FROM THE DIRECTOR

VOLUME 4 — NUMBER 10

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* For ease of reading, Assemblies of God and Assemblies of God World Missions will be shortened to AG and AGWM, respectively, throughout this issue.

It requires little time or effort to see deep pain in this world. Hurting people are all around us, their pain caused by everything from overtly demonic belief systems to natural tragedies. This is the reality of life within fallen creation.

Scripture lifts our eyes to a broader perspective: “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4, NASB).

This month’s issue covers tragedies and triumphs within both the spiritual and physical realm. In Mozambique, God is freeing the spiritually oppressed and beautifully saving and redeeming those trapped in darkness.

In Mexico, AGWM is responding to physical tragedy amidst the havoc wreaked by last year’s earthquakes, and God’s love echoes in the actions of His Church.

We have a Lord who cares for us, hurts with us, and works within us for our transformation. How is the Lord reversing spiritual and physical tragedies in your life? Let us know at worldview@agwm.org.

Andy RaatzAGWM Communications director

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MOZAMBIQUE: WHO WILL GO?God is planting His Church in the universities and unreached regions of Mozambique.BY ANDY RAATZ

KIDS PAGE: EARTHQUAKES!Learn some facts and safety tips for shaky ground.BY SCOTT HARRUP

MENDING LIVES IN MEXICOAGWM missionaries, Convoy of Hope, and local believers serve together in communities hit by Mexico’s 2017 earthquakes.BY ILONA HADINGER

UNSUNG HEROES: DAVID AND CAROLYN HUNEYCUTTMinistry with Builders International is the latest chapter in 24 years of AGWM missionary service.BY ALICE HORNE

EVERY TRIBE | EVERY NATION: CHURCH PLANTING IN THE PEARLSri Lankan believers are living out the apostle Paul’s words.BY RENÉE GRIFFITH

PUBLISHED OCTOBER 2018

AGWM EXECUTIVE DIRECTORGreg Mundis

AGWM COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTORAndy Raatz

AGWM ADVANCEMENT DIRECTORRandy Hurst

AGWM PUBLICATIONS STAFFHilary Bowman, Don Burchfield, Bill Fleming,

Renée Griffith, Scott Harrup, Mckinzie Hornback, Alice Horne, Don Jones, Lucas Key,

Marc McBride, Nikole McElroy, Arianna Metzner, Kristel Ortiz, Kim Partin

AGWM EXECUTIVE COMMITTEEGreg Beggs, Omar Beiler, JoAnn Butrin, Dave Ellis, Bob Friesen, Jeff Hartensveld, Rick Johnson, Keith Kidwell, Ron Maddux,

Gil Rodriguez, Paul TrementozziPHOTOGRAPHY

Elizabeth Clane, Sousa Domingo, Andy RaatzCOVER

Sousa Domingo

20 Field Notes — Regional Updates

THIS ISSUE

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WorldView (ISSN 2376-2969) is published monthly. Individual subscription rate for the United States and U.S. territories – $7.95 per year; Canada and other international – $14.95 per year (U.S. dollars). Bundle subscription (6 copies or more to same address) – $2.88 per copy for one year (U.S. dollars). ©2018 by Gospel Publishing House, General Council of the Assemblies of God, 1445 N. Boonville Avenue, Springfield, MO 65802-1894, 417-862-2781. Periodicals postage paid at Springfield, Mo. Printed in the USA.

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— India: The Hindi nations need to hear of God’s forgiveness.

— Russia: The gospel is reaching Russia’s UPGs.

— Unsung Hero: Sharon McCammon disciples Baltic youth.

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Story and Photographs by Andy Raatz

M O Z A M B I Q U E

who will go?

Matt Marlin on the outskirts of Maputo, Mozambique.

Timothy. Afonso. Delta. Nama. Their names are now written as children of God in the eternal Book of Life,

but animism once locked each one tightly in its grip. As these young people tell me stories of their release from demonic oppression, their transformed lives make clear that Jesus is the only One with authentic power to bring true freedom —with authority to bind and cast out every demon.

Timothy’s journey to Christ began in 2015 while studying at the university. A friend gave him a Bible and invited him to a prayer meeting. He was shocked to feel the authentic power of the Holy Spirit there, unlike anything from his past. Timothy, like nearly all Mozambicans, did not doubt the supernatural. His past was rife with animism and witchcraft. And the powers behind those practices would not easily allow him to come to Christ.

