nicaragua AWS
W INTER 2013
NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD Check out how our international Foursquare family is making a difference around the world.
GO Teams in 49 Countries
Miracle in the Middle East
In the first half of 2013, 1,695 people participated in 183 Foursquare short-term missions (STM) in 49 countries, reports GO Teams Coordinator Chad Isenhart. The numbers show that 20 percent of Foursquare’s total STM have gone to Haiti, and 18 percent have traveled to Mexico. Currently, Haiti has no long-term Foursquare missionary while Mexico has more Foursquare missionaries than any other field in the world. Nearly all of the short-term teams going to Haiti are serving in partnership with the Haitian National Church and Foursquare Missions International.
The family cow is a valuable asset in parts of the Middle East. In fact, when the animal becomes ill or dies, the financial crisis that ensues can be traumatic. A Foursquare worker in the region was called to the home of a woman whose family cow was dying. The local veterinarian had given up all hope of a cure. With skeptical neighbors watching, the worker and his wife prayed for the cow and told everyone standing nearby that it was God who would heal it. Within a matter of minutes, the woman and her family celebrated the fact that the cow was, indeed, healed. The impact was so great that her husband gave his heart to Christ and is being discipled to serve the Lord.
Community Center in Romania In southern Romania, Pastor Daniel Banu is leading a growing movement of Romani people to new levels of freedom in Christ. Area Missionary Jeff Roper says Pastor Daniel, himself a Roma, is forming a community center in Calarasi County that will help counteract the unemployment, discrimination, illiteracy and isolation that oppress the Romani people throughout Europe. The center will focus on educating, feeding and nurturing Romani children, giving them a solid, Christ-centered, biblical foundation to see their lives and cultures transformed through the gospel.
Go to the web for more.
FOURSQUARE MISSIONS INTERNATIONAL Stories and News From Around the World
Orphans in the Congo Pastor Constant Damba ministers to street kids in the city of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), helping orphans who would otherwise be relegated to life—and death— on the streets. Nzila, now 26, was orphaned as a child. To survive, he was forced to join a gang called “The Belts.” He was nicknamed “The Master Mbwa,” which means “The Dog.” It was a violent life of drugs and murder, but Nzila met Pastor Constant and gave his life to Christ. Today, he serves alongside Pastor Constant as they help other orphaned kids in the DRC.
MORE ABOUT MISSIONS » Read more about what Foursquare is doing around the world. Visit 4sq.ca/missionsnews, or use your smart phone to scan the QR code (left).
Reprint this Foursquare Missions International supplement for your church bulletin or information table. Customize this area with your local church info about how you are praying for the world, supporting missionaries and reaching communities. Visit 4SQ.CA/FMISUPPLEMENTS and click on the Winter 2013 edition to download a full-color or black-and-white PDF, or email [email protected] to have one emailed to you.
FOCUS:
NICARAGUA
Nicaragua is still trying to recover after the fierce civil war in the 1980s devastated its economy and infrastructure. But evangelical Christianity is growing, and Foursquare church leaders in the nation are helping to turn things around with their focus on reaching Nicaragua’s youth.
INTERNATIONAL FOCUS
MISSIONARY SPOTLIGHT
HOW YOU CAN
Nicaragua
Jacque Antoine
Bless Jacque
Nicaragua is still reeling from the aftermath of a fierce civil war that was waged throughout the 1980s. The war devastated the economy and infrastructure, and by 1988, Nicaragua was a disaster zone. Today it is among the poorest of the Central American countries. But it is also a nation seeking renewal from a destructive past and restoration to a brighter future. Fifty-three percent of Nicaraguans are age 24 or younger, according to 2013 demographic reports. Teenage mothers ages 15-19 account for 25 percent of all childbirths nationwide. The high birth rate among adolescents perpetuates a cycle of poverty and low educational attainment. Mauricio Rodriguez, 29, licensing coordinator and Hispanic ministries liaison of the Southwest District, plans to establish a nonprofit for the country’s young mothers called Tree of Life. The young women will be given job opportunities, and they will receive spiritual covering until they are equipped to raise their children independently or until they choose to grant legal child-custody to Tree of Life. “The key is to intervene in their lives [with] opportunities for a better life,” states Mauricio, whose own story of redemption from poverty in his native Nicaragua is told in his autobiography, The Gift From Heaven (Foursquare Missions Press). Nicaragua has 86 Foursquare churches, 6,427 members and 45 workers, according to 2012
Jacqueline (Jacque) M. Antoine was born in a small village in Grenada, and, as a child, knew that God was calling her to missions. After completing higher education in the U.S., she returned to her homeland. Today she serves as a Foursquare missionary and church planter on the beautiful island, mainly ministering in rural areas where many live in poverty. Jacque also is dean of Grenada Bible Institute and has planted three churches in Grenada, a stage-three country in Foursquare’s Four-Stage Development Model.
