Aneel Aranha :: Missionary Journal

For Such A Time As This

2011-12-06T10:39:00.001+04:00

The theme of the conference I attended in Malaysia was "For such a time as this", based on the story of Queen Esther. The message, which impacted me deeply, was one that I shared at the HSI Community meetings this week. I'll put the notes up shortly and make a determined effort to get notes out on every talk I give henceforth.

2nd CCR Leaders Conference for Asia-Oceania

2011-11-29T10:43:00.000+04:00

I don't really fit into the slot of a CCR leader, but I decided to accept the invitation by one of the local parish priests - Fr. Ani Xavier - who heads the local chapter of the Charismatic Renewal to come for a leader's conference in Malaysia. I was glad that I accepted the invitation. Not only did I get to meet some anointed people of God, it was nice to have the opportunity to listen to preachers for a change (as opposed to preaching). One of them, a gentleman from Ghana called Mark Nemo, was particularly brilliant, and I returned to Dubai a happier man.

May God bless the Renewal with a fresh anointing and raise a new breed of Spirit filled leaders who will mirror Christ to all who see them.

Come All You Who Are Thirsty

2011-11-23T23:04:00.000+04:00

Just before I travelled to Lebanon to address some of their political leaders I was beset with a sudden bout of inadequacy and unworthiness, wondering why on earth I was going to speak to people I knew nothing about. The night before I was to fly I went to my office and cried out to God to give me a sign that this mission was indeed his will and not simply something I wanted to do in foolish arrogance. After nearly half an hour of waiting for him to speak to me, he opened his mouth and told me to refer to his word. A little sceptically I flipped open the Bible only to find myself on Isaiah 55. If God had ever spoken to me through his word, it was this time and by the time I reached the end of it, all doubt was gone and I knew that I was to embark on one of the greatest missions of my life. This became the subject of my first talk after I returned.

Discerning God's Will

2011-11-21T23:11:00.000+04:00

We'd all like to do God's will, but how does one discern it, really? Largely inspired by Peter Kreeft, this was the subject of the talk in the HSI Community in Sharjah today.

Lebanon 3: Talk to the Political Leaders

2011-11-12T23:38:00.000+04:00

Telelumiere, an international Arabic language TV station operating out of Beirut, had organized a meeting of Christian political leaders in Lebanon and had invited me to deliver the keynote address. There were about two dozen of them in attendance, and I spoke to them for a little under an hour about the need to make a change to the country by incorporating Christ in their lives and in their policies. The session, which was broadcast live, would, over the next week, be telecast nearly a dozen times reaching an estimated audience of over 7 million people world wide!

In the evening I returned to the Franciscan Capuchin Friary in Mtayleb where I had an informal, but very anointed session with some old friends and some new.

Lebanon 3: Meeting the Patriarch

2011-11-11T23:15:00.000+04:00

My third mission to Lebanon was even more extraordinary than the two preceding and given that both those were really spectacular, this was truly saying something.

I received a surprise invitation to meet the Patriarch of Lebanon His Beatitude Beshara Rai, who heads the Maronite Christians, on the first day of my two day trip. I found him a humble, gracious man who seemed very happy to meet us. He had already heard about me, and that was quite flattering.

In the evening I received another unexpected invitation to preach in a local Maronite church whose pastor was a gregarious man named Agnelo. He invited us to his house after the service and I was blessed to meet his family in addition to a sumtious dinner.

The Surrendered Life

2011-11-02T22:49:00.000+04:00

My first talk after my return from the US was on living The Surrendered Life. I was extremely jet lagged but felt myself moved to speak on the subject and I was glad that I did because it was a very anointed session.

Discipleship Program in New York

2011-10-30T23:19:00.000+04:00

My final mission in the United States ended in great style with a full day Discipleship Program in St. William the Abbot Church, New York. With a fantastic choir to back me, it was a very anointed session and I knew I could return to Dubai with a satisfaction of a mission well accomplished. Return invitations to New York as well means that my return here is definite in Spring 2012.

Discipleship Program in Culpeper, Virginia

2011-10-25T23:29:00.000+04:00

I hadn't planned on doing anything in Culpeper, Virginia except work on my books and do a few sessions with the youth. But God obviously had other plans, and a prayer with a young thirteen year old boy named Andrew, who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, led to me being invited to preach the Discipleship Program in a local parish. Boosted by a newspaper article about a preacher from Dubai, nearly 100 people attended the program that resulted in the formation of a new HSI Community, the first in the United States of America. But certainly not the last.

Discipleship Program in Burlington, North Carolina

2011-10-09T23:39:00.000+04:00

My second mission to the USA started with a four hour Discipleship Program in Blessed Sacrament Church, Burlington, followed by a two hour session with the youth. This came close on the heals of an hour and a half long talk yesterday evening with one of the local communities. All were wonderful sessions, resulting in invitations to return in the Spring for more sessions in other parishes.

From Little Acorns Grow Mighty Oaks

2011-09-29T23:44:00.000+04:00

Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people (Matthew 14:19). This week I spoke of how God does mighty things from the little that we freely give.

Lebanon: Second Missionary Journey

2011-09-12T12:52:00.000+04:00

The schedule for my second mission to Lebanon has been confirmed. It is pretty packed, but I am sure I'll be able to get in a few sights in the middle of it all!

Sep 20: Notre Dame De La Semence, Maameltein (8 pm)
Sep 21: LIVE Interview on Tele Lumiere (10 am)
Sep 21: St. Raphael Chaldean Catholic Church, Baabda (4 pm)
Sep 21: Lady of Lebanon, Harissa (9.30 pm)
Sep 22: Talk at TeleLumiere, Dora (9 am)
Sep 22: St Elias Church, Antelias (8 pm)
Sep 23: St Francis Church, Mteileb (10 am)
Sep 24: Monastery of St. Elisha, Besharri (12 noon)
Sep 25: St Joseph Church, Tabaris, Achrafieh (11.30 am)
Sep 25: St Rafka Church, Himlaya (6 pm)
Sep 26: Lady Of Maaounat Church, Boulogne (7 pm)
I had made a lot of friends there on my last visit and look forward to renewing acquaintances and making new ones.

Running for the Prize

2011-09-07T23:53:00.008+04:00

We continued the series on how to be more like Jesus with a talk based on Paul’s advice to the Corinthians on Running for the Prize (1 Cor 9:24-27). The more I look at the talks I am giving, the more I realize that this is truly the way for Christians to journey!

Getting Away From It All

2011-08-31T23:57:00.010+04:00

In a world where everything from cell phones to pagers and people to parties compete for your attention it is vital that we "Get Away From It All" to be alone with God. That was the subject of the talk I gave this week at the HSI Communities and even as I gave it I realized I was onto the most tranformational subject since the Discipleship Program years ago. To be like Jesus we have to do the things he did, live the kind of lifestyle that he did.

