Global Issue 1 2012

global operation mobilisation magazine

transforming lives and communities

2012 • Issue No.1

Contents 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 13 14 15 16 19

World News Greenland Madagascar Sweden Costa Rica Algeria Muslim Peoples OM Ships Moldova United Kingdom Gallery Lake Tanganyika

Editor: Paul Beck Stories and images: Credit: OM International ©2012 OM International Designed and produced by: Sovereign Creative Marketing Tel: 0161 485 4488 www.sovereign.uk.com © Global magazine 2012. No part of this magazine may be copied or reproduced in any form without written approval from the publishers. Country file information taken from Operation World, 21st Century edition.

Dear

Friends

Anniversaries can be times of reflection or celebration; they are moments to mark a milestone in the history of a life or an organisation. In OM we seem to be having a lot of them right now! Last year was our fiftieth year ministering among Muslim Peoples. Next year is our fiftieth year ministering in India. This year is our fiftieth year ministering in the UK. For all these milestones, we give the Lord the glory and rejoice in the thousands of lives that have been transformed through His saving grace. We also give thanks for your continued partnership in the ministry that makes these milestones possible.

Within this edition of Global, you will find a special section on our teams working among Muslim Peoples. As we reflect on fifty years in the UK, I am encouraged by the many opportunities we have also had to minister among Muslim Peoples living in this country.

The OM Turning Point team in London and OM Lifehope team based in the Midlands have rejoiced about seeing a number of people from Islamic backgrounds come to the Lord in recent years. However the age-old challenge uttered by our Lord, of the harvest

Operation Mobilisation The Quinta, Weston Rhyn, Oswestry Shropshire SY10 7LT Telephone: 01691 773388 Fax: 01691 778378 Email: info.uk@om.org Website: www.uk.om.org Operation Mobilisation. Registered office: The Quinta,

being plentiful but the workers being few, continues to be true. We are very excited by the opportunities the Lord is laying before us throughout the world. We are amazed at the open hearts of those searching for the truth. We are concerned for the many lives in turmoil. At the same time, we are praying for many more people to get involved and especially go. Will you please pray with us?

Weston Rhyn, Oswestry, Shropshire SY10 7LT. Registered as a limited company by guarantee no.

2564320 and charity no. 1008196 (England & Wales) and SCO40988 (Scotland)

Gary Sloan - Mobilising and supporting this generation for local and global missions in partnership with the UK Church.

- Training and placing international teams with churches around the UK, partnering with them to bring life and hope to their communities, reaching and discipling people from many nations.

- OM’s outreach, church planting and training ministry amongst the UK’s Arabic, Turkic and Iranic speaking communities, which are people groups from North Africa to India; based in London.

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UK Director

OM Regional Co-ordinators & Local Representatives

North East England

Midlands

Northern Ireland

C/o UK National Office Tyneside (local contact) Derek & Judith Evans 12 Owlets Court Ingleby Barwick TS17 0QE 01642 766395

Steve Chedgzoy 2 Grant Road Coventry CV3 1GQ 07970 458 823

John O McIlvenna 218 York Street Belfast N. Ireland BT15 1GY 07816 969350

South East England

Central North England

C/o UK National Office

Andy Cook C/o UK National Office 07854 186117

South West England Trevor Brain 19 Dover Street Chippenham Wiltshire SN14 0EE 07718 031332

Scotland Sharon Rose OM C/o International Christian College 110 St. James Road Glasgow G4 0PS 0141 572 0050

Wales C/o UK National Office

Greater London C/o UK National Office

worldnews

PAKISTAN.....KOSOVO.....CHINA.....UKRAINE.....www.uk.om.org

’s breaking Browse OM es at ministry stori m.org www.news.o

Getting The Word Out During an outreach in Pakistan, some female team members stopped at a local girls’ school to share the Good News. The students were so excited; they begged the women to give each one of them a copy of the literature they were carrying. Elsewhere, other team members provided breakfast for neighbours who were observing Ramadan, sharing fruit, dates, offering prayer and the message of hope for life and the future. “Why do you do this?” asked the neighbours. “Because I love my Muslim friends,” was the reply. Overall, two hundred families received God’s message, either by word of mouth, literature or CD.

Handmade For The Harvest

Hope In A Hopeless Situation

Klara and Einar of OM Kosovo’s Peja Team are microbusiness developers. When Klara’s Albanian friend, Fatmira, gave her a beautiful handmade hat, Klara immediately saw a business opportunity for her. Now Fatmira has made over 200 hats and exported them to Ecuador, the U.S. and Spain; three more local women are also involved in their manufacture. Soon, a little hat shop will open in town. Klara meanwhile has had opportunities to share the truth of God through the friendship that has developed. Fatmira is especially open to starting a relationship with Jesus as her Saviour and Lord.

In the Chinese territory of Macau, increasing numbers of foreigners are being imprisoned for drug trafficking. One such woman, ‘Alice’, was introduced to a catering job by a relative, which turned out to involve transporting narcotics.

