~Missionary Photos - General Conference 2011/Louisville, KY

*************************************************************

Bro. and Sis. Scotty Slaydon
Director of Compassion Services International

These people are AIMers - forgive me as I don't remember their name.

If someone reading this knows their name please send it to me.

South America Booth

Bro. and Sis. Buckland, Czech Republic

Bro. and Sis. Ed Simmons, Thailand

Bro. and Sis. Blunt with Bro. Denny, Regional Director

South Pacific

Bro. Jerry Powell with Bro. and Sis. Richard Denny

Regional Director, South Pacific

Bro. and Sis. Lionel Dabbs, missionaries to Singapore

Bro. Jerry Powell with Bro. and Sis. Vacca, missionaries 

to the Philippines

Sis. Andrea Powell with Bro. and Sis. Leonard Richardson

missionaries to Taiwan

...more photos coming soon!

~Belize Missions Update - Sis. Amy Sawyer

Dear Prayer Partners,

How happy I am to say, "Greetings from Belize!" I was able to return to Belize on July 30, 2011. Thank you for making this possible! It was a long two years of being away from the people of Belize, but it was a joy to see so many of you and make so many new friends.

Two days after returning to Belize, I left for Guatemala to be in the Central American Seminar. This year was great for Belize as we had a total of 10 people present in the Seminar. It was an excellent Seminar as the Lord moved mightly and ministered to the over 2500 pastors, wives and MKs present.

My parents came and spent the month of August with me. It was during this time that we had their Farewell Service. It was quite an emotional service, but beautiful all the way through. We truly miss them in Belize and are thankful for the nearly 15 years of service they gave. While they were here, though, the Bible School had a special going away party for them. That was a very special evening as the students one by one began to express their love for Bro. & Sis. Sawyer.

Also, while my folks were here, we were able for the first time to be in service in our brand new church in Belmopan, the capital city of Belize. This was a long-time prayer of my Dad. To God be the Glory!

During the month of September we held our annual Children's Crusade in Belize City. What a great day we had! There were over 140 children present. Most of these kids are all first time visitors. Please help us pray that we can reach the kids of Belize.

During this month of October, I will be attending the annual GATS Bible School Teachers seminar along with our other teachers from Belize. Please pray for travel mercies for all of us.

We are planning new events and programs for the upcoming new year. We ask your prayers that all these things we have planned and all we do result in the salvation of souls in this beautiful little country.

Please know that I love you all and greatly appreciate your prayers for me and for the country of Belize.

Remember that I'm praying for you as well.

Blessings,

Amy M. Sawyer

Belize, Central America

Facebook: Belize Missions

Twitter: AmyMSawyer

Web: http://asawyer.foreignmissions.com/

~Are You Wiser Today Than You Were Yesterday?

Do you think you’re any wiser today than you were five years ago? Do you think you’ll be wiser still in another five years? I hope the answer to both questions is an emphatic "yes." One of the benefits of growing older is getting better. And we get better by learning.


I’m not just talking about new facts like how a volcanic eruption in Iceland can prevent airline traffic in most of Europe. I’m talking about learning basic nuggets of wisdom that can change our lives.


For starters, I’ve learned that as long as I’m willing to learn, I can learn and the fact that I’m wiser today doesn’t mean I was foolish or incompetent before. You don’t have to be sick to get better.


I’ve learned that no matter how old I am, my life and character are works in process and that there will always be a gap between who I am and who I want to be.


I’ve learned that it’s easy to mask moral compromises with rationalizations and that my character is revealed not by my words or intentions but by my willingness to do the right thing even when it costs more than I want to pay.


I’ve learned that my character is more important than my competence and that being significant is more important than being successful.


I’ve learned that I often judge myself by my good intentions but that I’ll be judged by my last worst act.


I’ve learned that the surest road to happiness is good relationships and that striving to be a good person is the surest road to good relationships.


Finally, I’ve learned that pain is inevitable but suffering is optional and that it’s not what happens to me that matters most but what happens in me.


- from CharacterCounts.org/Michael

~Faith Journey - The Process Continues...Doug and Nannette Elkins

The Process Continues...

Having four months under our belts, and two months of public church services, we are now starting to see the process of discipling those whom God has brought into a relationship with Him! Of course the outreach and evangelism efforts are still a vital part of our work as well.

