July 23 2018
While I attended the 2018 OMS Illuminate Missions Conference
in June, I spoke with numerous missionaries about their services on the field. One
story was from an OMS missionary couple serving in Asia. J* and V* shared their
story to show the power of God’s redeeming love for an 8-year-old girl.
J* told me about a ministry opportunity that her
husband was a part of in Asia with a young girl who came to hear him speak in
their session. The young 8-year-old girl felt the Holy Spirit’s presence in her
heart and turned her life to Jesus that same day. When night came, she went to
tell her grandfather of the Bible stories she heard and share the Gospel with
him as well. According to J*, the grandfather loved the stories so much that he
began to tell others about them.
As the weeks went on and as the young girl
continued to attend the services from V*’s ministry, the grandfather continued
to listen to the Gospel messages. One night, after hearing his granddaughter’s
story from the service, he told her to invite V* to their home for a meal. He
did, and the grandfather told the missionary that he wanted him to share with
his friends the stories about Jesus. V* said he would need to come back another
time, but the grandfather told him that his friends were already at the home
waiting in another room.
V* was shocked to find more than 15 eager souls
waiting for him to share the Gospel. That night, those patient and lost souls
were changed forever as they all turned their hearts and lives to Christ! They
all now attend the sessions of J* and V*.
*Names withheld for security reasons.
By Thaddaeus Ristow, Summer Communications Intern
Tags:
sharing gospel, asia, girl accepts jesus
October 10 2017
The
Cuban people now face one of the saddest moments in the past few years.
On
September 8, the northern coast of Cuba was slammed by Hurricane Irma. It made landfall, with winds
of nearly 160 miles per hour … the first Category 5 hurricane to hit the
country since 1937.
But
in the midst of this crisis, there is hope.
Norberto,
the president of our partner denomination, shares what he has seen firsthand on
this island nation.
In
the midst of the destruction, we want to learn from the example of Jesus … we
want to love those who need our love. For this reason, we are helping those who
are suffering. We know that God can turn this crisis into opportunities and the
problems into blessings.
To
date, we have started 10 community kitchens to feed the needy. The churches are
serving the communities as a light in the darkness. Volunteers are seeing new ways
to serve the people and testify of God’s love at the same time.
While
Irma did much damage, the Cuban church stands together today to rebuild the
fallen walls and to give witness to the victory of the king of kings.
"Blessed
to Bless." That’s what I saw when I entered one church that had been badly
affected by the storm. I never thought that I would see that phrase on a church
wall that was almost destroyed. The pastor’s family lost nearly all of their belongings
and had no food to eat. They went two nights without sleeping. Yet, the phrase echoed
in my mind: "Blessed to Bless ..."
The
pastor of this church and his family knew that Irma was going to change their lives, but they
never imagined that the change was going to be for good.
Today
and every day, the church feeds 180 people, and their contacts continue to grow.
Many are asking, “Why do you do it?” The pastor responds, “Because God loves
me, and I want you to know that he loves you too.” God has blessed this family,
and they want to bless the people that live there.
The
people are beginning to feel encouragement and hope. You can hear laughter and
see happy faces while the church serves them with love.
Another
story that fills me with joy happened when I visited a church in which most of
the building was destroyed, but part of a wall that remained said, “Instruments
of Change 2 Timothy 2: 21.” The pastor had just started a series on discipleship
to teach them that sanctification is God's instrument to achieve good things
from the hearts of the people. After the ravages of Irma, the church is beginning
to understand firsthand the meaning of the words: "agents of change."
Today, members of this church cook for more than 200 people daily. Most of the church members volunteer with
the community kitchen, and they are instruments for change in the hearts of the
people as they serve and love in Jesus’ name.
The
message of the Gospel becomes real when people can see what God has done among
his people. To God be the glory!
If you would like to donate to relief efforts, give here.
Tags:
hurricane, cuba, restore, relief, disaster, help, compassion, hands and feet of jesus,
March 22 2016
As
a Jew, about once every three months, I like to participate in the Jews for Jesus
campaigns. With my Jewish brothers, I teach the New Testament on Saturdays, in
addition to my regular church responsibilities on Sundays.
This
semester at MECS, I have some classes I enjoy and some that are not as practical.
One class that is useful in ministry is my counseling course. I am involved in
ministry at a Center of Social Adaptation (our church reaches out to its
inhabitants). There are many abused people in recovery at the center, and I want to apply some of the knowledge and skills I’m gaining in counseling there.
I
really enjoy my church music and Russian language & rhetoric classes. I also
love our church leadership course! It is based on the history makers curriculum
and led by a true leader – pastor of a church and doctor of ministry. It is
awesome!
