Angola Mission Team

After months of compiling paperwork, sending emails, making phone calls, mailing documents, praying, hoping, and waiting for our visas, we have visas! We praise God for this success that has allowed us to move to Angola.

Friday June 10^th was Portugal Day, a national holiday. Sunday June 12th was a religious holiday that many Portuguese celebrate by staying up all night eating sardines. Each year the church here in Lisbon spends this extended weekend by holding a sort of prayer vigil. This year the prayer meeting lasted through Thursday and Friday nights. For about 36 hours we took turns praying in shifts and praying together as a church. (It’s hard to believe I’ve been in Portugal long enough to have participated in this event twice now.) Among the things that we prayed about was that our team would receive our visas for Angola. Our team intended to arrive in Angola in January, but it seems that neither the Angolan government nor God had the same timing in mind. So we have remained here in Portugal improving our language skills, working with the church, and preparing for our arrival in Angola so we can hit the ground running.

Last night I was exhausted after a long weekend of praying and very little sleep, yet I somehow found myself in downtown Lisbon with friends from church. We were surrounded by thousands of people, the smell of sardines cooking on the grill, and the sound of traditional Fado music blasting. Talk about sensory overload! As I was picking tiny little bones out of my teeth, my teammate Robert called. He said that our friend Júlia from the Consulate in Houston had called on Friday (note: this was during the prayer vigil), but he and his family had been in the Algarve in Southern Portugal so he did not get the message until they returned home late last night. Júlia had called to tell him that all of our visas were ready, except for his, and that his visa would be ready later this week.

With the news from Robert I didn’t really even know what to say. I’m still in a bit of a state of shock and I still smell like sardines. (The smell seems to last forever.) I have been so eager to get to Angola for so long now, but have constantly run into one obstacle after another. Progress has been one baby-step at a time. But now the clock is ticking. I have until a certain date to arrive in Angola or my visa will expire. The door is wide open all of a sudden and I honestly don’t know what to think or how I feel. God is starting a new chapter in my life which is both exciting and frightening at the same time. It also means another chapter in my life is about to close. My time in Portugal has been one of the most blessed times of my life and I will always remember it fondly. On top of that, every time I smell a sardine cooking I will remember how God is faithful and answers prayer.

At the beginning of May, our team had an opportunity to present to another church in the Lisbon area, the Carcavelos Church of Christ, about our plans for Angola and the possibilities of their partnership with us in ministry there. You can read all about our first team presentation in Portuguese (and even watch a video!) to our “home” congregation, the Lisbon Church of Christ, by clicking here.

We visited the Carcavelos church on a Sunday morning and gave our presentation during the Bible class hour for all the adults and youth of the congregation. The presentation itself was similar to the one we did for the Lisbon church — we briefly shared Angola’s story, introduced ourselves, and presented ideas of ways the church could get involved. Afterwards, the church said a prayer over us. We didn’t video this presentation, but here are a few pictures:

Danny started things off by giving an introduction to the situation in Angola:

Then, Rusty and I gave a brief introduction to our team and talked a little bit about what we’ve been doing this last year in Portugal:

Robert asked the church members to think about ways they could use their gifts and talents to get involved in what God is doing in Angola and invited them to sign up to receive our newsletters and other updates. He also fielded a question-and-answer time at the end of the presentation:

Katie talked about World Bible School and encouraged the church to consider helping with this program by being teachers for WBS students in Angola. Since WBS is done largely via correspondence, this is an excellent way for Portuguese-speaking Christians in Portugal to reach out to Portuguese-speaking Angolans! The Lisbon church has already agreed to take some leadership in launching this program, and we hope that the Carcavelos church can partner with them in this effort:

Nathan extended the invitation for church members, especially the youth, to come and visit us in Angola:

Teague requested help in developing and translating materials in Portuguese. She also gave a list of specific ways the church could pray for us:

Jordan concluded by thanking the church for their involvement in missions, for their cooperation with the Lisbon church, and for their willingness to consider how they might partner with us in the work in Angola:

At the end of the church service, they called all of the Angolan members to the stage to pray over us.

We are thankful for the warm welcome we received from the Carcavelos church, and for their prayers and support. We pray that their enthusiasm for what God is doing in Angola will develop into a fruitful partnership that will bless both us and them, and more importantly, the lost in Angola.

Join us in the work by praying to God daily for us and with us.

