Lloyd and Joyce Heiney, missionaries to Mexico, report:

"We recently received word from our pastor saying Nuevo Progreso is now isolated from the rest of Mexico by flooding. No food or other necessities can reach the city except from the United States. Hurricane Alex, and the second tropical storm, brought historic flooding to both sides of the Rio Grande River along the Texas border. Lives have been lost in the floods in cities west of Nuevo Progreso, and the flood waters are traveling downriver toward the Gulf of Mexico. 

The government of Mexico sent food to assist the city. There are fears the rising river will cause the closing of the one bridge that provides access to Nuevo Progreso from the United States. This access is the only way for them to receive food. Trucks from Mexico have been allowed to travel on the U.S. side to take assistance to them.

This is an emergency situation, and we are asking for your prayers for these people. We thank God that Pastor Gerardo and his wife Miriam have been given great opportunities to minister the Word of God during this time."

World Missions Hosts Banquet At General Assembly

World Missions kicked of the 73rd International General Assembly activities with a missions banquet on Monday, July 26, 2010.

The theme for this event was “Heritage and Horizons, 100 Years of World Missions Advance.” Stories from the past and dreams of the future were highlighted.The special speakers for the evening were James Beaty, former missionary for 64 years; W. Harold McLeod, retiring field director to Asia Pacific; Otoniel Collins, missionary to Honduras; and Alex Abiola, missionary to Ireland. Each “Hero of Faith” shared of the excitement and challenges of their work on the mission field. Dr. Collins shared, “God makes the impossible, possible. He will open doors where there are no doors.”

Another meaningful aspect of the banquet was the recognition of retiring Missions personnel. Four missionaries have retired this year. Gerhard and Eva Becker, missionaries to Germany are retiring after 33 years of ministry; Field Director to Europe: Central/Easter/CIS, Dieter and Hildegard Knospe are retiring after 36 years of ministry; Bryan and Diane Hersey retire with 28 years of ministry in South America; and after 30 years of ministry, Asia/Pacific Field Director, Harold and Tina McCleod are retiring.

Bryan and Diane Hersey

 Harold and Tina McLeod

73rd General Assembly

The 73rd International General Assembly of the Church of God is scheduled at the end of this month and preparations are well underway.

The Assembly officially begins on Tuesday morning, July 27, rather than Monday evening; however, registration and the exhibit areas will open beginning at 9:00 a.m. Monday, July 26. Church of God World Missions will host a Missions banquet, by invitation only, Monday night. In addition, the first day of sessions (July 27) with the General Council will include an evening session to allow the body of ordained bishops time to elect and nominate leaders. It will also provide opportunity for discussion and debate of the slated agenda of business.

Wednesday evening, July 28, will be the first worship session and special guest will be Rev. Franklin Graham, president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse international ministries. Rev. Tim Hill is the featured speaker for the Missions service on Thursday evening. The general overseer, who will be nominated earlier in the week but elected on Friday afternoon, will deliver his address as the final message to conclude the General Assembly.

All sessions of the Ordained Ministers General Council and evening services will be streamed on the Church of God website. There will be daily news and updates posted to the World Missions website.

Disaster in Guatemala

It has been several days since Tropical Storm Agatha passed through Guatemala leaving a trail of disaster all over the country. Although the volcano, Pacaya, is still very active spewing ash, gas, and rivers of lava, the black snow that covered the city and country has diminished. Indications are that it will take many months to clean up the millions of tons of black snow from the city streets. The area around the volcano is closed and several villages surrounding it have been evacuated.

The results of the tropical storm are cause for more concern. Two hundred people were killed, many are still unaccounted for, thousands of houses have been damaged, and thousands of people are being housed in shelters. Two hundred bridges have been destroyed, and many rivers flooded multiple communities.

Some communities have been cut off from the rest of Guatemala, such a Panajachel, where giant mudslides have closed the main road into town and both bridges collapsed. As the rains continue to fall, we are now faced with major highways collapsing to the north, south, east, and west of the city. For large transport trucks, it is very difficult to take products to the city. As the shortage of grocery products grows, because of the damage to crops and the slow moving traffic, prices at the stores have doubled.

