Raina Miller with Mission India says, “When parents have significant struggles with things like if they’re abusive, they’re alcoholics, or even if they’re just really struggling through poverty, that affects everything, and it really affects the kids. And the opposite is true too. So when these parents get to know Jesus, it completely changes the whole household.” 

One of Mission India’s main ministries is its children’s Bible clubs. Jada, daughter of a daily wage laborer, began attending one of these clubs seeking support with her education. Jada struggled not just because of her socioeconomic status but faces discrimination because of her family’s ethnic group.

“She joined a Children’s Bible club, and she was just curious about it at first, and just wondered what it was all about. And she really enjoyed the Bible based skits, Christ-centered songs with fun motions and dance moves, and things like that. And she was really drawn in by the Bible verses that were shared and the stories she heard about Jesus. So the Bible club leader was really encouraging, taught her about loving God and God’s purpose for her life, and that she mattered, and she ended up receiving Jesus as her Savior. And all of that led to more confidence that translated at home.”

Jada’s dad, however, became sick. Miller says, “Jada had just learned about Jesus and that he could heal, so she actually prayed in Jesus’ name for her father’s healing, and he was healed.” 

This miraculous healing not only opened Jada’s eyes even more to Jesus but led her entire family to Christ. 

Jada and her family find God. (Photo courtesy of Mission India)

“Although life might still be difficult in some ways, they have hope that they didn’t have before this, because a little girl trusted Jesus to heal her dad, and now she’s got parents who are able to lead the family in a Christ-centered way,” says Miller.

Miller said that God revealed himself to Jada through the Bible Club, and this story can be a reminder to believers. 

“What do you do with a miraculous story like this in your own faith?” asks Miller. “What are you not trusting God for that you could? What could he be doing in a miraculous way that this feels far-fetched? This is a young girl, probably 9 or 10 years old, and she trusted God to heal her dad, and her whole household is changed because of it, so there’s a great personal takeaway for each of us to remember: God still does miracles today, and that they’re worth asking for.

Mission India invites people to come alongside their ministry with their new monthly giving program, Pathfinders. The monthly contribution of $36 will provide 18 kids with Bible Club for a year. Learn more about how you can be involved by visiting their website.

Please pray for Jada, her family, and others with stories like hers. Pray that God would move in the hearts of children attending Bible Clubs and that His name would be magnified in families touched by Mission India.

Header photo courtesy of Mission India. 

Maali is a little girl who recently began attending Mission India’s Children’s Bible Club. Regan Miller with Mission India says, there, “She learned how to pray to Jesus. That changed everything.”

Maali’s mother had been struggling with her mental health and it was taking a toll on the family. Maali started praying to God with her mom, and her Bible Club leader even came to their home to pray with her.

“After that, there was a noticeable improvement in Maali’s mom, and they could tell she was healed and her well-being just changed.”

(Photo courtesy of Mission India)

Today, Maali’s mother and father are following Jesus and attending church together as a family!

Miller adds, “Not only did Maali’s faith reach up to her parents, Maali’s grandparents were so inspired that they’ve come to Christ as well.

“So three generations were changed by the love of Christ and three generations received salvation because this one child was reached by the Gospel in a Bible Club.”

For just $24, you can give a child in India a spot in Mission India’s Year-Long Children’s Bible Club! And for the 10-Day Children’s Bible Club, it’s just $1 to impact one kid and their whole family for Christ.

“We all know from personal experience that values that we were taught as children are carried on throughout our lives for better for worse, and so the values that we can carry on to the next generation will make an impact as well!”

Praise God for Gospel impact through generations!

Give to Children’s Bible Clubs with Mission India here.

Header photo of Maali, courtesy of Mission India.

Regan Miller with Mission India shares the story of a woman named Rajeshree, whose family was in a downward spiral of poverty. 

“She and her husband were both illiterate. The only jobs they could get were low-paying, day labor jobs,” Miller says. “They really were in need of hope.”

Today, Rajeshree is a follower of Christ and a small business owner. (Photo courtesy of Mission India)

As Rajeshree and her husband fell into addiction to alcohol and tobacco, their family sunk deeper into poverty. She became more and more responsible to provide for their needs, which quickly led to exhaustion, anger and hopelessness. 

