February 12, 2009
Kathy Sappia, serving in Thailand with TEAM Isaan
Five years ago when TEAM Isaan, an Alliance church-planting initiative northeast Thailand, launched a prayer movement to reach the Isaan people, there were virtually no known believers in the region. Today, there are more than 60 followers of Jesus among this previously unreached group.
Breakthrough!
A major breakthrough came when Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC) began transmitting Christian messages where TEAM Isaan ministered. Team members began working with FEBC to reach contacts who had written to the station, some of whom were prisoners.
In answer to prayer, we began regular meetings in three regional prisons. Since November 2007, a total of 54 prisoners received Christ, and several church groups were started. The believers who have been released are proclaiming Him outside the prison walls.
New Lives for Old
After they received Jesus in prison, Montri and EQ were released. They returned to their home villages and sought reconciliation with their families and friends.
Previously, Montri had been known as one to give orders instead of helping in the fields. But this past harvest season, he worked alongside his family, which allowed them to see that he has truly changed.
EQ has also been displaying a changed life, which has his entire village talking. He was once known as a lazy womanizer and troublemaker. But since his release from prison, he hasn’t shown any of the old tendencies.
Shoes of Readiness
Many in EQ’s village noticed the change in him. When he and Montri asked if anyone was interested in hearing the reason behind their changed lives, 15 people agreed to meet weekly with the men to hear the story of God. Some were parents who were seeking answers on how to help their children change for the better like EQ.
After presenting God’s plan of salvation and sharing their testimonies with the villagers, the men challenged the group to consider whether they too wanted to receive Jesus as Savior. The following week, the two returned to ask the men and women to make a decision.
All nine who were in attendance said they were eagerly awaiting the chance to say yes. Montri asked them why they chose to believe. They responded by stating that they understand they are sinners and that Jesus is the only one who can save them from their sins.
These nine new believers continue to meet with Montri and EQ to study God’s Word and to worship Him as a family in Christ. Some of the original 15 members of the group have moved south to find work, but they showed sincere interest in learning more and remain in contact with Montri and EQ.
Recently, two more people received the Lord in a women’s group at one of the prisons. We have seen such growth and hunger in all of the women. One had been invited by Yan, the quietest woman in our group. Yan said she has put on her “shoes of readiness to share the gospel” and is boldly sharing what God has done in her life.
It’s exciting to see the joy of the Lord literally overflowing from these women and touching the lives of those around them!
Thank you so much for partnering with us. It is through your faithful prayers and giving to Alliance Great Commission Ministries that we can minister among the Isaan people.
What You Can Do
Praise God for those who received Christ through the ministry of TEAM Isaan. Pray that God will raise up other Christian leaders through those coming to Christ both inside and outside the prisons.
Donate to Alliance Great Commission Ministries. In doing so, you help to sustain dedicated field workers like those who minister among the Isaan people.
Visit TEAM Isaan’s Web site for more information and stories about its ministry.
Read an article about TEAM Isaan in the July 2008 issue of alife.
February 9, 2009
By Diane Rorabaugh, serving in Russia
“Tradition!” This memorable line in “Fiddler on the Roof “—a popular musical set in Russia—is why Christmas is commemorated in the former republic on January 7, rather than December 25.
Much of the world switched from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar in the 1700s, but Russia did not. After the 1917 Revolution, Lenin decided to convert to the Gregorian calendar to get in step with the rest of the world. The Russian Orthodox Church refused to make the change. Although it was frowned upon during the communist era, Russian’s traditionally have commemorated Christmas on January 7, based on the Julian calendar.
Secular Observance
Russia’s government officially recognized Christmas in 1992, establishing the Christmas holiday from January 1-7 (New Year’s Day to Orthodox Christmas day). It is a week-long party accompanied by lots of fireworks; for many adults it’s an excuse to drink.
In reality, Christmas for non-Christian Russians is the celebration of New Years. (Although New Year’s Day is celebrated on January 14, based on the Julian calendar, December 31 is when the biggest party occurs here.) New Year’s trees are put up, and Grandfather Frost and his granddaughter, the Snow Maiden, bring gifts to children on the last day of December.
A Traditional Russian Christmas
Meanwhile, most churches in Russia have Christmas Eve services on January 6. In the Orthodox Church, this is a very holy, solemn service. Some of the more traditional Protestant services are as well.
Other church services are more celebratory. For example, our congregation has a joyful Christmas Eve service with lots of music and special programs honoring Jesus’ birth. We sing Silent Night and Joy to the World, but carols aren’t known by many outside the church. There are not nearly as many Christmas songs in Russia as in the United States.
