Excited to share a Speed the Light Video with all of you.
Speed the Light is a missions program for the youth groups of the Assemblies of God.  I am proud to say they supply the money for all our missionaries transportation overseas.  They buy all our cars, trucks, motorcycles, and bikes.  We can't get the Gospel to people without them!   Thank you!

https://youtu.be/sMC3bcVCVF8

I went right from missions training to the itineration trail.  Pastor Alvin Thomas welcomed me to share at the Nations Church in Shelby Township, MI.  They welcomed me into their home, home fellowship group and church with open arms.

I caught up with Pam Austin, soon to be neighbor in Tanzania who lives in Holland, MI.  Pastor Joe and Sandie Coffman invited me to share my heart at Northpoint Assembly of God.  

I then travelled to Mississippi and met up with three pastors and others who came to Zambia last year.  They came and built three churches in communities with Archie and Nancy McGlawn.  I had a wonderful time sharing at Christian Life in Picayune with Pastor Darrell Worley,  Antioch Assembly with Pastor Tamber and Sheila Proctor, and Pastor Gene and Teresa Emswiler in Moss Point.  

There were several rewarding times of ministry.  One teenage girl is very excited to work with children in missions somewhere down the road.  I love being able to inspire the next generation of missionaries.  I spent three days with the women of Teen Challenge.  I shared in chapel where they inspired me with their openness about their journeys through drug addiction and how God is bringing them healing and wholeness.  The second day we celebrated with two women as they graduated from the year long program.  The last day was Family Fun day.  Besides meeting many of the families and enjoying good Mississippi catfish and hushpuppies, we baptized 4 women and 2 children.  I love seeing God's faithfulness in so many different circumstances.   This is a week I won't quickly forget the generosity, love and prayers lavished on me.  Thankful for team members from across the country.

My most recent adventure was in Leslie, MI with Faith Assembly of God.  I joined the Saturday car show and shared the next day in church.  Glad for pastors and congregations who reach out to the people in their community and around the world.  This congregation is already living out the concept of Community Health Evangelism in the American context.

District Council  was an amazing time of honoring Pastor William and Marilyn Leach for their 27 years of service as District Superintendent and Administrative Assistant.  I met many pastors and all five brand new missionaries shared our vision in the Missions service.  It was an encouraging time as Greg Mundis, executive director of Assemblies of God World Missions shared his heart.

Parade of Nations

Sharing my heart for Zambia

My other adventures included sharing  at Vicksburg, Grace Community Church.  They were so welcoming.  I was very impressed by their questions after my presentation, very insightful and varied.  I also was informed by a 10 y/o boy how to get out of a crocodile death roll while we enjoyed ice cream afterwards.  

I spent another weekend with my church family from residency in Cleveland, Ohio.  It is always good to go to a place that feels like home.  The time was too short but I loved catching up with everyone. 

I spent the month of June in Springfield, MO at missionary training and renewal.  It was an amazing time of connecting with new missionaries head to the field (and missionary associates), leaders in our country teams and veteran missionaries on furlough.  We spent time being grounded in Biblical missions theology, appropriate reaching of people cross culturally, meeting physical and spiritual needs, and meeting with our area leaders.  I am most impressed by our Africa leadership team.  They talk about needing to pray and have the guidance of the Holy Spirit, but they also walk it out.  The second week of training we spent together as an African region.  Almost half the time we spent in prayer for various regions and countries and people groups.  They definitely walk the walk.  

We were invited to connect with retired missionaries as prayer partners.  Here I am with Phyllis Wagner who spent many years in Africa.  It is such a privilege to have her praying for me.  God certainly put us together as I met at her home and saw all sorts of pictures of plants, especially Baobab trees and rocks.  

We received stoles from our Africa team as they prayed over us.  Here I am with my Area Directors, Lance and Mindy Hines.  Every piece of my outfit has meaning.  I'm wearing a giraffe necklace, a gift from the Zambia team as I finished my missionary associate term.  My skirt is made by the pastor's wife at my Zambian church this last year.  My bracelet is from my very first trip to Zambia as a medical student when I felt God call me to Africa.

