Persecution of Christians in Uganda

I'd like to share with you the following testimony of one of our associates in Uganda, who has been a pastor and church planter for many years.  For his safety and protection, we'll call him Emmanuel. He wrote: 

"Dear brother Len, 

"About the dangerous missions, these range from extremists targeting gospel preachers, especially in Eastern and Central Uganda. To give you just a few examples of what happened this year: 

Image generated by Gemini AI

"Evangelist Alfred Kitenga was murdered on the 9th/Apr/2026 in Wakiso district, Central Uganda after an evening gospel outreach. He together with his wife Grace were targeted by men who were posing as Christian taxi drivers [that said they were fellow believers who had listened to the message], who gave them a lift back home eventually stabbing them and killing him (news story). 

"Here in Eastern Uganda 5 Christians were given poison by Moslems after Bible study; they can appear as if they are born again or can do anything that has always resulted in the deaths of many.

"My friend, evangelist [name redacted], has survived several attacks and was once imprisoned for the gospel. 

"There are abductions, poisoning, sexual violence, mob justice; many attacks happen after evening Christian meetings where the attackers pretend as though they are part of the Christian community before launching their attacks, so they are so cunning and deceptive! There are many examples of these, but these are just a few.

"I personally have survived them several times; a Moslem man got me with brother [name redacted] in Kampala during outreach around his home. He fumed, entered his house, and [fortunately] his wife entered also and shut the door. We took off, and by the time he tried to pursue us with a long knife, we were a good distance away.

"Once in Anyara in Eastern Uganda, a man came with a big stick to our evening fellowship in the home of brother [name redacted]. He had aimed to harm me as he continued striking the ground with it. The stick broke into pieces, then he left. 

"One of our converts, [name redacted], was assaulted, beaten to death, and abandoned in the bush, but graciously she came back to life and is still a preacher of the gospel. 

"One of the precious Christian girls was persecuted; she has disappeared for years no one knowing her whereabouts. That evangelism [outreach] gave birth to three churches.

"Sometimes women or men pretend to be Christian fellowship members while planning evil against us; they are seductive, cunning, etc. Here at the harvest things are unpredictable. A reason as to why we move more than two people, etc.

"When reaching out, you have got to apply all wisdom, plus prayer, never to move alone, at least a good manageable number of people in case of anything. In some places, even fellowship hosts are never trusted, when the Holy Spirit tells us not to eat food or sleep in a particular home, we obey and find our way out.

"Once they stoned our door at night with a large stone, which broke into six pieces as I cried out with my wife to the Lord in tongues loudly. I saw the Lord's deliverance that morning at 5 AM!! The Lord intervened for us.

Image generated by Gemini AI

"In many other instances they tried to surround our house at night with weapons, specifically guns (as depicted in the AI image above), but we have been prayerfully trusting God for protection, who has been rescuing us.

"And yet also there have been attempts to kidnap me here in [name of town redacted]; brother, God is good. He spoke [prophetically through a sister in Christ] and said" I keep you the way the teeth surround a tongue. They won't kill you."

"We have also survived poisoning several times; we caught our maid in the house with poison. When we asked her about it, she described the person to us who wanted to kill us.

Image generated by Gemini AI

"A house that we once rented caught fire. We can't tell the cause. Good neighbors rescued us.

"My daughter [name redacted] survived being poisoned at the gate of a rented house. My wife saw someone calling our daughter outside the gate and tried to give her something to eat, and then my wife cried out, [Name redacted], stop it!" As she did so, the person ran away!

"We had a famous gospel musician by the name George Okudi calling me one night, 'Are you Pastor Emmanuel?' I responded; he said, 'I have been robbed by unknown men who left a paper with the list of Pastors to be robbed. They have planned to rob you next.' God rescued us when we changed direction to another village. 

"I was also attacked by men in Katakwi district during the evening fellowship. The Lord arrested them. They started crying and spoke in tongues after us! That evangelism and fellowship grew to a Church that became a PAG Church.

"I would share more in case the Lord helps me to.

"Blessings to you, 

Bro Emmanuel"

Closing Words

Another recent example persecution against our brother Emmanuel that he didn't mention was that an unknown person or persons slaughtered all 35 of his chickens and stole the bananas from the garden at his village home. They left all the chickens lying dead on the ground, destroying his small poultry business that he was using to support his family and ministry.

Jesus said, "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Mt 5:11-12).

No doubt these persecuted believers in Uganda are blessed, but it is dangerous and very difficult for them. Please join us in praying for them, especially our ministry associate, whom we called Emmanuel, and his family. We give God the glory for the many times He has delivered them from evil attacks, and we pray that the Lord would continue to rescue them from every evil attack and bring them safely to His heavenly kingdom (2 Tim 2:18). The Lord is faithful and He will do so. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Attribution Notice: All Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, all rights reserved, used by permission. Images are generated by Gemini AI and are not actual photos of the events.

