February ACCTS Newsletter

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ACCTS in action O ur M ission :

To assist in the development of Christian leaders in the armed forces of the world and in the establishment and growth of military Christian fellowships.

Warrior Training : Ready for the Future in Africa

MCF leaders from South Africa, Namibia, Malawi, and Botswana participated in a “Warrior Training” program hosted by the MCF of South Africa, ACCTS, and Military Ministries International (UK) at a Christian camp two hours outside of Cape Town in late November. The program included training on leadership, inductive Bible study, conversational prayer and other subjects.

Participants practiced giving their personal testimonies and went through obstacle courses and other outdoor activities designed to build teamwork and reinforce leadership skills. The goal of the week-long Warrior Training was to prepare participants to be better leaders in their MCFs and to serve in key roles in the upcoming AMCF Global Interaction, which will be held in South Africa in November 2014.

Bernhard Kaltenbach, ACCTS’ deputy director, was one of the trainers, and he reports, “Most of the participants were already involved in their MCFs on various levels, and they had natural leadership skills. Many of them paid their own way to get to the program and took personal time off in order to be there. I was impressed with their commitment and zeal. Their dedication to serve in military ministry and excitement to be part of the 2014 Global Interaction program spoke volumes and was reflected in the intensity with which they participated in each part of the War

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rior Training program. The obstacle course activities helped them realize that leadership often means working together as a team and listening to others instead of just issuing orders. We spent quite a bit of time in one-on-one mentoring. I believe they will take those experiences and lessons back to their units and to their small MCF groups and use them to improve their professional and ministry lives.”

ACCTS’ director Phil Exner was the primary leadership instructor and noted, “It was a great pleasure to watch how quickly young Christian military leaders from four different countries bonded together into teams that integrated Christian character and practice with an eager desire to accomplish each task. In just a few days together, they built strong friendships based on their mutual faith and desire to see Christ known within the military. The participants returned to their MCFs energized and focused on accomplishing the goals that they had set and shared for prayer support and mutual accountability. General Mohapi, the AMCF vice president for the region, will follow the work of the participants within their national MCFs, and we are staying connected with them as Global Interaction 2014 approaches to encourage them to maintain the ministry momentum within their MCFs. The blending of mentoring with classroom and outdoor activities was so effective that we will be looking for opportunities in other regions of the world to conduct similar Warrior Training programs.”

Please pray that these Warrior Training participants will continue using what they learned to benefit their national military Christian fellowships and to prepare for Global Interaction. Please also pray for ACCTS as we plan other Warrior Training programs, and for the AMCF Global Interaction 2014 team as they plan for this important ministry event.

ACCTS IN ACTION • Page 2 • February 2013

Forgiving a Child’s Murderer

One of the participants at Warrior Training, Chaplain Lt. Colonel Paul Meke Banda, shared a testimony of forgiveness that touched everyone deeply. Below is his story: In 1986 I was a law court clerk with messengers who worked under me. One messenger was a habitual drunkard. He decided to kill me so that he could keep working without hearing my constant warnings about his drinking. First, he tried out his poison on my dog. The dog died, but he wondered if the poison was strong enough to kill a person. So the next day he gave my eight-monthold daughter the poison. Our innocent child died after two miserable, terrible days. We were terribly shocked but didn’t know why she had died.

The messenger was now confident that the poison would kill a person so, during my daughter’s funeral service, he poisoned my food. I was taken to a mission hospital, and the messenger was so happy I was near death he went back to work, severely drunk, and starting yelling out his secret: “Yes! It was me! The dog died, the child died, and Banda is dying! He has no authority to stop me drinking alcohol!”

Several clerks heard him and put him in a cell in my office. In the meantime, I was recovering and was eventually discharged from the hospital -and only then did the court judge and staff tell me I’d been poisoned. I was greatly shocked. The guilty messenger knelt before me seeking forgiveness, and I told the staff to give me time to meditate over the issue.

After a time of meditation, I realized I should forgive him and not take him to the police. I went back to the staff and said, “I have forgiven him because he has already gotten his punishment by revealing his secret. The Bible teaches for-

26 years have passed since that terrible episode, but I still feel the happiness of forgiveness that I experienced -- not by my own power but through the directive of the Holy Spirit. To this day I have no room to hate anybody and there is no enemy I cannot forgive because to me that was the maximum test of my faith. Forgiveness is a source of true peace of heart in the Lord. It is not easy to forgive someone who has caused unbearable misery unless you are genuinely compelled by the power that comes from above.

