ZFM'S Missions Blog

A/G Missions Website

2009-03-02T14:00:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that you can view an article regarding my trip on the A/G missions website. It is currently on the front page but that will change, you can still view it by going to the archives for March 2nd. Just thought you would want to know. Blessings

Transition is here.....

2009-02-15T18:24:00.000-08:00

Well, I know it has been awhile since I have posted on here, but to be honest until about two weeks ago, I had no idea what was going on....however, like always the Lord has directed my path and I am very thankful for that. Ok, so as most of you know, my trip to Africa was cancelled due to the violence that was occurring in Kenya, which is where I was headed, but for wisdom's sake and of course safety, it was cancelled. So, where does that leave me? Well, after much worrying and me questioning God, " Alright Lord, what are you doing?" I am glad to say that I am beginning to see what God is doing, although there has been a huge transition for me, I know it is God, even though I may not completely understand, I do trust him and I know in my spirit that God has already established what has happened and the changes that have occured. I am actually living in Springfield as of now, I say that because you never know what is going to change...lol The Lord has giving me a great job, and one that I am probably not qualified for and if I shared the story of how I got it...well it's just one of those God things you know... Do to my location and also due to the fact that I feel that the Lord wants me at James River Assembly, I am regularly attending there. God is moving greatly in my life and I am listening very closely for the next step and most likely uncomfortable transition that he wants me to make...I am not sure what's ahead but he does and that is good enough for me.... My hope is that in the future, whether that be 6 months or 5 years, that I will be preaching the word in churches here in the states, I feel that my call is to encourage churches and challenge people to go deeper, so please pray that the Lord will open doors and give me the opportunity to do this...I am just waiting on God and I want to make sure and let his timing in everything be accomplished....For now I am just soaking up Jesus and awaiting the next move...just thought I would let everybody know...Bless you and Thank you for all you have done, whether I have known it or if it was between you and God.....

Going home....

2008-12-04T16:53:00.000-08:00

Well, I am here at the airport in Yerevan. We are going to board any minute and
I have a long day ahead of me. We are flying to Vienna first, and then Washington D.C,
and then to Chicago and finally to Springfield. It has been an amazing trip and God has
truly done some great things. I will try and put up some more photo's when I get back.
Thanks for all of your prayers and support. Also, even though I am going back home for
a little while, I will be going back overseas in February to do more missions work and I will
have more details on that trip as the time draws nearer. Thanks again......

Still in Tbilisi

2008-11-23T08:10:00.000-08:00

Well, I am doing good here in Tbilisi, Georgia. Last week we did some remodeling work for a church so that they could continue their children's ministry. We was able to be a great blessing to them and I know that allot of ministry will come out of our efforts in the future. I am not completely sure of the plans for this next week, however I do know that we will be doing some distribution's to the refugees and we will also be having a thanksgiving service and dinner with an international church here in Tbilisi. I believe we are going to be doing some worship for that as well, so that will be a great opportunity. I will be here in Georgia for about 10 more days and then I will be heading back to Yerevan before flying out. Thanks for you prayers and support! God bless

In Armenia and heading to Georgia!

2008-11-14T04:37:00.000-08:00

Well, I am sorry that I have not had a blog post in a while, the internet has been hard to find. However, I have found an internet cafe' and I am good to go. Everything has been going great here in Armenia, I have been involved in a variety of ministry and compassion outreaches. I had the opportunity to preach a couple of weekends ago and we had a great service. Last week we was doing some construction for habitat for humanity and a great time helping some very needy people. On Monday I will be going {well, actually moving} to Tiblisi, Georgia and I will be there for about 3 weeks before preparing to fly back to the states. We will be helping out the refugee's up there and I know that we will have a great impact in Georgia. Well, all is well and the Lord is doing great things, please continue to keep me in your prayers and again I thank all of those who have made this possible. On a side note, I will try to upload some pictures as I know it has been awhile since I have done that but it just depends upon me finding wi-fi and I think I have located a hot-spot, so perhaps within the next week I will be able to do so. Thanks again and God Bless. {Austvatz dez Het}

I am in Armenia.

2008-10-27T23:38:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't have very much time to write but I thought I would let everybody know that I am here in Yerevan, Armenia. I can see Turkey to the West along with Mt. Ararat which is right at the base of the city. It is the most beautiful place I have ever been. We will begin a construction project this week however I do not have time right now to describe all that we are doing. We will also be in Georgia from November 17 through December 3 rd to help out the refugee's from the war. So, that will be a great opportunity. Anyways, all is well and God is doing great things. Blessings.

Another week in Moldova!