Author's Note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to read these other testimonies called Raising the Dead, Pastor Raised from the Dead, and Testimonies from Voila. You are also invited to read the testimony of Elisabeth from Indonesia that he referred to call Forty Days in Heaven and Hell. Also see the Home page of this blog for more testimonies. You are invited to view my collection of blogs at Writing for the Master. 

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe. 

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org. 

How I Came to Know Jesus

I'd like to share with you the testimony of my oldest son Christopher, who is now nineteen years old (as of 2024). Although I am his biographer, it's his true story of how he came to know the Lord, based on the journal I have kept for all my children since they were born. I hope you enjoy it.

Christopher's Testimony

Three years old

There were various points during my early childhood when I prayed to give my heart to Jesus, beginning when I was only two and a half. Only nine days after that, while I was on the phone talking to my aunt, she asked, "Who's this?"  I said, "I'm Christopher, and I love Jesus."  That was the first time I had ever said that on my own, and that was how I began publicly identifying myself with Christ. On another occasion, when I was three years old, I once again publicly identified myself with God. At a playground, I saw a little 4-year old boy, and ran over to him happily saying, "Do you know God?"

During those tender years when I was just a little child, God continued to reveal Himself to me in various ways through nature, through His Word, and through my parents. For example, I once looked up at the stars in the dark evening sky and said, "Wow! God is in heaven!"

As a result of God revealing Himself to me, I began to desire a relationship with Him. One occasion in particular that stands out to me was on Christmas, when I was three and a half. My father was washing and dressing me and I told him I wanted to pray to give my heart to Jesus. So I did that, as he led me in that prayer, and then he prayed for me to be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

About four months later I told my father that when I grow up, I want to be a man who tells other people about Jesus. A couple of months later, I was preaching to my baby brother in his crib, who was only four months old, saying, "Now Joseph, you need to obey Jesus. You disobey the devil."

On another occasion later on February 4, 2010, when I was almost five years old, my father explained to me at the dinner table about how God is bigger than the sky, bigger than the sun, moon, and stars. But He makes Himself small enough to live inside our hearts.  We also talked about how we don't deserve heaven and we all deserve hell.  But Jesus loved us so much he took our punishment. And because of that, now when we get to heaven, He will give us a big welcome.  That was another one of those times when I invited Jesus into my heart and I committed my life to the Lord. 

About a week after that, my mother was praying for me and my baby brother at bedtime like she usually did, saying "Lord, I pray that they would come to know you as soon as possible."  When I heard her pray that, I said, "But Mommy, I already know the Lord!"

My parents began to see some fruit in my life after that, so once Jesus came into my heart, it definitely made a difference in me. I began praying for relatives to come to know Jesus and being thankful. For example, I said, "Daddy, I appreciate having you as my Daddy."  That was something I had never done before.

One evening I wanted to pray for all my uncles, that they would come to know the Lord. As I was doing so with my mother, I came to pray for my uncle Jeff, and instead of praying for him, I said, "He already knows Jesus."  The Lord must have revealed that to me, because my family and I were living in Eastern Europe as missionaries in Hungary (we lived there for four and a half years) and I didn't really have any contact with my uncle Jeff, who was back in the United States. But it was true that he did know the Lord already.

Six years old

When I was six years old I enjoyed reading Bible stories like the one about Noah and the ark. My favorite one of all though was the story of David and Goliath. By the time I was six and a half, I had read the entire gospel of John. About that time, my father prayed with me one day that I would receive all of the healing that Jesus Christ had for me, so that whenever I would lay hands on the sick they would recover, and that healing and miracles would happen. The videos of miracles and healing that I watched that day really increased my faith.

Soon after that, my family and I watched a video about a girl who went to hell and back, and another girl who saw Jesus. Afterwards we all repented as a family and asked the Lord to forgive our sins.  We asked the Lord to fill us with the Holy Spirit and he did.  I spoke in other  languages at that time, when I received the baptism with the Spirit.

A couple months later, I prayed, “Lord please give me a dream of You!” I then had a dream in which I saw a picture right in front of my eyes. In the picture, I saw the back of myself in a room, facing away and looking at Jesus, who was standing before me, facing me and looking at me.  Jesus did not look like a person, but like a round, bright white light. Behind Jesus in the room were four people, who were rather short. They all had black hair and squinted, oriental eyes like Chinese people.  Two of them were wearing conical, Chinese coolie, straw hats like the rice farmers wear, which are pointed at the top.  Behind the people was a stone staircase without a railing, which ascended to the right, and at the top it turned.  It was a still picture, like a photograph. Even though it was many years ago, I still remember that dream.

Right after that I received the baptism with holy fire when my father prayed for me. John the Baptist said that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire (Mt 3:11; Lk 3:16), and that's exactly what He did for me. It was a tangible experience where I could feel the fire of God on my back, and my hands became hot. Soon afterwards, I began to pray more deeply and fervently than I had ever prayed before. I prayed, "Lord, help us to love you with a whole heart, not half a heart!"

