May 14, 2009
By Betsy Blanchard, serving in Spain
Editor’s note: Excerpts from Betsy’s recent newsletter describe her vision to assist immigrant women in Spain, many of whom are victims of sex-trafficking.
Great needs and spiritual darkness are a tangible part of life in my adopted home-Spain.
Spain’s Most Vulnerable
According to experts, immigrant women from Eastern Europe, Africa, Arabia, and Latin America have a 25 percent higher risk of being subjected to domestic violence in Spain.
Domestic violence is not the only problem these women face. There is a growing problem across Europe—including Spain—of sex-trafficking.
Young women-often girls in their teens, mostly from Latin America, Eastern Europe, and a few countries in Africa-are being forced into prostitution. Enticed to Spain by what seem to be legitimate jobs, they find themselves enslaved in prostitution, with almost no way out-hopeless, their young lives in ruins.
Cinderella’s House
God has laid a vision on my heart to establish a residential center—”Cinderella’s House”—to minister to these women in crisis. A center for restoration, it is where a hopeless and broken “princess” (a daughter of the King of Kings!) can meet the Prince of Peace and be transformed.
I spent the last six to eight months of my term in Spain laying some groundwork for this dream, researching possible sites for this ministry. My efforts will now focus primarily on getting this project off the ground—as God leads and provides.
Please continue to pray with me that God will soon make the Cinderella’s House project a reality that will impact women in crisis across Spain with the love of Jesus.
Learn More
Read about our work in Spain.
What You Can Do
Your support of Alliance Great Commission Ministries allows dedicated international workers like Betsy to continue their work-reaching the hopeless with the transforming message of Christ’s love.
To help get “Cinderella’s House” off the ground, you can mark your gift in any one of the following ways: “Cinderella’s House,” “Women in Crisis-Spain,” or “E. Blanchard Work Funds.” (Any of these designations will go toward the costs involved in Betsy’s ministry to women in crisis, as described in this article.)
By Dan and Melody Taube, serving in Argentina
Editor’s note: In their ministry through the Buenos Aries Professional Project (BAPP), Dan and Melody Taube are engaged in the delicate task of building relationships in hopes of introducing professionals to Jesus. The following excerpt from one of the Taubes’ newsletters highlights the spiritual fruit of longsuffering—an essential ingredient in winning these precious souls to Christ.
The highlights of each week for us are the Bible studies we hold in homes. These are times when we grow and see others grow in understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. As we teach, we trust that the Holy Spirit will take the Word and do the humanly impossible task of making Jesus and His teaching real and relevant to those who attend.
The conversation usually is lively with a great deal of participation. Porteños, as the inhabitants of Buenos Aires are known, are very expressive. Just imagine interacting with a room full of Italians, and you will have an idea of the group dynamics. It isn’t unusual for two or three people to talk at once, and the amazing thing about it is that Porteños can follow all three!
A recent Sunday wasn’t perhaps as lively as some, but a husband and wife who actively participate in the discussion made a couple of statements that stuck in our minds. At one point, “Rosa” (not her real name) looked around the room and said to the rest of the group, “Thank you for being patient with me. I don’t know if I ever would have come to Christ if you would have hurried me up.”
Later in the discussion Rosa’s husband expressed his burning desire that his brother come to Christ. He exclaimed with Argentine enthusiasm, “Every time I see him, I want to beat him over the head with the gospel!”
These two comments illustrate the internal battle we often face with those we desire to come to Christ. We want to move things along faster, but so many of our friends are slow to make the commitment. Pray that our zeal will never cool and our patience will outlast all the arguments raised against our Lord by people we love dearly.
Thanks for walking alongside us as we minister His grace.
What You Can Do
Praise God for those who found Jesus through the ministry of Dan and Melody and BAPP. Pray for continued fruit from this outreach.
Editor’s note: The Thailand Congress on Evangelism exists to glorify God by facilitating the establishment of a viable and indigenous church among the peoples of Thailand that impacts the world. During its recent gathering, Thai church leaders were inspired and equipped to be more effective in evangelism and church planting throughout the country’s 76 provinces.
