October 1, 2009
Alliance congregations across the United States are taking new approaches to ministry, moving beyond just talking about Christ’s love to actually showing it. Pastor Rick Gates has led his Crossroads Church congregation in Perry, Iowa, out of the sanctuary to shine the light of Christ during a Week of Service in their community. Church members have completed 40 projects in four years. Local TV news shows have reported the “free help” that Crossroads provided for the community in June.
The Week of Service initiative began in 2005, when Gates offered to shampoo carpets at a local school. Other church members cleaned windshields at a grocery store and distributed complimentary water bottles at community functions.
“Our culture today knows nothing of the church except that it expects people to give money and attend services for no meaningful or relevant purpose,” says Gates. “The church is not connected to their daily lives and does not make sense to them. Jesus talks a lot about being servants . . . as we serve, people slowly begin to see Jesus.”
Open Doors
Since these outreaches began, many civic groups and individuals have solicited the church’s help. As the requests come into the church for projects in the community, church members go out and serve-free of charge. They have painted 10 classrooms and shampooed carpets in a local school, saving the school district hundreds of dollars. A deck has been built, ground tilled, and grass planted
“A widow was grateful when some of our people helped her burn a huge pile of brush behind her home,” Gates says. She was amazed to receive all of the help without being charged. Other people in the community, who are not members of Crossroads Church, have joined to help out with projects just to be part of the excitement.”
Heather, a single mother, started attending Crossroads recently. “I can relate to a church that reaches out to others instead of just taking care of its own needs,” she says. “That’s why I’m here with my daughter, and that’s what I want to be a part of.” Heather now wants to do something to help someone else soon!
The doors are open for cross-cultural outreach as well. During the weekend of September 12-13, 2009, Crossroads Church hosted “Booth of Hope” at a Latino festival in town, giving away bottles of water and New Testament Bibles.
“We want to be involved in cross-cultural events in order to engage their culture,” Gates says. “We want to share God’s love in tangible ways and be ‘Jesus with skin on’ in our community.”
Learn More
Read how other U.S. Alliance churches are impacting their communities
What You Can Do
Pray for open hearts as the Crossroads family interacts with their friends and neighbors.
Donate to Alliance Great Commission Ministries.
September 24, 2009
By Betsy Blanchard, serving in Granada, Spain
The following is an adaptation of Betsy Blanchard’s recent update about the Cinderella’s House ministry, her God-given vision to address the overwhelming needs of Spain’s sex-traffic victims.
An estimated 350,000 women in Spain are hidden behind the doors of more than 2,000 legal brothels called “Alternative Clubs.” Mostly illegal immigrants, these women are enslaved to satisfy the appetites of an estimated 40 percent of Spain’s male population who seek their services regularly.
Prayer!
I have been doing intensive research and strategic planning to best meet the needs of these women in crisis. God has given me many important insights. What has been overwhelmingly clear is that when God calls one to this ministry:
- He opens doors that no man can close
- It’s slow and hard work; and
- In order to succeed PRAYER, PRAYER, PRAYER is needed.
If you embark in this type of ministry, make sure you have many praying people supporting you in this spiritual battle! This is the only way forward, for it is only Christ who can break the bondage and bring new life among those ensnared in the sordid sex-trafficking business.
As I continue to learn about the horrors of sexual exploitation and the situation in Spain, God has reminded me as well of two things I’d like to share with you.
Our Biblical Heritage
In the late 1800s, Alliance founder Dr. A. B. Simpson was moved by the unmet needs of the marginalized. Leaving a lucrative pastorate in a well known church, he established the Gospel Tabernacle in New York City. God led the church to embark on new approaches for that day to reach the lost, including a number of street prostitutes. Many of these destitute women found new life and hope in Jesus as a result.
My prayer is that Cinderella’s House will follow not only this heritage, but the mandate of our Savior, who also loved and cared for prostitutes!
Divine Healing for the Whole Person:
Dr. Simpson also believed whole-heartedly in Jesus as our Divine Healer; this, too, is part of our Alliance heritage. Women caught in prostitution and sex trafficking-the overwhelming majority of whom have suffered physical, emotional, and especially childhood sexual abuse-desperately need Jesus’ healing touch.