Sometimes
it can be tough to carry on with all the responsibilities in my church, along with Jews
for Jesus ministry, and the seminary course work. Thank you for your prayers and
financial support.
—Yakov
Efremenko, MECS student
Moscow Evangelical Christian
Seminary was founded in 1992 by One Mission Society. MECS’ reputation as a premier theological training
institution continues to grow as former students spread the word. The seminary
offers theology, church ministry, youth ministry, and camp ministry degrees at
both the master’s and bachelor’s levels. While studying, students enjoy a
hands-on experience as part of their course work, in addition to service in
local churches. The seminary is located in Russia’s capital city, Moscow, and
is directed by Dr. Alexander (Sasha) Tsoutserov.
Currently, there are approximately 100 students studying at the seminary.
If you'd like to donate to MECS, click here.
Tags:
seminary, russia, mecs, students, jewish, jews for jesus
September 10 2015
For today's post we have various stories from mission fields around the world. These stories include church planters who have begun using the Train & Multiply curriculum, as well as courageous men and women sharing the Gospel in their own cultural context. We hope that these stories will inspire and encourage you to continue the great work of the Kingdom.
Job Vilma - Haiti
by Job Vilma
Job Vilma, 38, is the ECC Trainer in Haiti. He and his wife have a five year-old son. Job did not have an opportunity to begin his schooling until he was 13. Since that time, he has completed grade school and high school and earned a seminary degree.
The leader that Job has trained uses a bicycle for transportation. To reach his congregation, a one-way journey requires two and a half hours of riding, followed by three hours of walking, and he makes this trip seven times a month. One Sunday a month he goes to his local church to participate in taking the Lord’s Supper.
In 2013, a house group was started in Orange, and a month later this group birthed a worshiping group in Pillet. When this group was three months old, they started a group in Blankan. Now the following pattern has developed: The Pillet group meets together every Tuesday, and the Blankan group every Thursday. On Sunday, they come together and meet in Augarde, on the mountain. At their first combined service, 30 people were present.
Job makes a point to be with the believers at Augarde every second Sunday. Believers from the congregation he attended prior to becoming a trainer often accompany him on this trip up the mountain.
Raju – India
by Raju
My name is Raju. I am almost twelve years old and live in a village in India with my father, my mother, and my brothers and sisters. I am very blessed because I am able to go to school, but millions of children are forced to work and never learn to read or write. My father is like that. He cannot read, so I help him by reading the Bible to him so he can preach and start new churches. I also teach the other children in my village about Jesus. One day, my father took my mother and me to a big city where he was going to learn how to be a Bible storyteller. We joined him in the training room, although we sat to the side. I listened very carefully and studied the picture that the storyteller put on the wall for each story. After four days of training, the storyteller asked for people to stand by the pictures on the wall and tell all the stories in order, from Creation to the Resurrection. Several adults tried to do this, but they needed help from the others. Then I asked if I could try. The storyteller smiled and said, “Yes, Raju, you tell the stories.” Do you know what happened? I told all the stories, and the storyteller said that I was the best storyteller of all! Now I can be the storyteller for our village and help my father even more. I can tell him the stories over and over again so that he can go to other villages and tell people about Jesus. How do you tell people about Jesus?
Tags:
stories from the field, job vilma, raju, haiti, india, ecc training, train and multiply, bible, storytelling, evangelism, jesus,
April 29 2015
Train
& Multiply uses the training methods of both Jesus and the apostle
Paul.
Jesus
focused on a few (12 apostles) to win many (within 70 years his disciples had
taken his Good News into every corner of the Roman world). He went slowly at
first in order to go faster later. Jesus knew he only had three years to
prepare people to launch a movement. Human intuition says, “Start fast and
start big.” Jesus was counter-intuitive. He started slowly, and he focused on a
few. T&M does the same. You will not find any well-packaged, mass-marketing
campaigns or programming in T&M. Instead, you will find groupings of
one-on-one or small groups as trainers and coaches equip disciples for the
harvest and to lead churches.
Jesus
invested his time in the right persons. He focused on obedience-based
discipleship. He ministered to everyone who came to see him through preaching,
teaching, and healing. But, he used tough teaching, fervent prayer, and calls
to obedience to filter his followers down to the 12 he invested in the most.
T&M welcomes everyone. But, through various filters and a focus on
accountability, it helps the coach to invest his or her time with motivated
participants—ones who want to grow in Christ-likeness and do so through devoted
learning and obedient service. But, T&M also helps believers focus on the
persons God is directing them to invest in through their evangelistic and
discipleship efforts–those persons of peace Jesus directed his disciples to in
Luke 10.