“It took over a year and a half for Timothy. He was delivered from a lot,” explains Matt Marlin, AGWM missionary. “When we first met, he often could not maintain a conversation, manifesting demonic oppression for days at a time, at times unable to speak, or shaking violently.”

Timothy’s father opposed his desire to follow Christ, threatening to kick him out of the house. He would go days without food, his family unwilling to speak to him. Timothy’s hunger for God was insatiable, and he spent hours praying. But when he

Mozambique

Maputo

Pemba

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would get on his knees to pray, the spiritual attacks would come physically as open wounds developed on his knees. When he would stand to pray, he would get sores on the bottoms of his feet; when lying in bed, open sores would appear in his mouth.

But not even demoni-cally induced injuries could separate Timothy from the all-powerful, living Savior. Today Tim-othy is free from his past of curses, witchcraft, amulets and sacrifices, and he is now a leader in The Movement, a grow-ing university ministry established by AGWM. Timothy is a passionate follower of Jesus and wants to eventually be a missionary elsewhere in Africa. No amount of de-monic opposition is able to keep him away from the transformational power of Jesus Christ. ➝

M O Z A M B I Q U E

who will go?

No amount of demonic opposition is able to keep him away from the transformational power of Jesus Christ.

✪

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The heartbeat of AGWM is to establish the Church where it does not exist, within every demographic, nation and language. Before Matt and Andrea Marlin arrived in Maputo, Mozambique, God gave them a vision to reach the universities there. The student population has been a forgotten segment of Mozambican society, unreached by traditional church methodology.

Both Matt and Andrea are followers of Christ thanks to the AG’s Chi Alpha university outreach in Arkansas. Based on their personal testimonies and their stateside ministry, they understand the spiritual vacuum on many university campuses. But reaching students in Africa creates very different challenges for the Marlins and their team as they learn how to fight overt spiritual oppression.

“It feels like we deal with demonic activity in almost every student as they come to Christ,” Matt explains. “We’ve seen it all — violent shaking, people going catatonic, demonic voices coming from students. It is just pervasive in Mozam-bique. Because we are now known on the universities, we have even had the secu-lar universities call us occasionally for help because a class wasn’t able to continue because of students manifesting demonic possession.”

But “greater is he who is in [us] than he who is in the world!” (1 John 4:4). The greatest power in a testimony does not lie in the depths from which someone has

come, but in the changed person transformed by Christ. As I visit with students, they repeatedly describe the impact Jesus has had on their lives. Their focus is not on the years before Christ.

Afonso sits across the table from me, his calm smile and demeanor giving no indication of his past. His peace and joy are visible reminders of the power of God over the witchcraft and demonic oppression that once gripped his life.

Afonso’s miracle started months before he was born. When his mother became pregnant with him, his father pressured her to get an abortion. When she was about to have her baby aborted, her mother convinced her otherwise, emphatically declaring it was a terrible deed. So, Afonso’s mother carried him full term. When he was born, his father furiously denied he even had a son.

Afonso’s family dynamics only darkened. He tells me of being obligated to take part in a witch doctor selection ceremony.

“Our family witch doctor died,” Afonso says. “When that happens, the extended family must come together to choose a new one.” Rather, to let the demons choose a new witch doctor.

M O Z A M B I Q U E

who will go?Beacons of Light

Afonso’s extended family returned to their home province of Inhambane. A visiting witch doctor consecrated their clothes, pots and pans through numerous rituals. The witch doctor sprinkled blood from animal sacrifices around the family, who sat in silence. In the background, drums pounded through the night as the family sat and waited. Afonso remembers an overwhelming sense of dread. “I was afraid the demons would choose me!” he tells me. ➝

The Marlin family

Training and discipleship of student leaders who lead the ministry on campuses

8 agwm.org

An empty lot became ground zero for missionaries Joel and Adrienne Charest’s soccer ministry, which now reaches 200-300 Muslim children weekly. After installing wooden frames to serve as goalposts, the Charests had a vision for a more permanent presence — and Builders International has played a key role in realizing that vision. Builders International is an AGWM ministry that partners with missionaries in construction projects worldwide. Teams of volunteers from local churches in the States have constructed a missionary house in Pemba, and they are working on a ministry center there to train pastors and host evangelistic outreaches. As Builders International demonstrates, local churches play an integral part in building the Church!