Earlier this month 3,000-4,000 Protestant church leaders, laypeople, and missionaries gathered from all over Thailand to consider how they can work together more effectively to see the Great Commission completed in Thailand. The Seventh Thailand Congress on Evangelism drew people from the three main bodies of the Protestant church in Thailand—the Church of Christ in Thailand, The Thailand Baptist Convention, and the Evangelical Fellowship of Thailand—as well as many Alliance missionaries, church leaders, and laypeople.
Two C&MA Bangkok church pastors and leaders, Ajarn Timothy Jeng and Ajarn Nok Yutasak, played key roles in this event and also spoke at the conference. An exhibition hall displayed the church growth and evangelistic tools utilized by various ministries. “These are significant events that galvanize the churches and spur them on,” says Richard Herring, C&MA regional director for Asia Pacific.
Those in attendance affirmed their vision to see a church established in every district of Thailand and for every village to have an opportunity to hear the gospel by the end of next year. Alliance missionaries are helping to see these goals achieved in the provinces of Nong Khai, Sakorn Nakon, Nakorn Panom, Surin, Bangkok, Mahachai, and Phuket.
The last event of this nature occurred in 2004, which coincided with the 175th anniversary of the establishment of the Protestant Church in Thailand.
What You Can Do
Praise God for the spirit of unity that exists among the various segments of the evangelical church in Thailand. Pray that the Alliance mission and the C&MA national church, the Gospel Church of Thailand, will be used by God to impact the country for His Kingdom.
Pray also that the church will continue to grow in becoming self-supporting, self-propagating, and self-governing and that God’s Spirit will draw men, women, and children to Himself in greater ways in the days ahead.
May 13, 2009
By Ed and Sue Danneker, serving in Thailand
Editor’s note: Excerpts from one of the Dannekers’ newsletters describe their dynamic church-planting and disciplemaking ministry in Thailand, one of the most devoutly Buddhist nations in the world. People young and old continue to trust Jesus through the prayers of Ed and Sue and their fellow believers.
At one of our Friday prayer meetings, Ed felt burdened to pray specifically for men to be saved. We praise God for all the women God is bringing our way, but we need more men. The very next day, a 27-year-old man named Bank called the church. He said a friend had given him the church’s number to inquire about the Lord.
Peace that Passes Understanding
Bank’s father had been a nominal Christian and never took Bank to church. His mother is Buddhist. His father had passed away two months previously, and the family had a Christian funeral. This was Bank’s first real exposure to Christianity, and he was very impressed with what the pastor shared as well as the music. He felt a peace he could not explain.
Bank arrived at church at 10:30 a.m., when Ed usually teaches an English class. The class had been canceled for the Chinese New Year, so Bank talked with Ed from 10:30 in the morning until our services started at 1:30 pm. Bank wanted to know everything about the Lord. He stayed through our prayer meeting, Sunday school, and worship service. After the worship service, Ed asked Bank if he was ready to accept the Lord. He answered enthusiastically, “YES!”
Ed had the men gather around and led Bank in a prayer to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. And Bank has really taken off! He bought a Bible right away and eagerly began reading it. He calls Ed almost every day with more questions about what he is reading. They have been studying the discipleship materials each week, but Bank has read ahead and calls Ed with questions.
Contagious Faith
Shortly thereafter, Bank was ready to get rid of his idols. Just amazing! One Sunday in church, he gave testimony of how God has changed his life. In addition, one of Bank’s coworkers instantly noticed the change in him since he became a Christian, and she prayed to receive Christ. Unfortunately, when she told her family members the good news about the Lord, they became furious and forbade her from following the Christian way. Pray that this woman will stay strong in her faith and that her family will soften and allow her to attend church.
What You Can Do
Praise the Lord for Bank’s salvation and evangelistic passion. Pray for him as he continues to grow in his faith. Pray that Bank’s coworker will persevere in following Jesus despite opposition.
By Dave and Margot Kennedy, serving in France
Editor’s note: Often referred to as the “missionary graveyard,” France is a postmodern nation where little more than one half of 1 percent of the population professes to be evangelical Christian. Excerpts from the Kennedy’s recent newsletter describe the darkness through which so many French citizens tunnel-and how some are finding in Christ The Way out.
Paris, France, the place to which God has called us, is an exciting, busy city. Most days we descend into the depths of the earth—along with roughly 6 million other people who use the famous, efficient Paris Metro (subway) system that covers more than 131 miles of track—traveling to where life is taking us.