2008-10-19T05:21:00.000-07:00

Well I am sorry for the delay in blogging, it has been very busy this last week and to be honest I and the team are completely wore out. We have been in the town of Strashin, which is about 20 minutes out of the capital city of Chisinau in which I am now. We did a variety of ministry projects such as working with the orphanage, holding church services, such as one service was for the blind in which I had the opportunity to share the gospel. The largest project was that of building a concrete wall on the back of this church in which we served. The guys and I worked all week in order to get it done and we got a tremendous amount done but we are all quite tired and ready for some rest. Our flight on the 23rd from Odessa was cancelled and so we had to reschedule a flight and I believe it is for this next weekend, however I do not know where we will be flying out of, but hey that's missions. We are still on target to spend the rest of our time in Armenia and we also might be going to Georgia and perhaps Azerbaijan. Those are not for sure, but who knows. Well, everything is going great and God is doing some great works through us and in us. You begin to realize the flaws in other people as you live with them for weeks on in, but more than anything you realize the things in you that need to be changed, meaning your attitude or the way you handle people especially the natives. The Lord is stretching me in my ministry abilities and I feel that God is doing a great work in not just my life but everybody we come in contact with. One thing that is so different here than in the United States is this..... the natives here, whether it be a pastor, missionary or just someone who lives here don't need weeks, months, or years to form relationships. They need minutes, hours, and at the most days. The churches here are built on relationships, close relationships. I can honestly say that I have formed relationships with natives here in just a matter of days and those relationships are as strong as those that I have been going to church with or people I have known for years. This is a sad fact but it is the truth. The people in the churches of America have lost the meaning of being a true brother and sister in Christ toward one another. Perhaps we can learn from this. God Bless and thank you for your support, you are touching so many lives.

Everything is going good!

2008-10-07T07:49:00.000-07:00

Well, we just got back from Serata Golbina which is a village about 45 minutes away from Chisinau. We had been there for about 4 days and we was able to do alot of great ministry there. On Friday we prepared for an outreach that was on Saturday and we distributed food, small gifts and we had balloons and face painting's for the kids and me.lol I believe almost 500 people came so that was a great and blessed day. Pictures are at the top of the page. Sunday was a very busy day for me as I preached in Serata Golbina at the first Pentecostal church to be established after the soviet era. It was litteraly the first church signed off by Gorbichov to be built in the entire soviet union. Pretty cool, huh! A couple hours later we went to a village about 30 minutes away and I preached there as well and we had a great service. I have also been playing music alot and actually about every service that we attend we do some type of music, so that has been really fun. The weather has been getting really chilly as the last few days have gone on and I pretty much stay in a fleece all of the time. The leaves are beginning to change here and it is absolutely beautiful. Tomorrow we will be heading up to the northern part of the country again and doing some relief work for the flood victims in that region. I understand that we will mainly be passing out food and we will be there for two days and then returning back here to Chisinau. It will be a fun, bumpy ride as it is about 6 hours from here way up in the middle of somewhere. Well, all is good and God is great. We have been very effective in all of our ministering and the key word for the last couple of weeks would be "Encouraging". That's what we are doing and boy do people need it. God Bless and thank you for you prayers and support!

-The eye of Poverty-

2008-09-29T13:25:00.000-07:00

Poverty, was does it mean? To not have clean clothes? To not have clean water? Perhaps, to not have much food? I experienced poverty over the last two days like I have never seen and to be honest if I allowed my experience to completely soak in I don't believe that I would have the strength to even write this. This may seem like an extreme statement but what I have seen I will never, never forget. Yesterday and today I visited a home, or so they call it in the village of Mihalleni, Moldova. Not knowing what to expect, I was somewhat anxious and even a little nervous. We had with us a bag of food and our time, not even knowing what we were supposed to do, I walked through the gated yard, a yard of mud and I seen the most precious sight in the world. Children. Two kids were standing at the door, a little girl and a little boy. As a woman was standing by the home I concluded that she was there grandmother due to her age, however I found out that she was just a neighbor that checked in on the kids from time to time. Why would she check in on them? Because their dad left and their mom left as well. How long ago did they leave? We don't know but it has been awhile. So she comes and gives them food from time to time, not as if she does not have her own struggles. We went into the home which was smaller than most people's bedrooms and found 3 beds with a little stove, a little dog and alot of dirt. The children (Eliana & Dan) were very dirty especially Dan who was three. We had brought them some cookies and man did they eat them up. I think they ate half of a bag in just an hour. We sang some songs and just gave them the most important gift of all ..... Time. After an hour or so we had to leave and it was really hard, knowing that you have to always remember what you saw but also forgetting so that you could go on. It is hard to see poverty like this, especially when it involves children. I wanted to take them home and I would if I could and I mean that with all my heart. Today we went back and Dan the little boy was all by himself at three years old sitting in his bed. We got to bring him some bannanas and he ate three plus a granola bar and then candy. Even one of the natives who went with us said that he did not even know that this poverty existed in his village. The happy side of the story if there is one is this, our team was able to bring some socks to Dan because he had none, they brought them some little toys and they were loving it. Also, the wife of a member of the church said that she is going to check up on them and make sure they get fed. So, Slava Domnuluiu. (Praise God)

Most of us have never seen poverty like this and to be honest we don't like to think about it and often we try to avoid it and stay detatched from it but the truth is that poverty is all around us, everywhere you look whether it be physically, emotionally or spiritually. So I challenge you to confront this epidemic one life at a time.

