On 7th June 2007 we departed the UK, bound for the island of Zanzibar, which united in 1964 with what was then Tanganyika, forming Tanzania. After a few days on Zanzibar we would take a bumpy ferry across to the mainland to visit some friends working short-term with Wycliffe Bible Translators a 13-hour bus ride away, before subjecting ourselves to another couple of long-distance bus journeys and heading out onto the Serengeti plains. Along with the malaria tablets and the sun-tan cream we also carried two Bibles in our luggage ready for Mission 193.

A week or two before we left Manchester, a friend who led the children’s work at a Christian conference that Tim attended as a child, who has travelled to Tanzania on several occasions, asked if we might be able to take out a holdall full of children’s toys and other items to a pastor working in Zanzibar, who she was due to visit a few weeks later for a Christian conference. We were met at the airport by the pastor so that we could give him the holdall and were invited to have lunch at his home. We were then invited back on several occasions to have lunch and dinner and got to know the pastor and his family quite well, who shared with us about the oppression they face from the majority Muslim population of the island. We were shocked to learn of how their son was kidnapped by some Muslims and later found in a mosque and how the school teachers fail their children because they are not Muslim.

On Sunday we attended the pastors church and both felt that we should present the pastor with the two Swahili Bibles. The pastor asked us to say a few words and we were able to pray for Tanzania together with the small but lively congregation. It was great to be able to visit the pastor a few days later and hear how he had given one Bible to a new Christian who has recently converted from Islam, and to another Christian who couldn’t afford their own Bible.

About a week later we met up with a UK friend who is working as a missionary in the capital Dar-Es-Salaam and spent some time together in prayer for the nation of Tanzania.

When we first decided to go to Moldova all the information we found was about the poverty of the country, the terrible condition of the prisons and the number of orphanages. Based on this information we decided to contact various charities that worked in orphanages and prisons in the hope of serving them in any way that would be helpful. For months we contacted every charity we could find to ask about volunteering in prisons or orphanages and heard nothing back. When praying a week before setting out God told us that it was no coincidence that we’d not heard anything, he wanted us to totally rely on him. So we prayed that we would be guided by the Holy Spirit and set out to Moldova with no agenda and nothing set except the place we were staying and the transport.

We had made one contact in Moldova she was an independent tour guide who was recommended by Lonely Planet. We contacted her to get some advice on travelling in Moldova and it turned out she was married to a Mancunian and was living in Manchester. We were able to meet her and spend time with her in Manchester before we left and arranged to meet up with her in Moldova.

The journey to Moldova was an adventure; we drove to London, slept in the car in the airport car park, flew to Romania and then got an overnight sleeper train to Moldova. The journey was long and all sleep was interrupted by various security checks but it was a real adventure and was enjoyable despite being tiring.

While walking around Romania and Moldova we prayed that God would show us life as a lot of what we saw was religion and tradition. On our first day we decided to walk round the area we were staying to work out where everything was and get a feel for the area. We’d walked past a few church buildings and had tried to go in and find information out about them and were swiftly ushered out followed by barking dogs. After walking for a while we stopped and wondered whether to go on or turn back, we decided to carry on walking and 4 buildings up we saw a picture of Jesus and a sign which said “Elim Pentecostal”. With excitement we walked up to the building and knocked on the door. The door was opened by a smiley man named Serghei and praise God he spoke English!

We chatted to him about mission 193 and about his church and talked lots about their understanding and experience of the Holy Spirit. Serghei seemed very excited to meet us and hear about our mission. He invited us to the church meeting the following evening.

That evening we went back to the apartment very excited and spent the evening praying for Serghei and the church. The following evening after being tourists for the day we returned to the church building for their evening meeting. The meeting was brilliant, we’d found life!! The church were noisy and responsive, there was no silence between songs as the congregation continued to praise God. Serghei had found us a translator which meant we were blessed by hearing the word. God was speaking to the church about having a thirst for the Holy Spirit and the need to experience the Holy Spirit. We talked to Serghei about our plans to pray and prophesy over Moldova and asked if he thought anyone would be interested in joining us. We talked to a few people but no plans were set so we said we’d come to the building the next day to finalise some plans.

The following day we went back to the building, we asked to speak to Serghei but they were unsure where he was. We sat in the foyer hoping he would come soon as no-one else spoke English. As we were waiting Igor came down the stairs and introduced himself to us. He is a student in South Korea and he spoke very good English. We chatted to Igor about our Mission 193 and told him that we wanted to pray and prophesy for his country and asked if he’d like to join us. Igor asked us to come to a youth meeting at his church which was associated with the Elim church and located in another part of the city. He asked us to speak to the youth about Mission 193 and then invite the youth to pray and prophesy with us. We were very excited by this invite but we were meant to travel back to Romania on the night that the youth meeting was taking place. We had to rearrange our travel and book another night of accommodation in order to go to the meeting, so the one thing that had been set before we left was changing!