Taming the Tongue

2011-08-24T23:00:00.004+04:00

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be (James 3:9-10). We looked at how to tame our tongues this week.

Discipleship Program in St. Michael's Church, Sharjah

2011-08-17T23:03:00.000+04:00

The three day Discipleship Program concluded in St. Michael's Church, Sharjah today. The church was packed. The audience was responsive. The anointing was huge. The parish priest was appreciative. And I was pleased, although Bob Dylan sang "Blowing in the Wind" to me for the rest of the night!

The God Possessed

2011-08-03T23:11:00.001+04:00

Once God touches us, he possesses us. When he possesses us, he preserves us. Then he uses us. That was the essence of the talk on being God possessed, which is what all of us are. Unfortunately, most of us spend our time talking about being possessed by the devil. He is a defeated enemy!

The Power of Forgiveness

2011-07-20T23:17:00.000+04:00

The talk this week on the power of forgiveness was a follow up to the previous week's talk on outrageous love. There was a time when I used to give this talk every few weeks; it was almost a year since I spoke at forgiveness in the communities as a full subject.

Outrageous Love

2011-07-13T08:36:00.000+04:00

Outrageous is defined as greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation. That's what God's love is like, but we sometimes fail to realize it. The talk in the HSI Communities this week was an eyeopener, and although presented in quite a different style from my usual vehemence, touched those it needed to touch.

Communities Meet

2011-07-08T20:37:00.001+04:00

Because the new Asian Community in Dubai met at the same time as the HSI Community in Fujairah, I wasn't able to go to the latter very often; in fact I hadn't been there in a couple of months since the new one started. It troubled me, but there didn't seem to be much I could do about it, until somebody suggested I take the new guys with me to Fujairah one day. I mooted the idea with the group and it was well accepted, so this Friday morning, a bus load of us (45 in all) took off to the tiny Emirate. Not only was the session tremendously anointed, the experience seemed to bond everybody closer together, and I figured we'd do this more often in the future. (The picture is of the Asian community in front of the bus that took us there. I think there are a few still in the bus when the picture was taken. We had a guest from the Lebanese community with us.)

Trial of Faith

2011-07-07T10:02:00.001+04:00

We continued our talk of last week (Surving Storms) with a deeper look at faith and how God uses the trials we undergo in our lives to grow us in faith. This session was tremendously anointed. I always mean to put up notes of the talks, but there is simply too much on my lap to do so now.

Testimonies

2011-07-06T10:07:00.001+04:00

We have begun inviting people to share how their lives have been changed through this ministry and the testimonies have been powerful. I will share some of these here.

Here is Rania's testimony. When I first saw Rania in Lebanon, she was sitting in the front row of the auditorium where I was giving a talk. She had tubes coming out of her, attached to a stand, and I felt my soul hurt seeing her like that. I couldn't help but wonder how our Father in heaven felt and if he would heal her. He did.

And this is what Leena had to share. God healed her of water retention problems, delivered her of a habit of smoking, and taught her to laugh :)

Surviving Storms

2011-06-30T10:14:00.000+04:00

Mildred gave this talk and I was supposed to add my piece at the end of it, but we ran out of time. Her talk was really good, though, and I really marveled at how she has matured as a preacher. I will expand on stuff that she said the following week.

Being Totally Blessed

2011-06-22T10:19:00.001+04:00

Paul, in his letter to the Romans, tells them: “I know that when I come to you, I will come in the full measure of the blessing of Christ.” We, too, are all meant to carry with us a full measure of Christ’s blessings. Regretfully, many of us don’t. We learnt how to be totally blessed in the HSI Community meetings this week.

Meet the Comforter

2011-06-15T10:23:00.000+04:00

Last week we caught the fire of the Holy Spirit. This week we learned how to keep it burning.

Pentecost: Catch the Fire

2011-06-09T10:30:00.000+04:00

Traditionally, the sessions we have been having over the years to commemorate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost have been tremendous and this year was no exception. It was power packed. Watch the DVD if you can.

At the Right Hand of God

2011-06-01T10:45:00.000+04:00

Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father. What does he do there? We looked at the answers to this interesting question this week in the HSI Communities and they were answers that uplifted, even as they surprised.

Living Stones

2011-05-26T10:50:00.001+04:00

We are the Living Stones that comprise the building called the Church, built around the cornerstone that is Jesus. The way we live our lives determine the quality of the Church. How, then, should we live it? We looked at the answer to this question (and others) this week.

Power in the Blood

2011-05-19T10:53:00.001+04:00

There is immense power in the blood of Christ, but many among us don't have a complete understanding of the significance of this power and its application in our lives. We looked at this important subject this week at the HSI Communities. The prayer session that followed this was amazing.

Breathing Life into Dry Bones

2011-05-17T10:55:00.000+04:00

HSI Lebanese Community

2011-05-12T23:27:00.002+04:00

Spent some time with the HSI Lebanese Community this evening, marveling at the way that God works in the lives of his children. Every single person there is on fire for Jesus and it is awe inspiring to see.

Harvest

2011-05-11T22:21:00.002+04:00

They say there is no rest for the wicked. Doesn't seem to be much for the holy either! :) Despite arriving only this morning, I found myself giving a talk at the HSI Community in St. Francis of Assisi Church, Jebel Ali in the evening. And although I was quite tired, the talk, titled Harvest, turned out to be a pretty good one. Should get on Veritas TV soon.

Mission Accomplished

2011-05-10T23:57:00.000+04:00

Done in Africa, at least for this time, we were on a plane back home in the evening. I got upgraded once again, and this time I enjoyed what Business Class had to offer, rather than sleep it out as I had on the way in. As much as I love going on mission, spreading the word of God, I am never as happy as when I'm back home, and this time I was happier still because it was the end of my adventures for at least another three months.

Earlier in the day we went sightseeing, taking in one of the many Ethiopian Orthodox churches in the city. A large number of religions are traditionally practiced in Ethiopia, the most numerous today being Orthodox Christianity, followed by Islam. It was one of the first Christian countries in the world, having officially adopted Christianity as the state religion in the 4th century.

Those who know their Bible would probably remember how Philip met an Ethiopian eunuch on the desert road that led from Jerusalem to Gaza and explained the Scriptures to him. Immediately after this, the eunuch asked to be baptized and took his faith with him to his country. This story is told in the eighth chapter of the book of Acts.

Back to Addis Ababa

2011-05-09T23:11:00.003+04:00

We set off at ten in the morning on the long road to Addis Ababa, avoiding donkeys, cows, camels and goats on the way, going through a sand storm, followed by a rain storm, finally arriving at the Comboni Sisters convent well past 6 in the evening.

We had stopped by for lunch at a country club, which was so posh, it seemed quite incongruous in the middle of its simpler surroundings. The lunch was good, however, as was the company. Fr. Joseph drove us the 10 hours it took us to reach Addis. You'd never say this was a 65 year old man!

