Nations Issue 1 2019

A PUBLICATION OF WORLD OUTREACH INTERNATIONAL • NATIONSM AGA ZINE.ORG • ISSUE 1, 2019

IN THIS ISSUE:

Hope • Shaking Doors Open • The Power of Prayer • World Outreach Kids • Family News • Why Plant Churches and more ...

OUR MISSION

World Outreach International is a mission agency that exists to impact least-reached peoples with the Good News of Jesus Christ through: • Raising Leaders • Evangelism and Church Planting • All Nations Mobilisation • Children’s Ministry • Humanitarian Aid Melbourne (Australia)-based, International Director Bruce Hills heads an executive team of senior missionaries, pastors, and business leaders.

WOI follows recognised international standards and procedures for child safety.

CHIEF EDITOR: Bruce Hills PUBLICATION MANAGER: Andrew Mercer DESIGN: Prisca Prabhakaran Rachel McColl EDITORIAL SUPPORT: Robin Merrill

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COUNTRY OFFICES INTERNATIONAL OFFICE: Bruce Hills (International Director) PO Box 97230, Manukau 2241 T: (64 9) 263 5434 T: (64 9) 887 7150 E: id.office@world-outreach.com AUSTRALIA: Val Ciacia (Country Director) Gail McDougall (Office) PO Box 136 Flinders Lane Post office Melbourne VIC 8009 T: (617) 5313 8591 T: (612) 8203 4530 M: +61 0456772107 F: (617) 3319 8928 E: admin.au@world-outreach.com CANADA: PO Box 172 Lambeth Stn London, ON N6P 1R1 T: 519 680 3355 E: canada@world-outreach.com

HOLLAND: Meint Kisteman (Board Chairman) Oogstweg 12 8071 WS Nunspeet The Netherlands T: (31 62) 467 1758 E: info@world-outreach.nl

SINGAPORE: Tarn Ping Kueh (Office) 2 Kallang Avenue #04-09 CT Hub Singapore 339407 T: (65) 6464 8698 E: singapore@world-outreach.com

MALAYSIA: Philip Chieng (Board Chairman) PO Box 8541, Kelana Jaya 46792 Petaling Jaya Selangor Darul Ehsan T: (60 3) 77325924 E: malaysia@world-outreach.com

SOUTH AFRICA: Ivan Venter Postnet unit #459 Private Bag X1288 Potchefstroom 2520 T: (27 18) 290 5285 M: (27 79) 084 2141 E: southafrica@world-outreach.com

NEW ZEALAND: Gail McDougall (Office) PO Box 97230, Manukau 2241 T: (64 9) 263 5434 T: (64 9) 887 7150 M: (64 21) 330 874 E: nz@world-outreach.com

UNITED KINGDOM: Jon Hitchen (Office) BM Box 5265 London, WC1N 3XX T: +44(0) 203 642 4873 E: office@wouk.org W: www.wouk.org

Field Ministries Director: Peter Smith Executive Manager: Chia Shee Wai International Board: Luke Chong, Lorraine Dierck, Laura Kuimba, Wayne Freeman, Gary Levens, Rob Reid, Bruce Hills International Leadership Team: Chia Shee Wai, Bambi Cataluna, Bruce Hills, Peter Smith, Ivan Venter, Ben Brooks

USA: Aaron Rudd 615 East Sego Lily Drive Sandy, UT 84070 T: (1 801) 572 0211 ext.11 M: (1 801) 599 3370 E: usa@world-outreach.com 501 (c) 3 Tax Exemption Available

COVER IMAGE: Image taken in the streets of West Kalimantan, Indonesia.

HOPE Back in the 1950s, off the east coast of the US mainland, a naval submarine got into difficulties and sank. A Navy deep sea diver was deployed to assess the stricken vessel. Radio communication had been lost, but the trapped submariners were able to communicate with the rescuer by using a wrench to bang a message in Morse Code on the hull. Their message was: “Is there any hope?”

Is there any hope?

