April 2005 International News Report

AMERICAS

Trinidad/Tobago; We have received so many wonderful statements of faith and support from national leaders around the world. Caribbean South national Director Annette Coombs wrote this following a retreat where they taught from In Focus, “The three mandates have taken on greater significance to us. As warrior women we will rage war against the enemy. We will walk hand in hand with Jane as we carry out the mission. We are still very excited to be part of this great fellowship.”

Guyana: Annette also traveled to Guyana and held an Aglow retreat with the women there. They viewed a video of Barbara Yoder’s message and at the end a call was made for leaders and other to commit their lives to the call of change in Aglow. Annette said it was a powerful session. The next session Annette encouraged the group to function under the Apostolic anointing as we walk hand in hand with our International President.

Aglow in Berbice continues to help children with a home work program.

The feeding program in New Amsterdam helps provide lunches for 21 children daily.

Colombia ; We recently reported that our leaders in Colombia were regularly helping to provide food and clothing for 500 needy children. While the desire to do so is certainly on their hearts, they have told us about a misunderstanding that apparently occurred when this story was relayed to us in Spanish. The Aglow leaders have been able to help only a few of these children because their resources are not enough to help them all.

But the faith of our Colombian Aglow sisters is great. One of the leaders who read the report said maybe the information was prophetic, and they have now begun to pray and work toward opening a foundation which will let them help more people.

AFRICA

Botswana: On March 8 th Botswana National Board members met with 15 ladies in government for prayer and teaching from the Word. Present were the First Lady, the former First Lady, ministers, judges, secretaries and Women Organization Leaders. The meeting was scheduled for 1 ½ hours but lasted 3 ¼ hours with outstanding results. There was one response to the salvation call and all were encouraged and expressed gratefulness for the time together. One lady, who previously turned down an invitation to an Aglow Prayer Breakfast in a bad way, was present at this prayer gathering. But now, has asks that Aglow start a fellowship in her village and do youth ministry too! She cried during the prayers and confided in one the Aglow leader how desperate she is for God. One minister was supposed to attend an important meeting in South Africa which would not allow her to participate in the prayer meeting, but the meeting was cancelled. Prior to the event, Aglow leaders prayed that appointments be cancelled to honor the prayer meeting. Because this meeting was so favorable, the Aglow board members are going to ask these influential women leaders to meet with them quarterly for prayer.

Senegal: God is giving favor to Aglow women in Senegal. The church in Senegal is very hidden. According to Madeleine Faye, Aglow National Assistant for Senegal, the authorities think the Catholic church is the only one that exists. When there is a program only the Catholic Church is mentioned. Believing that God wants His church to be seen through Aglow women, Aglow Senegal joined with women from the Catholic Church for hospital outreaches. Now the authorities have asked Aglow Senegal to come when they need help. Recently a hospital asked Aglow to send some women to work with them, which gave them the opportunity to share the good news of the Kingdom.

God is showing Himself powerfully through the women. In the past they had to rent a room in order to hold conferences and seminars but now the room is free. The town authorities are also giving them needed materials free of charge.

Central Africa Republic : Aglow women in this nation have begun a deep work among the female prisoners. National Assistant, Marie Louise Yakemba, has made file cards for each prisoner which will enable them to know why the women are in prison and who complained against them. It is the Aglow women’s desire to carry out a ministry of reconciliation by enabling the two parties to forgive one another. This work is difficult because the statistics usually give the following reasons for incarceration: murder, witchcraft, and fighting.

The women have entered this work because they are called to work with women so that they can accept Jesus Christ in their lives and become useful to their country, to God and to their families.

A retreat was held at a prison on March 12, 2005 with the theme Divine Healing of the wounded Soul. There was a time for questions followed by workshops. Five prisoners accepted Christ as Lord and Savior and asked to be baptized in water. A pastor in a local

Church baptized the women the following Sunday. Among the five converts is a pygmy woman who comes for a tribe which uses fetishes and does not believe in God the Creator.

The Aglow women prepared food and new clothes (matching outfits) in order to welcome the newcomers to God’s family with joy.

Mauritania : The Lord has began to break the hard ground for sowing the seed of the Gospel. Leader, Mercy B. says, “Though it is not easy to preach to these people directly, they are getting used to our faith and show no offence at us. I have now introduced prayer at the beginning of our programs. I told themabout my faith on how I pray and how God answer prayers.”

ASIA & SOUTH PACIFIC 

Singapore : The Singapore national board crossed over the border into Indonesia and held a Leaders’ Retreat in Tanjung Pinang, Indonesia for the Aglow women. There were 35 women in attendance. A national advisor for the Singapore national board went with the women and prayed over each of the Aglow members in Tanjung Pinang. The Indonesian women were encouraged and built-up by the training they received. Since this Aglow group is close to Singapore (and very far from the Indonesia national board) the Indonesia board has asked Singapore to oversee the Aglow in Tanjung Pinang.

Japan : Judy Middleton reports of the many prayer cells across Japan. Judy says, “Prayer…earnest, sincere prayer is the most powerful and influential weapon God has ever given to women. Prayer can turn defeat into victory, sorrow into gladness and darkness into light. The history of mankind has been significantly altered by praying women. Aglow prayer army is fulfilling the call”.

Judy states, “God is empowering Aglow to break open into with a new anointing the Breakthrough Anointing”.

Indonesia: The Aglow women are ministering to children in a leper institution. Healthy children, forced to stay there because of their parent’s condition, are taught by Aglow ladies to praise the Lord. Every month they bring milk, vitamins, food, snacks, stationery, etc. At times they bring a doctor to check on the children’s health, and hairdresser to cut their hair.

They are also ministering to “women of a semi-stone age tribe in Papua”. Many in this village have responded to the invitation to receive Jesus.

Aglow is also reaching the Sundanese people (predominantly Muslim community in West Java). Aglow brought doctors, dentist and hairdressers to give them free medical check ups, medicines and haircuts. God answered prayers with many miracles.

Malaysia: The Aglow groups in Penang, Taiping and Johor Bahru minister to older women in nursing homes. Each year they honor these older mothers at a Mothers Day celebration. This is an event that the older women look forward to each year and feel very special and blessed.

Korea: The Aglow groups throughout Korea hold Prayer marches. Recently they held a 7-day Jericho March at the National Assembly building in Seoul (for the “holiness of the legislators”).

They pray constantly for the North Korean people, for the hideous conditions so many of the people must live in and the constant fear of death if they rebuke in any way the N. Korean authorities. Starvation is rampant in N. Korea, an enormous concern to the Aglow women of So. Korea, but they have not yet found a way to get food to the needy in the north – it is usually confiscated by the military or government in N. Korea.

The Aglow women held a bazaar and were able to raise $1,242. U.S. dollars for the Aglow relief efforts for tsunami victims in Asia.