In the night, we decided to go to a local restaurant and ended up at the Yod Abyssinia (Abyssinia was the old name for Ethiopia) where we, quite literally, dug into traditional Ethiopian food. That's assorted food items heaped over the local bread called Injera. Everybody eats from a common plate, breaking off bits of Injera and scooping up whatever is placed on top.

They presented dances from various tribes and one, in particular, was simply awesome with its energy. The dancers galloped like horses and the speed with which they moved may have put the horses to shame. The video here (this one isn't mine) would illustrate.

Day 6: Dongora, Sidama Zone

2011-05-08T21:59:00.002+04:00

For my final talk, I preached at the home base of Dongora, in the Church right behind where we lived. Every place had some wonderful choirs, some two and three, but here there were four! The childen, who welcomed us with flowers, formed one. Elderly ladies formed another. And there were two others groups comprising young men and women. All were dressed, as usual, in colorful robes. The videos should provide an idea of how vibrant the celebrations are.

I gave my signature talk on love here, ending with everybody holding hands, and although we couldn't sing Let There Be Love, we sang an adapted version of Living Water, Flow On. For the "homily" I preached on the gospel reading for the day: The Road to Emmaus. It was a great end to a great mission and I think my father in heaven would have been well pleased.

Day 5: Cukko, Sidama Zone

2011-05-07T21:52:00.002+04:00

Much closer to home than the previous locations, Cukko (prounounced Cucho) offered me a church to preach in. Again, it was packed to capacity, and although there were people from all age groups (they sit in age brackets!), I was pleased to see a lot of youth present. I spoke to them about getting out of the boat if they wanted to walk on water after the mass that followed my session.

One of the blessings of this particular has been to participate in mass twice a day! We'd attend mass at the "home" church in Dongora after we had finished the Divine Office, and then again after each session. On one occasion, we were blessed to have mass concelebrated in English by the three resident priests, with only the three of us in attendance, along with Sr. Christine.

The three priests were inspirational. They were all Italians who were resident in Ethiopia for much of their lives. Fr. Bruno, the oldest had been there for 65 years, Fr. Joseph for 45 and Fr. Paulos for 25. We were all so blessed to be with them, true missionaries!

Day 4: Rasa, Sidama Zone

2011-05-06T21:46:00.009+04:00

If I felt like Jesus preaching the sermon on the mount at Gidiwo, here I felt like Jesus being welcomed into Jerusalem! Our hosts waited for us about a kilometer from the place I was supposed to preach, greeting us by strewing rose petals on the ground and presenting us with a bouquet, before leading us in dancing procession to our destination. Their love and warmth really touched our hearts.

Storm clouds threatened overhead as I preached, but just as it had happened in the days past, the rain fell only after we got back home. Today's rain's blew the Internet connection off, and I would be able to access it again only at Bolo Aiport in Addis Ababa as we were getting set to fly out.

Day 3: Soddo, Sidama Zone

2011-05-05T21:42:00.000+04:00

One of the things that fascinates me about Africa is the patience the people there have. They can, quite literally, wait for hours for something to start, and as everything here started far later than scheduled, their had their waiting cut out for them.

The other thing that fascinated me was their hunger for the word of God. Many of these places were far from the beaten track, yet they hiked their way to it, some for miles! I couldn't help but think how comfortable many of us had become in our own lands!

The Soddo session was wonderful, especially as I was beginning to get into the flow of things, and I knew this mission was going to be one of my more memorable ones.

Day 2: Gidiwo, Sidama Zone

2011-05-04T21:40:00.000+04:00

More people were present at Gidiwo than Wo'merera. So many, in fact, that we had to move from the little church the program was scheduled to be held in to the little hillside at the back, and I felt every bit like Jesus preaching his sermon on the mount.

I spoke on forgiveness here, and it made for a wonderfully anointed session, although my translator got a bit of a scolding because he was not being particularly faithful to my preaching! He must have figured: who would know? lol

Day 1: Wo'merera, Sidama Zone

2011-05-03T21:24:00.000+04:00

We began the mission with a session at Wo'merera, a ninety minute drive from Dongora where we were staying. It was held in a tent that was overflowing.

As nobody spoke any English, beyond a smattering of it, I had to use a translator; an over enthusiastic local named Johannes, who would be with us right through the trip.

I didn't think I was my best, but as Fr. Paulo, an Italian missionary who had been in the country for over 25 years and had organized my missions, thought it was very good, who was I to complain?

In the evening I had another session with some youth and I think I succeeded in inspiring some of them to go out into the vineyard and do some harvesting!

Addis Ababa

2011-05-02T20:19:00.000+04:00

Brother Manjula and myself at Bole International Airport

An upgrade to Business Class helped me to have a comfortable journey to Addis Ababa but it only added a couple of hours to my cumulative total of 4 hours sleep in three days! I figured I'd get some added shut eye on the 8 hour road trip to Dongora, where we would be staying, but the bumpy ride made for some very disturbed rest. Sr. Christine Bejjani, who arranged my visit to Ethiopia, was at the airport to welcome us, along with Sr. Azab, a native nun.

Bangalore

2011-05-01T23:47:00.000+04:00

Immediately after the session at Chennai, I had a little dinner and then hopped onto a bus headed for Bangalore reaching there about six in the morning. I may have gotten another half an hour's sleep on the bus, which wasn't doing anything good for my sleep average! Spoke on prayer - personal prayer and leading group prayer - in what may be my last talk in the HSI Community in Bangalore for a while.

Chennai Again

2011-04-30T23:31:00.003+04:00

I took a very early morning flight to Chennai, leaving home about midnight and reaching about 8 in the morning. As with night flights, you can't get much sleep and I think I got about 30 minutes of shut eye. I managed to get an additional hour of sleep once I reached St. Teresa's parish, where Fr. Lawrence Raj, a great priest if there is any, once again graciously put me up, but if I thought the lack of sleep would ruin my talk, it didn't. It was great. I was to speak on Sin and Temptation, but at the very last moment, the Spirit inspired me to change it to Second Chance, as He felt there may have been a few people in the audience who needed that. There were about 150 in attendance for this, the first of what are going to regular monthly sessions, but I had little doubt that the next time there would be much more.

A Second Chance

2011-04-27T23:35:00.001+04:00

We all deserve a second chance. And sometimes we do great things with it. See what David did with his. Or Peter. Today's talk was on second chances.

HSI Discipleship Program, Nungambakkam

2011-04-21T23:56:00.000+04:00

The three day Discipleship Program at St. Teresa's Church in Nungambakkam, Chennai was a tremendous success. There were less than 300 people the first day, but long since immune to any disappointment in lesser numbers it didn't bother me any. 500 people showed up the following day. There were 750 on the third!

