Beloved Ethiopia, Nov/Dec 2012. Crusade, Women's Conference and Saved Orphans

Breakthrough Crusade in Jeldu - Great people!

Hanna's and PTL's Orphanage. Some of the 230 kids!

She was an orphan, and in jail for stealing food. She hadn't eaten for days! Now she will never be hungry again. Together with Pastor Tommy's daughter Rebecka.

Doretti was an orphaned street child who got saved 2 years ago. Now she is safe at Hanna's and PTL's orphan home in Addis.

Hard to imagine that these darling princesses have lived on the street!

First Women's Conference of its kind in Addis: "Sharpened for Greatness!"

Ethiopia, November/December 2012.

The crusade was held in a place where time had stood still for a very long time. There were no buses, cars, motorcycles or bikes here. Everyone walked, except for a few who came riding on horses. Some of them had walked for days from their tribal villages in the mountains. But they all wanted to meet Jesus.

On the first day, a man who had been blind for a long time was healed. Without even being able to see, he had walked to the meeting. Thank you Jesus, for touching him! Many people spent the night instead of going home again! The trip would have taken too long. They spent the night outside or on a simple farm, without running water, electricity or toilets. So we had two meetings each day. The music started at 6:30 in the morning, prayer at 9:00, worship at 10:00 and I started preaching at 11:00. The first meeting was over by about 12:30. But then by 2:00 the same afternoon, the next meeting had started, and by 5:30 that evening I had prayed for people to salvation, healing, deliverance and the baptism in the Holy Spirit twice. What grace from God! On the final day there were at least 40,000 people at both meetings, and the presence of Jesus was wonderful.

The work continues with our children’s center in Addis Ababa, called Hanna Orphan’s Home. Today we help a total of 250 children, and by January we are planning to expand with 3 more family units. We help children who have eaten food among wild dogs, young girls (11-12 years old) who had been in prison for stealing food, children with HIV/AIDS, children who have been shot, raped and abused. Yet they are children who have been restored by Jesus and by the staff at the children’s center in a fantastic way. The orphanage director, Hanna, is amazing. It would be hard to count how many children she hugs and kisses on the cheek each day. It is proof of the heart she has for the children she has committed her life to saving and helping.

The conference for women was a highlight. It was the first time a conference like that had been held in Ethiopia, and Jesus really did a great work in each woman there. The word from heaven lifted every single person in attendance. Many of them were healed, several were delivered, but the main thing was that most of them were filled with the Spirit and the fear and bondage on the inside of them was broken. When they understood how important women are, and how important the Biblical women were, something happened on the inside of them. They realized their true position in Christ. They even skipped the breaks so that they could have spontaneous prayer meetings. “Revival is here!” they said.

Threatened and persecuted, but victorious in the power of the blood of Jesus

Kathmandu, Nepal – October 2012. 

The crusade in Kathmandu, Nepal, was a breakthrough, despite the fact that we have never been more threatened. On the same day that we arrived, four Hindu fanatics in a truck carrying bombs were arrested on their way to Kathmandu where we were holding our crusade. Also, the government kept questioning how Christians could arrange such a huge crusade and they wanted to know where the money came from, and they threatened to send their security police. Hindu priests were warning people not to visit the meetings. On the first day, one of these Hindu priests came to the meeting, cursed the ground we were standing on, and called down the Hindu gods. The pastors were scared and the small churches were shaken, but after the first meeting on Wednesday, when a large number of Hindus were saved, the deaf received their hearing back, the blind could see, the demons were shrieking “I don’t want to come out!”, and people were set free, then the breakthrough came and the c

rusade was an enormous victory for Jesus. On the final day 10,000 people prayed the salvation prayer.

The fantastic power in the name of Jesus has caused the Hindus to defy their own leaders. Jesus has such an enormous power of attraction. Why? Because witch doctors and idol priests can’t cast out demons! Jesus confirmed this when he said that if you drive out demons in the name of Satan then Satan’s kingdom cannot stand. That is one of the reasons that a crusade attracts so many people – the power in the name of Jesus! When demons are cast out, they all realize that the God here is more powerful than the gods they worship.

Many people who had been powerfully demonized testified openly on stage that they had been set free. One man had been crippled with so much pain that he hadn’t slept for the past two years and the evil powers were controlling everything he did, but he was set free and his pain disappeared the moment the demons left him. He was full of joy as he testified, thanking Jesus.

During prayer for the sick on Friday, there was a teenage girl suffering from a muscular disease that had left her handicapped. During prayer, she tried to get up in faith, but couldn’t move an inch. She cried in disappointment.

