God’s Spirit Moves at Missions Fest Manitoba

The theme of Winnipeg’s Missions Fest Manitoba (February 2nd-4th, 2024) was “Should I Not be Concerned?” Well-known mission speakers discussed the unreached, the persecuted, global youth, the newcomer, and the city. Evangelist and Steiger International’s Mission Director Aaron Pierce spoke at a Friday meeting for youth after the main event. One hundred fifty youth came forward to kneel and pray.

On Saturday, an estimated one hundred people responded to the invitation to come forward to pray and went down on their knees, a posture rarely adopted in modern times. The leader asked them to start praying sentence prayers. To start with, one prayer followed another, but prayers soon united in a hum of requests rising simultaneously to God.

Prayer suffused the event. After each main session, speakers asked anyone wanting prayer to come forward. A prayer room provided sanctuary for prayerful meetings with God. Prayer warriors walked among the participants and exhibitors offering to pray for them. One such warrior approached BLF Canada Board President Ron Plett at his booth, asking if anyone had prayed for him. When Ron said, “No,” the brother put a hand on his shoulder and prayed for him right there. Small groups of people could be seen praying together around the venue.

At the final session, Dr. Stephen Beck, a career church planting missionary with Greater Europe Mission, spoke about Jonah and the city of Nineveh, where 120,000 people repented! Ron Plett, who leads a prayer group that has been praying for a church member dealing with a critical issue, dreamed of what might happen if there were enough people to encircle the church and pray! And what might happen if Christians encircled Winnipeg in prayer?

Give the Word, the Winnipeg based organization that distributed some 84,000 Bibles or Scripture portions in 2023, handed out Bibles at the conference for participants to give to others. On Friday evening alone, close to 200 Bibles had already been taken for distribution. “The youth of this region are SO passionate about sharing Jesus!” said a spokesman for Give the Word.

For a couple of decades, Canadian Christians have been talking about the decline in church attendance and in missions interest in Canada. Is Canada on the cusp of a new movement of God? European countries that have welcomed newcomers are seeing some of their churches revived by Christians from other lands. Canada, ever hospitable to newcomers, may find that some of the Christians encircling and praying for Canadian cities are new arrivals from countries such as Afghanistan, joining with Canadians who are beseeching God to bring revival in Canada.

Please pray for BLF Canada and partners Aujourd’hui l’Espoir, Galcom International, Transworld Radio, and Every Home for Christ as they transmit the Gospel over the radio and organize evangelistic campaigns with the distribution of literature. Learn more about our ministry in partnership with these organizations here.

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