“As much as she wanted to change her life, she didn’t know how. Then an adult literacy class came along, and she was able to enroll. Not only did she learn how to read and write, but she got care from a compassionate Christian teacher,” Miller says. 

“Through that teacher’s discipleship and the Bible-based lessons, Rajeshree actually came to faith in Jesus, and it changed everything.” 

Because of Jesus, Rajeshree’s entire demeanor changed from bitterness to kindness. She and her husband realized the harmful effects of tobacco and alcohol and quit both. She also received training on how to start a small business of locally sourced products. 

“She was so excited. She learned how to make dish soap, laundry detergent, cooking oil, all kinds of practical things that people in the neighborhood would need to buy anyway,” Miller says. (Read even more about her story here.)

Would you pray that Rajeshree’s entire family will come to know Christ as Savior? You can also be part of sending another person like her to literacy class this upcoming school year. 

“It only costs $40 for a student to go to one of these classes for a whole year,” says Miller. 

Learn more and sponsor a literacy class student here.

Header photo courtesy of Mission India.

Pastor Israel Pochtar of Beit Hallel Congregation in Ashdod says, “Israel has the biggest military mobilization of people ever in its entire history. So 350,000 Israelis — young fathers and mostly young ones — who were mobilized in the military. It’s affecting every part of our society.”

War relief action teams deliver much-needed essentials to soldiers at the Israeli army bases in the south of Israel. (Photo courtesy of Beit Hallel Congregation)

Pochtar’s own two sons are in Israel’s military – one is already serving and one was recently deployed. His youngest son’s best friend (also in the army) was killed by the Hamas attack on October 7th, as was his daughter’s best friend who was at the music festival.

At least 30 young men from Pochtar’s church have deployed since the start of the conflict. Civilians are feeling the impact of war.

“Church services, we have to limit them to 50 people,” Pochtar says. “We do have a bomb shelter in my church that helps, praise the Lord. We still can do services. But even just to drive to the church is dangerous because we can come under fire at any time. So when we have sirens, people need to run to the bomb shelter. That’s our reality now for the last 16 days.”

During this time, Christians in Israel are showing compassion in Yeshua’s name to their communities.

“It’s tragedy. It’s painful. It’s caught us by surprise, so it is a difficult situation. But as a church, we have no time to slow down. We are working hard because crisis and war and tragedy, that’s the best time for the Church to be light, and that’s our focus. We’re collecting ourselves and going through the pain of losses.”

(Photo courtesy of Beit Hallel Congregation)

With so many Israeli soldiers suddenly deployed, their troops need day-to-day essentials. Beit Hallel Congregation’s war relief action teams are getting food, water, hygiene products, and other aid items to Israeli army bases in the south.

Ashdod where the church is located has been hit by continued bombing from Gaza. It’s also very close to Ashkelon, another major target of rocket fire.

“I live on a high floor, so I can see from my windows Ashkelon and Gaza,” Pochtar says. “When rockets fly, I personally see it with my eyes. So we’re close.”

Beit Hallel Congregation is providing emergency food baskets and care hampers to Israeli families affected by war in the south.

Pochtar says, “For us in the beginning when it started, we said, ‘We need to go ahead and buy groceries, buy food to be ready because soon people will cry for help.’

“As time goes on, people stay home. With the rocket fire, they cannot go into the shop. There is no house delivery. You cannot order Uber or other ways people order food. Women, young moms with little kids…stay home. They cannot even go out and buy groceries. Disabled people, old people, they are stuck home… We know from experience as time goes by, the needs will grow.”

Please pray for a resolution to the conflict and for Gospel opportunities among devastated Israeli and Palestinian communities.

You can give to Beit Hallel Congregation’s war relief efforts here.

Header photo of war relief action teams delivering much-needed essentials to soldiers at the Israeli army bases in the south of Israel. (Photo courtesy of Beit Hallel Congregation)

(Photo courtesy of Ben White via Unsplash)

Each child received a Bible, Christmas gift, and paper star with the name of a family committed to praying for them all year long. Erik Mock of Slavic Gospel Association says these gifts meant a lot to the recipients.

“Reports are flowing in about people that have had a horrible year under the pandemic. They’re so excited that these churches are reaching out to them. They said these gifts are boxes of hope to them.”

Hope All Year Long

Immanuel’s Child is a resource for local churches, working to help them reach out to kids in their respective communities.

