Lloyd and Joyce Heiney, missionaries to Mexico, report:

"We recently received word from our pastor saying Nuevo Progreso is now isolated from the rest of Mexico by flooding. No food or other necessities can reach the city except from the United States. Hurricane Alex, and the second tropical storm, brought historic flooding to both sides of the Rio Grande River along the Texas border. Lives have been lost in the floods in cities west of Nuevo Progreso, and the flood waters are traveling downriver toward the Gulf of Mexico. 

The government of Mexico sent food to assist the city. There are fears the rising river will cause the closing of the one bridge that provides access to Nuevo Progreso from the United States. This access is the only way for them to receive food. Trucks from Mexico have been allowed to travel on the U.S. side to take assistance to them.

This is an emergency situation, and we are asking for your prayers for these people. We thank God that Pastor Gerardo and his wife Miriam have been given great opportunities to minister the Word of God during this time."

World Missions Hosts Banquet At General Assembly

World Missions kicked of the 73rd International General Assembly activities with a missions banquet on Monday, July 26, 2010.

The theme for this event was “Heritage and Horizons, 100 Years of World Missions Advance.” Stories from the past and dreams of the future were highlighted.The special speakers for the evening were James Beaty, former missionary for 64 years; W. Harold McLeod, retiring field director to Asia Pacific; Otoniel Collins, missionary to Honduras; and Alex Abiola, missionary to Ireland. Each “Hero of Faith” shared of the excitement and challenges of their work on the mission field. Dr. Collins shared, “God makes the impossible, possible. He will open doors where there are no doors.”

Another meaningful aspect of the banquet was the recognition of retiring Missions personnel. Four missionaries have retired this year. Gerhard and Eva Becker, missionaries to Germany are retiring after 33 years of ministry; Field Director to Europe: Central/Easter/CIS, Dieter and Hildegard Knospe are retiring after 36 years of ministry; Bryan and Diane Hersey retire with 28 years of ministry in South America; and after 30 years of ministry, Asia/Pacific Field Director, Harold and Tina McCleod are retiring.

Bryan and Diane Hersey

 Harold and Tina McLeod

73rd General Assembly

The 73rd International General Assembly of the Church of God is scheduled at the end of this month and preparations are well underway.

The Assembly officially begins on Tuesday morning, July 27, rather than Monday evening; however, registration and the exhibit areas will open beginning at 9:00 a.m. Monday, July 26. Church of God World Missions will host a Missions banquet, by invitation only, Monday night. In addition, the first day of sessions (July 27) with the General Council will include an evening session to allow the body of ordained bishops time to elect and nominate leaders. It will also provide opportunity for discussion and debate of the slated agenda of business.

Wednesday evening, July 28, will be the first worship session and special guest will be Rev. Franklin Graham, president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse international ministries. Rev. Tim Hill is the featured speaker for the Missions service on Thursday evening. The general overseer, who will be nominated earlier in the week but elected on Friday afternoon, will deliver his address as the final message to conclude the General Assembly.

All sessions of the Ordained Ministers General Council and evening services will be streamed on the Church of God website. There will be daily news and updates posted to the World Missions website.

Disaster in Guatemala

It has been several days since Tropical Storm Agatha passed through Guatemala leaving a trail of disaster all over the country. Although the volcano, Pacaya, is still very active spewing ash, gas, and rivers of lava, the black snow that covered the city and country has diminished. Indications are that it will take many months to clean up the millions of tons of black snow from the city streets. The area around the volcano is closed and several villages surrounding it have been evacuated.

The results of the tropical storm are cause for more concern. Two hundred people were killed, many are still unaccounted for, thousands of houses have been damaged, and thousands of people are being housed in shelters. Two hundred bridges have been destroyed, and many rivers flooded multiple communities.

Some communities have been cut off from the rest of Guatemala, such a Panajachel, where giant mudslides have closed the main road into town and both bridges collapsed. As the rains continue to fall, we are now faced with major highways collapsing to the north, south, east, and west of the city. For large transport trucks, it is very difficult to take products to the city. As the shortage of grocery products grows, because of the damage to crops and the slow moving traffic, prices at the stores have doubled.

The second sinkhole in zone 2 of Guatemala City has now brought about the evacuation of people from homes another four or five blocks around it as a precaution. We pray for a break in the rain to allow work to be done in some of these areas.

Some schools in the provinces are still closed. There is a great need for clothes, shoes, medicine, and food. Hearts for the Children Ministries located a village blown away by the storm and is supplying food and ministry.

Tom and Elisabeth Allan
Hearts for the Children Ministry
Project Number 1022014

Power of Prayer

Kathy Watson, Missionary to Kenya, shares this powerful testimony:

"Recently, while talking to one of several teenage men that have been saved over the last year in the remote area of Kenya, I discovered the powerful hand of God that is growing these teens in absence of any missionary presence. One 18-year-old spoke about his friend who had been very sick and had no money for the necessary medicine. The two boys agreed together in prayer one night. They testified that as they joined hands and called on God, the one teen was miraculously healed. Even heathens learn that nothing is impossible with God!

Noah and Washington are just two of the seven young men that have been transformed and miraculously changed in the bush area at Rock of Hope Missions Site. They are walking miracles individually, and are seeing many others find the Lord because of their own lives in Jesus!"

Kathy's Project Number 0650855

Casa Shalom Needs YOU!

Jessica and Joshua Hanson, missionaries in Guatemala, serve as administrative assistants at Casa Shalom. They write:

A great opportunity has come up here at Casa Shalom! We just had a team drop out of our summer schedule and we are looking to fill the space with another group. The available dates are July 3^rd-16^th. Whether you have never been to Casa Shalom, it has been awhile since you visited or you are a frequent visitor, consider getting a group together and visiting for a week or two. If those dates don’t work for you, we have others available. We would love to see you at Casa Shalom!

For more information, click here to visit their blog.

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