Category: Monthly Letters

Dear Partners and Friends,

We stand at the beginning of a new decade, with great anticipation of what God is going to do, both in us and through us. We believe, according to Jeremiah 29:11 that the Lord has “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” (NASB). His plans are wonderful, and He can handle every possibility and every circumstance we may encounter. If we continue to commit our ways to Him, he will direct our steps.

This Christmas our teams experienced great revival and blessing. You and I can experience the same blessing in our lives. Revival can come to America, just as it is coming to India. How can this happen? How can we see revival in our land? Our brothers and sisters in India pray every day for revival but spending hours in the prayer closet did not bring revival. They fast regularly but fasting did not bring revival. What does the Word say? “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” But someone must announce the good news of the Gospel.

So, our teams share the Gospel every day, and God confirms the message with signs and wonders. Sowing the seeds of the Gospel every day, week after week, produces results. It’s not glamorous. It’s hard work to keep going. They face possible rejection from the villagers. They walk for miles and give up some physical comfort. But when they see one changed life, one healed body, one person lifted from despair, they realize it’s worth it.

If you are a Christ-follower, you have His Spirit living within you. Everyone you meet has a potential divine encounter. If you want to see revival in your community, look for ways to serve and reach out to the downtrodden, the despairing, the sick, the forgotten. You will be amazed at what God will do through you as you share His love with the unloved in your community. Send us your testimonies of what God does when you take that step of faith. We can’t wait to hear!

If you enjoy these stories, share this blog with your friends. For more inspiring and exciting testimonies, click the links on the right, and keep reading!

Blessings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus,

                        Thomas

Dear Partners and Friends,

The Indian state of Rajasthan, where this month’s story takes place, is one of the largest states of India, making up over 10% of the land area and home to more than 77 million people. But the Christian population remains at less than a tenth of one percent. There is still much opposition and much persecution against Christians in the state, and pastors and missionaries are especially vulnerable. But when God demonstrates His love for these people through miracles and healing, they respond with great joy, and embrace the Gospel with enthusiasm unmatched in the western world.

You see, they already believe in a supernatural, spiritual world. They don’t have to be persuaded that Jesus is alive in Spirit, and that people communicate with Him in prayer. They have seen people possessed by a spirit, whom they think is one of their gods or goddesses. But they have never experienced the love they feel from the true God of the universe. Other spirit-beings take advantage of them or afflict them in some way. But the true God, and Jesus His Son, bring healing and deliverance into their lives, in such a way that they will never go back to their idols.

Why is it that Christians in the West don’t experience this? We don’t really believe in an active supernatural spirit world. Now I know there are many exceptions to this, but the average American Christian has never seen a miracle, has never seen a demonic spirit (or at least they haven’t recognized it as such) and doesn’t expect God to intervene in their life in a tangible, significant way.

If you are a Christ-follower but have never experienced His miracle-working power in your life, I want to challenge you. Jesus wants to demonstrate His love for you, just as much as He does for the people of India. He tells us to “Ask, and it will be given to you” (Matthew 7:7, NASB). Is there something in your life that needs a miracle? Ask Him, in faith, and see what He will do for you. And we would be honored to pray with you for the answer.

We overcome by the blood of Jesus Christ, and the word of our testimony. With your help, the Gospel will be proclaimed, the Kingdom of Heaven will be advanced, and you will be blessed! Our teams are actively working to advance God’s kingdom. For more inspiring and exciting testimonies, click the links on the right, and keep reading!

Blessings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus,

                        Thomas

Dear Partners and Friends,

As we celebrate Thanksgiving and approach the 2019 Christmas season, we are reminded of how much we have, and how thankful we are (or should be). Our missionaries in India are working tirelessly in less-than-ideal conditions, sometimes dealing with bad weather, sometimes trying to avoid terrorists who are prevalent in many areas, and sometimes just dealing with the inferior infrastructure (roads, bridges, cell phone service) – things that most of us have no experience with. That’s why this month we have posted our annual “Project Catalog”, showing things that you have the opportunity to give and bless our missionaries. Make your selection on the Project Fund Donation page and include your gift, and we will provide them with these blessings.