Fr. Lawrence Raj, another one in a rare, but magnificent series of priests I have met lately with a heart for God and His Kingdom, invited us to start a regular program there, and I couldn't help but be delighted at God's favor upon the work that we do.

Perambur, Chennai

2011-04-19T23:40:00.008+04:00

For the first time in seven years I preached alongside a priest (Fr. Januario from Goa) and the experience was a good one definitely to be repeated. This took place over two days at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Perambur, Chennai, where I was invited to preach a retreat titled: At the Foot of the Cross: The Place Where Life Begins. Quite a mouthful, I know. But then they may have known how much I can talk! :)

I met some wonderful people while I was there belonging to the Elohim Community, including the leaders Marcello and Marcia, who had orgainzed the retreat. They have lovely hearts and I am sure that we will be doing a lot of things together. It delights God when his children can work in harmony because then they show that they are working for His Kingdom, not their own, and I wish more people will realize this.

End of Days

2011-04-11T23:08:00.000+04:00

Is the world coming to an end? This was the subject this week at the HSI Communities in the UAE.

Breathing Life into Dry Bones

2011-04-05T23:14:00.000+04:00

Ezekiel 37 tells a powerful story of God breathing life into dry bones. We believe that God is doing the same thing today: in the world, in the Church, and in the people. Breathing Life into Dry Bones was the message of tremendous hope in the HSI Communities this week and we felt our lives rejuvenated and refreshed as God breathed his Spirit anew into us.

Mission Accomplished

2011-03-27T18:23:00.001+04:00

With the mission in Lebanon accomplished, we decided to see a little of the North of Lebanon, visiting the area where St. Elias lived, stopping by along the way to make some Zatar! When we reached our destination, mass was just concluding. Mary Samaha went to the priest and asked him if he minded saying another mass for our group, and without the slightest hesitation, or request for renumeration he assented. I was so happy as were the rest of us.

We also visited the tomb of Khalil Gibran. I had always thought he was a Sufi mystic, but discovered to my great surprise that he was a Christian! I also found out that he was a painter, with a fondness for nudes. Some of his work was really brilliant and I picked up a print of one of his works on the way out.

Day 7: Jal El Dib, Lebanon

2011-03-26T23:39:00.001+04:00

The tour of Lebanon concluded in a fitting manner in Padre Pio Church in Jal El Dib, where I met a wonderful priest from Iraq who told me about the fate greeting Christians there. I hope to be able to visit Iraq sometime in the near future. With this done, I couldn't wait to get back home, especially as our numbers had been denuded over the past couple of days. Sharon and Leslie had left on the 25th, Manjula on the 26th, and their absense was being felt. I had Joseph, however, with me, and he was a wonderful person to have around - simply magnificent man!

Day 6: Bible Study Group, Lebanon

2011-03-25T23:35:00.002+04:00

A session with some nuns originally scheduled was cancelled because of the institution of the new Patriach of Lebanon, but God had better plans for us.

I spoke into the afternoon to a small Bible group comprising some of the sweetest people I had ever met and this group will, in all probability (and God willing), be the team that runs HSI in Lebanon.

In the evening, I gave another short talk to another small group of people, delighted with the rapt attention the younger ones in attendance gave what I was saying.

Leslie, Sharon and Joseph led the prayers, as they had been doing all along, and not for the first time did I thank God for blessing me and this ministry through them.

This might be a good time to express my gratitude to the others on the team: Rita Aoun, who put most of it together, Mary Samaha, Olga Khadige, Roger Hubbeika, whose house we lived in, and Rita Rizzale who was down from London.

Day 5: Antelias, Lebanon

2011-03-24T23:29:00.000+04:00

Day 5 saw me speak to the Charismatic group in St. Elias Church who were joined by at least a hundred people I had spoken to over the past four days. The guys who ran this group were among the first people people who came into the Catholic Charismatic Renewal when it came into being, and like other leaders of the Renewal that I have met over the years, knew all there was to know about the faith and running the Kingdom of God.

Days 2-4: Mteilib, Lebanon

2011-03-23T23:23:00.000+04:00

Another fabulous session at St. Francis Convent on March 21 began a three day mission here that ended with some powerful anointing. All the talks were recorded by TeleLumiere for future telecast, although in the morning of the 21st, I was interviewed live by the Radio Station, immediately after I spoke to the team there. One of the blessings was meeting Brother Noor, the director of the station, who impressed me with his warmth and humility.

Day 3: St. Charbel Mount, Lebanon

2011-03-22T23:08:00.000+04:00

After the second day's session in Mteilib, we went for the night to Mount Charbel, where the priests got a little mad at the people who asked for blessings, recognizing me from the interview on TeleLumiere. I made a quick exit, but not before first attending a mass at the place where St. Charbel spent a great deal of his life. A marvellous saint in a marvellous land. We were blessed. Earlier we had got into a long procession leading to the chapel while saying the Rosary along the way.

Day 1: Badaro, Lebanon

2011-03-20T23:20:00.010+04:00

The HSI Tour of Lebanon began with a bang at Notre Dame Des Angels (Our Lady of the Angels) in Badaro. Any fears that the Lebanese would not accept a foreign — read Indian — preacher dissipated within five minutes of starting and what followed then, and in the days that followed, was an outpouring of love and warmth that swept my heart and the hearts of our team members that included Joseph Khadige, Mary Samaha, Rita Aoun, Manjula Pieris, Sharon and Leslie D'Mello.

Peace in a Troubled World

2011-03-12T23:18:00.000+04:00

One of the greatest blessings that God wishes upon his children is peace. Yet, strangely enough, we seem to have so little of it in our lives. We took a look at why this is so, and how we can ensure that we carry peace around with us always, in the HSI Community Meetings in Jebel Ali, Sharjah and Bangalore this week.

On the Road with Christ

2011-02-22T23:24:00.000+04:00

Since we started the series on New Covenant grace this year, most of us have been living our faith with a new freshness. Yet, many among us remain discouraged, disappointed, and despondent about the circumstances in our lives. In this week's talk On the Road with Christ in the HSI Communites we learn how to overcome this and lead lives filled with joy and hope.

HSI Youth Band

2011-02-17T23:32:00.000+04:00

16 youngsters crowded in my living room today for an audition for the HSI Youth Band. They made music (not noise!) together. Got two drummers, four keyboard players, six guitarists, and just about everybody can actually sing. This is awesome! :)

St. Patrick's Church, Bangalore

2011-02-13T23:34:00.002+04:00

The three day HSI Discipleship Program concluded in Bangalore last night and was a tremendous success. Out of those present, over 150 people said they would join the HSI prayer group starting next Sunday! Isn't God wonderful? :-)

Faith and Works

2011-02-09T23:35:00.002+04:00

In my very first talk on the series on New Testament Grace earlier this year I had stated the Catholic belief that all of us obtain salvation through the grace of God and no person can earn salvation. If this were indeed the case, how does it reconcile with the belief that we are saved by faith and works?