As Christians, we have a hope that is real, tangible, and beyond natural human optimism, anticipation, or likelihood. Our hope is found in Scripture, which is a library of hope.

Our hope is grounded in the promises of God, assured by God’s faithfulness, and guaranteed by the resurrection of Jesus.

Scriptural hope is “confident or assured expectation”. Someone has

described hope as “faith looking forward and upward”, or “faith on its tiptoes”.

Christian hope is not defined by present realities, but by God’s purposes for the future1. Hope is eagerly anticipating all that God has promised and done through Christ coming to its fulfilment. CS Lewis, giving his definition of hope, said it was “a continual looking forward to the eternal world”.

Hope gives us encouragement in the midst of suffering or adversity. Hope prevents us from being content with the things of this world; instead we live for the greater realities of the next.

Hope assures us that, on the day of Christ’s return, we will see him, we will rise to be with him, we shall be like him, and we shall be with him forever.

This is what compels us to do what we do in World Outreach International.

Our passion is that those who do not

have hope will know and experience the hope we have in Jesus Christ.

Our field personnel bring hope to people every day, whether helping communities stricken by natural disaster or war, or providing literacy programmes and healthcare to impoverished communities, or sharing the Gospel in word and deed to those who have never heard about Jesus.

We do so because there is hope!

Bruce Hills

International Director world-outreach.com/people/bruce-hills

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See Hebrews 6:18; 1 John 3:3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 • ISSUE 1, 2019 •

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SHAKING DOORS OPEN

Rama and Sinta Jones, SOUTH EAST ASIA • Ministry leaders involved in evangelism and church planting ministry. world-outreach.com/people/rama-sinta-jones In early August 2018, the Indonesian island of Lombok was struck by two major earthquakes in two weeks, leaving 76,000 buildings destroyed, 400,000 people rendered homeless, and countless traumatised, distressed, and broken. Sounds like a job for Jesus!

World Outreach International had a team on Lombok when the earthquakes

struck. As Field Leader, I'm very proud of the team, who are working covertly among a least-reached people group, the Sasak, who have been resistant to the Gospel.

By the grace of God, the whole team and their properties escaped unscathed.

This meant they could launch into immediate action to help the victims of the earthquakes.

The team has taken a relational approach in all they have done.

Realising that the needs were huge, and the team few in number, they began by visiting their friends and contacts. Ears were also open for the next level of need – friends of friends. Their goals were to provide comfort, supplies, shelter, and spiritual support in all its forms. Within a short period of time, the team was all over the island.

Supplies have been sent across the island to Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians. At the time of writing, the team has distributed several tonnes of rice, 300 tarpaulins, all kinds of food, hundreds of sleeping mats, and toiletries. In several places, houses are being built, and building supplies, wheelbarrows, and tools have been provided.

In all this, great love has been shown.

The Good News is being shared. We have prayed with some, shared food with the needy, and made the widow's heart sing. The team has taken a longterm view. The earthquake has opened doors and forged friendships across the island. The kindness shown will keep doors open for years to come.

We have earned credibility. Many of

the conversations simply began with, "We heard you had no food, so we have come."

On behalf of the Lombok team and the thousands who have received help from them, thank you! Thanks for your prayers, emails of support, and the finances that have been used well to open hearts and doors.

• ISSUE 1, 2019 •

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THAILAND T H E G O S P E L W I T H I N T H A I C U LT U R E John and Nok P, THAILAND • Ministry leaders heading up an evangelism and church planting ministry. world-outreach.com/people/john-nok-p Thai is a huge barrier. Our mission is to discover how Jesus and the Gospel message can be clearly understood within Thai culture.

We have a dream that thousands of Thai Buddhists will understand and respond to the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ. But their mistaken belief that in order to follow Jesus they must reject everything that makes them

Recently, God showed us that the Sart festival, one of the most important Thai events, actually points to Jesus! “Sart” means “first fruits” or “harvest”. In this festival people wear white clothes and put a banana tree in the middle of a big basket. The banana tree symbolises the one who is to come, who will bring healing. So when we also dress in white and do this ceremony while

telling them that Jesus is the healer, and also the first fruits, they are very responsive. We now have groups of Thai believers in several villages who are devoted followers of Jesus without rejecting their Thai identity.

