August 31, 2010
By Barry Jordan, serving in Indonesia
Every Friday before going to my Team Joshua youth service in Abepura, I stop and have a meal at Pizza Hut. Twenty years in Papua without a Pizza Hut has built up a big vacuum in me that I hope to refill someday. Recently, one of the workers there, Krista, approached the table where I and four of the young people were eating. She asked what church I go to.
I didn’t think she really wanted to know what church I went to any more than John’s disciples really wanted to know where Jesus was sleeping.
Like Jesus, I said, “Come and see,” which, translated into the vernacular, comes out, “Here is my cell number.” In a text message, I told Krista that she looked like she had a burden and asked if she wanted to talk. She wrote back that she had many burdens and would love to talk.
Last Tuesday, on her day off, Krista came to our house. She did have many burdens. Her dad had died when she was eight months old, and her mother sent her to be raised by her grandmother and uncles. She had never really known the love of a mom and dad or the spiritual discipleship that goes with a family. I asked Krista if Patty and I could be her mom and dad. After the hugs and tears, we asked our new daughter what she wanted, and she said, “I want to know Jesus.”
It just doesn’t get any better than that. Praise the Lord with us for the eternal blessing of seeing a lost sheep come to the Shepherd. God is so amazing!
What You Can Do
When you give to the Great Commission Fund, you partner with Alliance field workers, like Barry and Barry Jordan, in sharing the message of salvation with people who need Jesus.
Learn More
Check out Alliance work in Indonesia.
August 30, 2010
By Dennis Westlake
Serving at Hope Medical Center, Guinea, West Africa
Hope Medical Center sees about 300 patients a week on average, says Dennis Westlake, who serves with Compassion and Mercy Associates (CAMA), the relief and development arm of The Alliance. Here is an adapted excerpt from a recent letter in which Dennis shared two encouraging stories.
Jarius, a missionary sent to us from Gabon, told us at prayer meeting recently the story of a young boy who had just arrived that day for treatment. He was brought by two women-his mother and his aunt. It was their first time to the clinic.
The women remarked to Jarius how impressed they were with the manner in which they were treated by everyone at the clinic, asking him why this was so. This gave Jarius the opportunity to share Jesus with them-the reason why people are cared for well here. Both women prayed with Jarius to receive Christ.
Healing at Hope
Moise Mamy, the spiritual ministries coordinator at Hope, told us another encouraging story. Earlier this month he observed an elderly man at the clinic who didn’t appear to be sick or in need of treatment. After inquiring about the reason for his visit, this is what Moise learned.
A resident of N’Zérékoré, just 5 miles from Hope, the man said he’d been to the center twice for treatment since its 2005 opening. His first visit was to have a tooth pulled. On his second visit, “I arrived at the center in a wheelchair.” He’d just spent two years at the hospital in N’Zérékoré for a mysterious illness that left his left side paralyzed. He hadn’t been cured. And “It was very expensive for me,” he said.
But after his third treatment for the illness at Hope, “I left the wheelchair and began walking on my own. And I had only spent 150,000 Guinea francs (approximately $30)!”
Impressions
He said two things had impressed him about the center: He received healing for less than half of what he had spent at the hospital; and he wasn’t ill-treated because of his ethnic background-something that is rare in Guinea. “The respect I am shown here is beyond me!” he exclaimed. “Whether you are Malinké or Guerzé, the center treats you no different.”
His family members, all followers of the area’s predominant religion, were impressed too. “My village was amazed at the treatment I received at the center!” The village, Siguiri, is 300 miles from Hope.
Now, whenever he learns of anyone there who is sick, this gentleman arranges for them to travel to N’Zérékoré so he can accompany them to Hope. He has referred 158 people; the morning Moise spoke with him, he had just brought another patient for treatment.
This elderly gentleman is used to how things are handled at Hope; he asks the staff to pray with the sick, bowing his head and closing his eyes to pray along. He is convinced that there is no place like Hope!
What You Can Do
Pray for the salvation of the elderly gentleman with whom Moise spoke as well as for all of his family members living in Siguiri.
Donate to CAMA. Partner with us to offer-through word and deed-the hope of Christ to thousands of the poor and displaced around the world.
Learn More
Read the article “A River of Hope” in the March 2010 issue of alife for more about Hope Medical Center’s life-giving ministry.