International soldier photos courtesy USDOD.

giveness even in critical moments like this. My children are not orphaned and my wife is not widowed. I have to be happy in the Lord for that. I will not take him to the police -- I only have time to praise the Lord for saving my life.” My statement shocked everybody and they advised to turn him in to the police -- but I did not turn him in.

Postscript: Years later someone asked Chaplain Banda to visit a friend’s brother who was in the hospital, dying. Chaplain Banda went to the hospital and found that it was the man who had murdered his daughter. Chaplain Banda was able to share Christ with him and pray with him before the man died.

Mr. Tok’s Biography Still Available “Though I have been reading the Bible daily since 1931, I am only scratching the surface at best, because it is God’s wisdom. And if I went to heaven right now, I probably will be a preschooler there!”

-- Mr. Tok, as quoted in his biography Mr. Tok went to be with his Lord on December 15, 2012 at the age of 97. He was a speaker associated with OCF and ACCTS for many years. If you are interested in a copy of his biography for a suggested donation of $15, please contact the ACCTS office at 1-800-487-8108 or email us at accts@accts.org.

ACCTS IN ACTION • Page 3 • February 2013

O ur C ore V alues : wBiblically-based wSpirit-led wPrayer-centered wPeople-focused

Warrior Training ACCTS staff members Phil Exner and Bernhard Kaltenbach were among the teachers at the November 2012 “Warrior Training” event in South Africa, where military Christians from several African nations received teaching in Christian leadership, lessons in Bible study techniques, and team-building exercises such as this “Nitro Crossing” rope obstacle course. See page one for the full report.

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ACCTS Prayer Reminder February 2013

“Prayer may seem at first like disengagement, a reflective time to consider God’s point of view. But that vantage presses us back to accomplish God’s will, the work of the kingdom. We are God’s fellow workers, and as such we turn to prayer to equip us for the partnership.”

-- Author Philip Yancey

General and Mrs. Weerasooriya praying with Warrior Training participants

1 Pray for Phil and Sue Exner as they minister to and share ACCTS’ ministry with military Christians on the East Coast of the USA this week.

7 Pray for military Christians in Kyrgyzstan and other Central Asian nations as they follow Christ despite restrictions. Pray that their lives will echo Daniel 11:32: “... but the people who know their God will show their strength.”

2 Pray with military Christians in Malaysia as they live out their faith in a nation where it is illegal to change religions. Pray for their wisdom and ask that Christians be unified as they share Christ’s love for their nation.

8 Pray for preparations for Chaplains Interaction, to be held at Ft. Lewis, WA this April. Praise God for the work of Chaplain Mark Moss, the post coordinator, and pray for the international chaplains (and those working as chaplains) who are preparing for this training event.

3 Pray with ACCTS and Officers’ Christian Fellowship as we plan several international Academy Exploration trips in March for U.S. midshipmen and cadets from West Point and the Coast Guard, Air Force, and Naval academies. The U.S. cadets and mids will travel to and meet military Christians in Finland, Sweden, Jamaica, and Poland. Pray that these trips will bless the U.S. participants, the international military personnel and their MCFs.

9 Pray for AMCF President General Srilal Weerasooriya and AMCF vice presidents as they strive to communicate with and encourage all MCFs in the world.

Note: Staff member names are in bold print.

4 Pray with Bob and B.J. Reifsnyder as they lead an IAEC team in Paraguay starting today for one week.

The team will conduct a Basic Military Chaplaincy Course for approximately 70 people who are voluntarily doing the work of chaplains. Praise God for the MCF of Paraguay and its ongoing vision to transform its nation with Christ’s truth.

5 Today is Constitution Day in Mexico. Praise God for military Christians in Mexico, and ask God to direct them as they face the challenges and blessings of following Christ in their nation.

6 Waitangi Day is a holiday held on 6 February every year to commemorate the signing of New Zealand’s founding document in 1840. Today, please pray for military Christians in New Zealand and their various ministries to their coworkers and families.

