AFCI World News

National Day of Prayer in the USA

The 61st annual National Day of Prayer will take place Thursday, May 3, 2012. Millions will unite in prayer at thousands of events from coast to coast. This year’s theme, One Nation Under God, is based on Psalm 33:12: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”

National calls to prayer have been a part of the United States’ history from the very beginning.  You can read more about this history at the following link . . .

http://nationaldayofprayer.org/about/history/

On the National Day of Prayer website, they answer the question, “What is Prayer?”

For true Christians, prayer [Gk: "proseuche"] is “communion with God”. Through prayer we actually experience relationship with God. The quality of our prayer life then determines the quality of our relationship with God. Prayer is talking with God. Prayer is listening to God. Prayer is enjoying the presence of God. It can take many forms – for example: worship, confession, thanksgiving, praise, petition (asking for things), waiting (silent, listening and sensing of God) and warfare (command). If we are baptized in the Spirit we can pray with the spirit, in languages unknown to us but not to God. (1 Corinthians 14:2,14).

Prayer is not simply saying words. It is not repeating formulas. God is looking for heartfelt relationship. We are told by Jesus not to make meaningless repetitions of words when we pray. (Mathew 6:7). Tongues may be meaningless to our understanding, but it is not to God. In a future lesson we will give more attention to this subject.

There is a lot of prayer that never reaches God. “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself” (Luke 18:11). “One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer shall be an abomination.” (Proverbs 28:9). It is outside the scope of this lesson to talk about prayers offered to false gods or to the devil. Also, we will not look at religious prayers or traditional prayers that can be uttered without heart. We will be considering prayers that come from one who has repented of his sins to the best of his knowledge, and who walks by faith.

Focus on the Heart Training in Paraguay

Chris Hanak (USA), along with Emi and Luisa (Paraguay) trained 19 women in 3 of the districts of the Paraguayan Methodist Church using AFCI’s Focus on the Heart women’s materials. Ten of the students are pastors' wives.  Eight of the women are already leading groups in their churches under Emi's supervision. 

AFCI works with all denominations, and in Paraguay they have begun with the Methodist Church.  Emi already has requests from other denominations to take Focus on the Heart to them which she hopes to begin next year. 

Training in Asuncion and the Chaco focused on recognizing and dealing with the effects of grief, fear, and forgiveness in our lives.  In Ciudad del Este, they taught listening skills and helping others heal and grow by asking questions rather than giving advice.  As they practiced listening to and praying for each other, the Lord touched their lives in wonderful ways.

For more information on Focus on the Heart, check the FOH page on our website.

Focus on the Heart in the Philippines

Throughout the Philippines, doors are opening for AFCI’s Focus On the Heart (FOH) ministry for women.  Recently, Judith Catorce and Agnes Dianga spent time with their students and taught Course One of the FOH material in General Santos City.

National Director, Isaias Catorce remarked, “One time I was resting near the place where the FOH workshop was taking place. At times the women were laughing out loud at other times they were crying. The session on Healing Pains is heart troubling, but releasing.”

One participant from Zamboanga would now like to make the FOH material available to the women in her own church. Another attendee, Mrs. Sharon Rose Vina, is the Academic Dean of Shekinah Alliance Bible College. She will now offer the FOH course in their Bachelor’s program. In addition, the wife of the president of the aforementioned college, Mrs. Flor Dasig has become one of AFCI Philippine’s FOH ministry coordinators in Mindanao.

We also have good FOH leaders working in Manila and Cavite. The president of the Alliance Graduate School, Dr. Jonathan Exiomo is asking AFCI to put FOH as a required course for the program on pastoral leadership at the certificate level.

The Focus On the Heart material was also presented to 30 women in Iloilo. The heat was unbearable as a drought had just begun. The warm sticky wind blew with hot sand, and the temperature was 41 degrees Celsius.  Six FOH facilitators provided instruction for the women, and the response was overwhelming.  This ministry is multiplying at a great rate.

AFCI International Congress in Cambodia

From May 20-27, 150 delegates from 25 nations will gather in Siem Reap, Cambodia for AFCI’s International Congress. Every five years all the National Directors, other AFCI leaders, and invited guests come together to consult about the state of the ministry and the challenges facing the Christian church worldwide.  This is both a strengthening time and strategic time as delegates work together to think through the way forward for their ministries. 

During the Congress, Dr. Darrell Whiteman will speak at the daily plenary sessions. Dr. Whiteman is a well respected cultural anthropologist who travels widely leading seminars for nationals to explore better ways of reaching men and women in their cultures. The theme of the Congress is “Connecting in Time and Culture.” The question posed is how we can better interact with people in our specific nations at this time in history to reach more people for Christ.

The theme verse for the gathering is John 1:14, which indicates God’s great desire for all men and women us to see Him clearly. Therefore, He sent his own Son at a particular time and in a particular culture to make known the glory of God. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

During the Congress, regional presentations will be made and case studies presented that can help the church think through its mission to the world. At the end of the Congress, all of the AFCI nations will sign a covenant of commitment to God and to each other, dedicating themselves to the core values of AFCI and to world evangelism.

