Newsletter: 2004

Posted: May 05, 2017

Author: Greig Detering | Created: December 01, 2004 at 10:00 PM

Winter 2004

I just returned with Robert Johnson, an associate of this ministry, from a successful trip to Finland and Russia. Over a three week period we covered about 2,000 miles of territory and spoke to church groups on fourteen different occasions in eleven different cities. We made our way north from Helsinki in southern Finland to Kolari in the northern Lapland. Then we crossed over into Russia and headed up toward Murmansk on the northern coast. From there we made our way south in Russia until we crossed back over into Finland and ended our trip back in Helsinki. The blue line on the map shows our route. Finland is on the left and Russia on the right. Finland is now the third country in a row that the Lord has sent me to that has a white and blue flag.

It was nice to be on a trip where the Lord used someone to blaze the trail before I got there. Robert had favor with the leaders he had ministered to on previous trips which greatly helped them quickly receive me and the message I brought. The Lord led me to speak on such topics as unity, building the church as Jesus wants it built, releasing everyone into ministry and the cellular church structure. We had feedback from pastors in Finland that the messages we preached are going to profoundly change their ministries.

Russia wasn’t quite as welcoming, but we were given warnings by the Lord prior to entering Russia that there would be a spiritual battle there. It was a battle against the status quo, which was met by resistance from a controlling and religious spirit. But in spite of spiritual opposition, the Lord touched many at every place. We saw several physically healed but the greatest healings we witnessed were the freeing up of spiritual bondages.

It was interesting how the Lord split the tasks up between us. He gave Robert lots of visions he gave me the task of interpretations. He used Robert to break bondages, then had me give words to help confirm God’s chosen path for them. The way God put us together as a team made an uplifting experience out of what could have been a very difficult and tiring one. The constant preaching and praying for people was certainly a stretching exercise for me.

There was probably no greater stretching experience than the one we had at the Murmansk maximum security prison. One thousand five hundred of some of the worst offenders, and we walked through the midst of them! The biggest shocker was when we were led into an area to speak and found ourselves on a stage with 100, not too cheerful looking, inmates already seated and staring at us. I gave an evangelistic message I had never given before, then Robert followed up with another. Many of those, thank the Lord, were already Christians. Five more received Christ after we spoke. We gave some financial help to the prison bible club and planted a few other financial seeds during our travels.

The Lord gave us many winks and signs along the way to warn us or let us know we were on course. I could fill pages telling you how He touched people this trip. Several people felt warmth going through their bodies as the Spirit of God healed them. Many commented that they felt lighter after we took authority over bondages.

One of the most amazing things to me was when God gave me the perfect verse to start my message on How Jesus wants His church built. I knew this topic was to be the first message to preach in Russia. We were just about to cross into Russia when we passed a car that had the license plate USE 127. Keijo noticed the plate and said, I think you’re supposed to use Psalms 127 for your message. We didn’t know what that verse said so I grabbed a Bible and read ‘Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain’ (Psalms 127:1). Best verse in the entire bible, I am sure, to start a message on building the church, and the Lord gave it to me on a Swedish license plate in Finland!

Intercessors, you were the biggest key to this successful trip. There were times, especially in Russia, where I believe our very lives were at risk. The Lord even spoke to us that he had sent angelic reinforcements because of the petitions of our friends. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I have engagements in the US over the next two months but will be heading back to Argentina for an extended stay in the first part of February 2005.

Thanks to all of you who have in one way or another kept this ministry going. May the Lord richly bless you during this special time of year that the early church set aside to bring the world’s attention to our Savior.

Your brother in the Lord Jesus Christ,

Greig

Fall 2004

Great things are happening in Tucuman, birthplace of the republic of Argentina. You may recall that the Word I received from God was that my mission here would be to preach sustained unity which could only happen by restoring, in balance, all the ministries that God has placed in the church . The Lord showed me by a series of vivid dreams, that the only way that restoration would occur is by stripping out much of the old traditional church structure and replacing it with a cellular church structure. The cell structure simply simply returns the church to a model more like that demonstrated in the biblical book of Acts.

I read six books on how to implement this structure, put together a series of 4 lessons, than began training 21 new leaders from the Church of God in Tucuman, some of them shown here. We are implementing this new structure with the method Jesus used: I’ll minister, you watch; I’ll minister, you help; you minister, I’ll help; you minister, I’ll watch. The pastor was at first somewhat resistant to the idea, but by the end, everyone was convinced this was totally God’s idea. On August 22, the training was completed and 21 new cell leaders, fulfilling the biblical role of pastor, began leading cell groups under the new structure.

The lead pastor invited me to pray for and give words to those new leaders at the morning church service on that final day of training. Pastor Andres, shown here in my apartment mapping out the cell locations, started out the sending service by giving a great summary of what I have been teaching about the cellular church and why it is God’s plan for the future. The Bishop for the church of God and the Director of the Bible College were there in attendance. As I got about two-thirds of the way down the line, praying for and passing on Words to the new leaders, the presence of God became so strong that some could not stand up. Because of this obvious move of God, the pastor called off the regular church service and turned it into a big prayer and worship service. I believe everyone took the events of this day as a confirmation that our Heavenly Father was well pleased with the direction this congregation was taking.