It’s a little strange for Americans in Russia on December 25. Kids are in school and businesses are open—it’s just another day for most here. While a few Protestant churches have begun observing Christmas on December 25, others don’t wish to be seen as Western-influenced, or different from other Russians, so they stick with the January 7 observance.
New Traditions
Russian Christians sometimes struggle with how to celebrate Christmas. Most are still figuring out what traditions they want for their families, since these weren’t passed down from parents or grandparents during the decades when the holiday wasn’t officially sanctioned.
On one hand, it’s sad that Christmas doesn’t mean much to the average Russian. On the other hand, it’s a relief that the commercialism of the holiday has been shifted to New Years.
January 7 is understood here to be a holiday set aside to celebrate Christ’s birth. It is a wonderful occasion for Christians to share with nonbelievers the great hope our Savior brought to this earth.
Learn More
>> Diane recommends this site to learn more about Russian Christmas traditions.
>> Read about Alliance outreach efforts in Russia.
What You Can Do
>> Pray that our Alliance workers in Russia would continue to show, in word and deed, the relevance of Christmas to unbelievers. Pray also for new believers in Russia to establish family traditions focused on Jesus’ birth.
>> Give to Alliance Great Commission Ministries. In doing so, you partner with international workers, like Diane, to share the love of Christ with those who are hurting and have no hope.
February 4, 2009
Rev. Oscar W. Jacobson, retired missionary to Colombia, entered into the presence of the Lord on Sunday, February 1, 2009. He was 94. Oscar and his wife, Mina, served with The Christian and Missionary Alliance more than 35 years.
Oscar, the youngest of eleven children, was born in South Dakota and grew up in northern Minnesota. At age eighteen he came face to face with Christ. The Lord spoke to Oscar through a challenging missionary message, and he responded to the call to the mission field. In 1935 he attended St. Paul Bible College (now Crown College) and there met Mina Kellenberg. They were married in August 1937 and then transferred to Nyack College, graduating in 1938. For four years, they served in pastorates in southern Minnesota and in Wisconsin. In 1942, they were appointed as Alliance missionaries and sailed to Colombia, South America, with their three children: Sherrill, David, and Alvin.
The early years of the Jacobson’s ministry were spent working in the Central Andes among the Guambiano Indians. In 1943 they led the first Guambianos to Christ. They then ministered in the port city of Buenaventura and along the heavily populated river areas (Oscar was trained to fly four-engine planes and to navigate large boats).
The Jacobsons also taught in the Bible Institute in Armenia, Caldas. While ministering in Buenaventura, a miracle took place during a church service one evening. A police officer came in and fired six shots at Oscar while he was preaching. The Lord allowed all six bullets to miss him. Oscar dug the bullets out of the wood walls and kept them in a film canister as a reminder of God’s faithfulness.
In 1958, Oscar suffered a severe heart attack that forced the family to leave Colombia for three years. God marvelously healed Oscar while serving in a pastorate at a church in Worchester, Massachusetts. He and Mina returned to Colombia in 1961. In 1966, they began church planting ministries in Cali. Home Bible studies were begun with families that started bringing others to Christ. A leadership training program was established with extension courses at the Bethel Bible Institute. The Jacobsons’ last 12 years on the field were spent in nationwide evangelism, serving various Alliance churches. Oscar and Mina retired from missionary service in 1980.
Visitation will be held February 3 from 6-8 p.m., with the memorial service to be held Wednesday, February 4 at 3:30 p.m. at Moore Memorial Gardens Funeral Home, 1219 N. Davis, Arlington, Texas. Rev. Mark R. Searing, Southwestern District Superintendant, will represent International Ministries and The Christian and Missionary Alliance at the service.
Oscar is predeceased by his wife, Mina.
Miss Stella M. Ratzloff, retired missionary to Thailand, entered into the presence of the Lord on Monday, December 22, 2008. She was 88. Stella served with The Christian and Missionary Alliance for 37 years.
During Stella’s childhood, she attended an Alliance church with her family and received Christ into her life during high school. When she graduated from college, Stella knew God was calling her to the mission field. She studied at St. Paul Bible College (now Crown College) prior to her departure for Thailand in 1947.
In her first years on the field, Stella was secretary/bookkeeper in the field office. She also was involved in station work, youth ministry, and Bible conferences. Stella taught in the Bible schools, ministered among college and university students, and worked with the Theological Education by Extension program. She retired in 1988.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12).
