July 20, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DA NANG, VIETNAM — The Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA)–related Evangelical Church of Vietnam (also known as Tin Lanh) had its largest-ever gathering to celebrate 100 years of ministry, June 14-16, 2011. Held in Da Nang’s large indoor stadium, the event drew an estimated 15,000 people, with an overflow of about 1,000 in the outer halls.
The Da Nang celebration was the first of four 2011 celebrations to mark 100 years since the beginning of Alliance outreach to Vietnam. The second celebration was held in Hanoi on June 20, with about 4,000 in attendance, the third in Ho Chi Minh City on June 23-24, and the final celebration took place July 2 in Garden Grove, California, at the Crystal Cathedral.
During the Ho Chi Minh City celebration, retired international worker Tom Stebbins preached an evangelistic message in Vietnamese on the prodigal son to a packed house of 15,000 people. Nearly 1,000 responded to become followers of Jesus Christ.
In 1911, a team of three Alliance international workers, led by Robert A. Jaffray, entered Vietnam, then known as French Indochina, with the purpose of establishing the country’s first evangelical church. When Vietnam fell to Communist control in 1975, The Alliance had established a national church with a membership of 53,000. Today, there are 1.2 million believers in Vietnam, most of them Alliance.
The Christian and Missionary Alliance is a worldwide family of Christians mobilized to fulfill the Great Commission by living out the fullness of Jesus Christ in personal experience and building His Church worldwide. Today, there are more than 2,000 Alliance churches in the United States and more than 20,000 fellowships in 81 countries around the world, where nearly 5 million Christians call themselves “Alliance,” united by an unquenchable passion to reach our communities for Christ and provide access to the gospel where no access yet exists.
CONTACT:
Bob Fetherlin, Vice President for International Ministries
The Christian and Missionary Alliance
E-mail: fetherlinb@cmalliance.org
Phone: 719-265-2020
www.cmalliance.org
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July 15, 2011
Miracle Baby Born to Couple Advised to Abort
EQ and Jaeng were devastated when, after Jaeng’s first trimester check-up, the doctor informed them that they had a blood disorder that would cause their unborn baby to be born with many physical and health problems. The doctor also told them that they would probably never have a healthy child together. He advised them to have an abortion.
The couple serves with Friends of Isaan (also known as Team Isaan), a group of Alliance international workers and national colleagues who minister to the Isaan people in northeast Thailand. Both had received Christ through the team’s ministry in the Sawang Daen Din prison. EQ had been imprisoned for being involved in a gang fight. After accepting Jesus as his Savior, he was released and brought the message of truth home to his family and village. He wanted to get married but didn’t know any Christian women who weren’t closely related to him.
Jaeng received Christ while in a women’s group at the prison and was baptized at the same time EQ was. She was released about a year and a half after EQ was freed. Her home village was near EQ’s, and since there was no Christian group in her own village, she joined the group of believers in his village so she could have Christian fellowship. Not long after, in October 2010, they married. They received training as church planters and have been working with Team Isaan’s mushroom enterprise.
Trust and Obey
After hearing that the doctor had advised the couple to abort their child, Alliance international workers Jon and Joy Chase—who also serve with Team Isaan—asked the Alliance family to pray. “Then one day I talked with EQ and Jaeng about the difference between man and God,” says Jon. “I told them that the doctor was a man, and he only knows so much and can only do so much. As for God, His power and love have no limits. Even if they had the baby and it was not totally healthy, God would provide the grace they would need, and the child would be a blessing accordingly. After hearing this truth, they decided to trust God and not man. They chose to trust in God’s will for them and their baby by not having an abortion.
“With each appointment after that, EQ and Jaeng saw how God answered their faithfulness as the baby grew stronger without any noticeable defects. After their four month check-up, the doctor said that the baby was perfectly fine and there was no need to worry. This caused EQ to think of the name ‘manna’—because this child was a great blessing to them from God.”
Defying the doctor’s initial prognosis, little Manna was born a healthy and completely normal baby girl. “Today, we are all praising the Lord as we get to see Manna in person, growing stronger every day,” say the Chases. “With great wonder, we look forward to seeing what the Lord is going to do in and through her life in the years to come.”
Learn More
Read “The Light of God” in the September 1, 2010, issue of alife.
Read more about Team Isaan, including EQ’s testimony.
What You Can Do
Give to Alliance Great Commission Ministries and partner with Alliance workers at home and abroad who are being light in a spiritually dark world.
Will a divine promise eclipse an ominous prognosis?
