Going to India! (Aug 31-Sept 15)

The Subcontinent of India...where millions of people wait to hear the Gospel

The country of India covers an area of almost 2 million square miles. The population is over 1 billion people. Over 79% of the population is Hindu, over 12% is Muslim, over 2% is Christian, and the rest are various other religions, mostly eastern.

While religious toleration is a part of the constitution, it is not always a reality. Many Christian workers are persecuted for their work for the Gospel of Christ. For a Hindu or Muslim follower to convert to following Christ results in much persecution, not only for the new Christian, but also for those who are ministering to him/her.*

While in India on this trip, I will be training leaders in Bangalore, a city in Southern India. We will then travel to Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay), where we will be casting the church planting vision to leaders in that area.

There are many unreached people groups in India, including the many Hindu castes, Muslims, and tribal groups. India needs churches that will bring people to Christ and minister to the needs of communities! DCPI is rising to that need by equipping pastors and leaders in India to reach their own people and culture.*

Please pray that leaders there:

· catch the vision to plant churches

· learn much from our time with them, so they can share it with others

· go on to plant dynamic, healthy churches to reach India for Christ!

*Info from Operation World

Honduras update!

Honduras was great! The DCPI team was awesome, and we had a productive week. We trained 52 church planters, and certified 11 of them to carry on the training without us having to be there. We were in the mountains along the southern coast, near Nicaragua. It was beautiful and temperate. Lovely!

Here's the picture update:


This is Holly and Aaron, a couple who may join our DCPI staff! I hope they do! They're awesome!


The town in the distance is Duyude, where we worshiped on the Sunday we were there.


This is the church in Duyude.
The kid to the right of the picture in the red shirt is holding a Bible that was given to him by someone from Gulfport, MS!


ah, weather...this Southern girl misses it out here in CA!




Wilmer (our team leader for this trip...he's from Honduras) is translating for me as I teach.


I just liked this donkey...(and it serves as a memory of the donkey that hehawed every morning as I was trying to wake up...good thing he did! I had to get up at 5:45 every day!)


Me teaching about different kinds of outreach when planting a church.


My translator, Lidia.




We were in a rural village, but when we went into town we took the taxi...this is our taxi driver's gun! So many men carry guns there!!!!


The Bible Institute where we trained is in the background.


We're dancing...


walking down the streets of San Marcos, a mountain town...



The guys we trained.

Warfare

Ever been under attack?
The spiritual kind of attack that feels like fingernails pulling up your lung?
The more I get into the work of the Kingdom of God, the more I realize how intensely the enemy of evil wants for our lives to count for nothing, and for all our efforts to share Jesus to fail. This week with DCPI we trained 20 something church planters to go plant churches in America, Venezuela, Russia, Philippines. These leaders represented single churches, but the possibility to impact the planting of multiple churches...all over the world. We're laying the groundwork for church planting movements. Praise the Lord! Never has spiritual battle been more apparent in my life. Tomorrow I leave with a team for Honduras, where we'll train 50-75 church planters. We're tired, we're weak, we're human...but we're fighting for Jesus to reign in churches around the world!

Well, I wanted to be a "warrior princess." I got what I prayed for.
smile.

I'm honored to work for my Lord...honored to share in the battle for souls...scared to death but assured that my God reigns in heaven and earth, and that he has already won the battle!
I'm hurting but not defeated.
As Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 12:9, Jesus tells us, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Paul goes on to say, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (v10)

ugh...really!? Well, maybe not. Maybe I don't BOAST in my depression, weakness, or pain. BUT! I DO boast in my Lord, who is there through the tears, the loneliness, the battles, the feelings to quit...He is there. He is here. I'll go to battle for Him.

Training, training, Everywhere!

Praise the Lord! Churches are being planted all over the world because of the training that DCPI is doing!

In July DCPI training took place in Bihar, India, a place formerly known as the “graveyard of Christian missions”; but because of church planting, it is thriving with the fruit of the Gospel! Church planters were also trained by DCPI in Central African Republic, Sierra Leone, and Ethiopia (all of these last three countries are new countries for DCPI!).

In August, we are training church planters here in the States (August 8-10), and I will be going with a team to train church planters in the mountains of Honduras (August 12-19).