As you read this month’s story, I want to encourage us to think about our own lives. These missionaries are traveling through dangerous territory, avoiding terrorists, driving on narrow roads through forests, over rocks and potholes, across fields and creek beds, into villages with thousands of tribal people and very few modern conveniences. They risk their lives and set aside their comfort to bring the Gospel to people who have never heard. Thousands hear the message and hundreds respond with open hearts.

What kinds of risks am I willing to take to share the Gospel with those around me? Am I willing to risk being labeled, or worse, laughed at? What inconveniences am I willing to endure? Am I willing to let someone ahead of me in the line at the grocery store? Do I dare take a risk and pray for a sick person, and dare I do it in a public place? What if nothing happens and I look foolish? But, on the other hand, what if the person I am sharing with experiences the love of the Savior through me? Would it be worth the risk?

One more thing – we are offering a 2020 calendar to anyone who asks for it. If you would like this small token of our appreciation, let us know on the “Contact Us” page.

We overcome by the blood of Jesus Christ, and the word of our testimony. With your help, the Gospel will be proclaimed, the Kingdom of Heaven will be advanced, and you will be blessed! Our teams are actively working to advance God’s kingdom. For more inspiring and exciting testimonies, click the links on the right, and keep reading!

Blessings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus,

                        Thomas

Every year we present you, our Partners, with several new projects for your consideration. If you would like to give toward any of these projects, simply make your choice on the Project Fund Donation page when you make your gift. Any funds received above the need will be used for other projects. Thank you for your generosity!

Gift #1. 10 Bibles—$40

We have tribal people literally begging us for a Bible. We give them away in seven different languages for only $4 each. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God.

Gift #2. Cotton Floor Rugs—$40

Many of the tribal come to the prayers meeting and sit on the cold dirt floor Thick, 12-lb cotton floor rugs (18’x15’) will be a great blessing and a great Christmas gift for the house churches in the tribal area this winter.

Gift #3. Bicycles—$45

Our House church leaders are from all walks of life, from 18-70 years of age, both men and women. A bicycle can give them greater mobility to serve the Lord.

Gift #4. Sewing Machines—$50 each / $300 for a Sewing Center

We are continuing to launch new tailoring centers in partnership with local churches. Each center has 5 sewing machines and an instructor to teach women the skills they need to earn an income. Once they complete the training, some women will keep their sewing machine, enabling them to support their families. We also conduct Bible studies and children’s programs in the tailoring centers.

Gift #5. Petromax Lanterns—$35

These lanterns run for hours on gasoline or paraffin. In remote villages they allow our missionaries to conduct public meetings where they preach the Gospel and see hundreds of people respond to the altar call for salvation or healing.

Gift #6. Motorcycles—$800 (or any amount)

Fourteen of our missionaries in the tribal areas travel long distances to reach the villages in which they minister. A motorcycle will enable them to be 10 times more effective in their work for the Kingdom of Heaven and help the tribal village churches to grow.

Gift #7. Church Building—$5000—$7000

As more people come to faith, our house churches need more room, and a central location for worship. The church will also serve as a center for community outreach.

Gift #8. Church Roof—$2000—$3000

Some of our congregations have raised money for their building, but they still lack the funds for a proper roof, so they can continue to meet, even during bad weather.

Dear Partners and Friends,

Much of the world around us today lives in fear. Fear of financial failure; fear of dying; fear of things undermining our way of life; fear of sickness and disease; fear of others who don’t share our values; etc. Often we make decisions and choices from a posture of fear. We have faith in God, yet so often our daily life might not reflect that faith. Years ago I heard a saying “if you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” More important, what kind of evidence would they find? We go to church regularly, read our Bible, but do our lives have any impact on the world around us?

Missionary, author, and apostolic leader Leif Hetland encourages us to see people around us not as problems, but rather as possibilities. Instead of focusing on their history, see their destiny. Instead of seeing the disgusting sinner, see the destined saint. Our brothers and sisters in India saw a family from a different religion, one that is often associated with violence and terrorism, not as problems, but as possibilities. They saw a hurting family that needed the healing touch of Our Savior. And instead of running the other way, they embraced the family with the love of Christ, and their love and faith released miraculous power in this family, that impacted the entire village.

