30th October, 2008

CONGO VILLAGERS FLEE TO FORESTS AGAIN
 
While the Kinshasa DCI School of Mission led by Dede Kikavuanga is doing well, over on the far side of the country Congo's people are again fleeing war and rape to risk famine by hiding in the forests as the old Hutu-Tutsi conflict explodes yet again. This BBC page and video explains it all. Dede asks for international prayer to help to end the torment of this largely unreported war which has taken the lives of millions.



29th October, 2008





WHERE CAN YOU LEARN ENGLISH IN ENGLAND ?

Our reader Carlos Diaz en Chile wants to know where he can learn English in a Christian environment in the UK. This is not an easy thing to find these days.  We told him about Functional English in Whitby and put the words Christian Language School, United Kingdom into Google Chile for him with this positive result.




28th October, 2008



HONDURAS KIDNAP TERROR OVER

Our On-line Pastor in Honduras, Ana, wants to say a big thank you to everyone for your prayers for Jose Zaldivar. (See last week's news) He is at home again safe and sound after being kidnapped by criminals. He was not tortured and the family did not pay any money. When we prayed I saw that story from Acts 12.6 when an angel opened the prison door and Peter walked out. Maybe something similar happened for José.  All the parents here are very happy with the news.




27th October, 2008



NEPAL SLUM LEARNS HOW TO ASK GOD FOR HELP

From Nepal in the shadow of Mount Everest Prem Thapa of New Wine Ministries says thank you to everyone for their help with his five Schools of Mission and especially for his recent three day visit into a slum where he told the people about Jesus and taught them how to ask God for help, both lessons from the free DCI School of Mission programme. Ninety-seven people became so excited by this good news that they asked Prem to return with more teaching.




25th October, 2008

INDIA: CONVERT TO HINDUISM OR BE KILLED

We have told you a lot of heart-breaking news about the persecution of Christians in Orissa. Click here to see this week's BBC video report. One of our partners lives in Orissa and yesterday he risked his life to tell us about the deaths of 150 people including 12 pastors, and the burning of more than 5000 houses and 150 churches. He sounded very different these days as he told us about the night a mob came to kill him and when he ran to save his life they burned the entire village down. He is being urged to leave where he is now because no-one wants Christians in their homes or streets. Our partner has 13 orphaned children, 10 Bible school students and his churches to look after at a time when the militants have vowed to remove every trace of the Cross from Orissa.

If you wish to send a gift to Orissa
please click here and we will do it for you

THE COINS THAT CHANGE THE WORLD

23rd October, 2008

WHERE IS GOD?

God is where we are weak, vulnerable, small and dependent. God is where the poor are, the hungry, the handicapped, the mentally ill, the elderly, the powerless. How can we come to know God when our focus is elsewhere, on success, influence, and power? I increasingly believe that our faithfulness will depend on our willingness to go where there is brokenness, loneliness, and human need. If the church has a future it is a future with the poor in whatever form. Henri Nouwen said it after a long life of reflection, we think the same.





FREE TRAINING MANUAL FOR PUPPETS

Click here to see and download a very high quality training manual on How to Do Puppet Ministry by Capt. Fred Mercer. The colour cover is here. In English.




22nd October, 2008




THE WORLD'S NOTICE BOARD

Anton Mostert in Trompsburg, South Africa would like to hear from anyone else in SA or Lesotho who is running a DCI style free School of Mission.

In San Cristobal las Casas - Chiapas, Mexico, Jaime Patricio and his wife Lili have Schools of Mission in Spanish running in three homes.

The French speaking School of Mission in Danane, in a remote part of the Ivory Coast is having its first graduation on December 6th. We are all invited. Mah Malachie is the leader and they have a Bank for the Poor as well.




21st October, 2008

MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT ON THE AMAZON - AND ALONE

Can you imagine arriving by air, which apart from a river boat, is the only way into the centre of the Peru Amazon, and there is no-one there to meet you. That's what just happened when our partner Rolando Canazas arrived in Iquitos.  After sleeping the night in a very cheap guest house he located the pastor and the church that he was looking for and found them in great need. Nevertheless the very next day 30 people and leaders came from near and far for the opening of the first free DCI School of Mission for the Amazon. If you are near Iquitos ring Rolando on 01998832242.



20th October, 2008



ONE MAN LIGHTS UP DARK CORNER OF LIMA 

Not many stories touch our hearts like this one from our taxi-driver friend Juan in Lima-Peru. Because he drives at night Juan sees everything that is going on in the streets.  When he finishes at midnight he takes coffee, food and the offer of prayer to the homeless, addicted and prostitutes going on foot alone into dangerous street corners because no-one will accompany him. Just lately he saw one group who were so disgusting that even Juan drove by, but later when he was praying for his own family he saw these people in his mind and heard the whispers of God saying to go back to them. Juan found them almost naked and for sale in the bitter cold. As they welcomed the hot coffee Juan says they listened to him speaking about God's love for them just as they are. They could hardly believe it possible, although it is true. He prayed, Father forgive them for they know not what they do, and one man decided there and then to follow Jesus. Juan says that as he prayed the man's face turned to that of an innocent.