Please pray for God’s hand of protection and guidance to be upon all these works! There has been a great deal of spiritual attack on all of us at DCPI headquarters. We are doing Kingdom work, and the evil one does not like it! However, we serve THE Victorious God! Hallelujah! Thank you for your prayers. Results from Honduras will come soon!

Vision of a Million

DCPI’s vision is to impact the planting of 1 million churches to reach the world for Christ. As a part of that vision, we desire to be a part of church planting movements in all 238 nations of the world!

This year DCPI has had 7 trainings, in which nearly 1000 church planters have been trained. From these leaders, 68 have been certified to train DCPI materials, meaning that they can reproduce DCPI training in their villages, cities, states, and countries.

And we’ve only just begun! Training in the next few months will take us to Honduras, Venezuela, India, United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Peru, Benin, Ghana, Zambia, Brazil, Nigeria, Angola, and even more!

Two of our leaders, President Paul Becker and Eric Helmbold, just returned from a training in Ethiopia.

On their way, they stopped in Egypt to meet with leaders at a seminary in Cairo. The Lord may use this to open up work in the Middle East! God is working...Praise Him! c

What’s next after Honduras? India! Please pray for the DCPI team going to India Aug. 31-Sept. 17.

Ask

and I’ll give you the nations;

The ends of the earth

will be your possession.

-Psalm 2:8

LOVE

1 John 3:24—

“Whoever keeps his commandments abides in him, and he in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.”

1 John 4:11-12—

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”

1 John 4:15—

“Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”

We know God abides in us through his Spirit; God only abides in us if we love one another. The Spirit enables us to love—God is love (1 John 4:8). God’s love in us, enables by himself, helps us to obey his commands and love one another, so that he can abide in us. And we’ll know he abides in us because we love one another, love not from us but from his love-giving Spirit.

And what is love? “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers” (1 John 3:16).

So we know that loving one another means dying to self, living not for our own needs or desires but for the needs and desires of others. It is self-sacrifice on every level; it is giving to the core of our being, giving inspired by Christ and enabled by his love at work in us. For it is His death for our sake that introduced us to love, real love. And the life we gained through his death becomes a life of death to self, love for others—love of God, by God, and for God.

Working for the Great Commission!

This year, there are hundreds of future church planters who may not get valuable training to plant dynamic churches. Dr. Francis Kamau, the DCPI leader in Kenya, may have to tell the leaders in Zambia, a new country for DCPI, that the training will not happen this year. Why? Because we need funding to complete the training planned for DCPI events in 2006.

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR GLOBAL VISION CAMPAIGN, WHICH WILL END ON JULY 15. WE'RE PRAYING FOR GOD TO PROVIDE $220,000 TO COMPLETE THE TRAINING THAT HAS BEEN PLANNED FOR 2006.

__________________________________________

DCPI LEADERSHIP...FOR THE GREAT COMMISSION!

“What is it you do, exactly, Amy?” I get that question a lot. If you’re wondering that yourself, then I’d like to help you better understand what it is I do with Dynamic Church Planting International, and why.

By title I am the Director of Dynamic Associate Relations. What this means is that I am responsible for communicating with DCPI leaders across the world.

Still vague? Let me explain a little about the DCPI leadership structure. DCPI’s part in the Great Commission is to equip leaders to plant dynamic churches to reach the world for Christ. DCPI focuses on developing leaders. When church planting leaders have been identified, they are certified to train DCPI materials, and released to develop training events in their state, country, region of the world.

These leaders, called Certified Trainers and Dynamic Associates, use their training to train more church planters. The result is a multiplication of church planters, and thus, a multiplication of churches!

In order to maintain contact with these leaders, DCPI has relationships with several dynamic leaders. These leaders, well-respected ministers and leaders in their regions of the world, maintain much of the work that we cannot do from our offices in California.

For instance, each training event requires a detailed plan: projected outcomes, who will attend, a detailed budget, etc. Our field leaders administrate the details and then send them to our home office, where I then communicate the details to our Training Team.

Perhaps the most exciting part of my job is that I am involved in the visionary process of figuring out how we can best impact a nation through church planting.

Our goal is to reach all 238 nations of the world. To do this, we have a step-by-step process that our international leaders help us with. Each step leads to the development of more church planting leaders, more churches in a nation, and the fulfillment of the Great Commission!

Missionaries like Bicycles

Praise God! He is SO GOOD!
He proves His faithfulness to all those who honor and love Him!