M U S L I M FA M I LY P R A I S E S O U R G O D !

Jan-Peter and Natasja Kelder, THAILAND • Ministry leaders overseeing Siam Care. world-outreach.com/people/jan-peter-natasja-kelder What a blessing to be able to bless others! One of the children we look after is sixteen-year-old Suk. Suk’s parents passed away due to HIV when Suk was still young. Since then, he has been living in a slum in Bangkok, with his 72-year-old grandmother. This Muslim family’s home was falling apart and dangerous to live in.

CLOSEUP

In August, God provided us with the time, the people, and the money to give their shack an upgrade. Their roof is no longer leaking, and the floor is steady

and safe for a 72-year-old woman to walk and sit on. Both Suk and his grandmother were in tears when they saw their upgraded house and couldn’t

stop thanking us. We told them to thank God, who is our provider. This Muslim family then praised our God for what he did for them, which was amazing to experience!

MEET ANNELIZE DE WET

I am originally from a small town in South Africa, but I have spent the last six years serving in a church called Church Without Walls in the city of Centurion, South Africa.

I am 34 years old, and my husband has not yet found me! I have incredible parents, who are my heroes in the faith! Their hero status grew to a new level when I left the country, because now they are taking care of my Jack Russell dog-child, Bobby. I have three handsome brothers, all married to wonderful women, and I am an aunt to three kids.

Even though I loved my job as a Missions Pastor in South Africa, God led me to do mobilising closer to the unreached. I have been called to focus on the persecuted church in Kenya, mobilising them towards reaching their own people.

Nothing makes me happier than helping people unlock the treasures of God’s kingdom.

SOUTH EAST ASIA I N D I R E C T I M PA C T Duncan and Lindie Ross, SOUTH EAST ASIA • Ministry leaders involved in evangelism and church planting. world-outreach.com/people/duncan-lindie-ross We want to encourage missionaries who may feel discouraged. Sometimes we work really hard to impact our people groups, and it seems we don’t make any headway.

This year, more than before, we have been training local churches that are now impacting people groups. Instead of us going directly to the people groups, God has raised up his work force. He has multiplied us in unexpected ways.

So, don’t lose heart – just follow God’s lead.

Join an exciting two-month long exposure trip

Indonesia 1 Mar 2019 – 30 Apr 2019

Mozambique 1 Jun 2019 – 31 Jul 2019

Get started on your journey to the nations!

Apply now or find out more: world-outreach.com/mission-intensive or scan the QR-code • ISSUE 1, 2019 •

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DEVELOPING THE MINDSET OF A LEADER Leaders think differently than followers. To be a leader, we must think like a leader. The following is a quick list of twelve principles for developing a leadership mindset.

1. Accept and affirm the call to leadership. Be willing to accept the role and responsibilities without compulsion or obligation1.

2. Exercise the responsibilities of leadership conscientiously and thoroughly, not reluctantly or passively2. You are no longer a follower, but a leader. Take responsibility.

3. Humbly accept and exercise spiritual authority as a leader operating under Christ’s authority.

The exercise of a leader's authority must always be to build up and empower, and used for the collective good3.

4. Be decisive and exercise initiative; don't be indecisive and ambiguous. Make decisions and stick with them. Acknowledge and admit wrong ones. Be proactive, not reactive.

5. Be strong and courageous.

Even though you may be naturally

timid, shy, or insecure, the Scripture calls for leaders to be strong and be courageous 4. Be bold, but not brash.

6. Be led by God, not by the people. Do what God tells you to do. Avoid decisions made to appease people or to keep a vocal minority of people happy5.

7. Be people-centred – a shepherd of those the Lord has entrusted to your care6 . Love them.

Take care of them in the way Jesus would want them cared for.