• Pray for urgency and efficiency throughout the visa application and approval process.
  • Praise God that Jordan and Katie have been approved to receive visas
  • Pray for the rest of us to receive our visas for Angola quickly and without more difficulty.
  • Pray that the paperwork that we have gathered up to this point would be sufficient for acquiring our visas.
• Pray for us as we make preparations to move to Angola.
• Pray for the future use of World Bible School courses in the Churches of Christ in the Lisbon area and in Angola.
  • Pray for the leaders who are stepping up to help their churches start World Bible School. Pray for them by name: Rogério, Valfredo, Wilson, and Selmo
  • Pray for the funding needed to sustain these programs.
• Pray for each other as you look for ways in which you can become involved in the mission of God in Angola
  • Pray for a growing and fruitful relationship between each family and their sending congregation.
  • Pray for the Igreja de Cristo Lisboa and the Igreja de Cristo Carcavelos as they look for ways to be involved in the mission of God in Angola
  • Pray for a growing and fruitful relationship between yourselves and the Angola Mission Team and between yourselves and the church in Angola.
• Pray for our remaining time in Portugal.
  • Pray for our language studies that we would continue to learn Portuguese well.
  • Pray that our relationships with one another will be deepened and strengthened during our time together in Portugal.
• Pray for our fund-raising — Praise God that all team families have sending congregations! All team families are still seeking monthly and one-time support. Pray for the continued fundraising of all team members
• Pray for the health and safety of all team members.
• Pray for heath for Laura and Baby Boy Campbell throughout the pregnancy. Pray for the Campbell family as they navigate the Portuguese health care system.
• Pray for us as we continue to fine-tune our mission strategy.
• Pray for the Angolan people. That they would come to know God.
• Pray for the Angolan Christians. That God would use them to reach the nation of Angola in a powerful way.

I am intimidated by public speaking, though few people know it. I have come a long way in my “pulpit presence.” I remember well the first devotional I gave. I was eighteen years old and was asked to deliver a five minute biblical message at our monthly youth devotional for our youth group of about fifteen teens. I had a whole week to prepare. I chose my passage, wrote out my thoughts, and rehearsed them in front of a mirror every day. At the devotional, when it was time for me to deliver my message, I stood up, panicked, read my passage in a quiet, timid voice, managed to blurt out a one sentence interpretation of the text, and sat down. In the moment, I could not recall any of the thoughts that I had rehearsed.

I have always been drawn to the thought of preaching and teaching. I enjoy sharing a Scripture and expounding on its application to our lives. But the actual act of preaching and teaching has always been another matter. In my first semester at Harding, I took “Speech” – a required course. I skipped both days I had a speech due and hid in my room, quivering with nervous anxiety. I had to deliver both speeches on the following class day – or fail the course – and, ironically, I received an excellent grade on both orations (which was then discounted a letter grade, of course, for being turned in late). Two years later, in my first preaching course, I would practice my sermons in front of my roommates to prepare me for the presentation before the whole class. After one of these sermons, I watched the video recording with Teague.  As I rewound the tape she remarked, “You’re moving your arms so much in the same motion that you look like a hummingbird!” I had a lot of nervous energy. In my senior year, I was invited to lead singing in chapel in front of 3,000 people. During the first song, my right leg began to quiver so violently that it must have looked to those seated on stage behind me as if I was stomping the beat. I was worried they would throw me off the stage for feeling too much of “the Spirit!”

After 9 years of ministry, more than 50 sermons for audiences between 15 and 500, and hundreds of Bible classes taught, I still get nervous when I speak to a crowd. The real difference is that I’ve become much better at hiding it (no more quaking legs and arms taking flight). I’m thankful for those that encouraged me by saying my fear of public speaking should not dissuade me from pursuing ministry. With practice and a good amount of coaching from various mentors, God helped me overcome this obstacle. I enjoy teaching and preaching now, in most cases, and I believe God has given me some strengths well-suited to these acts of ministry.

A new language introduces a new emotional dynamic to the act of public speaking. Each of us on the team worries about our pronunciation, whether we are using the most appropriate words to describe what we mean, or if our attempts at humor will translate well into Portuguese. My nervousness toward preaching has taken a new shape. I’ve had about twenty opportunities over the last year to deliver a message – of varying lengths – to a Portuguese audience. I address my worries about public speaking in a new language by writing out, word for word, exactly what I will say and reading through the script with our language teacher and usually one other Portuguese friend. It’s a great blessing to have a patient teacher and friends!