I recently returned home from Mississippi. I had a great time with family and friends. I got hugs and kisses from my nephew, Will; and most of all, I discovered the joy of having him know my name, and call it frequently, with his 1 1/2 year old twist: "Mamy!" {smile}

Beyond that most precious time with Will, I had an amazing time with family. God is so good, in all the details. The trip was a perfect length, giving sufficient time for relaxed walks around the neighborhood with my parents and the dogs, something that really felt like being home. We also had some of my aunts, uncles, and cousins over for Mother's Day. That was great for me.

I was also able to participate in a core group meeting of the new church plant that my parents are leading, called Crosspoint Church. They are courageously being obedient to God's call to expand the kingdom. Please pray for them. As is obvious by my "profession," I believe in church planting!

Beyond my time with family, the time in Mississippi was used for some building more support for my ministry. I had the joy of meeting with the pastor of North Park Church, of Meridian, to discuss DCPI, as well as worshiping Sunday with Crossroads of Life Church in Byram. And God gave me an added bonus of being able to worship Sunday night with several of the home groups of DaySpring Community Church in Clinton, where I was given a few minutes to update my church family there on what God is doing through my life here in California.

In addition to work and family, I was blessed with time with my family at Wesley Biblical Seminary. I was even honored with being able to carry a flag in their graduation ceremony, in a procession of flags of the nations. I carried the flag of Beliz.

Through it all, the time with family, friends, and my brothers and sisters in Christ showed me how truly faithful and loving our God is.

And! I decided that since I live only about 3 miles from work, I should ride my bike to work to save money on gas ($3.30/gallon here!)...the only catch is that I don't have a bike! But the Lord is good in all things, even these little details! I asked Him to help me find someone willing to donate a bike to me for the ministry. So...Tuesday at worship team practice I announced my need and one of my fellow singers, Ron, said he'd give me one of the many in his garage! Praise the Lord! I now have a great 21 speed bike to ride to work! Thanks, Ron! Many missionaries around the world speak of their need for bicycles for transportation. This little missionary is no exception!

May the Lord bless and keep you!
In the joy of Christ's love,
~amy

Going "Home"

Where is home, anyway?
As I consider the various places I've lived, the people I've known, the streets I've driven; and as I excitedly anticipate being back with family and friends in Mississippi during the next week, I realize that I truly am a transient soul on this earth.

Sometimes this makes me hurt. Sometimes it is a source of deep sadness, for I think it is a need in all of us to feel at home somewhere. For some people, home has always been and will always be one geographic location. I can see that for me, looking into my past and into my future, that will never be.

Yet whenever this longing for "home" hits me, I am immediately comforted by the One Being in whom my spirit is at home in all places and at all times. Psalm 17:15 says, "As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness." To go to sleep and wake up with the Lord is perhaps the only true home on this earth I'll ever know. [contented sigh] And that is enough for me...

Until that day that Jesus calls me to my true Home, I will continue to be a transient here on earth. And until then, I'll continue my trips of going "home" to my friends and family (who are truly all over the world), and I'll be satisfied with the likeness of the Lord.
~amy





Me at home in Oceanside, CA...









...at home in Natchez, MS...








...at home at the Cross.

Jesus Cares in All Things

Miracles

Listen to this awesome series of events: a lady who knows my friend is moving from her condo in San Diego, and she wanted to get rid of some stuff, so she called said friend. Since Friend and I are planning to move in together, I was included in this give-away. We got a matching couch and chair, 3 wing-back chairs, a coffee table, two nightstands, a chest of drawers, a stereo, quilts and pillows, a spice rack (my personal favorite!), some dishes, and some other random things. FOR FREE! The catch was, we had to figure out how to get down there and move it, which included finding a vehicle that would move the stuff, and finding a place to store it for a few months.
God really used this as a time to test our faith and patience in waiting on Him. Wednesday of this week rolled around, the stuff had to be out by Thursday, and we needed help, but everyone (including ourselves) was busy! We were also getting some pressure to figure things out, but details weren't yet falling into place. This was the time for faith. The Lord had provided us with furniture, now we had to trust that He would provide the way to get it. Earlier in the week Friend's friend mentioned, in a random conversation, that she needed furniture for their new apartment...So! instant "storage" for the next few months! Friend's dad was convinced to let us store the stuff in his garage for two days until the friend of Friend could get the stuff. In-a-pinch storage! Still, Wednesday afternoon was closing and we still didn't know how we'd move everything. I was checking out renting a U-Haul pick-up truck, but that's money I really didn't have. Around 4:30 p.m. Friend calls and says, "Guy from our church small group is letting us use his truck, we can go right now. The key to the condo is in the patio, so we can do it by ourselves." WOOHOO!
Some people think that Jesus doesn't do miracles like He did when He was living in Judea more than 2000 years ago, but I disagree. The difference is that He lives in us, if we believe in Him. This means the miracles may manifest themselves differently, and we may even overlook them because we see them as a fluke, an accident, or an amazing phenomenon, instead of interaction of the Mighty God in time and space, in our lives. James 5:16 says that "the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." I believe that. I believe that God wants to intervene in situations in our lives, not only to make our lives better, but to show His character, that He loves and cares for us in the details. He's with us always, oftentimes waiting for us to ask Him to show Himself. When we ask Him, believing that He will, He does. That's how good He is.