11. Study the lives and leadership of other great leaders7 – either through observation, reading, or listening. Read biographies, ask questions, and study the principles and practices of successful leaders.

12. LEAD! One of the most effective ways to learn leadership is by being involved in leadership.

8. Develop the practice of lifelong learning. Be inquisitive, read widely, study often, think deeply, and reflect regularly.

9. Be secure in your leadership, calling, and position. Be comfortable in who you are (remembering that God is not finished). Leaders must manage their insecurities.

10. Be like Jesus. The pre-eminent way to develop the mindset of a

1

4

Joshua 1:6; 2 Tim. 2:1

2

Romans 12:8

5

Remember Saul – 1 Sam. 15:24

3

Matt 20:20-28; Mark 10:35-45; 1 Pet. 5:3

6

Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:2,4

1 Pet. 5:2; cf. 1 Tim. 3:1

leader is to learn from Jesus’ life and leadership. Jesus embodies and exemplifies the mindset of the perfect and model spiritual leader.

Bruce Hills

International Director world-outreach.com/people/bruce-hills 7

2 Timothy 2:2

FRONTLINE PRAYER Thank you for supporting our partners in prayer!

Due to security, some photos are not published and pseudonyms are used.

DAY 1

DAY 6

David and Doreen Khoza

Christie Samuel Serving in Sri Lanka

Serving in Soweto, South Africa

DAY 2

DAY 7

Lynet te N

Abraham and Meelani Siregar

Serving in South Africa

Serving in South East Asia

DAY 3

DAY 8

Paul and Susan Simons

Wuwus and Bambang Sulist yo

Serving from South Africa in the Middle East

Serving in South East Asia

DAY 4

DAY 9

Di Sanderson

Susilawati and Welmus Washington

Serving in Swaziland

Serving in South East Asia

DAY 5

DAY 10

Jonathan and Janet Jere

Petrus Yunianto

Serving in Zambia

Serving in South East Asia

FRONTLINE FILES DAY 11

DAY 17

Luke and Wan Yee Chong

Li De Jin Serving in Thailand

Serving from Singapore

DAY 12 Ric h and Jia Ling Ho Serving from Singapore

DAY 18 Chuenjit Mangaew Serving in Thailand

DAY 13

DAY 19

John and Marie Anton

Sasithorn Niwedrangsan

Serving in Thailand

Serving in Thailand

DAY 14

DAY 20

Ponc hai Banc hasawan

John and Nok P Serving in Thailand

Serving in Thailand

DAY 15

DAY 21

Shannie For tuna

Malcolm and Sandy Pot ter

Serving in Thailand

Serving in Thailand

DAY 16

DAY 22

Chawalit Kongc haiyaphum

Jaco and Ilke Struwig

Serving in Thailand

Serving in Thailand

FRONTLINE FILES DAY 23

DAY 27

Elisa Diaz

Chaiyot and Gayle Wansong

Serving in Thailand

Serving in Thailand

DAY 24

DAY 28

Karaya Kanc hana

Prai Wongkampha

Serving in Thailand

Serving in Thailand

DAY 25

DAY 29

Praser t Panyamankong

John and Mar y

Serving in Thailand

Serving in Vietnam

DAY 26

DAY 30

David and Ruth T

Chris and Nadine Brit tain

Serving in South East Asia

Serving in Australia

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AFRICA AG A I N S T A L L O D D S, T H E G O S P E L I S P R E A C H E D, A N D LEADERS ARE EQUIPPED Rodney and Juliet Munkhondya, MALAWI • Ministry leaders who are involved in evangelism and training church leaders. world-outreach.com/people/rodney-juliet-munkhondia During our village outreaches, we noticed that most church leaders lacked basic training. This led to the birth of the Ministry Training College. Since 2016 we have graduated 25 students. The most recent graduation was in October 2018.

One of our first graduates had very little education and could not be ordained by his church, despite the great calling upon his life. Since graduation, however, he has been ordained and has planted a number of churches.

Glory to God!