With each presentation, I grow a little more comfortable with this new challenge. In my first dozen or so speaking opportunities, I read from the page and my eye contact with the audience was sparse. I also tend to talk faster when I am nervous. I read through my first sermon – which lasted 13 minutes when I rehearsed it – in just under nine minutes before the congregation. But as I’ve grown confident in the language, I have gradually used my script less and become more comfortable paraphrasing or inserting unrehearsed comments. I have slowed down to be sure I emphasize the points I wish to make, which in turn helps with pronunciation. I also realize that a mispronounced word or two can actually enhance the delivery of a message. People see that we are human, that we make mistakes, and we are trying hard to communicate in their own language. In fact, I’ve received my best feedback after the messages where I used my notes less and made more errors.

It’s insightful and fun to look back at “how far I’ve come” in my development as a preacher. I see God’s guiding hand throughout the process and I look forward to where he leads me in the future. It’s an intimidating road at times, but I find confidence in the knowledge that God uses us, his “jars of clay, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us” (1 Corinthians 4:7).

Join us in the work by praying to God daily for us and with us.

• Pray for urgency and efficiency throughout the visa application and approval process.
  • Praise God that our applications were accepted by the Angolan Consulate!
  • Pray for us to receive our visas for Angola quickly and without more difficulty.
  • Pray that the paperwork that we have gathered up to this point would be sufficient for acquiring our visas.
• Pray for our remaining time in Portugal.
  • Pray for our language studies that we would continue to learn Portuguese well.
  • Pray that our relationships with one another will be deepened and strengthened during our time together in Portugal.
• Pray for us as we make preparations to move to Angola.
• Pray for each other as you look for ways in which you can become involved in the mission of God in Angola
  • Pray for a growing and fruitful relationship between each family and their sending congregation.
  • Pray for the Igreja de Cristo Lisboa and the Igreja de Cristo Carcavelos as they look for ways to be involved in the mission of God in Angola
  • Pray for a growing and fruitful relationship between yourselves and the Angola Mission Team and between yourselves and the church in Angola.
• Pray for our fund-raising — Praise God that all team families have sending congregations! All team families are still seeking monthly and one-time support. Pray for the continued fundraising of all team members.
• Pray for the health and safety of all team members.
• Pray for heath for Laura and Baby Campbell throughout the pregnancy. Pray for the Campbell family as they navigate the Portuguese health care system.
• Pray for us as we continue to fine-tune our mission strategy.
• Pray for the Angolan people. That they would come to know God.
• Pray for the Angolan Christians. That God would use them to reach the nation of Angola in a powerful way.

On March 27, over one hundred Christians from at least 8 different congregations in Arka nsas gathered together, devoting a time of intense prayer for the people of Angola and the Angola Mission Team. This event was hosted by Little Rock Church (Jordan’s sending congregation) in cooperation with Central Church of Christ (sending congregation of the Meyer family). It was truly a blessed time of learning and focused intercession!

After watching a sideshow (scroll to bottom of this post to view) introducing the Angolan people and our team to the audience, we entered into a time of prayer by singing a song of praise to our great God.

The evening was divided into segments in which a prayer need was introduced and a prayer of intercession was led. Different individuals (friends, members of Jordan’s support team, shepherds, and ministers from the Little Rock area) thoughtfully provoked us to consider our topic of prayer, led us in a group reading of scripture, and then spoke in heart-felt intercession over one of the following prayer needs:

• For Angolans, that their hearts would be prepared to enter the Kingdom of God
• For the team’s outreach efforts in Angola
• For the creation of new and vibrant churches in Angola
• For the team’s growth and ability to nurture spiritual growth in others
• For the team’s international relationships; for the ones we already have in Brazil and Portugal, and for the ones we have yet to form in the Portuguese-speaking world
• For the churches that are joined in this effort to support the kingdom work in Angola; that these people would consciously be of great support, and because of this support be instrumental in the work in Angola.

Another video presented each member of the Angola Mission Team expressing personal prayer needs and concluded with an urgent call to pray for the visa process. Jerry Reed (a shepherd at Little Rock Church) led the intercession for the team’s requests and then Gerald Driskill (the leader of Jordan’s support team) led a special supplication for our visas. Scroll to the bottom of this post to view the video.