We went into town with Serghei to rearrange our travel, we were so blessed to have a translator and someone who knew where we were going. We had decided that Serghei was the righteous man who we wanted to give a bible to and had carried the bible round all day waiting for the right moment. The bibles we’d been given were Russian and although people generally speak Russian the official language of the country is Moldovan. While talking that afternoon Serghei was telling us that he was the only person in the church who’s first language was Russian, how perfect that we’d already decided to give him a Russian bible!

At the youth meeting we were introduced to Paul, their Youth Pastor.

Paul was full of life in the Holy Spirit and was very keen for us to pray with the youth. We played games in the park with the youth and then came together to worship and pray together. After reading the prophetic scriptures we held hands in a group and all prayed aloud together. There were over 40 of us praying aloud in English, Moldovan, Russian and in tongues, the sound was amazing and the time was powerful.

The time we had in Moldova was amazing and we all said it would be hard to communicate all that had happened. God answered our needs again and again. We were told before we left that no-one spoke English yet every time we needed someone who spoke English there was someone there. We had opportunity to speak to many people about Mission 193 as so many people recognised us as not local and wanted to know why we were there. We were protected and experienced none of the dangers we were warned about before leaving.

God told us before we left that we would return with a good report and we can’t say enough to describe how good our experience in Moldova was. The people we met were so kind, friendly, hospitable and generous and the time we had there was amazing! Dedicating our time fully to God and living guided by the Holy Spirit was so exciting and everything worked out so perfectly.

David Matunga and Nixon Ngoy report. (Nixon Ngoy was one of Dave Emmett’s school pupils in DRC in the eighties)

When David Emmett and Richard Anniss came to the elders’ conference in Kabinda, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, they told us all about the exciting plan to go into all the 193 nations recognised by the UN. As we were both from Kinshasa, we were pleased when Yambalu Mposhi asked us to make the journey across the river to the Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville). We were also pleased to serve Keri’s Jones’ vision as we had met him at the airport when he visited us in Kinshasa in 2006 with Tony Ling. We had also eaten with them when they went to David Matunga’s home in Kinshasa.

At the elders’ conference in Kabinda, Yambalu and some of the other leaders laid hands on us and commissioned us to go to Congo Brazzaville.

On arriving back in Kinshasa we got the local church to spend two days praying and interceding for us and for our neighbouring nation before we made the journey.

Kinshasa and Brazzaville are the two closest capital cities in the world. No other two capital cities can be found on the opposite banks of the same river. We didn’t have that far too travel to be in our neighbouring country. We crossed the Congo River on a boat. We had never made the crossing before even though we had often looked across the river from Kinshasa and seen Brazzaville. Our prayer was, “Lord, take charge of this journey and use it so that someone will receive not only us, but also receive your word”.

Looking across the river at our home city of Kinshsa from Congo Brazzaville

On arriving in Brazzaville, the authorities there gave us a hard time and we were subjected to a physical search. After this we took a taxi into the centre of Brazaville and began to walk around praying for the city and that the Lord would show us where we should go.

The Holy Spirit convinced us that we should go to a large house with a wall around it. We went in and found the owner of the house, whose name turned out to be Richard. We explained in French that we were visiting from the neighbouring DRC just for the day. He was really overjoyed to welcome us into his house.

We said to him, “Richard, this is our first time in this land of Congo Brazzaville. Our motivation for coming here is not business, nor family, nor even political. We have come to represent a group of churches who are sometimes known as “Ministries Without Borders” and we have come today to announce to you the Gospel of the Kingdom and to pray for you and your country that you might have total peace.”

During our time with him we read Matthew 28 :18-20 ;Matthew 10 :1-15 ; Genesis 12 :2-3 and Revelation 15 :3-4 and explained to him the Gospel of the Kingdom.

Richard was so happy that we had come and he called his wife to come in and listen to us too. He then told us his story. Many years ago he had given his life to the Lord Jesus, but after passing through some difficulties of losing his job and illness in the family, he had abandoned his faith and had not been following the Lord. He believed the Lord didn’t care about him. He said that because we had come and had talked about the Kingdom of God, he knew that God still loved him and was calling him back to himself. He said he realised he had been on the path of destruction and was committing himself from that day on to hold fast to the Lord and to serve him without ever moving away from him again.

He then called all his family together and we both prayed for all the family and gave them the two Bibles in French that we had taken with us. They were all so happy that we had made the journey.

