The Work of the Lord in 2007
"So, my dear brothers and sisters, stand strong. Don't let anything change you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord. You know that your work in the Lord is never wasted." (1 Corinthians 15:58 Easy to Read Version)
SEASONS GREETINGS and may 2008 bring you much happiness and
success!
It happened in ZAMBIA: In all their high schools, students are required
to wear uniforms and solid black shoes. They were sent home if they did not have
the correct uniform. A sister in the church was often asked to help the students
get uniforms and shoes. Chester asked for work so he could earn money to buy a
pair of shoes. Someone in the States had sent her some money to use for student
needs. She decided she could buy a pair of shoes for Chester. She found Chester
in school with shoes on and decided he did not need any. However, he explained
that his shoes belonged to his younger brother who went to school in the
afternoon. Chester wore the shoes in the morning to school and his brother wore
them in the afternoon. So the lady bought Chester some shoes for himself. There
was no more need for sharing! Each summer there is a medical mission at
Namwianga in Zambia where doctors, preachers, and teachers come to give physical
and spiritual help. People from 14 states participated. My primary care doctor,
Dr. Sandra Hazelip, went again to help.
CRETE: Mike Hale, Texas, had been teaching a Nigerian man, John, on the Island of Crete through the World English Institute (WEI) program. John was teaching a small group of people of different nationalities. John had grown up as a Muslim in Nigeria and was converted to Christianity when a young man. He observed many practices and teachings contrary to the Bible. He prayed "Dear God is not a True church anywhere?" He went on the Internet and typed "True church of Christ". An ad for the WEI popped up! Dino Roussos, the preacher in Athens was notified and he and his wife Debbie went to Crete to meet John, to encourage him and study the Scriptures with him. John was so happy to find Christians who teach pure Christianity. Dino was asked to preach and answer questions of the group assembled on Sunday. He spent 4 hours, teaching and answering questions. They met in the center of the capital of Crete with a population of 200,000. They were largely Africans and Filipinos. The service was in English. On Monday in Athens, Dino received a call from John, saying he was in Athens and wanted to be baptized for the remission of his sins. Dino and others in the Athens church keeps in touch with John and have visited several times to teach and encourage. His teacher in Texas, Mike Hale, continues to teach and encourage him by e-mail and John has baptized several on Crete this year. As far as we know, this is the first congregation of the church in centuries.
MALAYSIA: In June, 2007, the highest court ruled that a Kuala Lumpur woman, Lina Joy, had lost her 12 year fight to legally become a Christian. According to Malaysian law, Joy will remain a Muslim whether she wants to or not, and her religious status will remain on her identify card. Justice Richard Malanjun, a Christian, dissented in the ruling. A crowd of about 300 Muslims waited outside the court, reading the Koran and chanting, and the Federal Court Chief Justice delivered the judgment to a packed courtroom in the administrative capital Putrajaya, saying that jurisdiction over Joy's case remains with Malaysia's religious court. Joy, 43, remains a recluse, fearing retaliation in Malaysia's edgy religious and ethnic atmosphere. She cannot legally marry her non-Muslim partner, a cook, because the law requires non-Muslims to convert to Islam if they wish to marry someone of that faith. She converted to Christianity when she was 26. It is not possible to be an ethnic Malay in Malaysia without being a Muslim. Apostasy or conversion is a punishable offense, either with a fine or a jail sentence or both. It seems that in Islam being "converted" has nothing to do with a change of mind or understanding. Seemingly, it means to just have your name on a list. Do pray for Lina Joy and others in similar positions. CAMBODIA: Bill McDonough (Partners in Progress) reports that the Ship of Life, which was built in Saigon, is on the Mekong River treating an average of 125 patients a day. Many had never seen a doctor. 1,000 malnourished children are fed daily. 303 children were sent 'Back to School.' These are children who had dropped out as their families had no funds for books and required uniforms. The English Bible Study Program continues to thrive as volunteer teachers share the gospel message in English with bright young university students. A congregation of 50 now functions as an outgrowth of that program and the students are working for the American Embassy, the National Museum and businesses because of their improved English skills. Five medical teams were sent to GUYANA, where they treated thousands of patients and shared the gospel with hundreds.
