Myers Weekly Prayer Letter

What a blessing we received through the ministry and fellowship with the volunteer team from the South Roanoke and Atlantic Associations in North Carolina. Our hearts are truly blessed and full of joy. As mentioned in last week’s prayer letter the Shiselweni Ladies’ Retreat (23-24 of February) went very well and the ladies were fun and encouraging. The weekend was the Shiselweni Youth Retreat (25-27of February) and again it was great mixing and worshipping together. So many of the youth were children in our children’s Bible studies and have continued in church and are now leaders. Saturday the children of the Mgamudze Baptist Church and community joined us for a time of study and fellowship. We cannot say enough of the contributions this team and other volunteer teams have made in the work with the Swazi people. The Swazis love when the Americans come because through the work and ministry, the Swazis know the Americans love them. What a wonderful testimony. Pray contacts made during the Team’s ministry will reap great rewards for the Kingdom. May each team member’s life be fully blessed by his/her experiences in Swaziland.The volunteer team left for the states on Thursday from Jo’burg. We arrived home around 5:00pm yesterday and were welcomed home by our neighborhood monkeys!! It is good to be home.

--Today (Saturday the 5th of March) Wayne is attending the meeting of the Baptist Convention of Swaziland in Manzini. Planning continues for the 2011 National Good Friday/Easter Services. These services begin the day before Good Friday and ends on Easter Sunday with approximately 200 people attending. There is much planning involved. Pray most of the details and logistics will be finalized this month. Pray this year’s services will have a spiritual foundation and will reflect the true Resurrection story.

MARCH MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES:
--Happy birthday to Nathan Allen on the 7th of March!!

--Tuesday (8th of March) the Swazi Baptist pastors will meet with Todd, Steve and Wayne to discuss the Swazi Rural Training Schools. Pray this meeting will go well with consensus in the planning. The first school is scheduled for May 10-13. Pray everything will fall into place as preparations continue.

--March 14-17, our Cluster Strategy Leader and wife (Wade and DeeAnn Coker) will be in Swaziland visiting with the members of the Swazi Team. March 14 they will stay with the Allens in Mbabane, March 15 with the Hoskins and on the March 16 with the Myers, leaving on the 17th. Pray the Cokers’ visit with the Swazi Team will be an encouragement to everyone.

--March 19th, the Shiselweni Baptist Association meets at the Velebantfu Baptist Church. The purpose of the meeting is to encourage the Swazi Baptist churches in the Shiselweni region to provide a strong Sunday school program for all ages and to meet faithfully on Sunday for worship. Pray this meeting will be beneficial to all attending.

--The Velebantfu Baptist Church will conduct a special licensing service for their pastor, Liswe Nsibandze on the 20th of March. Pastor Nsibandze has led this church for five years and is a strong leader and committed Christian. Pray the members of the Velebantfu Baptist Church will continue to support their pastor as he leads the congregation.

--March 30th-April 4th, the members of the Swazi Team will attend the Two Oceans Cluster Strategy Meeting at the Birchwood Conference Center in Johannesburg, South Africa. The First Baptist Church of Orlando, Fla., will provide volunteers to work with the missionary children’s program and lead in the worship services. Pray for the continued preparations and logistics. Pray for spiritual preparedness for the missionaries attending, volunteers ministering and leadership leading.

SPECIAL PRAYER REQUESTS:
--Pray for the Mavuso family (pastor of the Vuvulane Baptist Church). Simphiwe was not feeling well and Douglas took her to the doctor today.

--Wayne received a phone call from the hospital Manzini concerning Johannes Tfwala who was admitted to the psychiatric wing on Friday. Johannes had been acting rather strange the past few days. Wayne plans to visit him today. Pray for this family and situation. Pray Johannes will recover from this problem.

AIDS UPDATE:
Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete”. John 16:23-24 For the past couple of years we have asked you to pray the Lord will help the Swazi Team develop a strong True Love Waits program in Swaziland. With the help of the International True Love Waits consultants, we have a beginning. Praises come when we truly began to seek the Lord’s desire in this request and we are happy to say the Lord is providing. In August, the Swazi Team will receive four “Hands On” (short term) missionaries that will work in the True Love Waits ministry. Not only that, but several summer missionaries will arrive in June to also work with sharing the True Love Waits message in schools and churches. We praise the Lord for this answer to prayer. Pray for the Swazi Team as they work out the logistics for these missionaries. Pray the Lord will continue to bless as we learn to be faithful and ask!! I would also like to share this praise (posted from Facebook) from one of our Swazi True Love Waits leaders: This whole week the true love wait team (Lubombo) was presenting at Duze high school. We saw a spirit of commitment as the presenters moved from class to class. We want to thank God for showing up in our presentations. We recorded 316 students who committed to abstinence. We ask for your prayers, advice and mentorship as we allow holiness liberate our country from aids. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!

IMB GLOBAL PRAYER REQUESTS:
--Pre-departure field orientation continues for 94 missionary adults and 38 missionary kids through March 23. Please pray for the following concerns: deepened communion with God, visa approvals, health matters, child issues, culture/strategy/method learning and future goodbyes. May God show Himself mighty on their behalf.

--The Affinity of South Asian Peoples will be conducting “Finishing the Task” training at Calvary Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, NC on March 7-9. Participants will discover what God is doing throughout South Asia and how they can join Him in the task. Pray that many churches will be represented and will eventually partner with our South Asian personnel to reach the lost in that part of the world.

--March 7-9 will see pastors and mission leaders gathering at Green Valley Baptist Church, Henderson, Nev., for an “Impact Your World” conference, during which time they will learn practical ways for a church to live out the Acts 1:8 command. Your prayers for both conference leaders and conferees will be greatly appreciated. May the conference truly “impact” the world.

--IMB Board of Trustees and assigned staff will be meeting in Dallas, Texas on March 15-16. A major focus of the March meeting will be the nomination of Dr. Tom Elliff as the new IMB president. First, I encourage you to thank God for His leadership during the selection process. Then, pray for trustees as they consider Dr. Elliff’s nomination and eventually vote.