Water Walking With Jesus

Dear Prayer Warriors, Family, and Ministry Partners,

When you go “Water Walking” with Jesus, it is amazing where He will take you if you don’t look at the waves!

Stepping out of the boat has brought the “Ultimate Challenge” for us in recent days. When we began our adventure with God, 11 years ago, we began praying the Prayer of Jabez and God has expanded our boundaries of ministry beyond anything we could have ever imagined!!

Stepping out of the boat with God has often taken us out of our comfort zone, to places we never dreamed of visiting, much less living! God has allowed us to be His hands and feet in many settings: including working with the urban poor and homeless, Native Americans in Arizona and Alaska, the bush of Africa, and many places in between, such as, Eleuthera, Honduras, and India.
We thought God had expanded our territories through the Prayer of Jabez when He opened the door at Uganda Baptist Seminary but now, God has taken us another step, by bringing us back across the Atlantic for the greatest challenge, adventure, and step of faith to date!


Harry has been appointed as VP of Missions for Equip International in Marion, NC.

Equip is one of LifeWind’s strategic partners in the Global CHE Network offering training in Community Health Evangelism (CHE); Missionary Medicine Intensive (MMI); Appropriate Technologies; Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH); Well Drilling; Pumping Water; Water Filtration; and Food Production. Harry’s experience in training and equipping short-term mission teams, urban ministries, and church leaders in Uganda with the CHE strategy along with his Masters in Cross-Cultural Ministry and experiences within diverse settings around the world have provided him “hands-on” experience, insight, networking, and coaching skills that would be very helpful to those called to go “Water Walking” on the mission field.

Harry will be involved in mobilizing, coaching, and encouraging missionaries going to the field, working with approximately 35 missionary families, both nationally and internationally, and traveling periodically to those he is serving.

The Need for Administrative Support is Crucial
After being on the field, we can say without a doubt, that the training and equipping of missionaries before going, along with continued coaching, strategizing, and encouraging , are CRUCIAL; not only for the success of field missionaries, but also to sustain them on the front lines! A study published by Bloecher in 2005 documented that increased cross-cultural training led to lower missionary attrition rates. (http://www.dmgint.de/fileadmin/user_upload/PDFs1/ReMAPI_summary.pdf)

A survey of field missionary leaders in 2009 revealed that team leaders often felt inadequately prepared, overwhelmed, bogged down, frustrated, and cited inadequate administrative support. (www.impactleader.org )

“70% acknowledged that they received no orientation, coaching, or training specific to their current role.”

One in four “questioned whether they are using their gifts appropriately and they are accomplishing anything worthwhile in God’s kingdom.”

Requested most frequently was, “clear, concise, and consistent communication by executive leadership and intentional training and/or coaching for their own personal and professional development.”


The President of Mission Training International, Dr. Steve Sweatman, has stated that “After training and counseling Christian leaders for more than 10 decades, there is no harder place, than to lead a team than in a cross-cultural environment. In order to develop and equip those leaders we need to listen intently to their felt needs.”

In light of the fact, that tens of millions of people have never heard the name of Jesus at all, and there are even hundreds of millions more that need a saving relationship with Christ, we feel that God is calling us to help missionaries on the front line to be better equipped for more effective service in the Kingdom.

Financial Support Still Needed
We will continue to be supported as “faith-based” missionaries; and consequently, will need your continued prayers and financial partnership to fulfill the task God has given us.

LifeWind will be recipient of your contributions until July 31, 2010.

P.O. Box 576645
Modesto, CA 95357-6645

Checks received at LifeWind after this date will be returned to the sender.

You will receive a letter from Equip giving more information and different options to be a part of our ministry in a few days.

Need opportunities to share our vision
Stepping out of the boat has led to a far greater vision, than we could have ever imagined…and we need help to bring about this God-sized task, as never before!! We need you AND we need others, for prayer and financial partnership.

Will you help us bring our “five loaves and two fish;” so that missionaries can be more effective in reaching the lost?

Would you be willing to pray, asking God how he would have you help?

Can we speak in your Sunday School, Life Group, Bible Study, Prayer groups, or other gatherings of mission-minded folks like yourself?

YOU can help be a part of equipping missionaries for effectiveness, longevity, and satisfaction in their calling. Help us glorify God by equipping missionaries with personal tools needed for strategic and effective cross-cultural ministry. Please contact us to help schedule our time with you while we are in your area.


Your Partners in the Great Commission and Great Commandment,

Harry and Pam Porter

828-803-4026 or 4153