GOD RESTORES HEARTS Peter and Carol Ojiambo, KENYA • Ministry leaders involved in evangelism and church planting.

We are serving in Kenya among least-reached peoples from a Muslim background. Over the past year, we’ve been using a new strategy: opening shops that recruit and train people to run businesses. This approach has worked so well! Carol has had several opportunities to talk to Muslim women doing business in three mosques! Also,

our contact person in the LRP group has led eight Muslim-background believers to the Lord, two of whom are very influential in their leadership. To continue with such success, we need finances to help us invest in shops and micro-credits that borrowers repay daily.

CLOSEUP

DEREK AND BETHANY DAMERON

Derek and Bethany Dameron were born and raised in East Tennessee in the southeastern United States. They grew up in global-minded churches and have had a passion for overseas missions for many years.

Derek and Bethany will serve with the Protestant Christian Fellowship (PHZ) of Sombor, Serbia, starting in 2019. They first served with PHZ on the World Race, an eleven-month mission trip to eleven different countries.

They will partner with Zoli and Tanja Vegel, along with their two daughters, to reach the Serbian people.The Damerons will start a young adults’ group, which will evangelise, disciple, and train its members to share their faith.

They will also be working with the Vegels to share the Gospel and build up the local church in a variety of ways, including women's ministry, worship, media, and taking care of church members.

WORLD OUTREACH KIDS (WO KIDS) SHARING CHRIST WITH CHILDREN FROM LEAST-REACHED PEOPLE GROUPS THROUGH LOVE AND EMPOWERMENT

Shee Wai Chia, SINGAPORE • WOI Executive Manager. world-outreach.com/people/shee-wai-chia In many majorityworld nations, more than 50% of the population is under the age of fifteen.

WO Kids shares and brings the hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to thousands of children in schools, communities, and churches each year.

Children are often the door that opens the way to reaching whole communities for Christ. WO Kids is committed to rescuing children from exploitation, vice, and destitution. These situations are common among the least-reached people groups in which our mission partners labour.

One of WO Kids’ ministries, New Hope Boarding Home in Sanggau, Indonesia,

provides care for 120 children between the ages of six and eighteen. These children live in a nurturing, loving, healthy, and safe environment. They are sent to nearby government schools to complete their education with the hope of a better future. Christ is shared in everything done in the boarding home where the children experience the tangible love of God, grow in their faith, and get an opportunity to develop their potential.

Nomi, a student at New Hope, declared, “In my village, I lived with my uncle and aunt because my parents have already passed away. Living here is very different from living in the village. Here I can go to school and get educated.” Another student, Denak, has this to share, “I love staying in New Hope because it’s helping me a lot and I learn a lot. We hear the word of God. We do morning prayer and read the Bible.”

At Generation Bangladesh, kids’ outreach camps are regularly held to share the love and hope of Christ. Each camp welcomes between 50 and 200 kids, who learn about the salvation of

Jesus in a loving and encouraging way.

More than 70,000 decisions for Christ have been recorded from these camps over the years.

WO Kids has oversight of more than forty such children’s ministries in many countries, which are impacting the lives of thousands of children. This would not be possible without faithful and generous supporters like you!

So thank you for supporting the efforts in sharing Christ with children from least-reached people groups through love and empowerment. Help and partner with us to reach out to more of these children. A gift of US$30 per month will help us feed, care for, and educate a child.

Find out more about WO Kids at the website www.wokids.org.

• ISSUE 1, 2019 •

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MOZAMBIQUE F R O M S E R V I N G S ATA N T O S E R V I N G J E S U S Eugene and Tina Wessels, MOZAMBIQUE • Field Leaders working from South Africa. world-outreach.com/people/eugene-tina-wessels For eighteen years, D had been a powerful witch doctor, but the more demonic power she gained, the more her health declined. Her daughter, studying in distant Beira, heard about her mother’s illness and contacted our pastor, who went to visit her. He presented the Gospel to her, and soon

after, she arrived at church, bringing all her witchcraft apparel for public burning. Last week, she opened up her home to church cell meetings where disciples can grow in their knowledge and understanding of Christ. We simply rejoice with them.

