Clearer Understanding of the Bible

"STS has really enhanced my personal study of the Bible. Instead of reading Bible stories as they have been told 'the old way,' I find myself looking for new treasures in the stories.   
  
"When I first experienced STS, it was amazing to me how much I did not know about the "common" stories of the Bible. Even re-reading Zacchaeus showed me things that I had never thought of before, such as how he was such an amazing testimony to all who were present. Despite hearing and discussing the same story more than once, I have so far always found something new or good in the discussion.   
  
"Now, whenever anyone shares a part of the Bible, I mentally ask myself STS type questions about the text. Additionally, whenever I find myself in a difficult situation, I think of STS story principles that help me in everyday life, and I ask myself STS questions such as, "What other choices do I have? What will be the impact of my choice?"   
  
"STS has helped me to have a more clear perception of the Bible and it has also encouraged me to study my Bible in a new way. It encourages me to have a way to share the gospel with others in a way that will not be discouraging, but instead will be thought-provoking and most likely life-changing."  
[15 Year old girl] GA, USA

But Who Will Teach?

"There was this English missionary who had been working in Thailand in a youth facility for delinquents. He and a Thai pastor working together had managed to lead some of the street youth to Christ. He was discipling about seven of them and brought them to our 4-day STS workshop.   
  
"These rowdy ex-street boys, a mixture of Thai and tribals, at first joked around and disrupted the training. But all the time they were absorbing the stories.   
  
"We ended on a Friday, and on Saturday they were scheduled to give their regular presentation at the facility for delinquents. Usually these street smart youth only played music (while the missionary gave the message). This time the missionary decided to try an experiment and let these newly trained teenagers tell and teach the Bent over Woman story to the group.  
  
"When the English missionary told the Thai pastor that he was not going to do the program, that their new street youth would be doing leading, the pastor said, 'I know. They do the music. But who is speaking?'   
  
"'They are. I told you!' So much to the pastor's shock, the boys led.   
  
"It was a large group, maybe over 50. Their presentation was very impressive and surprised the missionary and really surprised the pastor!   
  
"One listener during application time... was very open and transparent and said 'I am like this bent over woman. I have been under a burden from my lifestyle and demonic involvement and I now see that Jesus can set me free.' The impact throughout was good, like that.   
"The really funny part was the reaction of the Thai Christian worker who had been discipling these youth (but hadn't attended STS). He could hardly believe the transformation in these young people, from simply musicians, who were very bashful about sharing their faith in front of their peers in a delinquent facility, to young people who through story were willing to share in front of that group.   
  
"This Christian worker was also surprised at the response of the crowd to their STS type presentation. He saw a clear contrast to the typical message the missionary usually brought." 

Youth Leading in Workshops

When our girls were younger, I used take them out on workshop trips (as their school or holidays permitted). On one occasion we were flying through London and my oldest (aged 17) got into telling the "One Leper" story (Mark 1:40-45) to a family. As we discussed being unclean in that story, a girl beset daily with strong fits--a minimum of two every day, often more--went into a bad one. We prayed for her and she was delivered of several demons. Several years later that family testified that the girl had not had one single fit since that night.

On another occasion all three daughters helped us lead small groups in an STS workshop in the Peru. Our youngest daughter was only twelve at the time and capably led a group of men from a remote tribal group deep in the Amazon. 

At one point during that workshop, a man fell from a home built on stilts. The man was seriously injured. I asked our middle daughter (aged 15), who like her sisters had learned three Bible stories for the trip, to tell the story about the young man who fell from a window when Paul was preaching (in Acts). God worked through that story and by His Spirit to bring healing to the Amazonian man who had fallen. The whole village heard and saw the miracle. 

My youngest, when she was 15 years old, also helped lead small groups in local workshops I led in Ireland. That year, she also travelled with me to lead small groups and present illustrations when we led several training events in Egypt.

Not Trained Yet, but Loving STS

Last night I had the opportunity to lead a bible study in French. It was really difficult, to say the least! What I wanted to tell you, though, was that I tried to follow the STS model in doing it. I haven't gone through the training, but in talking with Stephanie and reading through a good part of the manual, I felt like I should give it a try. 

It went so amazingly well! People loved the immersion in the story. The loved digging deeper (especially the question, "what does that reveal about so and so?"). They loved talking about the options behind the choices someone made or what they said. 

All that to say, I really am looking forward to an opportunity to go through the training - whether in Europe or the US. This is such a cool way of presenting the Bible. I've even talked with the pastor at our church plant about using it as a primary teaching tool during the service since it would get people of all ages involved. Thanks for your work and your ministry with STS!

Missionary in France

STS and GS Result in Churches Being Planted

In Côte d'Ivoire, after the launching of the new Klah Dan God's Story translation in two village and an STS workshop, attendees from the workshop took the new Klah Dan God’s Story to Guinea, which shares a border with Côte d'Ivoire near these villages. So many Klah people came to faith in Jesus that churches were planted near the border and in Guinea among the Klah people, most of whom are Muslims.

In Burkina Faso, after an STS workshop in 2019, the youth in the churches decided to go tell stories in the villages around the area. People listened to the Bible stories and also came to evening showings of God’s Story: From Creation to Eternity in the Moore language. As a result, many churches were planted in the nearby villages. 

Out of Babe's Mouth: Jonah by 4-year old

Daniel is lively and silly like a four-year old should be.  But as well, his family sees Daniel as having a spiritual nature that needs to be nurtured. Every evening Daniel's father reads a small portion of the Bible to him, and then father and son discuss it together.

Awhile back, Dad decided to ask Daniel to tell the story back to him, and what you see in this film is the result.  The filming was done at an Advanced STS Training. This was the first time anyone outside of the four-year-old's family had heard Daniel tell the whole story. After Daniel finished telling this story, you will hear Grandma ask Daniel a few questions about the story. Of course it is wonderful that this child is learning a complete Bible story, but one might wonder if this young child has any understanding of the meaning of the words he is saying?  You decide for yourself. 

Could other fathers and mothers and grandparents follow this example and seed into the lives of the precious little ones whom God entrusts to them?  Of course, and some are doing that. May many more see the value of investing in the very young while their clay is soft.

You may notice that this 4-year old boy tells the complete story of Jonah chapter 1 and 3 verses from chapter 2. - 20 verses!

Daniel's dad explained to us that that at first he had been reading to Daniel out of a Children's Bible. The dad said, “When I was young, the stories that had been read to me out of a Children's Bible impressed me and stuck in my mind.  But I noticed that, at times, as an adult, I was confused, as my strongest memory was the content of those shortened, simplified stories that had been read to me. Sometimes, I still have to sort out and relearn information as the words from the children's version had been imprinted on my mind when I was young."

So this dad decided he really preferred to read to Daniel out of the full Bible. He stated, "I want Daniel to learn and remember the complete story so he will not be confused when he grows up, as happened to me. I go slowly and discuss the content and high level words that Daniel does not yet know. This way I am both educating our son in vocabulary and talking with him about spiritual truth from the Bible."

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This was one dad's decision … but perhaps the reasons for this dad's decision parallel our reasons in STS for teaching villagers and the uneducated complete, unedited Bible stories?