We made our way back across the river to Kinshasa and arrived home at 8pm, happy that we had accomplished Mission 193 in Congo Brazzaville.

Yambalu Mposhi responds to a request to report on a recent journey. His report has been translated from French:

A journey that lasted over two weeks and was over 300 miles across very bad roads resulted in God being glorified. On this trip in one village we prayed for a young child who was dying from malaria. The parents were wailing and the local nurse had said there was no hope. We prayed and the child made a rapid recovery and is still well today. Many other healings happened on this journey.

In another village, we cast a demon out of a woman who was well known for her connections to demonic forces. She was delivered and set free.

News has also spread of things happening in Kabinda (where Yambalu is based). We have prayed for women who have been barren for over 15 years and they have become pregnant! We also have seen people without jobs be prayed for and get jobs.

At the moment there is something new happening among us. We are discovering what it is to worship the Lord by singing in tongues. Also we have know times when we have seen many baptised in the Holy Spirit and half the church crying in the presence of God , while the other half experiences laughter. These are new things for us, but we praise God as people are asking questions and we are seeing growth. On that one journey, we were able to plant 9 new churches.

Our God is good! See you soon!

Yambalu

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” – Romans 1:16-17 (NIV)

As a Church, we had a great time out on the streets of Manchester last week. Our mission to bring God’s word to the city was further advanced. We had a great time Making Jesus Famous to the inhabitants of Greater Manchester. We had many wonderful opportunities to talk and pray with hundreds, if not thousands of people in Manchester City Centre about the love & life of Jesus Christ.

As a result, we saw people saved and people healed as were out on the streets of central Manchester. Praise God! – he is on the move in our city.

We also had an excellent time at an “Outdoor Praise” event in Piccadilly Gardens on Saturday. Over 150 members of the church gathered to bring praise and glory to King Jesus right in the heart of the centre of Manchester. It was really exciting to be so visible and vocal in the centre of the city with the life changing message of Jesus Christ!

As part of the week of mission, we also ran an ‘evangelistic’ meal at King’s House last thursday. Over 200 people attended this event. Richard preached an excellent gospel message and people responded to the appeal at the end.

Members of the church who got involved throughout last week spoke about how easy it was to talk with people about Jesus. We found that many people were willing to hear what we have to say about the gospel of Christ. We believe that Manchester belongs to Jesus and he has given it to us as His Church as our inheritance. Every place where we put our feet is ours. The city belongs to God. The people of Manchester are destined for the Kingdom of God!

We believe that mission and evangelism are not one off events or for a few ‘keen’ people. Our corporate declaration is that ‘We are not ashamed of the Gospel’. Let’s continue to share Jesus with those who don’t yet know him at every opportunity. Let’s be inspired and passionate about our mandate to ‘Go and Make Disciples of all Nations’ (Matt 28:18-20). Let’s continue to remember that we are a ’sent’ people, called to do ‘greater works’ than even Jesus did when we move in the anointing of the Holy Spirit. We have a glorious inheritance – let’s continue to claim Manchester & the Nations for Jesus this week!

Sunday 2nd March was an exciting day for King’s Church in Greater Manchester. As we gathered together in our Sunday meetings we prayed for 27 pioneering men and women as we planted them into Salford to become a brand new church community.

New Life Church in Salford has wasted no time and is already meeting in homes across the city. They hold their first Sunday meeting at 10.00am on 9th March at the Vue Cinema (Screen 7) at the Lowry Designer Outlet in Salford Quays. They’re due to launch their own website at http://www.newlifesalford.org/ by Saturday 8th March so why not click on the link to find out more about them.

As Richard Anniss addressed us on Sunday 2nd March, he reminded us in King’s Church that God has called us to have an impact right across the region of Greater Manchester, as well as around the world. He urged us, along with Christian brothers and sisters throughout God’s church, to take possession of the land that God has given us.

We believe New Life Church in Salford will be the first of many church plants in our region. Richard also reaffirmed our commitment to our vision of a large and influential church with thousands of members right here in the centre of Manchester. As we plant people out to form new churches, we expect to see many more added as we continue to proclaim the gospel of the Kingdom of God. There’s certainly no sense of sitting back or slowing down in King’s Church.

The New Year often brings with it a fresh outlook and new perspective on life and a revival of hopes and dreams yet to be seen and accomplished in the coming year. For Mission 193 and all its dedicated volunteers and travellers, the New Year marks the final ten months of the project and the countdown of the remaining 63 countries to be visited.

2008 offers you the last chance to participate in what could be one of the most exciting times of your life – can you afford not to be involved?

