AFCI In The Works

Sitting on Pins and Needles

8 a.m. Saturday... autumn... Nashville... breakfast meeting at a hotel. This was one of those moments in time when lives, visions and passions intersect in such a way that awe describes the moment. Smiles still cannot be wiped off our faces when we speak of this God appointed time. Take an experienced publisher with enthusiasm and affirmation; a vice president of a publishing ministry with a deeply held commitment to discipleship; our AFCI Australia author of GrowthWorks who, after his relationship with Christ was transformed, put into writing God's way and purpose for spiritual growth; and a couple who has been networking by God's direction with publishers, translators, printers and prayer warriors for a few years to spread this AFCI resource worldwide. Then you have who was sitting around that table.

We are "sitting on pins and needles" as we await the outcome of that meeting. Please continue in prayer with us as we wait to see if a distribution plan emerges. Our hopes are high at this moment as GrowthWorks and potentially other materials would have wide distribution. This would help with so many difficulties we have had along the way. God has a plan!

Steve and John with the publisher after our 3 1/2 hour encouraging meeting.

AFCI LifeWorks Team Prayer Requests and Praise

Pray With Us Regarding:

~Discipleship of new believers in Philippines after LifeWorks

~Preparations for our spring meetings in Cambodia with AFCI nationals worldwide

~Improved health of Renee, our wonderful project manager

Rejoice With Us In:

~Excellent meeting with a potential publisher for GrowthWorks

~John's recovery from illness in time for necessary re-videotaping

~LifeWorks arriving in Prague via Ukraine

New Life In Christ

Anatoliy, Oleg, Olga and Liuda along with eleven others recently went from spiritual death to life in Ukraine. They even individually chose to identify with Christ through baptism this summer. What a glorious celebration Wally (Volodymyr), AFCI Ukraine Ministry Leader, had as he and trained Ukrainian leaders had actively shared Christ with them through LifeWorks this year. LifeWorks spurred on conversation and answered many of their questions. Celebrate!                   

AFCI LifeWorks Team Prayer Requests and Praise

Pray With Us Regarding:

~ The Spanish version of GrowthWorks to be printed soon in an affordable way

~ International postal systems not to lose our packages!

~ Our meeting in Nashville on 9/17 with a publisher

~ God's clear direction for outreach in Prague

Rejoice With Us In:

~New brothers and sisters in Christ in Ukraine

~ Upcoming time in September with John North here from Australia

~ Great reports coming out of the Philippines from the current LifeWorks course

A Child's Heart

Like finding a needle in a haystack is finding an M&M in Samuel or Eugenio's jar of beans. After Samuel Santos, AFCI Spain, shared the analogy to families gathered at one of his American church presentations last month with 3,000 beans to every 5 M&M's that represented evangelical Christians in Spain, a young girl took this to heart.

At school the next day this attentive 4^th grader asked her teacher if she could show the class something. She drew a picture of the jar Senor Santos showed her the night before and asked for prayer for the people of Spain where there are so few believers.

The Spanish version of GrowthWorks is awaiting necessary funds to go to print. This course for Spanish speakers will help answer this young girl's prayers. GrowthWorks will help renew the Christian's relationship with the Lord of this small minority of believers and ignite their passion to be a vessel for the Lord in their nation and beyond.

AFCI LifeWorks Team Prayer Requests and Praise

Pray With Us Regarding:

~The need for an overflow of people's desire to invest towards the requirement of $7,000 for Spanish GrowthWorks to go to print!

~ Our fresh focus on Asian nations that desire to use our resources in English.

~The desire we have for the GrowthWorks course to be chosen by a publisher in America for greater impact.

Rejoice With Us In:

~Super response from the first Australian church that used the new GrowthWorks.

~AFCI Ukraine's formation of a board and their enthusiastic meetings this month.

Into Asia

Sprinkled out in the western Pacific Ocean is the Philippines, the host to vibrant regional meetings for AFCI Asia. Regional leadership had shown interest months earlier in having LifeWorks and GrowthWorks presented to this group of Asian evangelists.

An excellent video presentation was developed for both the evangelists attending the LIFE Congress and AFCI's regional national leaders. They were shown the video and were struck with how LifeWorks and GrowthWorks could meet needs in their ministry strategy. The urban ministry is eager to use LifeWorks to help walk with people towards Christ. The Asian leaders see GrowthWorks as having application in their ministry in both rural and urban settings.

Communication continues as we look towards launching these courses for the advancement of the kingdom in Asia and the deepening of believers' relationships with the Lord.

AFCI LifeWorks Team Prayer Requests and Praise

Pray With Us Regarding:

~John North's meetings in Australia with European leader of a large mission interested in our courses.

~Timing of going into Russia with LifeWorks.

~A publisher in the States for the GrowthWorks book.

~Faster turnaround of orders in Australia.

Rejoice With Us In:

~The interest of Asian leaders in utilizing the GrowthWorks and LifeWorks resources as part of their ministry strategy.

~Ongoing requests for Wally (Volodymyr) to bring LifeWorks to local churches throughout Ukraine.

~The completion of the Spanish version of GrowthWorks.

~Successfully handing over the Arabic translation to AFCI's Sudanese national director when he was in the States.

A Broader Vision

With only .2% of Spain's population being evangelical Christians, Samuel Santos, AFCI's director of Spain, says that the situation is serious and Spaniards need something like GrowthWorks to reignite their faith and help them begin growing again. He and some faithful volunteers have worked diligently on a Spanish translation of GrowthWorks, a fantastic book design, and culturally relevant videos. The Spanish leaders, church members and shepherds working on this project have already seen themselves growing again in Christ and have renewed enthusiasm in their walk with the Lord.

Perhaps what excites them the most is the broader vision they have for the Spanish version of GrowthWorks (Enraizados) coming out of Spain and being used in the Americas as well. Charlie Hanak, AFCI's regional director of the Americas sees great potential use for this in Spanish speaking churches across the United States and in the Spanish speaking nations of the Americas. The Spanish believers of Europe are thrilled with the thought that their work and ministry will impact their nation and then multiply far beyond.

AFCI LifeWorks Team Prayer Requests and Praise

Pray With Us Regarding

~Fruitful GrowthWorks and LifeWorks courses beginning in Canada

~Our book proposal for GrowthWorks to be quickly picked up by a USA publisher for distribution in the States

~A generous team of people to partner with Samuel Santos, AFCI Spain

~The immediate need of $200 a month for a Ukrainian accountant

~Meetings the last two weeks of November in the Philippines with AFCI Asia leadership

~Whether to move forward at this time with Polish translation of GrowthWorks

Rejoice With Us

~The renewed interest of 700 ministry leaders throughout Europe and the former Soviet Union in LifeWorks

~The successful AFCI registration in Kiev

~New brothers and sisters in Christ in Ukraine

~The enthusiasm of the Spanish people to be a part of producing something in their language