CITA Ministry held gospel crusade in a Muslim city in Ethiopia 

In mid-December, the international ministry Christ Is The Answer, together with local churches, held a four-day crusade in the fourth holy city of the Muslims after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem – Harar, which the Ethiopians themselves call the “Muslim heart of Ethiopia”. Taras Sen, the speaker of the event and director of the ministry, spoke about what happened. 

According to him, Harar has 82 mosques and 102 shrines per 1 square kilometer. The speaker believes it was a miracle of God that such a large event was held here: “The crusade in Harar is a historic event for the city because there has never been a crusade here and no evangelist has ever preached the gospel so openly. But God makes all things new and continues to advance His work. 

Prior to the event, the local authorities had banned the use of sound equipment, but after prayer and negotiation, the local ministers were given permission to use sound amplifiers during the crusade.    

“We experienced the power of God in the evangelism, God gave repentance to different people, including Muslims and Orthodox. The Gospel was preached and God was glorified. We prayed for healings and heard testimonies of people who experienced God’s miracles,” shared Taras Sen.

On the second day of the crusade, during the preaching, worship and prayer, many unclean spirits manifested themselves in people – dozens of people at each service. For days, the ministers fought a spiritual battle to deliver the people from the devil’s captivity:

“There were especially many people with unclean spirits, including small children. This is the eighth crusade of the Ministry in Ethiopia. But few of them had as many people with demons as in Harar, because in other cities there were 100,000 or more people at the crucifixion, and here there were fewer. I feel very sorry for the people, especially the children. 

A three-year-old child was with a demon, several children as young as 10 were with the spirits of ancestral curses, and a teenager was with the spirit of death. Some people get their demons out quickly, while others have to be fought spiritually. In Africa there are many curses, witchcraft, etc., but God’s grace also worked and people were delivered from unclean spirits,” continued speaker Taras Sen. 

Traditionally, local church pastors, with the support of Christ is the Answer International Ministry, hold charity eye clinics during the crusade. This time, 1,000 people, including Muslims, Orthodox and Protestants, received glasses and a doctor’s consultation as a gift. This was the first time such an evangelistic event was held in Harar.

As part of the charity, CITA provided the needy with equipment to bake traditional bread – injera.      

Taras Sen also held a two-day pastors’ conference, where he spoke about the responsibilities and dangers for pastors, and a family meeting that brought together about a hundred people. A local pastor couple shared after the family meeting that they were blessed by what they heard and experienced a renewal of their relationship.     

The last day was spent praying for Ukraine. 

The director of the Ministry continued to serve after the crusade and is now teaching the fourth group of students at the CITA missionary school.

The Harar crusade is the eighth such event organized by CITA, the seventh being in Dire Dawa in October, and earlier in Shona, Sodo, Dilla, Hasanna, Durame and Shinshicho.

CITA Press Center.