Sydney, Australia Revival 2008

By Clara Carlson, Gerdy Engle, and Donna Baker

The Apostolic Faith group in Sydney, Australia, planned revival servicesfor the week of September 28 through October 5. Reverend Sam Ajayi from Portland, Oregon, who has made several trips to Australia to encourage the work there, asked Lonnie and Clara Carlson, Ben and Donna Baker, Art and Gerdy Engle, and Steve Barre, all of whom are also from Portland, to be a part of that revival team. They were all met at the Sydney airport by Ernest Akerejola, the leader there, and a few others from the Sydney group.

In Sydney, the meetings are held in a Boys’ Club building. The group received a very warm welcome from the saints there on Sunday morning. More than three dozen adults and several children were in attendance. Gerdy began the prelude on the piano with “Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus,” followed by the Portland team choir singing, “Kneel at the Cross” and “What a Day That Will Be.” Each person in attendance was asked to introduce themselves, and it was exciting to hear the places represented: Mauritius Island, Korea, and several African countries, as well as different Australian locations. Enthusiastic congregational singing followed, and then Ernest led in prayer. The children performed a program of singing the books of the Bible and individual Bible verse recitations. One of the children recited the entire first chapter of John and another little girl recited the entire first Psalm.The children were wonderful and did a fantastic job! Art testified before he and Gerdy sang “The Riches of Love in Christ Jesus.” Then Reverend Ajayi gave an inspiring message from 1 Samuel 3:1-10, “Speak, lord; for thy servant heareth.” He spoke of how Samuel heard God’s call and answered, and compared it to Balaam, who heard God’s call but did not heed to it. He brought out the need for listening and following up on what is heard so God can rain down blessings. A good altar service, followed with several visitors kneeling in prayer. 

After the morning service, a wonderful lunch was served with a variety of sandwiches and desserts.  Then a number of the group headed across the street for a rest home meeting. There were about two dozen seniors plus visiting family members and staff present. Everyone joined in singing several songs before Reverend Ajayi brought a short message from Matthew 11:28-30, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” He also brought in Luke 12:27, “Consider the lilies how they grow,” and used the lyrics from “The Lily of the Valley” to stress that God will never leave us nor forsake us. The spirit on the service was very sweet and the director of the rest home and some of the residents requested special prayer.

On Monday, some of the Sydney saints took the team from Portland sightseeing to experience Featherdale Wildlife Park and the scenic Blue Mountains. Featherdale Park allows visitors to feed and handle kangaroos, wallabies, emus, and koalas. It was great fun to pet these unique animals and have pictures taken with them. Other unusual wildlife included huge crocodiles, Tasmanian devils, small penguins, and various colorful birds.

The Blue Mountains’ Echo Point offers an overview of the valley, including the Three Sisters rock formation. The mountains seem to have a blue cast, which is caused by the vapors coming from the eucalyptus trees. While taking videos and pictures, Reverend Ajayi offered to take pictures of a group of Asian students. He obtained their addresses and promised to send the pictures to them, as well as the Higher Way magazine, and invited them to the church in Sydney.  It was nice to see a relationship develop through just an offer to take a picture.

There were soul-stirring meetings throughout the week. A man and his family drove ten hours from Melbourne to be at the special meetings. Prayers and testimonies of thanksgiving went forth throughout the week. One mentioned a praying mother who taught them the truth, another said he was full of confusion and pain until God showed him he was a sinner; he prayed and God saved him. Still another told how he passed exams after God came into his heart, and a young mother testified that it pays to serve Jesus. She said that before moving to Australia, there wasa problem with delivering a child, but prayers went forth and the baby arrived safe and sound.

During the Saturday evening service, Reverend Ajayi extended special thanks to Ernest and his wife, Janet, for their dedication and hard work in the leadership of the Sydney church. Then they were both asked to give their testimonies. Janet thanked God for answering her prayer for a Christian husband. When she was younger she had prayed that God would show her if she was to be married and to whom, asking only that it be one who would love her and help her when she was weak. God answered that prayer and reported that since being in Australia, He has made her strong, and provides every day. Ernest told that before he was saved, he had been given six months to live, but after he was saved there was a “new Ernest.” He has found something worth more than gold, and by God’s grace, hopes to see the church full.

In his sermon, Reverend Ajayi expounded the Bible story about the man sick of the palsy found in Mark 2:1-6, by saying that the roof was the obstacle, but determination removed it. Today, the blessings God has for us can be hindered if a “roof”—any obstacle that stands between us and God—is still there. He encouraged that “Jesus is waiting to bless here and now; just take down the roof to receive an answer.” The altar service following the message was spirit-filled as “roofs” were being removed, and the Lord blessed in a wonderful way.

As the Sunday morning service approached, it was hard to believe that the last day of the Sydney revival services was soon to end. There was good attendance at the service with over fifty people present; including three of the students the Portland group had met at the Blue Mountains the previous Monday. For the prelude, Art and Gerdy sang “Whispering Hope” with the choir as backup, and then Janet sang “It Pays to Serve Jesus.” The Scripture account of the ten virgins was read by Ernest from Matthew 25:1-13. Then the children sang “The B-I-B-L-E.” Lonnie gave his testimony, using the example of how water and oil do not mix, just as the world and the Gospel do not mix, which played such an important role in convicting him of his sin. We were privileged once more to hear Chang Soo Lee sing in Korean “Where Jesus Is ‘Tis Heaven There.”

Reverend Ajayi’s message was selected from Matthew 24:42-44, “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come…Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” He related it to the daylight savings time change, which meant church started an hour earlier, and we had to be prepared or we would have missed church. He stressed the importance of being adequately prepared for the return of the Lord. That day will come as a “thief in the night,” and we don’t want to miss that appointment. Following the thought-provoking sermon there was a stirring altar service. After the service, a wonderful time of fellowship with a feast of many delicious dishes was enjoyed by all.

Everyone was a little subdued when they gathered for the lastmeeting of the revival services. However, Tianosi Akerejola, Ernest and Janet’s son, lifted spirits with a flute solo, “God Be with You Till We Meet Again” before the choir sang “Jesus is Calling.” During testimonies, Ben Baker told that before he was saved, he was ashamed when he watched the movie “The Robe,” knowing that God had sent Jesus to die for him. This resulted in his seeking salvation. God answered that prayer and Ben was saved. Before the message, Art and Gerdy sang, “Shall You? Shall I?” In his message based on Ecclesiastes 3, Reverend Ajayi encouraged the congregation to be subject to God’s schedule for their lives. There is a day that God has scheduled for one who is not saved to accept God’s salvation:  “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

It was with heavy hearts that the team from Portland had to tell the Sydney saints farewell. It was a privilege to have been included in these revival services. We were revived and blessed. These are truly faithful souls, and they went out of their way to make our stay in Sydney a memorable one. Our prayer is that God will continue to bless them, and some day provide a church of their own to worship in. As it is now, each time they have a church service they must set up the chairs, tables, books, and sound system, and then after each service they must again put everything away until the next meeting. It is a big job, and they do it so willingly and with a Christian bond of love for one another. They have a dream to have their own church building, should the Lord tarry. Please pray with them in this effort.