So That All May Hear...

2010-08-12T11:32:00.000-04:00

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

2010-08-05T10:30:00.000-04:00

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

2010-07-08T15:27:00.000-04:00

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

2010-06-25T11:21:00.000-04:00

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

2010-06-10T15:09:00.000-04:00

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!

2010-04-08T13:55:00.002-04:00

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

2010-04-01T14:09:00.003-04:00

Check out our new video:

Missions Baby

Work in Kenya: Jabez Missions

2010-03-31T13:36:00.000-04:00

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

2010-03-22T10:01:00.000-04:00

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

2010-03-18T09:37:00.000-04:00

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

2010-03-01T15:38:00.000-05:00

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

2010-02-12T14:26:00.000-05:00

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

2010-01-20T14:42:00.000-05:00

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

2010-01-18T15:40:00.000-05:00

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

2010-01-14T14:44:00.000-05:00

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

Liberia: Looking forward with great vision

2009-12-08T12:32:00.000-05:00

Education Coordinator to Africa, Jurgen Rudolph, recently visited Liberia for the first time. He says, “I spent about a week in the capital city, Monrovia, with the national overseer, Moses Hart, and Bible school director, David Kiamue. One day we traveled far and deep into the rubber tree plantations and rainforest. It was the only day when rain was not pouring down, but we still got our car stuck in the rainforest. However, God and half a village helped us push the car free.
Together with Richard Baker, project coordinator for World Missions, and national leaders, we visited around 10 churches. The Church of God in the U.S. supports the reconstruction of church buildings that were destroyed during the war. It is overwhelming to see the pastors and leaders, who despite the past war and having been refugees, serve God and the needy Liberians with joy and compassion. The Church of God in Liberia does not look at the past tragedies and losses, but looks forward in a very visionary manner.”

Testimony From Scotland

2009-11-13T11:19:00.002-05:00

During the summer, 11 year old Christopher Park suffered a paralyzing stroke after minor surgery. Since birth Chris has suffered from epilepsy. Doctors were sure he had a seizure while anesthetized resulting in the paralysis. Churches in Scotland and the USA were praying for him. After several weeks he was able to leave the hospital. A recent scan showed no permanent damage. Doctors have confirmed that he no longer has epilepsy!

~ This testimony as sent in by Dennis Tanner, National Overseer of Scotland

LIfe As A Missionary Kid

2009-10-27T10:23:00.001-04:00

Life is not easy for the missionary kid; we move, we lose and we start again. We leave our friends and family, we learn the rough side of this world, we see things regular kids do not see, we feel things regular people don’t feel and most of all; we will never completely fit in. We learn to help ourselves and sometimes forget we need help from the outside as well. Maybe we feel like that some days, but on the other side, we learn to enjoy and take every moment as unique. We see the world and its beauties, we gain wisdom and learn to trust God, and he reveals himself to us and teaches us how to trust him.

We are blessed; we learn to fight through the tough things of this life, we see the color in people’s hearts, we learn what’s wrong with this world and we look and think about ways to fix it. We learn that we cant completely fit in because we are not like most kids, and then we embrace that difference, we learn to live with it and love it and then come to a conclusion that we are that difference. There’s always the chance that the hearts of the people we meet along the way are gray and without color, even though there’s always a chance of people making us feel different and telling us how we don’t fit in and involuntarily, they blur our eyes and we forget about our purpose and value. But even though all of those things eventually happen, we look back and see change, and then we look forward and suddenly expect greatness.

We look back at those tough moments in our lives and just can’t describe how God has always been there for us, how even though those storms seemed never-ending, He opened the clouds and gave us light again. He didn’t let go when we were certain we were about to. We felt His warmth when everything around us was cold. Then we look to our present and even though it might seem horrible and without a way out, we know someone is looking out for us, and that that someone will bring back the light again. Suddenly we feel peace and tranquility, we feel that nothing is wrong, we know that everything is going to be okay. There is a back door to our problem and our guide will help us find it.

Being in constant movement is not easy; we see even the truest of friendships die and we are forced to start new ones, we leave our friends and when we come back they are not the same. Then when we finally settle down we love, but at the same time hate, having missionary friends; we love having them because they understand what we go through, they know our situation and they sympathize with us. But as we grow accustomed to them we hate having them because we know that soon they are going to leave and we will be strangers again. But now I understand the great beauty of them, we learn to enjoy every moment together because it might be the last one, we don’t take them for granted because on a level we depend on them, they become our brothers and sisters and also a rock where we can lay down our heads and just let go of the craziness of the world around us.

What if everybody was like that? What if everybody was able to experience the world and start over again? What if friends were friends and they counted each moment as their last so there wouldn’t be any regrets?

Fernando Ramirez
Missionary Kid

Fernando Ramirez is the son of David Ramirez, field director to South America.

Using Media Missions

2009-09-17T13:29:00.001-04:00

It is finally a reality! MediaLight will open its doors from January 5-March 21, 2010, at our base in Chiang Rai, Thailand. This is an intensive 10 week program for those who are serious about being a light to this dark world. We will cover personal life management, spirituality for ministry, the core teachings of Jesus and what it means to be a Christian leader.

Half the time and energy will be spent on learning how to be a messenger through modern media, especially video made for the Internet. Room, board and tuition for the first session will be only $2,500. Students from developing nations can benefit from a $1,250 tuition discount. All Asian nations, except Singapore, Japan and Korea, qualify for the developing nations scholarship.

* There are only 25 slots in this special, hands-on program and only 12 are left, so if you are interested you need to sign up soon. Contact Jacki Quinley at info@emergenetwork.org. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it, who is serving as our registrar.
* We have an outstanding slate of teachers from the Philippines, America, South Africa and Thailand, including Graham and Dianne Vermooten from Media Village in Cape Town, and also Paul Richardson from Path of Palms, a full-scale media production house.

These ten weeks could change your life!

~Chuck and Sherry Quinley,
Missionary to Thailand
Project Number 0600031

Social Networking Missions

2009-09-01T12:58:00.001-04:00

Most of us can remember when E-mail was considered the most cutting-edge means of communication available. In recent years, the prevalence of social networking sites like Myspace, and particularly Facebook, have broadened the means for electronic communication.

Why would people elect to communicate through Facebook rather than E-mail? For many users, Facebook is an invaluable tool for gathering information in a timely manner. "People tend to log onto social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace before they check their own E-mail nowadays," says Brandon Spell, graphic designer for the World Missions Media Team. "Because of this, Facebook has become a great way to share and gather information quickly."

Vernice Blackaby, secretary to the assistant director, agrees. "Surprisingly, many missionaries send me official requests through Facebook instead of through E-mail," she says. "Many of the missionaries post their newsletters and blogs on Facebook."

Along with posting blogs, articles and photos, many social networking users communicate by sharing information through their "status updates," where users share a sentence or two about their current activities. According to Blackaby, sharing information in this way is useful for maintaining closer, more immediate contact with missionaries than would be possible through E-mail or telephone. "My favorite part about using Facebook is keeping up with [missionaries] and their families since everyone uses Facebook to write what is going on in their personal lives," she continues. "I like to know them not just as missionaries, but also through their personal every-day family lives."