TEAMWORK!

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At sunrise, one of the oldest daughters began to shake violently as demonic possession manifested, revealing she was the demons’ choice to carry the mantle of family witch doctor.

And yet, despite that night of terror, and continuing years in spiritual darkness, Afonso’s life dramatically changed. His fearless demeanor today speaks of an encounter with the power of Jesus as compelling as any New Testament narrative in which demons flee at the command of the Savior. Invited to a small Bible study on the university campus, Afonso heard the story of Jesus, a message of grace and freedom. That was his turning point, as he came to faith

and embraced his new life with Christ.

Testimonies like this should inspire us to stay on mission. Hearing such stories from new Christians reminds us of the life-transforming power of the

gospel. In one afternoon, I hear the stories of a half-dozen university students — each a reminder of God’s grace and power.

Delta, a devout Muslim, came to Christ when a friend had her read three

passages of Scripture. As she finished the final verse, she simply said, “What does this mean? I have to follow Jesus.”

Nama was dedicated as a baby to spirits, cursed with visions of spirits

coming after her. She tried to kill herself, but as she sat with a gun in her mouth, she heard an audible voice from Jesus saying, “Don’t kill yourself, don’t take your life, I love you.” Now free, she is influencing others to find Jesus.

Timothy, Afonso, Nama and Delta are integral parts of The Movement university ministry. Only four years ago, the ministry started on one campus with zero student leaders. Now, The Movement thrives on 30 campuses, almost half of the universities in Mozambique’s capital city, under the capable direction of 70 student leaders! The leadership team has a vision to establish a small group on every campus in the city.

This is what planting the Church looks like: helping students lost in darkness find freedom in Jesus, the Light of the world. Whether university students or young children, city dwellers or rural villagers, they are the focus of the prayer of AGWM missionaries built upon the words of Jesus:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released ... that the oppressed will be set free” (Luke 4:18, NLT).

The universities of Mozambique are filled with students who remain in spiritual captivity. Let us agree in prayer for an expanding move of God and that hundreds more will soon be sharing their testimony of freedom. ➝

M O Z A M B I Q U E

who will go?

In AGWM, we keep looking for the neglected people and regions — demographics, locations, unreached people groups. Africa is facing some major trends that create both immense challenges and unique opportunities. One major factor is the urbanization of the continent, the movement of people away from the rural village and tribal areas to the large cities.

To focus on this, the Africa region has started a focus called Urban Tribes, planting churches among key cities in Africa that focus on the “new” tribes that are being created —urban Africans.

URBAN TRIBES

As she finished the final verse, she simply said, “What does this mean? I have to follow Jesus.”

Above English lessons are a key opportunity to build relationships with Maputo university students.Left Pemba: Neighborhood kids sit listening to lessons on Jesus.

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Home to nearly 30 million people, Mozambique is located on the southeastern edge of Africa. Mozambique’s Indian Ocean coastline is longer than the Pacific coast of California, Oregon and Washington combined, drawing tourists to its white sand beaches each year. The country’s weak economy struggles to rebound from political conflicts in the not-so-distant past.

When I ask Matt and Andrea how they would like people to pray for Mozambique and the university work, they outline two priorities: “First, tell everyone that God is doing great things on the campuses because the Lord loves every student. We need prayers for spiritual breakthroughs. Second, we don’t need money as much as we need workers. We have requests from seven other African nations to start the same kind of work in their homelands. We are praying for workers to come, to be trained, to strengthen the work in Mozambique, and go start the work throughout Africa!”

God has already answered that prayer in part through Weston and Allison Stover, who served as missionary associates in Mozambique for two years and are now fully appointed. The Stovers led the campus ministries for nine months while the Marlins were stateside itinerating. The campus ministry in Mozambique is doing well thanks to

M O Z A M B I Q U E

who will go?

Who Will Go?

“We have requests from seven other African nations to start the same kind of work in their homelands.” — Matt Marlin

teamwork. More team members are needed.

The universities are not the only places in Mozambique with unreached people. Pemba is located in the far north, a 2½-hour flight from the capital city of Maputo. The district has made the news for two reasons: a potential natural gas development and Al-Shabaab Muslim extremist beheadings in villages close by.

