Going Into All The World With The ‘Good News’ In 2003

“But Jesus said, . . . You must go and tell about the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:60); “But Jesus said, . . . Go . . tell people what God did for you.” (Luke 8:39); ; “The Good News will be told to every nation . . .” (Mt. 24:14); “We believe, and so we speak.” (2 Cor. 4:13); “Do the work of telling the Good News. Do all the duties of a servant of God.” (2 Tim. 4:5); ‘Pray that God will give us an opportunity to tell people His message.” (Col. 4:31); “Pray that the Lord’s teaching will continue to spread quickly.” (2 Thess. 3:1); “Preaching the Good News is my duty–-something I must do. It will be bad for me if I don’t preach the Good News.” 1 Cor. 9:16) (All in ERV)

S E A S O N’ S G R E E T I N G S ! And a wish for the coming year to be one of closeness to God, growth into His likeness, and sharing the ‘Good News’ with the lost ones. We just can’t ‘go marching in’ alone!!! It is the wish of the writer that the following stories will be inspiring, move each of us to pray for those who are involved, and will cause us to be more concerned about each soul we meet. Our heavenly Father will help us do that.

UKRAINE: Donetsk Region - City of Mariupol. With all the fervor he had, Andrew Kelly, told us the reason for plans to establish a ‘Transitional Living Center’ in the city of M. For six summers he has participated in the Youth Camps in Ukraine, led by Gregg Perry. But when they visited the state-run orphanages, they ran into a GREAT NEED. (Every time they visited the orphanages, the children would run to them and cling to them. They are so hungry for love!) Yes, they needed help with food and clothing, but found a greater need. When the children finish the 9th grade, at 14 or 15 years of age, they are let out on to the streets with no support. In order for them to attend a state-run trade school, each needs a permanent address. Without one, some would go into prostitution or into prison. Also, while in the orphanages, they were not taught social skills or how to take care of themselves. So Andrew, with co-worker Steve Taliaferro, decided they needed help: An address, guidance in social skills, how to live independently and to experience love of Christians and learn God’s Will for their lives. The brethren in the small Left Bank congregation of the Lord’s Church in M. had been provided a two story building in which to worship. There was enough room on the second floor to provide for 24 students! It has to be renovated for this use. The members wanted to be part of the program by mentoring to a child! Andrew is being sponsored by the small Madison, WI, congregation. Any who wish to help Andrew and his co-workers e-mail him, Andrew Kelly < They want to be ready for next September. HELP IS NEEDED NOW! Thanks and God bless you.

GERMANY, BENIN AND TOGO (AFRICA): In a report from Robert Prater, Erlangen, Ger., was the following: Brother George Akpabli of Contonou, Benin, led a 3-day seminar for three denominational churches and preachers in the Se area. One of his former BCC students in Se, who leads 5 congregations, desiring to lead them to follow the pattern for the church found in the New Testament, enlisted the help of Bro. Akpabli. Brethren in Benin and Togo are now preaching in nearby denominational churches to bring them back to the Bible. What a wonderful opportunity has been given God’s servants in these places! 

CAMBODIA, Phnom Penh: Bill and Marie-Claire McDonough, with other teachers, have a load too great for them to handle. Each week’s reports tell of the unusual opportunities to teach one-on-one and in groups in and around P.P. Each report begs for more helpers. Bill teaches 6 to 8 hours a day for 5 days a week and goes to village churches 2 days a week. So there was no time to drive 90 miles away to help a man who knew nothing about the Bible but believed it was God’s Words and that Jesus was His Son and that Christianity was the only hope of mankind. Bill learned about this man from his cousin, Vesna, a student of Bill’s. Vesna told Bill that his cousin saw the Bible study book he had and asked if he were a Christian. He said no, but that he was studying with Christians where he got the book. The cousin said he was a Christian and he had founded ten study groups in a province about 90 miles from there, (4 hours away on Cambodian roads in an old jeep!), and he wondered if Vesna’s teacher could come and teach these people about the Living God. Bill kept hearing the words ‘Come by here.’ and he agreed to meet the cousin and discuss the time to go teach his people. “Nov. 4, we left the house at 5:15, picked up four Bible school students. drove 4 hours to the home of one of the group, where more than 100 people were waiting to hear God’s word. They had never read a Bible or heard a sermon about Jesus, so we distributed the 70 Bibles we had. We gave them a short course on how to use the Bible - its divisions into books, chapters and verses, how to find specific passages. We began teaching in Genesis with the creation of man, his sin and separation from God. We continued with O.T. stories for 3 hours to demonstrate how God deals with man and what He wants from us. After 3½ hours we departed, promising to return. We drove back over 30 miles of 4-wheel-drive roads with mud holes big enough to bury the Jeep, and another 100 miles of cars, motorcycles and trucks to get home. Following dinner at 7 p.m. our Cambodian guest, Kim, was waiting for her nightly Bible study from 8:30 to 9:30. . . We give thanks for the blessing of these opportunities and the strength God has provided us to share His message with so many people.”On May 8, Bill learned that in January 600 Muslims were baptized in a town 4 hours north of P.P. He had received this message: “Please come and teach us. We are just babies.” So, at 3 a.m they left for the village. They handed out Bibles to the leaders, their first to have, and taught for 4 hours. They taught them about Jesus the Christ – His virgin birth, His power, His obedience, His sacrifice, His love, His body, the church they had been added to, and what He taught about obedience to His word. As they were about to leave, one of the men came to Bill and asked: “How do I worship this true and living God? I believe in Him and want to worship Him, but don’t know what I should do.” Bill almost cried. He quickly wrote some scriptures on his Bible for him to study and emphasized that he take the Lord’s Supper every week to remember Jesus’ sacrifice. Later Bill was told that this man had a grenade thrown into his front yard because he had been a Muslim cleric, and many were angry that he gave up Islam. [Who will go for a few weeks, months, years??? Many are crying for knowledge we have been blessed with!] 