Lied to from their earliest memories, many of these women have distorted thinking that has trapped them in a cycle of hopelessness and vulnerability hard to understand and harder still to break. Since their life experiences define “love” in destructive ways, the “Good News” is a concept almost beyond their comprehension. A lasting demonstration of God’s love through a deep, divine touch from the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of their hearts and to heal the most damaged places in their lives is desperately needed.
Prayer and Fasting
In order to break such bondage our Heavenly Father calls us to fast, “to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness,” (Isaiah 42:7).
The 4th Annual International Weekend of Prayer and Fasting for the Victims of Sex Trafficking is September 25-27. Will you join me and believers worldwide to fast and pray for at least one meal that weekend on behalf of the victims of today’s slave trade-sex trafficking? If you are led to do so, please pray for
- God’s leading in the building of the Cinderella’s House ministry, and
- Freedom through Christ amongst the 350,000 women caught in sex trafficking in Spain.
Your faithful giving to Alliance Great Commission Ministries allows me the privilege and joy to serve in Spain, as we “Live the Call Together!”
You can also donate online to the Cinderella’s House project to help make this vital ministry a reality!
Learn More
Read another article about the Cinderella’s House ministry.
For additional suggestions on how to pray Sept. 25-27, check out the Salvation Army Web site
Please note that by clicking this link you will be leaving The Alliance website.
September 22, 2009
Burkina Faso’s government has placed land markers on the four corners of the Alliance-run Dorcas House property, reports Amy Nehlsen. “Praise the Lord with us! We have been praying for this for three years, since this assures that the property is secured and is officially ours.”
The Nehlsen family serves with The Alliance in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
Life-Saving Assistance
Fifteen young women live in the home in Ouagadougou where they receive literacy training and Christian discipleship as well as vocational skills training. Nearly 80 percent of females in Burkina are illiterate and face a life of deep physical and spiritual poverty without interventions like those Dorcas House offers in Jesus’ Name.
Amy asks for continued prayer and protection for house residents. Last week a five-foot snake was killed in one of the dormitories on the property. “We rejoice in the protection of the Lord on the girls,” she concludes.
Learn More
Read about the spiritual awakening at Dorcas House earlier this year.
Check out our Alliance work in Burkina Faso.
What You Can Do
Donate now to Alliance Great Commission Ministries! Help to ensure that workers like the Nehlsens can continue to share the love of Christ with those who are destitute and without hope.
September 4, 2009
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord, “Plans for peace and not for evil, to bring you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
“We are yards away from a brothel,” says Carl Ralston, an Alliance layperson who founded Remember Nhu, a nonprofit organization that provides shelter for girls who are at risk for being sold into a life of degradation, abuse and disease through sex slave trafficking. “One million children are sold each year,” Ralston says, “1,740 a day, 110 per hour.” Currently, Remember Nhu’s Agape Beauty Salon in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, is providing cosmetology training and work for seven girls who are seeking refuge from forced prostitution.
Standing in the Gap
The idea for Remember Nhu came to Ralston when he heard the story of a little girl, Nhu, who lived on the banks of the Mekong River in Cambodia and had attended an Alliance school for Vietnamese refugees who were forbidden to attend Cambodian schools. When she was 12, Nhu trusted in Jesus and was baptized. Shortly after that, Nhu’s grandmother sold her to a man who, in turn, sold her to a sex broker.
Searches for Nhu by Alliance workers proved fruitless over the next several years. But Ralston, after hearing Nhu’s story, could not get her out of his mind. He believed the Holy Spirit was telling him to “Remember Nhu.” Sensing God’s call on their lives to stand in the gap for girls like Nhu, Ralston and his wife, Laurie, gave up a lucrative business and are in the process of giving up their home in Ohio to move to Southeast Asia, where child sex slavery is rampant. “This is our home now,” says Ralston. “This is where our heart is.”