“You must have someone to travel with you in case you bleed to death,” a physician told Alliance Pastor Mike Gmetro when he confirmed that he was traveling to Kansas City for General Council 2011. When Council began Wednesday evening, Mike was “bleeding terribly and in excruciating pain” but forced himself to attend the service, where he heard Ravi Zacharias give a message that spoke to his heart. He sensed God telling him, “I still have a plan for your life if you just trust me.”
“I was trying to hold on to that,” says Mike. “I knelt down between the chairs and prayed, ‘Lord, I’m ready to be healed.’ I suddenly saw in my spirit (Alliance Pastor) Fred Hartley standing to my left. When I looked up, he was not there, so I continued to pray.”
The Battle Begins
Mike’s physical struggles began in 1999 when, as a New Mexico State College student, sudden, excruciating pain filled his abdomen. “I was rushed from the ball field to the hospital, where doctors gave me just hours to live.”
The visit resulted in an appendectomy. But there had been complications, and the pain had not subsided. Two weeks later, Mike was back in the hospital. This time, doctors diagnosed him with Crohn’s, an autoimmune disease in which the body attacks itself, harming the good bacteria and eating away at the walls of the intestine. Mike underwent a second surgery; 30 inches of his intestine was removed. “I was never sick as a child,” says Mike, who had been training for professional baseball. “I knew that dream was over, but I played the last two years of college.”
The disease grew worse during those two years. Mike was in pain every day, doubling over for up to 60 minutes at a time, unable to move. A battery of prescribed medications did not help.
Mike married Liza in 2001, and they moved to Michigan, where they attended seminary. During a class in 2003, he had a “flare,” and Liza rushed him to hospital. Again, the doctors’ ominous prognosis was hours to live; another surgery took eight more inches of his intestine.
Graduating from seminary in 2004, Mike joined Liza on a missions trip to Siberia. “I knew I was really taking a chance,” he says. “Even If there was a surgeon, he probably wouldn’t have the instruments for the surgery I would need.”
Not long into the trip another attack began. The missionary the Gmetros were visiting and a local believer laid hands on Mike and began to pray. “Suddenly, it felt like bubbles were filling up inside me, and my body flushed with cool water. I felt incredible, and immediately all pain went away.”
A Reprieve
After the couple returned home, Mike continued to be free of pain. He completed the C&MA licensing requirements, and the Gmetros became missionary candidates with the goal of serving as international workers in the Middle East. They were assigned to Acts 29 Fellowship in Hamtramck, Michigan, for two-year home service before going overseas.
At Acts 29, Mike was associate pastor, working primarily in pastoral ministries and teaching ESL three days a week at a mosque to Bangladeshi men, and Liza ministered to youth. Then in December 2008, two months after their daughter, Lila, was born, a Crohn’s attack came out of nowhere. Liza rushed Mike to the hospital, and the surgeon removed another eight inches of intestine. For the next two and a half years, Mike experienced intense pain every day. The attacks would come when least expected—on walks with his family or in grocery stores. “Once I spent three hours in the cereal aisle,” he recalls, “with my daughter! I couldn’t reach anyone by phone, and I couldn’t move. People shopped around me or asked me to hand them a box of cereal when I blocked their reach, but no one asked if I needed help. The pain finally subsided enough that I was able to walk to the car.”
Shattered Dreams
Just before Council 2009, the Gmetros received word that Mike did not pass health requirements for overseas ministry, and they were removed from the candidate list. “Crohn’s was taking over,” he laments, “changing the plans that we believed God had for us.”
Mike continued his work at Acts 29, preaching and teaching daily, even as he endured severe pain. Resigning himself to owning the disease, he prayed, “Okay, Lord; tomorrow is not promised, but today I will serve you.” Then in March 2010, he started bleeding profusely. Liza rushed him to the hospital, where he learned that several ulcers in his large intestine had ruptured. Near death once again, Mike lay in the intensive care unit, shaking with convulsions and wanting to die. “I could only whisper, ‘Please help me. Please help me.” Two blood transfusions saved his life that night.
In fall 2010, Great Lakes District Superintendent Jeff Brown heard about Mike’s deteriorating health. “Jeff, who had been a mentor and spiritual father to me, authorized a medical sabbatical for rest,” Mike says. “As much as I love the ministry of Acts 29, I was in bad shape and needed a break.”
Mike’s health issues were stressful for Liza as well. The two were forced to broach the subject of death: what would she do if Mike died? How would she take care of their daughter? They prayed about their future, even as Mike planned for a speaking engagement at Beulah Beach. His district superintendent advised him, “Mike, if you can’t go overseas, then train up those who will go.”
After speaking at the Beulah Beach event, Mike met with Ralph Trainer, the camp’s executive director, who told him of a plan to establish Beulah Beach Institute to train up young people to take God’s word to the world and asked Mike to partner with him.” I thought of our prayer for the future and Jeff’s advice to train those who could go,” says Mike. “Ralph provided a fantastic opportunity, and I realized God answered our prayers.”
