and “The Last Train at Sunset”  and Don Jacobs books “Consider Jesus” and “A Gentle Wind of God”. These books are available on AMAZON.com