** AIM TEAM MINISTERS DESPITE DETRACTORS - Dec 31, 2003
Thirty Alabama youth experienced the more difficult side of
ministry
during a recent missions trip to Joigny, France. The
team, led by District Youth Director Greg Kelley, performed puppet
shows and human videos at local schools and directed drama
workshops for students. They also conducted street evangelism to
help a local pastor spread the news about a new church in the
small town located two hours south of Paris.
Consequently, 15 people accepted Christ as Savior and attended the
church. Five of these new believers had openly opposed the Alabama
team. But these results didn't come without a price.
During a human video based on John 10:10 performed in front of
hundreds of high school students, several youths began heckling
the team. Before long, the rowdy French students began hurling
rocks and bottles. The Alabama group insisted on finishing.
"You could feel the intensity of the crowd," says
Zack Killcreas,
20, who sustained a cut to his chin from a
thrown rock while
portraying Jesus. Finishing the drama despite
the attack impacted
the French students.
"The news spread like wildfire throughout the community," Kelley
says. "They were amazed that our students cared so much about what
they were doing and about the people that they didn't stop
or
retaliate."
For the drama team,
retaliation wasn't an option.
"After being hit, compassion
was there," Killcreas says. "If I
have that little bit of
compassion for them rejecting me, how much
greater the compassion
God has for us every time we reject Him?"
-- Isaac
Olivarez, Today's Pentecostal Evangel
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** BOLIVIA MINISTRY TO PRISONERS' FAMILIES SPURS TRANSFORMATIONS
At least 340 children live behind the walls and razor wire fencing
of Penitenciaria Palmasola in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Many
more
children live in desperate conditions in the sprawling
barrio
surrounding the prison.
Only
a decade ago, the children living here faced a dismal future
with no education or medical care and little food. But today Latin
America ChildCare's school, Colegio Luz y Verdad (School of Light
and Truth), is transforming the lives of many children and entire
families and bringing hope to the surrounding community.
The Palmasola prison is the holding facility for sex offenders,
drug traffickers, debtors and common thieves. When the
head of a
household goes to prison in Bolivia, the family
is imprisoned with
him if they have no other means of support.
The prisoner is given
barely enough food to survive, and
the family often ekes out an
existence by begging. Some live
inside the prison walls. Others
live in small huts on the
prison property or even in large holes
in the ground with only
a piece of tin for protection. The
prisoners -- 1,756 men
and 262 women -- do not have individual
cells but are kept
in one large room, so families have no privacy.
Conditions
in the barrio surrounding the prison are also crowded
and
impoverished. One- and two-room, poorly constructed brick
houses provide shelter for hundreds of displaced families who lack
many necessities of life.
"I was shocked when I
saw the children living inside the prison
with convicted felons,"
says Georgia Belin. She and her husband,
Jack, now U.S.
A/G missionaries working with Convoy of Hope,
founded the
LACC school. "Many of the children were dressed in
rags and
had open sores. To see them living in this cruel, harsh
environment
was a life-changing experience. God laid it on our
hearts
to make a difference in their lives."
In 1993, the
Belins oversaw the purchase of 10 acres near the
prison compound.
Their Speed the Light vehicle served as the
school's
first office. LACC funds assisted in the building
project,
and Light for the Lost and BGMC provided Bibles,
curriculum
and school supplies. The first classes began at the
school in
1995 with 240 children. By the end of the first grading
period,
every child enrolled had accepted Christ as Savior.
During the next five years, MAPS Builders teams constructed
classrooms, a play area, a cafeteria and a church. The six
buildings that fill the campus today provide a haven for the
children during the week and a spiritual home on Sundays. More
than 800 students from the prison, barrio and surrounding
community are given a quality, well-rounded education with
instruction from Spirit-filled teachers. Students at Colegio Luz y
Verdad receive medical attention, a daily hot meal and a snack.
