Indonesia plans to move the political capital to Borneo, with the financial capital remaining behind. The new city could be ready by the end of 2024.

Will the move help?

But will this move lift any pressure on Jakarta? Bruce Allen with FMI says, “In the immediate term when you’re moving all the politicians in Parliament, all the representatives, and all that sort of traffic, it will help ease things. Is it going to stop the sinking of the city into the sea? I don’t know that. This chain has thousands of islands that are volcanic. They go through a lot of disruptions.”

Allen says the financial capital may also move away from Jakarta in the future.

Plus, to save Jakarta, Indonesia will sacrifice several natural habitats on Borneo. It remains unclear if the Indonesian government sought permission from indigenous peoples to build on the land. Allen says, “This is an area where orangutans and other species live in the wild. And this move will be taking away some of that. That’s something to watch.”

FMI church planters

In the meantime, FMI wants to establish a strong presence in the new capital, even as it is being built. Allen says, “Right now on this island, Kalimantan, FMI supports 14 church planters. It’s the vision of the leadership team there (and I concur) that we should add eight more church planters in 2022 and 2023. That way, by the end of 2024, we’re set.”

Ask God to strengthen and build churches in the region. Allen says, “Ask God to raise up the indigenous church planters to have a vision for outreach there. Then also pray that the Lord would increase the vision of the supporting partners, those brothers and sisters in the Lord here in the West.”

And as Jakarta continues to sink (some parts by several centimeters per year), ask Him to give Indonesian authorities wisdom.

The header photo shows flooding in the streets of Jakarta. (Photo courtesy of VOA Indonesian Service, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

In the Kharkiv region, a Ukrainian counter-attack has pushed Russian forces all the way back to the Russian border. The city of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest, suffered heavy shelling for many weeks once the invasion started.

BFTW

While normally focused on South Asia and Africa, Bibles For The World has begun outreach to Ukraine. John Pudaite says, “We have historically done a fair amount of distribution in Europe, especially in Russia, even during the time it was behind the Iron Curtain. We also worked in other former Soviet Union countries that developed as the USSR broke up.”

“But this is kind of a return to this area after probably 20-25 years.”

Shortly after the invasion, one BFTW employee volunteered to help Ukrainian refugees and has kept the ministry informed about the situation.

In Kharkiv, BFTW partners report many people open to hearing about Jesus. Pudaite says, “They asked us to give 30 to 50 thousand Gospels of John in the Russian language because most of that Eastern zone actually speaks Russian as their first language. They said they could have those distributed within two to three weeks.”

Ask God to strengthen the Ukrainian Church. Pudaite says, “It’s just amazing how the body of Christ is responding to this, even within the country. We’ve seen, of course, the Ukrainians show their resiliency in trying to repel the attack of the Russians.”

In total, the first round of printing will send 200,000 Gospel of John copies into Ukraine from Poland. Pray these books will reveal Jesus to many Ukrainians.

The header photo shows a demining operation in Kharkiv after Russian troops were pushed back. (Photo courtesy of the Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Kharkiv Oblast, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

Barbara Palacios speaks at the City Fest Women’s Luncheon in Grand Rapids, MI on September 5, 2018. (Header and photo courtesy of Mission Network News)

“I think for each one of us that tries to…deliver the message, [it] is always a hard thing because…sometimes people…have been through so many difficult times or crisis in their life,” Palacios explains.

“Sometimes when you try to explain to them the message of God, probably they don’t want to hear [it]. And the first response, they want to close their heart and say, ‘No, I don’t want to hear anything’.”

However, despite challenges in sharing the Gospel, Palacios says if people know evangelism is their purpose in life, things get a little easier. What can be complicated is finding places where people will listen to or can hear God’s Word.

For Palacios, the place where people listened to her became the global stage during her journey to become Miss Universe. Growing up, Palacios had an unhappy family, but she also had a relationship with Christ. This shared family experience helped offer her connection points to share the Gospel with teenagers.