Send in your news




17th October, 2008

KIDNAP TERROR IN HONDURAS

Pastor Ana Avilez who is our friend and translator in highly insecure Honduras, CA has come with the shocking news that José Zaldivar, the son of Ana's friend, has been kidnapped and the criminals are demanding US $425,000 for his life and release, a sum the family does not have. After prayer Ana believes that José is still alive meanwhile the parents who are believers are negotiating, explaining and trusting God to work in this terrifying situation. They would like us to join them in prayer, and I think that right now would be a really good time to do that.





FOOD SHORT IN CUBA AFTER HURRICANE IKE

Our friends in Camaguey, Cuba Ranledis and María say that people are having a tough time after Hurricane Ike and only the mercy of God rescues them day by day. Last weekend though they did something very special for 105 children who all ate well but then they broke everyone's hearts by asking for food to take home to their parents, but there was none. Ranledis is telling his congregation to  trust in the Lord daily and He will keep bringing them through this scarcity.




15th October, 2008



FROM EAST TO WEST NEW SCHOOLS START UP

Today our partner in Lima-Peru, Rolando Canazas flies to Iquitos in the Amazon basin to help the churches there begin their own free Schools of Mission to train leaders, supporters and senders for mission in the interior. We were thrilled to find out that in Nairobi-Kenya, Paul Lee's EAPTC School has now opened 40 daughter training schools in 8 African nations, and in India our partner Pastor Daniel now has training for mission taking place in 11 locations across the land. Johnny Auguste in Haiti will be hosting a conference at the month end and he is very confident that the day after 15 new Schools of Mission will start. 

ARE YOU TIRED ? ARE YOU WORN OUT ?

13th October, 2008

RARE AND BEAUTIFUL OCCASION IN FRANCE

We have three wonderful translators for our French pages, one is Jean-Francois Bur who lives in France which is quite a spiritually desolate place for believers. Jean-Francois recently hosted a convention in Drome a town in the beautiful Ardeche region and made both believers and unbelievers very welcome. Everyone was asked to consider the question: 'Who is your God?' and they were helped in different seminars to discover the many idols that keep us all away from God. Jean-Francois says that it was an occasion for believers to share their faith and joy at knowing Jesus, especially when the churches from the surrounding villages came and made it a celebration with their lively worship.





ONE FRIEND TO ANOTHER

When we give generously with an abundance mentality, what we give away will multiply. But as that happens people will want to make us kings or queens! Then we have to go back into solitude to listen there to the voice of God, who calls us beloved (and soon brings us down to our proper size.) How true . .
From Henri Nouwen, Sabbatical Journey, from £2.




10th October, 2008

LIVE BIBLE SCHOOL OVER THE INTERNET: COSTA RICA

In Costa Rica one of the world's most stable and peaceful nations, Pastor Carlos Rueda has been caring for people and teaching God's word for 23 years. He would like us to know that he will personally teach live Bible classes from basics up to University level and also NT Greek over the Internet to small groups or up to 500 individuals on-line at once anywhere in the world, with full use of images and diagrams. He has the technology, you just turn up on-line. This is very special so don't think twice, e-mail Pastor Carlos for more information.






THE WORLD'S NOTICE BOARD

Pastor Moses and his graduate Churchill from the Lilongwe School of Mission we are going over the border to Myombe-Zambia to start a free School of Mission there. Over 40 students say that they can't wait to start.

If you would like to help open to Christian bookshop and library in Benin a nation well known for its love of Voodoo, then Appoface would welcome gifts of used books, leaflets and anything that will help the believers there.

In Anyama, Ivory Coast, a country torn apart by civil war, Desire Brito has a new School of Mission with 10 people and plans another in Issia for 34 students.

If anyone can help Maritza Hernandez in still undeveloped and insecure Honduras with videos in Spanish suitable for helping young people with their spiritual and emotional life she will be very grateful. 

Send in your news



8th October, 2008

FREE MEDICINE FOR THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN

Today we want to say thank you for a gift of £3200 which we have passed on to our partner since 1984 Philippe Ouedraogo in AEAD Burkina Faso.  It will mean that many of the 3000 poor children in his 70 village schools will receive free treatment and medicine in the year ahead. Almost one hundred children have already been treated for malaria and recovered.  In the next month our friend Jonathan is going to Burkina to develop his banana plantation that is producing funds for mission in Burkina. Michelle is going a little later to see about drilling a well in a Muslim village and another friend John will be also doing his excellent and not to be missed mobile Academy of Mission there in November.





UGANDA CHURCHES FOR THE POOR GET A PASTOR

Our partner in war torn Lira-Uganda since 1995 is George Purkweri. He has a School of Mission, several Banks for the Poor and numbers of projects to bless the widows and orphans. We are very good friends. Just this week he was telling me that in the last year he has opened 20 churches for the poor but when it comes to weddings, baptisms and giving communion he has trouble persuading the town pastors to visit his congregations of blind people, lepers and beggars. George himself is well trained so now Bishop Tom Okello from Uganda is going to officially ordain George as a pastor. A thousand congratulations George.