ACCTS prayer reminder • February 2013

10 Several Asian nations celebrate the New Year this week, starting today. Pray for God’s direction as ACCTS reaches out in Christ’s love to the citizens of China. Pray with ACCTS staff members who minister in China, including He Gang, Jodie Wang, Cal Dunlap, and Ed and Sally Ward, and Carson and Wendy Tavenner.

11 Pray for the Barneses, Exners, and Kaltenbachs as they travel to the AMCF European Leaders Conference in Luebbecke, Germany, with additional visits to military chaplains and others in Western Europe.

12 Pray for military Christians who are working toward their nation’s acceptance of a multi-confessional military chaplaincy program. Many of those Christians are also providing training for potential chaplains, but as one would-be chaplain reports, training chaplains in a country where there is not yet an officially-recognized chaplaincy is like taking driving lessons for a place where there is no road and no car!

13 Pray with U.S. military Christians as they seek ways to live out their faith in an ever-changing military climate. Pray that they will strive to follow the two

greatest commandments: to love the Lord with all their hearts and to love other people as they love themselves (Matthew 22:35-40).

14 The tradition of Valentine’s Day is celebrated in many nations, and military Christian fellowships have found ways to incorporate ministry on this day, such as marriage seminars, events for singles, etc. Pray that all such events world-wide will be used by God to increase knowledge of His redemptive and transforming love.

15 February 15-18 is the European AMCF leaders conference in Germany. Pray that all who attend would find this long weekend a time of rest and restoration as well as a time for networking and learning from one another.

short-term mission trip to Mongolia and China.

22 Please pray for wisdom for ACCTS leaders -- including the ACCTS board of directors and our executive director and deputy director, Phil Exner and Bernhard Kaltenbach, as they seek to fix their eyes on Christ and His will for ACCTS’ ministry to the world’s armed forces.

23 Estonia celebrates its Independence Day tomorrow.

Pray for the witness of Estonian military Christians through their professional excellence and the testimony of their personal lives, and ask God to enlarge their fellowship and deepen their individual and collective walks with the Lord.

24 Today is Russia’s Defense of the Motherland Day - a day to remember Russia’s military veterans, active 16 Praise God with us for the work He is doing in servicemen, and fallen soldiers. Praise God with us for Nepal! Our partner in the UK, Military Ministries Interthe large number of Christians who serve in Russia’s national (MMI), reports armed forces and pray for that the Nepalese mili- “Be united with other Christians. A wall with God’s continued blessings loose bricks is not good. The bricks must be on their work for Him. tary Christian fellowship just held its sevcemented together.” enth annual assembly, 25 A military Christian where attendees were -- - Corrie Ten Boom from Central African eager to learn from the Republic asks for prayer Word of God. for the very tense political situation in his na17 Pray with Leslie tion. Pray for safety and Santee as she finwisdom for military and ishes some videos civilian Christians during for Global Interaction this potentially danger2014 (aka, the “AMCF ous time in their nation’s World Conference”), history. which we hope will spread awareness of 26 From 27 February this world-wide event to 1 March, ACCTS and and help people unAMCF’s two other prinderstand the need to ciple support organizaprovide scholarships tions (MMI and MSO) will for military attendees. participate in a crucial Pray and Plan meeting 18 Presidents Day for the 2014 AMCF Global African Warrior Training participants in prayer (USA) As the U.S. Interaction. Pray that God celebrates Presidents would speak mightily to Day, please thank God for the leadership our nation all who participate and that all will go forth with a clear has had in the past and pray for His blessings and understanding of God’s will. guidance on our current political and military leaders.

27 Pray for growth and spiritual development of a new 19 Global Interaction 2014 will bring together military regional branch of a military Christian fellowship in Christians from nations around the world for military northeast India. Ask for guidance for its leaders and ministry and Christian leadership training. Pray for members.

Capt. Klaas Steyn and Rhett Parkinson, the conference and program director, respectively, that God would give 28 Please pray for ACCTS staff members who conthem wisdom and clear direction. tinue to befriend international military students who come to the U.S. to study. Pray especially for Vic and 20 Pray for preparations for this summer’s ministry Marsha Grazier near Wright-Patterson AFB and Bill and events, including English language camps in Ukraine Suzanne Lumpkin in the San Antonio area. and Interaction-Rocky Mountain High. Uphold Paul Neu, Emanuela Haien, and all other staff members involved in these activities.

21 Pray for Ed and Sally Ward as they leave today on a ACCTS prayer reminder • February 2013