“The Immanuel’s Child program is not a program in itself. It’s equipping the church with resources to do what they always do. It’s a discipleship program where they’re not only reaching out to kids during the Christmas season, but they’ll also reach out to them again during Easter outreach. It also funds the provision of Sunday school materials to disciple the kids throughout the year, so the impact what we’re going to see is an impact that will occur over time,” Mock explains.

Overall, the program found huge success in 2020.

“We were able to send far more to them than we have any other year,” Mock says. “Praise be to God for the many [people] in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada who participated in this program.”

Even though Immanuel’s Child has a Christmas focus, you can help support this program all year long. Visit their website for more information.

Please continue to pray that God will work in the hearts of the children and their families who were impacted by the ministry at Christmas.

Header image courtesy of Ben Wicks via Unsplash

The protests began last month due to proposed social security reforms. The government redacted the proposal, but it was too late. The protests which were the worst in Managua also showed up in Masaya, Chinandega, Granada, Leon, and other regions.

The people are angry about the violence that came from the protests. And some demonstrators even called President Daniel Ortega a murderer. The people are calling for President Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo to step down.

The unrest has affected the entire country, even those who are staying out of the political fight.

Effects on Ministry

Virna Segovia with Compassion International says since the protests broke out, their child sponsorship programs have been stilted. Several of their Implementing Church Partners (ICPs) have had to temporarily shut down operations.

She says, “Up to Saturday… May 12, we had about 21 percent of the ICPs—that is about 40 of the 190 ICPs– that were not working because of the protests and the insecurity in their communities. One hundred and fifty ICPs were still working with the children. But the attendance has been low. It has been only about 73 percent.”

Compassion is helping to release children from poverty, all over the globe. (Photo courtesy of Compassion International, via Facebook)

Normally, the attendance rate is over 80 percent. After the government redacted their social security reforms, it appeared that things would calm down. However, the anger has spread instead.

“The protests have increased in many different communities. It is not only in Managua anymore. And also they have increased in violence.”

Segovia says they know that nearly 50 people have been killed so far. The exact number is difficult to determine, especially in a constantly changing situation.

Protests Shutting Down Daily Life

Even where the ICPs are still open, parents are hesitant to let their children attend. In the area around Managua, for instance, the situation is still too volatile.

“I think that parents are scared about something happening to their children while they are walking to the projects. Sometimes the protests are unexpected or there is violence in the street that you don’t expect it is going to happen. So I think that parents are trying to protect their children, not sending them to schools and not to the project, also.”

But the ICPs aren’t the only ones affected by the protests. Many places of employment have shut down because nearby protests have made traveling to work too dangerous. This means many Compassion parents have been out of work.

Compassion’s church partners are visiting the homes of the children, bringing food to the parents to make sure their families will still be able to eat.

Answering Violence with Prayer

Regarding the role of the broader Church in these protests, Segovia says, “The Church has been a mediator with the government to try to look for a solution to the problem. Our churches have been gathering and praying and fasting, and I know some churches have helped the families of those that have lost a child, a father, a brother.”

She says that most Christians consider that prayer is the best way to approach this issue, rather than getting involved with the protests.

However, she recently saw the representative of the Assemblies of God Church in Nicaragua on the news, inviting all Christians to a massive event held in one of the main plazas of Managua. The plan is to pray and hold a campaign, asking the government to cease violence and look for a peaceful solution.

There are a few ways you can be praying for Nicaragua from afar.

Segovia asks you to pray for security for the ICPs, the staff, and the children. “They can pray that God will protect us as we do our work, as we try to help the children in need in Nicaragua,” She says.

Additionally, she says we can be praying for all NGO’s to be able to continue their work, despite the intense political situation. Also, be praying for the people involved in these negotiations to be able to sit and talk and find a peaceful solution to the unrest.

“That is not easy… because of the increasing violence and more killings that have happened during the last few days, people [are] asking Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo to—just to leave the government. They don’t want them anymore,” Segovia explains. She believes this issue is the hardest to believe there could be a solution to.

And finally, she says, “What I think is very important is that people pray that the hatred and the revenge that has raised in the last few days, the anger because of the people that is suffering the loss of a family member, that God somehow will—heal those hearts and that he gives consolation to those suffering, but also bring a spirit of peace so that there is no more bloodshed in our land.”

“We are so sad to see people from the same country killing each other.”

