Thank you for praying for Lacie Allen and her surgery last week!!
Lacie saw her ENT doctor this afternoon (Tuesday) for her post-op appointment. She was so ready to get rid of the head bandage. She has done really well with her recovery time. Doctor did a little test in his office to check her hearing and he was quite pleased. Lacie was able to hear better in the front part of her left ear than she has in the past. It is too early for him to do a complete hearing test because there is some swelling inside her ear from the surgery. She has dissolvable staples and we have to be very careful with showers/swimming over the next month. The doctor told us to use prestick (bostick) over her ear but not to put anything in the ear canal. It worked great with her shower tonight and she was happy to wash her hair after one week! :)
Lacie and I (Monica) will be coming over to Jo'burg on October 4 for a quick trip for a check-up with the ENT and her hearing test with the audiologist. The ENT doc is also going to make silicone plugs for Lacie's ears so no chance of water from swimming getting in her ears with our summer months coming up soon.
The Allens returned to Swaziland on Wednesday the 7th of September. Continue to pray for Lacie’s quick recovery and will be able to hear 100% in both ears.
Thank you for praying for the executive committee of the Baptist Convention of Swaziland. There was very little discussion concerning the relationship of the Swazi Team to the convention. Other items of business were discussed that took most of the time. Please continue to pray for the Swazi Team as we work with the Baptist Convention of Swaziland. May the Lord be glorified in everything that is said and done.
**Revival services have been meeting this week at the Luhhwahhweni Baptist Church. 10 have accepted the Lord and there have been many rededications. The church was given a plot of land a few months ago and the revival services met on the plot. Pastors from the South Lubumbo region helped with visitation during the day as well as Bible studies. Please pray for these who made the commitment to follow Jesus. May their lives to be a witness to others.
Also, please pray for this church. There have been issues with the pastor/leader. A few years ago his brother died leaving a wife and two children. The wife continued to live in the home of her husband after his death but due to her work was away most of the time. After a break-in to her house, the family asked “B” (pastor of Luhhwahhweni) to stay in the home. With Swazi culture, to stay in the home with a widowed sister-in-law basically means you are taking the place of the husband. They have no plans to marry and even though the sister-in-law is not at home most of the time and “B” says they do not have a sexual relationship, the community sees his behavior as inappropriate for a pastor. Wayne and pastors have talked with “B” about the situation and he knows it is not good but is doing nothing to change the situation. “B” has a small home but no job and his sister-in-law provides him food. While visiting in the community this week several comments were made to the those visiting that were not commentary to the church or to “B”. A rumor has also began circulating concerning him and a married women with children in the community. Whether the rumor is true is uncertain but the situation is quite damaging to the church.
Since last year “B” has not preached on Sundays. Churches in the South Lubumbo Association have traveled over 2 hours each Sunday to provide worship for the church. Pray for this situation. Pray the heart of “B” will be convicted and he will strive to make things right with the Lord and the community. May great things be done in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Luhhwahhweni community and church.
--September 17th, the Shiselweni Baptist Association meets at the Velebantfu Baptist Church. Pray for a great time of fellowship as well as discussion and planning of present and future work.
Pray also for Nkosingiphile Dlamini, pastor of the Thunzini Baptist Church who is currently attending a teacher training college in Manzini. This week he sent this email to Wayne:
Hi pastor, Please remember me in prayer. The government wants 2 change mind regarding scholarship. At first they promised 2 everyone who has been accepted in the college &last week they told us that they will reduce the number because there is no money. I pray that God help me 2 be one of those who will be given scholarship. thanks a lot pastor.
--We believe the scholarship is a small stipend for food and rent. Nkhosingiphile does not have a job and therefore is having a hard time providing food for himself. We praise the Lord for Nkosingiphile’s desire to ask the Lord to provide for his needs. Please pray the Lord will provide the scholarship for Nkosingiphile.
Continue to pray for Brandi and Kim as the Lord leads them to AIDS related ministries and opportunities to present the True Love Waits message. Monday Brandi, Kim and I will begin a weekly Bible study provided by the IMB for the Hands On missionaries. Pray this time together will be special and very helpful to the three of us!!
FROM THE IMB GLOBAL PRAYER STRATEGY OFFICE:
--The IMB Board of Trustees will be meeting on September 13-14 in Orlando, Florida. The highlight of the meeting will be the appointment service on evening of September 14 at First Baptist Church, Orlando. May the Holy Spirit direct the trustees’ thoughts and decisions. Thank God for the 85 new missionaries who have responded to His call to share His love and message with a lost world.