No Exit
By the somber looks on people’s faces in the metro, you know they’re tunneling through much more than the Paris underground. They’re tunneling through the dark, winding maze of life’s heartaches and difficulties—not sure which way to go, wondering when they’ll see the light of day again.
It’s easy to lose your way if you don’t have a map or someone to guide you through life. And for many French citizens, the concept of a personal relationship with Jesus—and the Bible as a map to guide one through life—is foreign. Most don’t want to have anything to do with religion.
Trinity International Church (TIC) is very conscious of the great spiritual needs of people in this city and throughout France. We have asked our church people to make a commitment to pray for at least 15 minutes a day for the people of France during the month of May.
Seekers of “The Way”
A young French woman is trying to read “the map,” which at this time seems like Chinese to her, she says. She is seeking to know more about God. Recently she accepted the invitation to join a new Bible study group that we’ve begun in our home. Please pray that God will open her spiritual eyes to be able to understand biblical truth and that the Holy Spirit will draw her to the Savior.
A young Brazilian woman recently prayed to receive Christ into her life after the worship service. “I never want to go back to the other way I was living—without Jesus,” she says. How thrilled everyone is that she is now walking in “The Way.” Pray for this young woman’s spiritual growth and discipleship.
Some do know Jesus, “The Way,” and look to him to guide them through the trials of life. We are thankful for Silvie. She is still estranged from her husband. . . . she has not seen light at the end of the tunnel, as yet. But with the birth of her precious son, Isaac, a little ray of sunshine has pierced through the darkness to give her great joy.
What a testimony to God’s faithfulness that he was born on Easter Sunday morning! We rejoice with her.
We are so grateful for those in our congregation, who, like Sylvie, stand strong—like sign posts pointing others in the right direction to Jesus, “the Way.”
Learn More
Watch a video about postmodernism in Europe and how Alliance workers are reaching across the great divide.
What You Can Do
The Kennedys request prayers for the work in France and that “God will work in unusual ways to bring many people to faith in Jesus Christ.” Join them in praising God for the safe arrival of Silvie’s son, Isaac.
May 7, 2009
During a one-day dental clinic hosted by Compassion and Mercy Associates (CAMA), The Alliance’s relief arm, 12 people prayed to receive Jesus in Darhan, Mongolia. For the fourth year in a row, Dr. Bill Molpus, a retired Christian dentist from Mississippi, came to serve at the clinic with his assistant, Margaret Wiseman, who is from Wisconsin.
A Busy Day
As Dr. Molpus and his support team were busy pulling teeth, CAMA staff members worked behind the scenes with the registration process, checking blood pressure, praying for each patient, and sharing the gospel with those who were interested. By the end of the day, 87 patients had received treatment and 162 teeth had been removed.
“Praise God for those who were moved from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of God that day as they prayed to accept Christ as their Lord!” says Dr. Nghia Pham, who serves with The Alliance in Mongolia.
What You Can Do
Praise God for the 12 who receive Jesus through the ministry of the dental clinic. Pray that they will grow in their faith and introduce others to Christ.
In Brazil, 50 university students indicated that they wanted to receive Jesus at an evangelistic “Color Me Beautiful” seminar presented by Alliance missionary Jo Kiel. The event was organized by Mike and Ruth Davis who serve with The Alliance in Sao Paulo.
In this dynamic ministry, Jo demonstrates the use of colors to accentuate outer beauty and introduces women to Jesus, the Master Painter, who can make them beautiful on the inside. “Who better than the Creator to be Lord of your life?” asks Jo, who has interacted with hundreds of women during seminars held at tennis clubs and other venues. Before she accepts an invitation to speak, she asks, “May I talk about God?” The answer is always yes, and doors continue to open into lives previously untouched by the good news.
Not for Women Only
This spring, Ruth and Jo hosted at least seven of these events and spoke to more than 200 people—”and not just women!” says Ruth. “Attendees responded warmly to the message of Christ and His desire to clean up [people's] lives.” At the university, the seminar was presented to cosmetology students with purple and green hair and “lots of tattoos,” Ruth says. “About 10 percent were guys. We came prepared with 80 packets of our information, which includes the Father’s Love Letter showing God’s attributes.”
