Monday, September 24, 2012

Mozambique Update #1

*Our internet connection here is very slow and spotty, but we are typing blogs and hoping to post as able.
The long story short, the past several days I have seen more examples of what the New Testament church could look like than I ever imagined. We are doing outreaches in places where people have never heard the gospel. The Holy Spirit verifies the truth of our message with signs & wonders (prophetic words, healings, demons cast out). This kind of environment is stripped away of all of the American Christian sub-cultural understandings, so it forces you to figure out what is the gospel core. And what is the purpose of the church.

Wheresover Ministries is the most unassuming powerfully apostolic ministry I have ever personally witnessed. They have teams to do the outreaches, then follow up, then identifying pastors, then developing a network to train and develop the pastors, then build churches, build wells and then do it all over again. Thirty-three churches have been planted in this area by Wheresoever, and God continues to do more than expected.

Unfortunately, we had to take off our Thread of Hope bracelets because people would see that and think we had been to the witchdoctor. The witchdoctor's house provides some real medicine, but also invites many "healing spirits" to do the work, which is none other than demonic powers. Often bracelets or beads are given to small children or adults to keep the evil spirits away which cause the sickness. Unfortunately, it is often those evil spirits causing the illness or making it worse.
But that is not the case in Apex, NC, right? So please keep wearing them. We need your prayers. They literally are a matter of life and death, so no pressure! This place is a mixture of the most terrible things I have seen and the most beautiful. I cannot wait to return and share many stories.


Pastor Bryan

Friday, September 14, 2012

Hope Chapel and Wheresoever Missions

Pastor Bryan Finley and Charles B are heading to Mozambique to work with Danny and Lindy Bravo of Wheresoever Ministries. In addition to our own $4500 mission costs, we’d like to help Wheresoever replace some supplies that were damaged or destroyed in a car accident a few months ago. If you’d like to sponsor one or more of these items, or give towards the mission costs, please donate at http://www.hopenc.org/onlinegiving.aspx – be sure to mark your donation Hope Chapel Missions:

Here are some of the items we need sponsors for.
• 1000 Communion Cups – plastic disposable - $50
• 3 Communion Cup Trays – $50 each
• Flash drives (5) - $35
• USB Mouse (2) - Infrared $20
• USB Keyboard - $25
• External USB CD/DVD Reader - $40
• Portable Keyboard - Yamaha YPT-330 - $150
• Small sound mixer (8 inputs, 240v) - $200
• Tarp 30' x 40' Heavy Duty - $99
• Cheap reading glasses, assorted strengths - $50
• Water Cistern replacement - $800

Wheresoever is also looking for the following donated used items – please email missions@hopenc.org if you’d like to donate these items:

• Donated Cellphones – GSM and Quad-Band only
• Donated laptop(s) – At least MS XP OS or Win7 if possible

Thanks for giving to the work of Whereseover and Hope Chapel Missions!