On Sunday 22nd March I flew to Pakistan with a  team of 5 people which included Arjan Knevel.

Pakistan is a country closed to the Gospel, where churches are regularly bombed and Christians have a very difficult time. The political situation in the country is unstable and there are many terrorist  groups active in the country. We were told that in Lahore  there were several buildings being used to train up young people to become suicide bombers.

Bishop Yaqub, director of TRIN, Pakistan got permission from the police to hold a large evangelical campaign in Lahore for three days. Many thousands of  people were expected every night! During the day there would be a leadership conference for 500 Christian leaders as well as a youth meeting and a conference for women. Fifty buses were hired to bus in people from nearby towns and villages that wanted to attend the evening meetings.

Yaqub is the overseer of 5000 churches in Pakistan and is a very highly respected man throughout the country. When Yaqub invited me he said 'Mattheus, you must come and preach the Gospel. The youth here are tired of religion and are seriously searching for the truth. This is THE moment for Pakistan!'

Naturally I  reacted to this invitation. Pakistan is a fundamentalist Moslem country that has  been very negatively reported in the news lately.

On our arrival  we  realised how vulnerable one can feel in a country like Pakistan, but Bishop Yaqub reassured us by telling us the area where the campaign was to be held was surrounded by walls of canvas and the area was guarded by dozens of soldiers equipped with guns. In the darkened buildings overlooking  the conference venue there were also armed police on patrol in order to protect us from terrorist attacks. Even around the podium where we were due to stand and preach there were police standing ready to protect us with their fingers on the triggers of their guns. Their eyes constantly searched the crowds for signs of trouble.

We were hailed as 'Ambassadors for Jesus' by the crowd of 7000 strong that had gathered to hear the Word and witness the power of the Holy Spirit.

After a very loud, but moving time of praising the Lord, Arjan Knevel spoke to a hushed and attentive audience. He then gave an altar call and 700 people, mostly youngsters, came forward to give their lives to the Lord. Even young boys and girls that looked as if they were only 10 years of age, came forward with tears running down their faces and hands held high so say the Sinner's Prayer. It was a wonderful sight

On the second day we attended  the pastors conference. It was fantastic. Bram Oosterwijk gave a powerful and in depth message over the Heart of God for widows and orphans and many were blessed by it.

I spoke about Revival and Transformation and a 'Pakistan washed in the Blood of Jesus'. Many hundreds of men and women were blessed and encouraged in their walk with the Lord.

Unfortunately, the devil and his accomplices did not forget us, and something we had not expected happened. The following day, at midday, dark clouds swept over Lahore and heavy rain began to pour down and a strong  wind began to blow. There was lightning and thunder and within minutes the campaign area turned into a swamp. Chairs were saturated, covers were drenched in mud and the canvas protecting the podium was torn to pieces. How very sad it all was for the volunteers who had worked so hard to make this event happen.

As a result of this inclement weather, Bishop Yaqub cancelled the third night of the conference, but we did not allow our enthusiasm to be dampened. We got together and had a wonderful time of prayer and proclaiming over the ruling spirits and principalities of Lahore that Jesus is Lord. Then we went to supper!

The following evening, all damage had been repaired and the campaign continued. God's presence was so powerful that many were moved to tears. At the altar call a further 700 people came forward to accept Jesus as their Saviour. We also prayed for the sick and many people testified that they had been healed.

That Thursday night was supposed to be the last night of the campaign, but because the enemy had stolen one night from us with the storm, we decided to have a further service on the Friday night. This was an act of faith on my part because I also needed to get to the airport on time to catch the plane home later that night.

As the Friday night service was impromptu and not planned, we expected very few people to attend, but to our great surprise, when we arrived at the venue, there were at least 7000 people waiting for us! It was wonderful to see! I spoke about Stephen in the Bible, who, whilst being stoned, didn't see the stones but rather the Risen Christ. We then  called on the Holy Spirit and He fell upon the people in a truly magnificent way! It was Pentecost all over again!

Hundreds of Pakistani's, many of them Moslem, accepted Jesus as their Saviour during these few days. Many were filled with the Holy Spirit, healed and set free from the spirit of religion.

The oppressed Christians of Pakistan were encouraged and we able to give teaching to hundreds of their leaders and pastors. In short, our trip was a very intensive time during which God did many great things. Pray for Pakistan!