CANADA, Toronto: Richard Kruse, Director of the International Bible Correspondence School, was elated to learn from Vanessa, MALAWI, CENTRAL AFRICA, that she found in their library a book on Spirituality Along the Way and the studies in the 4 Gospels. In 3 weeks she had gone through this material and ‘was so full of wonder!’ and requested more studies as she was determined to follow the way of Jesus. Richard has no way of knowing how his material made it into the library, but is so thankful. In another report he said that 62 young people in north-eastern Africa were arrested and locked into metal containers for weeks for their crime: having Bibles with them during their summer military camp. Over 200 believers are currently jailed for their faith (and can be released if they deny it). Do pray for these mistreated people. News he has received from “ETHIOPIA: Thousands of people have been under the control of sorcerers. Radical Islamic groups are also trying to gain additional power and control. The Orthodox Church has also opposed evangelical efforts. Yet, in one community we’ve had an impact that the Orthodox priest has requested to study with us.” WOW! Pray for that priest and the others studying God’s word.

KANSAS, Topeka: Earlier this year the writer learned of DOOR-KNOCKING CAMPAIGNS used successfully by the Northside congregation of the church of Christ. Elders Duane Baker and Dave Hill, and Evangelist Loy Mitchell have these campaigns. During a week’s meeting, with the help of outside workers, some of the members knock doors daily in the neighborhood to invite people to the meeting, and ask if they would like to have a home Bible study. The last such campaign found 40 plus who wanted to study the Bible!!! Recently, 16 of the members knocked doors on a Saturday for 6 hours; 2 studies were set and one family attended worship services the next day! 22 of their present members were contacted this way! Various members conduct the studies. Brother Mitchell has from 1 to 3 such studies daily, Monday through Friday. Another door-knocking campaign is planned for next May. If your congregation is looking for the lost, don’t you think this would be a good way to find such persons and help them learn the Way Home? [GOING INTO ALL THE WORLD also means next door, right?] HAPPY KNOCKING!

ZAMBIA: In connection with the annual Medical Mission in southern Zambia, a new program was introduced to help relieve the famines. Sustainable Gardening and Drip Irrigation Workshops were conducted at five sites in the Southern Province of Zambia. They were to train church leaders a revolutionary method of gardening so they could teach their fellow villagers. During four weeks of these workshops, over 100 church leaders were trained in these gardening techniques. It included classroom instruction as well as hands-on experience. Cleddy Varner and Gordon Dowell of Abilene, TX., were joined by Zambians Fred K., Namwianga farm manager, Patson Syula, Church Development Team member and trained gardener, and Fiat M., instructor of sustainable gardening of Twin Fountains Institute. At each workshop 20 people were selected by the local leaders and Patson Syula. Each was admonished to start a congregation of the Lord’s Church at each place they went to train people in better gardening. The techniques allowed for longer retention of water used to gain greater production of food. ~~~~ $410,000, to date, has been donated to the Zambia Food Relief which the little Namwianga Mission used to feed around 100,000 people monthly. This was done through 54 distribution centers, most of them local churches of Christ. At one of the Medical Missions sites, after being cared for by a doctor, and while a spiritual counselor was sharing Jesus with him, the man asked, “Are you the ones who fed us when we were starving?” “Yes,” answered the counselor. The man responded: “Then this must be the true church.” This led him to be baptized into our Lord. Everywhere the workers went, people thanked them for caring when no one else seemed to

ABILENE, TX. Hal Howell, supported by University Church of Christ, works at the prison near Abilene. He told of one of the inmates who had become a Christian the year before. He told Hal that for a year he had prayed each day that he would be released from the prison. Then it dawned on him that God wanted him where he was so he could teach others about the Christian Life. And from then on he put forth a great effort to encourage all who would listen to change their lives and follow Christ. Another prisoner wrote to a volunteer who visits those in prison: “Psalm 42:1 ‘As a deer pants for the water, so my soul pants for you, O God!’ I just wanted to write you and say how much I appreciate the birthday card and the clippings. They were a blessing! I would also like to say how much we appreciate you coming around to visit us. That means so much to all of us who truly try to lead a Christ-centered life here. There are many days when we feel like David against Goliath. The odds against us are huge. But just as the Israelites defeated their enemies when they were so vastly outnumbered, we too have the promise of Christ: ‘Fear not for I have overcome the world.’ It is through volunteers like you that God sends into prisons that we are strengthened and encouraged by the fellowship and smiling faces. So please continue to come. And once again, thank you soooo much!!! God bless.” [“I was in prison, and you came to visit me.” Matthew 25:36] 

THANKS to all who shared their stories of working with the Lord around the Globe. No room to share all, but trust this sampling will bring joy to your hearts.