Soon after that, I had a dream from the Lord, in which I was together with my whole family outdoors in a field at nighttime in the dark, discussing the Lord’s glory cloud, like the one that appeared in the temple. Suddenly I looked up, and two white lights flashed in the sky about 10 or 12 feet above us.  They flashed simultaneously like a camera flash.  In the center of one white light, I saw a small, round, blue light.  In the center of the other white flash, I saw a small, round, pink light.  These smaller orbs remained in the sky above us after the white flashes, and there were other such orbs of different colors as well.  They went upward with a sound like a mighty, rushing wind and descended downward toward us.  As they descended, I felt something like a weight of glory coming down on me, upon my head and upper body.  This weight was so great that it caused me to bend backwards at the waist.  That’s where my dream ended. In the morning, I remembered the dream from the Lord clearly and shared it with my family.

I continued to experience God in many ways, and He made Himself very real to me, including through dreams, visions, and encounters with Jesus and his angels. One time at age six, when we had our usual midnight family prayer meeting, I prayed that we would all be baptized afresh in the Holy Spirit. Soon after I prayed that, I felt a gentle wind blowing on my right ear, then on my right hand, and then on the back of my neck.  There were no windows open in the house or fans blowing. It was definitely the Holy Spirit.

Also at age six, during my morning quiet time, I asked the Lord to show me what He wanted me to do.  The Lord first told me, “Obey your parents.”  Then I said, “What else do you want me to do, Lord?”  And the Lord replied, “Preach.”

When I was nine years old, at bedtime I asked my father if it would be ok if I started getting up 30 minutes earlier in the morning, so that I could spend more time in prayer each day.

When I was ten years old, during a Sunday service in our home, two of my older sisters separately received essentially the same prophetic words from the Lord for me about God's mighty calling on my life to preach and teach the truth of His Word.  Afterward my father laid hands on me and prayed for me that I would indeed be a mighty man of God and preach righteousness and love truth. He released the anointing so that I could do so, and as he prayed for me, I sensed the presence of God.

Fourteen years old

As a young teenager, I prayed for the Lord to show me my purpose in life, and I sensed that He said, "street preaching" and "evangelism". Then I seemed to see people coming together from two directions, pairing up in pairs of two and going out together two-by-two. Afterward the chapter I read that day was Mark one, which tells of John and Jesus preaching to multitudes. As I prayed further about it a few days later, I sensed "serving others" was part of my purpose.

I trust the Lord will use my story to encourage you, especially if you already know the Lord. Continue to seek Him and pursue Him. Go deeper in Him than you have before. Ask for the baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire. Believe His promises and receive it. Give yourself totally over to Him to be His servant. Love Him with your whole heart, not half a heart! Ask Him to use you for the purpose for which He created you, and then let Him do it. Doing His will is the most fulfilling way to live your life, but also the most rewarding in eternity.

If you consider yourself a Christian, or if you have been in church all your life, or if you have been raised in a Christian family, let me just say this. None of that will save you. Jesus said you must be born again (Jn 3:7). He said, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." (Joh 3:3, NIV). Many people have been in church all their lives, but they have never been born again. So don't let that happen to you.

God is real, and so is Jesus. Heaven is real, and so is hell. We all deserve hell, because we've all sinned. But by the grace and mercy of God, He has made a way for us to be with Him in heaven for eternity.

If you don't know Jesus yet in a personal way, then I want to say a few words to you. Jesus loves you with an everlasting love, and He died on the cross for you. He took your place and bore your punishment, so you don't have to go to hell, if you repent and believe in Him. He rose from the dead three days after He died and He is alive. 

Eighteen years old

He has a plan for your life that is far greater than anything you've ever experienced. He can set you free from every addiction, break every chain of bondage, fulfill your deepest needs, and love you like nobody else ever could. He'll be your closest friend. I challenge you to repent of your sins and believe in Him right now to save your soul. Ask Him to forgive you for all your sins and come and live inside your heart. Ask Him to be your Lord and Savior, as you commit your life to the Lord. Then be baptized in water and live your life for Him, not for yourself. Then when you get to heaven after you die, He will give you a big welcome, and an eternal reward.

I hope to see you one day up in heaven and rejoice with you there. What a time we will have praising God around His throne with the multitudes of saints and angels. Please don't miss it for anything!

Attribution notice: Scripture quotation taken from The Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. 

Author's Note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to read The Truth Set Me Free, Saved at a Tender Young Age, Given a New Heart and Sweet Peace, My Overflowing Joy in Knowing Jesus, and Lifted Out of a Slimy Pit, which are the testimonies of myself and four of my other children. Also see the Home page of this blog for more testimonies. You are invited to view my collection of blogs at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

A Message from our Lord by Sister Catherine

On Sunday, 9th January 2022, I received the following email from one of the students in our Doulos Training School (DTS), sister Catherine, who is in the United Kingdom. 

Testimony of Sister Catherine

"Dear brother Len and sister Jennifer.

This morning at around 6:00 AM, I had a vision of being in heaven, and our Lord showed me the setting sun. 