Trusting in God’s provision, the Ralstons opened the first home for young girls in January 2007 in Cambodia. Today, there are homes for girls in Cambodia, the Philippines, and Thailand, with C&MA partners in Cambodia and Thailand. The girls receive an education, are taught practical skills, and learn that God loves them. The beauty salon in Phnom Penh provides income for older girls while building their confidence and self-esteem.
“We started this ministry because of Nhu,” says Ralston, who continued looking for her. Finally, Nhu was located by Beth Drummond, now-retired Alliance worker who, along with her husband, Rick, founded the NewHope Evangelical School and Church in Phnom Penh, where Nhu had been baptized several years before. When Ralston met Nhu, he discovered that she had not forsaken her relationship with Jesus.
A Way Out
“When Nhu’s grandmother sold her to a broker for the third time,” Ralston explains, “Nhu talked her grandmother into splitting the payment with her so that she could go to cosmetology school. Nhu made sure that she stayed busy with school 24/7 so that her grandmother could not sell her again.
“I offered Nhu a job at our first children’s home in September 2007, and God used her as spiritual catalyst, reaching other girls with the hope of deliverance from a shame-filled life.”
Ralston knew it was inevitable that he would meet Nhu’s grandmother. “I didn’t know what I would do,” he says. “Part of me wanted to be mad at her. But God laid it on my heart as I shook her hand that she would know the fear of the living God. She was an arrogant woman and believed it was a boost for her to have visiting foreigners.
“As I shook her hand, her demeanor changed. It seemed as though Jesus did make her realize the fear of the Living God. I was kind, brought her fruit, and smiled. I visited her half a dozen times in next year. Her home was filled with shrines, evil and darkness.”
Wanting Nhu to move out of her grandmother’s house, Ralston gave her a raise. But Nhu would not leave her grandmother, so the two women moved to a secure facility in July 2007. When Ralston visited, he saw a cross on the wall with Jesus’ name and a dove that says peace. There were no idols. “I want to compliment you on your house,” he told Nhu’s grandmother. “I don’t see your idols.”
Won by Love
“She told me she knew that the real God was working in Nhu’s life and that the love that I showed her was from the Living God. She had become a Christian because of the love that her granddaughter had shown her when Nhu insisted that her grandmother move with her.”
The grandmother’s newfound faith is bearing fruit. She goes to church, smiles a lot, and operates a sandwich stand to earn income. “Also, she referred a girl to us who was going to be sold to the sex trade,” says Ralston. “That girl now works in the salon with Nhu.”
Nhu’s story continues to impact lives for Christ. Ralston plans to open a second beauty salon, where Nhu will train more young girls in cosmetology-but more importantly, she will offer them hope for the future through new life in Jesus.
Learn more
Read more about about sex trafficking in Southeast Asia in alife.
Visit Remember Nhu’s Web site.
Read more about Alliance work in the Asia/Pacific region.
What you can do . . .
- Praise God for rescuing Nhu and saving her grandmother. Pray for continued spiritual growth for both.
- Pray for good health, strength and provision for the Ralstons and their teams in each country.
August 26, 2009
By Bruce and Stephanie Beers, serving in Ecuador
We have experienced God’s faithfulness in many ways in our lifetime, and recently we had the opportunity to look back at His faithfulness in the country of Ecuador. We had the privilege of being part of a “thanksgiving service,” initiated by the national church, as the mission officially “passed the torch” to our national brethren. It was gratifying to see many of our seminary students, now in full-time ministry, and listen to testimonies of God’s steadfast love throughout the years.
A Fruitful Harvest
The Alliance entered Ecuador in 1897. Over the past 112 years, His faithfulness has been amazing. Thousands of people have come to the Lord, and 300 Alliance churches have been established throughout the country. Those of us on the platform that night felt humbled and unworthy to be standing there. The real heroes were the first missionaries who came in those early years, suffered persecution, or laid down their lives for the sake of the gospel. We have been reaping what they sowed.