Social networking sites like Facebook make it easier to connect with other users quickly in critical situations. Yvette Morales, WM projects secretary, shares, "For me, Facebook has been very useful for getting in touch with our people in the field. When attempts at gathering urgent information through E-mail and telephone contact are unsuccessful, I generally receive replies to Facebook messages in less than 15 minutes.

"This is a very effective tool and it really does make my job easier," Morales concludes. “I’m grateful for the role social networking plays in helping to reach the lost around the world.”

~ Lisa Campagna, World Missions staff member
Lisa is also part of the heart, vision, action team of World Missions

Ministering to Muslims

2009-08-25T14:39:00.002-04:00

Vance Massengill, education coordinator for the Mediterranean and Middle East shares:

I recently returned to Croatia after a summer of classes. In the coming months, we are planning on making trips to Israel, Greece, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and hopefully Lebanon.

Although school was really tiring, it certainly recharged my batteries. One of my classes focused on Muslim evangelism and church planting. The Muslim world is growing so fast, even in the United States. During the class, we visited a mosque... in Springfield, Missouri. It was absolutely full of people. Although Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, God is at work and moving in the Muslim world. There is so much to be done, but with the power of the Holy Spirit and a determined church body, the tides can be turned and Muslims can come to understand the love of Christ.

My second class was on using a cultural anthropological approach to leadership training. This fall I will be teaching "cultural anthropology" and "leadership development." We are excited and challenged at the opportunity to work in the Middle East (the front lines of the Great Commission) and help develop and train the leaders, ministers and missionaries of God's future church.

We are excited and challenged at the opportunity to work in the Middle East and help develop and train the leaders, ministers and missionaries. To be able to minister to the Muslim world today and prepare others to do it tomorrow is our heart's greatest desire and we thank God for the blessing we have to do both.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vance and Kari Massengill
Education Coordinator
Mediterranean/Middle East
Project Number 0650069

A Testimony of Perseverance

2009-07-31T13:47:00.001-04:00

The following is a testimony from Sudan:

Gabriel was led by the Lord to preach to the Chad tribe in the Nuba Mountains. There is a very strong Muslim presence in this tribe. Although the people of the village were very friendly towards Gabriel and his friends, the men told the women not to give them any food.

As the days went by, Gabriel realized they weren’t going to get any nourishment. He decided to stay and fast, but his friends went back to their village. As time went by, Gabriel realized they were going to starve him to death. He decided to travel to a nearby village, buy some food and return to the Chad tribe. He traveled by foot and it took him a day to get there. He ate his own food for two or three days and then went without for a few days.

This went on for nine months. Gabriel’s friends, who came to visit him, pleaded with him to go back to his own village and stop witnessing to the Chad tribe but he refused. As the rainy season approached, he realized he needed to go back to his own village for the time of the rainy season. Before he left, God opened the ears of some of the young children to listen to him. He told them he would return after the rainy season. The adults of the village laughed as he left, saying this preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ will never come back again.

A few months later, Gabriel returned to the village of the Chad tribe, preaching again the gospel of Jesus Christ. The adults were very surprised when he returned. How wrong he would prove them to be! Today there is a small church in the Chad tribe because a servant of God chose to preach the gospel in and out of season!

World Missions Centennial

2009-06-18T11:25:00.002-04:00

World Missions is gearing up for our 100th anniversary in January 2010!

Please visit our centennial website for details on all the celebratory events and to read about our history.

Click here: Centennial Website

Backpacking A Success

2009-04-13T15:39:00.002-04:00

Backpacks seem like a strange tool for sharing the Gospel but when God gives an idea there is a purpose. They have helped open doors, first with the local partners but more importantly with the people on the streets.

Our first four days were spent in the city of Debrecen, Hungary's second largest city. After meetings with the local partners to introducing ourselves, they invited us to see their ministries. The Reformed Church has a day shelter where they feed up to 60 people. They also have Bible study and worship time. In the evening several of these same people find refuge in a government-funded night shelter.

Much of our time was spent on the streets visiting homeless in various places. Our guide was Christina, a full time social worker and committed servant. She took us to many places including the woods where two brothers lived in a makeshift tent, to the dump where a couple lived in an old train car trailer and then to the train station. We visited the homeless in parks, on the street and in temporary shelters out in fields.

As we presented the backpacks, we told them that many people and churches back in America were involved with gathering goods and putting together the gifts. "Those same people are praying for you even now," we told them. We showed them the many items in the bag and explained the space blanket. Then we gave the most important gift in the bag...the Bible. Some were familiar with the Bible others were not. Some had tears as we told them of God's love for them and shared the message of His word. Especially moving were the words, “God knows you, He loves you, and He has not forgotten you. He hears your prayers.”

The impressions left on all of us will not fade easily. I know without a doubt some lives were changed as the result of a simple backpack. Of the 30 bags given in Debrecen, for certain five people had a visible encounter with the living Spirit of God. Of course there were the naysayers in the balcony telling us our efforts were in vain. They said many of the backpacks were sold for alcohol or cigarettes at a fraction of their value. They did not understand. We did not come to watch the people carry backpacks and use the contents of these gifts. We were there to obey the Father’s directive to be givers in His name. The results are in the mighty hands of Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. May His name be blessed!

As a result of this trip a new ministry is being birthed here in Debrecen. Someday they hope to have a rehabilitation center complete with a church just for the homeless. The ultimate vision is to bring the talents of each organization together to change lives in Jesus’ name. God's plan is large and He will enlist our many hands.

~Jason and Valeria Wiser (Missionaries to Ukraine)

Life As A Missionary in Russia

2009-03-26T09:42:00.002-04:00

Six weeks of my three months in Moscow have now passed at the Church of God Eurasian Seminary. There is plenty of noise; someone practicing the piano in the room below me every night, traffic all day and night on a major boulevard in front of the building, small children of some married students running down the hall with a toy, etc.

Missionary Cravings

Russian food is nutritious here at the school but the budget does not allow for a lot of creativity and the menu is repetitious. It is normal for me to start thinking often of American food after I have been in another country over a month. Funny thing is that I crave things that I rarely order in the U.S. because of awareness of eating healthy. But at the moment a big fat hamburger with everything on it and a chocolate milkshake with real ice cream would taste mighty good.

Ministry Trips

My teaching is scheduled during the middle of each week so that I have long weekends for ministry/teaching trips to cities where I have established relationships during the past 16 years. The first one was in mid-February. I went to Izhevsk near Siberia, my adopted Russian town since 1995. Four days were filled with fellowship, church services, dinners in my honor and much tea drinking and food.

Church members wept on my shoulder, hovering around me with hugs and Russian kisses. These expressions of love come from the closeness developed during seven years there, living like they live, helping them be established in Christianity and teaching the Bible. I am now introduced as the spiritual mother of the people, a title I feel humbled to hear.

The Need to “Own”

The current situation for all denominations in Russia has been hard on the growth of Christianity. The Russian Orthodox Church has much clout in the government and has always objected to evangelical growth. They pressured the government to issue an ordinance preventing any public building to be rented to a religious organization.