“The woman was suicidal,” says Guaren Long, administrative director and treasurer for Hillside (Alliance) Community Church in Wrightwood, California. “Honestly, counseling someone with such hopelessness was out of my realm, but I survived cancer 20 years ago and understood what it meant to be at a low point. I was not threatened by Mary’s* words and boldly shared my hope in Jesus.”
Approximately 700 people attend the Alliance church in Wrightwood, a close-knit community nestled in southern California’s San Gabriel Mountains. Two neighboring towns, Phelan and Piñon Hills, create the basis for the church’s original name-Tri-Community Alliance Church, established in 1982 and pastored by Terry Morrow since 1995. Mary, a Phelan resident, is one of many people who are finding Jesus through Hillside’s inclusive outreaches.
Through Christmas events, sports camps, and ministries to women, children, and homeless people, Hillside is making a Kingdom impact in the tri-community. “Some of our outreaches are spontaneous,” Guaren says. “When we see a need in the community, we try to fill it. Mary was here because her daughter had been invited by a friend to a mid-week kids’ program. Instead of driving back and forth to pick up her daughter, Mary decided to wait. The other mothers participated in a Bible study, but Mary was hesitant to join them.
“‘Do I have to stay here?’ she asked me. She looked like she’d had a pretty rough life, and I saw this as an opportunity to share Christ. When I invited her to talk with me in another room, Mary opened up about her desire to end her life. We talked for an hour. She began coming to church, accepted Jesus as her Savior, and I’m still discipling her. It’s been a long, hard road, but Mary has seen God work in her life.”
Lighting the Way
With church growth came the need for expansion, and the Alliance Development Fund (ADF) is playing a key role in Hillside’s building project. With a loan from ADF, a new sanctuary is under construction. Currently, there are two services in the church, with a “chapel/coffeehouse” that broadcasts the service into another room to about 50 people. “It’s a safe place for visitors who aren’t so sure they are ready for the whole church thing,” says Guaren. “But they get the same music and message. It’s a good spot for people to check us out; some just prefer a more casual environment.”
The building campaign also includes a soccer/baseball field that “will be open to the community,” Guaren says, “using it as an opportunity to draw more families. We also open the church to groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Alanon, and Weight Watchers, providing a place to meet free of charge.
“As Hillside Community Church grows into a multi-ministry center, it will be a shining light in the community, bringing the hope of Jesus to lost and hurting people.”
*name changed
August 23, 2010
By Hannah Hwang, serving in Taiwan
In partnership with non-Alliance churches every two years, the Alliance church-planting team at Qidu Gospel Center in Keelung, northern Taiwan, hosts a large-scale evangelistic outreach focused on the entire district. This year’s event, which ran from July 31-August 6, featured an evangelism rally, prayer walking, a parade, games, and food. The following adapted excerpt contains Hannah Hwang’s reflections on the experience and what it’s like to minister among such a resistant people group.
The first event our church participated in was singing praise songs with other churches and Christian friends at the local community park and praying for people’s salvation. The following day, about 300 believers, led by local church pastors, participated in the Christian parade/prayer walk in the harbor area of downtown Keelung. During the two-hour parade, the pastors blew horns as the Christians shouted, “Peace and blessings for Keelung!” Some groups of believers gathered at bus stops and train stations to play keyboard and guitar while singing praise songs.
Later that afternoon, the believers prepared food and games for a “fun fair” at the harbor plaza. The fair attracted many passersby, including children. At the center stage, church praise teams and choirs sang and worshipped. It was a good atmosphere to introduce Jesus to the unbelievers and talk about our faith or give them Christian literature/tracts.
During the next five days, all Christians who were able to participate in street evangelism gathered in Keelung again to distribute tracts and invite individuals to come to faith right on the street. About 30 members of a short-term team from South Korea and Hong Kong traversed the city area for two hours to spread the gospel.
A Resistant People
Those who agreed to listen to the “Four Spiritual Laws” were teenagers and college students, but the most resistance came from middle-aged adults. After the entire week’s efforts in sharing about Jesus with the community, we met less than 10 unbelievers who were willing to consider believing in Jesus; many, many Taiwanese simply didn’t want to listen to what we wanted to share with them.
My husband and I have been here in Taiwan for about 10 years proclaiming Jesus, but year after year we observe that Taiwanese hearts constantly and consistently resist the gospel. This year was no exception. All of us concluded that we are thankful for the opportunities to keep on sharing the Name of Jesus with the townspeople and to pray for their salvation.