Change...simply change

The word that best describes our focus for September is...change. Circumstances of various sorts brought about the need for us to change gears somewhat.

As we mentioned last month, God has brought many new contacts into our lives, as well as the rest of the team. Several of these have either begun a new walk with God, or have expressed an interest in seeking answers about their existing relationship. In order to facilitate these needs, we opened our 'House Church' the first Tuesday of September! This service consists of a time of praise and worship, teaching a Bible lesson as well as a time of prayer. 

The purpose is to help establish our new converts into a solid walk with God. We also use this time to reach to those who are wavering in finding exactly where they stand with God in relationship to His Word. These services have proven to be very effective in giving all of us an opportunity to share and learn. One day, some of these dear friends who are in the infant stage of their walk with God, will be leading this training with their new converts, in their home! We are really exited about those prospects.

The last Saturday of September also brought a close to this phase of our group outreach efforts for the summer. For over three months, we have been going to various parts of the city, playing, singing and inviting people to come and experience their Pentecost! Thousands of people have been exposed to our music. Countless numbers have paused to listen, hundreds have walked away from us with a card or flyer inviting them to our services. Many others have opened up to one of us and exchanged contact information with the aim of becoming a friend. Dozens have visited our services, and some have responded to the call of God to become one of His disciples! While several factors played into the ceasing of this particular avenue of evangelism (not the least of which is the weather), we will now turn our focus to more personalized outreach efforts, as well as building the relationships that God has already blessed us with. We look forward to sharing reports in the upcoming newsletters.

On the last Sunday of September, we were given the opportunity to share our service with the Lutheran congregation in Pinki, where we hold services every Sunday morning. Not only did this give all of us the opportunity to see who else was worshiping in the building on Sunday...but between services we were treated to a wonderful dinner on the grounds! It became evident very quickly all of us shared a common love...food and fellowship! The day was highlighted for us when we all stood on the bank of a very cold private lake and witnessed another soul buried in the wonderful Name of Jesus! All in all it was a wonderful day.

That same weekend, Korey was given the opportunity to travel to St. Petersburg (no, not Florida...Russia!). Korey taught a seminar to the worship team at our local church there. Aside from talking about the technical aspects of leading worship, he also instructed them on being sensitive to the leading of the Spirit. During prayer, several came forward to ask for prayer for different situations in their lives and the lives of their families. On Saturday, a young man was filled with the Holy Ghost. And on Sunday, as Korey worked with the team during the service, another one was filled! It is great to know that God is pouring out revival all over!

The team wrapped up the month by traveling to the nearby city of Sigulda. Yes, you may recall we had been there in late August as well. Sigulda is the place to go and witness God's creation in its full splendor of fall colors! We had a wonderful day of relaxation as we took in the breathtaking colors. We also got the chance to explore some of the ancient castles and buildings dating as far back as the early 13th Century! It is just indescribable to think of the centuries of history that we are exposed to here.

---

Heartfelt Thanks!

We shared with you a couple of months ago some pressing financial needs. One of which was acquiring the finances for a used vehicle. God is doing an amazing work in preparing to provide us the funds that it will take! We look forward to being able to share the details of this miracle next month. In the meantime, you can still become a part of this effort! You can make a one time donation and earmark it toward the purchase of a car to be used in our travels to the various places we need to go. Just visit our support page to make a donation via PayPal or a debit or credit card. Or if you prefer, please contact us for details on where you can send a check. We appreciate your consideration in this need.

Bro. and Sis. Elkins, Korey

Latvia, Eastern Europe

~Do You Have the Broken Finger Syndrome - Martyn Ballestero

The Broken Finger Syndrome

A young brunette goes into the doctor’s office and says to the doctor that her body hurts wherever she touches it.

“That’s impossible,” the doctor says. “Show me.”

She takes her finger and pushes her on elbow and screams in pain. She pushes her knee and screams; she pushes her ankle and screams again. She touches her ear lobe and yells in pain.

The doctor sat there a minute observing his patients behavior and says, “Are you a natural blonde?”

“Why yes, she says, “I just recently died my hair brown.”

“I thought so,” the doctor says. “You have a broken finger.”

My good friend, Brother Kenneth Bow shared that joke with me. We both had a good laugh. He shared the fact with me too, that there are a lot of people with broken fingers. With apologies to him, let me explore this line of thinking a bit more.