(Header photo by Hermes Rivera on Unsplash)

Esther Initiative was inspired by Esther 4:14 and its purpose is “elevating women to the areas of leadership for which they are gifted and created”.

Whitney Daugherty, Esther Initiative Coordinator, explains, “The Esther Initiative recognizes that God has raised up women all around the world for his Kingdom purposes.”

Within this initiative’s training process, there are three different aspects through which they empower Christian women as spiritual influencers: conferences, mentoring, and mobilization.

Esther Initiative: Conferences

(Photo courtesy of Esther Initiative with Global Advance)

The conferences are where much of Esther Initiative has women start. Daugherty shares, “At national conferences, we gather women together — women leaders, oftentimes pastors’ wives, women’s ministry leaders — to be inspired, equipped, [and] activated in their leadership roles so they can, in turn, multiply that training and raise up other modern day ‘Esthers’ to advance the Gospel in their nation and beyond.”

The women gathered often come from leadership roles in the Church, in the marketplace, and even in government. “The influence they have is enormous and that’s where we see God doing the most work right on the ground right in front of them in their communities.”

The conferences take place in over 20 different countries around the world. Esther Initiative gives these women encouragement from God’s Word, practical leadership training, and ultimately a commission to spread the Gospel in their communities.

Esther Initiative: Mentoring

Another key aspect of Esther Initiative is mentoring. “As we look at the leadership of Jesus throughout Scripture, we find that he takes opportunities to teach larger groups when those times are strategic. But often, he uses his ministry in a much more personal way, one-on-one, as he trains the disciples to build his Church later on,” explains Daugherty.

“We want to look at that and follow the model of Jesus. So we created the Esther Mentoring Track. In this specific training model, women leaders in specific, strategic global regions are mentored in groups and in one-on-one relationships. We take them through our Esther Initiative Training Manual.”

Part of this training through mentorship includes teaching these women their identity in Christ. “Oftentimes, these leaders are in nations where women are marginalized and not valued and we want them to know that they were created with great purpose. It walks them through nurturing their relationship with God and learning how Jesus was a servant leader, how to follow in his footsteps, how to use their giftings and their personalities and their strengths to advance the Great Commission in their nation.”

Over the years, the Esther Initiative has seen incredible growth through mentorship as women take what they have learned and pass it on to other women. This strengthens the networks within the Church as women encourage each other to be agents for Christ in their homes and neighborhoods.

Esther Initiative: Mobilization

The final, critical piece of Esther Initiative is the mobilization that takes place. According to Daugherty, “This is what I get really fired up about because as these women are inspired and activated in the larger conference setting, and then they are really discipled in a very specific, personal way through our mentoring track, we’re finding that organically they are coming together in unity as leaders and they are being mobilized to be difference-makers right in their community and community transformation is taking place!”

(Photo courtesy of Esther Initiative with Global Advance)

Women who are mobilized as Christian leaders and spiritual influencers with Esther Initiative are taught to recognize how to use their assets and build relationships as women to spiritually impact their circles.

Global Advance is currently focusing ministry in some of the most unreached areas of the world. “We have a focus in the SARC region, which is eight nations in the southern part of Asia where the name of Jesus has not even been heard in some of these places.”

Holistic Collaboration

While Esther Initiative focuses on women in the Church, Global Disciples also encourages women to join arm-in-arm with Christian men for holistic impact for God’s Kingdom.

Daugherty says, “What we have loved seeing God do through Global Advance is really bring [together] all of our initiatives. So we have had opportunities to train women alongside men. An example of this is in our national conferences. Oftentimes with a Church Planting Conference, we will have an Esther Conference as well where we bring them together in unity, we worship together, [and] we have some common training tracks together. Then we break apart and have our individual sessions where we go through the Church Plant Training Manual for the men and the Esther Leadership Manual for the women that can just address specific opportunities for them in ministry. Then we bring them back together on the last day to commission them [and] get them excited about future church planting opportunities together.

“We know that God had created men and women together to work in unity. He’s given us incredible, unique giftings that work well together that reach the community and the lost in a more effective way when we’re working together.”

Esther Initiative In Action

Global Disciples has seen God move in incredible ways through Esther Initiative’s equipping women. Daugherty says, in particular, she was moved by reports they received from Esther Initiative participants in southern Brazil.