The Church has believed, since the time of Christ, that we are saved by faith and works. This was a truth accepted unanimously by all Christians for about 1500 hundred years until the Protestant Reformation took place, when Luther advanced the theory that we are saved by faith alone (Sola Fide).

While I was doing a little study on the protestant view of Sola Fide, however, I was astonished at how unanimous most denominations were in their opinion that faith and works (though they don’t call it that) are inseparable in any properly constituted Christian life, and I couldn’t help but wonder what we keep disagreeing about.

Called to Radical Holiness in a Dark Age of Sin

2011-01-23T22:22:00.000+04:00

Was Down Under again, but the first time in Perth, as the keynote speaker of the 21st Flame Congress held at John XXII College Auditorium from January 21-23. Eddie Russell had invited me there. Eddie was a facebook friend with whom I had a chance (?) enounter last year. He had mentioned he was passing through Dubai and I suggested he get out the airport and check the place out. Eventually, when I found out what he did, I asked him if he'd like to speak to our communities. He said he'd love to and did! He was magificent and everybody loved him, especially me!

Last month, he suddenly wrote to me asking if I'd like to come to Perth and speak to his community as he was undergoing surgery and couldn't lead the session as he had been doing for the past 20 years. I had put a stop to outstation mission for nearly two years, but I had sensed God telling me it was time I got off my butt, so I didn't take too long to accept. I was glad I did, because it was one of the loveliest missions I had ever undertaken, and by the time it was over, I was exhausted, but happy, especially at making a whole lot of wonderful friends.

Veritas TV

2010-09-05T20:31:00.002+04:00

HSI MoreLove Media is delighted to present VERITASTV.NET (http://veritastv.net/), a new channel with music videos & talks. We begin with some of my recordings including the popular Discipleship Program. As the file sizes are quite huge, you may need to let them buffer before you play them. I pray they touch your heart. God bless you.

Short-Short Audio Story

2010-09-01T20:31:00.003+04:00

My short-short fable for children (very grown up ones too!) titled "The Grasshopper" has been beautifully adapted by Kristine Cornils as an audio story. Click here to listen to it. And there is a moral, so what's it? :)

New HSI Community Begins in Sharjah

2010-05-03T23:33:00.000+04:00

HSI started a new community in St. Michael's Church, Sharjah, UAE. Parish Priest, Fr. Ani Xavier, came and inaugurated the community, which promises to be one of the most powerful among all the existing communities because of the high level of faith and maturity already existing among the participants, who numbered nearly 200.

Stations of the Cross

2010-04-02T20:37:00.002+04:00

I have been leading the Stations of the Cross at St. Francis of Assisi Church every Good Friday for the past six years, and though this provides a wonderful opportunity to stir people's hearts, this might be the last for a while as I'd like others to have a shot at doing this. There must have been over 1000 people present in the Church for the session today.

HSI: Association of Faith and Outreach

2010-03-30T18:23:00.001+04:00

Bishop Paul Hinder has officially recognized Holy Spirit Interactive (HSI) as an Association of Faith and Outreach of the Vicariate Apostolic of Arabia, thus formally opening the doors of churches in Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Yemen, and, of course, the United Arab Emirates to us. HSI already has three hugely successful communities functioning within the UAE.

HSI Borivili Completes 3rd Quarter

2010-03-28T23:17:00.001+04:00

The School of Discipleship in Don Bosco Church, Borivili, Bombay completed its third quarter today with nearly everybody who began the journey with us still on board. The fourth quarter begins on April 25 after a short break, with its doors now open to everybody. If you live in Bombay, do come for the first talk which will be on healing and deliverance.

New Blogs

2010-02-21T08:40:00.000+04:00

I've got two new blogs up: one is Christianity and the Art of Mountain Climbing; the other Breaking Free. Living Free.

Christianity and the Art of Mountain Climbing
For the Christian disciple, every day is like a trek up a steep, difficult mountain. While not all the experiences are pleasant—as a matter of fact, many are extremely unpleasant—they all contribute in bringing us to the perfection that God calls us to. I share my personal experiences here, including my struggles, my failures, and my mistakes, and the lessons I learned in the process, in the hope that they may benefit you in your own journey on the mountain of the Lord. Click here.

Breaking Free. Living Free.
It is the intention of this blog to look at the ministry of healing and deliverance along with case studies and testimonies (medically attested, whenever possible), to get a better understanding of the various issues related to the subject. We will be looking at the subject of deliverance largely from a Catholic perspective, and although there are some learned men in the Church who teach that the devil doesn't exist, we will go by the assertions of those that do. One them was Pope Paul VI who said that "one of [the Church's] greatest needs is defence from that evil which is called the Devil" (L'Osservatore Romano, 23/11/72). We will also try to teach you how to effectively heal and deliver people. It is, after all, a commission that Jesus gave his disciples (see Mark 16:15-18). Click here.

Multi National HSI Community in Jebel Ali

2010-01-06T23:47:00.002+04:00

I was delighted to see over 125 people of at least six different nationalities present for the first meeting of the year in the HSI Community in Jebel Ali. I am sure our Father in heaven too was happy to see his children coming together as one family to pray, because the blessings and the anointing that flowed was tremendous. I have little doubt that the numbers will increase in the weeks to come and the community will gather in people from even more nations. A brief summary of the talk for the evening—The Power of the Blood of Christ—can be found on my new blog: Christianity and the Art of Mountain Climbing.

3rd Quarter Commences in HSI School, Bombay

2010-01-03T23:16:00.015+04:00

The third quarter of the HSI School of Discipleship began today in Don Bosco Church, Borivili, Bombay. While there hasn't been too much of a drop in numbers from the second quarter to now, I expect a fall by the end of this quarter as the going starts to get tough with increased demands on prayer, study and sacrifice. I could, however, be mistaken because the breed of people attending this School is very different from any I have come across in the past. A committed, enthusiastic lot, they seem to take everything that is thrown at them in their stride and, as their testimonies will show (to be put up shortly), relish it as well. Well, God bless them all!

Lalith Pereira and the 4 Step Retreat

2009-12-05T23:04:00.002+04:00

Over the past five years we have been blessed to have some very anointed people ministering to our communities and joining their number this week was internationally acclaimed preacher Lalith Pereira who came down to the UAE to conduct his popular—and powerful—4 Step Retreat. As I listened to him, I found myself fascinated, not for the first time, at how God uses different people to deliver his messages in different ways and in different styles. There were over 250 people in attendance in St. Francis of Assisi Church to listen to him and be blessed by what he had to share.

Notes on the "4 Steps" will be found in my blog Christianity and the Art of Mountain Climbing shortly.