Update Central

Left: DCPI Staff, representing four continents!

Brothers and sisters, I greet you with a holy kiss.

This past month has been a whirlwind! What an incredible blessing it has been to be working in the Lord’s service! This past week was the culmination of weeks of preparation when we at Dynamic Church Planting International had our first ever Global Strategy Event (Feb. 16-18). Leaders from Africa (Ghana, Kenya, Benin, Congo-Kinshasa), India, South and North America gathered to seek God’s strategy in how to focus our training efforts in the world.

Our time included planning sessions in which we brainstormed and shared potential strategies for leadership development and training in the many countries in which DCPI is working or planning to work. We laid out the plan for training events in the year 2006, solidified plans, incorporated suggestions in order to make our efforts more effective, strategized for the years 2007 and beyond. The whole time was woven in the security and peace of prayer.

By the end of our three days and 25 hours of meeting together, we are all encouraged as to the direction of our mission. The Lord reminded us of His amazing vision to impact the planting of 1 million dynamic, reproducing churches to reach the world (238 nations) for Christ. Just imagine, one million new churches in this world, the catalysts for positive change in millions, perhaps billions of lives! One million churches means more and more disciples of Christ ushering in the love of Christ into their neighborhoods, communities, cities, regions, countries, continents, the world! Oh! Praise Him!

Right: Rev. Emmanuel Donkoh, African Director, leading the African leaders in strategizing.

Below: Rev. Jayakumar, of India, planning where to take training next.

On a more personal note, adjusting to life in my new home is going really well. The semester at APU is well under way. I’m in two classes: History of the Modern Church, and Church and Society. Both provide for interesting discussion on where we are as a society and what we can learn from how the Church has behaved both positively and negatively throughout its history. I am truly enjoying my classmates, men and women of God who bring to the table various experiences and challenges from lives lived with Christ and in ministry.

This past weekend I began training to work with the local Pregnancy Resource Center. The office is a short walk from where I work (as is my church!). I am deeply saddened by the havoc that abortion reaps in the lives of women who’ve had abortions. I feel as if I’m training for war on the front lines. And really, the more I learn about abortion and how much pain it brings to numerous lives, I am convinced that this work is battle on the front lines. Be assured, all of the counseling done in these centers is done out of love. There is no accusation or manipulation. We simply desire that these women realize they have choices beyond abortion. Many of the women who volunteer at this and other PRCs have had abortions. Some of them testify to not knowing their options; they thought abortion was the only option out of an unplanned pregnancy. Their stories will break your heart; but they also resemble the hope that comes in Christ’s redeeming love. I am so honored to be given the opportunity to perhaps lead a woman to see that whether or not she will have or has had an abortion, the psychological, emotional, and spiritual ramifications of her decision may be healed through the healing recovery offered in Christ’s love and word. Beyond abortion counseling, PRCs also provide resources and support for women who decide to keep their babies but who may need pre-natal and parenting support. Please, if you are touched by this kind of ministry, seek out a PRC in your area and see how you can help!

I’m enjoying being a part of Del Oro Hills Community Church. I’m re-establishing friendships that were a part of my life when I was a child; this is a great joy to me! Also, I’m currently leading the 20-Somethings group in a study of Dennis Kinlaw’s We Live as Christ. We’re going to take soup to the homeless on March 5, and look forward to various other community evangelism projects. I’m thrilled to be a part of this group that is truly sold out for Jesus! Please pray for our group!