Of course this did not affect those with their own building, but those are few, and churches with sizable congregations that formerly rented a large cultural hall or theater were forced into small places rented by private individuals. Attendance has declined greatly everywhere. The seminary building is presently being used by three different congregations.

~ Jeanette Chesser (Missionary to Russia)

Until All Have Heard

2009-03-19T09:32:00.000-04:00

Church of God World Missions approaches the beginning of its second centennial with thanksgiving and optimism. We are indeed grateful for our past.

On January 4, 1910, our first missionaries, R.M. and Ida Evans, joined with Edmund and Rebecca Barr in beginning the first overseas work for the church in Nassau, Bahamas. Today, we have over 28,000 local congregations in 168 countries (not including the United States of America and Canada) with over six million members.

But our task is not finished. Christ commanded us to go into all the world and make disciples in all nations. We cannot stop … until all have heard.

As we look at the future, World Missions envisions five particular goals:

*Unreached People Groups (We have targeted 70 unreached people groups to introduce the Good News of Jesus.)

*Local Church Missions Involvement (We want every local church praying, giving and sending. Missions flows out of the local church. World Missions is committed to assisting every local congregation in getting personally involved in fulfilling the Great Commission. This involves everyone – the young and the old.)

*Communicate Specifically (We will provide information and tools to share the message of Christ and what His Kingdom workers are doing).

*Training (We are committed to making disciples and training workers and ministers. We want to provide educational opportunities for anyone fulfilling Christ’s mandate.)

*Helping the Poor and Needy (Christ told us to care for the less fortunate. We will provide ministry and resources to touch the lives of those who are impoverished and lonely.)

Together, we will finish the Great Commission assignment.

Douglas LeRoy

The Great Commission

2009-03-10T09:28:00.000-04:00

World Missions Director Douglas LeRoy says, “Great Commission Christians are missional in vision and actions. Winning souls and discipling believers is the mission and priority of every believer.

The supreme task of the church is the evangelization of the world. We must fulfill the task assigned by Christ before He ascended back to the Father. It is described in Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-20; Luke 24:47-48; John 20:21; and Acts 1:8. The heart of World Missions is to fulfill the Great Commission. Every ministry that flows from World Missions is related to a proper response to this command from Christ. We are committed to fulfilling it ‘until all have heard.’

Our General Overseer has set three goals for the church during 2008-10. We in World Missions embrace them. Our projections flow out of these three goals:

Prayer

Great Commission
* Initiate ministry among the 60 unreached people groups targeted.
* Win one million souls to Christ, and plant 1,000 new churches.
* Increase World Missions receipts to $40 million and reduce administrative costs by 10%.
* Mobilize LMRs in 30% of our 2,100 churches and mobilize a short-term missionary movement of all age groups.

Trust
* Improve the communications of World Missions so that current information is quickly available to all.
* Celebrate World Missions Centennial.
* Establish a training program for field directors, regional superintendents, national overseers, and field reps.

By joining hands we will create a team united in action and spirit to do God's work in these final hours. We invite you to join the team. Together, we can make an eternal difference.”

Hope for the Hopeless: Rwanda (YWEA Project 2009)

2009-02-10T13:49:00.000-05:00

Rwanda is home to 10.1 million people and has the densest population on continental Africa. In 1990 a civil war began thus exacerbating ethnic tensions between the Tutsis and the Hutus (the two main tribes in Rwanda with the Hutus being the majority). The war culminated in 1994 in the genocide of roughly 800,000 Tutsis in a period of 100 days.

This troubling recent history brought about economic upheaval, political strife and ongoing social issues. According to UNICEF the greatest challenge Rwanda faces today is caring for the more than one million orphans, who were a result of the genocide. Another serious issue is the fact that more than 100,000 children are the primary caregivers in over 42,000 homes.

The Church of God suffered greatly during the genocide. Some who are pastors today saw their entire family slaughtered and corruption within the church further destroyed the church. However new leadership has arisen and the Church of God is growing again. There are only 11 Church of God congregations in a nation of million people.

YWEA hopes to help Rwanda
- establish a national headquarter church in Kigali
- build an Orphans and Vulnerable Children Center
- provide vocational training to widows and orphans.

Please join YWEA and help us help rebuild Rwanda.

Hope for the Hopeless: Kibera Slums (YWEA 2009 Project)

2009-02-04T15:37:00.003-05:00

Kibera, Kenya has one of the largest slums in the world. Everyday kids lose their parents to AIDS and are left to survive in these slums. The YWEA 2009 project in Kenya will focus on the Kibera Kids Center Orphanage.

In 2001, God planted the seed of the Kibera Orphanage in the hearts of Jim and Deborah Womble and that seed has grown into a wonderful “Oasis of Hope”. Planted on a high hill overlooking the world’s largest slum - which encompasses 630 acres, the Kibera Kids Center is the home to young boys and girls whose mothers and fathers have died from AIDS leaving them homeless and hopeless. Here they receive care that includes food, a warm dry bed, clean clothes, clean fresh water, loving care givers, schooling and medical care - everything a child needs.

However, there are two pressing issues that face this orphanage. Financial shortfall has left its mark on this wonderful and beautiful place. Recently, Deborah cried as she recounted the horrible day she was forced to tell 80 of the children that they had to return to the slums of Kibera because there were insufficient operational funds to feed and care for them. Many of these children returned to abuses such as forced prostitution, hunger, and even death.

There are currently over 100 children still at the orphanage. While we praise God for their care, just over the fence enclosure it is estimated that more than 500,000 children live in utter hopelessness. Poverty, hunger, and abuse are the only emotions that many of these children ever experience.

Another sad note is that Kibera Kids Center has the ability to house and care for almost 400 children, if they simply had the operational funds.

James 1:27 says "Pure and lasting religion before God our Father mean that we must care for orphans..." We hope you will partner with YWEA and help care for these orphans in Kenya.

Blessing The Children - Honduras

2009-01-21T16:20:00.002-05:00

One does not realize how much impact an event has until they read the responses. The last few weeks over Christmas I have been reading what the Lee students are writing about their trip they recently took to Honduras. The students made 300 hygiene packs filled with soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss and a comb that we distributed on the Bordo. While giving them out, we distributed a flyer about the children’s crusade that we would be doing the next day. At least 250 children came and we had an awesome service where about 40 accepted Christ as their Savior.

After the service we gave 125 food baskets to the families of the church. This was a major blessing considering that many of them live on tortillas and beans most of the time. Many of these children are malnourished and infected with parasites and worms. Bloated bellies are a common sight on the Bordo considering that they have little food and the source for washing clothes, drinking water, bathing water and wastewater is all the same.

That evening we went to Hogar Esperanza, the Church of God orphanage, and Lee University had made gift packets for each child. These children were so blessed by these gifts and you could see it on each of their faces. You could also see it on the face of the director, Angie. She said later that she did not know what she was going to do for the kids for Christmas and was so thankful for the Lee team coming. On another day part of the team came back and painted the boys’ dorm rooms.