Interview with Paul Wilbur

2009-11-26T23:54:00.010+04:00

Dr. Dominic Dixon, Director of Holy Spirit Interactive media ministries VeritasTV and HSI MoreLove Radio, interviewed Paul Wilbur on the sidelines of a workshop on worship conducted by the singer and his team. The full interview will be available soon on HSI MoreLove Radio. Here is an excerpt from that interview where Paul urges Christians to be united as one. Please click on the play button.

Paul Wilbur pleads for Christian unity

The conference, itself, was wonderful, and although I enjoyed all of it, it was the last talk by Paul Wilbur on worship that sent me in a tailspin. You can read about what happened in my new blog: Christianity and the Art of Mountain Climbing.

Making History in Dubai, UAE

2009-11-24T23:25:00.006+04:00

Dubai hosted the first ever Christian gospel concert in a public auditorium as messianic singer Paul Wilbur and his team led the people of the city in soul stirring worship. This wasn't our project, but we were delighted to be involved in it, albeit in a small way, especially as it made history for yet another reason: the concert brought together Christians of all denominations under one roof in the city for the very first time. HSI represented the Catholics.

We pray that the Voice team of Sabu George, Gladson Ronad and Pastor Allan Paul, who helped make it all happen, be immensely blessed. Christian unity won't become a reality just by talking about it. It will take the combined efforts of people of vision, courage and character from all sides of the divide to come together and act. Click here for an article that I wrote about Christian Unity.

Mumbai Community Completes First Quarter

2009-09-18T18:30:00.001+04:00

The HSI School of Discipleship in Don Bosco Church, Borivili completed its first quarter today, and from all indications has proven to be a far greater success than anybody — including us — expected. A total of 101 confirmed members in the Community that include men, women and children of ages ranging from 7 to 70, testifed to the wonderful impact this program has made on their lives. Click here for their testimonies. While those who are opposed to this ministry continue to malign it, these testimonies are all that HSI offers in its defence. A ministry, like a prophet, can be recognized by the fruit that it bears.

Discipleship Program, Ramnagar, Hyderabad

2009-07-28T11:10:00.004+04:00

St. Francis of Assisi, Hyderabad July 24-26

L-R: Fr. Tony, Fr. Arun, Fr. Varghese, Fr. Sleeva, me, and Rajeshri

God had been letting us know in several different ways that the mission to Hyderabad would be extremely successful, and going by the number of people who registered for the post-session School of Discipleship — a phenomenal 120! — it surely was. The church was packed to capacity on all three days and included six Franciscan priests, among the nicest I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. They included resident priests Fr. Sleeva, Fr. Varghese, Fr. Tony and Fr. Arun, whose love, warmth and hospitality touched my heart to the core. Theirs was true Christian witness and I could only pray that more priests and lay leaders had hearts like theirs. I had a translator for the program, an anointed lady named Rajeshri who matched me in word and action, much like my translators in Africa.

New Community Begins in Borivili, Bombay

2009-07-05T23:38:00.002+04:00

HSI's newest community commenced today in John Bosco Church, Borivili with over 40 people in attendance. The community has the blessings of the Church authorities in the Archdiocese of Mumbai, who will be closely monitoring the community to see the fruit it bears. Having witnessed the enormous success of the first community in Dubai and successive communities in other parts of the world, I have little doubt that this will be everything we expect it to be — and more!

Talk to the Youth

2009-03-23T22:27:00.005+04:00

A brief talk to the youth of Don Bosco parish

I concluded my mission in Borivili with a briefing to a few people who seemed eager to walk the straight and narrow path, and help others travel on it as well. God willing, we will have another HSI Community started here in a couple of weeks.

Earlier in the day I had given a talk to the youth. 180 young men and women had registered, but nearly 300 showed up and as none of them seemed to regret they had come I was very happy. It was the first time in five years I was giving a talk in public wearing something other than my traditional black and white.

Lenten Mission, Borivili

2009-03-22T23:31:00.002+04:00

Love one another ....

A section of the huge crowd

Discipleship Program March 19-21, 2009

Whenever there are obstacles, I know I can expect great things, and seeing as how there were more hurdles than usual to get this mission going, I knew it would be terrific. I wasn't wrong. The three day mission in Don Bosco Church in Borivili, Bombay from March 19-22 kept getting more and more anointed and over 1,500 people felt the power of God on the final day. Because of the crowds expected, the sessions were held in the open.

I was blessed to be with some of the loveliest priests I have encountered in Fr. Ronald, the parish priest of Don Bosco and Fr. Allwyn, who was instrumental in arranging the program. They - and the other priests - all went out of their way to make me feel welcome and comfortable. I will be ever grateful, especially to Fr. Allwyn who has the energy of a ten year old boy and the zeal to match it.

New HSI Community in Dar Es Salam, Tanzania

2009-03-14T23:41:00.000+04:00

HSI launched its fifth Community (after Dubai, Fujairah, Chembur and Jebel Ali) in Dar Es Salam, Tanzania today. Fr. Siffredius Rwechungura will be supervising the community which has the blessings of Cardinal Pengo. Local resident Cajetan (Jerry) Misquita is heading the Community along with Pravina Rodrigues.

Lenten Mission, Pune

2009-03-14T10:26:00.004+04:00

Immaculate Conception Church, Pune (March 10-12)

Fr. George, parish priest of Immaculate Conception Church, more popularly known as City Church among the populace, invited me to conduct a Lenten Mission in his parish. Knowing him to be a wonderful pastor, I didn't hesitate accepting his invitation and found myself blessed for it. The Church overfilled its capacity, but those standing didn't seem to mind the effort in the least. I spoke once again on the Seven Deadly Sins. My hosts - Michael and Maria Rebello - were the wonderful couple who had hosted me in the past - and probably will in the future as well, as I have been invited to do the Discipleship Program in two parishes in July. During the visit I paid my respects to Bishop Valerian D'Souza, another extremely blessed shepherd of God's flock.

Lenten Mission, Thane

2009-03-09T10:11:00.003+04:00

St. John the Baptist Church, Thane (March 6-8)

After a hiatus of four months, I was back on the missionary trail with a Lenten Mission in St. John the Baptist Church in Thane, India. The subject was the Seven Deadly Sins and though it was the first time I was doing this series of talks it went down very well. Fr. Milton invited me to start a community in the parish beginning July 29, which pleased me immensely, because there were several people who expressed the desire to be part of something that would help them grow. This was one of the rare times when I have returned to a parish to preach, preferring to reach out to new people in new parishes.

HSI Celebrates 5 Years!

2009-01-31T10:50:00.002+04:00

Little kids put on a show as part of the celebrations

HSI completed five years on December 30, 2008, and despite its relative youth has become one of the most successful Catholic lay apostolates in the world currently reaching well over a million people each week through twelve ministries. We had a little party to celebrate the occasion on January 30 and over 250 people attended. We thank God for His blessings and protection over us through the years.