Removing What?
Mike and Liza moved to Beulah Beach in January 2011, excited about what God had in store for them. But Mike continued to be miserable with daily pain. In March another flare of ruptured ulcers resulted in a hospital stay and a blood transfusion. Tests showed ulcers lining his entire large intestine with two fissures three inches long. Then three days before General Council 2011 in Kansas City, Missouri, Mike and Liza met with a specialist, who gave them the shocking news that Mike would have to undergo surgery to remove his colon and large intestine.
“I was reeling,” says Mike. “I thought I was done with ministry. After the prognosis, I heard a message by Jill Briscoe, who said, ‘Oh to know the Lord so well that we stop asking for the thorn to be removed, because we love him so much that we trust Him.’ I was clinging to that hope—whatever God wanted. Okay, Lord, if you want me to live out this sickness as a platform, okay.”
After Council’s Thursday morning service, led by Fred Hartley, people were invited to the front for prayer. Sitting in the back, Mike thought of going forward but saw Fred “swallowed by a lot of people,” Mike says. “There was a couple sitting next to me that I did not know. They introduced themselves as Todd and Debbie Adams and asked how they could pray for me. I briefly told them about my ongoing battle with Crohn’s and how I longed to be healed. As they began to pray, Todd stopped and said, ‘I want to ask my dad to pray.’”
A Father’s Touch
Mike kept his head down as Debbie prayed. He didn’t know Todd or his dad or where Todd was going. But as he looked up, he saw Fred Hartley to his left; Todd’s father,Virgil Adams; Ron Walborn, and about 20 people standing around him. They anointed him with oil, and Fred began to pray for healing.
“I felt those bubbles again; I felt God’s joy. The pain was gone, and all my prayer warriors were praising the Lord with me. I couldn’t stop rejoicing. I felt great!
Later, Mike went out to lunch with some pastors and their wives. “I was so excited about telling my story of God’s healing that I forgot about ordering and someone else ordered pizza covered with jalapenos. I could never eat that before, but I began to eat and had no problems. I still felt great. I went back to the convention center and found Todd and Debbie to thank them and let them know I was still pain-free.”
Since that day, Mike has had no bleeding or pain. He discontinued all prescription medications, replacing them with a few nutritional supplements. He continues to have an abundance of energy and is looking forward to God’s new call on his life—to train and equip those who will go and make disciples of all nations.
“Todd Adams told me that he heard a specific word from God that day,” says Mike. “Todd said, ‘The Lord has told me you will receive manna from heaven; God will give you manna from heaven every day. He won’t give you more than you need, and He won’t withhold from you.’ So every morning I thank God for the manna today.”
Learn more
Read about Liza’s work with the youth of Acts 29 Fellowship.
Read about Todd and Debbie Adams’ work in Indonesia.
Learn more about the heritage of the Alliance’s Beulah Beach ministry.
What you can do
Give to Alliance Great Commission Ministries and impact lives for eternity as you make it possible for the people in this article and more to realize their call from God to go and make disciples of all nations.
July 14, 2011
By Iris Hecock, serving in Russia
The following is an adapted excerpt of the Hecock’s update on Natalie, a young nonbeliever Iris met last fall through one of the Russia team’s multifaceted outreach efforts.
We would like to thank you for your prayers for Natalie. She is the young professional we told you about in May who has a great, fun-loving spirit. For some time she was so incredibly close to accepting Christ. It was amazing to watch her.
Week after week Natalie would tell us stories about how God was using her, yet she never made a decision to commit her life to following Christ. One night a few weeks ago, we invited her and three of her closest friends (all believers) to come over for some fellowship and pizza.
A Question
We asked the group; “How did you come to your decision to become a Christ follower?”
It was really interesting to go around the circle and hear the different stories. One fellow, Pavel, said he decided to become a Christian when he was at a camp led by a short-term team from the United States. Another young guy, Zhenya, said he started following Christ after one of his closest friends made that decision while they were in university. Dasha decided to become a Christ follower at a young age because her parents were great, Christ-like examples.
Then it was Natalie’s turn to share. She was very open about how she still had so many questions. She wasn’t bashful about her pain, her questions, or her desire to follow God.
“I Know He Loves Me!”
Shortly after that night, Natalie met with one of the pastors our team works with here in St. Petersburg. At that meeting, she embraced her heavenly Father!” She called us and said, “You know—now I know what love is. I am in love! I know that God is love and He loves me!” We couldn’t be happier or more excited for her!