We then joined together in a chorus of group intercession. We prayed in groups of two or three over requests found on prayer cards in our seats.  Afterward we placed the cards symbolically on the cross. Mike Harmon (a member of Jordan’s support team) led a closing prayer over the team and all those gathered. Then the group sang a song of prayer.

It was humbling to see so many gathered together who wish to continue praying with us. I was so excited and blessed to be able to be home for this Day of Prayer for Angola, and the whole team was greatly encouraged by the event. There is nothing that strengthens us so much as knowing that we have people at home partnering with us in prayer. My hope is that it was also a time of learning to better intercede both for Angola and the Angola Mission Team.

Thank you to everyone who made the evening possible — those who helped plan, those who recruited people to come, the intercession leaders, and the members of the Little Rock Church who went the extra mile and provided child care and a spread of snacks. Each and every one of these people helped to make this event a truly special and prayerful one.

We would like to invite you to join us in regularly interceding for the Kingdom in Angola. You can use this format if you like, or follow your own. We will be sure to keep our prayer requests up to date on the website. This event will occur again in the Little Rock area in October and we hope that other churches will find time and creative mediums to encourage each other to devote themselves to prayer for the Kingdom of God in Angola and all over the world.

Above: After leading us in John 17:20-23, Billy McLain (a shepherd at Central church of Christ & former missionary to Brazil) prayed for the team’s international relationships with the Portuguese-speaking world.  He had all of us hold our linked hands up in prayer. It was a beautiful moment of unity in petition to our Father.

To view all of the pictures from the event, go to the March 27, 2011 Angola Day of Prayer photo album on the Angola Mission Team Facebook page.

Join us in the work by praying to God daily for us and with us.

• Pray for urgency and efficiency throughout the visa application and approval process.
  • Pray for us to receive our visas to Angola quickly and without more difficulty.
  • Pray that the Angolan Consulate would reopen and resume processing visa applications again.
  • Pray that the paperwork that we have gathered up to this point would be sufficient for acquiring our visas.
• Pray for us as we continue to fine-tune our mission strategy.
• Pray for our remaining time in Portugal.
  • Pray for our language studies that we would continue to learn Portuguese well.
  • Pray that our relationships with one another will be deepened and strengthened during our time together in Portugal.
• Pray for us as we make preparations to move to Angola.
• Pray for the health and safety of all team members.
• Pray for heath for Laura and Baby Campbell throughout the pregnancy. Pray for the Campbell family as they navigate the Portuguese health care system.
• Pray for our fund-raising — Praise God that all team families have sending congregations! All team families are still seeking monthly and one-time support. Pray for the continued fundraising of all team members.
• Pray for a growing and fruitful relationship between each family and their sending congregation.
• Pray for the people of the Lisbon Church of Christ as they look for ways to be a part of the Lord’s mission in Angola.
• Pray for the Angolan people. That they would come to know God.
• Pray for the Angolan Christians. That God would use them to reach the nation of Angola in a powerful way.

A personal request from the team for prayer, created for the Angola Day of Prayer on March 27, 2011

Check out our newsletter’s new look as well as articles written by Teague Meyer and Nathan Holland, sharing a bit about the blessings we’ve found while learning and serving in Portugal!
Seedtime & Harvest – March 2011

Join us in the work by praying to God daily for us and with us.

• Pray for urgency and efficiency throughout the visa application and approval process. Pray that we receive our  visas to Angola quickly and without difficulty. Pray that the remaining paperwork arrives quickly from Angola and that this would be the last step in acquiring our visas.
• Pray for us as we continue to fine-tune our mission strategy.
• Pray for our remaining time in Portugal – Pray that our relationships with one another will be deepened and strengthened during our time together in Portugal. Pray for our language studies that we would continue to learn Portuguese well.
• Pray for us as we make preparations to move to Angola.
• Pray for the health and safety of all team members.
• Pray for heath for Laura and Baby Campbell throughout the pregnancy. Pray for the Campbell family as they navigate the Portuguese health care system.
• Pray for our fund-raising — Praise God that all team families have sending congregations! All team families are still seeking monthly and one-time support. Pray for the continued fundraising of all team members.
• Pray for a growing and fruitful relationship between each family and their sending congregation.
• Pray for the people of the Lisbon Church of Christ as they look for ways to be a part of the Lord’s mission in Angola.
• Pray for the Angolan people. That they would come to know God.
• Pray for the Angola Christians. That God would use them to reach the nation of Angola in a powerful way.