The second sinkhole in zone 2 of Guatemala City has now brought about the evacuation of people from homes another four or five blocks around it as a precaution. We pray for a break in the rain to allow work to be done in some of these areas.

Some schools in the provinces are still closed. There is a great need for clothes, shoes, medicine, and food. Hearts for the Children Ministries located a village blown away by the storm and is supplying food and ministry.

Tom and Elisabeth Allan
Hearts for the Children Ministry
Project Number 1022014

Power of Prayer

Kathy Watson, Missionary to Kenya, shares this powerful testimony:

"Recently, while talking to one of several teenage men that have been saved over the last year in the remote area of Kenya, I discovered the powerful hand of God that is growing these teens in absence of any missionary presence. One 18-year-old spoke about his friend who had been very sick and had no money for the necessary medicine. The two boys agreed together in prayer one night. They testified that as they joined hands and called on God, the one teen was miraculously healed. Even heathens learn that nothing is impossible with God!

Noah and Washington are just two of the seven young men that have been transformed and miraculously changed in the bush area at Rock of Hope Missions Site. They are walking miracles individually, and are seeing many others find the Lord because of their own lives in Jesus!"

Kathy's Project Number 0650855

Casa Shalom Needs YOU!

Jessica and Joshua Hanson, missionaries in Guatemala, serve as administrative assistants at Casa Shalom. They write:

A great opportunity has come up here at Casa Shalom! We just had a team drop out of our summer schedule and we are looking to fill the space with another group. The available dates are July 3^rd-16^th. Whether you have never been to Casa Shalom, it has been awhile since you visited or you are a frequent visitor, consider getting a group together and visiting for a week or two. If those dates don’t work for you, we have others available. We would love to see you at Casa Shalom!

For more information, click here to visit their blog.

MIssions Baby

Check out our new video:

Missions Baby

Work in Kenya: Jabez Missions

February and March have been busy months for us here in Kenya. Jenny recently initiated the women’s meetings and has spoken at two churches, plus began a weekly meeting at one of the rural primary schools. This study encourages girls and women to pursue a pathway to purpose for their lives.

The Sunday services at Springs of Faith recently saw five people saved. We later purchased 40 Bibles for church members who could not afford one. We were also recently guest speakers at Katiani Redeemed Gospel church. After Don delivered the message, the congregation separated into two groups. Don spoke to the men and boys on “Equal to the Task,” and Jenny spoke to women and girls on purpose.

We recently traveled to the large city of Nakuru. This trip had a two-fold purpose. We will be relocating to this area mid-April and are very excited about working with Church of God pastors in the region. During this time we met Pastor Paul, who is the district pastor, and four of the eight pastors under him. We were warmly welcomed and look forward to these new relationships. We also met Bishop Simon, the Regional Bishop in that area, and preached at his church in Molo. Two were saved, several received the Holy Spirit, and several received healings.

While in Molo, we were able to initiate a new woman’s program that means so much to Jenny. Two women (HIV positive) were given start-up money to begin a small business. Both women have four children to feed and educate. One is a widow whose husband infected her and then passed away. The other is a mother whose husband infected her and then left her for another woman. We will enlarge this program with the assistance of the pastors of our churches. Bishop Simon has a nursery school and feeding program for orphan and destitute children at his church and we want to become a partner with him in that endeavor.

So many of our churches were destroyed during the clashes of early 2008, and have never been rebuilt. This is really heartbreaking and we hope to be of some assistance in this area.

The second purpose for this trip was to find a house to live in after we relocate. We found a great place that is the same rent as the one we have in Machakos. It is located high in the hill region overlooking the city of Nakuru and Lake Nakuru game reserve. It is a very safe place and we thank God for directing us to it. We will make the move around April 21st.

Please know how important each of you are in the continuation of this ministry. There is so much more to tell, and God is just opening so many opportunities and venues.