Intrepid and excited teams have travelled in two’s or more to countries far and wide on Mission 193. With hearts full of faith, a suitcase containing two bibles, a pocketful of scriptures to pray and proclaim over the land…not forgetting a camera in hand … people have travelled to unfamiliar nations for God.

On each and every visit, reports have flooded back telling the news of how the Holy Spirit has led, provided and displayed His goodness and kindness during each mission.

Hoteliers, tour guides, caretakers, border guards, ministerial officials, royalty and church members – to name just a few, have all been overwhelmed by the gift of bibles and blessed in the knowledge that there is a God who cares enough for them and their nation to send someone from far away to meet with them!
Miracles have been reported, lives have been changed and many have come to know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.

There’s still time left and 63 opportunities for you to be involved in claiming a nation for Jesus with Mission 193. Why not book a cruise and visit a few islands in the South Pacific Ocean or the Caribbean? Perhaps a safari in Africa or a visit to countries close to the warm equator is more your thing? If one of the countries listed is your home nation, would you consider asking family or friends back home to participate in Mission 193? Or, maybe you just fancy ‘picking a country’ to visit and trusting God for the rest?

The countries left to be visited by you this year are:

in the Caribbean & Americas: Colombia, Dominica, Grenada, Panama, St Kitts & Nevis, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago.

in Europe: Belarus, Moldova, Montenegro, San Marino.

in Eastern Europe and Asia: Armenia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Qatar,, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates.

in Australasia: East Timor, Fiji, Indonesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu.

in Africa: Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon, (The) Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Republic of the Congo, Sao Tome & Principe, Seychelles, Somalia, Swaziland.

Participating in Mission 193 will give you a new perspective on life and a fresh envisioning of the purpose and plan God has for you. Why not apply and trust Him to continue to take care of the finer details this year?

To download your application form and to read the reports of other travellers, please visit www.mission193.com today.

Each month in our Sunday meetings we have a second offering, which is given to Keri Jones to use as he sees needs. Many also have signed up for the “£2 a week” scheme. Each year we see a report on how this money has been used at Bible Week. Yambalu Mposhi though, was keen for us to know now just how blessed he is with the way some of that money has been spent. The photo below says it all!

Yambalu is grateful to Keri and to all who have contributed in enabling this brand new Toyota Landcruiser to be sent to him to be used for visiting the ever-increasing number of local churches he leads in the Congo. Roads are non-existent in some of the places he has to visit so any vehicle has to be a 4 wheel drive and very robust to cut through the bush and thick mud. The Toyota Landcruiser arrived in Kinshasa (the capital of Congo) via the sea port of Matadi. It was then flown on a cargo plane from Kinshasa to Mbuji Mayi. In the picture Yambalu is standing with it in the town of Kabinda.

Already Yambalu has made a tour of some of his local churches and is planning another January tour into 4 centres where there will be conferences for church leaders in each centre. Since Richard and myself were there in September another 5 local churches have been planted. The church in Kabinda have also witnessed a spate of miraculous answers to prayer in terms of married women who had been praying to become pregnant for years seeing their prayers answered.

Praise God for the part we as a local church, along with all who contribute to the £2 a week scheme, have been able to play in blessing our brothers and sisters in Congo. May they carry on cruising!

Me and my Dad went on a Mission 193 to Brussels, in Belgium. Our plane arrived there late afternoon. That evening we walked around the centre of the city and looked at the town square, and got chips.

The next day we went on some proper sight seeing. First we went to the Atomium. After we had been up to the top of the atomium we both declared all the Mission 193 scriptures over the nation of Belgium. Next we went to the European Union district. We found that the all the buildings were really big and designed very modern, in their shape. We then visited a park, which was opposite the buildings, where my Dad declared the scriptures over the country again, because you can’t over-read scriptures like: “ask of me, and I will surely give the nations as your inheritance” Psalms 2:8

We then went back in the centre and bought some chocolates and Tintin models for my brother and sister. Dave Emmett knew a couple in Brussels who were leading a church there and we had been in contact with them before we went. We were picked up by the co-pastor – Paul and his wife Jean who were from the Congo. They took us to a small building in a street with lots of houses on. I don’t speak French so I couldn’t really communicate with anyone very well. We sang a few songs (same as our songs, but in French) and prayed. Some more people arrived after about five minutes, so then there were eight of us altogether. We gave them the Bibles and took pictures of them. Then we gave them the church’s contact details because they wanted to write to us. He also was going to preach on the verses that we had read over Belgium. He then took us back to the hotel, and we went out to get some tea. It was great to have been an encouragement to another part of the body of Christ.

The next day we got the train really early back to the airport. Our flight was delayed which was a bit boring, but God is still amazing. But it was ok because it only took us 40 minutes to get to Manchester, thanks to the time difference.