J* is a small village located 7 miles from the nearest road. It is totally undeveloped, and only 148 families live there, most of them “untouchables” (the lowest social status). This past December, some of our trainees went into this unreached village as part of their Christmas outreach program. They visited every home, sharing the Gospel orally from door to door, unable to share their literature because most of the residents were illiterate. They didn’t expect much response, but after the outreach they had some small public meetings in the village. Nonetheless, between 50 and 60 people attended the meetings, and 19 people responded to the altar call! But our work in this village actually started last March. At that time, one of our trainees had just completed our basic training. This training consists of 40 days of foundational training, one day a week for 40 weeks. At the end of the training, he could still hardly read and write, and he and his wife had never done mission work. He could have focused on all these negatives, but when he was asked to come to the village and conduct some Gospel meetings there, he agreed. His home church and our ministry sent him to this remote village as a full time missionary. He and his wife were willing to go to a poor community and live in a very rural, undeveloped village, and there they started a regular worship service. Over the past year, the response has been great. Last week R* was in the village for a public meeting, where more than 400 people attended, and 72 people responded to the altar call!
Month: February 2018
February 2018 Letter
Dear Partners and Friends,
In this month’s newsletter we share some of the statistics of what God did through our ministry in 2017. But behind the statistics are the stories of every person, every family, and every community touched by the love of God. Thousands of people came into the Kingdom, received eternal life, physical healing, and provision for their material needs. The Gospel ministers to the whole person. The Greek word for salvation, “sozo” is more than just the promise of Heaven. It includes “to save, to keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction, to save from suffering, to heal, to make well from disease, to deliver from spiritual oppression, to provide financial prosperity.”
As you begin the New Year, are you concerned in any area of your life? Are there health concerns, family relationships that are struggling, financial pressures? God sent His Son Jesus to save us, to “sozo” us. He died on the cross to pay for our sins, and He rose from the grave to bring complete salvation into our lives. He has the answer to every problem. No, He IS the answer to every problem. Are you sick? He is the Answer. Are you prone to argue with your spouse or children? He is the Answer. Are you facing financial burdens? He is the Answer. For every concern that faces us, He is the Answer. These things might look like mountains in front of us, making the way impassable, but what does He say?
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is encouraging His disciples to have faith. Many English translations quote Him as saying “Have faith IN God” but the Koine Greek literally reads “Have God’s faith.” Now I want to ask you, does God believe that He will do what He says He will do? Yes! If we allow Him to impart His faith to us, then the rest of the passage becomes easy. Mark 11:22-24 can now be read like this:
And Jesus answered saying to them, “Have God’s faith. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. (Mark 11:22-24 NASB)
Speak to the mountain of sickness, the mountain of discord, the mountain of financial burdens, and, with God’s faith, cast them into the sea. Now thank Him for answering your prayer and wait expectantly for whatever it is that you need.
Thank you for continuing to pray for all of us here, and thank you for your sacrificial support every month.
Blessings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus
Thomas