JOIN US FOR THE NEXT NATIONS COURSE

EUROPE

SOUTH EAST ASIA

21 July – 30 August 2019 ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

16 June – 26 July 2019 CHIANG MAI, THAILAND

“ This course provided us with so much insight into cross-cultural ministry. It’s a great preparation for becoming a warrior on the field. We highly recommend this course to anyone who is working in the field or plans to go. 'It's not wrong, just different' is one statement that will always remind us that every language, tribe, and nation has a different culture than ours, but that doesn’t mean they are wrong."

- Abdullah and Aisha Das, South East Asia

For details visit www.world-outreach.com/nations-course or scan the QR code:

MOZAMBIQUE G O D I S M OV I N G T H R O U G H M A Z I OT E L A Colin and Jenny Ayling, MOZAMBIQUE • Ministry leaders involved in a holistic ministry. world-outreach.com/people/colin-jenny-ayling A well-known distinctive of World Outreach International is our focus on least-reached peoples – those without indigenous communities of believers able to effectively evangelise their own people groups.

now leading Maziotela Ministries in Northern Mozambique. New village churches continue to be planted, the Maziotela Leadership Training School continues to disciple and train new village leaders, and Maziotela Preschools continue to impact the next generation!

We praise God for the Maziotela Ministries’ amazing team of Mozambican leaders, who are

THE DEMONS LEFT FOR GOOD Stephanie Herron, MOZAMBIQUE • Ministry leader involved in training and teaching people for ministry. world-outreach.com/people/stephanie-herron she was also involved in prostitution, stealing, and drinking. The demons were controlling her life. She came to the Bible school at the beginning of this year, renounced all those sins and demonic ties, and burnt her witchcraft items – but still couldn’t get free, even with prayer and fasting.

Carolina was possessed by demons from childhood due to family rituals that involved her. By the age of seventeen,

Eventually, we realised that, although she had repeated the words of the “Sinner’s Prayer” before she came to us, she had not, in fact, accepted Christ as her Lord and Saviour. When she did this, the demons left for good.

Seven months later she is totally free

and growing rapidly in her spiritual life.

She has continued attending classes here and her life is transformed.

LEAVE A LASTING LEGACY HAVE YOU MADE A WILL? Making a will is the only way you can be sure that your wishes will be followed after you die. Having a will also makes your loved ones’ time of grief simpler. If you don’t leave a will, part or all of your estate may go to people whom you never intended to benefit, or even to the government!

Including a gift to the ministry of World Outreach International in your will is a special and personal way to continue making a difference in the world after your life on earth has passed.

For further information, please contact your nearest World Outreach International office.

• ISSUE 1, 2019 •

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FAMILY NEWS WILLIAMS PHIRI HAS GONE HOME One of our African Mission Partners, Williams Phiri, passed away in his home country, Zambia, on 27 September after a short illness. His funeral took place on 28 September in Lusaka.

Williams had been serving in Mozambique with Andries and Sunette Schwartz and was in Zambia preparing to go back to Mozambique when he fell ill. We will miss him as he was an excellent linguist, speaking at least seven languages.

Rod Talbot – Former Regional Ministries Director - Africa and Middle East

D R W I L B U R FA R M I L O R E T I R E S A F T E R T W E N T Y Y E A R S O N T H E W O I B OA R D After graduating from medical school in 1977, Wilbur took a gap year. He spent six months with the Philippine Aid Ministries team in Cebu (serving alongside John and Mary Elliott, Max and Dorothy Chismon, and others) and a similar period of time with a rural hospital in North India (near the Nepalese border) before returning back to NZ to take up a surgical practice in 1979. Wilbur became a WOI Board Member in 1998. He served as Board Chair from 2013 to 2018. WOI has been truly blessed to have had such a wonderful person with such a passion and commitment to world missions and to WOI serving in its ranks.