Young women in Nicaragua gather to pray.
reports. More than 1,100 decisions for Christ were made last year, 742 people were baptized with the Holy Spirit, and 366 were baptized in water. Paul Otremba, Foursquare Missions International area missionary for Central and South America, says the need is great for more churches—especially in high population areas such as Managua, the capital, home to 21 percent of Nicaraguans.
JACQUE I always knew I was called to serve the indigenous people of Grenada. I was initially deployed as a missionary to Trinidad in 2003. After Grenada suffered massive destruction from Hurricane Ivan in Oct. 2004, the church needed help. I came to Grenada to assist those needing emotional and spiritual healing.
Mauricio believes short-term missions will remain effective in Nicaragua if teams partner with the national Foursquare office and area leaders. Creating local partnerships is especially vital to ensure the ongoing impact of the gospel. “Since you’re only there for a short period,” he says, “partnering with those who live there is the key.”
What kinds of challenges do you face?
—KEN WALKER, CONTRIBUTING WRITER To read the full story, visit 4sq.ca/nicaragua2013.
BY THE NUMBERS
At-a-Glance
decisions for Christ water baptisms
*statistics reported for 2012
Nicaragua
Foursquare members churches and meeting places
Jacqueline Antoine P.O. Box 3265 St. George’s, Grenada, WI
How did you become a missionary to Grenada?
Short-term missionaries have served effectively in the country’s northern region. In 2011, two dozen Nicaraguans who graduated from a Foursquare Bible institute were part of a short-term missions partnership between Grace Covenant (Cornelius Foursquare Church) in Cornelius, N.C., and Foursquare Nicaragua.
6,427 86 1,125 366
Our Foursquare missionaries are always grateful for any prayers and correspondence they receive. Email Jacque at [email protected], or write to her at the following address:
JACQUE Times are challenging for most of the villagers, and the downturned economy makes it difficult for families to feed and clothe their children. Not many of the people have jobs. Our ministry is in the rural part of the island, and we are challenged by the ongoing migration to the city, where people are looking for jobs and better schooling.
How to Pray
What is your vision for Grenada?
• Pray that the Holy Spirit will work in the lives of young people as church leaders seek to prepare them to be leaders in the church.
JACQUE It has always been my desire to train and equip leaders to plant healthy, reproducing Foursquare churches. Grenada is made up of six legal parishes, and it is the aim of the Grenada church to plant a Foursquare church in each parish and establish Bible institutes of training to facilitate their growth and expansion. To read the full interview online, visit 4sq.ca/grenada2013.
FOR JACQUE’S WORK IN GRENADA
• Pray that two new church plants will be established in the coming year. • Pray that Grenada and other Caribbean nations will experience revival.
NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD Check out how our international Foursquare family is making a difference around the world.
GO Teams in 49 Countries
Miracle in the Middle East
In the first half of 2013, 1,695 people participated in 183 Foursquare short-term missions (STM) in 49 countries, reports GO Teams Coordinator Chad Isenhart. The numbers show that 20 percent of Foursquare’s total STM have gone to Haiti, and 18 percent have traveled to Mexico. Currently, Haiti has no long-term Foursquare missionary while Mexico has more Foursquare missionaries than any other field in the world. Nearly all of the short-term teams going to Haiti are serving in partnership with the Haitian National Church and Foursquare Missions International.
The family cow is a valuable asset in parts of the Middle East. In fact, when the animal becomes ill or dies, the financial crisis that ensues can be traumatic. A Foursquare worker in the region was called to the home of a woman whose family cow was dying. The local veterinarian had given up all hope of a cure. With skeptical neighbors watching, the worker and his wife prayed for the cow and told everyone standing nearby that it was God who would heal it. Within a matter of minutes, the woman and her family celebrated the fact that the cow was, indeed, healed. The impact was so great that her husband gave his heart to Christ and is being discipled to serve the Lord.
Community Center in Romania In southern Romania, Pastor Daniel Banu is leading a growing movement of Romani people to new levels of freedom in Christ. Area Missionary Jeff Roper says Pastor Daniel, himself a Roma, is forming a community center in Calarasi County that will help counteract the unemployment, discrimination, illiteracy and isolation that oppress the Romani people throughout Europe. The center will focus on educating, feeding and nurturing Romani children, giving them a solid, Christ-centered, biblical foundation to see their lives and cultures transformed through the gospel.
Go to the web for more.
FOURSQUARE MISSIONS INTERNATIONAL Stories and News From Around the World
Orphans in the Congo Pastor Constant Damba ministers to street kids in the city of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), helping orphans who would otherwise be relegated to life—and death— on the streets. Nzila, now 26, was orphaned as a child. To survive, he was forced to join a gang called “The Belts.” He was nicknamed “The Master Mbwa,” which means “The Dog.” It was a violent life of drugs and murder, but Nzila met Pastor Constant and gave his life to Christ. Today, he serves alongside Pastor Constant as they help other orphaned kids in the DRC.
MORE ABOUT MISSIONS » Read more about what Foursquare is doing around the world. Visit 4sq.ca/missionsnews, or use your smart phone to scan the QR code (left).
