‘Paul from Congo’ on revival prayer mission in Bloemfontein

He is known in Bloemfontein Christian circles as “Paul from the Congo”.

A burly man with a ready smile, he is recognised by his predominantly white, Afrikaans Christian brothers in Bloemfontein as a missionary sent by the Lord to pray for “the great revival” — an End-Time national revival that he believes will start in the Free State capital.

His mission started nearly four years ago in the Democratic Republic of Congo “when the Lord revealed to me that He is fixing to send a great revival in South Africa and that the revival will start in Bloemfontein”, says Paul Mbongelo.

- Advertisement -

Paul had never been to South Africa or even heard of Bloemfontein but God gave him Luke 11.31 which speaks of the queen of the South rising in the last days, and Acts 1:8 which talks about being witnesses to the uttermost part of the earth. He came to understand that the Queen of the South was the church in South Africa, and that “rising” was a reference to a final revival. Likewise he understood the “uttermost part of the earth” to mean South Africa.

Left family and country
“So, in obedience to the Lord’s command I left my family and country like Abraham of old. I walked just by faith, trusting only in the Lord for everything.”

With little money Paul spent nearly a year making his way through Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe. He preached in several towns along the way and was given a little money to keep going. On reaching South Africa he headed straight for Bloemfontein where he found some humble accommodation and started to pray for the coming great revival.

- Advertisement -

After about eight months of interceding alone his attention was grabbed by a headline in a newspaper he saw in a supermarket: it said “Herlewing (Revival)”. He knew this was a sign and he called the editor and was put in touch with Martin Taljaard, a local Christian with a similar calling who had been praying for revival in Bloemfontein for many years.

Martin picks up the story from their first meeting in a fast food restaurant in the city.

“We found in each other a kindred prayer spirit because of the similar ways we both have been praying on Naval Hill for extended periods of days and weeks at a time,” he says.

“Paul has been praying for revival for many areas and nations through the years as the Lord leads him and he has been on similar prayer mission journeys before. But this prayer journey to Bloemfontein South Africa has been his longest one away from home – several years without seeing his wife and children.”

Martin says when he saw the abject conditions in which Paul was living — sleeping on a mattress on the floor in a derelict building in a bad part of town, he felt God wanted him to intervene.

Given room
Thereafter Paul was given a room in the House of Bread Disciple House, which is a Christian restaurant and meeting place for intercessors and the Leeupraat men’s discipleship ministry.

“After Paul took up residence in that room, we called it the Prophet’s Room- like in the days of Elijah who was cared for by the widow,” says Martin.

“What really blessed me and others is the fact that Paul confirmed exactly everything the Lord was showing us about what He was about to do in Bloemfontein.

“The Spirit literally showed Paul on a map the nation of South Africa and then directed him to Bloemfontein and told him to specifically go there because there, in Bloemfontein, the Lord is going to pour out His Spirit in a marvelous way!

“Soon after arriving in Bloemfontein, the Holy Spirit led Paul to go to Naval Hill to pray there for this great coming revival. He went there several times a week spending whole days in prayer on the hill.

Naval Hill
“Paul knew nothing about the significance of Naval Hill at the time. Naval Hill is a very spiritually significant hill in the centre of the city- where a lot of prayer for the city by many different intercessors has been going up to heaven’s throne over many years. We renamed the hill Prayer Mountain because of all the prayer there over the years.

“Only some time later, Paul was blessed to realise that the hill the Lord led him to for prayer for the revival is the same hill ( prayer mountain) where prayer warriors have been praying from for the same revival for many years.

“Since then Paul has been faithfully joining us there for prayer for this revival of the Lord and he has also become an important part and member of several city initiatives that have recently been birthed in Bloemfontein that all link with each other and which form part of the wonderful work the Lord is currently busy with in our city.

“We are thankful to the Lord for sending us this dear brother in the Lord and the work of prayer that he is assisting with in Bloemfontein. Together with brother Paul we rejoice as we start to both see and experience the first fruits of the revival and the rise of the waves in our city as they keep on rolling in from the deep ocean of God’s grace.

“The waves are rising. The tsunami is coming!”

In a recent edition of a prayer leaflet that Paul writes to encourage Christians to join in regular revival prayer meetings in the House of Bread and other city venues, he says “This revival is coming soon and it ‘s the last outpouring of the Holy Spirit to the gentles because the Gospel is going back to the Jewish people . Almighty God wants to give the gentile people their last chance to get into the Ark .”

He says after the revival in the east, at Pentecost, God sent a revival to the northern people with Martin Luther, John Wesley and Evans Roberts in Wales. Then later he sent a revival to the west, in America with William Seymour, William Branhams, Oral Roberts and Billy Graham. And now, before the Jewish people get their revival ,God is fixing to send to the gentile people their last revival ,this time ,to the southern people, specifically in South Africa — starting in Bloemfontein.