~Don and Jenny Weaver
Jabez Missions-Kenya

Growth In India

The church in India has been growing at a rapid pace. There has been a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit in many areas unknown even to the majority of the Christian population. God has been working in remote and small congregations, too.

The church is pressing onward, sowing the Gospel in the dry region of Karnataka in the midst of intimidation. More churches have awakened to see the need of sending more missionaries to this region that is so desperate for the Gospel.

The increase in the number of attacks on churches in the last couple of months is witness to the spreading of the Gospel once again. Literally, many more militant groups indirectly backed by the present government have been formed to attack churches or wherever worship is in progress. Particularly, house churches and small congregations have been targeted.

Pray that we will be able to see more people gathered into His Kingdom.

~ Rev. Ebenezer A. George
Superintending Pastor
Full Gospel Church in India

Reaching The Unreached in Ethiopia

Within the last couple of years, interest for the work in Ethiopia has increased substantially, particularly through the Ethiopia Committee appointed by Douglas LeRoy, General Director of Church of God World Missions and the support by Hugh Carver of Men and Women of Action. It is inspiring to see how much the people of the Harvest Church of God in Ethiopia themselves are accomplishing for Christ despite their very limited material resources.

The work among the large people group of the Selale-Oromo, one hundred miles north of Addis Ababa, continues to make good progress. In the district town of Kuyu, the Harvest Church is developing a training center for reaching the Selale and other tribes of northern Ethiopia. A multipurpose building for a kindergarten and a church is presently under construction.

Hiruy Tsige, national overseer, recently reported how the Church is now reaching out to the Ghurage, another largely unreached ethnic group of 1.8 million people west of Addis Ababa, the capital city. The Ghurage are deeply involved with Islam. Nevertheless, soon after the Harvest Church of God rallied some 30 workers to plant new churches among them, a congregation of new believers was formed. In December, the government gave land for the first church to be built for the Ghurage people!

Brother Tsige also reported of evangelistic thrusts among other unreached people groups. Several vibrant churches have been established among the Kaffa, a pagan tribe of Western Ethiopia. Among the Sheka people, who live in the mountains near to the Kaffa, God has brought together two strong congregations. And now, the new believers from the Kaffa and Sheka churches are evangelizing their neighboring tribes, such as the Menjas and Mezengir! The Qebegna, a tribe totally sold out to Islam and very antagonistic to the Gospel is being reached. A first church and school is being built for this new work in a nearby town. Ethiopia has more than 80 distinct ethnic tribal groups!

When I was in Ethiopia a year ago, I had the privilege of visiting a number of families in a major slum area of Addis Ababa. It was moving to see the impoverished families respond with much gratitude to the ministry they receive from the Church. In many ways, Ethiopia’s capital has become a modern boom town, but it is still home to a vast number of poor people who are trying to eke out a living in the big city—women by washing clothes for thirty cents a day; men by breaking rocks with a hammer for two dollars a day, and others by begging or giving themselves to prostitution. However, God is using the Harvest Church of God to bring salvation and healing to these destitute but precious people.

~ Heinrich and Lisa Sherz
Missionaries to Ethiopia
Project Number 060-0040

Powerful Earthquake Hits Chile

Field Director of South America, Dr. David Ramirez, reports that a powerful earthquake 8.8, fifth strongest in history, has devastated Chile. Reports indicate it is worse than earlier thought. Over 700 are known dead.

Pastor Manuel Huerta can no longer live in Concepcion for lack of food and water and has relocated to Temuco.

The Villa Olimpica Church, first Church of God in Chile, has been declared a dangerous building and will have to be demolished.

Several church buildings have been damaged, but so far no reports of deaths among the church.

The overseers of Chile are investigating their area and are providing food and water to the needy.

A project number has been established for your gifts.

