I was preparing some information for our WGM annual report and as I looked at some of what God has done in WGM throughout 2010 I thought it would be neat to share some highlights with you. Much more happened throughout the year, of course, but this is just a sampling. Enjoy!
Honduras- February
16 students in Choluteca have started studying pastoral ministries. 9 students from the Choluteca Vocational School accepted the Lord after El Sembrador pastoral graduate shared with them.
Kenya- March
Phil Renfroe’s Vision Casting and CHE conferences have been a great success, so much so that they have had to limit the number of attendees in some cases. The Church is changing!
Paraguay-March
We praise the Lord that one of our new believers who had returned to his drug addiction of crack cocaine, is back on track with the Lord. It took lots of prayer, fasting and many visits to see him freed.
AIF- April
Chris Amberman and a group of Navajo kids and several sponsors are making final preparations for their trip to Pennsylvania to join with the group of kids there to complete the second part of East Meets West that started with kids coming from Pennsylvania last summer. This has grown out of the Neighborhood Club ministry in the Farmington, New Mexico area.
(this is a cool story, when the group from PA came last year, they invited the Navajo kids to do a mission trip in their home town. So the Navajo kids raised all of the money to be able to do that)
**Update in June Report**
Chris Amberman reports that East Meets West trip to Pennsylvania went very well. She says that the participants are talking about wanting to do something like this again. Pray that lives will changed for eternity through children and adults from Native and Anglo cultures spending time together in ministry and fellowship.
Bolivia- April
We praise God for the opportunity to be a part of the national church’s 50th anniversary week long celebration this month. It was a special time to celebrate God’s goodness to the church in Bolivia and an encouragement for many to remember that they are a part of something bigger than their local church.
Kenya-April
• Tabitha Women’s Ministry, championed by Linda Spriegel, has over 1,000 women who have said their verses and are waiting for their gift Bibles
• The AGC Baby Centre is “bursting at the seams” with 37 babies. This number fluctuates a bit, as babies are adopted by loving caring Kenyan parents, and new abandoned babies are found almost weekly
Stockton-April
We had our open house and dedication service for the new building on April 6, 2010. We had the privilege of having Dave and Jean Hora, Hubert Harriman, Paul and Pat Shingledecker, Blair Ulring (Stockton’s Chief of Police), Pastor Marc Maffucci and many other ministry team partners join us for the celebration.
Japan-May
The Immanuel Church sponsored a nationwide youth meeting for people in their 20s and 30s. It was well attended and everyone enjoyed the times of fellowship.
Japan-June
Eleven people from IGM traveled to the WGM 100th Anniversary Celebration. This included Dr. and Mrs. Isaac Saoshiro. Isaac gave the Friday evening message. Everyone had a wonderful time. They said that it was a privilege to be a part of this historic occasion.
Hungary- July
English camp was a great success. There were thirty-three regular campers and thirteen adults attended in the evenings. Five young people accepted Christ! We praise the Lord for the way everything worked together to make camp a special time. The summer VIA workers, the team from Asbury University, and the Duane Kline family from Georgia all did a great job and camp wouldn’t have been possible without them.
Paraguay-July
The dental team led by Jim Harriman was a blessing. They ministered to more than 300 patients, pulled 394 teeth and repaired 364 others. The team of three dentists and four assistants worked hard and long. The ministry began in one of our local churches and ended up out in a new area a long ways from Asuncion where we are opening a new work. A lot of people went away with a brighter smile and their hearts and spirits lifted.
Kenya-October
• The Africa Gospel Church elected a new Bishop this month. Rev. Dr. Robert K. Lang’at is a graduate of KHBC, Wesley Biblical Seminary, and earned his Ph.D from Drew University. He is a fine man, and a great proponent of holiness.
Peru-October
• Ann Seaney and Cathlene Strong hosted a women’s fellowship in which seven women attended. They were excited that a couple of their “non-church” friends attended. This, too, will be a monthly event for the ladies.
• Ann and Cathlene recently met with a Peruvian friend with the goal of asking her if she’d like to participate in a Bible study. But before they could ask her, she asked them! They are studying the book of John.
AIF-November
• Fall Weekend Camp 1st thought 6th graders went very well November 5-6. 42 kids attended, including 8 new campers. The Lord provided the needed help through 2 Native American teens, 8 students from American Indian College, 6 helpers from a local church, bus driver who is an alumni, 7 missionaries, 2 MK’s, 3 retired volunteers and several others. Everyone helped impact the campers lives for Jesus by doing everything from teaching to cooking and running the dishwasher.
Bolivia-November
• Berea Seminary students participated in a mission trip to the Beni (San Borja, Yucumo and Rurrenabaque) October 30 through November 9. They had over 200 children attend Vacation Bible Schools in the three locations, evangelized through the towns and among two indigenous groups. Overall, some 80 people made decisions for Christ. The students also distributed clothing and spent hours delousing the hair of numerous children in each location. What a wonderful experience and opportunity for ministry for these students!
Honduras-November
• El Sembrador celebrated several graduations this month. What a blessing to see the results of many years of hard work. There were 8 graduates from the three year program in the Bible Institute. Plus 39 others graduated with Ministerial Diplomas following intensive courses in their villages over the past three years. Eleven students graduated from the Vocational school, two from the primary and seven from high school. God continues to bless and use the ministry of El Sembrador. Its alumni have extended far beyond the borders of Honduras into Mexico and the USA.
Stockton-November
• Our attendance has jumped significantly. We are presently running between 75-90 kids each day. We have between 15-25 coming to the Homework Club each day. Praise God He has also provided a few more volunteers to help make this run smoother.
• At the National Night Out Block Party in August we served over 400 hot dogs, had a local Christian band perform and John Pritikin from Feel the Power, Impact Ministries was able to wow the crowd as he rolled frying pans and broke baseball bats. We were able to present Christ’s message to many in the community.
• We continue as community pastors in the neighborhood. We are able to help meet the needs of our local families, from helping rebuild a bathroom to distributing coats and food boxes. We were able to collect over 150 coats. In partnership with a local church and schools, we were able to distribute over 300 Thanksgiving food boxes to needy families and migrant workers.
Peru-December
• It was exciting to see the Agape and King of Kings churches work together in a Christmas outreach project at a local children’s home. Gently used clothes were collected and sorted; gifts were donated &/or bought; and cookies were baked and decorated—all in preparation for ministering to others. In addition, the youth of the churches presented a drama depicting the Christmas story, sang a couple of Christmas carols and performed two numbers on the hand bells. Over 40 children received some Christmas joy AND heard about the Joy of Christmas on December 19!