I met Jesus face-to-face and He said, 'As much as I would love to give more time to save souls, I cannot, because our Father the Almighty has set the sun in place and His plans in place, and they cannot be changed. Time is running out for saving souls, please tell our Church. I am always with you'

It was crystal clear, and a very vivid message and very powerful.

This message  has really got me thinking of the urgency of witnessing praying more.

I felt it is very urgent to share this message with you.

I feel such a stronger urgency to witness more and pray more for salvation of lost souls and pray for more people to join the Doulos studies and for some churches to wake up before it's too late.

Praying for you all. 

Bless you all. 

With love in Jesus our Lord. 

Sister Catherine."

[END OF TESTIMONY FROM SISTER CATHERINE].

---------------------------------------------

Closing Words

Dear friends, I have no doubt that what sister Catherine has shared actually happened to her, and that the Lord did speak to her in heaven. I know her and she would not make anything like this up. 

This message from our Lord agrees with what we have been hearing from Him through many other servants of His. Time is up. The end has come. He is coming back very very soon (Rev 22:7). There is no time to waste. The Father has determined it. As the Lord said at the end of the Revelation given to John the apostle:

"Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star." (Rev 22:12-16)

Even so, come, Lord Jesus! Come! 

May the Lord help us all to be found ready when He comes. May He help us to be found faithful and obedient to all that He has commanded us to do, including the Great Commission to go and make disciples. May He help us to be faithful in prayer, especially for souls.

Author's Note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to read my other post about sister Catherine called Supernatural Encounter While Striving to Draw Closer to God. You may also read Rescue Souls, Share Jesus Without Fear, A Spirit Led Strategy for Evangelism, The Night the Lord Came into My Hut.  If you are interested in learning more about our three-year discipleship training school (DTS), please see here. Also see the Home page of this blog for more testimonies. You are invited to view my collection of blogs at Writing for the Master. 

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe. 

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org. 

Supernatural Encounter While Striving to Draw Closer to God

This past weekend I was exchanging emails with Catherine, one of the first-year students in our Doulos Training School (DTS), regarding my article called Striving to Enter the Kingdom of God, which I wrote several years ago. She was expressing her appreciation for the article, which was a new teaching for her, since she had never heard it taught in any of the churches in the UK where she lives. She initially said, "I have always believed and lived a relationship with our Lord, but not by striving before."

However, a couple days later, she remembered a supernatural experience she once had while striving to be closer to the Lord, when she was just a teen. It's such a remarkable experience, and such a great example of biblical striving, that I felt I should post it here, so that everyone could benefit from it. Here is the testimony in her words:

Catherine's Testimony

The Lord brought back to remembrance, the true short story of what happened when I was fourteen, I hope you don't mind me sharing this with you.

I was at a Butlins holiday camp in Minehead, UK, with my foster parents and they went to their son's wedding, they didn't want me with them so after breakfast she gave me a green, 1-pound (£1) British banknote for lunch, I felt more rejection.

There is a big hill nearby so I made my way to this hill and walked up to the top, determined to strive and seek and find God. I had nothing to eat or drink all day (after only a light breakfast), as I was determined to meet with God. I spent all day at the top of this hill and found God and His love and peace. I felt so loved and happy, and no more pain of rejection. But as I came down to the bottom of the hill, I realised that I was lost, and I couldn't remember the Chalet number at the holiday camp either.

I asked Jesus for His help, then I met a man called Paul (he had a beard, and he looked Jewish, like I had seen in books at school). He Said, "You are lost aren't you?" 

I said, "Yes," 

He had a green jeep, so I accepted a lift from him. He told me about my foster parents and about my vision that I had received from the Lord a month earlier, which I thought I had only told my school friend Sandra about. I wondered, "How does Paul know so much about me?" He took me to the right chalet, and I turned to say thank you and wave goodbye, but Paul and his jeep had just disappeared.

My foster mother said, "Where have you been, it's 7:00 pm?" 

I said, "I got lost, and your friend Paul found me and brought me home." 

She said, "We don't have a friend called Paul, You must have been with a stranger, and what have  I told you about not talking with strangers."

I went to bed and read in the Bible, the Scripture that says, "You will entertain angels and not know it." (paraphrase from Hebrews 13:2). So I knew God had sent His angel to save me.

So our Lord told me, "This is what I am teaching you to do every day to diligently seek Me and strive to come closer all the time and I will bless you."

So thank you so much for your amazing article, it has been such a revelation and a blessing to me, and I feel closer to the Lord already.

I only wish I could teach others, I will pray about other people joining the (DTS) studies as it is so important for the church.

Praying for you all.

Bless you all.

Sister Catherine

[END OF TESTIMONY]

-----------------

Closing Words

What an amazing testimony! Let me just comment regarding the Jewish man named Paul, who met Catherine at the bottom of the hill, told her all about her life, and then disappeared after he dropped her off at the chalet where her parents were staying--even though she didn't know which chalet it was. She told me that the picture to the left most closely resembles him. While it could have been an angel, since the Bible clearly tells us we may encounter angels without being aware of it, it is my belief that this was the apostle Paul. It is just as easy for God to have one of the living saints in glory appear and help us in some way, as it is for Him to send an angel or another earth-dwelling human being. 