On September 4th, Manna House, a facility for poor women with hospitalized children, was dedicated and opened. The dedication ceremony was attended by government and church leaders in the state of Tucuman, including the Governor’s wife. Manna house was established as one of the outreaches of Manna Foundation, a non-denominational Christian organization founded to be the hands of Christ among the community. Its founder, Pedro Hernandez, who has an apostolic calling to take new territory for the Kingdom of God, was the first person that God connected me with in Tucuman. Manna Foundation was given tax-exempt import status with the government, which is practically unheard of for an organization not sponsored by the Catholic Church. Due to this status, we will now have the ability to send items to them which can can be distributed to other church groups in Argentina without the normal 50% import tax. It truly was a groundbreaking day for the church in Tucuman. Various church groups contributed to building Manna House, including the Vision of the Future denomination which contributed 24 new beds.

This project was a true example of a church that works together, grows together. Other churches in the greater Tucuman area have expressed interest in implementing the cellular church structure which I may be helping them to implement when I return back to Argentina in Feb. 2005.

In the mean time, God has been busy opening some doors for other things I will be involved in over the next few months. Six months ago God spoke to both Robert Johnson and me about ministering together in October. Robert is an associate of our ministry with a message ministry similar to mine. Neither of us had a clue where our mission would take place, but it turns out that it will be in Finland and Russia, countries where Robert has ministered in the past. This will be the first time we minister together and will be quite a switch from Argentina, but the message will be the same – unity by getting back to the basics of the Word of God. We will be leaving on October 19 for three weeks.

Our contacts in Europe have us lined up to minister in several church congregations throughout Finland and the northwestern part of Russia. Evangelism will also be part of our mission, some of it in the Russian prison system. We will be traveling by bus from Finland, since things are still not very friendly to unregistered church activities. In fact it appears, on the surface at least, that the recently opened doors to evangelism in Russia may be closing up again soon. I believe it is because of this critical time in Russia that God has pulled me for a short time out of Latin America. Please pray for protection, wisdom and favor as we go into these countries and for the Lord to show Himself strong. I’ll let you know in my next newsletter how it all went.

Thanks to all of you who have in one way or another have kept this ministry going. May the Lord richly bless you so you may continue to be a great blessing wherever and to whomever He leads you!

Your brother in our wonderful Lord Jesus Christ,

Greig

Summer 2004

I send you cool greetings from winter time Argentina. I hope you all had a great Independence Day. As I mentioned in my March newsletter, the Lord was leading me to minister in Tucuman, the capital of the state of Tucuman, Argentina. With a population of one million, Tucuman is the business and educational center of northern Argentina. As written at the base of the flagpole in the picture, Tucuman is called the garden of Argentina, and is the birthplace of Argentina, where they claimed independence from Spain. There is a spiritual hunger here that the church has never seen in this city. I have reasons to believe that the Big One (revival) for Argentina is going to come out of this city.

God has sent me here to help the church prepare to receive the coming harvest. One day soon, the name of Jesus Christ will be the most recognized name in the world, instead of the name on the side of this building in Tucuman city center.

I traveled to Tucuman for my introductory trip in March. As in other places the Lord has introduced me into, I took that step of faith then waited for the Lord to guide the correct people to me. He led me to start my stay in a hotel located right off the main plaza.

I found out later that the hotel was two blocks from the site of a large, multi-denominational, annual conference that I attended the last time I was in Tucuman. The theme of the conference was restoration of biblical leadership in the church. The Lord gave me a vivid dream the night before the conference that my call to Tucuman was to help the church do exactly that, and to help build the new church structure necessary to allow it to happen. God has showed me, over the last 4 years of encouraging unity in the body of Christ, that this is the only way we are going to fully reach that unity among our brothers that Ephesians 4:11-13 talks about.

When I returned to Argentina, I waited for God to make the correct connections. The Lord put it in the heart of Pedro Hernandez, one of those apostles of the faith in Tucuman, to seek me out at my hotel. Pedro has truly taken new territory in the business world of Tucuman and has been God’s instrument to bring many with financial resources into the Kingdom of God. He also is a friend to many church leaders in many denominations here. Through Pedro’s contacts, three other Tucuman church leaders have come to discuss with me the message that the Lord sent me here with. Intercessors, thank you. The Lord has granted your petitions and given me unbelievable favor here.

Pedro is married to Laura, who is the daughter of Peter Robeff, the Supervisor for the Church of God over seven states in northern Argentina. Pastor Robeff just recently presented his recommendation to the Church of God in Argentina. He told them that they need to be heading towards a cellular church structure. This structure places much of church fellowship away from the big services we are familiar with and into many smaller groups functioning relatively freely, as the Lord directs. This structure facilitates the move from a church with a few leaders and many spectators, to a church full of active leaders utilizing all the gifts and ministries that have been placed there. Our Father wants to give all his sons and daughters a chance to more actively participate in building the Kingdom of Our Lord Jesus Christ. I told him that God sent me here to help make that happen.