One of the most impacting moments was at Nueva Esperanza, the government-run orphanage. It is like a prison for children. There are about 160 children in the orphanage, and about 30 of them are babies. When I asked to go into the baby room they told us that they did not want us to pick up the babies. The reason for this is that there are only two workers and they do not have time to hold all the babies. When others hold the babies they cry for the rest of the day wanting to be held. It was a pitiful sight. They did not even have diapers or enough food, however we brought diapers and Orphan Helpers brought food that day. Also about 10 people from the group spent three hours in the baby room holding and loving on those precious children. We held a service with Orphan Helpers and gave gifts and food to the children. Men and women alike had tears flowing down their cheeks as they exited the orphanage.

The rest of our time was spent painting the outside of the Deaf Center and the School for the Bordo Children. We are working on establishing the school as an official project of the Church of God. We have plenty of children who want to come and we have a facility that will hold at least 140 children. However we need teachers and that requires funds, which the children do not have. Thanks to the group, we were able to give the school a facelift and for the 60 to 70 children that are already attending, they have hope and a nicer environment to learn.

Paul and Kim Dyar
Missionaries to Honduras
Project Number 0650812

Christmas in Peru

2008-12-31T15:24:00.000-05:00

On December 8, 2008, E.L. Turner, Don Braswell and I led a group of 27 people to Chimbote, Peru, to minister for nine days. The trip was a great success and many were touched by the hand of God through various avenues of His Spirit. The ones that went to give also received a blessing through God speaking directly to them via village children, or just by seeing people that have so little give back the gift of love.

During the children crusades, the story of Jesus was told and the call of salvation was given - 708 children accepted Jesus. Fifteen hundred treat bags (small toy, toothbrush, tooth paste, pencils, crayons, a little candy and bubble gum) were handed out. This is the only Christmas they would receive.

Some team members went to the local prison. There they gave out toilet tissue, toothbrushes and toothpaste to inmates. The inmates were spoken to through personal testimony and the Word of God. The conditions were beyond description. Babies are brought to their mothers during the day and taken out at night. Someone has to bring your meals, and if you have no one then you work for a meal. There were 33 in the women’s group of which 17 came to know Christ. In the men’s group, 95 out of 185 accepted Jesus into their hearts!

Don Seeders
Short-term Missionary to South America
Project Number 0650501

Lee University Joins World Missions To Support Missions in Honduras

2008-11-18T16:43:00.006-05:00

Each year, Lee University sets aside one week to emphasize missions and to invite God to show students their responsibility to the Great Commission.

Since 1992, Lee has called this event the Dee Lavender Memorial Missions Week. Dee Lavender was a 21-year-old junior intercultural studies major preparing for a life in missions. In the summer of 1991 while in Panama doing her ISP practicum, Dee died suddenly, leaving behind a legacy of total commitment to God’s work.

Lee has decided to support two projects this year, both located in Honduras. Hogar Esperanza (Hope House), under the direction of Angela McInvale, is an orphanage and a place of refuge that currently houses 18-20 children. Fifty percent of the population of Honduras is under the age of 15. Abused, abandoned and neglected children are residents of this House of Hope.

The children arrive starved for love, food, education and the knowledge of the love of God. Dormitories, classrooms and recreational areas need to be built. Food and medicine need to be supplied. The need is great!

The Logos International Ministry Center is a deaf ministry based in Honduras. Educational obstacles for the deaf in Honduras are great – the deaf are denied a public education and most never learn how to read, write or communicate. Their culture devalues and ignores them, making everyday tasks such as riding a bus or going to the store extremely difficult. “They’re isolated,” said Cheryl Humphries, missionary to the deaf community there. “They can’t even communicate with each other because their sign language is not developed.”

Cheryl and her late husband, Curt, developed Honduran sign language in an effort to communicate with the deaf, including teaching children and adults about the love of Christ.

The deaf in Honduras are eager to learn, and their need for schools, teachers and curriculum are great. Hondurans are ten times more likely to be deaf than Americans, due to the lack of medical care and immunizations. There are no public schools for the deaf and only three private schools for the estimated 70,000 Honduran deaf.

All of the proceeds given to Lee Missions Week this year will be matched by an outside donor and be divided among both projects.

Oh Swaziland!

2008-08-21T15:33:00.001-04:00

Skinny dogs are barking outside today. It’s amazing how deafening (beautifully so) each and every sound in this valley is. The valley operates as a chamber of music: children’s voices, cow bells jingling, roosters crowing, goats bleating, Swati chatter, laughter, the shuffle of feet on dusty paths—all mingled together and bubbling at the surface, greeting my happy ears at the top of this (surprisingly) lush valley. I could listen and sit on this ledge all day.

Spending the first of many weeks this summer in Sub-Saharan Africa, I am living in a Zulu hut atop a valley in a tiny little village called Herefords in the kingdom of Swaziland. Who knew that a dry, impoverished, land-locked country could be so gorgeous and inviting? The people here are fascinating, and equally fascinated by us (myself and my one other teammate from America). I think that what I have been astounded by the most this week is their willingness to give me a chance—to trust and believe that even as a young person I actually have something legitimate to offer. I don’t run into the same problems here that I might run into in America; if I want to preach or teach I’m given full liberties to do so here. 1 Timothy 4:12 has constantly been ringing in my ears, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” And oddly enough, in my pursuit of “setting an example” I haven’t been looked down upon—I’ve been embraced. And I so often forget that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead (!) lives inside of me too. If these Swazi people—people from half way across the globe who I have only just begun to know—can recognize this in me, then it’s about time that I started recognizing it in myself too, and walking in it…

Oh Swaziland, how could I fall in love so quickly? I am much more attached to this place—this orange earth, these wondering eyes and pearly smiles—then I had ever anticipated. All this time I thought “I’ll just make it through, I’m not expected much,” but I was wrong in so many ways. Once the people acknowledged my presence in the village and the children didn’t shy away from me, once I learned a little Swati and speaking it, once I looked at the stars enough, and got used to falling asleep to the sound of dogs barking and waking up to goat bells and roosters crowing, once I let God take care of me—then I knew they had me—then I knew I was hooked. And although I’m leaving this little village in five days time the people of Herefords are showing me more and more every day about God’s inconceivable fullness…for I am already full to overflowing.

*This is a revamped journal entry from Thursday May 17th, 2007, during my intercultural studies internship with Lee University. The bulk of my stay was in South Africa but my first excursion with my team (and really my first major exposure to Africa) during the beginning of the internship was to Swaziland for a week. I also spent two weeks at the end of the winter in Mozambique, but the majority of the stay was in South Africa where we did every type of ministry, outreach and humanitarian work imaginable (no joke). Marie Chiara

Marie is Lee graduate who majored in Intercultural Studies.

Culture Changes Everything

2008-07-21T13:43:00.015-04:00

Culture changes everything. I have numerous embarrassing, comical, and even tragic stories from my previous visits to Cambodia that can support this fact. Every year is a cultural learning experience and this year has been no different.

Visiting the garbage dump was one of the most sobering experiences of the trip. Hundreds of people live amongst the mounds of garbage. They spend their days wandering through the waste in search of plastic or anything valuable that can be exchanged for money.

The thought running through my head that day and for the rest of the trip has been, “No one deserves to live like this.”