Coming from a poor family, Alice was so desperate that she took the role, but on her fourth trip to Macau, she was caught. Another prisoner told her about the Bible study that OM Macau runs for inmates. Alice has since written to the team, asking if she can attend.

Books Beloved By Many In partnership with local Christians, OM EAST has distributed 28,000 books to Crimean Tatars in the Ukraine.

Those receiving the books are either strangers at a market place who express the desire to receive the literature in their native language, or friends and relatives of Christian Tatars.

Books are also distributed in kindergartens, hospitals and schools. “Crimean Tatars are very satisfied with ‘My First Bible’ and ‘My First Bible Words’,” notes Valeriy, who is a minister of a local church. “Because they can teach their children their native language... they are equally popular with kids and their parents.”

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RESOURCING

northern lights Hans and his family from the Faroe Islands have served as independent missionaries in Nuuk, Greenland for four decades. They have seen little breakthrough amongst a people with a distinct identity and culture. One OM worker is however keen to assist Hans and see the Kingdom of God bloom on this barren island.

Historically, the Greenlandic people were Inuits emigrating from Canada, and many held shamanistic or animistic beliefs.

Scattered throughout the coastal area in this vast, northern territory, the Greenlandics were mainly hunters until Scandinavian influences brought changes to their lifestyle.

Though the population of Greenland is only 58,000, the economic and spiritual needs are great. Many people remain poorly educated, while the long dark winters lead to depression and alcohol abuse.

Long-term OM worker Kenny Gan, from Singapore and serving in the UK, visits Greenland frequently. On his first visit, Kenny realised that his appearance wasn’t markedly different from the local people. His testimony of God helping him overcome addiction problems was also significant to many of those he met.

After Kenny’s second visit, a magazine in Greenland published his picture alongside an advertisement for a Christian meeting. To the delight of the church which Hans and his family are members of, many people came to the meeting and a large number of them committed to receive Christ. Many others rededicated their lives to the Lord.

Last year, the church members together with Hans and Kenny united again to host a Christian camp for families.

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Encouragingly, many curious members of the community came, despite not knowing what to expect. After listening to the Word and Kenny’s testimony, amidst tears of joy and relief, many said they better understood the Gospel. “I believe in God, but not like I heard today. I want to learn more,” said a local man. “This is the first time my wife has wanted to talk about God and now she is interested in following Him,” he added.

Members of the church invited the camp’s attendees to a special service when they returned to Nuuk, and to their surprise, most came. Many others who had heard about the camp also turned up. For the first time in the church’s history, the Greenlandic people outnumbered the Europeans, both on the following Sunday morning and evening. The church was filled to capacity and no more chairs were available. That day, God continued to move in the hearts of those who attended, and more were set free from burdens and sin.

NEXT GENERATION

extra mile On the surface, Hanta makes for an unusual missionary.

A daughter of farmers from outside Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo, she first became interested in telling others about Jesus through seeing her sister’s dedication to sharing the Gospel. Having been accepted to join a short-term OM evangelistic outreach in the town of Manakara, each week Hanta met with the other participants for ministry training. Unlike them though, she walked five hours to get there.

Her commitment to see God’s kingdom grow was noticed by the team of OM workers, who were excited to meet someone with Hanta’s enthusiasm. They were also encouraged to know that she is one of a growing number of Madagascans who have a burden to see their fellow islanders repent and turn to Christ. For her part, Hanta remained humble about the courage and love she displayed in ‘going the extra mile’. “I would like to grow in my service to God,” she explained.

Hanta’s journey to the evangelism training didn’t just involve walking however; she also had to take a bus to arrive at the meeting’s location. To offset the expense of this travel and to raise funds for the eventual cost of the outreach, Hanta started selling some of the ducks she owns. She was still short of the funds she needed though, as her mother regularly reminded her.

In a dramatic development, news of Hanta’s commitment spread around the OM world. Team members with OM in Costa Rica, several thousand miles away, were moved by the story and raised funds to financially support the young Madagascan in her endeavour to serve God in mission. Needless

to say, Hanta was overwhelmed by the news and answer to her prayers.

The skills she learned during the outreach in Manakara and at the evangelism training beforehand are already being put to good use; Hanta is now busy sharing the Gospel with her friends and reports that several have already accepted Christ as their Saviour. She is also taking steps to grow in her knowledge of the Scriptures. Hanta has not been shaken by her moment in the spotlight though. “I’m just a farm girl from the rural area,” she says, shyly.

www.omafrica.org

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Getting on top of RESOURCING

youth work – underground!

Every evening, up to 100 teens representing various nationalities and religious backgrounds converge on the community centre in Råslätt, a largely-immigrant suburb of Jönköping, Sweden. The city runs ‘Underground’ on week nights, offering sports, popular video games and other activities. Three years ago, OM agreed to take responsibility for Saturday nights and with a recent addition of new OM staff and helpers from local churches, they are now opening on Sunday evenings too.