Fishers of Men
Last month we spent most of the day in a boat with a group of friends, some of whom would never walk through a church door. We visited an island in the Gulf of Guayaquil, and I was reminded of a fishing analogy. A fisherman once told us that they always have to wash their nets really well after they haul in a catch; if they don’t, the fish can smell “death” in the net and will swim away as fast as they can.
Sometimes I think that if we use the same old methods while “fishing for men,” the people can smell us a mile away and will run for the hills. The Lord has been challenging us to use creative means to reach others who really have no plans for being “caught.”
We are aware that over the years, not only has God been faithful, but all of you also have been faithful in praying for us, and we are so thankful for that. Please keep up the great work! We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for your prayers and giving to Alliance Great Commission Ministries. Many people have met the Great Fisherman and lives have been transformed as a result of your sacrifice.
We will finish out our four-year term next year and expect to be reassigned to another Latin American country after home assignment. We can transition from there, knowing that God’s faithfulness will continue, that He will continue to build His Church, and that the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
Thanks again for being our fishing buddies.
Learn More
Check out Alliance work in Ecuador.
What You Can Do
- Praise God for His faithfulness to Alliance missionaries and their national colleagues in Ecuador.
- Rejoice with them for a strong national church that is fully committed to completing the Great Commission.
- Pray for God’s continued blessing on the Ecuador national church.
Donate now to Alliance Great Commission Ministries.
In 2005, the initial response to Hurricane Katrina was swift and generous. Americans, shocked by the storm’s destructive power on the Gulf Coast, came to the aid of their fellow countrymen with compassionate abundance. But time passes, and people forget. While agencies and individuals have moved on to other noble causes, the Gulf Coast residents cannot forget Hurricane Katrina. Many continue to live in barely habitable homes and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reports that 3,000 families still live in its issued mobile homes.
There is one agency, however, that has not moved on. One organization has maintained a constant vigil for four years, meeting physical and spiritual needs of the people in New Orleans, Louisiana, as well as in Gulfport and Waveland, Mississippi-The Alliance.
The Alliance continues its commitment to help rebuild homes and lives in the hurricane-stricken areas. Read more about these God-sized outreaches and how you can help.
New Hope in New Orleans
From the day that Hurricane Katrina breeched the levees of New Orleans, Louisiana, leaving most of the city under water, Willie Neudahl, associate pastor of New Hope Church in Gretna, has worked selflessly to serve the urban neighborhoods of The Big Easy. The multiethnic communities have benefitted from Neudahl’s efforts to rebuild homes but still are in desperate need of spiritual renewal.
Understanding that he needed assistance in reaching the large, ethnically diverse population of displaced residents, Neudahl sought help from his district leaders, who invited Rev. Donald Smith from Pennsylvania to join Neudahl in the daunting task of rebuilding homes and lives in the Gretna area. Smith joined Neudahl in 2007, and together, the two are impacting a community for Christ.
With the majority of relief work taking place in the Gentilly area, New Hope is in various phases of reconstruction. “While the need is far greater,” says Smith, “our ability to assist is proportionate to the number of missions teams that partner with us.” The need is expected to continue for at least a few more years.
The Vision
Because of the ethnic diversity of New Hope, which includes, Indian, Vietnamese, Guatemalan, African American, Caucasian and more, it is necessary to understand the various cultural backgrounds in order to meet the people at their level of need. “This requires careful consideration of everything from music to the propagation of the gospel to social interaction,” Smith says. “But the leadership of New Hope-an African American pastor and a Caucasian associate pastor-demonstrates to those on the outside that Christ loves people from all walks of life.”
New Hope facilitates five weekly home Bible studies as well as a mid-week study at the church. “Home studies allow people to get to know us while learning about Christ in an informal setting,” says Smith.
Outreaches such as Vacation Bible School and cookouts pave the way to community involvement. “Most of the people who attend New Hope are involved in some way to help the pastors in proclaiming the good news,” says Neudahl. “Many have accepted the Lord, and many others have recommitted their lives to Him.”
As Smith and Neudahl plant and water the seed of the gospel, “The Lord opens doors of opportunity,” says Smith. “As we disciple the souls that the Lord entrusts to our care, we believe that a mighty harvest for the Lord will arise.”
