Author: Jim Poitras

By Jarvis Munn,
AIM, Ghana

Saturday, July 9th 2011 was a day that will not soon be erased from my memory. Sis. Carter, Rev. Albert Awuku, and I attended a joint service in Zua, in the Upper East Region of Northern Ghana. There were 188 in attendance. All were there to meet with the Lord, and receive the blessing that He had in store for them.

When we first arrived there was an elderly lady sitting along the side of the church. She had a sizable lump on her neck, almost as if it was in her throat, and it was comparable in size to that of a softball. The service continued, and after the Word of God had been delivered, the offer was made for those who were in need of the Holy Ghost and of healing to come forward. Almost the entire congregation came forward, expecting great things from God.

Great things certainly came! There were thirty filled with the Holy Ghost, and thirty-four claimed their healing. For this one particular lady, healing was extremely evident. After prayer for healing, she reached out, and the lump began to shrink. It shrank and shrank for the remainder of the service until it was virtually unnoticeable. God had without a doubt touched her with His mighty healing virtue, and we praise Him for that.

She didn’t leave like she came!

Reaching the Newest Nation on the Planet

Years ago, Patrick Groves met Africa Regional Director, Jerry Richardson, in Detroit, at one of our general conferences. He expressed his burden for Sudan, Africa. Brother Richardson listened intently and responded that he was thrilled with Brother Grove’s burden. He too had been praying for years. But, unfortunately, at the time, the door to evangelize Sudan was “closed.”

Missionary Patrick Groves, at the 2011 East Africa Sub-regional Conference, testified about what God was doing in one of the nations. Guess which one? You are right, Sudan. There was a pastor from there in the conference.

We now have three small churches. Brother Groves shouted triumphantly, “The door is now open!”

Two of the three churches in Sudan are in the southern part of the nation. Southern Sudan became an independent nation on July 9, 2011. Any idea what that means? The United Pentecostal Church International has the opportunity to reach the newest country on the planet. We are already there.

Paul Orjala said, “When God wants to send a message, He wraps it up in a person and sends the person.” And we already have a missionary under appointment. Missionary Patrick and Jean Groves, along with their three children were appointed in March 2004. They have been working in Kenya, the neighboring country to Sudan. In Kenya, Brother Groves and a local pastor are working with people from Sudan. Already, twenty have been baptized in Jesus name and filled with the Holy Ghost.

I’m often asked, “What business are you in?” I sometimes ponder what reaction I’d get if I said, “I’m in the people-growing business.” Ministers are grown. Students don’t arrive in our Bible school classrooms as spiritual giants. They come with willing hearts and pass through a spiritual formation and maturation process. Effective Bible school programs enable students to reach their maximum potential. We’re equipping others for works of service in God’s kingdom (Ephesians 4:12) and in apostolic ministry. Like Robert Dale once said, we’re “sowing seeds of ministry and growing believers toward leadership.” That is one of the chief purposes behind ministry. Like a sign I saw, “We build Pentecostal leaders to grow Pentecostal churches.” Spiritual growth is one of our four core values. We value helping people grow.

We create a “culture of growth.” It’s the way we do things around here. I sometimes lament when I see other churches with more developed educational programs than ours. We can make a difference. John Maxwell in Go for Gold mentions a nursery in Canada that displays a sign on its wall: “The best time to plant a tree is twenty-five years ago…The second best time is today.”

Our work will affect long after we’re gone. A Greek proverb says, “A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” Be deliberate at leaving a mark on this planet, to do something that imparts seeds of truth to the next generation, and impacts eternity for our world. Someone once said, “If your vision is for a year, plant wheat; if your vision is for a decade, plant trees; but if your vision is for a lifetime, plant men.” When a friend asks, “What have you done today?” I hope you can thankfully respond, “I saw someone grow today and I helped. I’ve been planting people; growing giants!”

Last night I took a journey
To a land across the seas.
I didn’t go by ship or plane
I traveled on my knees.

I saw so many people there
In bondage to their sin,
And Jesus told me I should go,
That there were souls to win.

But I said “Jesus, I can’t go
To lands across the seas.”
He answered quickly, “Yes, you can
By traveling on your knees.”

He said, “You pray, I’ll meet the need.
You call, and I will hear.
It’s up to you to be concerned
For lost souls far and near.”

And so I did; knelt in prayer,
Gave up some hours (minutes) of ease,
And with the Savior by my side,
I traveled on my knees.

As I prayed on, I saw souls saved
And twisted persons healed,
I saw God’s workers strength renewed
While laboring in the field.

I said, “Yes Lord, I’ll take the job.
Your heart I want to please.
I’ll heed Your call and swiftly go
By traveling on my knees.”

Written by  Sandra Goodwin

Imagine the Classified Section of Heaven’s Chronicles. One ad for employment reads something like this.