Moody Radio to Interview Barnabas Mam

Barnabas Mam, from Cambodia, will be interviewed on Moody Radio on April 30 at 5:30 PM (USA Central Time). This is part of Janet Parshall’s nationally syndicated radio program, “In the Market.”  This interview will feature Barnabas’ life story and the challenges he faced in the Killing Fields of Cambodia.  It is an introduction to a book being published in May by Moody Press, titled Church Behind the Wire.  For information on where to hear the interview, click on Janet Parshall below or go to . . .

www.moodyradio.org/inthemarketwithjanetparshall/

The Power of Conversion in Slovakia

BY: Pavle Cekov, National Director

According him, he treated his wife and kids very badly and had been addicted to drugs. He was not faithful to his wife, which led to a divorce. He moved to the Czech Republic and fell deeper into a life of sin. Early this year he returned to Slovakia, and was invited by a friend to our Gospel meeting. After my message I gave a call to receive the Lord Jesus Christ and he responded. When I led him in prayer he was so shaken by the power of darkness that we needed move to another room. That night the Lord delivered him from the power of darkness and he received the Lord Jesus Christ.

The next day he came back to our meeting with much joy and peace. He brought with him his older friend from his village. His older friend is a believer and was so happy to hear what happen to his friend. I was also touched by testimony of his friend. During the years of Communism he worked in a factory, and as an unbeliever he had stolen many things from his work place. The Lord, in an amazing way, brought him to salvation after the fall of Communism. His company where he was working in the past no longer existed, so he could not return what he had stolen. But the Lord prompted him to put all of his stolen thing in his garage. He invited poor people from his village to his house, opened his garage and told them to take what ever they want. The people quickly took everything they found.

Both of these men have been radically changed by the Gospel.

“I saw you coming!” Canada Team in the D.R.

In December 2011, an AFCI Canada team traveled to the Dominican Republic for a week of ministry.  While there, we traveled to a tiny, remote jungle community named Yaroa.  We had several suitcases filled with clothes and other household items for the church to distribute to this community suffering from 75% unemployment.  Also we had Bibles, Christian literature, a flannel graph board with figures and Spanish bible stories to give to the pastor and Sunday School teachers. 

After spending the day visiting in the community, praying with people and teaching the leaders how to use the flannel graph along with the stories, we prepared to leave.  The pastor's daughter (also the main Sunday School teacher) approached the truck with tears rolling down her cheeks.  She explained to us that one week before she had been so discouraged because of their lack of resources, she was tempted to give up.  As she was pouring her heart out to God late one night, the Lord gave her a dream.  In it, she saw a plane landing and a small team of people arriving in her community with teaching resources for the church.  Three days later, our team arrived, totally unannounced.

As we returned to our base that evening, we too rejoiced that God had chosen to use us to answer this prayer. What a great boost of faith this was for our team as well as the little struggling church in the Village of Yaroa.

Tribute to the Memory of Mrs. Deborah Olushola

BY: Fred Amoah-Darko, Regional Director for Africa and the Middle East

On behalf of AFCI, I write this tribute to the memory of Mrs. Deborah Olushola to acknowledge some unique godly virtues that must serve as challenge to all of us.

Personally, I have known Deborah and her husband Samson, for the past seventeen years. In her partnership with her husband as servants of God with Ambassadors for Christ International Nigeria, my personal testimonial to her memory is:

“This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” (Isa 66:2b, NIV).

Deborah gave her utmost to serve Her Savior and Lord with diligence, faithfulness, humility and reverence to God. She was a bulwark to her husband in ministry. The entire AFCI workers who have met and interacted with Deborah, as well as those of us who have visited Nigeria and received the warmth of her hospitality and partnership in ministry, treasure the virtues that Deborah allowed the Lord to develop in her.

I pray that Deborah Olushola’s life example of humble and faithful devotion to her Lord; her love and loyalty to her husband; her commitment to her children and family, continue as a shining example to all of us. At best, beloved, her memory can best be retained by each one if we commit to a daily life of godliness just as Deborah Olushola lived when she was here on earth.

The Ambassadors for Christ International worldwide family of Nationals in Ministry extends our heartfelt sympathy to our dear brother, Rev. Samson Olushola-AFCI Nigeria National Director, children, entire family and ministry team.

May the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, strengthen you by the Holy Spirit.

Deborah went to be with the Lord on Friday, March, 23, 2012.

Pakistan Investing in the Future

BY: Solomon Gill

Recently, a thanksgiving service was arranged in Muzzafarabad the capital city of Kashmir. Anita and I were able to minister, and I preached from Philippians 3:12-16. Apostle Paul says, “I do forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before.” Similarly we should also forget all our failures and success of past year and look ahead towards future.

Part of the future is our investment in children. In many cities we are able to provide training for Sunday School teachers. God never lets our skills be wasted but multiplies them and uses them for His glory. Anita’s skills of teaching at school are being used to train and equip young girls and boys for Sunday school.

In Kunhar Christian Hospital, Anita conducted a formal Sunday school training. The methods of interactive teaching, how to involve children and develop their interest were demonstrated. Participants were very happy to experience these effective tools of teaching.

Perseverance in Ukraine

For many years, Al and Alice Moore have been ministering to the needs of the elderly in Ukraine who have been forgotten in the transition from Communism to a free market economy. Sometimes they end up meeting people who have maintained their faith in the face of persecution. Stephan is one such person.

“At age seven Stephan (pronounced Ste-fan) experienced trauma that was known under Stalin’s rule. His mother was beaten to death because she went to church on Sunday instead of going to work. One day men came to their home and took everything - even the potatoes. Stefan ate berries from the trees. Another day at the cemetery after a funeral they gave bread. He hurried home, choosing not to eat first until he gave it to his family. At the age of 84 he loves and praises His Jesus.  Stefan blesses us indeed!”