Day 5 - Crusade

Preparing to leave for crusade.  Prayer is the foundation of the harvest we will see today in Matagalpa!

The team getting ready to head out to the crusade and baseball clinic on Sunday morning.  We are about to walk out into the pouring rain, but our Spirit's are high believe God is going to do something extraordinary today!

This doesn't look like much of a picture, but it tells a lot about our last day in Matagalpa.  After beautiful sunny days (with a couple of brief moments of rain) during the baseball clinics, on the day of the crusade and championship tournament it pours.  Leaving the hotel to set up, we thought it would rain for 30 minutes or so and stop in plenty of time before the crusade was to begin, but that was not to be.

As we decided to push back our start time, one couldn't help but recall the recent message Pastor Farrell shared on how sometimes God allows storms to come into our lives.  We prayed God would REIGN not RAIN.

After promoting the Crusade with 5000 flyers, radio and television promotion, our expectation to fill the stadium was high.  At moments, it seemed the harder we prayed, the harder it rained, yet in our hearts, we still believed for a great harvest.

When Amaury Telemaco took to the pitcher's mound to preach, it stopped raining and when it stopped raining, the television station began to film... his entire sermon.  The stadium was not filled, but the whole city of Matagalpa is going to hear the powerful message Amaury preached on TV tonight.

As soon as the invitation to follow Christ was finished and people were prayed for, the skies opened again.  Drizzle continued off and on for the whole of the exciting championship game.  All 8 teams received new equipment, certificates of completion and ribbons and when the first place trophy was awarded, a wall of rain descended.  

What we envisioned for the crusade didn't take place.  The rain kept people away, but God knew the television station was going to cover and more people heard a clear and powerful message on how much God loves them than the stadium could have seated.  Isaiah stated it best, "His ways are not our ways."