6th October, 2008



ONE FRIEND TO ANOTHER

I have just hung up. Why did he telephone, why did he e-mail me ? I don't know!  Oh, what's that ?  I talked a lot and listened very little ?  Forgive me, Lord, it was a monologue and not a dialogue. I explained my ideas and did not get his. Since I didn't listen, I learned nothing. Since I didn't listen, I didn't help. Since I didn't listen, we didn't communicate.  Forgive me Lord, for you connected us and now we are cut off.  Adapted from Michel Quoist






THE WORLD'S NOTICE BOARD

There is a new School of Mission in Abomey-Calavi, Benin if you are nearby. The leader is Dagbo Leonce.


In the Ivory Coast which is still suffering after the 2007 war between East and West Nesson Celestin has already trained 60 church planters and given each one a bicycle. In January Celestin plans to open two Schools of Mission in Duekoue and Man where he is being welcomed by more than 300 interested students.


Matthieu Nshimimana has a School of Mission in Bujumbura, Burundi another African country still recovering from a terrible war.  Matthew welcomes everyone's support in prayer and is looking for information on Mauritania and Orissa for his own prayer meetings.

Send in your comments




3rd October, 2008

FIRST YEAR STUDENTS OPEN NEW CHURCHES: ZAMBIA

Today has brought some some brilliant news from Mpika, Zambia where Solomon Sibalwa lives. This year Solomon has opened two free Schools of Mission with 10 students in his own town and with another 15 some 100 kilometres away in Kopa and he says that they have already opened three new churches and seven home fellowships with 126 people attending. Solomon's plan is to open two more Schools of Mission and ten more churches. Finding Bibles for everyone is Solomon's big problem and so is the cost and difficulty of travel.





GOSPEL ARRIVES IN UNREACHED PAPUA GROUP OF 1000

Some years ago with the help of our friends in Burkina Faso we took some of the Bolon people off the Joshua List of unreached peoples. In fact they were very grateful that someone came to their villages with the gospel.  These days we don't often hear that anyone is going or being sent to an unreached people group but just recently we were reminded that one Indonesian church has sent a married couple to the really unknown 1,000 strong Aboy people who live in a remote forested part of Papua. Most Aboy are uneducated and many children are orphans because untreated malaria and other diseases cause life expectancy to be so very low. This man and his wife combine telling the story of God's love in Jesus with medical help. We can tell you more in private if you write to us.

Send in your comments



1st October, 2008

THE BANKS THAT LIKE TO SAY YES

Pastor Daniel in Kerala, India is one of many of our partners who have a kind of Bank for the local ladies, widows and orphans, and some men as well, who can borrow money, seeds, animals, all sorts of things to begin to make a living. Daniel says that last week he was able to help 10 ladies by providing each with a sewing machine to start their own tailoring business which will be able to support their family. He was very happy to see these ladies and we are just as happy to be part of the blessing.





INDONESIA: HUGE HARVEST FIELD, FAR FROM EASY

We can't always tell you the names of our partners because of the risk to their safety and Indonesia is one of those places. We have heard this week about one training school that has graduated 400 students over the last ten years and it seems that most of them have gone to open new churches in the east. One of our own partners is focusing on the west with a one year intensive DCI School of Mission course. People in Indonesia talk about a move of God even in Aceh which is a stronghold of the 150,000,000 strong majority religion and where that terrible tsunami came ashore. Our partner was telling me that in 2007 almost 300 churches were closed, destroyed or burned in Indonesia and over the years thousands of believers have lost their lives.

 

Leaders, students and graduates of DCI Schools of Mission or training centres linked to us should see this page for help to start new projects of church planting, unreached peoples, training and blessing the poor.

29th September, 2008

INDIA: HANG YOUR HEAD IN SHAME

Two eye-witnesses, trusted men from one of our partners in Central India have returned from Orissa to send us disturbing news of open slaughter, gruesome and inhuman torture, and harassing of believers whilst the authorities do nothing to help. They report that one young pastor was forced to watch his own mother being dismembered in front of his eyes and attempts are being made to poison the water tanks in the refugee camps where thousands of people seek shelter and safety. No foreigner is allowed to enter, nobody carrying aid, food or clothes can reach there, hundreds of people are hiding in the mountains with little to eat.





FIVE ORPHANAGES BURNED AND LOOTED: ORISSA

Another partner from South India has made a special journey to see for himself what is happening. He told me this morning that over 5000 houses are damaged or destroyed including 136 houses belonging to his own church members. More than 100 Christians have been killed, 50 of whom are missionaries and pastors. Five of his own orphanages have been burned and looted and the children have fled to the refugee camps despite the danger of poisoned water and food. Thousands of other Christians have fled into the forests to save their lives, including pregnant women who can only give birth under the trees. Pastor's wives and children are being kidnapped and forced to reveal information. Villagers are told to reconvert to Hinduism if they want to return home. Our partner estimates that it will cost US$50,000 just to restore the homes, clothes and belongings of his own orphanages, children and church members in Orissa.

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