Are you reaching out to people around you? How do you see people of other religions – as a problem or a possibility? Are you willing to release the love of Christ to people around you? God wants to use you just as he is using our Indian brothers and sisters. The next time you encounter someone from another faith, offer to pray for them in the name of Jesus, and watch what God does. He loves people more than we do, and He wants to reveal His love to them.

As you step out, share your testimonies with us so we can rejoice with you, and agree for God’s perfect plan to be carried out.

We overcome by the blood of Jesus Christ, and the word of our testimony. With your help, the Gospel will be proclaimed, the Kingdom of Heaven will be advanced, and you will be blessed! Our teams are actively working to advance God’s kingdom. For more inspiring and exciting testimonies, click the links on the right, and keep reading!

Blessings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus,

                        Thomas

Dear Partners and Friends,

The national holiday for September is Labor Day here in the USA, so it seems appropriate to mention that Jesus told His disciples “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Luke 10:2, NASB) Every month, we send out hundreds of laborers into the harvest fields of India, and the results are always encouraging. This month’s testimony is no different. One person is delivered from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. That person becomes a light of the Gospel, and as a result, hundreds more are brought into God’s kingdom.

As we partner together with each of you, we know our labor is not in vain. One sows the seed, another waters, but God gives the increase. When you help us financially, you are helping to provide “seed” for the sower and also helping provide the “water” to help the seeds grow. You may not be able to travel, and even if you can travel you may never have the opportunity to visit the remote villages where our missionaries share the Gospel. But by partnering with us, you can have an eternal impact on these remote villages, and hundreds can come to faith in Jesus Christ as a result. Hundreds of lives can be changed, and hundreds of villages can be transformed.

Testimonies like we read about in this month’s newsletter are the reason we don’t give up. Whether we are tired or discouraged, it doesn’t matter, because people’s lives are changed for all eternity. Whenever you are discouraged in your own situation, call or write us and we will be glad to pray with you. Together we will labor to enter into the rest and peace that Christ offers us. Together we will see His kingdom come and His will be done on this earth.

God wants to speak to you, to encourage you. So keep reading His Word, and when He speaks, feel free to share it with us.

We overcome by the blood of Jesus Christ, and the word of our testimony. With your help, the Gospel will be proclaimed, the Kingdom of Heaven will be advanced, and you will be blessed! Our teams are actively working to advance God’s kingdom. For more inspiring and exciting testimonies, click the links on the right, and keep reading!

Blessings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus,

                        Thomas

Dear Partners and Friends,

The Apostle Paul’s exhortation to Timothy is as relevant today as it was when it was written: “Study to show yourself approved by God, a workman who need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15, MEV)

We believe in training and discipling everyone who comes to faith through our ministry. That is why a large component of our yearly budget is conducting training programs for pastors and other church leaders, both men and women. We are experiencing some growing pains. The number of churches we oversee is rapidly growing, and we are having some difficulty raising up trained leaders. Sometimes our “normal” way of running a training center doesn’t meet the needs of the local community. So we adapt.

We have to constantly rely on the Lord, trusting His Holy Spirit to speak to us, to lead and guide us. As we listen to Him, he shows us where and how to change to meet the current needs in our lives. In the midst of change, let’s make sure we keep Jesus at the center of our lives, our work, and our ministry. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be given to you.” (Matthew 6:33, MEV)

Like the pastors, evangelists, and missionaries, let’s make sure we are trained in the things of the Spirit. I have a tendency that, once I have read a scripture I think I “know” it and don’t need to read it again. But I am trying to retrain myself and break this attitude, because every time we read the Word of God, He reveals something new to our minds and our spirits. Even if we have read a passage a hundred times, there is still something new and fresh that God wants to speak to us. So keep reading, and keep listening. And if you have an encouraging word, or a prayer request, feel free to share it with us.

We overcome by the blood of Jesus Christ, and the word of our testimony. With your help, the Gospel will be proclaimed, the Kingdom of Heaven will be advanced, and you will be blessed! Our teams are actively working to advance God’s kingdom. For more inspiring and exciting testimonies, click the links on the left, and keep reading!

Blessings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus,

                        Thomas

Shine your Light!

