To the Remotest Parts of the Earth

From South Dakota to North Africa, Women in the Window International always seeks to follow God’s lead and be His witnesses, equipping, empowering and discipling women. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” Acts 1:8

South Dakota 

With much gratitude, our Women in the Window team (Jenny, Sherry and Kim), as well as Michael of Michael Poupard Ministries, felt the power of your prayers from the moment we arrived on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation, until we departed. Here are just a few highlights:

While on the reservation, we had an extremely full schedule overflowing with the abundance of God’s favor as we witnessed the move of God’s power among the people of the Lakota Nation. Our great God called us together to realize the truth of our relationship to Him as Father and together as friends in Christ. The bond and kinship we enjoyed as sisters and brothers in Him was simply priceless!

Through the Women in the Window Inductive Bible Study of Dorcas from Acts 9, women saw themselves as essential to God’s purpose! We taught lessons on our hope together, that in our grief and brokenness, “He is near”(Psalm 34:18) and “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” (Isaiah 53:4). Jenny, our Native Lakota team member, brought a very powerful training with a positive response from the Lakota sisters on building community ownership and micro enterprise. Our friends, Jed and Sally Jezek, made all of this easier as they blessed us with very loving servants’ hearts and hospitality! And, our host ministry, New Beginnings Ministry, led by Pastor Jerome Slidesoff and his wife, Darcy, continues to reach, teach, and make disciples, bringing the order of Scripture through personal and family commitment. We participated in a family baptism and a young couple’s wedding!

Although the Lakota peoples, continue to suffer many tragedies in their lives this promise from God’s Word and His Heart remains true, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ, manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place” (2 Cor. 2:14).  Together, we bow our knees at the cross of Christ and rise up victorious, hand in hand, to empower, equip and seek God’s mercy on our lives and our nation in times like these. Who knows, perhaps the renewal that our nation so desperately needs might just begin at the beginning . . . with the First Nations people, the Lakota Sioux tribe!

Michael Poupard led Prayer | The Passion and The Power, a prayer conference for the Lakota men over two days and then preached twice; once on Saturday night and then again on Sunday morning to a packed house! This is highly unusual for the Native Americans, and evidence of God’s mighty movement among them.

North Africa

Jackie Hilliard and her husband Chris recently returned from North Africa and shared their joy in being able to meet and get to know our ministry partner women leaders of North Africa and to hear their incredible stories of boldness and faith! All of the women who attended were formerly Muslim before becoming Christ followers, and so have experienced and continue to endure intense persecution and abuse from their communities and especially their own families. But, they remain vigilant, bold, and have such a love and desire to see other Muslim women, and men, experience freedom in Christ. 

Our Women in the Window training focused on economic empowerment and spiritual development. Here are just some of the highlights and quotes:

• “Our team of women has seen many women in their communities start and fail in business due to lack of planning. Now we have a tool to be able to help these women to start a business in a wise and biblical way. We hope to conduct our own training within the next 2 months!”
• One North African woman has a vision to come alongside women in vulnerable situations to help them to start their own businesses. Once her business is operational, those who are vulnerable will take over full ownership of the business for themselves, and then this woman leader will reproduce this model of “business” to help other women.
• Another team of women leaders has decided to start a savings fund in which the women leaders will contribute every week. Once there is enough savings available, they will offer opportunities for women in their churches and communities to present their business plans and take out small loans. The women will be required to pay back the loans, so that other women will have the opportunity to take out a loan and start businesses as well.

Women in the Window Prayer Points:

Gateway City | August 11-15 | WiW will be leading a training with women from the Arabian Peninsula this weekend. Pray for uneventful travel, a strong connection with women leaders who have direct access to nations and peoples otherwise closed to Christians! Many of these women are experiencing persecution from their own families, but they continue to seek opportunities to share the Hope within (1 Peter 3:15).

Togo | August 15-18 | West African women’s training in Micro-enterprise enables women in abject poverty to find and offer hope in Christ, led by our West African ministry partner, Elizabeth!

India | September 17- October 4 | Training in all aspects of a women’s life and how to prevent human trafficking and abuse. 

Would you like to receive training in the capacities we use to equip and empower women leaders in the 10/40 window and beyond? If so, please join us for an upcoming training session, Thursday, August 25  |  9:30 am- 3:30 pm, at The Ocean Tree Condo Clubhouse on Singer Island. For more information and to RSVP click here. We would love to have you join us!