ZIMBABWE, AFRICA: Loy and Debbie Mitchell report: On Sunday March 11 the Z. police attacked the leader of the opposition political party as well as some 50 other people. One person was shot dead and scores were injured and placed in hospitals. Inflation now runs about 1,700% and 4/5ths of the people are unemployed. The rains were not good and more than one million people need food. At worship at Chamapango they met outside , sitting on rocks at the base of a granite mountain, a steer wandered into the assembly during the preaching. A member chased it away. In going to the place of evening worship, they couldn't find the street because people had stolen the street sign to sell for scrap metal. They enjoyed the fellowship and food though the meal was delayed as the ladies had to finish cooking over an open fire outside because the power went off. They ate and worshipped by candlelight. ANGOLA, NAMBIA, SOUTH AFRICA: "Angola: The land of the 'Blood Diamonds' Now needs the blood of Jesus." Jerry and John D'Alton are World Radio speakers and representatives to the southern African nation of Nambia. The D'Alton boys were raised on farms in neighboring South Africa. After becoming Christians they were concerned about preaching the Gospel where it had not been heard. Their goal now is to share the Good News with those in neighboring Angola , where for years natives were caught and sold for slaves.
SLATON, TX.: Westside church sponsors the Straight Gate Project. It is the largest Texas residential project in Christian prison recovery and after-care aimed at successful transition for ex-offenders into the life of civil society. It is a 3-acre campus with 18 duplex units in South Oak Cliff (Dallas). This project works to provide housing for ex-offenders who committed their lives to Christ while incarcerated. More than 100 sponsored residents were served over the past two years.
PRISON MINISTRY, ABILENE, TX.: Hal Howell, who has Bible classes at a prison, told of a converted offender who wrote him that he had been 'fishing for souls.' Hal wrote him to continue that idea for the rest of his life. He also suggested that if the fishing had dried up, he should find another fishing hole! SOFIA, BULGARIA: Tom and Sheryl Black work in Sofia. Sheryl is the daughter of Elaine and Richard Walker, Lubbock, Tx., who spent many years as missionaries in Europe. The Blacks reported this in their Newsletter: As we were studying the Bible together . . Lubomir told us that he had not signed up for the big chess tournament taking place that weekend in Sofia. He said he did not want to miss the Friday Bible class, the men's class on Saturday, and Sunday services. This is a big step for him!
ALGERIA: Tom White, director of The Voice of the Martyrs, wrote about a woman's appearance before a Muslim court "When I married, I told my husband I was a Christian. My family reported me to the police. The police filed a court case against me for despising Islam --blasphemy. (There is a law in Algeria against conversion and shaking the faith of a Muslim.) One morning they took me to court. The judge was sitting between two advisors. He leaned over and asked me, 'Are you a Christian?' I said, 'Yes.' He asked, 'What did you find in Islam that you didn't like?' 'I was looking for God in Islam but didn't find Him.' I don't know if he was curious or was trying to trap me, but the judge asked, 'How do Christians pray?' 'What do they say?' "I tried to explain what we say. He still did not understand how we talk to God. He asked, ' Where do you pray? When do you pray?' I replied, ' We can pray anywhere, anytime.' He leaned forward and asked, 'Can you pray now? Here?' I said, 'Yes.' He sat back and said, 'O.K. pray.' I started to pray. I knew that this would be an opportunity to give a message of salvation. I began, 'Thank you, Jesus, because all are sinners and you died for us . . .' It took 10 minutes to finish this prayer. I prayed for the president of Algeria, that God would bless him. I prayed for those in the court to see the salvation of Christ. When I said 'Amen,' the officials in the court turned to look at each other. The room was very quiet. They were speechless. The judge said to me, "This case is dismissed. Go home." I turned to walk down the long aisle to the door. I heard someone running behind me. He caught up with me and said, 'Woman, when you pray, please pray for me.' Although it is against the law for Muslims like me to convert, I have Christian meetings in my house. We close the shades.
BURUNDI, CENTRAL AFRICA: Barry Baggott and Doyle Kee have followed up the work they began last year in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Barry writes: Signs of receptivity to the gospel and opportunities to teach were everywhere. 3 young men rode their bicycles 60 miles one way over the mountains to come and study the Bible with us. 2 denominational leaders from the DRC traveled a day and a half just to speak with us for 30 minutes and obtain Bible study materials for themselves and the churches they serve. The director of a local radio station offered to play my gospel broadcasts for free and invited me to speak to a ‘‘‘‘prayer breakfast’’’’ gathering of leading citizens that included a senator, police commissioner, businessmen. an author and other influential people. We were asked to speak in 3 different denominational churches , and numerous people came to study the Bible with us in private including a Catholic monk!
UKRAINE: General Analtoliv Shevchenko, former KGB officer, asks
churches to send Bibles to a Ukrainian university. For 20 years as a Soviet
secret policeman he confiscated Bibles during the Cold War. But now as
chancellor of the University of Artificial Intelligence in Donetsk, he believes
teachers of chemistry or physics should be spiritual persons. He added that they
are trying to show a way to God for their teachers.
I hope these stories have inspired you to constantly be concerned about the
souls you meet each day. I would like to hear from you. My address: Miss Kay L.
Patton, 633 E. N. 19th st., #117, Abilene, TX. 79601-3256, Tel. No.
325-677-0619. May God bless you and keep you company!