Through daily Bible studies, children learn about Christ's
compassion and are discipled to live according to God's Word.
"The purpose of Latin America ChildCare is to bring hope to
needy
children," says LACC Director Ken Dahlager. "The school
near the
Palmasola prison gives children the opportunity
to dream and to
know Jesus, who gives them true freedom."
Changes are also taking place in parents' lives as their
children
encourage them to attend church. The 800-seat facility,
pastored
by Rene Vargas, is filled each Sunday with people
whose lives have
been changed because of the children's
testimonies. Many prisoners
have accepted Christ as Savior through
church outreaches, and some
are enrolled in Global University
courses.
Mike Files, A/G World Missions country
coordinator, says, "After
10 years of sharing the message
of Jesus and providing a
life-changing education, we are starting
to see the impact this
LACC school has made in the lives
of the people and the
community."
-- Miriam Testasecca, Today's Pentecostal Evangel Back to Top
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**
DISASTER STRENGTHENS ELECTROCUTED MAN'S FAITH - Dec 29, 2003
A year ago Dirk Sharp, a member of Mankin Assembly of God in
Trinidad, Texas, survived an injury that left doctors scratching
their heads. Now, he is using his experience to share how God
spared his life -- in churches, schools and anywhere anyone
will listen.
"I was in an overhead bucket
working on power lines and was
electrocuted with 14,400 volts,"
says Sharp, 43, whose arms had to
be amputated at the shoulders.
"God worked a miracle because I
should be dead." Sharp,
who worked as an electrical engineer for
20 years, says
physicians can't figure out why the electricity
didn't flow
through his entire body. Sharp left hospital
rehabilitation
with his new prosthetics in two months, prompting
doctors to
take blood tests to determine why he healed so quickly.
"I told them it was God," Sharp says. "They couldn't do anything
but agree with me."
One week before the January
10 tragedy, Sharp was elected the
church's Sunday school superintendent
-- a position he still
holds. Mankin A/G Senior
Pastor Mike Crenshaw says Sharp's
fortitude has uplifted the
congregation. "Dirk has shown a very
exemplary attitude,"
Crenshaw says.
Sharp's wife, Lisa, agrees. "He has not
asked God why once," Lisa
says. "Never."
Sharp says it's because he's honored that God chose him.
"I became closer to God because I know what faith and trust are
now," says Sharp, who takes daily three-mile prayer walks. "He
talks to me during those walks. He tells me to keep my trust and
faith no matter what."
-- Isaac Olivarez,
Today's Pentecostal Evangel Back to Top
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**
CHAPLAIN CANDIDATE FORGOES 'AMERICAN DREAM' FOR VISION FROM GOD
Dec
19,
2003
Adrian O'Brian came to the United States eager to pursue a
God-given
vision to attend Bible school. But soon after arriving
in the States, O'Brian learned that every dream has a price --
even in America.
"I came with much enthusiasm," O'Brian,
38, says reflecting on his
move to the United States
from Romania. "I felt that whatever I
couldn't do in Romania
I could do here. But when I arrived I was
met by a thick wall
of reality."
That reality was that O'Brian couldn't
speak English and attending
Bible college was beyond his means.
Such obstacles left O'Brian
feeling frustrated, disappointed
and disenchanted.
But O'Brian wasn't about to give
up. He had never been one to
quit.
Growing up in a Christian home in then Communist Romania, O'Brian
wore the label of 'Christian' easily. Such a label was easy to
wear, he says, as long as one wasn't serious about one's faith.
"There were so many 'Christians' in Romania that being one was
all
right," says O'Brian. "But as soon as you took your religion
seriously it became a problem."
When O'Brian was 16 years old, he accepted Christ as Savior and
the persecution began. Classmates laughed and mocked him for his
beliefs that ran contrary to the government's teaching that there
was no God. But instead of caving into peer pressure, O'Brian
became bold in his faith.