When I told Catherine that I and my family all believe it was the apostle Paul, she replied, "Yes I agree with you, I do believe it was St Paul that was sent to me. He had so much love and compassion just as he does in his letters to the churches in the New Testament, and his love and passion for Jesus our Lord is awesome. When I read his letters in the New Testament, it's like I know him in Spirit and I remember my encounter with him."

She continued, "As our Lord has shown me, this is such an important teaching. I have had so much joy being closer to our Lord since I learned this teaching and remembering my encounter with St Paul. Striving to be closer to our Lord brings a stronger faith and blessings."

Why should any of you consider it incredible that God could do this? He is the Sovereign Lord and nothing is too difficult for Him. Just as Moses and Elijah appeared talking with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1–8, Mark 9:2–8, Luke 9:28–36), so the Lord can permit anyone He so wishes to have this sort of experience. 

This is all part of the communion of the saints that is spoken of in Scripture and in the Apostles' Creed. We believe in the communion of the saints. According to the apostle John, "...if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin." (1Jn 1:7). Those who walk in the light in this way not only have fellowship with the Lord, but with the saints here on earth. And if God chooses to allow it, they also have fellowship with the saints in glory. 

However, we are not to seek to initiate direct contact with them. Such encounters come to those who diligently seek the Lord Himself, like John did on the Isle of Patmos. While he was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, he had an amazing revelation from God that he wrote down in the book of Revelation. Not only did he see the Lord Jesus Christ and the heavenly Father, he also saw angels and saints in glory, including the twenty-four elders. In fact, he spoke with one of the twenty-four elders (Rev 7:13). And many believe that the particular angel who spoke with him and showed him things in heaven was actually the prophet Daniel. John wrote:

"At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, 'Don't do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.'" (Rev 19:10)

The reason many believe this was the prophet Daniel is that he told John that he is a fellow servant with him and his brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. A fellow servant (Gr. sumdoulos) of John and other disciples of Christ signifies being one of them and coequal with them. And the reason he is believed to be the prophet Daniel is that God gave Daniel an apocalyptic revelation of the end times, too, as written in the book of the Bible that bears his name. The books of Daniel and Revelation fit together like a lock and a key. How fitting it would be for Daniel to speak with John during his heavenly encounter and show him the things he showed him.

Dear friend, I hope this brief testimony from Catherine has encouraged you to diligently seek the Lord and strive to draw closer to Him all the time. Press in to know Him more. Ask Him to draw you close to Himself. And may the Lord give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him more.

Epilogue

After I posted this article with Catherine's testimony, we exchanged more emails about it, and she explained that a month before this trip to the holiday camp with her foster parents, she had received a vision from the Lord, in which he sent Mary to her. She wrote:

Jesus gave me vision, in which He sent His mother, to say to me, "You are a child of God, " Then I heard Jesus' voice saying, "Do not fear for I am always with you." 

Mary had dark hair and brown eyes, and looked like a young Jewish girl (closely resembling woman in photo to left). The Catholic Church portrays her as English with fair hair and blue eyes. She doesn't look like they portray; they have her wrong. She spoke with great authority, and a strong voice. She spoke the same English as I do, with the South London accent, as I was brought up in South London. 

Then a month later, when I sat in Paul's Jeep with him, he said, "Jesus sent you a vision of his mother to tell you that you are a child of God and Jesus told you not to be afraid, as He is with you always." 

And I said, "Yes, you are right." It was then I thought he must be an angel, as he knew everything about me and I had only told my school friend Sandra about the vision, no one else knew about it. 

The Holy Spirit later told me that Jesus sent his mother to me, to help heal the trauma of having an abusive foster mother, and never having a loving mother. 

When I tell people about this vision, I always point out that Jesus sent his mother to me so that I would know who I belong to -- 'Jesus' -- and not to become a Catholic as some people have said. For although I didn't see Jesus that night, He was still there, because I heard his voice loud and clear, which is a witness to Catholics that Jesus is our Saviour, and they must not pray to or worship Mary. 

Author's Note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to read The Communion of the Saints, Striving to Enter the Kingdom of God, The Truth About the Roman Catholic Church, The Night the Lord Came into My Hut, The Truth Set Me Free, My Overflowing Joy in Knowing Jesus, and Lifted Out of a Slimy Pit, which are the testimonies of myself and two of my other children. Also see the Home page of this blog for more testimonies. You are invited to view my collection of blogs at Writing for the Master. 

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe. 

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org. 