Chile Earthquake
Project Number 7650043

~ Douglas LeRoy
General Director

Learning To Serve The Most High

Basawaraj is from the Northern Belgaum district of Karnataka state. He was born to Hindu parents and grew up a devout Hindu and faithfully served several Hindu deities. His village has a prayer hall were he attended meetings there regularly, but he still continued to worship his Hindu deities. He reached a point in his life were he plunged into severe depression. He cried out with a loud voice one day saying, “If there is a real God, reveal thyself to me.” Not long after this the pastor of the church in his neighborhood visited his house and shared the gospel with them. As Basawaraj listened to the saving grace of Jesus Christ through the pastor, peace instantly filled his heart. He received Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. A few months later, Basawaraj committed his life to full time ministry and is now enrolled in a ministerial training program with the Full Gospel Church of God in India.

~ Reported by Ebi George from India

Haiti in Shambles

Haitian authorities have confirmed at least 70,000 fatalities, and estimate the final toll may be over 200,000. Hundreds of thousands have been injured, and over 3 million persons are in need of water, food and shelter.

More than 50 percent of the buildings in Port-au-Prince have been destroyed. One reporter said it looks like Tokyo at the end of World War II. Leogana has more than 90 percent of its buildings destroyed.

Relief efforts are difficult because of logistics. There is a severe shortage of fuel. All basic utilities are damaged and at least eight hospitals in Port-au-Prince have collapsed.

Over 6,000 people are packed on the national Church of God campground with 250 injured and 100 dead. Food is being cooked and distributed to the crowd.

Haiti Earthquake Relief
Project Number 7650042

~Douglas LeRoy
General Director

Pray For Haiti

We cannot begin to imagine the thoughts, feelings, and emotions of all the peoples who have been affected by the recent earthquake in Haiti. In times like these it is pivotal that we turn our eyes towards God. We must focus our hearts and minds on Him and pray.

Pray that through this disaster, God is seen. Pray that through this destruction, hearts will turn to the Almighty. Pray that those still lost and hurt in the devastation will be found. Pray that those who are hungry and without homes will be fed and will have shelter.

Pray for Haiti’s Leadership

Overseer Elysee Joseph has passed away from severe injuries suffered during the earthquake.

Gerald Guiteau, Haiti Education Director

Pray for Visitors in Haiti

Lovell and Ginny Cary, along with Lloyd Frazier arrived in Haiti minutes before the earthquake. They were taken to the Dominican Republic and are safe.

Jonathan Ramsey, Administrative Bishop from S New England is in Haiti.

Julian Drive, Contemporary Christian Band, is in Haiti

A team from The Potter’s House in Colombus, OH was ministering to the children at Destiny Village orphanage. Their names are Rick and Brenda Alford, Jeff and Jacob Kreig, Lisa Troyer, Greg Frances, Georgina Gaddy, Toni Schultz, Barbara McGeehan, and Dawn Cotton.

Pray for the Churches and Congregations

There are over 250,000 Church of God members in Haiti with over 750 churches and over 300 missions. Several churches run over 5,000 in attendance. We do know some churches have been destroyed.

Pray for the Schools, Clinics and the Hospital in Haiti

There is a Church of God institution, Seminarie Biblique, along with over 100 primary and elementary schools. There are medical clinics and a hospital; however we do not know their condition and ability to serve the hurting.

Pray for the Orphanages

Haiti Home for Children

Destiny Village (70 miles away from Port au Prince but affected by unavailability to buy food supplies that route through Port au Prince.)

Children’s Feeding Centers

Keep Praying For Haiti

Haiti Hit By Earthquake

On January 12, 2010 Haiti was devastated with a 7.0 earthquake. At least 24 after shocks occurred. Former General Director Lovell and Ginny Cary and missionary Lloyd Frazier arrived in Haiti for a conference a few minutes prior to the earthquake. They were affected but are safe.

We do not yet have an assessment of damage to our schools, orphanages, and churches. We have had limited contact since the disaster. Our largest church (8,000 members) is located near the Palace which suffered damage.

In Haiti we have 1,068 churches and missions, and over 250,000 members. We have had ministry in Haiti since 1933. Please pray for our people’s safety and provisions.

World Missions will send supplies and personnel as the opportunity avails itself. If you wish to contribute funds, send to Haiti Disaster Relief, Project 765-0042 .

We will keep you posted as we receive news.

~Douglas LeRoy
General Director