Discipleship Program, Vashi, New Bombay

2008-10-27T08:05:00.000+04:00

Final overseas mission for the year at Vashi, New Bombay

I had planned on taking a three month long break from missionary travel after my trip to the United States, but I had committed to doing a Discipleship Program in Vashi whenever it could be arranged, so when I was told that dates were fixed for October 24-26, I didn't back out. I was glad I didn't, because it was a wonderful mission that ended with yet another invitation to start an HSI Community.

The enemy, of course, promptly went into action with whispers emanating from certain leaders about how I was a divisive force in the Catholic Church and other such rubbish, but then he has to do what he has to do and we have to do what we have to do—which is continue our work in the vineyard—though I believe at some point I may have to take steps to stop the slander.

With this mission—which was made possible largely due to the efforts of Blazie Shetty—completed, my travels come to an end until the Lenten season, though I plan on using the time to write about the many things I have learned over the past couple of years and also build up the existing Communities we have running.

HSI Sharjah is 2 Years Old

2008-10-17T23:35:00.002+04:00

Happy Birthday HSI Sharjah

Our prayer family in Sharjah completed two years this week and they celebrated it by throwing a party, with the kids and youth putting up skits, mimes and other assorted entertainment. Members from other families, even some as far away as Fujairah, came for the celebration and it so great to see the love flowing.

Holy Spirit Interactive, itself, completes five years this December. May the Lord continue to bless us and grow us.

New HSI Community in Jebel Ali

2008-10-15T23:50:00.001+04:00

We launched our fourth Community (after Dubai, Fujairah and Chembur) in Jebel Ali today. We had Fr. Eugene Matioli, parish priest of St Francis of Assisi Church, bless us. The HSI Communities are our success story with new ones to begin in Dar es Salam, Tanzania and Houston, Texas shortly. All the communities have the blessings of the local bishop and are under the supervision of priests. For more information please visit the School of Discipleship website.

Silent Retreat

2008-10-02T19:18:00.004+04:00

Mother Nadine and Yours Truly

Fr Pasquale, the Ninja Healer, my Retreat Director

The Intercessors of the Lamb are a group based in Omaha, Nebraska comprising a group of contemplatives - brothers, sisters and priests. I decided to spend a week with them before I returned home. I had visited 9 countries in 9 months and estimate I spoke to over 20,000 people in nearly a hundred different places. I was pretty much exhausted and believed I needed a full recharge of my spiritual batteries. Hence the retreat. It turned out to be the best thing that I did all year long! Not only did I get rejuvenated in body, mind and soul; I also learned (and relearned) a lot of things during the time I was there.

It was a silent retreat, but guided. Fr. Pasquale was my retreat director. Originally from Surinam, he was affectionately referred to as the Spiritual Ninja Warrior by the Community members and by the third day I could see why. Before I left, I spent a few minutes chatting with a few of the brothers in the Community (I lived with them but because the retreat was silent didn't do much by way of communication except nod!) and a litle time with the founder of the Community—Mother Nadine. She is a wonderfully blessed person and shared a beautiful vision she had of me before she said bye.

Discipleship Program, Durham, North Carolina

2008-09-22T12:10:00.000+04:00

My final mission in the United States was in Durham, North Carolina and though it was a wonderful mission—Discipleship Program, Prayer Meeting, Counselling—I was glad when it was over. Though people may not have realized it, I was close to exhausting my reserves of energy and if I had one more such mission I believe I would have collapsed through it. My hosts/organizers—Charles and Stella, Melvin and Preeti, Josy and Maria—were warm and wonderful and will always be fondly remembered.

Discipleship Program, Vancouver, Canada

2008-09-18T18:59:00.001+04:00

Immaculate Conception Church, Vancouver, British Columbia

The Discipleship Program in Immaculate Conception Church held from September 15-18, 2008, Vancouver was one of the best ever, attended by nearly 500 people of assorted races, all of whom seemed struck by a bolt of lightning. I was very tired, but very happy by the end of it, and only wish I could have started off the School of Discipleship here but I had to leave for North Carolina the following morning. There is a good chance that I will set up a second base of operations in Canada, though, so that might happen some time soon.

Discipleship Program, Seattle, Washington

2008-09-14T11:47:00.001+04:00

A new family in Seattle, Washington

Invitations kept coming my way at the very last minute, which meant I couldn't plan my trip very well. Consequently I found myself criss-crossing back and forth across the continent! Fortunately, I could plot in Seattle immediately before Vancouver (they couldn't arrange a program in the Church for me last month), so for a change I could take a bus rather than a plane.

My host here was another Matthew, who had also organized my mission for September 12 and 13 in his prayer group. Predominantly Indian Malayalees, they were a warm wonderful bunch of people who took me into their hearts, and I them. Matthew's wife Maria, who showed me some of Seattle's sights on the free day that I had, is on the bottom left of the picture.

Discipleship Program, Houston, Texas

2008-09-08T19:39:00.003+04:00

Discipleship Program in St Thomas Aquinas Prayer Hall, Houston

A short session in Dallas, Texas

My first mission in the United States began with the Discipleship Program in Houston, Texas at St. Aquinas Church. It was a terrific start to the mission, and though the crowd wasn't too large, the parish priest was in attendance and he invited me back to Houston to do the Program on a parish level some time next year. He also said he would like to start an HSI Community in Houston. Matthew, my host, who had arranged my program, said that he would arrange missions in other parishes in the region the next time I was down. He and his wife are wonderful people, totally on fire for God, and I was blessed to be with them.

I flew the following morning to Dallas where I gave a talk to a small group of people, some of whom I knew in my younger days, including host Percy Pinto and his lovely wife Charmaine. There were also a couple of protestant ministers present, as well as some who were non-Christian, and I figure God knew better than I did why they were there.

I flew back to Houston from Dallas, slept for four hours, then retraced my journey back to Canada with three separate flights to Phoenix, Portland and finally Vancouver. I made a little calculation and estimated if all the hours I spent travelling was put together I spent a total of between two two to three weeks either at an airport or in an airplane this year!!!

Discipleship Program, Toronto, Canada

2008-08-27T21:04:00.002+04:00

Precious Blood Parish

Talk in St Paschal Baylon Church

My second visit to Toronto didn't see as many engagements as my first visit three years ago, but the numbers of people to listen to me were more. I conducted HSI's Discipleship Program in Precious Blood Church and gave a few talks to prayer groups around the city, including one to Toronto's largest—Gethsemane Ministries.

I moved on to Vancouver from there, and though the Discipleship Program wouldn't be conducted until the middle of September, I had enough on my plate to keep me busy. Gave talks to prayer groups in St. Joseph the Worker Church, St. Paul's Church, and Sacred Heart Church, among others. I also gave a talk to residents of Luke 15 House, a half way house for ex-prisoners and recovering addicts.

