Mexico

Church of God work in Mexico began in 1961 when Roberto Badillo traveled as a migrant worker to Blanchard, Michigan. When he returned home, he carried a Bible to his village of 1200 people, and his was the only Bible in that whole village. Since that time, hundreds of people have been taught through the ministry of Roberto and Lupe Badillo, Dean Moore, Rachel Carr, Alice Aldrich, and teams that have gone from the states to conduct an annual Vacation Bible School. Roberto Badillo passed away in August 2006.

Several individuals have spoken with Lord's Harvest International in regard to hands-on projects that they could be involved in. Since trips to Mexico are done in a vehicle, collected items could be delivered there without problem. If you are interested in doing something along that line, please contact Judy Myers for suggests.

Judy Myers will lead a team of up to 12 individuals to Mexico this summer (2008) to provide a Bible school and to encourage Lupe in her work there. The dates for the trip are July 30 to August 13. Approximate cost of this trip will be $550 per person.

All individuals traveling into or out of the United States must have a valid passport. If you are interested in making a trip, please apply for one.

LHI provides Sunday school material for the work. Lesson booklets are made for each child and taken down in the summer for the upcoming year. Lesson booklets run approximately $5 per week. Help in underwriting this expense would be appreciated.

Prayer Request: Lupe Badillo, for strength for continuing the work. Lupe continues with the work in Mexico. She is doing well and appreciates all the prayers offered for her and for her family.

Canada

“The history of the Church of God in Canada has always been closely associated and connected with the work in the United States as ministers and evangelists worked on both sides of the international border”—Clyde Randall (in Historical Waymarks).

In the mid 1800s, several congregations were formed in Ontario which was known as Canada West at the time. A congregation was formed in Fonthill in 1846 through the work of Ralph Vinton Lyon and others who traveled to Canada from New York. The Church at Fonthill, Glad Tidings Church of God, continues to thrive in the Niagara area with Michael Brown as pastor. Members of this congregation have served on various Boards and Committees of the Church of God General Conference. The church is very supportive of mission efforts around the world.

In 1957, a church was established in the Province of Nova Scotia. This work continued for more than 25 years.

A group was formed and met in Peterborough, Ontario for a few years.

In 1998, a congregation, Freedom in Christ Ministries, was organized in Welland, Ontario. This congregation is pastored by Stephen and Joyce Bolhous.

Haiti

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Several years ago the country went through considerable turmoil when the President was driven from office, and then the country was hit with massive flooding. This has created an unstable situation which makes it difficult to send mission teams at the present time. Several teams have visited in the past.

There are over 25 churches under the supervision of Pastor Lesly Bertrand. These churches have not officially joined our Conference, but Lesly and the pastors believe the same Bible truths that we believe. Pastor Lesly is a dedicated worker. In addition to the churches, he also oversees several orphanages.

Prayer Request: Lesly Bertrand as he leads the work of more than 20 churches. Recent word from Pastor Lesly Bertrand says that the situation there has improved.

Peru

There is a thriving work in Lima. Peru has a population of 28 million and 25% of the country’s population lives in Lima. The population of Peru has tripled over the past 50 years. Though Catholicism has been the predominate religion in the past, “evangelical” churches are making major inroads with the people.

The local congregation in Lima is strong in its faith and the people are eager to study the Word. Pastor Beder Ucanay who had pastored the church for over 10 years died in the spring of 2008. His brother, Gaston, is now pastoring the church. Gaston was discipled for many years by his brother, Beder, and he is also attending a seminary in Lima. The wife of Pastor Beder, Maria, and their 5 children are active in the church. Another brother of Pastor Beder and Gaston, Joaquim is also active in the church assisting with the music.

In addition to Sunday worship services, children’s classes are held on Saturdays.

The spring 2005 Church Builders appeal raised funds for a permanent meeting place for the congregation in Lima. The congregation is extremely grateful for our prayer and financial support. They are encouraged to know that we care about them and their ministry.

A number of visits have been made to Lima over the past few years by Bill Wachtel, David and Lynne Krogh, Judy Myers, John and Rachel Carr, and Alice Badillo.

Prayer Request: The family of Pastor Beder who recently died from the cancer in his eye.

Malawi and Mozambique

There are about 147 congregations in Malawi and Mozambique that are affiliated with the Church of God General Conference. The churches vary in size from 15-20 to 125 members.

For a number of years short term mission teams have been sent to these two countries to teach, preach, and to assist with food relief needs.

The pastors and workers are dedicated and hard working. When teams visit, people flock to the churches for all the services and they are very receptive to the messages. They ask us to have one or two services at each church we visit, depending on where it is located, and each service lasts about 3 hours.

Famine is a serious problem for these two nations. Very few people use fertilizer, but those who do use it have incredible crops. Drought is also a problem. Though the government provides wells for drinking water, these wells cannot be used for irrigation. Our teams have helped to provide seed packs and fertilizer to many of the church families. We are also planning to help dig wells to be used for irrigation.

The work is very viable. There are many dedicated pastors and workers who are godly people, furthering the Word of the Kingdom of God. They are very enthusiastic and excited about sharing the gospel. They are a blessing to us and to each other, as well as many others. They ask that we not forget them, and continue to lift them up in prayer.