As much as I pray for the lost people here, I often think about our evangelism work in Taiwan. What’s it worth? How long it will take to be able to see some “fruit”? What else could have been done? Sometimes, though, God reminds me that when a fisherman goes out to catch fish, he anticipates catching a lot of fish but never really knows if he will definitely catch fish that day even as he throws out the net into the water. He can’t possibly know when the fish will get into the net. So the fisherman winds up wondering if he really wants to catch fish. In Taiwan, God has trained me to be a patient “fisher of men,” and He often asks me, “Are you willing to wait for the fish for Me?” And He’s pleased that we keep going out fishing in Taiwan. The Keelung outreach this summer was our effort to go out and throw the net, even though there was not much response from the unbelieving Taiwanese.
The Center of His Will
I am very thankful and joyful because God keeps on giving us opportunities to share His good news with these resistant people. Even without anybody interested in what I proclaim, every time I go out to spread the gospel in someone’s home or the street or market area, I know I am exactly where God wants me to be, saying things He wants me to say as His witness. I am very happy just because I am obeying Him. God’s words and work will bear fruit in Taiwan eventually, and we missionaries realize that God’s will for us is to obey and keep spreading the seeds of gospel in this part of the world.
Prayer is vital as we strive to see Taiwanese trust in the Name of Jesus and their lives change. Thank you very much, U.S. C&MA churches, for praying for the lost people in Taiwan whom the Lord is seeking to save.
What You Can Do
When you give to the Great Commission Fund, you partner with Alliance field workers, like Hannah, in sharing the message of salvation with people who need Jesus.
Learn More
Check out Alliance work in Taiwan.
August 19, 2010
By Jessica Schaeffer
Serving at Koutiala Hospital for Women and Children, Mali, West Africa
Jessica returned this summer to Mali-one of the poorest nations on earth-after a year away on home assignment; the following is an adapted excerpt from her recent prayer letter.
Anne didn’t listen to her husband. He had told her not to take their sick baby, Miriam, to the hospital. They didn’t have any money. Anne delivered Miriam at our hospital nine months ago, and she remembered being told to bring Miriam back if she had a fever and wouldn’t nurse. Having already lost nine children, Anne refused to allow another of her babies to die.
Although Miriam was diagnosed with malaria and was very anemic, she received the care and treatment she needed in our pediatric ward. And we were able to cover the family’s hospital bill through our hospital benevolent fund.
Harrowing Realities
In the past few weeks as I’ve spent time catching up with friends, I’ve been reminded how harsh life is here, and how many infants, children, and adults die needlessly.
Recently, I was with a friend whose parents have lost seven children; only three of their children are still living. Untimely deaths happen around us everyday. At the hospital recently, we lost a 20-year old pregnant mom and her baby-the mom arrived critically ill (it seems the family gave her some very strong, traditional local medicine). We also lost a baby who had second and third degree burns after a pot of boiling porridge fell on him at home.
Opportunities
We see many sad cases and people who experience too much loss. Yet we are also thankful for those-like Anne and her daughter Miriam-whom we’re able to help. Our hospital has many opportunities to make a difference as we provide compassionate care and share about Jesus with our patients.
Anne was able to take Mariam back to their village after her recovery. She is one who has chosen to follow Jesus, even though her husband is not yet a believer.
Although the challenges and setbacks we face in Mali often seem to make progress nearly impossible, I am encouraged to see the many ways God has been working in and around Koutiala. Thanks for your prayers and support of the work here!
What You Can Do
When you give to the Great Commission Fund, you partner with Alliance field workers, like Jessica, in sharing the tangible love of Christ with hurting people.
Learn More
Read “5,000 Babies!”, Jessica’s inspiring article about Koutiala’s remarkable ministry of hope among the sick and dying.
August 17, 2010
Alliance military chaplains enjoyed a night of fellowship and inspiration at a banquet hosted by Chaplain (LTC) Bob Collins, U.S. Army (ret.), director for Alliance Chaplains, and his wife, Denise, August 14 at the U. S. Air Force Academy. Two chaplains were honored for their long-time service with The Alliance and with the military. Air Force Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Bob Wido and his wife, Diane, received a decorative clock for 27 years of service. “A small token of our deep gratitude,” Alliance President Gary Benedict told Wido. Also, Army Chaplain (COL) Jim Puchy and his wife, Becky, were honored with a framed picture noting Jeremiah 29:11.
