On June 16-21, Women in the Window is sending out a team consisting of Vanessa Artman, Jamie Bartlett, Mindy Blount and Diane Serrano who will have the privilege of serving one of our longtime ministry partners, PMI.  This is an international organization of leaders investing their lives in places we would not dare call home. Twenty-six women representing 13 nations will participate in this training. They serve as long term missionaries in 11 countries throughout North Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Many of these women work in contexts of hostility, war, and crisis. The suffering experienced first-hand by these workers requires a deep dependence on God. Our goal is to equip and empower these leaders by creating spaces of hope, learning and transformation. The topics addressed will facilitate building a culture of  care,  reciprocal  generosity and will guide participants to learn together, how to embrace pain, suffering, joy and celebration.

Please join us in praying for these requests:

• For God’s peace and watchful care over family remaining at home.
• Safe travel and minimal logistical interruption for the Women in the Window team and for all the participants traveling from remote areas around the globe to a central training site in Europe.
• Full health, stamina and the ability to focus on all that God is doing in and through our lives.
• That each of us would be a blessing to each of the women at this training and that the Lord would be glorified in all we do.
• Discernment as we facilitate and serve our ministry partners and for the Spirit of God to bring healing and transformational change to the lives of each woman present.

“As he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him.” Acts 9:3

When we think of Syria, we likely think of civil war and a humanitarian crisis of epic proportion with four million displaced refugee men, women, and children. But the Bible remembers Syria as holy ground where Saul met Jesus face to face and became Paul the Apostle and writer of much of the New Testament. In just a few days from now, our Women in the Window team will travel to the Middle East to facilitate a Women’s Health and Wellness training with Syrian refugee women leaders. Working alongside one of Women in the Window’s new ministry initiative, our WiW team hopes to bring the light of heaven’s love to those living in the shadow of darkness and despair. With practical and spiritual excellence, our WiW curriculum covers aspects of women’s health (anatomy and physiology, fertility/family planning, etc.) and celebrates the beauty of womanhood created in God’s image for His unique and divine purposes.

We are thrilled to have the privilege to serve and empower women such as these. As we do on all our trips, we will facilitate a daily WiW Inductive Bible Training. This year, we will study Naaman’s Servant Girl from 2 Kings 5:1-14 who epitomizes both faith and courage. We incorporate a multiplication lesson at the end of each training so we can even more thoroughly empower the women to reproduce the training in their own community and context.

Sarah and Kim are thrilled to welcome Nancy Wagler on her first Women in the Window trip and training. Nancy has extensive medical experience as a registered nurse who served alongside her husband, Andy, in a North African nation that is considered nearly 100% Muslim.

Please join us in praying for these requests:

• Team members’ (Sarah Pascual, Nancy Wagler, Kim Kerr) safety and health in travel and on the field, and joy in serving Christ together as a team and with our ministry partners in the Middle East.
• Ministry partners who serve throughout the Middle East and Arabian Peninsula to grow in their own competency to train other women using Women in the Window curriculum and Bible study.
• Syrian women refugees who are serving Christ in times of terrible difficulty for themselves, their families and their people, to find hope and healing through sweet times of fellowship and the strength of the training itself. May they KNOW that they are of great value in the eyes of God and in our eyes, too!

“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” Jeremiah 33:3

We experienced the power of prayer during our recent training with North African women in Europe. Yes, tremendous and even transformational results took place in the heart of each woman that attended. All of the women we serve there are from a Muslim background and are now followers of Christ, serving Him faithfully in their home, church, and communities.

As the training began, and throughout our time together, we heard stories of emotional abandonment and physical abuse that brought severe trauma into their lives. Several women broke down in tears and others quickly comforted them as they sobbed. We saw God working to heal deep heart wounds and how God works through women to help each other along. Along with sobs, we saw laughter and amazement as God reached into places of past sorrow and began to bring hope and His healing.

The Biblereminds us that God hears and cares. God answers prayer. This may seem a simple truth to many who have followed Christ all of your lives. But for those who are just getting to know Him and His character, such as the women we serve from Africa, Asia, America and the Middle East, the reality of God’s personal presence and power is astounding. Yet, because of you and your prayers on their behalf, their understanding is open to the ways of God—His goodness and glory, too. How grateful we are for YOU!

“I called out of my trouble and distress to the Lord,
And He answered me;
Out of the belly of Sheol (hell) I cried for help,
And You heard my voice. . .” Jonah 2:2 Amplified Bible

Please join us in persistent prayer for WiW Summer trainings for His generous provision and protection, along with His favor, kindness, and His powerful working in each woman who attends.

– Middle East/North Africa | June 16-21
Heart training with women from Latin America serving throughout the Arab world

– Middle East | June 17-21
Health training with Syrian refugee women

– South Dakota | July 11-14
Heart and Leadership training with Lakota Sioux Native American women

Tomorrow is the final day of training in Uganda! Our South Sudanese sisters have been so teachable and really embraced the training. Both Sarah Peters and Sarah Tountas have done a fantastic job teaching and the African ladies have grown quite fond of them (the women have nicknamed them Tiny Sarah and Mama Sarah – both terms of love and respect). Every one of the African women developed a business plan based on the Microenterprise Training. We spent two hours listening to their plans, which all included a focus on sharing the Gospel and helping the poor. It was an astounding and humbling experience since they are quite poor themselves – some of them even live in refugee camps. Biblical leadership principles came to life as they discussed how God’s word applies to their everyday situations. They seemed to treasure every moment together with one another and with us.

Please pray:

1. Tomorrow evening we will drive to the refugee camp and ministering to women there. Please pray for the 8-hour road trip, for safety, joy in the journey, and that God will give us eyes to see what he sees.
2. That God would provide the seed that the Sudanese women need to start or grow their businesses to care for even more vulnerable children and orphans in their distress.
3. That the women would be confident in using and teaching all the new skills they have.

Our Women in the Window Team has safely arrived in Uganda!  Below is an update from the team of Kim Kerr, Sarah Tountas, and Sarah Peters.

Our day started bright and early at 7:30 a.m. with devotions focused on the Good Shepherd in the Gospel of John. We just completed our first full day of training at 9:30 p.m!  Each moment with these 15 key Sudanese women leaders has been fruitful. The women consider it quite an honor to receive this WiW training. They traveled from various places in war-torn South Sudan, refugee camps, and cities. They received spiritual and sound business principles and practices with great enthusiasm. They are very eager to learn and apply Inductive Bible study tools and leadership skills as well.

Their hearts are so heavy with the daily unthinkable burdens of poverty and war. Despite all of the trauma, we are amazed at how trusting they are and how open their hearts are.

Please pray:

• For us all, Africans and Americans, to experience the transformation and refreshment as we gather together through the remaining four days of training.
• For our health and stamina as we are still catching up with the seven-hour time difference.
• That our words would be clearly articulated to and understood by our sisters here and that the Holy Spirit would be at work in their hearts.
• That our Sudanese brothers and sisters would be confident and empowered that they are the ones best-equipped to share the Gospel with the unreached here and wherever the Lord takes them.

Joyfully His,
Sarah, Sarah, and Kim