I am here in Chisinau

2008-09-24T20:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I arrived in Chisinau yesterday afternoon and it is quite the city. We actually spent part of the day in Vienna, Austria as we had a few hours between flights. Vienna is unbelievable, one of the most beautiful, authentic cities I have ever seen. It was not so fun walking in the rain in Vienna but we would have rather seen Mitte Wein (Vienna City) in the rain than not at all. Okay so for Chisinau. Our fellow missionaries and our drivers met us at the airport and they seem to be great people although we don't know them yet I am sure that we will be well acquainted within a few days. Chisinau and Moldova for that matter is a beautiful place. In my opinion it resembles the baltic peninsula or even perhaps the hills of Italy. However, Chisinau is also a place that has much past and it is the Capitol of Moldova, but you can still tell that poverty has strucken even Moldova's finest city. We rode downtown with George our driver (Gheorge') or something like that. I cant believe we survived that! Wow, what an experience. I have not had that many close calls in a vehicle since I was born.lol The weather is cool and rainy, and it appears that we are heading further north today. We will be ministering in the north of the country and we will be there for about a week. We will be staying at a church up there so that will be nice as well. Well, I am going to get off here and by the way I have posted a video just for your enjoyment of Vienna, it's not long but I figured you would enjoy it. See ya and God Bless. Oh, by the way there is a strong possibility that I will not have internet for at least a week so keep that in mind.....

About to Fly out!

2008-09-23T07:53:00.000-07:00

Well, I am writing from the Springfield Airport and I will be boarding in about 30 minutes. I will be arriving in Vienna in the morning and then I will be on my way to Chisinau. See ya

Back from Texas...now on to Europe

2008-09-18T18:25:00.000-07:00

Well, I had a great time in Port Arthur, TX and we were able to minister to over 10,000 families by distributing food, water and other goods to them. I spent last night in Cypress, TX which is a suburb in Houston. We traveled all day and I am really glad to be able to get some rest before heading out next week. Tomorrow, I and my team will be meeting with the Assemblies of God Missions director for Latin America and then we will be hosting a luncheon for the superintendents of Latin America. So, I have a million things to do between now and Tuesday morning but for now I am going to relax and get some much needed rest. So, until next time God Bless....

Deployed to the Gulf

2008-09-10T15:28:00.000-07:00

Well, things have changed.... I was advised today that I along with my team will be heading to the Texas coast on Saturday in anticipation of Hurricane Ike. We are not sure where the storm will hit, so we will be in position to assist in the areas affected as needed. I believe we are going to be gone for most of next week and we should get back around next Thursday/Friday. So, we will hopefully have a couple of days before flying overseas. Life has just gotten interesting and very busy, but I look forward to the opportunity to minister to the victims of Ike. Well, I have to go preach a youth service here shortly and about a hundred other things in the next few days, so keep me in your prayers.... God Bless

Training, Travel and more....

2008-09-07T17:43:00.000-07:00

Hey just wanted to give a quick update. I started training last Thursday and we have a great team of 12 going. Training will be be keeping me very busy for the next 15 days before leaving. The Disaster Relief Center is keeping a close eye on Hurricane Ike as it approaches the U.S. They have already told us that we could possibly be sent down to the gulf if the Hurricane hits the United States. Of course we have no clue about what it is going to do right now, so those possibilities are up in the air, however either way we will still be flying out for Moldova on the 23rd. I have also learned that we will be driving from Chisinau, Moldova to Odesa, Ukraine and then flying to Yerevan, Armenia. We are all excited about what God is going to do and can't wait until we get on the field. I am also hearing that there is a possibility of me going to Eastern Africa in January, but that is not set in stone. So, for now I will say goodbye. In a couple of weeks I will be showing pictures of Moldova and all of the places I will be ministering too. Thank you for your prayers and support! God Bless

Just a few days before training starts!