Puchy, who will retire in 2011, is stationed at the Pentagon and serves as Chief of Chaplains and director for Sustainment and Information. He oversees the church experience and spiritual life for military families throughout the world. Puchy also pastors the chapel at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia, where, “God is moving in a powerful way among the military families,” he says. “As the Holy Spirit speaks to people’s hearts, they can gather in ‘clusters’ for prayer and laying on of hands. One gentleman received prayer for healing of a physical ailment and returned last week to give testimony of the Lord’s touch. The man is now symptom free.”
The evening’s keynote speaker, the Honorable Allen Clark, founder of Combat Faith Ministry and former assistant secretary in the Department of Veterans Affairs, recounted his painful journey from the battlefield of Vietnam to the cross of Jesus.
Clark, who lost both legs during a mortar attack in Vietnam in 1967 that left him 4 feet 6 inches tall, quipped, “When it was time to be fitted for prosthetics, the doctor asked how tall I wanted to be. I told him 6-foot-2.” More seriously, he said, “I may have lost my legs, but I gained [spiritual] legs for a cause that I believe in.”
The double amputee encouraged and challenged the Alliance military chaplains, who represented all branches of service. “What is your spiritual mission?” he asked. “To proclaim the gospel to all you meet. That is your mission. That is your job!”
Learn More
Read stories about Alliance chaplains.
What You Can Do
Pray for military and institutional chaplains as they impact their communities for Christ.
Give to Alliance Great Commission Ministries.
August 16, 2010
By Pastor Vaughn White, Wadena Alliance Church
When an EF4 tornado hit the city of Wadena, Minnesota, on the afternoon of June 17, 2010, Wadena Alliance Church was thrust into an unexpected ministry. Winds of 170-175 miles per hour carved a half-mile-wide swath one mile south of the city that continued for several miles, causing great destruction and devastation.
Our church had planned a summer picnic for our 55+ seniors on that date, and we had reserved a shelter in one of our city parks. At about 4:00 p.m., I decided to move the picnic to the church because of the pending weather. Just after 5:00 p.m., the tornado struck and totally ruined the park and the very shelter we would have been in at that time.
Just moments before the storm hit, I was called to the hospital to meet with Doris Berg, a woman from our church, and her daughter. Doris had just lost her husband, Don, to a heart attack, and she was still at the hospital. As I arrived, the hospital went into lockdown mode, and we waited it out in the center part of the complex. When the storm passed, I left to check on the Berg’s home. When I got there, I found that it had been shredded. I later returned to the hospital to inform Doris that not only had she lost her husband, but two hours later, she lost here home and most of her possessions.
Two of our teens, Hannah Toedter and Mariah Wood, who are summer recreation workers, were in charge of the community swimming pool. They were warned to take the four children from the pool and get into the pool shelter building. The girls didn’t feel safe and decided at the last minute to take the children across the street to Mariah’s home and take shelter in the basement. Mariah’s mother, Cindy, had just rearranged the basement to allow for a small office, and the six young people huddled there as the tornado passed. It completely leveled the pool shelter where they would have been, and it also destroyed the house above them. But the girls and their charges were spared by being in the corner of the basement.
At least 235 houses were damaged by the tornado-many of them totally gone. The high school was damaged beyond repair; 17 school busses were totaled completely; the Community Center was leveled; several businesses were destroyed; the fairgrounds badly destroyed; the large community cemetery lost most of the trees, and tombstones were broken and strewn about. At about the same time, two more tornadoes were ravaging several farms just west of the city.
Twenty families from our congregation received extensive damage to their homes; thirteen of the twenty were totally ruined. Our church immediately began an unexpected ministry. We set up work crews. Church secretary Ruth Richter became the phone-and-response coordinator and our associate pastor, Aaron Andrews, would work with crews to run the chain saws, clearing trees and debris. Church women began serving meals twice a day to the victims, their neighbors, and the rescue personnel. The meals continued that week and the following week.
Our sister Alliance churches of Verndale, Oylen, and Staples helped with some meals and the supply of food. Other Alliance churches from Little Falls, Minnesota, to Lambert, Montana, assisted with financial donations.
Because of the Lord supplying the funds, we have been able to distribute just over $ 25,000 to assist those families in their time of need. What a privilege it has been to stand with these people in the hours of their devastation and to “weep with those who weep.”