Rob Reid - World Outreach International Board Member

If you know of any special events or milestones, please send them to communications@world-outreach.com.

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INDIA U N T O U C H A B L E S T O U C H I N G OT H E R S W I T H T H E G O S P E L Dinesh Chand, INDIA • Ministry leader.

Across India, there is an ethnic group that is lost, forgotten, neglected, and ostracised. The “untouchables” live with this pain, insult, and humiliation all their lives. Their efforts to find answers to life have taken them even further from society.

Praise be to God that the message of eternal life through Christ has begun to make its way into this community.

The Lord put it in our hearts to serve this neglected community, and we are experiencing a breakthrough.

The untouchable Gypsy men are reaching their own generation with the Gospel. Today, through the Gypsy indigenous movement, the Lord has enabled us to plant six churches among them. In one church more than 1,000 Gypsies are coming together to worship the Lord every week. It seems like the Gypsy men are preparing the way for the Gospel among their own people.

Just recently, a group of Gypsies has bought land on which to build their own worship centre. They no longer need to travel like nomads. I asked them, “Why have you stopped traveling now?” A Gypsy man replied, “We are

tired of traveling and have finally found rest, joy, peace, and freedom in the Lord. We can’t wait to see our own place of worship to be built.” Now this untouchable community is touching their own generation with the Gospel.

YO U C A N ’ T S T O P T H E G O S P E L Tomba K, INDIA • Ministry team leader involved in evangelism and church planting. world-outreach.com/people/tomba-khoisnam Last year Ms Priya came in search of someone. Ms Ngambi, who is a believer, helped Priya find the person she was looking for. Priya was so happy to meet someone so hospitable! They became friends, and, through Ngambi’s witness, Priya became a follower of the Lord. Then, Priya’s younger sister Asharani noticed the change in Priya’s life and chose to follow Jesus too!

One day Ngambi and some friends visited Asharani at her home. In front of many people, Asharani’s father scolded Ngambi and warned her not to come again. However, Ngambi did not give up mentoring Priya and Asharani, and now their mother has become a follower of the Lord!

• ISSUE 1, 2019 •

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AUSTRALIA BEGINNING TO LOOK LIKE A KINGDOM Carl and Gail Musch, AUSTRALIA • Ministry leaders working in the Australia Outback. world-outreach.com/people/carl-gail-musch Jesus taught us to pray, "Let your kingdom come..."

I am blessed to see God's people working together in unity. Recently, I went to North East Arnhem Land to help new Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) staff prepare to serve among Aboriginal Australians. Ten years ago, MAF could find very few Bible believers ministering in the region to support.

However, a number of us have been challenged to pray for labourers. This testimony is of God’s answer to this prayer.

On the night I arrived, I met with our Aboriginal partners, Yolgnu for Jesus, where I discovered that The Billy Graham Association team had come

the 1,000 km of mostly shocking gravel road from Darwin to help prepare these indigenous Christians to work with the upcoming Franklin Graham Crusade.

They were asking founding pastor Bunumbirr to take the team a further 1,000 km through indigenous churches in restricted access areas.

Ministries, The Uniting Church, Generation Fire, both Christian and tribal elders on Elcho Island, the local senior indigenous Wycliffe Bible Translator, missionaries from Pioneers, and an Every Home for Christ associate from Papua New Guinea. It is early days but the church is beginning to look like a kingdom with one King – Jesus.

Over the next fortnight I worked with: Australian Aboriginal Outreach

MIDDLE EAST JESUS IS ENOUGH Basem Nasif, EGYPT • Ministry team leader mobilising and training young adults across the Middle East for mission A woman from Syria lives in a refugee camp in Lebanon. She went to the church for practical help, but she received much more. She felt comfort within her soul and sprit. She said, “Jesus is enough for me; I do not need to take the humanitarian aid”.

One day she prayed, “Send me some money so I can go to church to hear more about you”.

At the same time, one of her female neighbours came and gave her some money. Praise the Lord that he really sees and hear our hearts!