He sought
the baptism in the Holy Spirit, preached, studied his
Bible,
prayed and shared his faith with anyone willing to listen.
In the United States he poured similar resolve into making the
vision God had given him a reality. No matter what the costs, he
determined to save enough money and learn English well enough so
that he could attend the Bible college he desired. But something
unexpected happened -- he started making money. The kind
of money
that threatened his plan and God's vision for his
life.
He and his brother started solar then construction
businesses in
Southern California. They did so well financially
they accumulated
properties, enjoyed the luxuries their
earnings provided and were
suddenly living the American Dream.
On the surface everything
seemed perfect. O'Brian was
learning English and making money
toward his goal, but something
was amiss.
"I had become like everyone else," admits
O'Brian. "But in the
back of my mind I knew this [his work
and lifestyle] wasn't it. I
still wanted to get to a point
where I could pursue ministry."
But doing so was proving
difficult because O'Brian and his family
were becoming accustomed
to a nice standard of living. If he
pursued the vision
God had given him, he and his family would have
to make
many sacrifices. In a quandary, O'Brian prayed fervently.
God answered his prayers.
A recession hit California
in 1993 and O'Brian lost almost
everything he owned. Looking
back now he says the recession was a
wake up call and a blessing
because it forced him to
wholeheartedly pursue the vision
he had come to America with.
He moved his wife and
children to Oregon where he enrolled in a
Bible college that
only let him study part-time. In the mornings
he went to school.
In the afternoons and on Saturdays he worked in
construction
or at his church, Philadelphia Romanian Pentecostal
Church (Assemblies of God), in Portland, which ministers to many
of the city's 30,000 Romanian residents.
"I found
out how hard going to college was with a family, ministry
at
the church and working full time," he says. "After I got into
it I said, 'Thank God they only allowed me to go part time."
Despite the hectic schedule, O'Brian excelled at his studies and
was allowed to become a full-time student for his second semester.
After obtaining a bachelor's degree he pursued a master's
degree.
It was during this time that God made the vision he
had given
O'Brian more specific.
"I
was taking baby steps toward ministry, but now I knew where I
was going," says O'Brian. "God impressed on me that I was to be a
military chaplain so I pursued a Master of Divinity degree."
After several years of schooling and sacrifice, O'Brian earned the
necessary degrees and endorsement from the Assemblies of God
to
become a military chaplain. Shortly, he will become a
chaplain
with the United States Navy.
O'Brian says God has given him a burden for Armed Forces personnel
in part because they are the ones that protect the freedom that he
has so enjoyed -- the same freedom that allowed him to fulfill
the
vision God had given him.
"Some
people take the freedom they [Armed Service personnel]
provide
for us for granted," he says. "Many people think they
deserve
freedom. But living under Communism for so many years I
have a great appreciation for our freedom. I know I can't ever pay
America back, but I can do my part.
Though he will
not make as much money as a military chaplain as he
did
in the construction business, O'Brian is more than content.
"Becoming a chaplain is not a step down," he says. "In fact, it's
a higher calling."
-- Kirk Noonan Back to Top
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**
EVANGELIST ROEVER RECEIVES BELATED PURPLE HEART - Dec 17, 2003
Eight months into a tour of duty during the Vietnam War, Dave
Roever nearly lost his life when a white phosphorus grenade
exploded six inches from his face. Roever, 34 years later,
received
formal recognition for his service when the government
presented him with the Purple Heart in November.
"People
have parts of their lives that are never fulfilled and
mine was shaped like a Purple Heart," Roever, an Assemblies of God
evangelist and former member of the U.S. Navy Brown Water Black
Berets, said. "That chapter of my life has finally been closed and
it's truly an amazing feeling."
Roever
received his Purple Heart in a surprise ceremony in Fort
Worth,
Texas, along with letters of congratulations from President
George W. Bush, Attorney General John Ashcroft and A/G General
Superintendent Thomas E. Trask. Brig. Gen. Robinson Risner, a
Vietnam veteran who spent seven years in the Hanoi Hilton prisoner
of war camp, joined Roever's family and friends to present
the award.