Natalie, and others just like her, is the reason we are here—the reason why we have Zumba classes; why we started Global Grounds, which provides a wide variety of opportunities, including coffee roasting and barista training; and why we have English language forums.
Natalie, Dasha, and Zhenya are now coming to our home once a week for group spiritual formation. They are all so excited . . . and so are we!
What You Can Do
Give to Alliance Great Commission Ministries. In doing so, you partner with our workers around the world who exemplify God’s love to many, like Natalie, who’ve never experienced His grace.
Check out the Hecocks’ personal Web site to learn more about their innovative ministry endeavors. Note: Clicking on this link will take you off of the C&MA Web site.
July 6, 2011
On June 14-16, 2011, the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (ECVN, also known as Tin Lanh) had their largest-ever gathering to celebrate 100 years of ministry. Held in Da Nang’s large indoor stadium (locally called “the flying saucer”), the celebration drew an estimated 15,000 people, with an overflow of about 1,000 in the outer halls. Along the entire indoor perimeter of the stadium, display booths were set up side by side to illustrate the historical background of the ECVN’s wide-ranging variety of ministries.
The Dan Nang celebration was the first of four 2011 celebrations to mark 100 years since the beginning of Alliance outreach to Vietnam. The second celebration was held in Hanoi on June 20, with about 4,000 in attendance, the third in Ho Chi Minh City on June 23-24, and the final celebration took place July 2 in Garden Grove, California, at the Crystal Cathedral.
A Sleeping Giant
The celebration featured a parade of hundreds from 20 tribal groups, all with membership in the ECVN, along with a 480-member tribal choir that sang “The Halleluiah Chorus.” Thousands of believers raised their hands, responding positively to a call for total commitment to Christ, regardless of how difficult. Delegates were challenged to reach Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Europe, or anywhere there are lost people.
Retired international worker Tom Stebbins preached an evangelistic message in Vietnamese on the prodigal son to a packed house of 15,000 people. Nearly 1,000 responded to become followers of Jesus Christ.
“[The Vietnam believers] want to be a force for Jesus and the Kingdom advance to other nations. They are a sleeping giant in the cause of missions,” said U.S. C&MA President Gary Benedict, who attended the celebration.
Remaining Challenges
Today, there are 1.2 million believers in Vietnam, most of them Alliance. However, of the 71 people groups in Vietnam, 52 still have less than 2 percent who follow Jesus. About 40 million people in North Vietnam do not know Christ.
Learn More
Watch a video by Dr. Tom Stebbins, who spoke at the celebration.
by Jessica Schaeffer, RN, serving at Koutiala Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Mali, West Africa
The following is an adapted excerpt from Jessica’s recent update.
Last week, four of our patients (current and former) were at my church. None of them would probably have ever stepped foot into a church had it not been for the love and care they received at our hospital.
Salif came to our hospital looking for help about six months ago. He is 18 years old, so he was just able to slide into the pediatric ward. His case intrigued us.
Chronic Infection
The teenager had been in a moped accident two years ago and broken the bone in his thigh (femur); it had been casted and had healed. Well, mostly healed. Except for the piece of bone that stuck out through his skin and was chronically infected.
Salif had also lost mobility in his knee because he was told not to bend it. In January, a visiting surgeon to Koutiala hospital removed the dead bone fragment and closed the wound.
Movie Quotes
Salif spent a lot of time watching Christian films during his hospital stay. When he had to return to the operating room for surgery a second time, he woke up from anesthesia quoting from the JESUS film!
Ever since his discharge from the hospital, Salif has come to church with me. When I am traveling, he walks to church on his own. And he visits us a few times a week at the hospital. He had to drop out of school after his injury two years ago, so he has a lot of time on his hands.
Hunger for the Word
He and his friend, Talbi, (who attends a school that teaches the predominant religion in Mali) are reading the Bible together. The first few Bibles we gave to Salif had to be replaced because interested family members also wanted to read them.
Although he is permitted to go to church, Salif is afraid of how his father will react if he takes the step to become a Christian—especially while he is still living with his family. Pray that God will continue His work in Salif and Talbi’s hearts, and that they will be made new in Jesus.
And thanks SO much to each of you who are making it possible for me to serve here because of your generosity in giving to the Great Commission Fund.
What You Can Do
“Pray for Salif and Talbi as they continue to seek,” Jessica requests. “Pray also for daily wisdom and strength in my role at the hospital; it feels like I don’t have enough time to accomplish all of the things that need to be accomplished, as well as other ministry I want to be involved in.”
Give to the Great Commission Fund. Partner with Alliance workers, like Jessica, to introduce children and their families to Christ’s eternal hope.
Read another article about how staff workers at Koutiala hospital are saving children’s lives.
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