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Elmer United Methodist Church |
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The Groves Family Website: www.newlifezambia Thank you all for the emails concerning my back. I did see the orthopedic surgeon and there will be no need for more surgery � Thank you, Jesus! As soon as I sent out the last update and mentioned my back problem you started praying and within hours I started to feel much better. I know that I am a product of love and prayer. Thank you! We are leaving the first of September for Zambia. In the mean time we�re very busy getting the shipping container loaded with YOUR wonderful gifts, needed supplies and equipment. In the container there�s lots of equipment that has been needed for the printing and computer school. As you know for the last seven years we�ve been mostly building and developing the New Life Center and its ministries. Plus, we have started fourteen new congregations and built a number of churches with your help. The New Life Center, churches, farm and schools play a very important part in what God is doing in the life of the Zambian UMC. We ALL can be very proud of what has been done in the name of Jesus Christ! I (Delbert) will be focusing most of my time on printing and working with our church leaders in developing the printed materials needed. This is not an easy job and will most likely take the rest of my life on the field. The New Life Press Facility in Zambia and D.R. Congo has been producing materials for years, but not at the level I want to see. Different UMCZ committee groups have been working for the last few years on books, materials and items that needed printing. These will soon be ready. There will be a lot of training and development still needed with this. I ask for you to start praying NOW that WE GET IT RIGHT AWAY. PLEASE PRAY� The ministry we consider the most important is our pastors, their families and church leaders. It�s one thing to build a church building, but it�s completely another thing to build the church�s spiritual foundation. Helping them grow in ministry and spiritual life is the most important thing we can do. As we have cried out to God we are seeing the Holy Spirit move in ways we never thought we would in our mission time. There is always a sense of urgency. No one fights that feeling more than Sandy and I, and really ALL missionaries on the field. There are many cultural differences that seem to slow our efforts down. But the truth is, God is at work in Zambia. We are seeing a great movement of the Holy Spirit and are expecting even greater spiritual strides in the coming years. As you know, we did go back to Zambia in April for the annual Holy Spirit Encounter. We focus on working with our United Methodist pastors AND open it up to pastors from other denominations. This year we also had quite a few youth attend. It was amazing to see the vibrant future of the church in these young people. The main purpose of the gathering is to speak and teach on this subject of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The complete, uncompromised teaching of the book of Acts. This is why God sent His son, Jesus Christ to earth in the first place. It was through Christ�s birth, life, death and resurrection that the Holy Spirit would finally become a part of the human race, Jew and Gentile, American and African. We are assured that anyone can live thoughts and deeds through Jesus Christ. You and I can actually say to the world�s problems and condition, �Sorry, but no thanks, in the name of Jesus Christ I�m free.� If you remember, I challenged you to read through the book of Acts three times by the end of this year. Many of you emailed me back and told me you took the challenge. Please keep me informed on your progress and what God is showing you. Also, to my surprise, now I�m getting emails from Pastors here in the USA stating they are preaching out of the book of Acts. God is showing them areas that the person of the Holy Spirit is moving in their personal lives and their churches. As they teach and preach out of Acts they�re just asking God to have His way in the life of that church. I�m telling you, if you and I take God at His word, the world you live in and the condition of your church WILL CHANGE. It will bring glory to the Father and hope and direction in your life. I see it happening even today. The world is in need of the power of the Holy Spirit to set us free from the bondage of �compromising sin� and to give us power and authority to be set free and share with others the life changing truth of Jesus Christ. Someone better say �Amen!� Remember we love you, Delbert and Sandy
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