Middle East Miracles

Yemen and Qatar Mission Update

Thank you for your prayers, as we have just returned from a powerful time in Yemen and Qatar, where we saw the Lord move powerfully. John and two SOT associates from Emerge Wales – Justin Abraham and Dave Vaughan – ministered to hundreds of workers from nations throughout the Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Oman, Lebanon and beyond) and saw dozens of healing miracles, as well as a number of muslims giving their hearts to Jesus. The wildest leg of the trip was no doubt Yemen, where 95 percent of the male population is addicted to drugs and armed to the hilt with swords, AK-47s and practically lawless. This place is a seed-bed for Al-Qaida, the home ground of Osama Bin Laden. The nation is also in the midst of civil war, and we ministered in a region near the war zone while we were there. Our driver, who navigated us for hours through steep mountains with 3,000-6,000 sheer cliff drops, was hesitant to tell anyone at the armed checkpoints that John was from America! Yemen is definitely the wild west of the Arab world. Yet we truly felt that harvest is at hand for the workers there who embrace the present move of God’s Spirit. We also felt prophetically that the Lord wants to release a powerful movement among the women of the region, who are highly oppressed under the culture and the tenets of islam. We also saw the need for more women in church leadership in the region, to counteract this spiritual climate.

Yemen has both an ancient Christian and Jewish heritage, and I (John) felt that the Lord wants to restore these age-old foundations. We believe that God is about to “reverse the year of the white elephant.” In 570 A.D., Yemen’s then Christian ruler launched a military assault against mecca (which was then a place for worship of 160 idols, the chief of which was allah). He rode in on a white elephant, hence the name of the battle. It was a disaster for the Christians, and thanks to a demonic miracle, they were turned back. Mohammad’s grandfather was apparently a hero of the battle, and his grandson was born at that time, eventually turning the people to worship allah alone – the chief pagan idol.

Christianity at that time was being forced by the arm of the flesh, but without supernatural power, the church will never succeed against islam. God is now releasing strategic Elijah power encounters that will turn the nations to the truth. The year of the white elephant was a key advance to the birth of islam, as the church sought to assert its authority without demonstrations of power. If not for this one botched attempt by the “church,” it is not likely that islam would even exist today.

Our programs, church growth strategies and purpose-driven, seeker-sensitive methods that originate in the mind of man will never overcome the demonic powers of islam. But God is releasing a generation of wonderworkers who will live fully possessed by the love and power of God, with no motive but to advance His Kingdom, wiping out strongholds in a day. We believe that Yemen can be a key staging point for such a victory, as the church arises to take her place.

Below we have included a report from Justin Abraham on the trip:

We've just returned from 12 days traveling in the gulf region. The first half of our trip was in Qatar, an oil rich Islamic nation undergoing rapid modernization and development. A very hot place with roadworks and new buildings everywhere, surrounded by sea and deserts. The population is only 1 million, most of these being immigrant workers from Asia, India and other gulf regions. In only a few years, massive skyscrapers have popped up out of nowhere! It's changing rapidly. Here's a picture of Doha the capital...

We held meetings in a sports hall with hundreds coming from all over the gulf region to get whacked in the Glory. We also held gatherings in local churches hidden away in several locations.

Oil flowed from this young girl's hands (above picture) in the meeting and many were touched by God's power. Over the few days we were there we saw many healings from words of knowledge. A convert from Hinduism was covered in gold dust one night, and several others had gold on their hands. The Kingdom is not about talk but power. God is coming to make Himself known.

We took a drive into the desert while we were there. Sand dunes are a lot harder to climb than you think, but the jump down makes it worthwhile! Here are a few pix of the Arabian wanderers in action looking for lizards!

PART 2 of the trip - YEMEN : Crazy Days!

The second part of the trip was in Yemen, one of the oldest civilizations in the world and one of the poorest nations in the region. This place hasn't changed much in hundreds of years. Amazing mountains, steep roads, old villages and men carrying knives and guns. The Queen of Sheba was from here and from the moment we arrived we were getting prophetic downloads of the significance of this place. There is a well of prophecy and wisdom here. I (Justin) saw a vision of God going after the core of Islam and a movement of people migrating up into Saudi Arabia which is north of Yemen. While we were there, prophecy flowed.

Here's a picture of Dave checking out some knives, and a picture of our driver, a local man who made sure we didn't get into trouble! You need a good driver when there's 3,000 ft drops on the side of the road!

The scenery in this part of the world has to be seen. Huge mountain ranges, with sand colored houses rising up out of sheer cliff drops. Into the mountains they've cut ledges to grow crops. It must have taken years to complete. It's an amazing place. The guys chew “khot” each afternoon - a plant which gives a buzz similar to amphetamine. They pack it into the corner of their mouths and chew on it for several hours. It's wild being in a country where there are guns, knives, drugs, a civil war, army checkpoints, pictures of Saddam and extreme Islam. We had a blast!

We visited some local houses to pray for the sick in the North West of the country and spent time encouraging some missionaries in the region. We were able to pray for Muslims in their own homes. One woman came for deliverance from seizures. She gave her heart to the Lord and the Holy Spirit came on her. You could see her face change as God touched her. It was awesome! God is opening doors over there and you can see how miracles will literally turns cities in a day. There is a deep longing in the Nations for something real. Signs and wonders and the glory are the key to seeing regions shift.

Back in the main City in the South we held meetings, healings rooms, and went into a slum part of the city where 7,000 live in a small walled off area. Within five minutes of being there a man was healed of an arm problem. We were invited into a home and prayed for a number of people for healing. About a dozen people crammed into a tiny room. One woman had a problem with her mouth which improved following prayer prompting others to seek healing. We also prophesied destiny over them and blessed them. The glory was so strong we were getting blasted being there the longer we stayed. There was flies and rubbish everywhere but Jesus was there with them. God loves the poor and in these days this is where we will see Him move most powerfully. Here are a few pictures...

Entire nations will turn to Him in the coming years. The fields are white unto harvest. This wildfire God is pouring out in Wales is for the world.

Towards the end of the trip we held a prayer for healing afternoon in one of the houses. People came from all over to get prayer. One girl with cerebral palsy showed big change in her behavior. The parents were delighted. We also saw hindus and muslims come for prayer. Many were healed from words of knowledge. In one room, five of the the ten woman waiting there were made well from joint and leg problems, a damaged tongue, headaches, neck pain, and so on.

We finished the trip with a rare opportunity to go into a school and to prophesy over some of the muslim teachers. God showed us things about their lives and destinies that amazed them. God's presence is so awesome! Finally we met a man who was put in prison for 5 months for being a Christian. We were humbled at the price he is paying everyday just to stand up for Jesus.

John Crowder, 5/24/2007