Learning what these people think about their living conditions has moved me to tears. In a culture that accepts a religion that believes in reincarnation, the Cambodian people believe that the life they were born into is a direct result of a previous life. Each time I see a beggar with a missing limb, a child with a swollen belly, and a family that has made its home on a lake or on a mound of garbage, my heart is broken. It is impossible for me to understand that these people dare not to hope of a better future.

I have found little comfort for I know that no matter how much I wish to change the life of each of these people, it is impossible for one 18 year old girl to reach out to every person in this impoverished country. In my devotions this morning, I was reminded of a verse that I have read many times. In light of the things that I have seen the past few weeks, Jeremiah 29:11 has a new meaning to me. “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

Imagine what this verse would say to people that believe they deserve to live in a garbage dump. Imagine what it would be like for these people to learn that God, the creator of the heavens and the earth, has a plan for their lives – a plan that includes prosperity, a hope and a future.

My comfort is in knowing that God changes everything.

Melissa Minay traveled in June 2008 to Cambodia with People for Care and Learning. People for Care and Learning (PCL) is a Non-Profit Humanitarian Foundation, chartered in 2001, to provide "Care and Learning" opportunities around the world to give the poor a "working chance.

Change the Youth, Change the Nation

2008-06-27T15:20:00.017-04:00

In January-July of 2007, I worked with missionaries in South Africa. The missions work was a little bit of everything--children's ministry, youth ministry, school assemblies, women's meetings, door-to-door evangelism, compassion ministry to HIV/AIDS victims, and much more.

While there, God confirmed the call on my life into full-time missions work. The youth of South Africa need the hope of Jesus Christ.

If we can change the youth of a nation, we change the nation.

~ Sarah Careins

Sarah Careins is a newly-appointed missionary with the Assemblies of God. She hopes to return to South Africa in April of 2009. She will be serving the youth of South Africa, training disciples and leaders in youth ministry.

Relief in Myanmar

2008-05-29T16:46:00.008-04:00

Cyclone Nargis recently wrecked havoc in Myanmar. The estimated death total has reached up to 134,000 people.

In addition to the staggering number of deaths, confusion about allowing aid workers and supplies into the country delayed needed medicine, food and drinking water. The Church of God has 22 churches, four missions, over 2,200 members and an orphanage in the areas affected by the storm. Some churches and members’ homes have been damaged or destroyed. The orphanage has also been damaged, and the need for food, water, and others supplies is great.

World Missions Field Director for Asia/Pacific W. Harold McLeod and Special Projects Coordinator Richard Baker were able to travel to Myanmar. With the help of a Muslim businessman who translated for them, Baker and McLeod were able to get food to three refugee camps.

“When we arrived the refugees had no food,” said Baker. “We were able to bring them rice, pasta, salt, and beans.” While handing out food to the refugees, some food fell to the ground. The people were so desperate for food they fought to eat it off the ground. Baker further states: “God was definitely in this. He put people in our paths to help get the food where it needed to go. Only God could have Christians, Buddhists, and Muslims working side by side in an effort to bring relief to a hurting nation.”

If you would like contribute funds to help with relief supplies, please contact our office (1-800-535-9343) and designate your donations to:

Project # 765-0039 - Myanmar Disaster Relief.

Sharing Bread

2008-05-12T08:21:00.006-04:00

The bread ministry team at Lee University woke up early every Saturday morning to hand out various items--mainly bread, bagels, and treats. Our goal was to reach people through our actions. This did not usually entail an intense Bible study or prayer, but rather a smiling face and helping hand. Yet, for weeks, there were no real opportunities to witness, and we were becoming discouraged.

On one particularly cold and damp winter morning, we prepared for our routine of handing out bread in low-income areas and shelters. This morning, however, we met some people waiting outside of an abandoned building. Within moments, we divided into prayer groups. People began showing us the magnitude of their need. Together we wept at the sight of an elderly man severely underweight, crippled and abandoned. That day turned into weeks. From a humble bread ministry of 3 people, God began building lasting bonds and souls for His Kingdom.

It still astonishes me the way God works through our weaknesses. Even here in Cleveland, where hundreds of churches exist, He reaches out to the poor and weak of heart. He provides His redemption and allows us ambassadors to delight in Him. What a privilege it is to those blessed and burdened by His call!

- Melody Bonilla

Melody (far right) graduated in May 2008 from Lee University. She was an Intercultural Studies major.

Making Disciples Instead of Converts

2008-04-21T09:56:00.007-04:00

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’” (Matthew 28:18-20, NIV)

I wake up for yet another day of my 10-week intercultural studies internship in Cambodia, fully aware of the tropical heat, dusty streets, and eventful day that await me. After eating some breakfast and running around, as usual, trying to get ready in time to leave, my two internship teammates and I leave our apartment and head out for the orphanage a few minutes outside of Siem Reap town. Today will not be a typical day, for my two teammates and I will be helping a short-term missions team from the U.S. conduct a one-day Vacation Bible School at the orphanage for the orphans and the children from the surrounding community. We arrive at the orphanage and, upon the short-term team’s arrival, strategize and commence the day’s activities. My job is to pass out coloring books and crayons to each of the rotating groups of children that come into my small classroom. Simple enough.

Today becomes a significant point of reflection for me, but not so much due to my repetitive yet fast-paced rotating coloring regimen. Instead, I find the day to be particularly significant when I meet a young Cambodian boy with a clear dedication to conscientious coloring. Unlike many of the children who, like many American children, fail to remain or to even strive to remain inside the lines, this young boy has obvious concern for the quality of his work. When it is time for the boys’ group to finish coloring and meet the other children in the mess hall to eat lunch and conclude Vacation Bible School, the boy asks me, nonverbally of course, if he can keep his box of crayons. This presents a dilemma, for while the children are supposed to keep their coloring books, I have no permission to give them the crayons. I struggle to communicate to the little boy that I will ask someone and give him the crayons if I can.

Now I have something really substantial to do today, for the coloring books the children have been coloring tell the story of Jesus, and, if the little boy I’ve met takes a box of crayons home, I really believe he will take the time to color his coloring book and learn of Jesus every page along the way. I ask around about giving the boy the crayons and, eventually, find the little boy again and discreetly hand him his gift of colored wax. I’ve done my deed.

But have I? There’s no doubt in my mind that I’ve done the right thing, no doubt that it is good for the little boy to have those crayons and to color his story-of-Jesus coloring book. There is doubt about how much I’ve really done, however, and about how the story will progress or end. By the end of my internship, after one of my teammates and I have given a Khmer-English Bible to two of our Buddhist friends, this question is not just something that I’m forced to think about in terms of one pack of crayons, one little boy, and one story-of-Jesus coloring book. This question is something I’m forced to think about in terms of missions in general.

So many times those of us with a heart for missions pride ourselves on how many “converts” we can claim. Perhaps we even pride ourselves on how many “seeds” we’ve planted, never really being concerned with how those seeds are watered or what fruit those seeds bear. Aside from the fact that missions should be about working for a greater realization of the kingdom of God and not just about saving souls, when we’re specifically talking about confessing Christ as Lord and Savior, we need to understand that Jesus’ desire is not converts but disciples (Matthew 28:19). And here we find the down-and-dirty work of the many long-term missionaries on the field. My giving crayons to the little boy who wanted to keep coloring his story-of-Jesus coloring book was undoubtedly a worthy action, not unlike giving a Bible to a Buddhist friend.