Help is still needed to continue this critical New Orleans ministry. If you would like to partner with New Hope, contact Pastor Smith at djjd49s@cox.net or visit the New Hope Web site.
Incredible Journey in Gulfport
When Darren Sanford moved his family of nine to Gulfport, Mississippi, he found the ministry of Journey4Life to be not quite what he expected. Journey4Life began as a relief outreach to Gulfport residents and businesses that were left helpless after Hurricane Katrina decimated the small Gulf Coast community located between Waveland and New Orleans.
Not much has changed since Sanford reported last year. Four years after the killer storm, FEMA trailers still dot the landscape; illegal drug use is rampant, and divorce and suicide also are on the rise. “Insurance companies’ refusals to cover the losses, lack of employment, and a virtual standstill in the rebuilding effort have led to a deterioration of morale,” Sanford says. “Criminal activity is on the rise as desperate people battle hopelessness.”
Freedom and Liberty
Progress is slow at Freedom Hall community center, but Sanford’s vision is the same. “The building is a perfect illustration of both us and the community,” he says. “It’s a real fixer-upper, a project that many would simply evaluate as not being worth the time. But God uses things like a neglected building and delights in using people of no reputation to mainfest His glory.”
Youth outreach will include sporting events as well as training for young men in skills such as carpentry, electronics, and mechanics. Other life-skills training classes will be made available for women. Freedom Hall will be open to families for events, banquets, meetings, and other social gatherings and also will be home to the Journey4Life church plant.
Liberty Café will be a place where the love of God is shared with people in a welcoming environment; a portion of the profits will go to an organization that helps girls get off of the streets, builds orphanages, provides blankets for those who have insufficient shelter, and supplies formula for babies in famine-stricken areas.
Regrouping
“In regards to Journey4Life, we are restarting the ministry,” says Sanford. “Presently, I am trying to discern the mind of Christ in how this is done. I need to understand the heart of God in this matter.”
Journey4Life has great needs-for workers and for supplies. Electrical supplies, heating/air conditioning resources, and volunteers are needed to help in completing the building transformation.
Sanford requests prayer for God’s wisdom and guidance as well as for the physical needs of the church. If the Lord is leading you to contribute to this vital ministry, contact Sanford journey4life@bellsouth.net or visit Freedom Hall.
Waveland’s Camp Katrina
From the moment The Alliance stepped foot in Waveland, there has been a continuous flow of workers who have helped in demolition, rebuilding, supplying, and meeting the physical needs of the city’s residents, most of whom live in spiritual darkness.
“RP* represents the need for each of us to never give up on the people God puts in our life,” says Tom Barbour, who pastors the Christian Life Center (CLC), “no matter how futile our efforts may seem.” A meth addict, RP received help from the original staging area of “Camp Katrina,” which is now CLC. She indicated early on that she wanted a life change and was ready to follow God on His narrow road. After four years of off-again, on-again attendance at CLC, the once-emaciated woman praises God for delivering her from drugs and tells others of their need for the Savior.
I Work for Jesus
While in search of wood for the smoker grill that is used to cook meat for volunteers, Barbour asked the Spirit to lead him. He turned onto a dead-end street in an old and obviously poor neighborhood he had never seen. “At the end of the street was a pile of oak logs,” says Barbour, who was joined by an older African American man, Theo,* from a FEMA trailer in the neighboring yard. As the man assisted Barbour in loading the wood, Barbour offered the services of a volunteer rebuilding team. Theo thanked Barbour, who gave his standard reply, “Don’t thank me. You know who I work for, don’t you?” Cautiously, Theo answered, “No.”
“I work for Jesus,” Barbour told Theo, whose face brightened immediately. “You know Jesus?” he asked. Barbour and Theo spent the next hour talking about Jesus.
Greg, a recent college graduate, had the next 45 years of his life neatly planned-until he visited Waveland with a short-term missions team. “Trying to fit my recently grace-filled spirit into the constraining box of American routine proved painful,” he says. “Here [in Waveland] was life abundant, and I found myself in a position where I was unable to exist without it.” Greg joined the CLC staff to minister to Waveland residents as well as CLC volunteers, finding his contentment “in Christ alone,” he said.