The ministry continues with resettling; finding clothes and furniture; relocating; changing addresses and phone numbers, and counseling. But God has allowed us to touch lives in ways we would not have otherwise known. Do we see the hand of God in the storm? Most Certainly! In the Wadena tornado twenty were injured, but not one life was lost. Yes, the early warning worked, the sirens and radios were effective, but our God is the one who spared the lives and opened doors of ministry!
Learn more
Read about exciting and innovative ministries at other U.S. Alliance churches.
What you can do
Pray for Pastor Vaughn and his congregation as they reach their community with God’s message of hope.
Impact lives for Jesus; give to Alliance Great Commission Ministries.
August 11, 2010
By Ruth and Mike Davis, serving in Brazil
June 20 marked the first anniversary of the Alphaville congregation. Some of you have read the update concerning the well-attended service, the festive luncheon, and the fun we had watching one of Brazil’s winning games in the World Cup soccer tournament. The whole day was more than we could have asked for or imagined.
But what we really celebrate are God’s miracles and the new life we see sprouting in people . . . such as the man who had a recurring dream about a phone number. When he called the number, he discovered it belonged to a church. That motivated him to visit one, which was ours. He and his wife were baptized this year, and he has completed the first book of “Be an Approved Workman.”
One couple had attended our Bible studies for seven years but came to our Sunday services for the first time in 2010. During a Bible study on the Book of Daniel, they read about Nebuchadnezzar’s seven- year debasement. God’s Word spoke loudly to them about the king’s desire to take the glory for himself instead of giving it to God.
Another couple just started coming to the church during the last three months. They are neighbors we met a year ago at a Christian businessmen’s dinner. They had dismissed the evangelical church as irrelevant until problems hit home, and they started looking for solutions in all the wrong places. Finally, they tried Alphaville Alliance and said, “Why didn’t we come here first?”
Pray for these and other people in our congregation. Many are trying to leave the ways of spiritism. It is a struggle for them and for us as we push back the darkness. May we continue to see God’s power overruling!
Learn more
Check out Alliance work in Brazil.
What You Can Do
Impact your world for Christ! Give to Alliance Great Commission Ministries and help support international workers like Ruth and Mike Davis.
August 10, 2010
Using bedpans as offering plates, 243 children attending Vacation Bible School (VBS) at Hawley (Minnesota) Alliance Church, raised $1,220 to partner with the Burkina Faso mission field to provide water filtration systems for Burkinabé children, who suffer from dysentery because of contaminated water and lack of latrines.
Although Alliance international workers Steve and Amy Nehlsen have not visited Hawley Alliance Church, VBS leader Deb Muscatell initiated a partnership last summer between the VBS and the Nehlsens, telling the kids about their work on the Burkina Faso mission field. “Steve e-mailed me of the need for water filtration systems, and I updated the kids on the projects in Burkina that they gave toward last year,” says Deb. “We gave bonus points to the kids for answering questions in a game about Burkina Faso that they used to redeem gifts at the VBS store. The kids really enjoyed passing the ‘toilet’ to provide toilets!”
This year’s attendance includes many children from the community who are unchurched. “This year, 23 kids accepted Christ as their Savior,” says Deb. “Pray that their new faith in Jesus will be rooted firmly in their hearts.”
By John Sappia, serving in Paraguay
Allow me to tell you a little bit of what God is doing by sharing Adrian and Myriam’s story. They walked through the doors of the Mi Esperanza Church about a year ago. They told me later that they were immediately impacted by their need to know Jesus better and to make things “right in their lives.”
The two accepted Jesus as their Savior and have been involved in the discipleship process since then. In April, they asked about being baptized but realized on their own that that this would not be possible until they were married. So, in May, they stood before God and the congregation and became the first couple wed in our new church.
One week later, Myriam followed through in her commitment to Jesus by being baptized. Adrian told me that he has some more things to understand before he takes that important step. I am pleased to see that he has been studying the Bible with a long-time friend and has been bringing him to church. Myriam has also brought a number of her friends to church.
My friends, Adrian and Myriam, have come to Christ and are leading others to Jesus thanks to your prayers and support for the work that God is doing in Paraguay! Thank you so very much!
Learn More
Check out our work in Paraguay.
What You Can Do
Impact your world for Christ! Give to Alliance Great Commission Ministries and help support international workers like John Sappia.
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