Report from Sis. Colleen Carter in Ghana

Ladies Retreat 2011
What a blessed time in the presence of the Lord as an average of 450 ladies lifted their hands in worship, danced before the Lord, and gave Him all the glory! 22 received the Holy Spirit, and 27 testified of healing. Sister Nancy Shirley and Sister Cylinda Nickel did a fabulous job speaking, impacting our ladies to go forward in Jesus’ name.

Kingdom Additions
In services I attended:
Ghana - 8 were baptized, and 9 received the Holy Spirit.
Burkina Faso - 1 received the Holy Spirit.
Togo - 6 received the Holy Spirit. (I also preached in French in this service.)

Travels Outside of Ghana
Sunday School Training
I taught a Sunday School Seminar to the pastors and wives in Burkina Faso. The challenge was teaching in French for over two hours. The Lord blessed, the burden was felt, and the commitment was made to reach the children.


Faculty Education Seminar
24 teachers representing 5 African nations gathered together for a week of training in Togo. Reverend Theron Smith challenged our hearts to fulfill the high calling. We were empowered to teach not only to inform but to transform the lives of our students.

Thank You Dear Partners
Without you and your faithfulness through prayer and financial support, I wouldn’t be able to do what I am doing. Together, we are transforming our world!!

Bucklands: Czech Republic/Eastern Europe

GATS, January 7-9, 2011 Global Education Committee Meeting

Photo: GATS Regional Representatives with James Poitras (center), GATS Coordinator

Taking on the exciting project of a global education program is a monumental task and cannot be accomplished in a short period of time; however, the Regional Representatives, pictured above, have a passion for training laborers for the world-wide harvest! Coinciding with this passion is a deep conviction for excellence in apostolic ministry.

“A student who is fully trained will be like his teacher”( See Luke 6:40).

It is our great privilege to serve as the GATS Representative for the Europe / Middle East Region.

The Global Education Committee met at the first of this year, reviewing what has been accomplished thus far and setting new goals to be reached. The GATS Program is consistently improving in efforts to reach that high watermark!

What a privilege to be involved in something that will leave an indelible mark on the future!Not only is teaching and mentoring the next generation for apostolic ministry an imperative from Scripture, but an honor!

Meet The Scott McGarveys

Words cannot describe how overjoyed and grateful we are that this fine family is in Prague through the end of March 2011, pastoring the church and caring for our people due to our furlough.

Having previously served 9 months in Prague on the A.I.M. Program, and with Sis. Suzi’s knowledge of the Czech language, the fit could not be more perfect. Bro. Scott is a very gifted young man with a genuine love and care for people. Little Cooper has already stolen everyone’s heart! God bless the Scott McGarvey family!

The work in Prague is in Good Hands!

It is hard to believe that another term of service has come to an end, requiring us to once again pack up our belongings for storage, close everything down (cell phones, internet, housing contract, etc ...), and prepare our infant church for our lengthy absence.

One of the most important factors in this scenario is finding qualified and willing furlough replacements. Much prayer was made in this regard, and God has supplied our need.

Due to visa requirements and simplifying matters, we are limited to a maximum stay of 90 days.

Kent and Jenny Russell, also previous Prague AIMers, will follow the McGarveys in April-May 2011.

Deputation Ministry Began January 2011

What a privilege for us to be given the opportunity to stand before our North American churches, opening our hearts in transparency, relaying our burden, passion, and goals in touching our world with the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Our travels began with wonderful southern hospitality in the Louisiana District immediately following BOTT ’11. We were overwhelmed with the spontaneous response to the needs of Eastern Europe. Thank You, Louisiana!

Africa Network of Prayer

Calendar of Events

Jan 31-Feb 4.....BENIN.....Ministerial training (Zou Region)
Feb 1-4.....TANZANIA.....National Board Meetings
Feb 5.....CONGO.....Prayer coordinators and intercessors meeting
Feb 2-6.....NIGERIA.....Lagos State Convention
Feb 7-12.....CONGO.....National Board Meetings in Lubumbashi
Feb 8-11.....USA.....Foreign Missions Board Meetings
Feb 9-12.....GHANA.....Regional Departmental Seminar
Feb 13.....TOGO.....Special hand-over service to national leadership
Feb 14.....GLOBAL.....Special Prayer for French-speaking countries
Feb 14.....GHANA.....ACTS Bible School Classes reconvene
Feb 17-19.....ZAMBIA.....Pastors/Wives Leadership Seminar
Feb 19.....TOGO.....National Board Meeting
Feb 19.....CONGO.....Apostolic Men's meeting in Amani
Feb 19.....CONGO.....Monthly meeting of Ladies
Feb 21.....TOGO.....Bible School classes resume
Feb 23-27.....NIGERIA.....Benue State Convention
Feb 26.....BENIN.....National Board Meeting
Feb 26.....CONGO.....Apostolic Men's meeting in Des Etoiles
Feb 27.....BENIN.....Presidential Election