A Promise Kept
Many lives have been impacted by the CLC ministry, whether they are recipients of CLC’s help, like RP and Theo, or on the giving end, like Greg. Circumstances vary, but the results are the same-God moves in the hearts of all who come in contact with CLC. Through ongoing rebuilding efforts, a thrift store, Bible studies, and church services, CLC has remained faithful to its promise four years ago: “We’re in it for the long haul.”
If you would like to partner with Christian Life Center, contact Tom Barbour at jtbarbour@comcast.net
View Gulf Coast Devastation and Alliance relief efforts on Alliance Video Magazine
*names changed
August 21, 2009
Whether taking out garbage, setting up tables, or moving equipment for church events, self-proclaimed surf bum and Alliance layperson Jim McCleary was always looking for ways to serve God at Deltona Alliance Church in Florida. But when he met an Alliance missionary to Indonesia, Jim learned that God’s call on his life was tailor made just for him.
“In 1996, George Hobbs (now retired) was speaking at our weeklong Missions Conference, and I was asked to pick him up at the airport,” Jim says. The two stopped at a restaurant on the way back to the church, and Jim asked George about the surfing in Indonesia. George’s answer ignited in Jim a passion for a unique ministry.
“Surfers are like Indonesians,” George told Jim. “They wear funny clothes, have crazy hair styles, and speak a language all their own. They may have strange customs, but the main thing about surfers and Indonesians is that they are both going to hell if they don’t know Jesus.”
The Challenge
“When I went to Indonesia,” George continued, “I had to dress and look like the Indonesians. I had to learn their language and their customs. Basically, I had to become one of them to gain their trust.
“But you see, Jim, God created you to look like a surfer, talk like a surfer, dress like a surfer, and actually go out and ride the waves. No surfers are going to listen to me, but God can use you to get through to them. Why don’t you take a few kids to the beach, teach them how to surf, and share God’s Word with them. Do you think you could do that?”
Crosswaves
Jim’s first ministry outing a couple months later involved a few boys. “I taught them to surf and told them about Jesus walking on water,” says Jim. “And Crosswaves was born.”
Crosswaves is a Christian surfing ministry designed for all family members. Crosswaves leaders are believers, using the gifts God equipped them with to reach out and serve those in their local communities. Outreaches include beach activities and Bible studies, as well as supporting other ministries in their efforts, including those outside the United States. Crosswaves seeks to create an environment in which everyone will feel welcome and where the love of Jesus will be revealed.
Phil Risoldi and his family experienced the Crosswaves welcome firsthand. “My two sons and I met Jim at a Christian skateboarding event,” says Phil. “He had a tent there, representing his surfing ministry.” The meeting came just five days after the third surgery on Phil’s right arm, which was left completely disabled. “The doctors said I would never use my arm again.”
But Phil sensed God’s call to join Jim in ministry. “Crosswaves has fortified our family’s faith,” he says. “I thought, I can teach those kids to surf.” Though one arm is disabled, Phil ventures out on his surfboard to give surfing lessons, and “God enables me to stay in the water all day.”
Crosswaves outreach events—including surf lessons, lunch, and drinks for the day—are free. “All you have to do is listen to Jim talk about Jesus,” Phil says. “It is such a dynamic ministry; if you weren’t a Christian when you got there, you will be when you leave.” Currently, 1,250 workers facilitate Crosswaves chapters in three Florida cities as well as in Puerto Rico and Nicaragua.”We’re looking forward to the next town where God will start another Crosswaves chapter,” Jim says. “Is God calling you? Pray about it, let us know, and we will do anything we can to help you get started.”
A spinoff of Crosswaves is a youth basketball outreach called Crossover. Both Deltona Alliance Church ministries represent the heartbeat of The Alliance-mobilizing fully devoted disciples to reach lost people who matter to God. He wants them found, and Crosswaves is finding them on the beaches of Florida.