Joel and Adrienne Charest, AGWM’s longest-serving missionaries in Mozambique, were based in the southern part of the country when they felt God leading them northward. Joel had visited the Pemba district with a Mozambican pastor, driving through village after village with no churches. Mosque after mosque dotted the horizon.

Moved by such desperate need and by the nudging of the Holy Spirit, they made plans to relocate north, focusing on the six unreached ethnic groups. Before they could move, Joel was diagnosed with cancer, and the Charests went through their personal valley of the shadow of death. ➝

Weston and Allison Stover with their daughter, Leona

The light flickering into the central city market is a perfect symbol of how the church shines Christ’s light into the dark corners of Mozambique.

continued on page 18

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Lance and Mindy Hines, area directors for Southern Africa (eight countries including Mozambique), talk about those dark days. Before becoming area directors, the Hineses served in Mozambique and knew the Charests as dear friends.

“We were Skyping with him when he was in the midst of chemo treatment,” Mindy says. “He was skin and bones; he looked like he was dying. When we asked how he was holding up, he said, ‘Don’t worry about me: God has called me to Pemba, and we haven’t even started our ministry there yet. This is just something I have to go through, but I know I’m going to make it because I know He called us there!’”

God miraculously healed Joel. He is a living testimony of tenacious faith and perseverance through trials. In 2015, Joel, Adrienne, and their three children moved

M O Z A M B I Q U E

who will go?to Pemba, making it their home and ministry base.

Knowing few people in town, yet being gifted in children’s ministry, they started organizing soccer games for kids in their neighborhood. Starting out with nothing more than a sandy field, the Charests put up wooden frames to serve as goals, and scores of children began coming to the “min-istry center” to play and hear a Bible lesson.

Joel has a wonderful Mozambican friend, Anto-nio, who leads the ministry alongside him. One day Joel mentioned a “crazy” wish to Antonio — to get some nets for the soccer goals. None of the children had ever played with nets, and Joel knew it would make the ministry stand out.

Antonio knew of a fisherman in a nearby vil-lage who made nets, so he suggested the two of them go out and ask if he would make nets for soccer goals. The two visited Fernando, or “Papa” as he is called. One of the influencers in this small village, he is a devout Muslim.

“On one of the trips out there,” Joel explains, “I just felt the Holy Spirit put on my heart to ask him if we could come and teach the kids the Bible. My first response to God was, ‘This is Muslim!’”

But the Holy Spirit wouldn’t give Joel peace, so Joel had Antonio ask Papa

if it would be OK if they held soccer matches and then gave Bible lessons.

“Yes,” Papa replied, much to their surprise. Their surprise was even greater with his next re-quest: “But not just for me and my family. Why don’t we open it up for every-body!”

Papa called for the vil-lage leader, who arrived straight from the mosque, having just finished his time of prayer.

“I was get-ting kind of nervous,” Joel says. “This leader is almost seven feet tall, the tallest guy I’ve ever seen in Mozambique! But when we explained, he got all excited and said, ‘When can you start? Tomorrow?’”

“I wasn’t ready for that kind of response,” Joel tells me. “So I replied, ‘I have to preach tomorrow. How about Monday?’”

“Excellent! Monday, then,” the village leader replied. “The kids are still off school. We’ll call all the kids from the community.”

So Joel and Adrienne prepared for Monday. They had no idea how many kids might attend from this staunchly Muslim village, so they picked up a couple bottles of juice and a couple soccer balls, ex-pecting 20 kids. When they

Right The Charest familyTop Right AntonioOpposite page center A group of young people use soccer to plant the church.

arrived at the village that Monday morning, they realized the village leader had made a mistake because all the children were in school.

Uncertain of what to do, Joel decided to go visit with the school director. When he explained what they planned to do, the school director — also a Muslim — decided to cancel school and send all the children to the soccer field to hear the Charests!

“After that week, we decided to make it just a Saturday thing,” Joel says. “We play soccer, teach a lesson, and serve juice.”

Nearly every week, 200-300 kids show up on their soccer field, hear the message of Christ, and see the love of Jesus in action. Through these weekly gatherings, the Charests are slowly sharing more and more about the gospel and giving clear messages about the path to salva-tion. They are in the process of planting a church in a town where no church has ever existed. ➝

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M O Z A M B I Q U E

who will go?

