We hope that you are already being blessed this new year of 2010! We are in the states, with Myrna continuing to heal from the effects of a prolonged illness. Make sure and read about that and Esther’s miraculous healing below. Through all of this, God has been faithful and our operations have continued to run well in South Africa with our staff. Don is planning a month-long trip to South Africa this May. Here are some of the great things that God has been doing in recent months, along with our vision for 2010.

GLORY POWER SOUP KITCHEN

Since our last journal, the GLORY POWER SOUP KITCHEN HAS GIVEN 6,300 HOT, NOURISHING MEALS TO HUNGRY ORPHANS! Our Glory Power soup kitchen continues to meet the physical, spiritual and emotional needs of the precious orphans in the Magona region. Over 150 orphans at the center are regularly fed the only nourishing meals that they ever get.

Our leaders of the soup kitchen, Patrick and Betty, teach the orphans the love of Jesus. They also have contests for the orphans to memorize Bible verses. One 13 year-old orphan girl, Vutomi, won first prize in a recent contest by reciting over 21 Bible verses by heart! We keep receiving reports how these children are changing emotionally from being hopeless and sad when they first came to the center, to becoming hopeful and visibly happier - like children should be. Read the testimonies below from two precious orphans.


ORPHAN'S TESTIMONIES (notice their unique names!)

“I love the food that we are given at the Glory Power Center, especially the porridge (favorite African food) and chicken. My grandma cannot afford a nice meal. Thank you, Glory Power for such a good meal. I also love the teaching, I am changed by the Word of God. Thank you so much.”
Freedom

“Glory Power Center has changed my life. We usually do not have enough food to eat at home. We go for months without eating meat. Thank you, Glory Power, for the nourishing meals that we receive every week. I love the Word of God that we are taught at the center – I especially love memorizing Bible verses.”
Success


MAGONA CHURCH AND SATELLITE CHURCHES

Our services at our main Glory Power Center in Magona have continued to be blessed. Associate Pastor Patrick did a great job filling in for Esther as she recovered (read below). Also, our children’s church in Magona on Saturdays is growing, and the children are hungering more for God. Alloy, a teenager who loves God, teaches the children and gave us this report recently (in his own English):

“I’m very, very excited of what happened today (at children’s church). Children were very plenty, participating, asking questions and delving to get more info about GOD. I tell you this because the way they were doing it gave me strength, I thank GOD!”

HOW WONDERFUL TO SEE PRECIOUS CHILDREN YEARNING FOR GOD!!!!!!!!

Our two satellite churches in other parts of the region, the Glory Power Center in Phaweni, and the Healing Point in Mokgoba, are also going very well and growing. The pastors of those churches, Patrick (Phaweni) and Peter (Mokgoba) are both great young men of God who have very teachable hearts.

The Phaweni center actually had to move their building to another location because of local politics, but the church continues to grow. Patrick and Peter are our spiritual sons and our spiritual daughter, Esther, has been coordinating teaching and training that Glory Power is providing for all of them. On my trip in May, I look forward to spending more personal time with these pastors, mentoring, teaching and pouring into them all that God has put into me. I am so proud of them. Please pray for these as they spread the gospel and make disciples in a difficult area.

Check out these encouraging testimonies from Phaweni:
"I came to the Glory Power Center in Phaweni but I was not serious about my salvation until I realized the spiritual warfare in my life. Every time I’m attacked in the spirit, I call the name of Jesus and I always see victory. Now I love the Lord with all my heart. I love attending church services and my life has changed for the better." Hlayisani

"I have been sick with Tuberculosis for a few years, I was taking treatment, and still I was suffering from T.B. After coming to the Glory Power Center in Phaweni, I was completely healed. Praise God, I am now on fire for the Lord. I love reading God’s word and prayer."
Daisy

GLORY POWER CENTER - CONSTRUCTED

The Glory Power Center in Magona is practically finished – just need window panes, some doors, finishing touches to the foyer and painting. Recall that this entire 7,000 square foot structure was built and donated by Steph, a South African builder. Glory to God! This center is used almost daily.

This is our main church, our soup kitchen for orphans, a recreational facility, skills and job training (e.g., English classes), a church library, food bank, etc. Plans for the center include establishing a Christian cinema and teaching center utilizing audio/visual equipment, a medical clinic, more skills and jobs training, counseling services, etc. There are approximately 75,000 villagers within a ten mile radius of the Glory Power Center in Magona, many of whom desperately need all kinds of help.

One of the many truths of the Bible that we have experienced over the years, especially in Africa, is that God wants to do for us, "exceeding, abundantly above all that we ever ask or think, according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 3:20). We have also learned through this experience not to limit God (Psalm 78:41). If we want to help others and to honor God with what we do here on earth, He will give us things beyond our dreams. We have now learned to dream big and expect great things for Glory Power so that many, many more needy people can be helped and given hope.