What You Can Do
Pray for safety and good health for Jim and his team as they ride the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.
Pray that God will prepare hearts to receive the truth.
Donate now to Alliance Great Commission Ministries.
Learn More
Visit www.crosswavesweb.com and www.deltonaalliancechurch.org
By Bruce and Stephanie Beers, serving in Ecuador
Jesus said to them, “Come with me. I’ll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I’ll show you show to catch men and women instead of perch and bass.” They didn’t ask questions. They dropped their nets and followed (Mark 1:17-18, The Message).
One day while walking along the beach, we came upon a group of fishermen who were pulling in their nets. They had fished all night, and their muscles strained as they toiled to haul their catch onto dry land. With each heave of the net, more birds circled overhead until the large black cloud of screeching birds nearly blotted out the sun. They dove and picked at the nets, trying to extricate any particle of food they could get their beaks on.
A Messy Business
This reminded us of what we are doing here as fishers of men. All the while, the devil is flying around, diving and picking at new and soon-to-be believers in order to discourage them or dislodge them from their newfound faith. We are going after some pretty “big fish” and praying for wisdom about the right kind of “bait” to use.
We read an interesting quote from Rick Warren the other day: “If your church is serious about reaching the unchurched, you must be willing to put up with people who have a lot of problems. Fishing is often messy and smelly. Many churches want the fish they catch to be already scaled, gutted, cleaned, and cooked. That is why they never reach anyone.”
Miraculous Catch
On one particular Sunday, our church had a pretty big catch when we baptized eight new believers, who ranged in age from 12 to 90. We’d like to share some of their testimonies.
Luis, age 12, had many fears. He was especially afraid to stay alone. After asking Jesus to take control of his life, he felt at peace.
Daniela, a recent high school graduate, realizes the difference that God has made in her life, especially when it comes to the usual party activities in which most of her friends are involved. She wanted to get baptized to show her commitment to being a woman of integrity.
Ricardo said that before he became a Christian, he didn’t have any friends and people made fun of him at school. When Ricardo prayed to receive Christ, God changed his heart. He began to make friends, and his grades improved dramatically.
Norma, a widowed mother of four, said that she felt empty and cried constantly before she committed her life to Jesus. After placing her faith in Christ, an indescribable peace came over her. She knows that she will never be alone.
Patti trusted in men instead of God and was always disappointed. Now that Jesus is Lord of her life, she has been freed from bitterness, addictions, and false beliefs. He has given her freedom and a reason to live.
Magdalena, who turns 90 this year, thought she was going to get to heaven as a result of her good works and church attendance. Now she is sure that she is a child of God and that He will never leave or forsake her.
Please pray for us as we continue to fish, casting our nets and trusting God for a miraculous catch.
What You Can Do
Praise God for His life-changing work among these new believers. Pray that they will continue to be vibrant witnesses to those around them. And pray for Bruce and Stephanie as they reach out to people who need the Savior.
Donate now to Alliance Great Commission Ministries to support Alliance workers around the world.
Learn More
Check out our Alliance work in Ecuador.
August 20, 2009
By Sarah Rowley, serving in Russia
Missions experts claim 84 percent of those who accept Christ do so between the ages of four and 14, making this group one of the world’s most strategic mission fields. Sarah understands God’s love for children and the urgency of reaching them with the gospel, as evidenced in this adaptation of her recent prayer letter.
As God promises in Jeremiah 29:11-12, He has a plan and it is for our good.
While preparing for youth camp in June, I was told the children from the orphanage in Nizhniy Novgorod would not be allowed to attend. Discouraged, but still trusting, our team stepped out in faith and held camp for only 11 kids.
No Joke!
Camp with just 11 children might sound a bit like a joke. In retrospect, it was great for our church. We have never held a camp before, and most of our workers had never been to a Christian camp. It became a year of learning for the adults as much as for the children.
As I have already stated, we were blessed with 11 children, six of whom attend church regularly, two who have attended a few times, and three who had never been to church and had never even heard of the Name of Jesus. These youth spent a week learning about and experiencing God’s love for them.