Yet, as someone in Cambodia for only a short time, I must acknowledge the limitations of my actions and highly value the ongoing efforts of the long-term missionaries who work day and night not only sowing but also watering and reaping the harvest. Only as we come to understand the significance of making disciples instead of converts can those of us involved in short-term internships or missions trips understand our true place of supporting the work of the missionaries in it for the long haul.

May the hard work be done in this world, Lord, and may You use us in whatever way You see fit to accomplish Your purpose. Amen.

~ Breanna Dillon

Breanna is a senior intercultural studies major at Lee University. She traveled to Cambodia for her required 10-week internship during the summer of 2007.

A Handful of Hope

2008-03-19T15:55:00.008-04:00

Just a few nights ago, Dad and I met with Leinie and Norvie (two incredible missionaries) and a handful of Thai Christians to talk about planting a youth church here in Chang Rai. If you are a Christian in Thailand, you are most probably ostracized by your family and your culture as a whole. It’s not because Thais don’t like Christians. In fact, one young man, Job, has been very interested in Christianity since he met Norvie and Leinie. We asked him why and he explained, “Christianity is a religion of love.” He told us that no other religion even comes close to expressing the love that he has found in Christians.

Unfortunately, to be Thai is to be buddhist, which makes it very hard for a Thai to choose to accept Christ as the only way. In doing so, Thais believe they are turning their backs on their family and their nation. When that happens, they are often cast off. Those who are cast off either choose to revert to Buddhism to be accepted or they tough it out, resilient, but undiscipled.

Mae Fah Luang University is right around the corner from where Jacki and I will live here and is home to some 50 Christians like those we’ve been talking about. Many of them are just worn down from a culture that views them as dissidents and punishes them with silence. We want to create a haven for these Christians, a place of open arms and the healing love of Jesus. As we bond together we will begin discipling them further. In discipling them we will be not only strengthening their faith, but teaching them how to engage their culture and to bring their lost and hurting friends into the community. In the next few months Leinie, Norvie, and my family will be building a foundation in their lives. Please pray for them and for this brave handful that will mature and be tossed like seed into their school and their culture. Their names are: Job, Sadudee, Mai, Fang, Ying, Meow, and MangPat.

I love Thai names :o)

~ Andrew Quinley

Andrew and his soon-to-be-bride Jacki are a young missionary couple in southeast Asia. Check out Andrew's blog for more information on their lives and adventures, including pictures and videos. If you have facebook, you can add an application developed by Andrew called the Q-nection.

No fisherman should work or eat alone

2008-02-13T16:30:00.001-05:00

I woke up this morning to a typical beautiful, sunny day. As I was drinking African tea in my tiny mud house on the Island of Lake Victoria, I watched people go about their business. All these people have arrived to the island from different ends of Uganda and neighboring countries.

They are fishermen and work very much as a community. They are a village and together they build it. They have a common saying: “No fisherman works alone and no fisherman eats alone.

Last night a storm washed back into the lake most of the “mukene” or silver fish they had laid out to dry on the hills earlier that day. This morning women and children were selecting thousands of tiny fish to bring back up to the hill and discarding the fish that had gotten spoiled. This reminds me of the vast task we have: to go out and work together, as fishermen do, from dusk to dawn; in the tempestuous nights, as well as in the quiet and calm; in the dangerous waters, and in the peaceful lakes; mending the nets together, throwing them together and as one team, pulling them in to shore, together.

I see the call of Mark 1:17 repeat itself daily in the African waters: “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” If the contemporary church had the same approach toward laboring for God as the fishermen of Lake Victoria, working together as one, we would have committed church members seeking to pull together in the same direction: the Kingdom of God.

Ironically, the very fishermen who remind me of the Great Commission are the same people to whom we need to throw out the net of the gospel, bringing them to Christ. Many of them are lost in their ancestral ways and urgently need God, even if they do not admit it. Let us mend our nets, throw them out together, pull them together, and in due time, we shall all sit at the table together. No fisherman should work or eat alone.

~Ruth Palomo

Ruth was born and raised in Mexico, where she first heard the gospel from a missionary couple. After graduating from the Hispanic Institute of Ministry, she moved to Uganda to share the love of Christ with the people living there.

Surely We Can Do Better...

2008-02-07T17:03:00.000-05:00

In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus charged his disciples: "God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age." (Message)

It’s been said that for the first time the Great Commission is doable in our generation. So, what’s the hold up?

SUPPORT.

Our missionaries are not receiving the support they need to fulfill the commission. The economy slump has not helped much either. This past year has been extremely difficult and many of our missionaries had to leave their posts to return to the United States to itinerate (fundraise) for their budgets. Sadly, our soldiers on the forefront aren’t being welcome with open arms. Yes, these are tough times indeed but inviting a missionary to your church is inviting them to share their story. Missionary Neil Lawrence says, “I have a burning desire for people to know about what God is doing in Kenya and sincerely feel they must be given an opportunity to support the harvest. Though some have expressed surprise at our required ‘job’ of itinerating and view it as ‘begging’, I never think about it this way. Instead, I view this aspect of our work as a ministry and know that it is really God who provides for us.”

The bottom line is this: missionaries come from our churches, our cities and from amongst our people. It is our responsibility to support the work they do. You’re probably thinking “I don’t have the finances to help keep our missionaries on the field”. That’s quite okay. Financial support is just one facet of missionary support. Our missionaries need your prayers. They need your encouragement. A little card in the mail or an email just to let them know you’re thinking about them speaks volumes. Offer to fix a meal for a visiting missionary, or to babysit their children for an evening. Give them a CD or a small gift.

These are OUR missionaries sharing the good news in places we may never see … lets take care of them however we can.

~Veryll Doorasamy-Bowe

All I want for Christmas is a piggy-back ride...

2008-02-01T09:42:00.000-05:00

My trip to Hogar Agape (Home of God’s Love) was life changing in so many different ways. As I look back, I’ll honestly tell you I left half of my heart in Nicaragua and at the orphanage. The relationships that you build with the children, who have without question experienced more tragedy and helplessness than any of us here probably ever will, is something that I will look back on as a moment that redefined my faith, how I view this world, and how I view the underprivileged.

Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Coming from the United States, this was the biggest culture shock of all. I had never seen children running around unclothed. I had never seen so many people without showers for so long. I had never seen so much trash spread through the city along the sidewalks and even in the parks.

Yet, the people are so much more thankful for so much less. They are so humble and respectful to everyone they meet. The children at the orphanage were the most well behaved, cheerful, and grateful children I have ever met. We also had the chance to give them their Christmas for the year, which was backpacks filled with clothes, shoes, soccer balls and many other things. We brought them more than just gifts, which they were thankful for, but the chance to ride on someone’s shoulders or hug them, or to just look us in the eye was all they needed. It’s a humbling feeling, to understand toys don’t mean everything, but relationships do, even to a 6-year-old child.

