Global Partners

During the Liberian JESUS film team tour in southeast Liberia, the team leader met 105-year-old Pastor Sarah Geeteh who is the founder of the Gbalawein Wesleyan Church in Sinoe County. Despite her old age, she praised God for answering her prayer. According to Pastor Geeteh, her prayer had been that one day The Wesleyan Church would bring the JESUS film to minister to her people in their mother tongue before her death. The arrival of the JESUS film team in Gbalawein with the Kru version of the film was an answer to Pastor Geeteh’s prayer. She ecstatically declared, “I praised God when I heard my Lord Jesus speaking to my people in our own native tongue. Then I believed that my prayer and suffering for the church has not been in vain.”

One week after the departure of the team, they received news that the Pastor Geeteh had gone to be with the Lord.

PICTURE:  Pastor Sarah Geeteh

The team of Rev. Keith Nash, Dave and Roxane De Vreis, Mike Sanger, and Anessa Klumb from Mitchell Wesleyan Church in South Dakota went to Northeast India on February 6- 20 to help construct a two-story facility that will serve as the Wesleyan conference center and office, as well as lodging places for guests of the Church. The South Dakota District and Mitchell Wesleyan Church contributed more than half of the budget for the facility (total budget of $30,000). Working with the local Wesleyans, the team completed more than half of the construction on the ground floor during this trip. Rev. Keith Nash also assisted in the annual Northeast India Wesleyan Church conference and ordained two pastors. The regional superintendent* and the Northeast Wesleyans are grateful for the generous assistance and contribution from the South Dakota Wesleyans. They are trusting that the project can be completed this year.

*Name omitted for security reasons.

PICTURE: The start of the conference center

The Wesleyan Church in North America has responded amazingly to the call to help fellow Wesleyans in Mozambique who have lost much in the recent floods. The Mozambique mission director recently sent the following report about the distribution of relief:

We want to keep you informed about the Mozambican flood relief distribution that is being managed by the executive committee of the National Board in conjunction with the district superintendents and district treasurers in the affected provinces.

On Saturday, March 16, 2013, Rev. Nhathelo delivered a truckload of clothes to the Chokwe churches that were donated by churches in the Maputo District to help flood victims in the Limpopo River valley. He then met with the executive committee of the NBA at a special meeting that he had called at the Bible college in Xai-Xai. The national treasurer confirmed that the most recent electronic transfer of $20,000 had been received in the national bank account. Reports were received with regard to food distributions that have been made to flood victims in four different areas.

It was decided to make further transfers of funds to the provinces which had received the first round of funding for another dispensation of food equal to the first. A larger amount was allotted to the Chokwe area due to the great need that has resulted from the extensive loss of summer crops sustained in the total inundation of their residential and agricultural areas. Funding was approved for construction and rehabilitation assistance for some of the churches that have sustained storm damage. . An amount was approved to reconstruct the home of a retired pastor in the Xai-Xai area.

Once again, the members of the executive committee expressed their deep appreciation for the funding that has been given by the North American Church and asked me to convey their gratitude.

For a number of years, Susana’s* face radiated the joy of the Lord. However her husband, Ray,* embraced atheism. He fought in wars abroad, and then became chief of police in his hometown. Two month ago Ray, through faith, was transformed by the power of Christ through the ministry of The Wesleyan Church in Cuba. His face now radiates the joy of the Lord, and his testimony is powerful. Recently, as I stood behind him during worship services and watched him praise God and express thanks to Him, it caused the joy of the Lord to be renewed in my own heart. Praise God for transformed lives in Cuba!