Campers’ Needs
Brahim,* 12, is out of control at home. He is already smoking and drinking. Although I was concerned when he was put in my group, I quickly found a great kid who just needs love and attention.
Galena* and Lena,* also 12, arrived at camp not knowing anything about God. They come from alcoholic homes, and you could see them relaxing more each day, realizing nothing bad was going to happen.
On the day we talked about sin and its consequences, I took them aside to see if they understood. When I realized they didn’t, I sat down and talked with them about sin and forgiveness. It was the first time I had really shared so deeply in Russian-I was sharing the gospel with two girls who had a foundation of zero.
The final day of camp, two girls, Natasha and Inneta, prayed to receive Christ! They both attend our church regularly and come from great Christian homes, but that does not lessen my joy. I believe too often we take the salvation of children in our churches for granted.
Children’s Ministry Plans
School begins September 1. So, the first Saturday in September we have scheduled a camp reunion-a party. We really want to encourage Akmal, Katya, and Anya to join us. They are each 12 years old, and last year that was the cut-off for our Kidz Club. We are making changes so they can join us; they want to, but their parents need to give approval.
We haven’t seen the children from the orphanage for two months. The last half of July and all of August they were at a state camp for orphans. This does not mean our ministry to them has ended. We just received a phone call from the orphanage director asking for help.
In years past, the Russian government provided orphans with basic school supplies. Due to the financial crisis this year, they are unable to help at all. So Anya and I get to go on a huge shopping spree for the kids tomorrow. I’m sure we’ll have fun.
God is at work in Nizhniy Novgorod, and you are a part of it. Thank you for your prayers and your support of the Great Commission Fund. Without you I could not be here.
* Names have been changed.
What You Can Do
Praise God! “Kids camp was great,” says Sarah, “and Natasha and Inneta prayed to receive Christ.” Pray that the three youth at summer camp who just learned about Christ will be allowed to attend Kidz Club this fall to learn more about Him.
Learn more
Read “A Crack in the Door,” an article in the March 2009 issue of alife about another successful summer youth camp in Russia.
Familiarize yourself with important Alliance youth ministry resources.
Check out our Russia team’s Web page.
View several videos about The Alliance in Russia.
August 19, 2009
Editor’s note: Three years ago, Alliance missionaries and Khmer Evangelical (C&MA) Church (KEC) leaders in Cambodia began sharing the gospel with the unreached Kuy people of Cambodia. A number have responded, and a church has been started along with an additional preaching point. In December 2008, 13 Kuy believers were baptized. “As far as we know, these are the first Kuy believers ever to be baptized in Cambodia—although there has been a work among the Kuy in Thailand for many years,” says David Manfred, Cambodia field director. “A number of these Kuy believers have begun regular discipleship classes, and some emerging leaders are being developed.” Read about how the gospel came to the Kuy in Preahvihear Province in northern Cambodia.
Walking through chest-high water, Sambo, a Bible school graduate of the Khmer Evangelical Church, traveled many miles to visit a small group of Kuy believers who had responded to the gospel when a KEC evangelist made initial contact in the area. Sambo journeyed to these villages twice each month, even during rainy season when the roads were nearly impassable.
After Sambo had faithfully ministered to the Kuy for two years, 18 believers were baptized in the first-ever baptism service held for the Kuy in Cambodia. Earlier this summer, the KEC Missions Committee commissioned Sambo and his wife to minister to the Kuy full time, and they moved to Preahvihear Province to live among this people group. They will study the Kuy language, serve the two small groups that have been started there, and trust the Lord to expand the gospel further in this area.
“Please pray that the good news will spread in ever greater ways among the Kuy,” says David. “Pray that those who were baptized will be the down-payment for a much greater harvest.”
What You Can Do
Praise God for His work among the Kuy and for dedicated servants like Sambo and his colleagues. Pray that the believers will grow in their faith and reach out to others with the love of Jesus.
Donate now to Alliance Great Commission Ministries to support our workers around the world, including those in Cambodia.
Learn More
Check out our Alliance work in Cambodia.
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