With the arrival of spring so comes the snakes!! If you remember last year we had some pretty nervy incidents with snakes here on the farm that include a baby puff adder on my computer desk and a vine snake at the entrance to our gate, not to mention the sightings of mambas and other snakes in roads and ditches outside our gate. Wednesday I heard our gardener yell, “Madam, come!!” I quickly ran to the back door and saw him standing there. “Come and see this snake.” Mandla our gardener loves to show me all the snakes he kills while working in the yard. This time the snake was not dead but alive and under my clothes line. From a very safe distance we watched the snake moving along the ground wondering what it was going to do. I knew Mandla had every intention of killing the intruder so I went into the house. This was his second attempt and it was no more successful than the first attempt since he was keeping a very safe distance from the snake. Later in the day I was in my bedroom ironing. From the corner of my eye I see Mandla running in his black gum boots (not an easy task) waving his hoe and throwing rocks. Upon closer inspection I saw the offending snake moving along the grass. After much disruption to everyone’s peace and tranquility, Mandla again failed to kill the offender. It wasn’t until he getting ready to leave for the day that he was finally able to kill the snake. Evidently the snake had returned to its original place of entry into the yard when Mandla spotted it and quickly with his hoe ended its days on earth. Wayne was at home at this time and he quickly ran to get his camera and began photographing the dying snake. We were able to identify the intruder as a Mozambique Spitting Cobra!! There is no place like home!!
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Myers Weekly Prayer Letter
It is a very warm day in Tshaneni. Our winter is now fading and spring/summer are making an appearance. I must say I am quite glad that the warmth is here since our homes do not have central heating. No more extremely cold mornings, no more chllly evenings, no more three layers or more of clothing, winter has ended. With the appearance of spring comes the hope of a good season of rain so crops and gardens can be planted. The rain also refreshes the earth after months of a dry season with no significant moisture. Spring brings hope and promise. J Pray this year will be a year of abundance for all the Swazi people. Pray the rains will not be violent but will be just what is needed to produce food for everyone.
We ask that you pray for those who sustained significant damage due to Hurricane Irene last week. A friend from Washington, NC sent word of the devastation the town suffered. Homes were without power for 4-5 days and some still do not have power. Flooding was recorded. Pray as homes are repaired and a return to the routines of life. Pray for those who suffered the loss of a loved one due to Irene.
UPDATE ON LACIE ALLEN’S SURGERY:
We wanted to let you know that Lacie did great with her surgery and we are now back at the guest house in Johannesburg. Our family will be staying here until September 7. Her doctor will see her again next Tuesday afternoon. It turned out that he did not remove the bone but rather fixed a hole in her eardrum and a couple other things. Once he was inside her ear, he realized that the bone did not need to be removed. The surgery lasted about 2.5 hours and the doctor was very pleased with everything. It probably is going to be too soon to do a hearing test next week because her ear might still be swollen. If not, we will do a hearing test sometime within a month. Pray Lacie’s recovery will be quick and complete!! Pray with the surgery, she will be able to hear 100% in both ears!!
SPECIAL PRAYER REQUEST:
Tomorrow (Saturday) the executive committee of the Baptist Convention of Swaziland meets. On the agenda is the discussion of how the convention and the Swazi Team should work together. There is not a consensus among the group on how this should be accomplished. Pray those attending tomorrow’s meeting will come with an open mind and desire to have unity between the convention and the missionaries. May the Lord be glorified in all that is said and done!!
-Continue to pray for Brandi and Kim as the Lord leads them to AIDS related ministries and opportunities to present the True Love Waits message. Wednesday Brandi and Kim had the wonderful opportunity of assisting one of the rural clinics with dispensing of the antiretroviral drugs to AIDS sufferers. Scheduling True Love Waits presentations will begin when schools open for their third term on the 12th of September.
EVENTS FOR SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER:
-Todd, Deborah and Todd’s parents will spend this week at the Kruger National Game Reserve. Pray for a wonderful and enjoyable time. Pray for the Hoskins as they depart on the 9th of September for the states.
-September 27, Todd, Steve and Wayne will meet in Manzini to review the Biblical Education Program (BEP) complied by Todd to help Swazi Baptist churches disciple their people, train their people to teach Bible studies and Sunday School and to encourage spiritual growth. Pray as Todd, Steve and Wayne review the materials for this program. Pray many Swazi Baptists will be able to participate in BEP.
-The Swazi Team meeting in Mbabane is scheduled for the 28th. It has been quite a while since the Team has gathered to praise the Lord and seek His help and guidance for present and future ministries. Pray for this special time.
-October 2-12, Kym Coe True Love Waits International consultant will continue with training and follow-up from her previous ministry visit to Swaziland. Pray Kym’s time in Swaziland will be very fruitful in training True Love Waits presenters.
-October 13-15 is the annual National Swazi Baptist Women’s Retreat. Guest speaker is missionary Monica Allen. Pray for the planning of this very special event. Pray many ladies will be able to attend this time of fellowship and study. Pray for Monica as she prepares the material for her sessions.