“In the nation of Brazil, I was there this summer with our international coordinator from Brazil. She was one of our very first mentees who joined our Esther Mentoring Track several years ago. Since that time, she has hosted a couple of conferences. A really impactful opportunity happened when 26 churches came together in unity to say, ‘We want to impact our community for Christ together.’”

This is a big deal in southern Brazil because churches in this particular region are commonly plagued with disunity. According to Daugherty, it has even been called a “pastor’s cemetery” because of the disunity and strife often seen within and between churches.

“So during our conference this past summer, these 26 churches came together. They repented, they came together and said, ‘We want to do something together. We’re better together than we are apart.’ One woman said it like this: ‘In unity, we are called to serve together. This week, God has generated new dreams in this place.’”

Since then, these women leaders, marketplace leaders, and church leaders have been coming together for strategizing meetings. They decided to start outreach in a local slum where the Jesus is desperately needed. This slum is plagued by drug lords and murders and poverty.

Together, these churches went in to host Christian leadership training, counsel couples, teach about health and hygiene, and minister to kids. The Christian women trained by Esther Initiative even hosted a quinceanera for the girls from the slum and shared the Gospel.

Daugherty says she was encouraged by “so many reports from this one area of women being activated, bringing other community leaders together, and the local church together for community transformation! And that’s just one example of how God is using the Esther Initiative and Global Advance all around the world to shine the light of Jesus in some of the darkest places.”

Future Plans with Esther Initiative

(Photo courtesy of Global Advance)

Last year, over 6,000 women were trained through Esther Initiative. In 2018, Global Advance is excited to equip more women to be spiritual influencers and community leaders where God has planted them through Esther Initiative.

Daugherty shares, “Right now, we have committed to several training events in 2018. But the truth is, we can only commit to about half of the requests that come in just because more partnership is needed.”

One thing they really need is more Ambassadors to join Esther Initiative with Global Advance on conference trips. Ambassadors could serve as speakers who can share wisdom from God’s Word to these women.

And, as Daugherty mentioned, they also need financial supporters to help Global Advance multiply these trainings. Click here if you’d like to sponsor Esther Initiative conferences!

Finally, please commit to praying for Esther Initiative this year. Pray for more women around the world to step into their God-given roles as spiritual influencers and to recognize the vital, vibrant part they have to play in the Great Commission.

(Header photo courtesy of Esther Initiative with Global Advance)

Clean water to help prevent deadly disease among children. Mosquito nets to protect families from the threat of malaria. Livestock to provide for a healthy diet and an income. Sewing machines to give a mother a viable income to support her family.

This year’s gift catalog has several options to choose from. Each gift goes towards impacting a life in India.

Donna Glass previewed some of the items of the catalog with us to give people an idea of just how life changing your gift can be.

Clean Water

She says, “It’s about $53 will provide clean water for ten years. This is in an interior village area so … the water table is much deeper, so it requires [drilling].”

(Photo courtesy of India Partners)

And because hand pumps are insufficient to draw water with a deep well, this gift also provides a motor pump for the village. This monetary gift provides for one family.

Not only have recent weather patterns exacerbated the water access problem in India, but it’s also caused water sources to become harbingers of disease.

“Young children under the age of five are dying because of preventable diseases and often times it’s from contaminated water or not understanding the hygiene practices—simple things like washing your hands.”

So before the well is drilled, a team goes into the villages to train the people in safe hygiene practices.

“They are healthier. They don’t have to travel long distances to gather dirty water that’s unsafe.”

Livestock

There are also a few options that provide ongoing income for families through livestock.

Glass says a goat or pair of goats can provide milk for a family as well as the opportunity to breed and sell goats for money.

Chickens are another option. A brood of chickens can provide enough eggs to improve a family’s diet. They can sell the extra eggs for income. And when the hens are no longer laying eggs, they can be eaten.

Days of Safety

Another life-changing option is to gift “Days of Safety” to a child.

(Photo courtesy of India Partners)

Glass explains, “We have a program that we work with a partner who is working in the red light districts, helping to bring children out of the red light districts into safe homes. So there’s always Days of Safety to provide for children.”

This gives a child a chance to escape abuse and trauma. It gives them a chance to hope for the future. They have resources that can help them heal and pursue a brighter future. This reduces the chances that the children will be trapped in sex slavery as well.

You can read about this gift in more detail here.

