MISSION CRY DECEMBER 2015
E MPOWERING NATIVE MISSIONARIES SINCE 1956
CHRISTIAN RESOURCES INTERNATIONAL
CONTENTS 3 4
Executive Director’s Note Meet Our Missionaries
Meet our Kenya Family Joseph & Jane Wainaina Meet our Philippines Family Paul & Susan Tuma
6 Updates From Our Shipments 7 Places We Send To 8 Testimonies 9 Leaders & the Next Generation 10 How Can You Help? 12 Dreaming for the Future of CRI Christian Resources International World Headquarters PO Box 356 200 Free Street Fowlerville, MI 48836
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S NOTE As you know, Jesus—the Word—was the ultimate missionary. Like Jesus, you and I are empowering native missionaries with the word of God. Just this year we have sent millions of dollars in donated Bibles and Christian books around the globe to those begging for it, therefore training up leaders and the next generation with the word of God. Matthew 4:4 states that man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Imagine getting saved and not having the word of God to know what God has to say about the trials you would, and will, face during your time on this earth! While serving in the Marine Corps, I would meet two Marines who seemed different to me. Although they were men of men, and Marines of Marines, they still seemed to live differently than others. Eventually I would discover that they were followers of Christ and would be invited to church where I would ask Christ to be my Lord, and the eternity-sealer of my destiny. However, years later I try to imagine never having had a Bible or even Christian books to read and wonder how different things would have been in the battles I faced spiritually, physically, and financially not knowing what God had to say about the situation. Can you imagine never having a Christian book or a Bible from the time you gave your life to Christ until today? How differently would you have reacted, or overreacted, without knowing God’s plan? Upon completing Bible College, I would personally come under great attack. Within Therefore, since we are surrounded months I would close by such a great cloud of witnesses, a business, take major let us throw off everything that financial losses, mine hinders and the sin that so easily and my wife’s 12entangles. And let us run with perseyear daughter would verance the race marked out for us, be diagnosed with fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer Lupus, our 8-year-old and perfecter of faith. For the joy set son with a cancerousbefore him he endured the cross, inoperable brain scorning its shame, and sat down at tumor, and be told our the right hand of the throne of God. 6-month old daughter —Hebrews 12:1-2 in the womb would be born disfigured and mentally handicapped, and would be counseled to abort her. Now mind you, we were a family who was living and giving to God. I cannot imagine not having the word to read, or testimonies to hear from others of what God could do. This is why I asked you to imagine getting saved and then not having the word of God to know what He says is possible. After all, He says that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. He also says that faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen. The good news is, I have read and learned
that God is the same yesterday, today and forever! To the glory of God, after 5 days in the hospital our daughter walked out Lupus-free, our son’s tumor vanished from the middle of his brain and our daughter was born healthy! While I am not saying everything turns out the way we want it to, I do wonder how different these attacks would have ended without knowing God, having, understanding, and being comforted by the word of God, and knowing His word does not return void. This is why I personally believe in the mission cry of CRI and look forward to freely giving the word and Christian books to as many people around the globe as possible. I look forward to strategically helping leaders and the next generation as God says in Psalm 78:6—that the next generation would come to know the testimonies God has done and that these children would tell them to their children. I believe in sending the word and sharing our testimony to equip God’s people for the works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up! While I did, and could have made more money being the VP or President of a for-profit company, God has called me and my family here to partner with you in helping give a child, leader, or the unsaved a chance to read the word for free. My point is that God says that without faith it is impossible to please Him, and that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God! You and I are helping people to read and learn of the One who wants to be both the author and finisher of our faith. Hebrews 12:2 says: Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. While God calls each of us differently he does call us to be Christ-like and Christ, first and foremost, was a missionary. Together, you and I can let the world hear our mission cry by sharing, sending, and sowing the word and Christian books. Thank you for your prayers and support. God Bless,
Rev. Jason Woolford
www.myCRImission.com 3
MEET OUR MISSIONARIES
Joseph & Jane Wainaina Nairobi, Kenya
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ast year CRI began the endeavor of planting a distribution center in Nairobi, Kenya where locals and people in the surrounding areas can come and receive Bibles and Christian books free of charge. In August of 2015, our missionary friend, Joseph, and his family started their trek back to Kenya to help organize the Distribution Center, receive the container when it arrived and administrate the Distribution & Training Center. This whole process has been such a great accomplishment for the ministry as well as Joseph, his family, and his team. We have been able to set up the distribution center to receive two containers of materials every year. It will also be a meeting place where pastors from the surrounding areas can go to be trained in the Word of God. A team of missionaries from the US has visited to help hand out the materials to the locals. During this trip, the missionaries were so blessed to have the opportunity to read John 3:16 to the locals for their first time! For fifty-six years CRI, along with your help, has been sharing and sending materials, and empowering native missionaries all around the globe. Now, with our relationship with Joseph, our mission is all the more powerful and strategic because we have access to a building where pastors can be trained up to equip the next generation. For the future, CRI is planning on sending $1 million in resources each year to empower the people of Kenya with the Word of God. Help us by supporting this at $40,000 annually.