Jesus
made disciples who could make disciples. His approach was very relational. Making
disciples is very different from making converts. Disciple making requires time
and building relationships. Jesus did life with his disciples. And he modeled
exactly what he wanted them to do as they went out to make disciples. They
learned well. They taught others what Jesus taught and modeled what he had
modeled. They made disciples who made disciples who made disciples.
In
the T&M process, the T&M coach develops very genuine relationships with
T&M participants. T&M is a very
relational process that empowers Christians to both coach and train believers
to multiply themselves in the lives of others. Disciples make disciples who
make disciples, as participants become coaches who train other participants who
become coaches. Strong leadership development occurs, healthy churches are
started, and the process continues as a church multiplication movement builds.
Tags:
train & multiply, t&m, training leaders, teaching like jesus,
April 27 2015
T&M uses the training methods of
both Jesus and the apostle Paul.
Jesus focused on a few (12 apostles)
to win many (within 70 years his disciples had taken his good news into every
corner of the Roman world). He went slow at first in order to go faster later.
Jesus knew he only had three years to prepare people to launch a movement. Human
intuition says, “Start fast, and start big.” Jesus was counter-intuitive. He
started slow, and he focused on a few. T&M does the same. You will not find
any well-packaged, mass marketing campaigns or programming in T&M. Instead,
you will find groupings of one-on-one or small groups as trainers and coaches
equip disciples for the harvest and to lead churches.
Jesus invested his time in the right persons. He focused on obedience-based
discipleship. He ministered to everyone who came to see him through preaching,
teaching, and healing. But, he used tough teaching, fervent prayer, and calls
to obedience to filter his followers down to the 12 he invested in the most.
T&M welcomes everyone. But, through various filters and a focus on
accountability, it helps the coach to invest his or her time with motivated
participants -- ones who want to grow in Christ-likeness and do so through
devoted learning and obedient service. But, T&M also helps believers focus
on the persons God is directing them to invest in through their evangelistic
and discipleship efforts – those persons of peace Jesus directed his disciples
to in Luke 10.
Jesus made disciples who could make disciples. His approach was very
relational. Making disciples is very different from making converts. Disciple
making requires time and relationship.
Jesus did life with his disciples. And he modeled exactly what he wanted
them to do as they went out to make disciples. They learned well. They taught
others what Jesus taught and modeled what he had modeled. They made disciples
who made disciples who made disciples.
In the T&M process, the T&M coach develops very genuine
relationships with T&M participants.
T&M is a very relational process that empowers Christians to both
coach and train believers to multiply
themselves in the lives of others. Disciples
make disciples who make disciples, as participants become coaches who train
other participants who become coaches. Strong leadership development occurs,
healthy churches are started, and the process continues as a church
multiplication movement builds.
Tags:
jesus, disciples, obedience, preaching, teaching, healing, t&m,
April 9 2015
Obedience.
This is
what happens when ordinary people listen to God’s call. On November 7, 2013,
Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda hit landfall in the Philippines. One of the areas hit
hardest by Typhoon Yolanda was Eastern Visayas. Tacloban City and the
surrounding area accounted for 5,877 deaths, with more than 1,000 people
missing.
Pastors Willy and Vicky Galzote were following God’s call as
pastors of a church 996 kilometers away in Tarlac City when they heard the
news.
Their compassionate hearts immediately ached for the people affected by
the storm. When such a travesty hits, many of us hurt for those impacted.
Their desire to help was unstoppable.
Pastor Willy contacted
leadership within Faith Evangelical Church of the Philippines (FECPI), their
denomination, in hopes of coming up with a plan.
Their desire was not to merely
travel down with supplies or for a brief visit. God had convicted them to be
much more, to build authentic relationships. Their call was to comfort aching
hearts and offer hope.
Have you ever felt a call so strong that you were willing to
leave everything?
This is what Jesus asked of those he called. “And he said to
them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ Immediately they left
their nets and followed him.” (Matthew 4:19-20) This is exactly the call that
Pastors Willy and Vicky received. Pastors Willy and Vicky requested permission
to leave the pulpit and move down to Tacloban City.
A month after Typhoon Yolanda made landfall, a group of four
from FECPI and One Mission Society (OMS) traveled down to see what God was
calling them to do. They had no clear contact person but went on faith that God
would guide them.
Pastors Willy and the others were just looking for a clear
sign on how to help the people impacted. What they found was truly from God.
To be continued…
Tags:
obedience, philippines, compassion, fecpi, follow jesus, oms,