Patrick Titsworth, vice
president of Roever & Associates,
worked for nearly a year
to obtain Roever's award. He contacted
Roever's former commanding
officer during the war, who wrote a
letter that U.S.
Rep. Kay Granger used to notify the Navy of
the oversight.
"They thought [Roever] was dead," Titsworth
says. "In a time of
war, even the most astute person is not
going to spend much time
doing paperwork on somebody they
don't think is there." Roever was
due to receive a Purple Heart
for an injury he sustained three
days prior to the grenade
injury. Those measures were stopped
because the government
thought the grenade injury killed Roever.
"God knew
the emotional healing that would come with this," Roever
says.
"If we understood the heart of God better, we would
understand
why it means so much to Him to say, 'Thank you.'"
Roever returned to Vietnam to preach in 1974. He founded Roever
& Associates in 1981 to present the gospel to youth in high
schools and in the military.
-- Isaac Olivarez, Today's
Pentecostal Evangel Back to Top
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**
SOUL SURVIVOR: DON'T VOTE YOUR SPIRIT OFF THE ISLAND - Dec 11, 2003
Editor's note: Following is an article that was printed in the
Friday, November 21, 2003, issue of the weekly newspaper, "The
Wire," published for the Joint Task Force (JTF) at Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba (the detainee mission of Operation Enduring Freedom).
Featured in the story is Assemblies of God Army Chaplain
Daniel Odean.
Get within earshot of Club survivor
Wednesday night from 7-9 and
you will hear people singing
praises and Chaplain Daniel Odean
preaching the Word as
part of "Soul Survivor."
Looking forward to going helps
me get through the week," said SSG
Lee Arnold of HHC, 177th
MP Brigade who works at J-4
Transportation as the Operation
Sergeant. "I know the language and
the attitude is going
to be positive."
This group is for those who want to outlove,
outpray, outlive.
There is no tribal council, and you
won't be voted off the island.
but you will be taught tools
to make your time on the island
more productive.
The music is upbeat. "It's good for the young people. I'm older,
and I like it too," said SSG Jeffery Lewis, chaplain assistant
for
Chaplain Michael Britton.
"Singing the music relaxes me. It allows me to forget for a moment
that I'm a soldier and lets me focus on my spiritual side,"
said Arnold.
"The theme is how to be a spiritual
soul survivor while serving
with the JTF and beyond," said
Odean. "The format is to be upbeat,
inspiring, challenging
and life changing. The anointing of the
Holy Spirit is a soul-surviving
emphasis."
Another goal for Soul Survivor
is to have a comfortable atmosphere
where troopers can relax.
"Unlike a worship service, participants
are urged to grab
a cold drink and some food before, during and
after the service,"
said SGT Heather Sittler, Odean's chaplain
assistant.
"We strive to make it a comfortable place filled with
the Holy
Spirit."
This unique program had a unique beginning.
Odean was walking and
praying one night when he looked up
and saw the sign "Club
Survivor." He imagined it said "Soul
Survivor," and this was the
beginning of his plan for ministering
to JTF troopers in a new
way. His spirit's cry had been,
"Lord, here I am; you have sent
me, now what?" he said.
Wanting confirmation that this was the right thing to do,
he
[Odean] did not immediately act upon the idea. Within a
few days,
MG Geoffrey Miller mentioned during a chaplain's
breakfast that
Club Survivor could and should be used for positive
trooper
outreach. This was the confirmation Odean needed
to present the
proposal for Soul Survivor.
"I see my ministry and this Soul Survivor ministry as one to
assist troopers to lead a victorious, overcoming life in Christ
Jesus," said Odean. "Spiritual defeat is not an option. there are
spiritual battles to be fought and a spiritual war to be
won, we
all have to enter into this fight through the power
of the Holy
Spirit," said Odean. "This war can't be won on our
terms, it has
to be won by the Lord's terms. His desire is
for everyone to be
victorious."