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Paul & Susan Tuma Pangasinan, Philippines
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n one of our previous trips we were able to take a missionary team to the Philippines. Paul and Susan were an integral part of that mission trip. It has been a privilege to partner with them as CRI missionaries to hold a Concert Crusade, pastors training seminar, and a Bible giveaway. There is a facility and a church in the Philippines where medicine is being distributed as we work to provide education and leadership through the free distribution of Bibles and Christian Books. In one event we had 700 pastors cross denominational lines and come together for the sake of getting the word of God. At that particular event there was a buffet line for rice and beans as well as a line for the Word of God. Every single person got in line for the word before they got in line for food—that was one of the most powerful moments in the Philippines because that truly was evidence that “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Through this Distribution Center, we are able to reach people from every walk of life—pastors, teachers, orphans, widows, and the average person desiring the word of God.
www.myCRImission.com 5
UPDATES ON OUR SHIPMENTS
Takoradi
Latin America
e have been so blessed to be able to send containers to Takoradi, Ghana on several occasions. Here is a letter we received from our Takoradi Missionary regarding our latest shipment there: “I know you probably get these sort of messages all the time, but I want to remind you of the awesome impact that what you do every day is having around the world. I know and have witnessed the lives being changed by a bible and/or Christian book and have seen the impact it can have on those that had very little hope of ever owning their very own! Just thinking about it right now makes me want to shout THANK YOU JESUS!
or the past several years we have had the tremendous opportunity of sharing the Gospel in Latin America through the faithful help of our missionary friend, Doug! Doug drives a bus stocked full of Books and Bibles from CRI to Mexico about 3-4 times per year and hands them out to the locals for free providing them with the word of God. Through this partnership, we are able to get Spanish material into Mexico to seed into the lives of pastors to help them understand why they can believe that the word of God is true. Thus, leaders, the congregation, and families are all effected by this and become better speakers, examples to the community, and parents!
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Pastor John (Takoradi Native), sent me two messages and called me twice yesterday, as they were receiving and unloading their most recent container, to express their overflowing excitement; joy; and thanksgiving—it is a beautiful thing. CRI is a beautiful example of the body of Christ moving and working together to complete the great commission, ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...’ Matthew 28:19.” 6 Christian
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Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. —Matthew 28:19-20
Aruba
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n May 2015 our friends in Aruba were blessed with a pallet of books and ministry materials for their next mission trip to Aruba. Aruba, being a small Dutch Caribbean island, there are only around 80 pastors. Our Aruba missionary friends organized a national mission conference to encourage the pastors to share the Gospel in and outside of Aruba. They also organized 15 workshops around this conference with many more teaching opportunities for the pastors. They held classes on Marriage Counseling as well as the use of Technology in the churches. The team was 9 people, all of whom went through the books that CRI provided and had it organized in 3 days. They organized the books via genre and language and set up the tables for the first distribution. On the first night of the conference over 100 pastors came and the 10 book tables were EMPTY by the end. “Thank you so much for working with us! We truly appreciate your ministry and we pray we will be able to work together again.”
PLACES WE SEND TO
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strategically ministers to varying demographics of people—from Pastors to orphans. We want to make sure that no man or woman is left without a Bible. We send seminary materials so that Pastors and Seminary students can study the Word and teach their congregation. We send discipleship materials for men and women who simply want to grow deeper in their relationship with Jesus Christ. We also send children’s books so that the orphans and children in the community can learn about Jesus.
