AFCI World Blog

Kaipati and Anya have a new son in Fiji

Kaipati and Anya Tekavei work with AFCI in our Pacific Islands Ministry (PIN).  Living in Fiji, Anya gave birth to baby boy on the 24th of Dec.  His name is Tauila Fakatagi.   We rejoice with the Tekavei family. Please pray for the new PIN ministry as it gets underway in the Pacific.  A request has been submitted to the Fiji government to official register the ministry, and we are waiting to hear the response.

First Marriage Enrichment Event in Spain

An AFCI Spain partner church plans to host dinners every 2 to 3 months to reach out to the community the city of Seville in the south of Spain.  These dinners will focus on encouraging healthy marriages for married and engaged couples.

All of this is done in the context of applying biblical values, with the intent of staying together for a lifetime. The first dinner was held recently, and several new couples who were not part of the church attended. 

A dancing competition was held during the dinner and one couple won a free night a a local hotel.  Everyone enjoyed the pertinent and practical message and the whole event helped those attending to understand more about God’s love and how He helps enrich our relationships.

Topics for future events will include:

• Cultivating Communication
• Feeding the Romance
• Celebrating Differences
• Passing Time Together

Rekindling Passion in the Philippines

In January Isaias Catorce, National Director for the Philippines, spoke at a pastors’ conference in General Santos City to 380 pastors in attendance. Some pastors braved a raging sea as they traveled by boat from the neighboring Islands of Sarangani to attend the conference. However, only 6 of the 100 pastors invited from Mindanao arrived. Isaias wrote, “We were told that they feared passing through the area where 57 people were brutally massacred on November 25, 2009. Even at our conference in General Santos City we had to have plain-clothes soldiers guard our venue. Unfortunately, this is the situation we now face in the Philippines.”

The 380 pastors who attended were greatly blessed and encouraged. Isaias spoke on “The Relevance of Ancient Christian Faith in a Postmodern World.” He wrote, “We have this Filipino Proverb: ‘Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makakarating sa paruruonan.’ This means that he who does not know how to linger on his past will reach nowhere.’ Many of the younger pastors came up to say, “We did not appreciate our ancient tradition as much as we do now. All pastors need to hear this.”

A Ministry to the Elderly in Ukraine

Al and Alice Moore have an ongoing ministry to over 600 elderly men and women in Ukraine, visiting them in their apartments and sharing the love of Christ.  These people are the forgotten people of their society, most of whom are widows because most of the men in their generation were killed in WWII.  Through the ministry of AFCI, Al and Alice have seen many senior citizens in Ukraine make decisions for Christ and gain a new hope and vision for life.

The Moores are now working on a project in cooperation with a local Ukrainian church to build a retirement home for up to 18 people who cannot afford a place to live on their own, and do not have any family members who can help.  Some funds have been raised and construction has already begun.  Al recently wrote to say, “What a blessing it is to minister to people who have no one to care for them, and to see them respond positively to the Gospel.  As we are able to help build this retirement center, it will definitely help in ministering to this forgotten generation of people here in Ukraine.”

A Matter of “Principal”

AFCI’s Al and Duke Butkovich continue using their home as a center for outreach to the fast growing community of Hispanic young people in Sterling, VA, just outside Washington DC.  Using hospitality and an International Seeker Study as a focal point, students and young professionals from many countries have come to faith in Christ.

Enter into the story, fellow believer, Dr. John Brewer.  Just prior to Christmas, Al and Duke were privileged to have Dr. Brewer be the speaker at their International Seeker Study.  Not knowing who the guest speaker would be, 35 young people from Bolivia, El Salvador, Mexico, Honduras, Brazil, Columbia and Peru attended the special event.  Though students were shocked to see their principal sitting in Al and Duke’s living room, they were even more surprised when Dr. Brewer had them open the Bible and see for themselves how the birth of Jesus was a direct fulfillment of the prophecies of Isaiah—that Christmas was far more than receiving new I-pods, cell phones and having days off from school.

Using creative methods of instruction, Dr Brewer helped each young person clearly understand that whoever Messiah would be when He arrived, He would, 1) be an ancestor of King David, 2) be born in Bethlehem, 3) be born of a virgin, 4) be a king, and 5) be ‘Immanuel’—God with Us.  Perhaps God will raise up other “Dr. John Brewers” from this group for His glory.

