OTM 2008 was our best OTM mission yet!
Some Highlights: During 3 days in Adroque we prayed for 193 people, of those 173 received the Lord! We From there we made a pioneering trip to Zarate where the Chairman of the city council, who was acting mayor for the day, invited Jesus into the council and into the city and then asked us to lay hands on every desk in the council chambers!
—The full report follows below, watch this short video with some of the highlights and make plans to join us in ’09. Email me for more info on our SUPER, super-early-bird discount!
From Benjy MacNaughton, OTM Director
benjy@harvestevan.org
Watch the OTM -08 Video
Overseas Transformation Mission 2008 Report
Transformation is happening! The paradigms for transformation are taking root and God’s Kingdom is being expanded by HIS Church.
This year, the Lord brought us a wonderful group of 60 delegates ranging in age from 3 to 64 from South Africa, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the USA for ten days of spiritual boot camp and training in nation transformation, and what a great time we had.
1. PREPARATION FOR TRANSFORMATION
Our trip began with a phenomenal day of ministry with Pablo Abeleira, a marketplace ministry leader in Buenos Aires, and Pastor Juan Zuccarelli whom the Lord used to raise up the “Christ the Only Hope Prison” at Olmos. We were challenged by Pablo’s word to “make room” for the new things that God wants to do and the new territory He wants us to take. Lengthen the cords, stretch out the curtains and move the stakes. These became our marching orders for OTM 2008.
Pastor Zuccarelli shared his personal journey of how he first served at the Olmos Prison as a guard and the process of transformation that took place there. So inspiring! The former inmates all shared their stories of personal transformation and how God changed them radically and formed them into mighty men of God who now minister to others. Our time concluded with Pastor Juan and the former inmates laying hands on us and imparting the anointing for transformation!
2. Adrogué: The presence of God to transform a city
These were four transformational days that began with Pastor Eduardo Lorenzo sharing his heart and the story of the kingdom coming to Adrogué. We didn’t learn new evangelistic methods or formulas for transformation. We learned and experienced how to tap into the presence of God and then release His presence to people on the streets. During the Sunday evening service, leaders from Pastor Lorenzo’s congregation formed an “anointing tunnel” through which our whole team passed. We were spiritually blessed and given jurisdiction to minister in the city.
— Our morning sessions…
… were filled with inspirational teaching by Pastor Eduardo Lorenzo and his team. We learned how this city of 38,000 is literally being pastored by the Christians in the city. From businesses to neighborhoods to school campuses to city hall, this is a city where it is very difficult for anyone to go to hell. There is a Christian person on every street block in the city. Halloween is not practiced in the city and the seven nightclubs that used to operate in the city were “forced” to move outside of the city limits by the presence of the Lord in the city! Four of them have shut down and their buildings are empty. We literally saw how God’s presence dominates in this city and how light always pushes darkness away!
— Afternoon Fishing
Each afternoon we were introduced to “fishing.” We partnered with members of the local congregation and took to the streets to introduce people to the presence of God and to pray for their needs. It was awesome to see how open the people on the streets were, and in just three short days our group was able to pray for 193 people in the streets and 173 of them gave their lives to Christ! Some of the teenagers on the trip who were quite apprehensive the night before, had such positive experiences that they kept asking when the next “fishing” trip was going to happen as they were having so much fun praying for people and leading them to the Lord. Every participant from our group had the joy of leading someone on the streets to the Lord – what an experience!
— The Mayor’s Office
We had the privilege of visiting the mayor’s office and some of his cabinet members. They openly shared the top needs of the city and welcomed our prayers for them and the city. It was most inspiring to see these people affirming the presence of Pastor Lorenzo and his people in their city.
— City Council
We were welcomed to the City Council to meet several city council leaders and to pray for them. We really connected with one of the councilmen, a young man only 28 years old, and helped facilitate the time. It was amazing to hear them one by one acknowledge and affirm the influence of the Church of Adrogué in the affairs of the city, for their visits and prayers, especially when they need to make difficult decisions.