That night after the crusade, Pastor Tommy was frustrated and asked God why she hadn’t been healed. After a long time in prayer, the Holy Spirit told Pastor Tommy to preach about the blood of Jesus on Saturday, and to release the sick and the sinners in Jesus’ blood. The entire meeting the following day centered around the power in the blood of Jesus. The effect was overwhelming and it was as if a spiritual lid was removed from the meeting. Many demons manifested right away, some of them shrieking from the possessed, “I don’t want to leave.” Many people were delivered. But the most extraordinary thing was that the girl who had been crying the night before because she hadn’t been able to get up, was healed, stood up and started to walk! First she needed help but after about 10 minutes she was walking on her own! See the photo.

Preaching about the blood of Jesus for Hindus who don’t even know what a Bible is might seem both illogical and fanatical. But we can’t forget that the struggle that Paul teaches us about is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil. They know and understand the power in the blood of Jesus! That is why there are occasions when we have to preach what is foolishness for this world, but the power of God unto salvation.

I can still see the children, baptized in the Spirit!

Lusaka, Zambia – September 2012.

The spiritual dimension broke through like an invisible cloud over the crusade grounds. A stream of children who had been filled with the Holy Spirit, healed, delivered, and then succumbed to His power were lifted up onto the stage. It was Sunday evening and the final meeting of PTL’s five day long crusade in Lusaka, the capital city of Zambia. More than 30,000 hands had been lifted toward heaven, many of them new believers, as well as backsliders who had returned to Jesus. The crusade ground was a marketplace in the middle of the largest slum in Lusaka.

Right now it is 5:10 in the morning and it is still dark outside my hotel window. A bus has just pulled up to drop off the morning shift of hotel personnel. It has been several hours since that final meeting, but the memories from it are still so strong. Many of the visitors come every night, and even though there are so many people there is a strong personal connection with them, especially with all the children.

It is hard for us in the western world to understand that thousands of children, many of them so small that they have just learned to walk, come to the meetings each night and experience and participate in the meeting in a way that you have to witness to truly be able to understand. They sing, lift their hands, close their eyes, open their mouths to receive the Holy Spirit. Yesterday the meeting started at 5 pm and ended at 9 pm. Four hours! And despite such a long meeting, thousands of children rushed forward for the altar call. Many of them were baptized in the Holy Spirit yesterday.

In the midst of this filth, misery and desperation for God, there are such enormous contrasts to most of our churches in Europe. One of the words from Jesus that has resounded even more clearly for me the past few weeks is when Jesus tells of the 10 virgins. Five came along to the wedding, five were left behind. I couldn’t tell you who is who in this comparison. But when a five year-old child from the slums, who only owns one tattered shirt and a single pair of pants that are too big, lifts his hands and with tears running down his cheeks calls out to Jesus for help – then there are many thoughts that go through my head. And then when these children get spontaneously baptized in the Holy Spirit, it becomes – if possible – even more powerful and more tangible: Jesus is there! Right there in the midst of the dust, filth and misery, thousands of children get to experience the biggest thing of all – Jesus touching them at the very deepest part of their lives.

One miracle in particular that sticks out from this crusade happened to a young boy of about 7 or 8, whose legs were paralyzed. He couldn’t walk. I didn’t quite understand why, but they were going to operate on him and he was scheduled for surgery. During the meeting on Thursday night he got healed. On Friday they went to the doctor, who examined him and cancelled the surgery, and that evening the boy and his mother were on stage, testifying of what Jesus had done!

Our team in Zambia, with PTL’s Zambia director Mark in the lead, are doing a fantastic job. He also has the help of some other people who are amazing, too. We have our own band, DMK, who are anointed by the Lord to lead worship. Thank you to all of the churches and everyone who worked so hard for this crusade, and thanks to Mission Press who took care of the stage, sound and filming. But above all, thank you Jesus!

The night has turned into dawn, and breakfast will be served at 6:30. But I can still see them –- the children! How they lift their hands, receive Jesus, and get baptized in the Holy Spirit.

Beloved Finland – explosive meetings!

It’s nearly 10 am on Friday, and we leave from Jyväskylä at 10:30. Tonight I will be preaching in a pentecostal church in Åbo and it will be such an honor to get to visit my friends there.

The first two evenings of this Finland crusade have been fantastic. We started on Wednesday in Seinäjoki. It’s a city with a population of about 50,000, but on Wednesday evenings they need parking guards because so many people come to church! The pastors’ team and the entire church are truly role models for all of us. What Jesus did in Seinäjoki he can do in other countries as well!

The church was packed on Wednesday, a line of people came forward for the altar call and several hundred people wanted prayer. Many were set free and many testified of how they had been healed.