"The
messages by Chaplain Odean are positive, and I've been able
to apply them. Soul Survivor has set me up for success -- it's a
tool," said Arnold.
"Where are you today? Do you
want to be a Soul Survivor? Take the
first step and the Lord
will meet you there," said Odean.
-- SGT Jolene Staker,
reprinted with permission
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** TEEN CHALLENGE IMPACTS INACCESSIBLE REGION - fron Aug 27, 2003 issue
In previously closed, culturally sensitive areas of Central
Eurasia, Teen Challenge is proving to be a key in sharing the
good
news. Within the 10 nations comprising Central Eurasia,
four Teen
Challenge centers have been established, offering
hope and help to
people struggling with addictions.
Since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, much of Central
Eurasia has struggled to achieve economic stability and a solid
infrastructure. Without skilled employment direction or
opportunities, people frequently turn to drugs and alcohol
to dull
their emotional and physical pain.
At the Teen Challenge centers, people are finding help for their
addictions and acquiring the life skills needed to earn a living.
"Adults with lifelong addictions often have little or no
vocational skills," says a worker at the center that opened
a year
ago. "Young people who come off the streets have no
marketable
skills. To live drug free outside Teen Challenge,
the students
must learn to work for their own personal needs."
Mahkamat, a Teen Challenge resident, was an alcoholic
for 20
years, including 13 years of imprisonment for violent
crimes,
before he heard the gospel. While he was in prison,
his wife and
daughters moved to Russia. "They said they
would not live with me
any longer," he recalls. "When I was
released, I had no family and
nowhere to go."
A church helped him find a place to live but Mahkamat couldn't
avoid old habits. When Teen Challenge opened, he entered the
program. "The last four months have been the hardest in my life,
but I am free," he says. "I am learning to overcome my problems
and live for Jesus. I am hoping for another chance with
my
family."
"These centers are serving
countries with drug epidemics beyond
government help," says
Mark Hausfeld, Assemblies of God area
director for Central
Eurasia. "Teen Challenge centers have
graduated men who have
been delivered from their drug addictions
and are becoming
the individuals, husbands and fathers God desires
them to
be."
--Cathy Ketcher, "Today's Pentecostal Evangel"
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** NORTH AND SOUTH: GOD WORKING IN A/G DEAF CAMPS - from Aug 25, 2003
Grass Lake, Michigan, and Woodworth, Louisiana, are hundreds of
miles and worlds apart--about as far apart as directly North and
South can be (inside the continental United States).
Yet this past summer, the cities were "connected" as a total of
nearly 200 deaf campers received powerful and life-changing
presentations of the gospel message at the Fa-Ho-Lo Deaf Family
Camp and the Louisiana District Deaf Youth Camp.
The 49th annual camp at Fa-Ho-Lo (an abbreviation for "Faith, Hope
and Love") was held June 22-28 in Grass Lake, Michigan. A/G
National Representative for Deaf Culture Ministries Kevin Babin
was the featured guest speaker.
While
Babin ministered to the adults, teens and children were
being
ministered to through Stephen Mooney and children's
evangelists,
The Redeker Family, both from the Ohio District.
"There was a tremendous realization of the need for repentance,"
says Camp Director Lynn McCain. "Hearts were softened, broken and
restored. There was a renewed commitment to holiness and a burning
desire to walk in God's ways. The Holy Spirit was working .
. . .
campers who have attended the camp for years suddenly
understood
that they had to depend on Christ for salvation--they
couldn't
change themselves."
McCain
reports that one camper, after speaking personally to
Babin, became an evangelist at the camp. "Tony recommitted himself
to Jesus Christ that day," McCain says. "He proceeded to witness
to others for the rest of the week . . . (and) was directly
responsible for bringing the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ to
several of the campers."
