This is an amazing story about the power of prayer, showing that if we take pray seriously God may transform your City!!
Twenty-five years ago Almolonga, a city in Guatemala was ruled by paganism
and poverty. Yet today more than 90 percent of its people are evangelical Christians.
Here is the amazing story of how prayer brought a transformation.

Before and after: two simple words frequently used to describe Almolonga, a
town in western Guatemala. Locals consistently refer to it in terms of two
eras: the period before the power of God came in the mid-1970s and the
period after, when 90 percent of the 19,000 residents became born-again
Christians.

Before revival, Almolonga was gripped by fear, poverty, disease, idolatry
and alcoholism. Today the town is called "The Miracle City" because of the
radical changes that have occurred among these Quiche Indians, who are
descendants of the ancient Mayans. Some Christian leaders say Almolonga is
the best example they've seen of how intercession and evangelism can
transform a community.

VEGETABLE GARDEN
While driving into Almolonga from Guatemala City, one is immediately struck
by the brilliant green hues of the fertile fields spreading throughout the
valley. Even before the onset of the rainy season, when much of the
Guatemalan landscape is still dry, Almolonga remains lush. Hence it is
nicknamed "The Vegetable Garden of the Americas."

IDOL WORSHIP AND DRUNKENNESS
But it wasn't always so. About 25 years ago churches were small and weak,
fields were undeveloped, and the town was characterised by rampant
drunkenness. The Indians here served a 3-foot-tall clay idol called
Maximon, the patron saint and protector of many of Guatemala's cities and
mountain villages.

Maximon is often associated with alcohol, tobacco and sexual immorality.
Those who worship him regularly kiss his image or kneel before him and
place bottles of liquor at his feet in an attempt to win his favour. A
priest typically offers lit cigars to the idol, then takes a mouthful of
liquor and spews it over those who have come to seek a blessing.
After following such depraved religious customs for centuries, the people
of Almolonga were virtual captives in a demonic prison. But those prison
walls began to shake in 1974.

PRAYER AND DELIVERANCE
Following the pattern of all historical revivals, this miracle began in
the
heart of one of God's consecrated servants. Mariano Riscajche, now the
pastor of El Calvario Church, was a typical young man of Almolonga who
sought the protection and blessing of Maximon before he encountered the
living God. At his conversion to Christ, Riscajche heard the Lord say to
him, "I have elected you to serve Me."
Suddenly the promises of the Bible became real, and Riscajche began to
grow in faith. His burning desire was to see people come to Christ and find
spiritual freedom. Then, one by one, his own family members were converted.
But although he no longer served Maximon, Riscajche began to encounter
demon voices regularly when he ministered to those who wanted prayer.
Typically when Riscajche cast demons out of people he would ask the spirit
to name itself. "Maximon" was usually uttered by the oppressed. The
eviction of the demon not only brought freedom to individuals; but the
heavy oppression over the city began to lift as well.

The early days of spiritual warfare in Almolonga were intense. People who
sought prayer for deliverance were sometimes hurled to the ground by an
unseen force. At times they coughed up blood when they screamed out the
name of the evil spirit. But Riscajche's congregation, recognising that
they were engaged in a life-and-death struggle, remained steadfast in
prayer as the name of Jesus was demonstrated to be the victor in this
battle.

Riscajche now is joined by other believers in Almolonga in three days of
prayer and fasting every week--Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Their goal
today is to plant churches in five nearby communities and to reclaim
Maximon's territory for Christ.

MAXIMON PRIEST FINDS JESUS
A former priest of Maximon's, Jose Albino Tazej, is one of those who
recently found Jesus in Almolonga. He represents the amazing change that
is reshaping this culture.

Before his conversion Tazej would abandon his family for eight to 10 days
at a time to drink and conduct witchcraft activities. He often left his
family without any money for food.

Yet people came to Tazej to seek healing, prosperity for their businesses
or to have their fortunes told. As his dedication to Maximon grew, so did
his addiction to alcohol. One night, after a month long drinking binge,
Tazej cried out to God to save him.
After waking his family to share the news of his conversion, the family
burned all of their idols and witchcraft paraphernalia. The following day,
Tazej went to the mountains to fast and seek the Lord. After witnessing
this well-known slave to witchcraft come to Christ, the local churches in
Almolonga intensified their prayer efforts.
Speaking with Charisma recently, Tazej's oldest daughter, Francisca,
grimaces and lowers her voice as she remembers how she and her siblings
used to kneel before the idol of Maximon with lit candles and liquor
offerings. But quickly she diverts the subject to "after Jesus" and
joyfully asserts that God changed everything 24 years ago.
"Before we received Christ, we didn't have any money, little food or a
decent house, and only clothes discarded by others," Francisca says. "My
father started seeking God and fasting. He began a business and started
working diligently. Now God has given us a house, a small store and a
calm, hard-working, godly father."

PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS
As Maximon's authority was challenged, some people began to persecute the
town's new Christians. Some merchants would not even sell food to the
converts. Witches disrupted church services.
The believers suffered under this backlash for years, but one particular
incident stands out in Riscajche's memory. Six men attacked him, tied his
hands behind his back and knocked his front teeth out. Then a man shoved a
gun in his mouth.
Riscajche prayed for protection, and then he heard the gun's trigger
clicking. It was unable to fire. Bewildered by this divine intervention,
the attackers ran away. Since those days, crime has taken a definite
downturn in Almolonga, local Christians say.

PRISONS AND BARS CLOSED
Donato Santiago, Almolonga's chief of police, doesn't have much work to do
today. He can be spotted resting in the shade while the vegetable markets
do brisk business. Armed with a whistle, this tranquil believer has watched
the Holy Spirit change his town in the last 25 years.
"We used to average 20 to 30 people in jail each month," he recalls.
"Crowds would gather just to watch the drunks fight. It seemed like I had
no rest. I was often awakened in the middle of the night to stop family
violence. Before, we had four jails, and that was insufficient to
adequately house all of our prisoners."
Crime in Almolonga was so bad at one point, he says, that police enlisted
a dozen citizens each night to help them patrol the streets. Yet today,
changed hearts and attitudes have resulted in a record low crime rate.
We asked Santiago what caused the change.
"The Word of God!" he replies. "The people were converted, so they changed
their customs and left drinking behind. Day by day the rest followed and
joined one of the churches because of the changes they saw in the lives of
Christians. Crime and drinking are now viewed by the people as a waste of
time and money."
The last jail in Almolonga closed nine years ago. Now remodelled and called
The Hall of Honour, it's a place for hosting wedding celebrations,
receptions and community events.
There aren't many bars left open in town either. In 1974, 34 cantinas did
a brisk business; today there are only three. Other bars were changed into
stores with names such as Little Jerusalem and Jehovah Jireh. One new bar
opened a few years ago, but it closed when the owner met Christ three
months later. He now plays in a Christian band.

MARIA
All these miracles of transformation are striking, but perhaps the most
impressive story in Almolonga involves Maria, the 86-year-old matriarch of
the city who has resisted the gospel for decades. This woman, who
represents the stubborn traditions of those who revere the image of
Maximon, found new life in Jesus last year.

Source: Charisma News Service

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