Sewing Machines

India Partners has several sewing schools where they are training women living in poverty how to be a tailor. This allows them to start a home business, meaning they can stay home with their children during the day and provide for their families.

“When the women graduate from this six months of training, they receive a treadle-operated sewing machine. So a person could buy a sewing machine. A lot of times people do this in honor of somebody—a mother or grandmother who has taught them to sew when they were growing up. And so, this is a way that you can help somebody else start a home business.”

Gifts that change lives

The gift catalog is perfect for Christmas, not only to bless the lives of people in great need, but also to honor someone you know and love.

“These are gifts that foundationally help people in India. And, I know that on a personal basis—we have so much. And people go through this struggle of trying to find the perfect gift. And, sometimes that perfect gift is giving a gift in honor of somebody else and letting them know that you have given a gift.”

India Partners even sends the honoree a card to let them know the gift was given in their name. So, even if that person says they don’t need anything for Christmas this year, you can still let them know you thought of them.

Giving Tuesday amplifies impact

Tomorrow on Giving Tuesday, your gift will have twice the impact.

Glass says, “We are really excited about Giving Tuesday this year because we have a matching grant. So, any online gift made, tomorrow, through our gift catalog will be doubled. So, if you can provide one sewing machine, two sewing machines will be provided. If you can provide clean water for a family, you provide for two families because it will be doubled.”

Check out the gift catalog, here.

Joanna Mangione of SOAR International says the way Easter is celebrated in Russia isn’t all that different from the United States.

“Not everybody celebrates Easter because of Jesus’ resurrection. You know, there’s the Easter Bunny, there’s the candy surrounding it, there’s the finding of the eggs. There’s a two-fold meaning in it and you have the people who celebrate it for the basis, foundation, the religious perspective of Jesus rising from the dead, and the others that do it simply for the fun of it.”

But, she explains, because people know that it’s truly a religious holiday, they’re often more open to hearing about Jesus.

Churches helping churches

This month, partner churches of SOAR are focusing on getting the word out about SOAR’s ‘Baskets of Hope’ project. This simple project directed towards orphaned and needy children puts a twist on the traditional Easter basket. Instead of candy and frivolous gifts, the children receive much needed hygiene items, age-appropriate gifts and toys, and a Bible. Additionally, sponsors of these baskets can write a letter to a child — to encourage them and let them know they are being prayed for.

(Photo courtesy of SOAR International)

We will talk more about the impact of these baskets next week. Briefly, they let these children know they’re loved by Jesus and His followers.

So, what does this church partnership look like?

“We have quite a few partner churches that partner with us in ‘Stuff-a-Stocking’ as well as ‘Baskets of Hope.’ The way they can participate is first and foremost by promoting the project within their church.”

By letting congregations know about the project, it increases the number of people SOAR can introduce the ‘Baskets of Hope’ project to.

Another way churches have participated in the past is to take up an offering for the project. Many churches have a coin drive to collect money for the Bibles to go into the baskets.

“What’s beautiful in that is, well, the partnership that grows from it — that these are our brothers and sister in Christ, that these are other churches lifting up the churches in Russia who are doing this ministry,” Mangione says.

The partnership provides a simple and effective way for people to get involved in the Great Commission. So, churches within the United States can grow their heart for Russia and the children in need.

Mangione says one church in particular gets very involved in the coin drive they do each year: “They just get excited every time they’re getting ready to participate with a project. And the people within the congregation get excited.”

But it’s not just about getting people to sponsor the baskets, but also to encourage them to pray.

(Photo courtesy of SOAR International)

“Having prayer going in Russia and in the US does wonders for the project itself, whether that’s how many kids we’re able to reach, [or] whether it’s the ability we have found to not run into any issues.”

As we shared recently, God answered many of your prayers that SOAR’s ‘Stuff-a-Stocking’ project would not be hindered by Russia’s anti-terrorism law. The trip went well (read here). Please continue to pray for this ministry as they come alongside the Church in Russia.

The other side of the partnership is the churches who are distributing the gifts. They are encouraged by this event each year. It gives them a tangible way to bless the children and families they are ministering to throughout the year.

“As far as the churches in Russia, knowing how many Churches and individuals get involved with giving of the gifts and participating in ‘Baskets of Hope,’ they are encouraged that there are other people, right alongside them.”

This Easter, what about your church?