Joe and Rebekah Martin will lead a team to Malawi this summer (2008). The focus of the trip will be pastor training. Individuals have already been selected for this team. The proposed dates for the trip are July 2-28. Projected cost of the trip is $4,000 per person. Anyone who would like to contribute toward the expenses of the team can send contributions to Box 100,000, Morrow, GA 30260 with a note earmarking the funds for the Africa team.

The Malawi Board reviews all requests and then approves the ones of greatest need to pass on to the LHI Board. The members there provide the bricks and labor for the buildings. The Malawi Board has currently approved 5 buildings at the approximate cost of $700 per building. Approximately 30 bags of cement/mortar are needed per building and 60 pieces of tin. They have also approved support for the orphans that one of the pastors cares for daily in the church building.

Russia

Russian law prevents church groups that were not registered with the government in the past from conducting religious activities now. This does not prevent Christians from informally sharing their faith. Literature has been translated into the Russian language and informal work is underway.

India

Our work in India dates back to 1912 when Charles Vedantachari attended the Minnesota State Conference and was ordained as a minister of the Gospel at Eden Valley, Minnesota. A tremendous number of people have heard the Gospel down through the years and there are two thriving congregations in Bangalore today. S. S. Manoah who led the work for many years has retired. Two new pastors are serving our congregations. Pastor Noel passed away in January of 2006.

Uruguay

The Church of God now has a church group in Uruguay. Uruguay is the second smallest country in South America with a population of 3.5 million. 1.7 million people live in the capital city of Montevideo.

In April 2008, Bill Wachtel and David and Lynne Krogh traveled to Montevideo to meet with Mauro Gonzalez and members of his Bible study group. Mauro had been in contact with Anthony Buzzard, Bill Wachtel, and other Church of God members for the previous two years. He shares common beliefs with the Church of God and he had requested baptism so that he in turn could baptize those whom he has taught.

On April 10, 2008, Bill Wachtel baptized Mauro in the Rio de la Plata (large river separating Uruguay from Argentina that flows into the Atlantic Ocean) and then Mauro baptized two members of his Bible study group, Bruno Laborde and Doris Correa. These three people form the nucleus for a new church in Montevideo.

Mauro has contacts in Argentina and Chile and he plans to travel to these two countries to baptize several individuals. Mauro has a passion to advance the cause of Christ and the Kingdom of God.

Other Countries

There are many people around the world who are directly or indirectly affiliated with the Church of God General Conference. There are a number of congregations in the Philippine Islands. We have a member church and many contacts in South Korea. In the past, congregations have been located in Nigeria and Ghana. People who share a common faith with us have attended our annual Theological Conference sponsored by Atlanta Bible College from Australia, England, Germany, and Norway. There are a number of international students currently enrolled at Atlanta Bible College from: Kenya, Nigeria, Cameroon, Tanzania, South Africa, and South Korea. We are thankful for truth seekers all over the world and it is our desire to be an encouragement to them.

Short Term Mission Trip Applications:

If you are a member of a church affiliated with the Church of God General Conference (headquarters in Morrow, Georgia) and you are interested in applying, please follow these steps:

1. Fill out the application form
2. Ask 4 individuals who know you to fill out the Confidential Evaluation Form. Give them a copy of the cover letter that explains the purpose of the form. Be sure to put your name at the bottom of the form.

Travel Assistance

LHI Board members who travel to the field to oversee, encourage and teach must raise their own travel expenses. We feel that it is very important that regular supervision of each field take place. We have established a fund to help with LHI Board member travel. Assistance in building this fund would be greatly appreciated. Lots of preparation goes into putting the team together and not having to raise personal support will be a blessing to team leaders.

Each year, many of our congregations devote the month of March as Mission Month. We would like to encourage you to focus on missions during the month of March as we resume our Marching for Missions. We appeal to churches to please let us know how we can help in their preparation. One way that seems to raise support for missions in a fun way is the Silent Auction. If you would like to hold one of these to support missions, LHI will provide materials to you to auction off. Message from LHI: "As we travel to fields, we bring back items to be used in this way. We currently have a limited number of items that we can provide to your church. If you are interested, please contact us immediately. We will honor these requests as long as we have items to provide. Please send your requests or suggestions for ways that we can help you prepare for the month to Judy Myers."

Church of God Missions History

International mission work was started in the Church of God in 1912. Since that time, many mission projects have been promoted in many countries. These projects have been directed by various organizations within the General Conference including the National Missionary Society, the Department of Evangelism and Missions, and later by a Foreign Mission Board.

In 1993, LHI, the Lord’s Harvest International, a Mission sending agency was created by the delegates assembled at the 73rd annual General Conference at Lafayette, Indiana. Since then, the membership of the Church of God has demonstrated renewed commitment and support for the work of spreading the Gospel around the world. Our churches and members have generously responded with prayer and financial support whenever we have made a need known. Over $50,000 was raised for famine relief in Africa in 2003 and 2004. More than 55 children are being supported in Haiti. Contributions are given every year for mission trips to many fields. The general giving to the budget of the General Conference helps to cover the part time salary for Judy Myers, the chairperson of LHI and to enable the Mission Board to carry out its work. We are currently working directly in 7 countries on four continents - North America, South America, Africa, and Asia.