Opportunity for Ministry

In the 32 years since winning the Miss Universe title, Palacios has used her platform for ministry. She started the Barbara Palacios Network. Sometimes, people will come to her events because they are curious who the 1986 Miss Universe is today. At events like Luis Palau, instead of just seeing the Miss Universe of 1986, people also get the Gospel message.

Mary Sterenberg prays at the City Fest Women’s Luncheon in Grand Rapids, MI on September 5, 2018. (Photo courtesy of Mission Network News)

During CityFest West Michigan, 39,000 people came to the weekend festivities. Of that number, 1,833 people made decisions to follow Christ. However, what about the people who didn’t attend?

“So many people are in their homes, in their own lives, having suffering…Or they just lost members of their family or they just been with different tragedies. I think this is the moment that if we pray for them, they will come. We don’t know how, but they will be in the right place to listen to these [Gospel-centered] words.”

Ask God to open hearts and bring opportunities for people to come into a relationship with Him. Pray that God would heal West Michigan for the glory of His name.

Learn more about Palacios and her Barbara Palacios Network here!

For the past four years, Bibles For The World has partnered with the Luis Palau Association, providing Scripture for their festivals all over the world.

“We’ve been to Burkina Faso and Malawi and Côte d’Ivoire in these last four years, along with Haiti and Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, and we’ve been so blessed by this partnership, working with the Palau organization and being able to provide Scriptures,” says John Pudaite of Bibles For The World.

“We are always looking for places where we can be strategic with the distribution of God’s Word, as strategic and effective as possible,” Pudaite says.

The Luis Palau Association had the roots, and Bibles For The World had the Bibles. Together, they’ve been able to enhance each other’s work through festivals.

These festivals focus not just on open-air sermons and Bible distribution, though those are also major draws for the festivals. “They’re also involved in medical clinics, visits to schools and orphanages, visits to prisons, and other kinds of outreach like that,” Pudaite says. “They’re reaching a much broader community.”

(Photo courtesy of Bibles For The World)

The upcoming trip to Colombia is special. Colombia is the same country where Luis Palau had his first festival more than 50 years ago in 1966. The indigenous Church is excited about the upcoming trip and optimistic about the festival.

“You’ll find that the people of Colombia will turn out for this — those who need to hear the Word and need to hear the message of salvation — so we’re just looking forward to a very wonderful time,” Pudaite says.

But the trip isn’t without its challenges. Luis Palau was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer several months ago, but he is still keeping the trip on his schedule.

“We’ve stood firm with him, even in this time when it’s been a little bit unsure whether the festival will come together, and we want to be there and provide God’s Word, to support their work and the ministry and outreach that’s happening in and around the festival.”

Pray for Luis and his health, the organizers as they figure out the logistics of the trip, the team and workers involved in making the practical pieces come together, Andrew Palau as he prepares to speak, and Bibles For The World as they pull together resources to send. Most of all, pray that the Holy Spirit works in Colombia before, during, and after the festival.

You can help Bibles For The World support this festival by clicking here.

(Header map courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs Canada)

Thousands of people were evacuated and, as of Tuesday, 69 people are confirmed dead. That death toll is expected to rise as emergency responders continue to reach some of the most devastated areas.

AMG International serves in Guatemala, and their ministry and communities were also affected by the disaster. Bill Passons with AMG International shares, “We have communities where we’re working where virtually everybody in the community has lost their total livelihood because all the crops that they have planted have been totally destroyed. It’s going to take about a year’s time for them to get close to back on their feet.”

The volcano was still emitting blasts as of Monday. The ongoing eruptions have slowed rescue efforts.

Currently, the biggest needs are shelter, food, and clothing for displaced families and individuals. Passons points out that many people had to flee immediately and leave everything behind.

“There [are] lots of agencies, big government-type agencies that are stepping in and we praise the Lord for that. But there [are] needs for food, there is need for medication. Specifically, we have a lot of burn victims.”

To help meet the needs, AMG International is responding with aid in the name of Jesus.