FROM THE IMB GLOBAL PRAYER STRATEGY OFFICE:
-As you intercede for IMB concerns today, please lift up the 147 missionary adults and 52 missionary kids (MKs) who will be completing their eight-week pre-field departure orientation on September 21. This week they are involved in security training. This can be a very stressful time for many of the missionaries who will be moving to high-risk areas following their orientation. Please pray that God will bless them with an overwhelming sense of His presence and peace.
-The first of four “Embrace Equipping Conferences” is scheduled for September 7 at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Georgia. Conferees will discover the barriers that have prevented the more than 3,000 unengaged unreached people groups from being engaged by the Gospel. In addition, they will learn effective strategies and methods to overcome these barriers. Ask God to bless every aspect of this conference. May the number of unengaged peoples be significantly reduced as the result of this event.
We ask that you pray for those who sustained significant damage due to Hurricane Irene last week. A friend from Washington, NC sent word of the devastation the town suffered. Homes were without power for 4-5 days and some still do not have power. Flooding was recorded. Pray as homes are repaired and a return to the routines of life. Pray for those who suffered the loss of a loved one due to Irene.
UPDATE ON LACIE ALLEN’S SURGERY:
We wanted to let you know that Lacie did great with her surgery and we are now back at the guest house in Johannesburg. Our family will be staying here until September 7. Her doctor will see her again next Tuesday afternoon. It turned out that he did not remove the bone but rather fixed a hole in her eardrum and a couple other things. Once he was inside her ear, he realized that the bone did not need to be removed. The surgery lasted about 2.5 hours and the doctor was very pleased with everything. It probably is going to be too soon to do a hearing test next week because her ear might still be swollen. If not, we will do a hearing test sometime within a month. Pray Lacie’s recovery will be quick and complete!! Pray with the surgery, she will be able to hear 100% in both ears!!
SPECIAL PRAYER REQUEST:
Tomorrow (Saturday) the executive committee of the Baptist Convention of Swaziland meets. On the agenda is the discussion of how the convention and the Swazi Team should work together. There is not a consensus among the group on how this should be accomplished. Pray those attending tomorrow’s meeting will come with an open mind and desire to have unity between the convention and the missionaries. May the Lord be glorified in all that is said and done!!
-Continue to pray for Brandi and Kim as the Lord leads them to AIDS related ministries and opportunities to present the True Love Waits message. Wednesday Brandi and Kim had the wonderful opportunity of assisting one of the rural clinics with dispensing of the antiretroviral drugs to AIDS sufferers. Scheduling True Love Waits presentations will begin when schools open for their third term on the 12th of September.
EVENTS FOR SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER:
-Todd, Deborah and Todd’s parents will spend this week at the Kruger National Game Reserve. Pray for a wonderful and enjoyable time. Pray for the Hoskins as they depart on the 9th of September for the states.
-September 27, Todd, Steve and Wayne will meet in Manzini to review the Biblical Education Program (BEP) complied by Todd to help Swazi Baptist churches disciple their people, train their people to teach Bible studies and Sunday School and to encourage spiritual growth. Pray as Todd, Steve and Wayne review the materials for this program. Pray many Swazi Baptists will be able to participate in BEP.
-The Swazi Team meeting in Mbabane is scheduled for the 28th. It has been quite a while since the Team has gathered to praise the Lord and seek His help and guidance for present and future ministries. Pray for this special time.
-October 2-12, Kym Coe True Love Waits International consultant will continue with training and follow-up from her previous ministry visit to Swaziland. Pray Kym’s time in Swaziland will be very fruitful in training True Love Waits presenters.
-October 13-15 is the annual National Swazi Baptist Women’s Retreat. Guest speaker is missionary Monica Allen. Pray for the planning of this very special event. Pray many ladies will be able to attend this time of fellowship and study. Pray for Monica as she prepares the material for her sessions.
FROM THE IMB GLOBAL PRAYER STRATEGY OFFICE:
-As you intercede for IMB concerns today, please lift up the 147 missionary adults and 52 missionary kids (MKs) who will be completing their eight-week pre-field departure orientation on September 21. This week they are involved in security training. This can be a very stressful time for many of the missionaries who will be moving to high-risk areas following their orientation. Please pray that God will bless them with an overwhelming sense of His presence and peace.
-The first of four “Embrace Equipping Conferences” is scheduled for September 7 at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Georgia. Conferees will discover the barriers that have prevented the more than 3,000 unengaged unreached people groups from being engaged by the Gospel. In addition, they will learn effective strategies and methods to overcome these barriers. Ask God to bless every aspect of this conference. May the number of unengaged peoples be significantly reduced as the result of this event.
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