May the great and powerful love of the Heavenly Father reach you in your inmost being,

~amy

"...We have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." -Colossians 1:9-10

Touching His Garment

I've been praying for visions, for dreams, and God is giving them to me. I'm so excited, and honored, because what is in me through Jesus is capable of changing lives...I'm so excited because Jesus walks beside me! I don't deserve to have the God whose breath gives me life be my friend, but He is, and He wants that, and that totally just BLOWS MY MIND!

I was thinking the other day, when my spirit was full of wind and chatter (a spiritual battle that Jesus conquered for me), that all I need is the hem of His robe, and I'll have all the power I need to get through this life (see Mark 5:27-34); but that's not all. He doesn't just give us a garment, He gives us Himself. He gives us His very person, eternally. I have Jesus beside me, INSIDE ME, forever. That's just amazing.

Dennis Kinlaw, in his book, We Live As Christ, says, "[My wife] can drive me to an airport and watch me fly off to Timbuktu, leaving her behind. But God says, 'I want a relationship closer than that. What I really would like is this: Wherever you go, I go. If I go, you will go there, too.'"

Now that's a relationship I'm glad to enjoy forever.

Onward Ho!

I've made it! I'm here! Praise Jesus! I'm settled in my new home. Classes have started at APU, there's plenty to do at work, I'm getting into worship and ministry at Del Oro Hills Community Church, I've opened my bank account, I've discovered where to get the cheapest gas, and I've even taken a few opportunities to meet with God at the beach.

Thank you for your prayers, your support, your interest in this great church planting ministry in which the Lord has placed me. We have a global strategy meeting coming up February 16, 17, and 18 in which leaders from Africa, India, South and North America will participate. Please pray that our hearts would be submissive to God's vision and strategy for DCPI. This is truly His ministry, and we want to be humble and faithful servants to Him in it!

I pray for joy and peace in your lives as the Lord of the universe ministers to your hearts,
~amy

Westward bound...

Immanuel

I've been contemplating this glorious message of Christmas, how Jesus is Immanuel, God with us. GOD WITH US. Why do we celebrate Christmas? Not because of family or gifts or giving. Not because of traditions or music or stories. These are all ways to celebrate, but they aren't the reason (although looking around, you'd think that the means of celebrating was the reason).

Christmas is a time of remembering Jesus come to earth to live a life of flesh and bone, heartache and sorrow, relationships and joy. I've been sick this week, my body racked by painful coughing (I'm getting better)...and in the course of being sick, I've thought of my Lord, who left eternal health for a moment in time to take on sickness; I imagine he had a few flus, stomach trouble, scratchy sore throats, maybe even a painful cough; perhaps He had a broken arm or an ingrown toenail (after all, these are the things of bodies). So in my moments of sickness i can think of the God of the universe being sick and understanding the discomfort. if we are to believe that He truly was Immanuel, God with us, then we accept that the incarnation (God taking on flesh) means he took on the very same flesh that interrupts health.

Jesus, the God I serve, lived like me. Yet, He didn't. Jesus was able to defeat sin for us all because He did not sin. His ministry in life, His teaching and healing and serving, His sacrifice on the cross, His defeat of death in the resurrection which welcomed into the world Life eternal...these all were possible because He lived the holy life He calls us to. Jesus lived in the flesh to show us what living perfectly is like, so that when He called us to reflect His holiness, we would see in His life an example to follow.

But He didn't even leave us there. None of us, ever, could live holy lives just by an example. There is nothing in us strong enough to defeat sin simply because we want to. when Jesus left the earth He left us something incredible. Jesus left His Spirit...the Holy Spirit, which lives in the spirits of those who tell Jesus they accept Him, they believe in Him, that they'll follow Him. Step one. The Holy Spirit comes in us then and empowers us with the power of God to live those lives of holiness that exemplify who God is. (Some call this "godliness"; either way, it is reflecting the character of Christ.) We become Christ's incarnation in this world...letting Him live through us.

The Gospel message, simply put, is that Jesus came to break the barrier that sin puts between us and God; when He returned to the Father, He left His Spirit, which guides us to live lives that show the character of God. No law can complete us, although law serves as a guide. Jesus, Immanuel, God with us, came to earth 2000 years ago to begin an age of people knowing God personally, intimately, beautifully, eternally.