2008-08-31T19:05:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a long summer in some ways and in other ways it seems as if it has gone by faster than I can imagine. God has been good and he has provided more than enough for all of my needs. I start my three weeks of training in Springfield on Thursday and then I will be heading overseas around the 23 of September. I finally received part of my travel itinerary and it has me leaving from Springfield and flying to Chisinau, Moldova while connecting in Chicago, D.C, and Vienna, Austria. That will be an adventure! lol Due to the recent travel concerns we will probably be flying in to Armenia as well, since we can no longer drive through Georgia as originally planned. But, that is okay. God has provided a way despite the situation and we are still on schedule to minister in Armenia as expected. I have not heard any word of us going to the gulf to help out with the possible victims of Hurrican Gustov, but while working with Convoy of Hope anything is possible. Thank you for your faithfulness and your prayers as I head overseas. You are also in my prayers as I pray God's blessings upon your life for sowing into this ministry. I will have many updates for you from now until December. So, check back often and if you would like to e-mail me please feel free at zacforner@hotmail.com

Travel Warnings

2008-08-09T20:18:00.000-07:00

Well, things are coming along nicely. Of course all of my funds are raised and I praise God for that. There are many things to do in the next few weeks and I look forward to what God is going to do. I would like you to be in prayer for my teams safety, there have been some recent travel warnings put out by the US Government about the country of Georgia. Our travel itenerary included driving through this country in order to get to Armenia, however due to the Russian opposition in Georgia, we may have to alter plans and find a different route into Armenia. In fact the USA Embassy in Georgia is arranging a Convoy to leave in 2 days from the city of Tibsili to Yerevan, which is the city I will be working out of. The reason to pray is the fact that I will be working in Northern Armenia in a kurdish village near the border of Georgia and of course that puts us at risk but we need to help these people, so pray that God will clear up this situation. I will keep you updated and when I get on the field, I will make sure and post some pictures. Thank you for your prayers and support. God Bless you

Financial Goal Reached and Surpassed!

2008-07-21T18:49:00.000-07:00

Praise God! Because of faithful supporters I have now reached and surpassed my financial goal of $12,000.00. I would like to thank my friends and family and of course my church who have greatly contributed to this ministry. I can now focus on what's ahead and what great things God is going to do! I am still not sure of where I am going in January, I am hearing a few hints, but nothing set in stone, I will have alot more information on my itenerary and so-forth as I get into the month of August. I am about 40 days away, so it's time to get everything taken care of. I will have many more updates as I get closer to September and of course when I am on the field. Thank you and God Bless.

Under 60 days and counting.....

2008-07-07T16:07:00.000-07:00

Well, summer is in full-swing now and September is quickly approaching. I found out some specific details on one of the projects I will be working on in Armenia. I will be working with the Kurdish people in Northern Armenia, near the border of the Nation of Georgia. As one of our projects we will be bringing clean water into a village there. It's hard to believe that what is a normal everyday thing to us, like clean water is such a huge need there. I also found out that I will be about a day's drive north of Baghdad, Iraq, so keep me in your prayers. Well, I have a whole lot of preparations left to get in order over the next 8 weeks or so and I am enjoying all of the American cuisine I can get. Thanks for all of your support financially and prayerfully. Also, please pray for my financial goal that I have to meet by September. I need over $7,000.00 still, but I have complete confidence in God that the need will be met. God Bless and thanks again.

Less than 90 days!

2008-06-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I am now less than 90 days away from departing to the field. I am now beginning to get confirmations on countries that I will be ministering to. So far it looks like Moldova, which is located just east of Romania in far Eastern Europe and the country of Armenia, which is located just north of Iran in the Middle East. You may have heard of Mount Ararat in the Bible and Armenia is home to that Biblical mountain. Financially, I have raised about 30% of the funds needed, so I still have a long way to go. However, I am trusting God that the need will be met. I will be finding out alot of information about the countries of Moldova and Armenia in the next week or so as my friend Matt who is the Convoy of Hope Internship Director is currently traveling there and figuring out the logistics of the fall internship. As for the spring internship I do not yet have a clue about where I will be going. That keep's it exciting though! Well, please continue to pray for me as I get prepared to go. It seems like September is so far away and then I look at the calendar and realize it's just around the corner. That is where my faith has to kick in. Thanks to all those who have supported me financially and prayerfully. God Bless

Passport

2008-04-25T08:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I turned in my passport papers yesterday. I should have the passport in hand within 8 weeks. I have also been in touch with Convoy of Hope and they are telling me that I am starting to receive financial support and that they will have a total for me shortly. I'm excited and also nervous as I am trusting God to make this all work, but this verse helps me alot, " With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible"(Matt. 19:26) Please keep me in your prayers. Thank you so much. God Bless

In the Beginning......

2008-04-03T14:10:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

This is the first day that I have used this blog and I have a while to go until I leave for the field. As the time approaches I am currently beginning to raise funds and get all of my financial affairs in order. I am looking forward to what God has in store for me later this year as I head overseas to share the love of Jesus. To all my supporters whether prayerfully of financially I would like to thank you so very much in helping me to fulfill what God has called me to do. I will have more updates, especially as I move into the summer months, so please check back. God Bless