GLORY POWER RECREATIONAL CENTER

What also brings joy to the orphans and children in the Magona region is to have a recreational center in which to play. The Glory Power Center offers all sorts of fun activities, from a trampoline, to volleyball, rugby, badminton, board soccer, scooters and more. This really helps to keep the children busy, having fun and away from so many temptations that they face.

MYRNA'S HEALTH, ESTHER'S HEALING
Myrna was basically housebound for the last year. After going to about ten doctors/hospitals, we found a doctor who is helping Myrna. He is a medical doctor, a naturopathic doctor, and a biochemist, with a Ph.D. in Virology. Myrna is being treated for several issues. The yellow fever vaccine that Myrna had before going to South Africa actually triggered Multiple Sclerosis. Also, there is bacteria from the tick bite fever and poisonous spider bite she got in South Africa and parasites. The good news is that Myrna is healed already from the Multiple Sclerosis after two months of treatment. It could take a couple more months for Myrna to get rid of the other problems. The doctor does expect it will take the rest of this year, though, to build up her immune system, and she needs to do that before traveling overseas again. Thank you so much for your continued prayers.

God has healed Esther, our director of operations in South Africa and the pastor of our Glory Power Center Church in Magona. Esther was really sick and in pain from a large hernia which protruded from her abdomen and was the size of a fist. She was incapacitated for about two months. During this time, the associate pastor of the Magona church, Patrick, and the rest of our staff did a great job keeping our operations running well. Of course, Esther was told that she would need surgery for the hernia. Any kind of surgery in a government hospital in South Africa is considered risky. We prayed and trusted God to heal Esther. One night about a month ago, Esther said that she really felt that God touched her and that she was healed. When she woke up the next morning, the fist sized hernia was gone. Praise God!!!!!! Hallelujah!


2009 CHRISTMAS BLESS-A-THON IN THE U.S.

Many of you heard of our Bless-A-Thon fundraiser during this past Christmas season. We wanted to help not only the precious orphans at our soup kitchen, but also hurting families here in the U.S. during this severe recession. For every $20 that was donated to help feed a hungry orphan in our soup kitchen, Glory Power also agreed to help feed a needy person here in America. We thank God that we were able to raise $21,708.64 during the Bless-A-Thon.

We were able to help the needy here in the U.S. by purchasing 4 tons of bulk food through a food bank at a nominal cost and by also partnering with a local homeless ministry here in St. Petersburg, Florida, “Takin It to the Streets.” As a result, Glory Power Ministries contributed food parcels and toys to over 230 needy families last December 19th. It was a glorious day as we also prayed for people’s needs, and 5 precious people prayed to receive Jesus that day. God is so good!

VISION FOR 2010
We, along with Esther and our staff have been spending time in prayer for our vision, which we believe is God’s vision, for Glory Power Ministries for 2010. We are all very excited for what we believe that God has for us this year. Our vision for 2010 includes:

Establishing a Farm
- This will produce food to feed more orpphans and will give the older orphans the opportunity to sell produce to earn some money. We have picked out farmland the size of two footballs fields near our Glory Power Center in Magona and are in the process of purchasing it. We are very excited about establishing this farm - it will be a priority for us this year.

Expanding our Soup Kitchen
- We plan to feed more orphans in our souup kitchen in Magona and provide more support for our sister soup kitchen for the orphans at the Giyani Mozambican refugee camp.

Evangelistic Outreaches
- We plan to have regular evangelistic meeetings in Magona and the surrounding villages on an every other month basis.

Leadership Training
- We will be spending more time training,, equipping and mentoring the leaders of our churches this year so that they can better reach their regions for Jesus. I will be devoting much time during my trip(s) to Africa this year training and mentoring our leaders.

Discipleship and Conferences for Christian Growth.
- We will be having more discipleship claasses and conferences to help Christians grow so that they will experience more victory in their lives and be better able to lead others to Jesus. This includes continuing our “Mind of Christ” program of helping people renew their minds so they can develop the self-esteem of Jesus. This program has had great success not only in South Africa, but also here in the U.S. and in Ukraine.

New Satellite Church Buildings
- Both of our satellite churches – in Phaaweni and Mokgoba - need new church structures to replace their current “shacks” for their growing congregations. We hope to start construction for these churches this year.

U.S. Ministry
- Help the poor and needy here through feeding outreaches, evangelism and teaching our "How to Get the Mind of Jesus" discipleship program.

Ukraine
- Continue to partner with ministries feeding and sharing Jesus with street children and orphans.

Psalm 109:30-31: “I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth; yes, I will praise Him among the multitude. For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those who condemn him.” Glory Power Ministries also wants to continue to stand at the right hand of the poor, to help the orphans and poor and needy in every way possible. Thank you for standing with us!
On to victory,
Don and Myrna Paprocky