Latest News

Some fun things are happening. Today I heard that the song I wrote and recorded, "My Love" is #3 in the New Christian Music Euro Chart - it had been at #7 and holding...so it went up...it means more radio stations started playing it in Europe.

Another thing, I have been invited as a speaker to the national women's conference for the Foursquare Church in Brazil, Nov. 3 - 7 , what a great privilege..please keep me in your prayers

Labor Day Barbecue in Dearborn, MI

Today we had the privilege to share at a Barbecue planned by our friends in Dearborn, MI. It was a cold and cloudy day but that didn't stop over 150 people coming out. They were there from Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Palestine, S. Korea, and USA! As well as Syd from N. Ireland. The sun came out as we started to speak and everyone stayed and listened as we talked about Jesus and the Kingdom of Heaven. We promised we would all pray for their nations at this time. Jesus is King over all the earth. It was wonderful to see everyone stay and listen as Syd & I spoke for 30 minutes about God's good plans for us all and how Jesus paid the price for our sins to be forgiven and ourplace to be secured in God's family in His Kingdom, the only Kingdom that is secure in these unsecure times.

Trip to Argentina and Uruguay Report

PASTORS’ WIVES AND WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP RETREATS

As a young Pastor’s wife and mother of small children in the early 70’s (a middle class American missionary in an inner-city setting in England), I went through many identity crises. With a distinct call of God on my life to preach (and church practice restricting access to the pulpit due to my gender) I became the leader of Sunday School and worship. Frustrated and confused, I was both sometimes seen with the answer to congregational problems or as the cause of the troubles in the struggling young church! Church members criticized me because of my nationality, personality, gender, age, and whatever else made me different. I needed someone to talk to and pray with, but no one was there. My life seemed pulled in every direction and I urgently needed to know God’s plans and purposes for my life. My husband had Ministers meetings and a host of other resources available and I had none!
The needs of a Pastor’s wife and women in leadership are often neglected. Their tireless work of looking after their husband and children as well as working in the ministry, often with very little resourcing, can create stress in the marriage, conflict in the home, fatigue and disillusionment. Many women with valid calls and powerful gifting give up ministry and go into the secular workplace where they are resourced and their gifts are appreciated.

With this in mind, a team of Foursquare women in leadership have come together to pioneer retreats for women in ministry around the world. Already these retreats have taken us throughout Central and South America, South Africa, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.
These special times away not only refresh these weary women, but offer the opportunity to develop new encouraging friendships, strengthening them to go back and face sometimes dangerous and always challenging situations.


ARGENTINA
August 10 - 12, 2011 Alva Contrerras ((FMI area missionary for South America), Melinda Scott (Assistant to the Director of Foursquare Missions) and myself, Liz Doyle (Foursquare Global Evangelist - Nations Light Ministries) met up at a peaceful Retreat Center outside the beautiful city of Buenos Aires, Argentina for our second annual 3 day South American Foursquare Pastors’ wives Retreat. Over the last 6 years Alva has invited Foursquare Pastors’ wives from all over Central and South America to come together regionally to be encouraged, strengthened and blessed. We have been privileged to serve women in leadership representing all countries in Central America and most of the South American countries in retreats based in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Venezuela, Columbia, Argentina and now Uruguay.


ENCOURAGING REPORTS

There were tremendous testimonies from our last visit just over a year ago. One woman came to the retreat discouraged and disillusioned, through the prophetic word she was told that she was on the verge of something big and she was not to give up! Within the next 2 weeks she was appointed as leader of the Foursquare women in Argentina! The Holy Spirit showed us that another lady had a ministry with children that would soon expand, she is now the director of Sunday Schools for the Foursquare denomination in Argentina.

This time, 88 women attended from Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, and Chile. God moved in power. Women were ministered to, baptized in the Holy Spirit, delivered and released. There was great prophetic ministry.
This retreat offered excellent teaching and inspired preaching by experienced and seasoned women and men in ministry. We also had counsellors on hand for the women to talk and pray with. Alva has especially been used by the Lord to see broken marriages healed and deep wounds ministered to during times set apart for ministry. This year the Lord moved powerfully again in prophesy as He gave words of encouragement and confirmation. We are expecting great things in the coming months!

Melinda Scott led a beautiful time of foot washing. Tears flowed as younger women washed the feet of older women expressing appreciation for their sacrifice and faithfulness over the years. Older women washed the feet of younger women, praying for them with words of understanding, developing a bond that will connect them across national boundaries.

At dinner one night we were thrilled to hear the testimony of the young first generation of Foursquare native Paraguayans Pastors wives sharing their excitement of what the Lord is doing in that needy nation. It was wonderful to meet these young leaders who traveled 18 hours by bus to attend the retreat.

FULL MEAL DEAL

Not only Foursquare Pastors wives and leaders are blessed by these retreats. This time in Argentina we had guests from both the Congregational and Lutheran churches of Buenos Aires. The last morning as we sat together at breakfast, I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to ask if they were baptized in the Holy Spirit. They said no, but had been praying for it to happen (one lady had prayed for 10 years!) Each woman at the breakfast table shared their experience of the Holy Spirit, Lisa, a missionary from Chile, another young Pastors wife from Paraguay, and another from Chile. Praise God, within 15 minutes, at the breakfast table, they all received and began speaking in tongues! Pray for this experience to have a powerful impact on their churches.

RECONCILIATION

God opened us an incredible opportunity to pray for a Pastor and a Pastors wife whose husband was a veteran of the Falklands War. This was fought in 1982 between the United Kingdom and Argentina over the Falkland Islands. As my husband and I were pastoring in England at the time, I felt prompted to ask for forgiveness from the British people. They wept, and thanked me and invited us to come to their city in Argentina to visit the veterans there and pray for them too. God is in the business of reconciliation.



URUGUAY

After we completed this retreat we took a four hour ferry ride to the capital of Uruguay, Montevideo. Uruguay is the most secular country in South America. It is strongly controlled by Freemasonry. We were hosted by National leaders Rev. Sidney & Mary Da Silva. Under their leadership, Foursquare has now 22 churches in this nation.

30 Pastors wives and leaders joined us. Thy slept in the church that is being renovated from ruins. Again the Lord moved mightily.
New relationships between the Foursquare family in Uruguay and the USA are now being built through prayer and on Facebook. Many of the ladies at this retreat became believers as adults. Its exciting to see their enthusiasm and their heart for the evangelization of their country. They have given out hundreds of “The Voluntario” tracts from Foursquare Press that they picked up last year at the retreat in Argentina and now hope to travel further winning souls and training new converts to reach others.
Please uphold these women in prayer, the areas they are working in are notorious for witchcraft and idolatry. They are truly on the “front lines”. We pray for the precious blood of Jesus to cover these sisters and say to them, you are in our hearts and you are not alone!

If you would like to become involved in this wonderful ministry to these dedicated women around the world, contact me, Liz Doyle lizrdld@yahoo.com.