You are playing a crucial role in what God is doing here in Burkina Faso’s Kenedougou region,” Alliance worker Bonnie Oberg said recently.
We face a spiritual battle, and because of this, it is not necessary for you to physically be here to wage war against the enemy. Your prayers are resulting in the victories we are seeing.” Oberg shared a story that illustrates the importance of our continued work of prayer.
On January 19, she requested intercession on behalf of Nema, a believer who had been oppressed by spirits for about a week. Bonnie’s husband, Kevin, and coworker, Toby, had prayed for Nema twice during the previous weekend. A local pastor and believers in the church had been praying and fasting as well.
Demons Flee
“She is completely out of control and the demons speaking through her are very stubborn and refusing to leave (although they are now saying that they will),” said Oberg. “Please pray for her complete freedom, that Satan will be bound, and that those in contact with her will be protected from physical and spiritual harm.”
A week later, Oberg shared good news with her fellow prayer warriors. “Praise the Lord for the progress in delivering Nema from evil spirits. She is now mostly ‘coherent,’ though she has experienced some head trauma from beating her head while possessed. Please pray for her physical recovery and that every last demon will leave and that she will find complete freedom in Jesus.”
“Thank you so much for praying,” Oberg concluded. “It really is making a difference.”
What You Can Do
Praise the Lord for the many victories our Burkina Faso team is witnessing because of the power of prayer. Continue in urgent prayer for this important work.
February 3, 2009
More than 1,000 people gathered in Nouna, Burkina Faso, to dedicate the new evangelical radio station on January 31. “People came from all over the Kossi Province and from the Solenzo district in the neighboring Banwa Province,” said Alliance worker Andrew Schaeffer.
Broadcasts are heard on solar-powered radios, enabling listeners in remote villages to receive God’s message of hope and salvation.
Since 1930, The Alliance has worked in the Kossi Province, planting churches in what are today the Alliance church districts of Nouna, Djibasso, and Doumbala.
“In his keynote address, Dr. Adama Dembele, an active Alliance layman originally from Nouna, acknowledged the distinguished ministries of former Kossi pastors and Alliance missionaries like Lin Ballard and David Kennedy,” said Schaeffer. “He also invited all of the evangelical churches in the Kossi and Banwa provinces to work together in community for the success of the Nouna Evangelical Radio.”
A Gift of Goat
As the official mission representative, Schaeffer was pleasantly surprised to be presented with a goat in appreciation for all of the C&MA’s help in establishing the station. “To be honest, my colleague, Eric Eshbaugh, should have been presented with the goat, but he was too busy helping to set up and film the ceremony,” Schaeffer said. Eshbaugh, the mission’s radio technician, did much of the legwork to get Nouna Evangelical Radio on the air.
“If you have given to Radio Africa, helped purchase Galcom solar radios, or participated in the C&MA’s 2001 General Council offering, Give the Winds A Mighty Voice, you, too deserve a choice morsel of that goat meat,” said Schaeffer. “Thank you for enabling us to sow the gospel seed widely throughout Burkina Faso through our radio stations in Nouna, Banfora, Bobo, and Tougan.”
What you can do
Praise God for His provision to establish four radio stations in Burkina Faso. Pray that the ears that hear the gospel will choose to follow Jesus.
Dakar Academy students in Senegal, West Africa, recently concluded the school’s now biannual outreach event, which takes them to numerous villages to perform various acts of service.
The students, many of whom are Alliance MKs (missionary kids), experienced firsthand how God can use them to advance His Kingdom. Led by Academy dorm personnel and Alliance missionary Evan Evans, the students ministered to more than 3,500 people in 10 villages.
Through medical care, kids’ Bible clubs, building projects, and evangelism campaigns, “more than 100 people responded to the message of salvation,” said Evans. “Some of our teams were the first to ever present the gospel in some of these villages!”
MKs Bring Revival
The medical team set a new record, ministering to 280 people. But the highlight came when the MKs worshipped in a church that they helped to build during the last trip.
“The national church president said that there were more than 200 people now attending the church,” said Evans. “He went on to say that through the efforts of the students from Dakar Academy, there has been a spirit of revival that has enveloped the entire region.”
None of these things could have been possible without the prayers of God’s people” Evans continued, “so thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayer support!”
What you can do:
Pray for God’s wisdom and guidance for Dakar Academy personnel as they lead the next generation that will go and make disciples of all nations. Also, pray that the national church will grow strong and produce lasting fruit.
Facebook
Twitter
Forums
RSS
Podcasts
Newsletters