Help for Haiti

Several people have asked if we are doing anything to help with the devastation caused by the earthquake in Haiti.  AFCI does not have any work in Haiti, but we partner with other Christian organizations that are significantly working to help alleviate the suffering there.  To make a donation that will make a difference, you can go to the website - northpointministries.org/haiti - of one of our partner churches (North Point Community Church in Atlanta).  From there you can donate through North Point, Samaritan’s Purse, or World Relief.  AFCI has partnered with North Point and with Samaritan’s Purse on other ministry efforts, and both of these are good avenues to use in giving to the Haiti relief effort.  Our hearts go out to all the families in Haiti that are suffering.

A Narrow Escape in India

Immediately after helping lead an AFCI planning seminar in Cambodia, Joe Duthie (Assistant Regional Director for Asia) traveled back to India this week to speak in a pastors’ training seminar in Orissa State.  On the way he was followed and attacked.  Here is Joe’s first hand account of the incident . . .

“Yesterday on my way to Khandamal (Orissa) for the RIPE (Rural India Pastors Enhancement) we were followed by 2 men in a motor bike for more than one hour. When their town approached they tried to stop us and there was very dangerous chase. In one place they overtook us and stopped our Jeep and begin to assault the driver.  Then one man turned toward me. By this time other people from the town also begin to gather around us, suddenly there was some space and the driver started the vehicle through that.  We speed from the place and no one followed us. After sometime I started to drive the rest of the journey as the driver was a young boy and very nervous. It was a jeep drive for about 7 hours through a rural area.

This incident took place near the famous place where more than 50+ Christians were killed in the last 2 years. We still do not know the motive behind it. In last year’s training we took the rural pastors to a far off city due to the persecution and from this year onward we thought of having it in Khandamal to reduce the expenditure.”

Please pray for Joe and the India team members teaching this week in Khandamal.  Ministering in hostile environments is not easy.

Presentation in Cambodia

Our Cambodian team was pleased to make a formal presentation of great appreciation to Lim Cheng and Shalom Mam Chhour, Cambodians living and working in New Zealand, for their great support of the ministry in Cambodia.  Paul Hanak, International Director visiting from Atlanta, made the presentation on behalf of the Cambodia team and the entire worldwide ministry of AFCI at a recent Cambodia planning retreat in Siem Reap.

For several years Cheng and Shalom have given sacrificially from their business profits to help spread the Gospel in Cambodia.  As a result, many churches have been planted and the land for building a permanent training center has been purchased in Phnom Penh.  The Cambodian ministry is much stronger because of this vital partnership in ministry.  This is real testimony of the impact one family can have in the ministry of an entire nation.

International Director in Cambodia

Paul Hanak is in Cambodia this week meeting with the entire Cambodian team in a planning retreat.  The team has set aside the first week of January to review the accomplishments of 2009 and set goals for 2010.  Joe Duthie (Asia Assistant Regional Director) and Barnabas Mam (Regional Director) are leading the planning in Siem Reap, the future site of the next International General Conference which will be held in 2012.  From Siem Reap they will travel to Phnom Penh on the weekend to minister in churches.

In reviewing the goals for 2009, the team was encouraged to see that 97% of all that was planned for the previous year was accomplished.  There were many highlights in 2009, including three major baptism services in different parts of the country with 649 new believers being baptized.

One new staff person, Song Pyroun (the only woman in this picture) was added in 2009, bringing the total fulltime staff number to 8.  During the rest of the week the team will be refining the goals for 2010.  It has been a great week of review and planning for the future.

AFCI Connect Ambassadors off to Africa

Doug Arms (left), and Marc Berruezo (right) are traveling to 14 AFCI nations this year to document the work of our Nationals in Ministry.  They have already visited 5 nations as AFCI Connect’s ambassadors.  Presently in Spain, they depart for Africa on January 3 for the next leg of their 7-month ministry trip around the world.  Their first stop in Africa is Accra, Ghana, where they will spend time with AFCI Regional Director for Africa and the Middle East, Fred Amoah-Darko.  This will include a visit to northern Ghana where AFCI is actively working to plant churches in unreached towns and cities.  From Ghana they will go on to Nigeria and Ethiopia before leaving Africa for Asia in February.  To follow their time in Africa during January and February, you can read about their ministry on the AFCI Connect Blog.