M O Z A M B I Q U E

who will go?

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Making a DifferenceOur hearts can grow heavy from hearing or reading

in the news of horrible events around the globe. Yet darkness can never overcome the light of the gospel, as these stories of changed Mozambicans clearly show. Amidst the discouraging tone of daily news, may you and I continue to seek out the miracles God is doing around the world. Demonic strongholds holding unreached people in their power are not obstacles to Jesus; they are opportunities for His grace to shine the brightest.

Southern Africa needs people like you and me to come make a difference, to serve as Christ’s represen-tatives in places of darkness. We need missionaries in

Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, São Tomé and Principe, Zambia, Zimbabwe — and Mozambique.

Let’s pray for the light of God to shine brightly in Southern Africa, bringing freedom to the oppressed.

“Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.” Matthew 5:15

Andy Raatz AGWM Communications director

Demonic strongholds holding unreached people in their power are not obstacles to Jesus; they are opportunities for His grace to shine the brightest.

who will go?who will go?To view more photography of Mozambique go to agwm.org/wvphotos.

AFRICA

We were approached by a director in the Ministry of Education, and he shared the need to communicate to the schools about the negative effects of technol-ogy. He also said we could talk about what God thinks about it all.

— Nick and Marilyn Krake, AGWM missionaries to Palau

ASIA PACIFIC

If you have a heart for Eurasia, but don’t think God is calling you to a career or even one term on the field here, would you consider coming to Eurasia on a short-term trip? Explore all the ways to join us here: eurasiacommunity.org/pipeline/

EURASIA

Mike Tyler, AGWM missionary to Germany, had the honor of serving as a camp pastor for a regional Royal Rangers camp gathering. He spent eight days in the Black Forest teamed up with two other pastors as they ministered to more than 300 youth, teens and leaders from this region.

EUROPE

The VitaStove is just one concept that can help change the way people live their lives, cook their food and use precious resources. CompassionLink is com-mitted to serving communties near the foothills of the Himalayas by providing teaching and techniques for healthier living, sanititaiton and clean water.

INTERNATIONAL MINISTRIES

There are more than 37 different indigenous groups in Bolivia, many of which are unreached. This church will serve a community of more than 800 souls who need to hear about the love of Christ. There are many more projects like this one. Pray with us for more open doors to reach the lost tribes of Bolivia.

— Justin and Janet Henry, AGWM missionaries to Bolivia

LATIN AMERICA CARIBBEAN

Pray for the Ha Li of China. An animistic people group with only around 1,000 believers.

NORTHERN ASIA

Regional social media updates

Pray that every local church in Gabon will reach out to children in their com-munities. Pray that God will call missionaries to work with the children of Gabon.

FIELD NOTES For daily updates, follow “Assemblies of God World Missions” on Facebook.

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!Did you know God once caused an earthquake that set some missionaries free? You can read that story in Acts 16. Missionaries Paul and Silas were put in prison while they were telling people in the city of Philippi about Jesus. But Paul and Silas believed God would help them. “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose” (Acts 16:25,26, NIV).

The United States Geological Survey monitors earthquakes all over the world. They have free information on how to stay safe if you live where there is a greater danger of an earthquake. Check it out at earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/preparedness.php.

B

y Scott Harrup

The Richter scale uses

the numbers 1 through

10 to describe an

earthquake’s destructive

power. But the scale uses

multiplication. Each

number on the scale

measures an earthquake

that is about 30 times

more powerful than the

next lower number.

Did You Know

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Shortly before midnight on September 8, 2017, my husband, Mike, shakes me out of a sound sleep. “We have to get out of the house now!”

Our daughter Katie echoes his warning, “Mom! Wake up! Earthquake! It’s a big one!”

Groggy and confused, I totter out of bed. Time seems to slow as we head downstairs and out the door, our feet sensing the movement of our house. ➝

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MendingLives

inMexicoStory by Ilona Hadinger

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September 27, 2017 A man stands in front of the place where a building collapsed. People put flowers and candles in tribute.

Sara

h Es

coba

r pho

tos

in Mexico

Tonight

“We find new opportunities to

proclaim the love and forgiveness

of Christ the Savior.”

the first of three earthquakes to hit south-ern Mexico in as many weeks registers 8.2 on the Richter scale. The next one will be the deadliest and hit north of us on the anniversary of Mexico’s infamous earthquake of the 1980s that killed more than 10,000 people. The third will hit near the first in southern Oaxaca. Thou-sands of aftershocks will traumatize people for months.