The Night the Lord Came Into My Hut

Grace and his wife

I'd like to share with you the testimony of a pastor in Uganda named Grace, a friend of mine, who is enrolled in our Doulos Training School. He has an amazing testimony of how the Lord saved him in 1989. It reminds us once again of the terrible oppression the Ugandan people suffered under Idi Amin's brutal regime and crimes against humanity. He states:

"In 1989, during years of turmoil in our country, I felt a strong need for security and a solution to the endless problems we were going through in our country. As a young boy, [I] went through harassment from people and hostilities; by then even my father, who was a county chief, was helpless and needed help, too."

"On several occasions I looked for ways to die, but found none. I tried to join [the military] forces, but couldn't, as I longed for peace and security. One night while in my hut, it came to my mind that I have a Creator who cares. I cried tears as I asked the Lord to forgive me from my sins. One night again I had an experience when the Lord came into my hut with lightning, thundering, and much smoke; I nearly died."

"I had an experience when the Lord came into my hut with lightning, thundering, and much smoke; I nearly died. Afterward, I came out and found there was no rain."

"Afterward, I came out and found there was no rain. I prayed to the Lord to forgive me and went to my Protestant church on Sunday. I requested to say something which turned [out] to be a preaching, and for the first time in that church people got saved. We started what we called 'Light Christian Fellowship' before my joining a Pentecostal church."

Praise the Lord for that amazing testimony! He now says, "I have a mission to accomplish in Jesus' Name." Praise the Lord for what He has done in our brother Grace's life!

Perhaps you are feeling a bit like him right now. You may feel a strong need for security and a solution to the endless problems you are going through. You might be experiencing hostilities and harassment from people. You may be longing for peace and security, but you just can't seem to find it. You may be so desperate that you are even longing to die. If that's you, let me remind you that you have a Creator who cares. He sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ into this world to die on the cross for you, so that you could be forgiven of your sins and spend eternity with Him in heaven. He has an amazing plan for your life, and you have a mission to accomplish for Him. Cry out to Him and ask Him to forgive your sins.

"That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." (Rom 10:9-10)

Ask Him to come and live inside your heart and take control of your life. Even if you do not experience lightning, thunder, and smoke inside your home, your experience will be just as real, genuine, and meaningful as what happened to Grace. The moment that Jesus Christ comes to live inside your heart will be one you will never forget. Believe in Jesus Christ that God raised Him from the dead, and confess Him as your Lord and Savior, so that you may be saved. He will transform your life, and you will never be the same. Old things will pass away and all things will become new.

For more amazing testimonies of miracles, healing, and deliverance that the Lord has done in brother Grace's ministry, please see the articles of mine listed directly below in the author's note section. He has planted about 20 churches over his many years of ministry, but 14 of those were planted just this year in 2026, for which we give God all the glory.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's Note: Some changes were made to the wording of Grace's testimony with his permission, in order to add clarity or for easier reading without changing the meaning. If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to read brother Grace's other testimonies called Amazing Healing and Deliverance in Uganda, Boy Raised from the Dead, The Body Parts Storehouse in Heaven, Nasty Flu Miraculously Cured,  Uganda End Time Evangelistic Outreach, Conserving the Harvest in Uganda, and Completing the Great Commission in Uganda. Also see my article on Persecution of Christians in Uganda, Also see the Home page of this blog for more testimonies. You are invited to view my collection of blogs at Writing for the Master. 

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

The Voice That Changed Everything -- the Testimony of Dr. Stenhouse

Dr. Andrew Stenhouse

Today I would like to share with you the testimony of a dear friend of mine, whom I have known for about twenty-four years, who received his call to be a medical doctor when God spoke to him in an audible voice. What follows is a transcript from my interview with him on our Preparing the Way radio program on January 22, 2014. I have also inserted into the middle of the interview the transcript of my subsequent interview with him today on August 17, 2016, in order to get more specific details about his testimony. If you choose to listen to the audio recording of his testimony, please note that it will playback as two separate interviews, so the order of the discussion will not match the following transcript.

Dr. Andrew Stenhouse's Testimony
Len: Welcome to Preparing the Way, where we’re preparing the way for the imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ in repentance -- preaching holiness, righteousness, and truth. My name is Len Lacroix, and I’m your host for this broadcast. I’m a preacher and missionary to Eastern Europe with Doulos Missions International. And joining me today as my guest is Dr. Andrew Stenhouse, the president of Doulos Missions International. He’s a teacher of God’s Word and has been a medical doctor for over fifty years, having lived in England, Scotland, New Zealand, Fiji, Afghanistan, and has been in the US for the last thirty years. I’ve known him since around 1992 when we met in Virginia. And he’s been the president of our ministry for about the last five years.

Dr. Andrew Stenhouse, welcome!

Andrew: Thank you so much, Len! I appreciate the opportunity to be with you on this program today. It’s a joy. It’s a pleasure. And anytime you have the opportunity to introduce anybody to the Lord Jesus, it’s such a pleasure.

Len: Absolutely. I wanted to take a moment to ask you to share a little bit about yourself—just anything you want to say about yourself to the listeners on the program.