— Ministry in schools and a visit to a junior soccer club
Our youth got to participate in several visits to local schools and see the “No More Violence” campaign at the grass roots level. We prayed for the principal at one private school and she was visibly moved after receiving prayer from a 14 year old, Rozita de Silva from South Africa. As we left the school she made a point to tell some of our team that she felt “overwhelmed” as we prayed for her and asked us to make visits to her school in the future. The visit to the soccer club was a great time of interaction with local youth ranging in age from 12-17. The international team even won the game 4-3!
3. ZARATE – A City on the Path to Transformation
We were graciously welcomed and hosted by Pastor Jorge Gomez and his team from “Iglesia Del Camino.” We heard how the leaders of Zarate have begun to apply the transformation principles they learned at the Harvest Evangelism conference last October. It was tremendous to come into Zarate having just been in Adrogue for four days and having so many transformational experiences and stories to share with the people of Zarate.
4. A KEY MESSAGE – THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM
Another pivotal message for the trip was delivered by Pablo Abeleira on our first day in Zarate. He shared about the keys of the Kingdom to open a city. The principle is simple: If you have a key, find the door that it is to open and walk through. If you don’t have the key, don’t go in through the window. Only a thief and robber goes in some other way to hurt, kill and destroy, but Jesus has come to bring life in abundance. Ask God for the keys he has for you and persist until you have them, then use them. We then saw this principle play out in our experience.
— Visit to City Hall
The Lord prepared an ambush as we went to the city hall in Zarate. The Chairman of the city council was acting mayor for the day since the mayor was in another city doing business. He graciously welcomed us and gave us a short tour of the building. A key was given. He then gladly welcomed our prayers and, as we were praying, the Lord touched him quite visibly to the point that he was in tears. He then willingly invited Jesus into the city council chambers, and into the city itself – awesome! It was just the beginning of many open doors that we saw in Zarate including:
— On-site prayer for businesses
The church had organized specific appointments for us to come and pray for about 20 businesses in downtown Zarate. Another key in hand. The people were all very grateful and touched by the Lord as we ministered to them.
— Strategic Marketplace Meetings
We had meetings with medical professionals, visited the local Toyota manufacturing plant, facilitated a gathering of teachers, and some of the youth leaders did a radio program! More keys.
— The prison and the hospital
A visit to the local provincial prison opened up while simultaneously the youth visited a local hospital where the chief administrator from the provincial government opened the doors, welcomed us and encouraged us to pray for the patients.
— Light in the public schools
Lynda Allison and Esther Vardy from Canada came prepared to teach “Light Up Your World” – a values-based course that empowers students to be world changers. God opened the doors for them to teach two classes at one of the schools. The principal was so moved by what she saw happening, however, that she asked them to teach a third class! We were also able to give the school a much needed DVD player and the school leadership was thoroughly blessed!
5. CLOSING SERVICE IN ZARATE – The Presence of God Descends
The Sunday evening service was a fantastic finish to our time in Zarate. We shared several words from the Lord that God had deposited in us about the city and then the pastors asked our group to impart everything that we had to the people of the city. Harvest team member Rick Heeren shared a dynamic message on being “detonators” for transformation, and that this city was another “detonator city.” The presence of God descended upon us as we enjoyed a final worship service with our new and beloved friends. We sense that God is going to use Zarate as a detonator to impact the entire region as they pursue filling up the city with prayer and busy themselves with extending the Kingdom.
6. FACEBOOK GROUP
— www.facebook.com:http://www.facebook.com/home.php
We encourage you to join the Facebook group “Argentina – Overseas Transformation Mission 2008.” We encourage you to check in for your encouragement, and join in with your own story for the blessing of others. There are already hundreds of pictures to view!
7. ANNOUNCING: OTM 2009 June 26 – July 6
As you can clearly see, this is the kind of trip that really helps you build a cohesive core group for transformation in your city. By getting everyone on the same page from the very start, you accelerate the process of transformation. Make your plans now, begin to gather your funding, and recruit your companions – and see what great things the Lord will do! We encourage you to consider two things: come back, but with a delegation from your city or campus; or if you yourself cannot return, recruit a team to come.
8. KEEP INFORMED AND JOIN THE MOVEMENT
We encourage you to visit our Harvest Evangelism website at www.harvestevan.org regularly for Harvest events, transformation materials and updated testimonies.
Welcome to the family of transformational people who are walking in the principles and paradigms that you experienced during OTM. Let’s stay connected and keep pushing the vision of nation transformation forward!