Southern Africa
Elizabeth Jorgensen, who serves as a missionary in Botswana with her husband, Tyler, has seen success with her “Safety in Action” program to primary school students. Elizabeth teaches kids how to call the police, to “stop, drop and roll” when there is a fire, and how to handle strangers. Her primary focus is to talk to kids about sexual abuse, as the Jorgensens have been told that nearly 80 percent of kids in the area have been sexually abused. Pray for the Jorgensens as they teach many broken children about the love of Jesus.
Brazil
Recently, flooding in Rio de Janeiro caused catastrophic mudslides that claimed the lives of many people. Included in this number were a Foursquare pastor of 40 years, two associate pastors and many members of the church. Amidst the chaos and confusion, our Foursquare brothers and sisters in Brazil were quick to respond. Within days they were able to deliver many truckloads of food and supplies to survivors. Please continue to pray for those impacted by the floods, and the Foursquare family, as we respond to those in need.
Cameroon
Last January, Foursquare missionary Daniel Lucero led a four-day Miracle Outreach event with Dr. Bob Chambo of the Cameroon Foursquare Church. During this outreach, many people were healed of crippling diseases, made decisions for Christ and were baptized with the Holy Spirit. By January 2011, 10 new churches had been planted in Cameroon under the leadership of Dr. Chambo. Cameroon is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in Africa, and these new church plants are reaching into the Muslim area in the north and the Pygmy lands in the east.
Chile
The 2010 Chile earthquake caused damage in several Foursquare churches, with major destruction at the Siria Foursquare Church, where Pastor Alen Joo serves. Thanks to a $20,000 gift from Foursquare Missions International’s (FMI) Relief Fund and an additional $2,000 from East Bay Fellowship in Danville, Calif., as well as $14,000 from local funds and gifts-in-kind, the Siria church was remodeled to be safe for use. In a rededication ceremony, special recognition was given to Foursquare President Glenn Burris Jr. and former FMI Director Jonathan Hall for their investment in this project.
Colombia
After six months of intense rains and flooding in Colombia, the Canal del Dique, a major canal that connects Cartagena Bay with the Magdalena River, ruptured and flooded the lowlands with water from the Magdalena, the most important commercial waterway in Colombia. Even a month after the flood, water still stood as high as seven feet in some areas. Approximately 2 million people have been affected, including at least 40 Foursquare churches, some of which are underwater; most are uninhabitable. Pastors and congregations have been displaced. Foursquare’s Relief and Compassion ministry is looking to raise $1.2 million to provide food, shelter, water purification units and more to the local people. Donate at give.foursquare.org. Learn more about Foursquare’s response to the flooding in Colombia.
Dominican Republic
In the Dominican Republic, missionaries Rich and Kirsten Root have started efforts to reach out to the 170,000 students at the University of Santo Domingo with the gospel message. Already they are building relationships with the students and are working to rent a building near the school to use a Christian student community center.
France
Daniel Lucero, who serves as area missionary to Francophone nations and West Africa and is the national leader of The Foursquare Church in France, is organizing the French national convention, which will take place in June in the south central region of France. Teams from the U.S. and Europe are invited to attend and then participate in a short-term missions trip in Africa. To register or for more information, contact Antoine Elise at eliseantoine7@yahoo.fr.
Haiti
John and Debbie Booker, Foursquare pastors on assignment in Haiti, share that a shipment of food that had been lost for eight months finally arrived. They separated the 270,000 meals, donated by Feed My Starving Children, to provide hot meals for children at school as well as midday meals for children at local orphanages. Foursquare churches will also be able to use the food for outreaches to their communities. The arrival of the food officially marked the launch of Foursquare Haiti Point of Distribution (POD), which will be the anchor location for ongoing relief efforts providing basic necessities of food, clean water, and shelter to Foursquare families, their neighbors, towns and villages throughout the province.
Jamaica
Eugene Subaran, who serves as a deaconess at Newlands Foursquare Church in Jamaica, was assaulted by armed men who fired several shots at her. She jumped up and down while calling out to Jesus. After they ran away, she checked herself out for gunshot wounds. Although her skirt was full of bullet holes, not one bullet touched her body. She is thankful that God protected her in a miraculous way.
Kenya
Foursquare missionaries Garry and Brenda Kean planted New Song Nairobi two years ago. They just celebrated their second anniversary with 178 very diverse people. One of the many beautiful things about this church is that it is made up of not just Kenyans, but also Koreans, Americans, British, Asians and even folks from Iceland. In addition, the congregation comprises people from across the economic spectrum—some come to the church from the slums, while others hold government positions.
Liberia
In January, Emmanual Kerkula prayed for and handed over the national leadership of the Liberian Foursquare Church to Pastor Samuel Morris. Pastor Kerkula has been honored by the nation’s president by being appointed as a deputy governor of one of the 14 federal states of the nation. He had headed the Liberian Foursquare Church for almost 25 years, the majority of which was during a devastating 14-year-long civil war.
Netherlands
Adam and Sarah Hartel, Foursquare missionaries in Amsterdam, are finding innovative ways to reach out to the community. The couple opened a Christmas Cafe in December in Amsterdam North. This was the culmination of two months of work in building furniture and making improvements to a building that the church rents to use as a cafe space. On the ground floor, they created an art gallery that displayed original paintings from artists in the church. In the basement, they created a lounge, where there was live Christmas music. The Hartels said the Christmas Cafe mobilized believers with the effort to “add value to our community” and to build “missional momentum and relationship by serving our neighbors.”
New Zealand
Foursquare missionaries Ron and Debra Brown were affected by the earthquake that hit New Zealand in late February. The Browns have damage inside their home and the threat of sinkholes around their house. FMI is requesting that people pray God will allow Ron, Debra and the members of their church to be a light in the darkness as they offer help, assistance and prayer to those who need it most. Read more about the Browns’ work in New Zealand.
Poland
Missionary Denise Johnson shared that a group of leaders came together last year in Krakow to pray, plan and take steps toward establishing a center for training leaders and to offer support for churches by initiating John and Sonja Decker’s Ministry Training Institute. She asks for prayer for the translation of the institute’s material.
Thailand
While Christmas day isn’t celebrated in Thailand, Burmese immigrants who moved to Thailand to find work and flee from an oppressive government missed Christmas, which is a national holiday in Burma. So, Foursquare missionary Andy Opie made Christmas happen for the Burmese immigrants. He threw a Christmas party for the Burmese workers, complete with their national foods and Christmas songs. Best of all, 70 people accepted Christ after hearing the Christmas story.
Thanks to the generous donations of their supporters, missionaries Mike and Bee Arter in Mae Sot, Thailand, were able to raise enough funds to purchase a backpack for every student at the Elpis Refugee School. In fact, the support was so generous that the Arters were able to begin renting a cafe to serve as a place of fellowship for the community in Mae Sot. In addition, the couple has had the opportunity to preach the gospel to more than 2,000 people through various community outreaches.
Trinidad
Faith Center Foursquare, a new church plant in Trinidad, is growing as a result of miracles. Two people with cancer have seen improvement beyond what doctors thought possible. A Hindu man who ingested rat poison also made a miraculous recovery. A young girl who had received a bad report about her blood went to the church with her mother for prayer; the local doctors said her healing can only be explained as a miracle. She and her mother were baptized the next week; the healing made such an impact that the relatives are now attending church.
Support Our Missionaries >> Offer Foursquare missionaries your support by praying for them on a daily basis, giving your time on a short-term missions trip, or by sending your financial support. Download the monthly missions prayer guide, get Go Teams missions trip info, and learn more about missionaries who need your financial support.