“One of the things we believe [is] if God has placed us in an area or country that is having a natural disaster, God has already given us a footprint into communities. So because of the compassion that Christ has put into our heart…we are motivated to respond,” shares Passons.

“Right now in Guatemala, we are using some of our centers that are further away to help to receive food and clothing and other things that can be donated so we can help transport those into the more affected areas.”

AMG International will also need to clean their facilities that are closer to the volcano. Once they do that, those facilities can be used as distribution points for aid as well.

Additionally, AMG International is networking with churches and other organizations for relief efforts. “We do have a long-term mindset — how can we help not just on day one or in week one, but how can we help going forward?”

One profoundly helpful thing you can do today is give to AMG International’s disaster relief fund as they respond to the volcanic devastation in Guatemala.

Also, Passons says, “We need to be praying — praying for those whose lives are devastated and praying that the God of peace would meet them and give them the peace that passes understanding. And pray for the believers there, those pastors that are there doing counseling and just meeting the deepest needs of the people in the community. Pray for them. Pray that they will continue to have strength and that they will continue just to be light in this time of great darkness.

“Pray for wisdom for us, for AMG, and for all the other organizations that are coming together…. That He would give us wisdom, that He would help us in that partnership of working together, and then ultimately that all the things we do would bring glory and honor to Him.”

Believers in Business

The Believers in Business conference first began in 2006 on Yale University’s campus. The conference is run by students, and those students are advised by InterVarsity staff.

At least a dozen schools from across the country are represented on the team of students who make this conference come alive. This includes Harvard Business School, UCLA, Columbia, and more. A lot of these top business schools have Christian fellowships—and the students want to know what integrating their faith into their career path looks like.

But, sometimes putting the words “faith” and “business” into a sentence together is unusual. Do those two things really go together? Can you serve God through business? The answer is, yes!

“The reality is, God is using everything and every institution, including business, to advance his purposes in the world,” InterVarsity’s Mark Washington shares.

“There’s been a growing movement that we have seen globally that has demonstrated that God is using business to create human flourishing and to create the platforms for justice and for people to learn and have education, have meaningful employment. And so, ‘Believers in Business’ conference is just one indicator of how God is moving in that way.”

Perfection, Fall, Redemption

Washington says it’s important to think about business, and any career really, in four chapters: creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. Then ask, how does business, or work in general, fit into this.

As it can be imagined, work was perfect at the start of creation. But, once the fall came, God’s original intent for these things became tainted with humanity’s sin. Because the world is still in the fallen state, business is often also being used in a fallen state. However, through Christ’s redemption of his people, how business is used can also be redeemed.

“God was not content to just let us bear the consequences of the fall, he had a plan for redemption. The pinnacle of which of course was the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ,” Washington says. “Along the way we are invited to be a redeeming force in this world. Where there’s brokenness, we’re to bring healing and restoration.”

An example of this in business is human trafficking. In fact, human trafficking is a dark, heart-wrenching reflection of the brokenness in business. Today, there are more people enslaved in this world than at any other point in history, Washington says. And it’s here where the redemption of business, through Christ, is also seen.

Making an Impact

“Yet, we also have seen trafficking takes place where there’s no good work, when the economy is bad, and that sets up the conditions for human trafficking,” Washington explains. “So business where it flourishes and work where it’s done well glorifies God and prevents some of the ills and brokenness of the world.”

On top of this, there are multiple businesses and non-profit organizations dedicated to helping prevent human trafficking or providing life opportunities for human trafficking victims through business. This can look like business class and teaching individuals certain trades, like baking or sewing.

A common one which is often talked about at women’s conferences is jewelry made by trafficking survivors. Business can very well be the hand of the Church when it’s used to glorify and on honor God.

(Photo and header photo courtesy of InterVarsity via Facebook)

“As the students graduate and are scattered around the globe, they will use their influence for God’s glory, both within their organizations and in their time when they’re not working, after hours. It may be how they volunteer. It may be how they show generosity with their finances. Or it may be just their networks they open up to help the church grow.”