There is no way I would have been received by the church leadership like I have been if not for the perfect timing and direction of God. I have become friends with Pastor Robeff and his wife Gina and am talking with pastors under his supervision to help them move in the cellular church direction. I will be working with the director of the Church of God seminary, recently started in Tucuman, to help train his people for the new thing God is doing. It appears I will be working with other groups here also.

I am very grateful to God for giving me spectacular revelations during my time here. The Lord also used other people to give me Words from God, before and during this trip, that were incredibly precise, more than ever before. For example, I received the names of a pastor and his wife, Andres and Alejandra, that I would be working with. I was told that someone would give me a place to live for free, which I thought was a real far fetched scenario, until someone handed me the keys to a nice top floor apartment and told me they felt the Lord wanted him to allow me stay there free as long as I am in Tucuman. That left me speechless. The picture is one view I have from my apartment balcony overlooking the professional football (soccer) team stadium.

Pedro founded an organization called Manna. Its primary work is to fulfill the gospel by helping the destitute in Tucuman, especially parentless children. They recently purchased a building and are now furnishing it with beds and other necessary facilities. Amor Ministries has helped a little financially with this and I would like to do more.

Thanks to all of you who have in one way or another kept this ministry going. The Lord richly bless you so you may continue to be a great blessing, wherever He leads you!

Your brother in Him,

Greig

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ; till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." — Ephesians 4:11-13

Spring 2004

Greeting friends! I spent Christmas in Belen (Bethlehem), my first year out of the US for the holidays. It was like the 4th of July in the US, since its summer in Argentina now. Because of your help, I was able to help finance some holiday cheer for some needy families. Also, we helped keep some pastors focused on the ministry instead of on the part time jobs they hold to keep their families alive. The little that I was able to give was a great help to them.

Your financial support also helped equip a Christian Radio station associated with the church, Jesus Christ to the Nations. It started broadcasting in December. So thank you all again for your prayers and financial support that helped bring some relief and Good News to our hurting family in Argentina. Many wanted me to pass on their gratitude to all who helped get me there.

You’ll recall from my last letter that the Lord completely healed Elinda Figaroa, who had been totally paralyzed on the left side of her body for two months. Since then, she has testified in two large churches in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina with a population of ten million. She also has appeared in a Christian magazine testifying of the restoring power of Jesus Christ. By using me as a contact point for this and other miracles, the Lord greatly opened doors for us to spread His message.

Pastor Novoa and others traveled with me to many towns in the province of Catamarca in Northwest Argentina to spread the Good News. The Lord was always faithful to manifest himself to His church in one way or another.

I also helped scout out the town of Tinogasta to prepare for a church plant there. We posed at a sign at the entrance to the town that reads, Welcome to Tinogasta, Land of the Giants. That’s exactly what it looked like from a spiritual perspective. But the two of us came back with a good report, Our God Is Able.

On my final trip, I found that the author of division was at work trying to stop the churches from working together. After leaving what seemed to be a church in harmony, I came back to division. It quickly became obvious why God sent me back again. The enemy knows when he’s up against a major threat. Unity in the body of Christ, in my opinion, is his biggest. This ancient Inca human sacrifice mound right outside of Belen, surely has something to do with the stronghold against the gospel that seems to exist over this area.

On the El Salvador front, our brothers and sisters there report much progress in and around the town of San Juan Opico where I spent much time ministering in the past. The pastors send their greetings to all of you in the US. They want you to know that your seed has done great things and has not been sowed in vain.

For now, my work is complete in Belen. It has been a wonderful experience working with evangelist and pastor of pastors Fernando Novoa, and his wife Cristina, who are continuing to preach the message of unity in the body of Christ.

The Lord has been showing me, with confirmation through others, that He is moving me to the province of Tucuman in northern Argentina, about ten hours drive northeast of Belen, Catamarca, where I was last located. God gave me contacts in the Tucuman area while I was in Belen, although I was unaware at the time that I would be heading there next. Tucuman is the smallest province, but with the highest population density. The city of Tucuman, where the Lord seems to be directing me to be based, is one of the largest cities in Argentina. So far, I have never worked in cities larger than 20,000. So this city of over one million will be a new level of ministry that I am not accustomed to. Just when I was starting to get comfortable, the Lord is once again moving me out of my comfort zone. It will require much intercession to enter this door so I am petitioning you warriors in the spirit realm to clear a path for me. I need strong direction on contacts to make and ones to avoid. I need favor with those to whom I am appointed and protection, as always. I am headed there in a few days. Finances permitting, I believe I will be stationed there for at least a few months.

Thanks to all of you who have in one way or another kept this ministry going. The Lord richly bless you so you may continue to be a great blessing, wherever He leads you!

Your brother in Him,

Greig