Andrew: Well, the first thing is that, as Len stated, I am not a pastor; I’m not an evangelist; I’m not a preacher. I’m a doctor and have the pleasure of introducing people to the Lord daily, on a daily basis, really, as I take care of them. And they respond at those times, particularly the times when they’re going through serious problems, such as in hospice and terminal illnesses. So they get the opportunity to hear the gospel, hear the Good News of the Lord Jesus and how He became the bridge from this earth to the Father. And, as far as myself, I was saved when I was a child, and since then have been trying to listen to the Father. And it was the Father that told me that I needed to be a doctor. I was wanting to be a geologist, but my Father said no, He wanted me to be a doctor. So I argued with Him a little bit with Him, but it was no good. And so that was kind of the story, and I said, “Yes, Father, I will be a doctor.” So, that’s where we are, Len.

Len: I wanted to ask you, Andrew, if you could please tell me that part about -- go back to the beginning where you first received your call. You had been a geology student, but then a female friend invited you to church, and while you were sitting there in church with her, you told me one time that you heard God speak to you in an audible voice and called you to be a doctor. So pick it up with the friend inviting you and go from there with that piece where you were in the church and how you heard from God.

Andrew: Well, this was a worship service. And I loved that and loved to go. And then during the preaching part, I heard the audible voice of God speak to me on the right side of my body. And I said to the young lady Ruth, “Did you hear somebody talk?”

She said, “Shush, Andrew. You don’t talk in church.”

I said, “I know.”

And then the next thing that happened was, it was the audible voice of God telling me I was going to be a doctor. And then nothing happened for a few minutes, and then suddenly, my whole body started to shake like a rag doll and it interfered with the service. And I suddenly said, “This is my Creator doing this,” and I started talking to God and telling Him how I hated the War in London during World War II and the bombs and blood and guts and people not coming back to school. And the one thing I didn’t want to do was be a doctor. So I kept on talking and the shaking got worse and worse. So I had to stop, thinking I might physically die. And so the next thing that happened was that I stopped talking, the shaking stopped, and then the voice spoke to me, not from my right side, but from the lower left side of my body.

And it’s as though the Holy Spirit or God was surrounding me, and said, “You will be a doctor.” It was a command.

And I said, “Yes, Lord, I will be a doctor.”

And that was how I got in, and from then on nothing else mattered in my life. My interests -- I immediately resigned from geology courses and also the Geological Survey where I was working. I was about seventeen at that time.

Len: Wow!

Andrew: And I changed islands, went to the south island, and took up pre-med at that time. None of the courses had I taken in the past.  I had taken languages and geology mainly, and mathematics. And here I was doing courses that people have been trained for all their lives.

Len: Wow! Now you said the south island…what country was that?

Andrew: That’s New Zealand.

Len: Okay, so this all happened in New Zealand. And it was a lady named Ruth, a sister in Christ named Ruth that invited you to church.

Andrew: Yes.

Len: Now when you were in that service, two things I want to know about it, if you can tell me. Do you remember what the -- when God first told you to be a doctor, how He said it to you? Not that it really matters, but do you remember what words He used when He said it the first time on your right side?

Andrew: Yes, as far as I remember, “You are to be a doctor.” “You are going to be a doctor,” or something like that.

Len: Yeah. Now the other thing I wanted to know was, when you say it disrupted the service, did you have pretty much a lot of people now with their attention focused on you?

Andrew: Yes, and everybody was moving away, as far as I know. And I left the service at that point after the whole thing was over. I didn’t stay in the service, because I couldn’t focus on anything else.

Len: Yeah, so people probably thought you were kind of strange.

Andrew: Yes, very strange. And I had actually been brought up very strictly and didn’t realize that God would do that.

Len: Yeah, I mean, you would never have done anything like that on your own.

Andrew: Oh, no! Absolutely not! And everybody that I would tell it to thought I was nuts, you know.

Len: That’s a big difference between geology and medical practice.

Andrew: Yes.

Len: The Lord redirected you. And now it’s been, what, over thirty years…practicing medicine?

Andrew: Yes, I’ve been practicing medicine over fifty-five years. I’ll be going on fifty-five years, and loving it and loving the people. And it has been such a joy, and God has really, through His voice—I never thought, I never was taught that God still spoke. But He really still speaks if we have our ears listening for Him. So I just encourage everybody that’s on this program, just to look forward to hearing the voice of the Lord. And look forward to receiving Him into their hearts so as they will have the peace that passes all understanding.

Len: Yes, absolutely. And one of things I appreciate about you is, the way that, you know, with your patients, that you don’t just treat them through medical science, but you pray for them, you know, with laying on of hands when they allow you to, and trust the Lord to heal them. And I think that’s a really unusual thing for a medical doctor to do, because there are plenty of Christian doctors out there, but I don’t know many that do that.

Andrew: Yes, that’s right. And you just ask them first, “May I bless you? May I just bless you?” And there’s not many people who will turn down a blessing. And then as I’m blessing them, I say, “Can I pray for God to touch you and to heal you?” And they say, “Yes.” And there’s so many people have been touched over the years by the Lord. And particularly when you hear His voice speaking.