Reprint this Foursquare Missions International supplement for your church bulletin or information table. Customize this area with your local church info about how you are praying for the world, supporting missionaries and reaching communities. Visit 4SQ.CA/FMISUPPLEMENTS and click on the Winter 2013 edition to download a full-color or black-and-white PDF, or email [email protected] to have one emailed to you.
FOCUS:
NICARAGUA
Nicaragua is still trying to recover after the fierce civil war in the 1980s devastated its economy and infrastructure. But evangelical Christianity is growing, and Foursquare church leaders in the nation are helping to turn things around with their focus on reaching Nicaragua’s youth.
INTERNATIONAL FOCUS
MISSIONARY SPOTLIGHT
HOW YOU CAN
Nicaragua
Jacque Antoine
Bless Jacque
Nicaragua is still reeling from the aftermath of a fierce civil war that was waged throughout the 1980s. The war devastated the economy and infrastructure, and by 1988, Nicaragua was a disaster zone. Today it is among the poorest of the Central American countries. But it is also a nation seeking renewal from a destructive past and restoration to a brighter future. Fifty-three percent of Nicaraguans are age 24 or younger, according to 2013 demographic reports. Teenage mothers ages 15-19 account for 25 percent of all childbirths nationwide. The high birth rate among adolescents perpetuates a cycle of poverty and low educational attainment. Mauricio Rodriguez, 29, licensing coordinator and Hispanic ministries liaison of the Southwest District, plans to establish a nonprofit for the country’s young mothers called Tree of Life. The young women will be given job opportunities, and they will receive spiritual covering until they are equipped to raise their children independently or until they choose to grant legal child-custody to Tree of Life. “The key is to intervene in their lives [with] opportunities for a better life,” states Mauricio, whose own story of redemption from poverty in his native Nicaragua is told in his autobiography, The Gift From Heaven (Foursquare Missions Press). Nicaragua has 86 Foursquare churches, 6,427 members and 45 workers, according to 2012
Jacqueline (Jacque) M. Antoine was born in a small village in Grenada, and, as a child, knew that God was calling her to missions. After completing higher education in the U.S., she returned to her homeland. Today she serves as a Foursquare missionary and church planter on the beautiful island, mainly ministering in rural areas where many live in poverty. Jacque also is dean of Grenada Bible Institute and has planted three churches in Grenada, a stage-three country in Foursquare’s Four-Stage Development Model.
Young women in Nicaragua gather to pray.
reports. More than 1,100 decisions for Christ were made last year, 742 people were baptized with the Holy Spirit, and 366 were baptized in water. Paul Otremba, Foursquare Missions International area missionary for Central and South America, says the need is great for more churches—especially in high population areas such as Managua, the capital, home to 21 percent of Nicaraguans.
JACQUE I always knew I was called to serve the indigenous people of Grenada. I was initially deployed as a missionary to Trinidad in 2003. After Grenada suffered massive destruction from Hurricane Ivan in Oct. 2004, the church needed help. I came to Grenada to assist those needing emotional and spiritual healing.
Mauricio believes short-term missions will remain effective in Nicaragua if teams partner with the national Foursquare office and area leaders. Creating local partnerships is especially vital to ensure the ongoing impact of the gospel. “Since you’re only there for a short period,” he says, “partnering with those who live there is the key.”
What kinds of challenges do you face?
—KEN WALKER, CONTRIBUTING WRITER To read the full story, visit 4sq.ca/nicaragua2013.
BY THE NUMBERS
At-a-Glance
decisions for Christ water baptisms
*statistics reported for 2012
Nicaragua
Foursquare members churches and meeting places
Jacqueline Antoine P.O. Box 3265 St. George’s, Grenada, WI
How did you become a missionary to Grenada?
Short-term missionaries have served effectively in the country’s northern region. In 2011, two dozen Nicaraguans who graduated from a Foursquare Bible institute were part of a short-term missions partnership between Grace Covenant (Cornelius Foursquare Church) in Cornelius, N.C., and Foursquare Nicaragua.
6,427 86 1,125 366
Our Foursquare missionaries are always grateful for any prayers and correspondence they receive. Email Jacque at [email protected], or write to her at the following address:
JACQUE Times are challenging for most of the villagers, and the downturned economy makes it difficult for families to feed and clothe their children. Not many of the people have jobs. Our ministry is in the rural part of the island, and we are challenged by the ongoing migration to the city, where people are looking for jobs and better schooling.
How to Pray
What is your vision for Grenada?
• Pray that the Holy Spirit will work in the lives of young people as church leaders seek to prepare them to be leaders in the church.
JACQUE It has always been my desire to train and equip leaders to plant healthy, reproducing Foursquare churches. Grenada is made up of six legal parishes, and it is the aim of the Grenada church to plant a Foursquare church in each parish and establish Bible institutes of training to facilitate their growth and expansion. To read the full interview online, visit 4sq.ca/grenada2013.
FOR JACQUE’S WORK IN GRENADA
• Pray that two new church plants will be established in the coming year. • Pray that Grenada and other Caribbean nations will experience revival.