Orphanages
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t CRI we want the word of God to be available for all those who seek it. That is why we send children’s material to orphanages and schools all around the world. Not only do we seed into the lives of pastors, evangelists, and leaders, we also seed into the lives of children because we want to be a part of raising up the next generation as Godly leaders. “And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.” –Matthew 18:5
Leadership Centers / Pastors
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tatistics show that over 100,000 people get saved everyday, many of which attend a church where the pastor does not even own a Bible. We personally received a letter from a pastor who had been preaching every Sunday from one daily bread and asked us if we could send him just one Bible. We regularly receive letters like this that truly show us the desperation for Bibles in other places. We need to be strategic with the sending of Bibles because we want to reach as many people as possible. Our strategy is to equip pastors and leaders, and people who are called to the ministry because we cannot have ministers preaching false doctrine. We also send materials to the layperson so that he/she can grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. By sending to both of those groups of people we have covered a vast majority of the population, but we don’t stop there. To ensure that we don’t only send Bibles and Christian books to people in ministry, we also hold crusades to reach those who have not yet heard about Christ and received salvation. At these crusades we have Bibles giveaways where we have often given out over 10,000 free Bibles! www.myCRImission.com 7
TESTIMONIES Love Wins!
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e have all heard this echoed on TV programs, radio, and social media: people celebrating the Supreme Court’s ruling in the United States that men should be allowed to marry men and women to marry women. The White House was lit up like a rainbow, and the President himself mentioned that ‘love won’. I would like to tell you another story of how love won! There are many types of love mentioned in the Bible and practiced around the world, some good, and some purposely or even innocently taken out of context. God’s love can be sweet, gentle, and kind, and other times, abrasive. This type of love truly wins every time. Below is an encounter I had while traveling and preaching in the Philippines—I know it will bless you. While ministering and traveling in the Philippines I had reached a point that I needed some American food. So our wonderful host took us to a mall in hopes that we could have, or even smell, food that reminded us of home. As the worship leader, a couple of pastors, and my son walked into the mall they ended up at a sales booth which was providing sea salt hand massages. This peaked my interest, and upon walking up to the counter I was greeted by Judy, a 25-year-old Filipino woman with makeup and highlights. As I approached, I was asked if there was anything she could help me with. You can imagine my surprise as I realized that Judy was in fact a man and appeared to be homosexual. I immediately, without thinking, answered his question and said, “Yes, there is something you can do. I am going to go eat lunch then I will come back up here and give you the chance to accept Jesus and be freed of the spirit of homosexuality.” Judy immediately stepped back, clutched his chest and asked in an accent, “Are you a pastor!?” I said yes and when I did, he started to say that Jesus loved him. I responded, “He does indeed, and I will see you soon.” As I walked away I was asking God what He just did, what He was thinking, and what was going to happen as I headed back after lunch. So there we were, eating lunch, the
ministry team. I was going to call a time of prayer and fasting but the pizza looked too good so I decided to just pray for God to intervene (of course this is to make you smile). So, the journey up the escalator began, and of course, Judy was ignoring me, so I approached him, put my hand on his shoulder, and said “Judy, wait…” I paused, “what is your real name?” Judy responded, “Jude. My dad named me after St. Jude.” “Jude,” I said, “ I will no longer refer to you as Judy, as God formed you in your mother’s womb,” I went on to say, “Jude, you mentioned that God loves you and you are correct. He does love you. He loved me as a foul mouth, living an ungodly life, young Marine. But Jude, that love does not allow you or me into heaven, or to have the promises of God until we call on Jesus and ask Him to be our Lord.” Just then Michael, the worship leader, interrupted me, “Pastor, excuse me, but God has just put a prophetic love song into my heart to sing to Jude.” He then began to sing. Side note: Picture two men with their hands on the shoulders of a homosexual man, in the middle of the mall, singing a love song to him. You can imagine how strange this might have looked and felt. Nevertheless, upon Michael finishing, Jude was expressionless. He looked at me, and I said, “Jude I leave you with this: God has a woman waiting for you to be her husband, and children awaiting you to be their father. Just then Jude asked, “What do I do?” I then led him in the prayer of salvation and prayed that he would be freed of the spirit of homosexuality. Upon saying “amen”, his counterpart at work started crying saying that she is a believer and had been praying for Jude for over a year. Jude’s countenance had changed, and although he was still wearing makeup and talking femininely, he was changed right before our eyes. He then hugged us and thanked. He told us that he will be going as ‘Jude’ and visiting the church with his coworker. This whole situation showed me that when you are in your word, trusting and believing in God, He will show up unexpectedly and speak in and through you to bring the true love of a Father. LOVE WON!