The final life-changing experience for me was saved until the final full day of our trip. We were taken to the city dump La Chureca in Managua to get our first view of what life in Poverty was really like. A place, or better yet, the home to over 4,000 native Nicaraguans who have never known anything else. The majority of people here were second and third generation to call La Chureca home. They were born into it, and most likely will die in it. It was the most disturbing and horrifying thing I have ever witnessed with my own eyes. As we drove down the street you could hardly see one hundred yards in the distance because there was so much haze and smoke from the fires and dust the swarmed the air. There were animals malnourished and left alone to die, and children playing in the mud that will most likely be their bed that night. As we drove deeper into the entrance of the dump, a woman kept pace with us as she help a cup of nearly black water. I do not know what was in her water but I can only imagine the amount of disease that engulfs these people day in and day out.

I have tried to explain it time and time again to everyone who asks, but I can never find the words. Perhaps there are no words? You must experience it for yourself for it is something you will never see in the United States, a country that has everything in luxury.

The biggest lesson I learned on the trip was that we must pray, we must give, and we must act! Too often, myself included, we sit in our homes and watch television and ignore the five minute commercials asking for money for a starving child in Africa. The time is now for all Christians to unite and make a change for Christ! It doesn’t necessarily have be the commercial you see on television. There are many other ways to give such as Compassion or World Missions, but I feel it is the duty of every single Christian to give to the least of these, and every day that goes by, is one less day we can help.

If there is one bit of advice I could give my fellow Christians, it would be not to pray over what God has already commanded us to do. He has already told us to go into the nations and into the communities and homes and make a difference in the lives of His people. Instead, pray that He will give you the opportunity to go and equip you for once you get there.

- Jared Barnes

In December 2007, Jared traveled to Hogar Agape in Nicaragua with a group from Lee University.

Compassion, not an Agenda

2007-12-13T09:12:00.000-05:00

I am currently reading through Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith by Rob Bell and have stumbled upon quite a delight. If you have not read this book and have the time, well even if you don't have the time, make time, it's that good. Although I could write about so many aspects of this book, today I will stick to one short passage and the verses it brought to my mind while reading it.

“Then Jesus said to his host, ‘When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.’” Luke 14:12

“He answered: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Luke 10:27

If the gospel isn't good news to everybody, then it isn't good news for anybody. And this is because the most powerful things happen when the church surrenders its desire to convert people and convince them to join. It is when the church gives itself away in radical acts of service and compassion, expecting nothing in return, that the way of Jesus is most vividly put on display. To do this, the church must stop thinking about everybody primarily in categories of in or out, saved or not, believer or nonbeliever. Besides the fact that these terms are offensive to those who are in the “un” and the “non”, they work against Jesus' teachings about how we are to treat each other. Jesus commanded us to love our neighbor, and our neighbor can be anybody. We are all created in the image of God, and we are all sacred, valuable creations of God. Everybody matters.

I love this quote. I think the best bit is the part about the church giving itself away in radical acts of service and compassion, expecting NOTHING in return. How many churches do that? How many people do that? How many times do we serve others or give in kindness, and then are disappointed, hurt, or even angry when the service is not returned?

We are missing the point. Church membership is not the goal. Feeling good about helping others is not the goal. It is simply radical acts of service, because Jesus told us to love others, and Jesus showed us how.

He washed the disciples feet, he provided food for sinners and publicans, he embraced prostitutes, touched the sick and dying: those who all else were afraid to come near. Let's think about that, when was the last time you hugged a prostitute? Or held someone dying of AIDS?

Jesus' was a life of radical service, of not expecting anything in return, and of teaching us that ALL are created in God's image and EVERYONE is our neighbor.

~Kimberly Hall

Got Skills? PASS IT ON!

2007-11-25T19:31:00.001-05:00

Going to a country in Asia was always far from possible. Being a Hispanic in the U.S., I thought South America would be the farthest from home I’d ever be. Hearing my parents speak about Cambodia and other countries surrounding it did not move me one bit. I knew there were countries in poverty and people who had never heard of Jesus, but hearing and seeing pictures and videos of these countries did not capture my attention. While working two summers at the World Missions Communications department I was exposed to a large quantity of images and sounds of different lands, people and cultures. Some of the things I saw captured my attention, but never made me really think or reflect much on the spiritual need of people in countries like those. My parents would tell us how big the need was every time they came back from a trip. It wasn’t until I set foot in Cambodia that I really understood what my parents had been talking about.

Trip One

When I got there, it was different from any place I had been, but it was very much how I imagined it would be. Very few streets were paved and they were full of motorcycles and bicycles. The people there are very humble, and once you get to know them they are very open to what you have to say. This was the FIRST time I was in a situation where I understood nothing of what others where talking about. Knowing Spanish, I had never been in a situation where I couldn’t communicate. This was a BIG change for me.

Being a technologically inclined person, I am always on the internet. When I got to Cambodia I quickly learned that technology is not the same quality as it is in the U.S. I had to deal with many “technological difficulties,” one of them being very slow internet.

One thing that really captivated me was that every time the Bible was being taught, the people, even the kids, paid so much attention. They listened because they had never heard the gospel before. This might sound cliché, but it's true! When the Bible lessons were being taught, the expressions of people were like they were watching breaking news. It is something that cannot be explained in words. For the first time I really UNDERSTOOD what my parents were trying to tell me when they came back from earlier trips.

Having lived in Chile, I had known what it was for the enemy to put obstacles in your path to slow you down from what God wanted you to do. But never had I experienced this as I did in Cambodia. Many times I had to solve computer problems during the computer classes at the orphanage. The second day I was there the video camera’s viewfinder stopped working, so I had to set aside the video camera for the moment and dedicate myself to whatever I could do to help. Little did I know that one problem would lead to something good.

I then got the opportunity to start teaching some of the kids how to play the guitar. I have been playing the guitar since I was 9 years old. I was taught only three chords and then learned the rest pretty much on my own. As I remembered this, I felt that I could share what knowledge of music I had with the kids. Even though my knowledge of music isn’t as extensive, I was able to share some of it with kids who otherwise would have never touched an instrument in their lives. While I was there I was able to teach 5 kids and one of the translators. Even though I wasn’t there long enough to see them develop their skills, I know that I left them with enough to start. I also left them with an important message I was taught as a beginning student. This lesson was the importance of giving your skills and abilities to the Lord for His glory. Only then can they succeed in being quality musicians.

Trip Two

On my second trip I was much more prepared. I bought a bunch of guitar accessories and lesson plans for guitar classes. When I got there I saw that the guitars we had bought them the first time where all worn out and could not be used to teach. At that time there was a People for Care and Learning team in town and I dedicated my time to making sure I got enough money to buy some guitars and maybe a bass. My first skills as a future missionary came into effect when I raised $300 from some of the team members to buy 3 guitars, a bass and a small amp.

I immediately started teaching, and the kids I had already taught before were ready to learn the bass. I had 9 new students to teach, and in 3 weeks they were ready to play at church. The orphanage had bought a sound system for the Sunday services and other public events. They had a 12 channel mixer with a power amp and 2 fills. The first thing I noticed was that they did NOT know how to use the equipment properly. When I realized this I was given permission to take control of the sound while I was there. I immediately started tutoring some older kids on how to use the equipment. I also taught a lesson to the older orphans on how to take care and operate the equipment properly.