Most Politicians Have “The Broken Finger Syndrome”

It seems that every administration blames the previous administration for all of its woes.

•       High taxes
•       The poor economy
•       Unemployment

The “Broken Finger Syndrome” Is Found In Every Community And Also In Every Church.

Those with this affliction find pain everywhere. Everything they touch seems to hurt them. They find pain in all of their relationships. They are easily recognized by their constant exclamations of pain.

We all have met those that stay upset about things in their local church. They constantly yell in pain about the leadership in the church.

The Pastor Hurts Me!

•       He’s always preaching                  right at me.
•       He doesn’t like me.
•       He offended me.
•       He corrected my child.
•       He hurt me.
•       I’m not being fed
•       I’m not being used here.
•       I’m leaving.
•          (They constantly yell in pain about the pastor.)

The Worship Leader Hurts Me!

•       The music style offends me.
•       I can’t worship to the songs they use.
•       It’s not my style
•       I plug my ears because of the sound.
•           (They constantly yell in pain about the worship leader.)

The Church Members Hurt Me!

•       I don’t belong here!
•       You’ll never believe what they did to me!
•       I’m hurt because of them!
•       They offended me!
•       They’re bringing people into our church from the “Projects”.
•       I don’t fit in!
•       I have no friends here.
•       I have more friends in the world than I do in church.
•       They all hate me!
•       They are all so critical.
•       They are all so self righteous.
•       Someone always keeps sitting in my pew.
•       There is nothing here but cliques in this church.
•       My children don’t get invited to the young people’s parties.
•       I’m changing churches and getting away from all these hypocrites.
•           (They constantly yell in pain about the members of their church.)

My In-laws Hurt Me!

•       They never have loved me.
•       They’re trying to control my life.
•       They’re nosey.
•       I can’t stand them.
•           (They constantly yell in pain about their in-laws.)

My “Ex” Hurts Me!

•       My “Ex” destroyed my life.
•       My “Ex” tore down my self-esteem.
•       My “Ex” is a psychopathic.
•       He’s hiding money from me.
•           (The constantly yell in pain about their “Ex”.)

My Parents Hurt Me!

•       They physically abused me.
•       They emotionally abused me.
•       They were very controlling.
•           (They constantly yell in pain about their parents.)

My Children Hurt Me

•       My children drive me up a wall.
•       I can’t stand them.
•           (They constantly yell in pain about their children.)

The List Goes On And On…

If You Thought There Was A Problem Before…

Just Wait Till You Tell That Person They Have A Broken Finger!  

-from the Ballestero Blog - used with permission

Bro. Martyn Ballestero

~Property Purchased in Suriname

*****************************************

As previously reported, the United Pentecostal Church of Suriname recently purchased its first church property. Click this link to see pictures: http://bit.ly/o6FbDE.

Like to receive more frequent updates? Follow us on Twitter at user name PhillipRhoads.

The Rhoads Family
Suriname

~Barcelona Commentary - September 2011

Barcelona Commentary

Rev. and Mrs. Nathan A. Harrod

Missionaries to Spain

United Pentecostal Church International

Revival Report...

New Daughter Work Started In the month of September we started another church in the Barcelona area. After many months of prayer and planning we had our first service in a hotel meeting room in the city of Cornellá. In our first service we had 16 visitors as a result of our outreach in the days prior to starting this work. God is doing a quick work and we have had an attendance of 20-25 since we started this past month. This is the 6th daughter work that God has allowed to come out of the church that we Pastor in Barcelona. We are working to see the work of God multipy in these last days!  New Church Plant 57 Students Enrolled In Bible School In Barcelona Training is one of the keys to planting more chuches in this nation. We are excited to have a record 57 students starting this semester in our Bible School in Barcelona. God has opened the doors for us to aquire new Bible school facilities right next to our local church where we will be working to train the next generation of ministry.   Bible School Students Revival Across Europe We had the opportunity to be with the Matthew Tuttle family in The Netherlands and the Charles Robinette family in Austria this past Summer. It was exciting to see the revival that is happening in these countries and across Europe. This truly is a time of Harvest! Strongholds are coming down and revival is breaking forth! Worship in Holland

Thank you for all your prayers and support. Together we are claiming Spain in Jesus' name!   God Bless, Nathan, Tanya, Alaina and Lincoln Harrod