Hello friends and family,

An Iranian born into Islam receives Christ!

One of the many highlights from out missions trip this past month was of an Iranian young lady named Barhar who put her faith in Jesus Christ. We finished a time of equipping and were now on the streets right outside of Manchester, England. I was sharing Christ with this young lady as she informed me that she wasn’t religious and had not made up her mind if she wanted to serve Jesus or follow the teachings of Islam. She felt she was too young and wanted to party and live life on her own terms. She was very polite as we conversed, but said she wasn’t ready. I then asked if I could pray for her and she let me without hesitation. I laid my hand gently on her shoulder and as soon as I did, the power of the Holy Spirit fell upon her. My wife Trisha stood behind her and had to catch her and hold her up. She began to weep as the presence of God consumed her. As soon as we were finished praying for her, she was ready to receive Jesus and follow Him. It was miraculous. Literally, just one moment earlier, she had no desire to give her life to Jesus. Talking to her alone wouldn’t get the job done. But, just after just one touch from the King, and she was ready. She continued to weep before the Lord as I led her in the sinners’ prayer. She allowed us to video her testimony (on facebook if you want to watch). I asked her what she experienced, and she told me, “I could not stand, I felt like I was going to faint, and something was filling me, something was in me.” She was describing Jesus showing Himself real to her and her initial encounter with Him. It was incredible! When someone gets saved or experiences God for the first time, it’s not just an intellectual agreement, it is a meeting with the God of creation. It is not a sterile generic encounter; it’s life altering. This is what we need. If God can do this on the streets of post-Christian England with an Iranian born into Islam, he can do it with anyone, anywhere or anytime. I want to encourage you to be the conduit of the Holy Spirit wherever you are.

I wanted to share Barhar’s story because out of all the things God has opened for our ministry, winning souls by the power of the Spirit one-by-one never gets old. We led others to the Lord, as well. Trisha led four young ladies to the Lord on the same streets after they encountered God’s presence.

Joe Oden Ministries JUNE 2018

Many also came to Christ in the services there in England! There were signs and wonders that took place, including ears being healed, scoliosis, and many others. The pastor said his church had never experienced a move of God like that since he’d been the pastor. Youth that didn’t have a frame of reference were being slain in the spirit. Anglicans that had never experienced power were shaking under the presence of the Holy Spirit as the fire of God fell upon them. This church will NEVER be the same. They want us to bring a team back next year, so we are working out the details now. Our time in South Africa was also historic. The ministries we were with want us to come back soon. Many salvations took place, as well as miracles and the power of the Holy Spirit falling in a dynamic way.

Historic Gathering of Evangelist’s in Johannesburg South Africa

While in South Africa, many leading evangelists gathered from around the world to strategize for global evangelization. Daniel Kolenda, President of CfaN, the ministry founded by Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke organized the effort. There were also ministries like YWAM, Todd White, Claudio Freidzon, and many more well-known leaders present. We concluded that starting with at least once a year, we would all converge in one city at the same time to shake an entire city for the glory of God. Our first joint-outreach will be the first weekend of June next year in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Please pray and stand with us as we endeavor to do this historic outreach for the glory of God.

We are also excited about our 2018 Launch School of Evangelism graduates. For the second year in a row, our cohort had the SUM valedictorian. If you know anyone interested in getting a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biblical Studies, please send them our way! We have classes one-day a week (Tuesday’s), so we can fit the schedule of almost anyone. Our students currently range in age from 18-60’s, so there is no age-limit! Once again, thank you for all of your prayer and financial support. We stand together and believe for great breakthrough in America and throughout the globe this year!

Together in the Harvest,

Joe Oden

June 2018 CALENDAR 1-3 – Community Christian Church – Slidell, LA 10 – Harvest Life Assembly– Midwest City, OK 17 - First Assembly of God – Terrell, TX 24-25 – Grace Tabernacle – Laconia, IN July 1- Antioch Church – Dallas, TX July 8- Oasis Church, Caddo Mills, TX July 13-15- Heritage Church, Wichita Falls, TX