A total of more than 100 students attended the two sessions, and the classroom was packed. After the presentation, one young woman approached Jo in tears, saying she needed to hear this message. “Who would have thought we would have such liberty in a secular university?” asks Ruth.
Future Opportunities
God also opened doors to present the seminar in a government office building, in three gated communities, and in a group home for disadvantaged girls. A drawing is held after each presentation, during which Bibles and other Christian books, along with flowers and accessories, are given away. “I loved to see how precious the Bibles with pink covers were to the women who received them,” says Ruth. “Can you imagine doing this in a government building in the United States?”
“We received so many invitations for the future that my head is spinning,” Ruth adds. The women have been asked to conduct the seminar at a beauty salon, a Christian bookstore, and other settings. In addition, the university where the first seminar was held has invited Jo back to hold a workshop.
What You Can Do
Praise God for open doors into the lives of Brazilians through this unconventional ministry approach. Pray that all who heard Christ’s message of inner beauty will fall in love with the Master Painter.
Sensitive to Chinese university students involved in their ministry, Ron and Wilma Priest (link), who serve with The Alliance in Russia, offered to rent a room so they could celebrate the Chinese New Year on January 25. “Since that’s their biggest holiday,” said Ron, “we told them they could invite friends, and we could spend the evening together.”
The students explained that Chinese tradition was to spend the evening at home, fixing Chinese dumplings with their families. “They preferred a ‘home’ atmosphere with us and asked if just our Bible study group could come,” Ron said. “Because some had gone to China for the New Year, only 18 students joined the celebration.”
Home Away From Home
A local TV station contacted one of the students about airing a feature highlighting university students and the Chinese New Year. The film crew was invited to the Priests’ home.
During the evening, the crew interviewed several of the students and asked why they chose to celebrate their Chinese holiday with Americans. One student responded, “Ron and Wilma’s home is our home away from home. They teach us about God and the Bible.”
As the students prepared the Chinese dumplings, they were asked what the differences are between the Russian New Year and what they are doing. The students replied that Russians drink a lot, but they would not be drinking any alcohol, because they are Christians.
The TV crew filmed the entire process of making the dumplings-all 400 of them-and were rewarded with an invitation to sample the Chinese delicacy.
Learn More
Read about the Priests’ ministry to Chinese university students in alife.
What You Can Do
Pray for God’s provision for Ron and Wilma’s ministry. Also, pray that students who return to their homes will connect with believers and remain grounded in their faith.
Donate to Alliance Great Commission Ministries to support workers like the Priests.
May 6, 2009
When Hurricane Katrina swept through the Gulf Coast, nearly 1 million people were left homeless. Two Alliance churches in New Orleans fell victim to the flooding when the city’s levees broke. The church members evacuated to several different cities. From the day after the storm hit on August 29, Compassion and Mercy Associates (CAMA) , the relief arm of The Alliance, has been on the scene with help in several locations.
“CAMA’s strategy is to work alongside local churches,” says CAMA director, Phil Skellie. “We are not there to tell people what to do. We get the funds to people who already have a plan in place.”
Since Katrina hit the tropical southern beaches of New Orleans, Mississippi, and Alabama, more than $255,000 has been given to CAMA through The Alliance. Distribution is determined by need. “$9,000 was donated to Alliance Bible Church in Baytown, Texas, for scholarships for evacuee children to attend the church’s school,” says Skellie.
Similar efforts in Arlington and Houston, Texas, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Waveland, Mississippi are underway. “Six months’ rent has been paid for one family,” says Skellie. “And the Vietnamese First Alliance Church has reached out to evacuees from New Orleans’ Asian community.”
Rev. Don Young, pastor of Genesis Church (Alliance) in Foley, Alabama, had work crews in Waveland two days after Hurricane Katrina demolished the Gulf Coast. Water, food, and clothing met the immediate needs of the towns’ 7,000 homeless residents. “We went from serving 200 to 5,000 meals a day in the past three weeks,” says Young, who is partnering with other local churches to provide long-term assistance in rebuilding Waveland. “We’re in it for the long haul,” he says.