Len: Yeah, that’s awesome. Praise God. And did I get it right that you’ve been in the US now for the last thirty years?

Andrew: Yes, that’s correct. I’ve been here back in the United States. I was born in Detroit, but lived overseas for quite a long time. And I’ve been back here since about 1972, ’73. Yes. That’s right.

Len: Wow. Praise God. Okay, well thanks very much for introducing yourself, and what I’d like to do is just go on to the next segment of the program, if that’s okay.

Andrew: Absolutely.

Listen to Interview Online

Editor's Comments
This is truly an amazing testimony of how God called a man to serve Him as a medical doctor. One thing you need to learn from this is that you need to listen to the Lord's voice. It's extremely important. The voice of the Lord changes your outlook, especially when He shakes you like a rag doll like He did with Dr. Stenhouse. In order to hear the Lord's voice, you need to be less involved in distractions. You need to remove them from your life, such as texting.

Only eternity will tell all that the Lord actually did through this humble servant of His during those fifty-five years of medical practice. I know that there were miraculous healings that took place, the gospel was proclaimed to the sick and dying, and people were introduced to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Dr. Stenhouse served in many different capacities over those five decades. That included working for the US Navy in a medical school that he helped to establish in Afghanistan. It also included having his own Family Medical practice in Texas in the United States for a number of years, later serving as a Professor of Medicine for Texas Tech in Amarillo, Texas, as well as working at the Veterans' Administration Hospital there. Toward the end of his career, he spent a great deal of time working in a hospice caring for those who were dying, which was something he thoroughly enjoyed.

He is a model for other Christians who practice medicine, demonstrating how to serve patients not only from a physical and medical perspective, but also from a supernatural and spiritual one, so that their bodies might be healed and their souls saved.

Andrew loves the Lord with all His heart, and I have always known him to be a kind, loving, compassionate, generous person, who cares about people. When I asked him around 2007 to serve as the president for our ministry, Doulos Missions International, he humbly accepted it, feeling he was unworthy for such a task. Yet he served in that role for seven years, until he officially resigned in August 2014. He had actually tried to resign one year before that, due to his health, but agreed at my request to serve longer to help fulfill the need we had at that time. That was after he had retired from medicine, which he would not have done if it had not been for his health issues. He loved his profession, and put his heart into it. His resignation from our ministry's board of directors occurred one year after we had returned from the mission field of Eastern Europe to the United States.

During the time that he served as our ministry's president and chairman of the board, he was a tremendous blessing to us. Countless times he has been for us a source of godly counsel and wisdom from the Lord. He has upheld us in prayer, too. He always has and still does maintain his practice of asking the Father and hearing the Lord's voice, even though it may be the still small voice of the Holy Spirit in his heart, and not the audible voice of God like he heard so long ago in that church. Now in his 80's, he still continues to have two-way conversations with the Father.

If you are a Christian medical doctor, I hope that this testimony has encouraged you, as well as edified and guided you to serve the Lord with such honor, integrity, love, and compassion for people. I hope it has encouraged you to be bold and pray for the sick, trusting the Lord to heal them, as well as share the gospel with your patients and lead them to the Savior. You have a tremendous platform and a position of influence, so use it for the Lord.

If you are a Christian medical student or someone who is considering the medical profession, may this testimony be an encouragement to you, too, to hear the Lord's voice, whether audible or in your heart. Being a medical doctor is a calling, so you need to be sure it is your calling from God before you proceed down that path. Seek Him diligently in prayer and He will direct you. As the proverbs say:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." (Pr 3:5-6, NASB).

"In a man's heart he plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." (Pr 16:9).

God has had a plan for everyone since before the foundation of the world. Your life is foreordained. God has included you in His wonderful unfolding plan, but He will not violate your own free will. You can either choose to partner with Him by doing His will, as brother Stenhouse did, and experience the joy and excitement of doing so, or you can do your own will and forfeit all that, as well as eternal life. It's your choice.

Author's Note: You may listen to the interview here at this link. If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to read The Holy Spirit Speaks, Hearing the Lord's Voice, Inquiring of the Lord, Baptized with the Spirit, Walking in the Perfect Will of God, Obedience by the Spirit, Discerning the Things of the Spirit, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, What's Wrong with the Prosperity Gospel?, The Cost of Discipleship, God Chooses the Weak Things, What is That in Your Hand?, Having a Servant's Heart, Avoid Becoming a Corrupted Christian, , Should you fear the Lord?, Holy Living in a Perverted World, An Open Mind that Loves the Truth, Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, Ask for the Ancient Paths, Living a Life Worthy of the Lord, Supernatural Power for All Disciples, The Ways of Life, The Way, Will, and Word of God, Life After Death, The Power of God to Heal, Healing is in the Atonement, The Cause of Disease, Scriptural Guidance About Blood Transfusions, and Is it a Sin to Take Medicine? You may access more testimonies like this on the Home page of this blog. You are also invited to view my collection of blogs at Writing for the Master. 

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.