With dawn, disaster relief becomes our new normal. We hear stories of suffering and loss from survivors. We see God break through in the midst of pain. We seek to become God’s hands extended in healing through medicine and miracles. We find new opportunities to proclaim the love and forgiveness of Christ the Savior.

Early the following morning, the phone rings. “Brother, please help us!” a pastor pleads. “Entire families have fled from the coast up the mountain to our vil-lage. Their houses have fallen, they have no shelter, and they fear a tsunami. I am housing approximately 20 families inside our church, but I don’t have food or wa-ter for them. Can you help?”

“Yes, of course,” Mike assures him. Throughout the day additional calls roll in. We communicate with Paul Kazim, Mexico’s AGWM area director, first to advise him that we and our colleagues are fine, then to ask about resources available for relief efforts.

Thanks to the generosity of donors through AGWM, the LAC region, and of our own Mexico missionary body, funds are quickly made available. Together with local pastors and colleagues we begin purchasing corn flour, tarps, water, dia-pers, formula, and other relief supplies in bulk, then delivering them in caravan through the mountains to the severely af-fected communities.

The six-hour trips are grueling and dangerous. Navigating the sinuous moun-tain roads in the dark and the rain makes for a hard drive. Additionally, some caravans from other organizations are robbed. When Mike brings supplies to District Superintendent Antonio Mendo-za’s church in Juchitán, Pastor Mendoza is grateful yet surprised. “How did you make it through?” he asks Mike. “We made a wrong turn,” Mike admits. “We got lost, and somehow ended up coming in from another direction.” God divinely arranged that detour. Pastor Mendoza tells Mike of armed groups setting up roadblocks on the main streets leading into Juchitán, confiscating relief supplies from caravans entering the city. ➝

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September 23, 2017 A group of courageous volunteers remove debris from a collapsed building and search for survivors.

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Overwhelming needs from the devas-tation of the three earthquakes soon tax the limited efforts of the local church and of the missionary body: 60,000 homes lost, 250,000 homeless, and 13 AG churches destroyed. Thankfully, the AGWM Disaster Relief Fund quickly helps with a financial response, allowing local pastors and missionaries to address immediate physical needs as well as plan for ongoing restoration. But more resources will be required for any long-term solutions.

In early October, Mike feels the Lord prompting him to call Convoy of Hope. He learns that two Convoy represen-tatives had arrived the day before in southern Oaxaca to assess needs and es-tablish a local network to channel relief efforts. Not finding that infrastructure, they decided to leave Oaxaca the next day. Mike’s phone call reaches them in time, they change their plans and ac-cept the invitation to drive the six hours north to Oaxaca City and attend a min-isters gathering the next morning.

There, without any knowledge that the visitors represent Convoy of Hope, Gabriela Gómez Avila, Oaxaca City’s presbyter, shares a three-phase relief plan God had revealed to her in fasting and prayer earlier that week. It was exactly what Convoy was looking for! A ware-house of relief supplies is set up, continu-ally stocked for six months, with local congregations taking turns delivering aid to churches and outreach stations in the earthquake zone. Tragedies such as the Mexico earthquakes call for broad-based partnerships, multiple organizations working together to meet the needs.

Sandy Kazim, a nurse practitioner, forms medical brigades to minister in the disaster zone. With the support of superintendents and pastors from six districts, as well as Mexico’s AG Gener-al Superintendent Abel Flores, doctors, nurses, and dentists from across Mexico come to work with us in Oaxaca to pro-vide holistic care and share eternal hope found in Christ. ➝

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We just got back from Zacatepec Morelos. We saw about 200 people in a day and a half. Fifteen people made a decision to follow Christ.

The main bulk of our work, besides spiri-tual counseling, is dental care. People were able to get fillings, fix broken teeth, get clean-ings, and deal with abscesses galore from the lack of dental care in all of the areas we attended to. We are grateful for a group of dentists who drop everything and sacrifice a week of income from their own jobs to go and care for others.

As area directors, we want to empower Mexicans to reach their own communi-ties.