Thank you, Jesus, for doing the unimaginable and leaving perfection on our behalf, taking on the load of sin and shame and guilt that we all deserve to bear, defeating death so that those who follow you might know what true Life without death is intended to be, and leaving Your Spirit so that Your work on earth may be fulfilled through the lives of Your saints. Oh Jesus, may I look like Christ to someone today? Will You live through me so that someone might know You better? Oh Christ, thank you for coming. Thank you for being Immanuel, God with us.

All over the world, and still moving!

Hello, friend. I am glad to greet you in the peace of Christ the Savior! Since my last update, I have been halfway across the world for the Lord’s work! The early part of November took me to Ghana, West Africa, where I worked with Dynamic Church Planting International African leaders to train church planters. In all, 212 people went through the training, and 17 leaders were certified to help train and lead future church planters! Praise the Lord!

In addition to the exciting work of training church planters, as the Director of Dynamic Associate Relations, I have the thrilling job of strategizing with international leaders how to better reach their nations for Christ! It is evident from the stories of these brothers and sisters in the Lord that Jesus is the answer for peace. It is an honor to be a part of an effort that plants strong churches in communities all over the world!

I traveled to Ghana with two of my teammates from DCPI headquarters, Eric Helmbold and Maggie Turner. We had a blast! Not only did we get to participate in training church planters from Ghana, Benin, Liberia, and Nigeria, but we also got to walk across a rope bridge suspended by treetops 95 feet in the air and tour one of the atrocious slave trading castles that once lined the coasts of Western Africa. The people of Ghana are polite and friendly. Their national language is English, and the country is 70% Christian. They have a relatively stable government and growing economy.

While our team was in Ghana, another DCPI team was in Pakistan leading DCPI’s first training in that country. The results were tremendous, with over 300 new church planters trained! As I write, another team is traveling to Venezuela for our first training in that South American country. Also, DCPI’s African Director, Emmanuel Donkoh, with whom we worked in Ghana, is leading a training in Nigeria this month. That makes four trainings on three continents in one month! God is truly blessing our ministry! By the end of the year, DCPI will have trained in 10 countries, training around 2000 leaders!

We praise God for his provision and guidance. It is his vision that we seek to fulfill, and it is He who builds up leaders to spread His name. What a Mighty God we serve!

I am personally preparing for my move to California, which will take place in early January. I will be attending Azusa Pacific University to complete my Master of Religion degree, and classes start January 9! I have so much to do until then, including completing this semester at Wesley Biblical Seminary, and raising support so that I can go be where my job is! In order to make the move, I must have supporters who will prayerfully commit to supporting me financially each month. Is God calling you to be financially involved in impacting the planting of one million churches?

I prayerfully and gratefully move forward into this adventure with Jesus. I am glad to share it with you!

Great joy!

~amy

Pictures from Ghana:

Messages from Africa II

All praise, honor, and glory to the King of Kings!

He reigns, truly and magnificently, in peace and power!

Hello friends!
There is truly nothing like knowing the Body of Christ in an international context. There is so much to learn about our God through how He has built His Church to participate together across national boundaries, over continents, to the ends of the earth! Praise Him!

There is great work being done here in Ghana. It has been a privelege to be a part of it!

The training that Dynamic Church Planting International is doing is powerful. The ministers, both young and old, who attend, leave the training with tools in their belts that they did not even know were available to them! Some of the comments have been as follows:

"Even if you do not hear from us again, we promise that we will be using this training and out there planting churches." -a group of young ministers who attended the training in Takoradi

"I wish I'd had this training before I started ministry!" -pastor from Takoradi

"The training is powerful. Pow-er-ful." -pastor from Cape Coast

In addition to conducting two trainings on the Essentials of Church Planting, DCPI also trained Mentors for Church Planters, and we conducted a DCPI Strategy Summit. The Summit is an opportunity for leaders in DCPI (Dynamic Associates and Certified Trainers) to strategize the best ways to reach their regions for Christ. As the Director of Dynamic Assoicate Relations, it was energizing for me to hear the great needs of these leaders as they seek to do all they can for Christ by planting churches all over the world! It is my job to make sure these needs (which range from physical and financial support to encouragement) are met for these men and women. I'm ready to start the work!