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WHY PLANT CHURCHES?

Jo and Jenny Graham, JAPAN • Ministry leaders involved in helping make disciples of new believers. world-outreach.com/people/jo-and-jenny-graham Does your windscreen fog up? Do you ever struggle to see the essentials and end up wasting time on lesser things?

Jesus didn’t just send us out to preach the Gospel; he also sent us to make disciples.

We partner with a team in a limited-access country that is steeped in Buddhism. One of our team members is an indigenous missionary from an ethnic group that is 90% Christian. He spent more than ten years going from village to village among least-reached people groups, preaching the Gospel and leading people to Christ. Yet he missed the most important task! And after more than ten years, there was no visible fruit from his ministry!

As people obey Jesus, they come together to worship and love one another – because that is what he commands his followers to do. If we make real disciples, we will inevitably plant churches!

Why? He had no clear vision of making disciples and raising up churches.

But now he works with a church planting team. After much prayer and pushing on different doors, they have focused on one village in a small least-reached people group. They built trust by helping the people with their biggest immediate problem – a lack of water. Together they built a reservoir, and after months of working together, as well as praying together for personal needs, people have begun to believe in Jesus and follow him.

They meet together discreetly to worship and to learn how to live together as followers of Jesus in a hostile world. A church is growing in this small ethnic group where until last year, no one even knew Jesus’ name.

In missions, as in so many areas of our lives, our windscreen can get fogged up. We can do nice programmes in reached nations and in nice churches; we can do nice seminars on all kinds of nice subjects; we can do outreaches where people pray to become Christians; we can feed the poor and care for orphans – all very nice things to do!

But our mandate is to make disciples in all the nations. And the best measure we have of whether we are really making disciples is this: is our ministry resulting in groups of believers coming together to follow Jesus? Are we planting churches that go on to plant more churches?

Pray for World Outreach International missionaries all over the world who are seeking to reach least-reached people groups with the Gospel. Pray that the Lord would help us not to be distracted by the many good things we can do and fail to do the most important thing, to make disciples and raise up churches!

If we make real disciples, we will inevitably plant churches!

THE POWER TO BLESS In recent dialogue with some friends, the discussion included publicity we had seen inviting people to consider willing some of their estate to a noble cause. This is quite common. Over the years, ministries in World Outreach International have been greatly blessed from such bequests. However, as one of my friends said, “Wouldn’t it be even nicer to share some of what we have been blessed with now, when we are alive, not just after we are gone?”

The Bible clearly states (Mark 10:17-30) that God’s blessing is very much on those who give and sacrifice for him in this life. My wife and I, and others we know, have had numerous opportunities to give gladly and generously toward different mission needs, and later learn what a wonderful difference for good the gifts have made. As the word of God states, it surely is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).

Our God is a giver (John 3:16). It’s his nature. We believers need to remember that his giving nature is within us too.

With this thought in mind, I’m reminded of a dear long-time ministry mentor of ours who says, “When you give because you can’t help it, you will receive because you can’t stop it.”

We will never outgive God, while at the same time, God can’t help himself in blessing us in the here and now.

In Matthew 6:21, Jesus says, “For where your treasure is there your heart will be also.” Our hearts and treasures will always go hand in hand. Where you find one, you will find the other.

Our desires and interests (our heart) will always point in the direction of our values (our treasure). We will give our life, our time, our talents, and our energies to that which is precious to us. Let us not pray for a generous heart; rather let us practice being generous today, and our hearts will follow.

May the demonstration of God’s love and the expansion of his kingdom here on earth stir us to action. Let’s get the Good News of Jesus Christ to those who have never heard his wonderful name! This is God’s mandate to each of us, and it’s also the reason World Outreach International exists. Today, we welcome your practical partnership in this wonderful cause.

John Elliott

President Emeritus World Outreach International

Cheque donations can be made to: World Outreach International and then forwarded to your nearest WOI Country Office – listed on pg2.

Donations can also be made at

www.world-outreach.com