Dear Partners and Friends,

It’s a simple law of physics – light overcomes darkness. Darkness can seem powerful and frightening, until the smallest light is lit, and immediately darkness must retreat. Even the gloomiest shadows are no match for the smallest flicker of light from a candle or a small flashlight.

So it is with the Gospel. A single person, committed to Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit, can transform an entire area engulfed in darkness. These are the stories in this month’s newsletter. One family moving into an unreached village. One young man who gives up his life of comfort to live in a tribal village. And these are just a few of the many stories we have heard among our outreach teams.

Do you feel outnumbered? Insignificant? The darkness around you is no match for the light within. If you have given your life to Christ, if He has filled you with His Spirit and His Power, as someone has said, God plus you equals a majority. When you fill your heart and mind with God’s Word, and then act on it, responding to the leading of the Holy Spirit, you can have a lasting impact on the people around you. You can bring the Kingdom of Heaven into the earth realm. You can change your neighborhood, your city.

Start shining your light in your area of influence, among the people you live with, the people you work with. Where there is discouragement, bring hope. Where there is pain and sorrow, bring the love of Christ in prayer. And watch what God will do. He is no respecter of persons. What He has done for others, He will do for you. Just ask, and believe, and you will receive. And as He answers your prayers, please send us your testimony so we can rejoice with you.

As I said last month, our mission work is limited, not by the willingness of our teams, but by the amount of funds we receive from our partners. Our teams are ready and willing to work. Will you help us to equip them? This month I am asking specifically, if you know of missions-minded people who have never heard of Exciting Word, please share this letter with them.

Please don’t feel pressured to give. If you are able to help, go to the Donate page. If you aren’t able to help this month, please pray. Your prayers are extremely important. And please share this newsletter with as many believers as you are able. Copy it, send them to our website, do whatever you can do to get the word out. We overcome by the blood of Jesus Christ, and the word of our testimony. The more people who receive this newsletter, the more hearts will be touched, and the more God will provide for our missionaries. Without your help, we could do nothing to promote the Gospel.

Blessings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus,

Thomas

Revival is Here!

Dear Partners and Friends,

We live in a world where every day we are bombarded by TV, newspapers and radio with bad news. Now that the world is connected via satellite, it only takes a few minutes for an event on the other side of the globe to reach us in our living room, in our car, or in our office. Sometimes it gives us the impression that the world is falling apart, seemingly without any attention from God. We have to look harder, but the Good News is all around us, too. In fact, there is at least as much Good News as there is bad.

Revival isn’t coming.

IT’S HERE!

The stories in the enclosed newsletter are just the “tip of the iceberg.” God is on the move, and He’s looking for men and women (and children) to partner with Him. All authority was given to Jesus Christ, and He wants to share His authority with us. Our pastors and missionaries understand this. It isn’t their power that brings salvation, healing, and deliverance to the remote villages of India. It isn’t their wisdom that brings cultural transformation to societies that have worshiped idols for countless generations.

What brings salvation is the Compassion of God, combined with the Power of the Kingdom of Heaven that is Now being released on the earth. We have a choice. We can sit back and do nothing; or we can take action and watch the Kingdom be established before our eyes. It’s time to seek the Lord and take action. It’s time to be an instrument of His Love to the people around you. It’s time to share the message of Hope in Jesus Christ, and the testimonies of what He is doing around the world. This month, if you find yourself discouraged, call out to the Lord. Immerse yourself in His promises. Fill your mind with testimonies of His love and power. And expect Him to do the same in your own life. Keep believing, and keep expecting God to reward you as you seek His face. And send us your testimony when He sends the answer.

Much of what we accomplish is impacted by the amount of funds we receive from our partners. Our teams are ready and willing to work. Will you help us to equip them? If you are able to help, go to the Donate page. If you aren’t able to help this month, please pray. Your prayers are extremely important. And please share this newsletter with as many believers as you are able. Copy it, send them to our website, do whatever you can do to get the word out. We overcome by the blood of Jesus Christ, and the word of our testimony. The more people who receive this newsletter, the more hearts will be touched, and the more God will provide for our missionaries. Without your help, we could do nothing to promote the Gospel.

Blessings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus,

Thomas