I never thought I would be so useful in a third-world country where technology is rare. I thought that I would end up teaching English like everyone else. God had a different plan and was able to use me in the things I knew how to do best.

I feel that it is EXTREMELY important to know that no matter who you are or what you can do, YOU can make a difference in so many ways to so many people. All you need to do is take a step of faith and take ACTION and you will find that the Lord can use you.

~Jose E. Minay

In July of 2005 and June of 2007 Jose traveled with People for Care and Learning to Cambodia. PCL organizes short-term missions trips to Cambodia and other parts of south-east Asia.

Haiti: Faith in a Fallen World

2007-10-19T15:48:00.000-04:00

Combining faith with reason. Trying to reconcile a world full of suffering with the reality of a just and living God. These are the thoughts that filled my mind as I delved into The Case of Faith by Lee Strobel, sitting in the Miami International Airport waiting to board my flight for one of the poorest countries in the world: Haiti.

Haiti, a tropic country roughly a two-hour flight from Miami, is known for its poverty, political instability, and massive deforestation. Malaria, dengue fever, typhoid fever and parasitical infections are just a few of the health concerns I would face upon setting foot in the once beautiful Caribbean island.

Despite the rampant poverty and shocking rape of the landscape, beauty still clings precariously on in small glimpses here and there. The ocean, polluted in places and used as a waste refuge in others, still laps crystal clear on pebble beaches behind the shanties and broken-down cars. The mountains strive valiantly to cover their naked clay with bits of green foliage. As you wind through the pothole-ridden streets of the city into the mountains, the Caribbean sun kisses all it touches with warmth and light.

This will be my second trip to Haiti, having first experienced the troubled island in 2005. I traveled with the NPO organization RainCatchers, whose primary goal is providing clean drinking water for the people of Haiti.

As shocking and alien as the landscape can be, it is always the people of Haiti, in the midst of their unbelievable poverty, who wrench my heart. Driving through the streets I would see children, naked, lying in heaps of raw sewage with pigs three times their size milling about them. An old woman struggled to carry a basket on her head, her body bent and broken from years of hard labor. I saw an old blind man on his doorstep, his arms outstretched, waiting, waiting.

I wish I could close my eyes but I can’t. It's too late now. I've seen how they live and how they die. And just as my eyes stared transfixed that day on the bus in Port au Prince, I can't turn my mind away from it now.

My first trip to Haiti came swift on the heels of my father's sudden death and the end of a three-year relationship. So to be bombarded with such loss and suffering within a season was almost more than I could bear. I confess to my shame my first reaction when presented with such suffering, both in my life and in the world around me, was to look at God and ask “why?” I just couldn't grasp how a loving and just God resonated with a world full of suffering.

It was not until the last day of this year's trip to Haiti that I heard verbalized what I somehow knew all along. Teresa Murphy, a resident doctor and dentist in Seguin, Haiti, told me this after my devotion on our final night in Haiti: "When we see suffering all around us, we must resist the temptation to shake our fist at God, or doubt His reality or love. Instead we must look to ourselves and ask God: What can we do? Use us to end this suffering."

So that is what I've tried my best to do since I've returned. I know there will always be suffering as long as we live in a fallen world, but if we as Christians respond to the suffering as God would, I think a drastic change would occur in this world. If we answer the plights of others, without judgment, without reserve, but with compassion, with open hearts and with willing hands, I truly believe suffering due to hunger, malnourishment, disease and poverty would cease to exist in this world.

I know this is an almost childishly simple concept, but I still think it's something I need to exercise more in my day-to-day life. Poverty and suffering are around us everywhere, not just in third-world countries. There is poverty in our own hometowns, believe it or not. So for me these days, I’m resisting the urge to become overwhelmed when presented with suffering and loss, and simply looking to God and asking Him to use me.

~Kimberly Hall

Kimberly Hall has traveled to Haiti with RainCatchers since 2005.

The Amazon: A New Perspective

2007-10-17T16:48:00.000-04:00

Lightning illuminated the night sky as I retreated to the lower deck of the boat. I tried to relax, but my mind was fully aware of the growing pool of water near my feet. It was hard to believe only an hour ago we were laughing and playing with the children in a village along the Amazon River in Brazil. Now we were at the mercy of the wind and waves.

But God was taking care of us, and the storm quickly passed. I peeled off my poncho and joined some fellow members of the Lee University Symphonic Band on the upper deck. For over an hour, we sat along the outer railings, mesmerized by the way the lightning danced across the horizon, the reflected light skipping across the murky water. It was one of the most beautiful and inspiring things I have ever seen.

Perspective makes a world of difference.

When I packed for my missions trip to Brazil, I threw some extra shirts into my bag, planning to give them away. The night before we left, I imagined myself and 30 of my classmates floating down a narrow channel of water in a dugout canoe, the lush, green tree canopy blocking the sun from view.

My preconceived ideas were a little off, though—okay, very off. The river was massive, and there wasn’t a tree canopy to shield us from the scorching heat of the sun. As we were leaving one of the villages, a young boy paddled his boat over to ours. But he didn’t want a shirt; he wanted a drink of water.

For as long as I can remember, I have thought about how unfair it is for me to have material possessions when so many people around the world have next to nothing. But it took a little boy asking for a drink of water for me to see the real travesty. He didn’t need me to share my closet of clothes; he needed a glass of water.

During a Sunday morning service, I was drawn to a young woman praying in the altar. I thought about the language barrier and tried to rationalize with the Holy Spirit, but He wouldn’t leave me alone.

I finally surrendered and made my way through the crowded altar to pray with her. As I held her close, I began to pray one of the most passionate prayers I have ever prayed. After the service she found someone to interpret for her and told me how God had confirmed something in her heart while I prayed with her. She didn’t need me to speak her language; she needed me to hold her and pray with her.

Whenever I look at the Portuguese Bible she gave me the night before we left Brazil, it doesn’t bother me that I can’t read it. Instead, I pick it up, hold it close to my heart and say a prayer for Claudia and the people of Brazil.

Perspective really does make a world of difference.

~Rachel Ethun

In May 2007, Rachel traveled to Santarem, Brazil, with the Lee University Symphonic Band. The group played several concerts in the city and traveled to two remote villages on the Amazon River. Through the universal language of music, the ensemble ministered to the people of Brazil, proclaiming the gospel to those who had never heard it while encouraging those who already follow Christ.

Lee University has six touring ensembles that minister in churches both nationally and internationally.

Do Your Part

2007-10-12T16:06:00.000-04:00

We are a generation of passion.

We don't have much, yet the Holy Spirit empowers us to bring God's light into a dark world. Many of us will never be foreign missionaries. Even so, we all recognize that we have the same responsibility: to reach the lost with God's love.

We will pray.
We will support.
We will give as God allows.
We will work to see His Kingdom come.
We will rejoice as His prodigal children come home.

We will get involved.

Do your part. Follow the links in the "Get to Know Us" sidebar.