Washington also hopes that through planning this conference, the students responsible for it will have grown more in the image of Christ, spiritually and professionally, as each of them learned more about working on teams and fulfilling their duties for the conference.

Get Involved

And while the conference focuses specifically on MBA students, it is open to anyone who has an undergraduate degree. So, while this year’s conference is over, it may very well be something to look into attending next year. But for now, will you pray for those who attended the Believers in Business conference this year?

Pray for God to use these students to share his love through business. Ask that opportunities would arise for the business world to be utilized for God’s will. And finally, pray for the people who will benefit from meeting Christ’s followers in business, that they’d clearly see Christ in these people, and that their hearts would be open to the Gospel.

To donate to the Believers and Business conference, click here!

Get more information about the Believers and Business conference here!

“Most people ask me, first of all, I have nothing to offer, I’m not a counselor, I’m not a pastor, I’m not an evangelist, I’m not a Sunday school teacher, so what is it that I could bring to an India Partners team?,” says Kaytie Fiedler of India Partners.

But the skills you need are much simpler. If you can smile, show love, provide prayer, and of course, blow up a balloon, Fielder says you’re perfect for the job. As for understanding a new culture, India Partners won’t leave you hanging.

“What we do is provide the training and the cultural information, all the support you need getting ready to go in country so that when you show up, you do have a really good sense of how you’re going to be used on a team.”

(Photo courtesy of India Partners)

Each team meets and discusses how best to put their gifts to use. From worship leader to organizing kid’s crafts, there’s a spot for everyone, and it varies based on the team.

Each trip takes about 14 to 16 days, and features two main mission fields.

First, “we work with an organization that deals primarily with anti human trafficking efforts” in Mumbai.

“These really precious, precious people are going out into highly volatile areas every day, reaching out to a population that is very hard to reach and sharing God’s love with them,” explains Fiedler.

Next is the more rural villages.

“We’ll go on and work with one of these rural ministries and we’ll work with children, we’ll go out to villages and work in their churches that they have planted in these very remote villages, we’ll encourage the local Christian community.”

Fiedler says that even as teams try to impact those in the cities and the villages, many times the life-changing experiences work both ways.

“We make all of these plans to go and bring our teachings and trainings and bring all kinds of what we think will be really inspiring and new information…. And what happens in return is [we see] the way that people are living and working as Christians in this country is so difficult.”

(Photo courtesy of India Partners)

For many Indian believers, their faith comes at a cost and defies generations of tradition. Being a Christian means pain and a complete reliance on their Father and King.

“When they have nowhere else to turn, they are turning to this God that someone introduced them to that said, ‘If you follow Me, if you put all your trust in Me, I will meet all of your needs, I am a good Shepherd, I will never forsake you, I will always be there as your Provider.’”

They have a trip coming up in November, and they are still looking for participants.

Want to get involved? We’ll connect you right here if you want to apply for a trip or get involved with a donation. But, before you even take that step, remember to pray.

Fiedler says, “I just ask that those of you that are called to intercede, that you’d focus on the leadership for those organizations, that God would continue to supply them with all of their physical, spiritual, and mental provision that they need to continue to be able to do the job.”

Between now and May 4, 2008, they plan to send their customized New Testaments into nine cities across the United States. 

Each New Testament is custom-made for the city and will be included in the weekend newspaper. They include pictures from the city such as landmarks, as well as testimonies from two people who live in the city. 

There are already planned dates of distribution in cities such as Pittsburgh, Fort Worth, and Greater Philadelphia. 

CityReachers hopes that Christians in churches across the country will help them come into their communities. These projects are made possible through prayer as well as giving from local churches and matching donations. A piece of Scripture, either the entire New Testament, a portion of Scripture, or seasonal Scripture, is chosen for the publication. 

Not all publications must be distributed through newspaper. It is possible to do distribution through door hangers or saturation mailings as well.

Please consider helping more communities learn about Christ. Click here.