Special Prayer Requests

BURKINA FASO
2011 has been declared as the "year of the child" in Burkina Faso and Niger. We have started casting vision for the importance of Christian Education for the children of Burkina Faso. February is our national rollout of Christian Education. We covet your prayers that the leaders will embrace the importance of this endeavor. We are in the process of purchasing a large piece of property for one of our local churches. In time, we will be able to establish a Bible School and a project for the community on this property. Please pray that we would have the wisdom and that we would be connected with "honest" people during this process.

MADAGASCAR
Please continue to pray for the instability in the government and with the economic issues.

NIGERIA
2011 is a Federal Election Year in Nigeria - There are many warnings being issued because of the potential for rioting and violence. Pray for a peaceful

SOUTH AFRICA
The South African church is going through major transitions with the introduction of the revised constitution. Pray that all the ministers will understand all the changes and strive to work in unity.

The mother of one of our pastors is in Intensive Care Unit at the hospital. She has been in and out of a coma. Please pray for her and for the family as they are going through a lot of stress, especially over the financial strain.

We believe that the church, in the country that is the economic hub of Africa, needs to step up and accept her role as a model to other countries. We covet your prayers that a major breakthrough for Revival and Evangelism be realized by the South African church to impact the region as it should.

TANZANIA
We request prayer regarding the church property in Dar es Salaam. We have purchased the land to build the church in Dar; however, because the seller is behind on her taxes on other properties, the government will not issue us a deed to the lot. We cannot start building until we have a clear title. Pray that this obstacle would be removed. It has already delayed us for one year!

ZIMBABWE
Sis. Dorothy Edwards (AIMer) reports that her foot is healing very well after her surgery and expresses appreciation for prayers. She just has three more weeks to wear the cast instead of nine weeks as previously thought.

Praise Reports

CONGO (DRC)
We appreciate so much the prayers that have been prayed for us. We are so blessed, and last year there was a total of 792 people baptized in Jesus Name and 356 who were filled with the Holy Ghost. There were also many healings.

MADAGASCAR
We are thankful for 84 new churches planted this past year. There is still much to do before Jesus returns for His church.

NAMIBIA
Just recently we received from the Ministry of Trade the approval of our national church organization name (United Pentecostal Church in Namibia). This is just the first phase of our church registration, but we believe that the your prayers have made this a reality. Continue to pray for the next phase where our church constitution will be reviewed and assessed. We believe Lord will take this to a successful end.

Six Aspects of Prayer

1. Petition (Philippians 4:6; James 4:2-3; John 16:23-24) -The Scriptures clearly teach that we must bring our requests to God for things we need, but we must be careful to watch our motivation for asking. We need to be in agreement with the Holy Spirit in what we are asking, and our requests need to promote the Kingdom of God and His will and purpose for our lives or for the lives of those people for whom we are petitioning God.

2. Thanksgiving (Psalm 92:1; Psalm 100:4; I Thessalonians 5:18; II Timothy 3:1-2; Ephesians 5:20) -The psalmist taught us that thanksgiving is the proper way to enter the presence of God. Our thanksgiving is to be a genuine thankfulness to the Lord for what He has done for us; for His mercy, His grace, His longsuffering, and His goodness to us.

3. Supplication (Psalm 28:2; Acts 1:14; Acts 4:31; I Timothy 2:1-2) -Supplication applies specially to the humble and earnest cry that comes from the deep desire of the spirit and soul. The Holy Spirit gives us these deep cries and yearnings for the will of God to be fulfilled in our lives and in the lives of others.

4. Intersession (Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:26-27) -This is the prayer of standing in the gap for someone else. Intercession is not a special ministry for only a few. Everyone who walks with the Holy Spirit knows intercession as He burdens their hearts for the needs of others. Many lives and churches have been snatched from the burning

5. Praise (Psalm 100:4) -In praise we turn our eyes to God and away from ourselves. We praise Him for who He is and for his His mighty acts toward the sons of men fire by the prayers of faithful intercessors.