Rules have to be bent to allow some girls to bring their baby brother or sister, if it’s the only way they can come. But the OM team feel they are starting to carve a place in the lives of these young people. One tearful girl once declared that, “This place is so important to us. We have no other place to go.”

Peter Magnusson, who leads the OM team, has realised that many parents who come from other cultures, both Orthodox and Muslim, are struggling to raise their teenagers in Sweden.

He would like to provide counselling where it is needed, as well as start a mechanics course for the boys that will enable them to earn money as they learn.

Help with homework is another need that has been identified. Although Swedish students often benefit from private tutors to boost their grades, the majority of families in Råslätt cannot afford this option. Peter hopes to recruit the services of teachers from the nearby international church.

Driver’s education opens an excellent avenue for possible ministry too. In Sweden, the expensive hours at a driving school can be reduced by driving with someone privately who has been through a course. “It’s hard to find people willing to teach kids, even though the city will cover some of the costs. The girls, especially, rarely have anyone to help them. I am actually teaching seven kids myself right now. These driving lessons give us an excellent way to come close to the teens and talk about everything in a very non-threatening environment. It is the best ministry I’ve ever done!” says Peter.

Last year, local officials awarded Peter a ‘passion for the community’ prize for his work with Råslätt’s teens. “The city offered to pay us, but it means a lot to the kids to know we do it for free,” he explains. “We get a lot of respect, even from the Muslim parents, because they know we’re faith-based and we are focused on moral values.

“These kids can be really rough. If you’re scared, they smell it.”

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The scenery was as stunning as the location was remote. Praising God for the beauty of His creation as they hiked amongst the Talamanca Mountains, the group of medical workers on an OM Costa Rica outreach were seeking opportunities to serve Him. When they arrived at the house of a lady in her 90s, the need to use their skills seemed imminent. Doña Julia was anything but fragile though and brushed aside any offer of assistance to help her walk around her home.

“Deep lines in her face spoke of many years of life experience, yet there was still that inquisitive spark in her eyes, alert to all that was happening and curious,” said OM worker Elke, who participated in the medical outreach. After Doña Julia received food and medical attention, Elke remembers her saying, “It is wonderful that you brought food and glasses to help me see. But the most important part for me is that you came and that I have not been forgotten.”

Doña Julia has indeed not been forgotten. A year after OM Costa Rica’s first visit, Alex, OM Costa Rica’s leader, received a call from Talamanca’s local doctor, whom OM partners with. The physician explained that Doña Julia was suffering from an illness in her eye, which was causing

RELIEF & DEVELOPMENT

Compassion her to lose her sight. She needed further tests that could only be done at the hospital in San José, Costa Rica’s capital. Additionally, he explained that an appointment had been made for her the next day and asked if OM Costa Rica could help with transportation.

Talamanca is approximately a five- to six-hour drive away from the OM Costa Rica base. The team, however immediately began planning the trip. Alex and team member Gerardo drove to Talamanca that evening, spent the night there and drove Doña Julia and her son back to San José the next morning for her appointment.

The tests were successfully completed, allowing Doña Julia to receive the correct treatment in Talamanca.

Praising God, Gerardo and another volunteer drove her and her son back. “It was such a joy to serve Doña Julia this way,” said Gerardo. “This is what transforming lives is all about: being available to demonstrate God’s love through acts of kindness and service, putting the needs of another above oneself.”

Doña Julia and her son were extremely grateful for the assistance. The love of Christ reaches even to the most remote parts of the world.

wwww.omlatinamerica.org

“I believe that God has placed a deep desire in me to use my creativity, artistic talent and passion to build relationships for His glory.”

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EUROPE

styling hair for her Saviour Short back, shampoo and sharing the Gospel… While on a recent OM outreach in Moldova, Ashley Lamason from the United States managed to combine her lifelong passions of hairstyling and helping others find God. “When you go to the hair salon, you end up talking to the hairdresser for about 30 minutes,” she explains. “So I wondered if I could spend that half an hour talking to people about Jesus?”

During her two-month stay in Moldova, the trained beautician gave over 250 haircuts and managed to share her faith countless times. “I hadn’t heard of anyone else doing hairdressing as missionary work, so I was unsure what to expect when I got there.

It was definitely challenging and the conditions were completely different from working in a salon - my back hurt a lot because the chairs were so low! But nevertheless, people came and were thankful they could get a haircut. Maybe some of them wouldn’t have been able to afford one otherwise, so I was glad to serve them in some small way,” she reports.

“When the language barrier made it hard for me to witness, the other OM team members I was with shared the Gospel with those waiting in line - when you are the only hairdresser, people generally need to wait a little! On one occasion, I gave three sisters haircuts.

One of them was so fussy that her sister heard the Gospel and accepted Christ into her life before I was done!” she explains, laughing.

Ashley used her skills during evangelistic holiday camps for Moldova’s children and through OM’s Bus4life ministry which makes Christian literature available to remote East European communities. “I’m hoping to come back to Moldova for a longer time,” she says about her future plans. “My vision is to open a hair salon where people can have haircuts, drink tea and browse the Bible.”

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