World Youth Day, Australia

2008-08-24T20:31:00.002+04:00

Inaugural Mass at the Telstra Dome, Melbourne

A young(er) pilgrim at Sydney

A wonderful enactment of the Passion

I accompanied Diana Mascarenhas of the ICPE School of Mission to Australia for the World Youth Day as one of their speakers during the first leg of the tour in Melbourne, though I really didn't have to do much by way of preaching. I was glad to have gone, nonetheless, because the experiences I had in Melbourne for the Days of the Diocese program and then, later on in Sydney, for the World Youth Day, would trigger off a desire to work with youth again and put together an HSI team for the next WYD to be held in Madrid, Spain in 2011.

Crusade in Dar es Salam, Tanzania

2008-06-30T20:07:00.001+04:00

Crusade in Africa: June 26-June 29, 2008

A section of the crowd numbering 10,000

A small teaching on the sidelines

If a good preacher wants large crowds, India is usually a safe bet. But even so, India is nothing compared to Africa where people throng by the thousands to a religious event. There were about 10,000 to this one in Dar Es Salam! Though the event took place for an entire fortnight, I could be there only for five days due to prior commitments, but they were five days to remember.

An African crowd stirred up is a crowd to behold, but what I will never forget is the deliverance that took place after the talks were over. As we prayed over the people, many would be thrown to the ground and roll, frothing at the mouth, while stretcher bearers would quickly come and take them away. The entire thing was organized on a war footing, but then I realized that this was war!

And, as always, in Tanzania the organizers always make sure that I am kept busy, so I'd take up a small class in the morning, preach at the crusade in the afternoon, and go and give a few more talks in the evenings. All in a day's work! :) By the end of it I had lost my voice completely, but I had finished by then so I didn't really care!

Discipleship Program, Ruwi, Oman

2008-05-07T23:33:00.001+04:00

Sts Peter and Paul Church, Ruwi, Oman
For the first time in three years I was accompanied by members of the HSI Community for a mission outside the country. Brothers Denzil, Rajan, Manjula, Joel and young sister Jovita drove/flew down to Oman to assist me with the Discipleship Program in Sts Peter and Paul Church, Ruwi, Oman and it was a delight to have them around. The team were quite thrilled by the warmth and the love they received and I knew they couldn't wait for more.

The mission, itself, held from May 4-May 7, was wonderful. Like other missions, it got off to a relatively slow start, but by the end of it, people just wanted more. The local prayer group—a wonderfully Spirit led group that went by the name of Mary Immaculate Prayer Community headed by brothers Eugene, Philip, Roman, Freddy and Marion—had made the program possible and their hospitality and graciousness was marvellous to behold.

I got a few more insights into why people don't come for missions like this even though it was held in a parish level. One woman said her husband didn't think much of lay preachers; another said he believed I was a "Charismatic" preacher and didn't think too much of Charismatics; and a third said he didn't come because it was organized by the local prayer group and he didn't like them. C'est la vie.

Fr. Elias Vella

2008-04-20T23:02:00.003+04:00

Fr. Elias Vella from Malta conducts Set Free

Fr. Elias Vella and Diana Mascarenhas ministered to HSI Community members through the Set Free program, a powerful module designed to bring wholeness and healing in the power of the Holy Spirit to broken people. Through my missionary travels I am blessed to meet many anointed men and women of God. With a wealth of knowledge and experience they have much to teach and even while I learn from them, I try to ensure that others do too by inviting them to be with us.

Our Lady of Perpetual Succor Church, Bombay

2008-04-12T22:38:00.005+04:00

Our Lady of Perpetual Succor Church, Chembur
The Church building was under construction so masses and everything else, including the Discipleship Program, was moved to the hall of an adjacent building. The Program, held between April 10-12, was one of the best I have ever conducted, and an invitation to join HSI's School of Discipleship very well received. The School, which is targeted to begin on May 18th will be the third School of Discipleship - and the first in India.

God Bless Africa!

2008-03-10T23:07:00.008+04:00

Exhuberance marks local praise and worship; the people in the foreground are dancing

Africa provided a fantastic conclusion to a four nation tour, even though it involved a grueling schedule that began the day I arrived. Barely hours after reaching (February 29), I found myself giving a short retreat to a group of African youth, which was followed by a talk to local parishioners.

The session with the African youth was really alive, but it didn't exactly prepare me for the vibrancy of worship I witnessed the following day (March 1) at the Emmaus Center prior to my talk. The locals sang and danced with an abandon I have never seen elsewhere.

The hunger in the people was also amazing to see. There were 300 people when I started. By the time I was half way through there were over a thousand people in attendance. My talk was supposed to have been for two hours, but the translator (Br Sebastian) suggested that I continue, and I ended up speaking for another two.

Before and after the other programs that followed, there were talks to local communities, visits to the sick and a miscellaneous assortment of things including a visit to Cardinal Polycarp Pengo to pay my respects. While I had met nearly two dozen bishops over the past few years, this was the first Cardinal that I was meeting. I had a feeling it wouldn't be the last

All the sessions were organized by Cajetan Misquitta, who was also my host for the length of my stay in Tanzania along with his Hindu friend Milan. God is going to use both these men in the days to come, even though one of them doesn't quite know it yet.

On Air on Radio Tumaimi

2008-03-09T20:11:00.002+04:00

Mama Chilambo and me on air on Radio Tumaimi

An hour long recording session on Radio Tumaimi two days after I reached Dar es Salam led to an invitation to record three more talks. Though my schedule was extremely tight, I could hardly refuse, especially given that I had the chance to reach over ten million people, which was the listenership the station had. I recorded the fourth and final talk the day before I was to leave. The Director of the station, Mrs Esther Chilambo, respectfully called Mama Chilambo, did a simultaneous translation of my talks.

Discipleship Program, Don Bosco, Dar es Salam

2008-03-08T20:53:00.002+04:00

Don Bosco, Upanga, Dar es Salam

A full day Discipleship Program at the open air Don Bosco Church in Upanga brought to an end a very long mission in four countries and, though I was happy to have had the opportunity to reach so many people, I was also glad that it was over and I could go home. I hadn't seen my family for longer than a few hours during the past one month and I really missed them.

I travel next in April to Bombay, India.

Discipleship Program, St. Joseph's, Dar es Salam

2008-03-07T23:51:00.003+04:00

St. Joseph's Church, Dar es Salam

With Br Roman and Fr. Rewchungura

While the program in Emmaus Center had a rough start, the one that followed at St. Joseph's Cathedral had a terrific beginning -- and it stayed terrific until the end. The church, which was built by German missionaries five hundred years ago, was quite lovely and I enjoyed preaching in it despite the strong echo it carried. I had a different translator for this program: Roman, the deputy director of Agape, one of the Emmaus ministries. Roman, like Sebastian, became a good friend by the end of the program as did the parish priest, Fr. Rewchungura, who attended all the four sessions and seemed quite delighted with it. He told me I was welcome to preach in the parish any time that I wanted.