The 29th annual youth
camp (for children ages 10-18) was held on
the district campgrounds
in Woodworth, Louisiana, July 28-August
2. God's presence
was again also plainly evident.
With the camp theme
being, "Wow...God is Awesome," Camp Directors
and Nationally
Appointed Home Missionaries Dorothy Scott and
Joanne Lambert
report 16 Deaf children made decisions to accept
Christ
into their hearts and lives, four Deaf campers rededicated
their life to the Lord, and five Deaf campers and four Deaf
counselors were baptized in the Holy Spirit.
Morning
Bible classes were taught by Dianne Harris (Bossier City,
Louisiana),
Cheryl Guillory (Slidell, Louisiana) and David Cutler
(Pensacola, Florida). Max Miller (Marrero, Louisiana) led the
children in team Bible Quiz after the morning classes. Joseph
Thomas (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) led daily devotions.
"We truly give God the glory for all that He has accomplished once
again this year in the camp," Scott says. "We couldn't do it
without the workers He sends to work with us as counselors and
staff--or without the prayers and financial support of God's
people. We are humbled that He would allow us to work together
in
this wonderful ministry."
Next
year marks significant anniversaries for both camps: 30th for
the youth camp and the 50th for Fa-Ho-Lo.
According to
Scott and Lambert, Deaf youth from Louisiana attend
this camp
every year--tuition is free and free transportation is
provided
for them to come. Donations from individuals and churches
make the camp possible every year. The deaf youth come from all
over Louisiana and from all different denominations. For more
information, contact Scott or Lambert at LaAGDeaf@aol.com.
In addition to being a "Year of Jubilee" for Fa-Ho-Lo,
says
McCain, the camp will be honoring those who have been involved
in
Deaf Ministry for 25 years or more--whether they
are pastors, lay
pastors or interpreters. The camp will conclude
with a special
"Silver and Gold" banquet. For more information
about the camp,
sponsoring campers or helping honorees
attend the banquet, see
<http://www.faholodeafcamp.org/>. Back to Top
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**
A/G CHAPLAIN PERFORMS BAPTISMS, SEE SPIRITUAL AWAKENING ON SHIP -
from
Sept
8,
2003
issue
Early one morning en route to the Persian Gulf, Staff Sgt. James
Reese stopped by the office of A/G Chaplain Denis Cox who is
embarked with Marines aboard the USS Carter Hall as the vessel
made its way across the Atlantic Ocean. Reese told Cox, that he
wanted to get right with God. The men went for a walk on deck and
stopped to lean over a rail and watch the sun rise over the
Atlantic. After hearing Cox explain the plan of salvation, the
normally stoic 36-year-old Reese committed his life to Christ,
shedding tears of joy and relief.
Cox explained to Reese that baptism would be a natural follow-up
step in making a public profession of his faith. The Marine
agreed, and Cox began inquiring with the ship's leadership
personnel about the logistics of such a service. The captain had
never been asked to authorize a baptism at sea. The command master
chief, the senior enlisted person on the ship, had never seen
a
baptism in eight deployments covering 20 years on ships.
With a lot of suggestions and help from Religious Program
Specialist Petty Officer Third Class Christopher Oxendine,
Cox
secured a makeshift baptismal tank: one half of a casing
used for
landing craft air cushion engines. He arranged for
100 gallons of
fresh, clean water to be dumped into the container
on deck. With
around 50 onlookers, Cox baptized Reese.
A few weeks later, Cox baptized Lance Cpl. Nick Ames,
who gave his
life to the Lord after attending a Bible study
on ship. Both Reese
and Ames attend every chapel service,
are discipled regularly and
have shown a tremendous change
in their lives. Reese's wife had
been praying for his salvation
for years. Two sailors also have
been baptized on the ship,
and Chaplain Cox reports a spiritual
awakening in the lives
of many others.
--John W. Kennedy
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