6. Worship (Revelations 5:14; John 4:23) -Worship occurs when our spirits have experienced a divine encounter with the living God. The Hebrew word for worship, shachah, can be translated as "bow down, crouch, do reverence, prostrate, and beseech humbly." The most used Greek word for worship in the New Testament is proskuneo, which means "to kiss toward." Worship is a heart's response to the manifest presence of God.

By Fuchsia Pickett

Taken from Spirit-Led Woman
Devotional on Prayer and Revival

Belize Prayer Partner Update

Greetings to you from the deputation trail! I trust you have all enjoyed a wonderful holiday season with your families and a happy new year.

Let me catch you up on a few happenings in Belize....

During the year of 2010, we saw many good things taking place. We have now been able to begin a regular Preaching Point in Belmopan, the capital city of Belize. We have also been able to reach out into other nearby communities of the Corozal District with regular services as well. There have been some baptisms that have taken place, but I don't yet have the number of how many. We are so thankful for this. We have tried for a long time to get something started in this area with little success. However, with our God, nothing is impossible, and His timing is always perfect.

We have continued our outreach among the children of Belize City. At our yearly Children's Crusade, there was over 100 children in attendance, most of whom had never been in service with us before!

I appreciate your continued prayers for all of our efforts in the country of Belize.

At the end of October, Hurricane Richard struck Belize. This was not a very big hurricane, but with Belize City being below sea level, it doesn't take much force to do a lot of damage. We did see damage to the roof of our Bible School. Because the rain was constant and heavy for about a week, this result in some damage to the walls in a couple of the classrooms. There was also damage to the roof of our church in Belize City as well. We would appreciate your prayers in this matter. We still need to finish the repairs to the Bible School, but there are no funds. Also, the church in Belize City is still in need of funds to repair their roof. Our God is able to provide. Thank you for praying.

If anyone feels to give to help with the repairs to the Bible School or the Belize City church, you may send your donation to the Foreign Missions Division.

Let me say thank you for your prayers for me. Deputation is long, but it is slowly coming along. At the present, I still lack about 23% of my budget. Thank you for praying and believing with me that this will come much sooner than the projected date of November 2011. I desperately need to be back in Belize before the years end. HE is able to make that happen!

You may not have know it, but the Lord has used your prayers to sustain me in many trying times. In July and again just 3 weeks ago, I was able to be with my Dad as he was having cornea transplant surgeries. I am so happy to report to you that he now has 20/30 vision in his left eye from the first surgery, and the right eye is continuing to improve every day! He has gone from being legally blind from birth to 20/20 vision because of the miraculous touch of God, to being diagnosed with a genetic disease that began to cloud his vision and brought on horrendous migraine headaches, to once again his sight improving on a daily basis and no headaches! We believe that as his eyes continue to improve, so will his sight. Thank you for believing for this with us.

Just a couple of weeks ago as I left Mississippi to return to deputation, I was involved in a minor traffic accident while in Oklahoma. I was not harmed in any way, but my vehicle did have a bit of damage. At the moment, I am still waiting to get my car out of the shop and start traveling again. If you would help me pray about this, I'd be grateful. There have been a few little problems in the repairs. I was told today that possibly on Thursday this week the work will be completed. Please help me pray that I will be able to pick up my car no later than Wednesday this week.

This may seem like a minor thing, but really, our God is interested in all aspects of our life no matter how minor they may be. I know that the accident could have been worse, but because someone prayed -- it wasn't! Just this past week someone informed me that on a particular day as they were driving down the road, I came to their mind. With that came a strong impression to pray for me. They pulled over to the side of the road and began to pray. Putting times together, we discovered that it was the same time that I had this little accident! Yes, HE is interested in us!

You, my Prayer Partners, prayed for me last winter when I had to travel in the north in places where there is always snow. Do you remember I asked you to pray because I just don't know how to drive in snow (none of that stuff in Belize and extremely little in Mississippi). You prayed and, even though there was snow before and after I arrived in different places, I never saw any snow. Would you please pray those prayers again. I am once again headed to places where snow (and mountains) is likely.

Thank you for all of your prayers for this missionary and for the country of Belize.

Blessings!

Amy M. Sawyer
Missionary to Belize