— Paul & Sandy KazimAGWM missionaries

to Mexico

September 19, 2017 People went to the streets to help rescue those caught in the collapsed buildings.

Onsite Report

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“Spiritual and emotional care — this is what distinguishes us from government brigades,” Sandy says. “With discerning eyes, the doctors, dentists, and nurses see and treat the physical needs. With discerning ears, the spiritual counselors care-fully listen to the trauma and bur-den of the patients. They counsel and pray with the patients. Those who have never before heard of God’s forgiveness and love now have heard! These brigades impact eternity.”

The team works tirelessly day after long day. In each village, we see mounds of dumped concrete and adobe rubble lining the streets. One pastor explains to us, “Each pile represents someone’s house.”

The loss of homes and posses-sions is exacerbated by physical ailments and emotional trauma. Over 1,200 people receive care during the first two brigades. Each one is given a thorough exam, a month’s supply of vitamins to boost their immune system, relief items, and medicines as needed. Most importantly, each can speak with a caring listener of their pain and loss. Seeds of eternal hope are planted as the love of Christ and His eternal plan of salvation are gently presented to each patient. Nearly 200 adults surrender their hearts to Christ.

Children participate in art ther-apy. We discover behind their shy smiles and beautiful black eyes a sea of grief, anger and trauma. Through art, hands-on activities, gentle words, and patient timing, stories surface of their losses.

One 5-year-old tells me how she escaped with her mother and ran next door to find her friend. “We found her and her family,” she says. “They were under pieces of their house. They had gray pow-der all over them and they were asleep, like this.” She closes her eyes and tilts her head to one side. “I kept yelling at them to wake up, but they never did.”

A 12-year-old boy with a wide grin fills his trauma booklet with artwork that reveals an angry boy who has lost everything. His mother “went north” to find help after the earthquake, leav-ing him alone with a sibling in a cardboard shelter. We minister the love of Jesus to him and to each child who comes, nearly 150 chil-dren. After hearing about a Heav-enly Father who builds an eternal home in heaven for us — one that will never fall down — they grate-fully accept our prayers and hugs, besides the additional gift of cray-ons, play dough or rubber balls.

The work is far from over. The need for the gospel is strong. Bro-ken houses are physical reminders of broken families shattered by sin. Very few homes have two parents, and most homes have multiple siblings who have different fathers. Only the power of Jesus Christ can change the tide of lawlessness and sin. Please pray for the gospel to go forth in bold ways, and that southern Mexico would experi-ence a holy revival!

• Pray for the regions of Oaxaca that were severely damaged by the earthquakes of September 2017. Relief efforts and medical outreaches continue.

• Pray for Mexicans who are being called to the mission field that they can raise their support.

• Pray for the development of the missions training center in Oaxaca. All who wish to apply for appointment have to go through a six-month academic program and a

six-month practicum, living with a non-Spanish-speaking group in Mexico.

• Pray for the work among the non-Spanish-speaking indigenous groups and especially for new efforts among those who are oral learners.

• Pray for the work of the AG university in Saltillo. It is the first evangelical university in all of Mexico recognized by the government.

Pray for

Mexico

September 28, 2017 Two sisters visit the ruins of their destroyed home.

Six states in Mexico — Aguascalientes, Guanajuato, Michoacán, Querétaro, Zacatecas and Jalisco — are less than 2 percent evangelical. That is a smaller percentage than United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar, some of the most challenging mission fields in the world. Currently, only three of these states have AG missionaries. Pray for workers, for both national and foreign missionaries. Pray for creativity in ministry methods and for the demonstrated power of the Holy Spirit to break satanic strongholds.

In all of Mexico, we only have 25 ministry units (missionaries or missionary couples). Mexico’s population of 120 million is second only to Brazil in all of Latin America.

By Ilona Hadinger AGWM missionary to Mexico

agwm.org 2928 agwm.org

“The work is far from over. The need for the gospel is

strong.”

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BUILDERS FOR THE KINGDOM

Every Tribe | Every Nation2018 AG World Missions Theme

30 agwm.org

NEXT ISSUE— India: The Hindi nations need to hear of God’s forgiveness.— Russia: The gospel is reaching Russia’s UPGs.— Unsung Hero: Sharon McCammon disciples Baltic youth.

agwm.org 31

Church Planting in the Pearl

UNSUNG HEROES

Ashan* is one such house church planter. A friend of AGWM recalls meeting him: “The first time I visited Ashan’s home, every single window was broken. The night before, radical monks surrounded his home, made death threats to his family, and threw rocks at the windows.”