Plans are underway for the establishment of community centers in Baton Rouge and New Orleans that will provide occupational training, counseling and material aid to evacuees. “The goal,” says Skellie, “is to see communities of faith emerge as people respond to Christ’s love as expressed through compassionate deeds and the Word. Our assistance is given regardless of how people respond spiritually, but those who desire all God has to offer them, will receive help for both body and soul.”
By Jim Blake
Each year, thousands of children and young adults cross the wooden bridge that brings them to Alliance Redwoods Camp and Conference Grounds (ARCCG), where Christian camping adventures have changed lives for more than 60 years. At ARCCG, campers experience authentic community as they receive ministry to the whole person and build relationships with God and with caring mentors.
The camp environment breaks down social, economic, and cultural barriers that the traditional church setting struggles to overcome and provides a safe environment that is conducive to positive interactivity. At ARCG, nearly 1,000 young people make decisions for Christ annually
Catch Them While They Are Young
More than 85 percent of those who come to Christ do so before they reach the age of 18. Ten-year-old camper Josh,* whose biker father did not attend church, connected with Greg, one of the head cooks. Greg, a chaplain for the Christian Motorcycle Association who sported his biker gear, spent the week building a relationship with Josh, and as Josh left camp, Greg gave him his card for Josh’s dad.
Filled with excitement about his week at camp, Josh gave Greg’s card to his dad, who was moved by his son’s experience and attended a local Alliance club meeting. Soon Josh’s entire family received Christ, and all now are active church members who are growing in their newfound faith in Jesus.
Camper Karen* was cutting herself. But the self-inflicted torment could not ease the pain in her heart. Camp counselor Natalie Romalia was asked to help. “When I approached Karen, she told me that she was having a hard time because her mother had died,” said Natalie. “I brought up losing my brother to suicide, and Karen said, ‘My mom committed suicide too.’”
That seemed to break the ice between a hurting teenage girl and a high school camp counselor. Natalie’s willingness to share her pain with Karen immediately built a bridge of hope between the two women.
“We talked longer, and I prayed with her that afternoon,” said Natalie. ”That night when other teens were sharing their testimonies, Karen asked, ‘Would it be okay if I shared?’ I said sure! She stood up and shared a little bit of her story with everyone.”
Karen’s youth pastor believes this is the beginning of a major breakthrough in her life. At this particular high school camp, too many students to count came to the front during ministry time, weeping with sorrow for their sins and praising God for His unconditional love.
No Boundaries
The impact of ARCCG does not begin and end in California. Part of our vision is to become an international training and sending center for The Alliance, taking Alliance camping worldwide. Every winter since 2002, ARCCG has hosted a month-long camp in South Africa that has ministered to more than 6,000 impoverished children. More than 50 percent of them have indicated a desire to have a personal relationship with Christ. Many of these children have AIDS and will never see adulthood. Each one reached represents a life turned from despair to hope in Jesus Christ.
Germaine was a 12-year-old street kid, sniffing glue, selling drugs, and stealing to survive when he came to our first Camp South Africa (CSA) outreach in 2002. Germaine came to Christ during that camp and the following year, he testified that he was drug free, back in school, reading his Bible, and attending a local church-all with no parental care or supervision. It is amazing to observe what the transforming power of God can accomplish in the worst of human circumstances! Germaine now is a spiritually mature 17-year-old and worked as a camp counselor for CSA 2008 last December. He has a passion to reach others for Christ.
Building the Kingdom at home and abroad
National and international camp workers receive training at ARCCG and go to mission fields like Russia, Romania, Paraguay, and Hawaii. They have a sense of urgency to fulfill the Great Commission and bring back the King. Requests for training abound from all over the globe, and expansion of this vision is limited only by our current financial resources, making your partnership a vital link to building bridges to future generations.
Stories like those of Josh, Karen, and Germaine’s abound at ARCCG, where we are living out The Alliance’s first core value: Lost people matter to God. He wants them found. Life circumstances may differ, but many lives are touched by God during a camping adventure!
*Names have been changed for privacy.
Jim Blake has served as executive director of Alliance Redwoods Camp and Conference Grounds since 1998. His wife, Christine, is a physical therapist and member of the Camp South Africa 2007 team. College-age daughters Kate and Emily have been campers and summer staffers at Alliance Redwoods since moving to California.
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