While in the Philippines, I preached a message on God being the author and finisher of our faith and shared the story of our son who was diagnosed with a brain tumor and then healed at 8 years old. I ended by letting over 700 pastors in the audience know that they would indeed be recipients of the Word for free. I closed the message and a pastor approached me and mentioned to me that he lost his 8-year-old son 10 years prior in a drive by shooting where his son died in his arms. He told me that he still believed in God but left the ministry as he was in no position to minister any longer. Then he said, “I came today to see if you and the ministry were indeed giving away books and Bibles for free, then I heard the testimony of your son. I want you to know that tomorrow will be my first day back in the ministry.” The truth, love, and gift of the Word renewed this pastor! —Pastor’s Testimonial
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LEADERS & THE NEXT GENERATION
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“The people have been so excited to receive Bibles. The first time we passed them out it was to women and there was actually a stampede. We assured them there was one for each of them, but they began knocking each other down and walking on top of each other to get their Bible. Even some of our team members were knocked down and walked on. It was crazy!” —Kenya Testimonial
e are all created in God’s image and need to continue giving people the opportunity to find out who that one true God is. For whatever reason, only known by God, you and I are more fortunate with finances and resources than most around the globe. As you and I share our Bibles and Christian books, and financially give we are equipping native missionaries like Pastor John from Takoradi, Paul and Susan, and Joseph in Kenya, and many like them. We are partnering with those around globe in training leaders and equipping the next generation for the ministry. The making of a disciple has its lasting and eternal impact and is synergistic. When we strategically seed into the lives of ministers the growth becomes exponential! This year you and I, together, have reached over 15 nations—sending the word that does not return void and books that share of testimonies and Christian truths—allowing people to have a testimony established in themselves as they trust and believe in God and his word. Each sea container has the ability to reach the unsaved, the brand new believer, the leader, pastor, and orphan. Let’s do it again in 2016!
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HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Support CRI Support Our Philippines & Kenya Distribution Centers
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ne million dollars per year in Bibles and Christian discipleship materials will be sent to the Distribution Centers. These materials will supply the local pastors, teachers, prisons, orphanages, and anyone who wants a Bible. We will offer on-site training sessions every month for one year for local pastors. Initially, from the shipment alone, 60,000 people per center will be equipped with their own Bible. Statistically, 50,000 unsaved people per year, per center, will meet Christ for the first time. $40, 000 is needed annually to support the Kenya Distribution Center, and $20,000 annually to support the Philippines Distribution Center.
Fund Sea Containers
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You can also help by supporting the shipment of sea containers that go to other ministries and villages around the Globe. These containers may or may not go to the Distribution Centers that CRI has already planted, but they will certainly go to a ministry, village, or school that is in need, therefore empowering native missionaries. In the past 60 years we have been able to reach 170 nations by sending $278 million worth of Bibles and Christian books. We have made the goal for CRI to send $6 million per year in Bibles and Christian books to be given away. These books are transported via sea container, each of which costs $11,000 to send and that is a cost that we simply cannot cover on our own—we need your help in the loading and sending of these resources around the world. Support CRI with $35 a month to provide 3 boxes of books and Bibles to a brother or sister overseas.
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Here are a few ways that you can donate Online
Visit our website at www.myCRImission.com and click on the “Donate Tab” that will lead you to our giving page where you can make general credit card donations. If you go to our website and click on the “Projects” tab, you can view our distribution centers and donate specifically to your chosen center!
Make checks payable to “Christian Resources International” at P.O. Box 356, Fowlerville, MI 48836.
Email us at admin@mycrimission.com to learn more about Legacy Giving and Living Wills.
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DREAMING FOR THE FUTURE OF CRI
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s CRI takes more territory all over the world, we are beginning to see more and more of a need here at home. As we are growing, we are beginning to take in more materials than ever. This means that we are enabled to send more materials than ever and need to expand our current building, and by doing so, this will allow us to empower more native missionaries with the word of God for free! We also have been dreaming a little and want to build a prayer room for Pastors and missionaries to come and pray but we cannot do that without your help. We have the space already, but now we just need the renovations. Habakkuk 2:2 “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.” By your faithfulness and support, we have been able to send shipments to these 16 different countries this past year! Not only have we sent to these countries, but also we have been able to supply 21,000 prisoners with the word of God for free! • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Lagos, Nigeria Namibia, Africa Mozambique, Africa Calcutta, India Mankessim, Ghana Nairobi, Kenya Takoradi, Ghana Guaymas, Mexico Accra, Ghana Manila, Philippines Rosario Santiago City, Philippines Yangon, Myanmar Ruth Okello Kenya Quezon City, Philippines Rosario Beach, Mexico Jalisco, Mexico