Ashan, his wife, and his sons did not leave their home. They stayed and interceded for the protection of their family and the salvation of other villagers. God answered their prayers. Today, nearly a decade later, house churches pepper the island nation and remain through hard-fought, hard-won spiritual battles.

Paul and Timothy address the Christian minority living in ancient Corinth: “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you” (2 Corinthians 4:8-12, NIV).

Before this, Paul tells the Corinthians in chapter 3 that they do not have to lose heart because they have a ministry from God: the ministry of the Spirit, the glorious new covenant that comes through the death and resurrection of Christ.

Sri Lankan Christians have not lost hope or heart. The Sri Lankan Assemblies of God is believing God for 10,000 house churches in Sri Lanka by the year 2020!

Renée Griffith AGWM Communications

The fourth-largest tea exporter, the birthplace of cinnamon, and known as the Pearl of the Indian

Ocean, the nation of Sri Lanka is a tropical paradise in its own

right. Sri Lanka is considered the third most religious country in the world, and the majority of

Sri Lankans practice Buddhism. While freedom of religion is written into law, persecution

against the Christian minority is intense and churches have gone

underground, meeting in homes.

Little did David Huneycutt know that two decades spent in Arkansas working long hours in factory maintenance would prepare him and his wife for an extremely fruitful missions career.

David and Carolyn Huneycutt began their mis-sionary service in Mexico 24 years ago as missionary associates (MAs). For eight years, they hosted up to 30 short-term construction teams yearly. In addition to preparing work sites, they were responsible for trans-portation, housing, meals and the overall well-being of the teams. They oversaw the construction of 12 com-plete church projects and a two-story Bible school.

After their commissioning as career missionaries, the Huneycutts planted churches in Central Mexico, the least evangelized Spanish-speaking area in all Latin America. Doors opened for David to preach

on the baptism in the Holy Spirit to those with limited understanding of the experience. Carolyn developed a program to help train local church teams in street ministry to children. The Huneycutts’ influence extended to the purchase and design of a Bible school that served their three-state district.

After earnest prayer, in 2011 the Huneycutts accepted Builders Interna-tional’s invitation to serve as project managers of the Africa and Eurasia regions. Builders International, a ministry of AGWM, constructs facilities that help carry the gospel to all nations. David’s skills in plumbing, masonry, carpentry, welding, electricity and mechanics all came into use. David began directing the Project Management Department in 2013. The Huneycutts have traveled around the world to evaluate, design

and prepare construction projects that empower national churches to reach their communities.

The Huneycutts help U.S. churches select construc-tion projects and plan short-term trips. They were closely involved with 36 construction teams in 2017 that donated an estimated $200,000 in labor. In addition, more than 425 other construction teams

ministered with Builders International around the world.

David and Carolyn have been married for 41 years and have three children and three grandchildren.

Alice Horne AGWM Communications

David and Carolyn Huneycutt

The Huneycutts have traveled around the world to evaluate, design and prepare construction projects that empower national churches to reach their communities.

Matt and Andrea Marlin’s campus ministry in Mozambique is just one facet of how this nation is being reshaped by the gospel. They believe God is calling other followers of Christ to develop other redemptive facets.• Christian leaders in several

African nations are asking for The Movement’s help in starting similar university ministries. Is God calling you to come, be trained, and continue His work in universities across Africa?

• Several African countries have no AGWM missionaries. Is God calling you to plant the church where it does not exist?

• Urban Tribes, a new initiative within the AGWM Africa region, plants churches in Africa’s largest cities and reaches displaced people from remote regions. Is God calling you to an urban setting?

• If any of these opportunities to serve resonate with you, let us know at worldview@agwm.org.

>>>

Pray that...• Bonds of animism and witchcraft will be broken, and

Mozambicans will no longer be held back from the freeing truth of the gospel.

• New believers will receive divine strength in their struggle against sin, persistent demonic attacks, and family pressure to return to their old way of life.

• The Movement university ministry will continue reaching many young people and operate in the favor and wisdom of God.

• The future church in the Muslim village of Pemba will reach more and more souls with the good news.

Your Move