Then yesterday we arrived in Jyväskylä. It was actually supposed to be a youth meeting, but there were people of all ages there. The church had 300 seats and it was filled to overflowing. People were standing in the aisles and in the foyer. Even though the ages were mixed there was a youthful atmosphere.

More than 30 people came forward during the altar call, and many of them were baptized in the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues for the first time in their lives. Praying for people after the meeting took over an hour and a half.

Without exaggerating, Finland has a level of hunger and devotion that I have never encountered in Sweden. It is such grace to get to visit and minister to the churches here. Let us pray that the fire that is burning in Finland will also spread to the rest of Scandinavia.

Two great miracles from Nepal and Ethiopia

Heaven kissed the people of Kitwe, Zambia

Kitwe, Zambia - May 2012

The crowd grew each night we were there, and at the final meeting it was literally jam-packed! About 8,000 people responded to the altar call, and even though all of them came forward to fill the large empty space in front of the stage, it was still just as packed where they had been standing. It sounded like the roar of many waters when we prayed the prayer of salvation, and then when I prayed for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, mass chaos broke out! Children, young people, families and the elderly fell to the ground under the awesome power that was poured out upon the crusade location. I don’t know how many people were baptized in the Holy Spirit, but at least just as many were delivered from demons. Children who were 8-10 years of age were lying on the ground under the power of the Holy Spirit. Several times I had to interrupt the meeting and ask everyone to look down at their feet so that no one would get hurt. The scene on the stage was spectacular: there were people lying everywhere. The delivery tents were filled to overflowing and the stage was full of children who were filled with the power of God. Adults go down under the power for a short while, but the children get totally knocked out! It was as if heaven bent down and kissed the people of Kitwe – what glory, what an outpouring, what a savior!

What we experienced in Kitwe, we experience in most of the places we visit. Our organization lets people know ahead of time about the strong presence of Jesus that will come, and about how so many will get delivered and baptized in the Holy Spirit. But most of them find it hard to take us seriously about what will happen, so when the Holy Spirit starts to work in people and the power falls, the local organization is usually not quite enough. It doesn’t matter whether it is Scandinavia, Africa or Asia.

The pastors and churches in Kitwe, together with PTL’s director in Zambia, evangelist Mark Kaooma, had done a wonderful job preparing for the crusade. We work with Mission Press, who are responsible for the stage and lighting, and we work with a wonderful Christian band called DMK. A crusade really is a huge team effort, with many people pitching in, and where each and every person has a special and important task.

Zambia is also unique in that we have access to their national TV station. That means that we can broadcast the gospel during prime time and we can show every single Zambian household what Jesus is doing: how blind can see, deaf can hear and lame can walk. One of the many miracles was a 6 year-old son who was nearly completely blind. After being prayed for, he tugged on his father’s jacket and said, “Pappa, now I can see Pastor Tommy too!” Fantastic! One man around 30 years old had to cancel his operation. He had had a brain tumor and my interpreter, who knew the man, told me that before his healing you could see the swelling on his head. But when the man testified that his tumor was gone, the swelling was gone as well.

Kitwe had a powerful impact on me. There is something special about those people. They imparted something to me. Despite all the poverty and problems there, they are so generous with their love. Sometimes when I leave a crusade I can feel emptied out, in need of Jesus to fill me up again. But when I left Kitwe I felt filled up, filled with love from all of the tens of thousands of wonderful Zambians who visited the crusade. Thank you Jesus for Kitwe!

New report from Nepal

By the third evening, rumors about what was happening had spread, and many more Hindus came to the crusade to hear about Jesus. There is one group here called the "Shiva warriors." They are very positive towards us.

The boy I am holding in the photo above was with his mother at the meeting on Thursday. He was scheduled for an operation because his testicles had been swollen to the size of a tennis ball for a long time. But during the meeting on Thursday a word of knowledge went forth about a 4 year-old boy whom the Lord was healing. When they came home after the meeting, the boy's mother was overjoyed to see that her son had been healed by Jesus and was now completely normal!

Another woman gave us her glasses. I have never seen lenses so thick - but now she had received perfect vision! And the 7 year-old who had been healed yesterday was running around in front of the stage - how encouraging!

The meeting on Saturday was quite a celebration. 40 busses, many had traveled for over 6 hours to be there, so many Hindus, and a great ending to our crusade. The Lord spoke of a huge revival on its way to the area.

One of the highlights was that we were able to bring the kids from PTL Children AID's orphanage to the crusade. In the photo below you can see two of the orphaned street children who now have a home and a future.