A wonderful surprise while I was in Springfield was a visit from Lovemore and Mavis Zulu.  Lovemore is one of our Community Health Evangelism (CHE) leaders.  It was great to catch up and hear them share about  CHE in a local church.

We had an amazing Commissioning service.  Here are most of my fellow Michigan missionaries along with our District leaders.

Selfie opportunity with Brother Trask. 

 This is the theme our class of 2015 missionaries chose to represent us in the years to come.
                                                                   So All Can Hear

My regional directors Gregg and Dana Beggs presented a Chichewa Bible and prayed over me during the commissioning time.  It was very moving to have Greg praying in my left ear in Kiswahili and Dana praying in my right ear in English.   The presence of the Holy Spirit was felt through out the entire service.  I was happy to have my college professor, Dr. Dissmore, leading an orchestra in worship and my parents praying with me and meeting all my incredible leaders of our team.

Exciting news!   Here is my first video explaining what I'm headed to Zambia to do.

This month I visited Saginaw First and had a great time meeting the wonderful people there and reconnecting with Pastor Kurt and Tonilee Cullison who were youth pastors at my church in Waukesha, WI many years ago.

Last Sunday I met an amazing woman.  Dr. Kue is from Cameroon and has a urgent care clinic in Lansing.  She has started a church in the basement of her clinic.  She picks up kids for children's church and then afterwards has an adult service.  They were such an interactive group.

I also shared at Dr. Hines church in Eau Claire.  They are always an very supportive and loving group.  Next week I head to the Michigan District Council and am excited to meet many pastors.

The past few weeks I have enjoyed meeting people in the Michigan District.
I got to know a number of pastor's wives, women  in ministry and missionaries in the district at the Women's Ministry get away the last weekend of February.  It was neat to hear the speaker, Tonilee Cullison who was at my church in Waukesha with her husband Kurt as youth pastors.  I taught her daughter when she was 3 years old.  This week, met the pastors of the Southwest section of the  Michigan District for the sectional meeting.  Glad to have several invitations from there to come meet and talk to churches.  It was meaningful to be commissioned as a licensed minister at the service also.  The newly commissioned ministers received a towel to remind us of servant leadership like Christ showed in washing the disciples feet.  (and a Bible).

Last weekend I had the privilege of driving our missionary speaker for the Blue Roof A/G missions convention to and from the airport and church.  It was so exciting because the speaker was Huldah Buntain.  I grew up hearing the stories about Mark and Huldah in Calcutta India.  She has been serving there almost 60 years!  Such a woman of grace and encouragement.

This weekend it was good to be home to celebrate my grandma's 92 nd birthday.  She is another pillar of faith in my life.  Grateful for so many good examples in my life.

Here's a link to my latest newsletter.  Thanks to all who are a part of the team!

http://eepurl.com/bb9wcr

Welcome to the new year!  I am overdue for an update on where my progress towards Zambia is headed.  The past few months have been full of catching up with family and friends and reporting to a few supporting churches from last year.  As I mentioned in my last newsletter, I now officially have a minister's license as of July 2014.  This October I spent a week in Springfield with other new missionaries-to-be.  We spent the week learning some of the ins and outs of missionary life overseas and at home.  We had our official interviews with the Missions Committee and our Area Directors.  I am now a fully-appointed missionary to Zambia with the Assemblies of God.

I am working part time at Southwestern Medical Clinic while I itinerate.  My plans are to take my pediatric board test in early 2016 (once every 10 years).  Around that same time I hope to have my funding raised so I can head over to Zambia.  I am grateful to have excess funds from last year.  They are enough to cover my $12,000 cash budget I need to raise.  I am working on my monthly support now which is a budget of $6,000 monthly.  I appreciate so many who have already supported me last year financially and through many prayers.  I would love to come talk to any church or home group about my plans for my next 3 year term.
I can be reached at heathermarten@peoplepc.com or 269-932-5859.
You can check out my AGWM web page at agmd.org/u/Drheather