If you think your church might be interested in this project, get a hold of your pastor or mission team. They can contact SOAR for an informational packet. If it’s something they’re interested in, SOAR will send them the promotional packet which includes a DVD, PowerPoint slides, bulletin inserts, and more. You can also find these resources here.

But hurry! This year, Easter on the Russian Orthodox calendar falls on April 16th, so there isn’t much time left. To contact SOAR, click here.

Next week we’ll share about how you as an individual can help, and the impact these gifts make.

Image capture courtesy of Living Water International.

Using what they know, Living Water International recently formulated their five-year plan for church mobilization and Gospel proclamation, set within their 25-year vision.

Jerry Wiles says orality is probably their most effective ministry, so they’re doing what they can to maximize it’s impact.

“In terms of church mobilization and Gospel proclamation, there’s increasing numbers of people that see that the orality movement—the orality domain— is very important and a major tool for Church mobilization,” he says.

Wiles clarifies that the Church he’s talking about is not limited to the Western model of churches, but that “mobilizing churches is really mobilizing prayer and people.”

Orality by nature is extremely helpful in this regard. As we talked about last week, orality teaches the Gospel in a reproducible way that connects with the learning methods of the majority of the global population.

“It’s really not enough to proclaim the Gospel. People need to hear it, understand it, be able to process it and remember it and then pass it on to others,” Wiles explains.

The surprising thing about orality is that it works in the Western world setting, too. Churches intending to use orality for short-term mission trips often end up using it for their own congregation, too.

“We’re training people and then the applications can depend upon the local organizations—the church or the mission organization. But once the people go through the training they find multiple applications.”

Wiles mentions nursing homes, prisons, immigrant populations—even Sunday school classes as some examples.

Measureless Multiplication

No matter the context in which orality takes place, it’s impossible to know who all is reached.

This is especially true when you look into the third world where quantifying data on a large scale isn’t a priority like it is in the west.

Image capture courtesy of Living Water International

Wiles says in an African country, a training workshop for orality will include the local pastors, missionaries, church leaders, and community members. There are follow-up programs. But in the end, they’re trained to have a multiplying impact outside of these workshops.

And that’s where numbers are lost.

“We can estimate how many people hear the Gospel through the orality strategies and through the movement but what we don’t know is how many hear by the people who hear,” Wiles explains.

He gives the example of a Zimbabwean pastor who immediately trained thirty more pastors after going through the workshop. But his story is incomplete. How many more were trained by those thirty pastors?

In the past ten years, Living Water has trained about 50,000 people.

“What we don’t know is how many people were trained by the people we’ve trained,” Wiles says.

“We hear these kind of stories and get that kind of feedback. It’s really out of the box of our Western mindset of being able to measure and quantify because the Holy Spirit often captures a person’s heart and they go off and do some incredible things.”

But, Wiles says it’s not a bad thing that they can’t keep track.

“We just remind ourselves that this is a God movement. It’s the work of God in the spreading of the Gospel”

But what they do know is encouraging, and the number of people reached with the Gospel through orality training can only be higher than the number they’ve recorded.

Impact into the future

Living Water’s goals remain the same as they plan ahead for the next five years.

“Our mission statement is that Living Water International exists to demonstrate the love of God by helping communities get access to clean water and to experience the Living Water of Jesus—the Gospel of Jesus which alone satisfies the deepest thirst,” Wiles explains.

Some of the ways they’re looking to pursue that more fully is to emphasize teamwork.

“One of the important parts of what we’re doing in going forward is more collaboration and partnerships. We want to serve and support the Church—the global Church worldwide—the Body of Christ.”

Living Water is also working with PHD candidates who are doing their doctrinal dissertation on orality. Their work should give more insight into how orality is impacting the globe.

Living Water and you

Image capture courtesy of Living Water International

Wiles says that while God has been doing great work to bless and grow their ministry, Living Water can always use support.

That support starts with your prayer. You can pray for God to continue to guide Living Water in effective ministry. You can also pray for more specific things—like the safety of the workers all around the globe.

The next step would be to understand some of the projects they’re working on. You can learn more about them here.

Finally, you can get involved with Living Water when you go on a short-term mission trip, or support them financially. Learn more by clicking on the underlined words.

“We’re meeting the needs and reaching the neediest people on the planet—both spiritually and physically,” Wiles says. Who doesn’t want to be a part of that?