Report from the first 2 days in Nepal

The crusade in Nepal is now underway. It takes one hour by car to get there from my hotel in Kathmandu. An unusually large number of people were healed. One third of the people were Hindus and, as usual, everyone wanted to receive Jesus. The woman in this photo was physically assaulted by her husband 14 years ago. His abuse dislocated her arm. Left without medical attention, it healed itself, but became very crooked because of the way the bones reset. She told of how the power of Jesus came upon her, she heard a crack, and then her arm became straight. Amazing, isn't it?! Unbelievable. I can't even fathom how this happened, but it confirms the meaning behind Jesus' words: "In my name you will..."





On the second day of the crusade there were more people, and even more Hindus. I first saw the little boy in this photo when I arrived and opened with prayer. They were trying to stand him up, but he would just fall down immediately. He simply did not have the strength or the control to stand upright. His legs were like jello. After the sermon I continued to pray for the sick from the stage, and to cast out demons (there were many deliverances yesterday). And then this boy suddenly stood up! He took one step and fell down. But after ten minutes he could take 5-6 steps. And after fifteen minutes he was stumbling forward like a one year-old who has just learned to walk.

When the mother, who is extremely poor, came up on stage with the little boy, he could walk! She told us that he is 7 years old, and that he has never walked or spoken! Now he has said several words, including "Mamma" and "walk"!

I flew in my film team from India, and I hope that they captured all of this on film. It is such an amazingly powerful testimony.

4 crusades in 5 weeks

On Wednesday I leave for Ethiopia, and for the first time we will have two big crusades in two weeks. This time we will be further east, in a Muslim area. The first crusade starts on Friday the 17th, and then on Monday I travel back to Addis for a mini conference (about 2000 people) on Wednesday, and then I will head back out for the next crusade that Friday. By then the entire crusade team will have moved 100 km up into the mountains.

Once I get back to Sweden we have our annual meeting in our church Folkkyrkan, and then I travel to lovely Finland. We are going to meet several wonderful new revival churches, ending up in Kvevlax outside of Vasa.

The following weekend I travel to Kathmandu, Nepal, where we are having a four day long mega crusade, where a huge amount of people are expected to attend.

I would be thankful if you keep me in your prayers. Sometimes I get very tired after our crusades, and there won’t be much recovery time!

Finally back in India

Finally! This weekend we held our first crusade in India since churches were burned down in Orissa in 2008. Even though it was a small crusade, its effect will be to open doors for future crusades. Many people were delivered, healed and saved. After the meeting, a girl of about 15 years of age came up to me. A demon was speaking through her, saying, “I won’t leave her.” Then the presence of Jesus showed up, and I could feel it flowing through me and into this girl. Peace moved in and the demon had to leave. There is only one word for things like this: JESUS!

On Saturday evening a 50 year-old Hindu man got saved. It was very hard for him to walk because he had some kind of problem with a club foot that was severely hindering his movement. As we were praying for the sick, I noticed that he started to shake, and then his head was being thrown back and forth for a good thirty seconds before he fell to the ground. When he got up again he could walk normally for the first time in his life. Afterwards, crying with joy, he told us he felt an electric shock going through his body. YES! We preach Jesus Christ, crucified and resurrected!

On Sunday something very encouraging took place. The presence of God was amazing when it was time for me to preach, so much so that I had to start over three times because of the wonderful chaos of the anointing. During that time they had brought a man who couldn’t walk to the front. They just placed him on the floor in front of me. I preached, had an altar call, prayed for the baptism of the Spirit and forgot about the man they had placed there. Several people testified about their healings and I was just about to close the meeting when someone tapped me on the shoulder. “Look, Pastor Tommy!” one of the pastors exclaimed. The man was walking around on the stage behind me! “But that’s the man who couldn’t walk!” I said. Then we laughed and danced together. Praise God!

It was wonderful to be back in India, and a new door has been opened. It’s not quite finalized yet, but PTL will probably be able to multiply and hold several large crusades in large cities whose populations are overwhelmingly Hindu and Muslim.

It is easy to forget how big India is: over one billion people – that’s one thousand million! You could fit 120 Swedens into one India. And you could fit 2 Swedens into the city I am in now, Chennai. It is amazing to think that in this city alone, you could start several thousand churches without even having to compete for souls.

The man coordinating my crusade has preached a series of meetings at TD Jakes’ church, the Potter’s House in Dallas, and has had Ron Kenoly as worship leader at a crusade in Nigeria. He is a fantastic man.

Last week I met another wonderful brother in Dubai. He came to Dubai from Sri Lanka in 1983 just after graduating as an engineer. He got saved and then planted a church that is now the largest church in the Middle East, with 5000 visitors each week. This in a country where you can end up in jail for handing out Bibles in public!

On Monday I will visit a village for lepers, as well as an orphanage. Then I will head home Monday night.