The Lord is doing great things in Ghana. He reminds us that He IS the Lord of Church Planting (Principle #1 in the 12 Principles of Church Planting, taught by DCPI)!!! Our church planting friend and the African Director of DCPI, Emmanuel Donkoh, told us just last night that the spiritual oppression that can be seen in many African nations is weakening because of great commitment of ministers here to work against the evil one. Praise God! Hallelujah! As God raises up leaders in Ghana who have a vision to reach other African nations, we look forward to a movement of revival that will defeat so much of the evil that oppresses people in this great continent of culture and beauty!

I am so excited to be on this Dynamic Church Planting Team, to be a part of such a great vision! As many of you know, I am still living in Mississippi. Our goal at DCPI is to have me move out to join the team in Oceanside, CA in January 2006 (less than 2 months away!). In order to do that, though, I must have monthly support. I hope that you catch the vision of DCPI to impact the planting of 1 million churches for Christ!

Great joy to you,

~amy

(For more information on Dynamic Church Planting International, please visit their website, www.dcpi.org.)

Messages from Africa I

Hi guys!
We're safely settled in Cape Coast Ghana. It's lovely. The temperature was in the high 80s today; high humidity. There IS air conditioning in our room, however. Nice. We've completed our first day of training. I LOVE DCPI! It's so exciting to meet these pastors who are committed to following Christ's call on their lives to plant churches. There are pastors here from Ghana (of course), Liberia, Benin, and Nigeria. (We flew into Lagos, Nigeria last night before landing in Accra.)

So, the trip...

Well, I traveled the majority of it alone, which was ok, actually. In Houston I loaded the Lufsthansa (German) jet, the jet backed out of the loading dock, and then we sat there for 2 hours waiting for a thunderstorm to pass. That meant that what was a 8 1/2 hour flight turned into being on the plane 10 1/2 hours (and there's almost nothing worse than being so ready to go and sitting on a cramped air plane not going anywhere...). But! I sat next to two German business men who do a lot of travel. They weren't talkative but they were friendly. I LOVED being on a German plane, hearing German before English everytime an announcement was made. I asked my neighbor how to say water so I could ask the attendant for it in German when he came around. It kind of backfired on me b/c when I asked for "vaser" he said a string of German to me and my neighbor had to help me out. : ) That's what I get for being curious. So, my plane was supposed to land in Germany at 8:50 and then I was to fly out at 10:25. By being behind two hours, we got in at 10:50. I called mom and dad from the runway asking for prayer that I would make the connecting flight, and then, Praise Jesus, I didn't worry about it again. I knew that if I missed the flight the worst that could happen would be that I stay in Germany a night. And praise the Lord, our plane from Houston was redirected to a gate that was in the same terminal as my Ghana flight, and I got to the Ghana gate just in time. The flight attendant at the gate, when I arrived, said, "Amy Loy!?" And I said, "YES!" When I boarded the plane they shut the door and announced, "boarding completed." Jesus is SO good!

Then, praise the Lord, my luggage got left behind in Germany! So, I smell today, but I had an extra pair of panties and pants in my bag, along with all my shower stuff, and I could technically survive on what I'm wearing for the next week or so (except that I stink). But the luggage is on its way tonight, and we'll send someone to get it tomorrow. Please pray that Jesus sends someone to volunteer for this task, b/c it is a long way to Accra over bad roads...

...bad roads...

There's something amazingly surreal and in retrospect humorous about traveling for 24 hours straight and being so exhausted that you aren't even aware of danger. I guess that's a great thing built in to aid travelers with the driving habits of those in foreign countries. Imagine: drive like you want. Now imagine being so dazed and confused that you don't even realize that you've been on the road for 4 hours. Yeah, that was last night. : )

...last night...

We're staying at the Elmina Golden Beach Resort. Our room is RIGHT on the beach. The sound of the big waves is loud and soothing. There's AC in the room. The water gets hot for the showers. The toilets flush paper. We're in luxury.

I'm getting certified to train so that I can be a trainer at future DCPI events. That's really exciting to me. Seeing how beneficial this training is to national leaders is truly confirming in my heart how important my job is, and how much I want to be a teacher/trainer the rest of my life.

Long email. Praise the Lord! This hotel is great!

Please pray for continued safety for all of the trainees here this week, and that God will confirm and enrich the call in their lives.

Praying for you, brothers and sisters,

~Amy

firsts first

so i officially have two weblogs. the idea for this one is to keep it ministry related. i'm launching out on a major adventure, me and my car and Jesus. it's great to be secure in knowing He'll always be with me.