All Ages Lean In

Praise & Prayer Report #3, June, July & August 2011

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Dear Friend of God’s Story,

It is with great excitement and awe that we send this report to you.  We continue to see languages of God’s Story, new ones and old reaching the lost.  So far this year, *12 new language versions of this 80-minute overview of the Bible have been completed. An exciting number of versions we produced (21) are just waiting for final approval! Also,19 more are in the recording phase!  

Flash!!! This report just arrived: Right now our Africa director is at MANI, an African led, Christian conference. “I am currently very emotional because for the first time a man literally cried to me ‘in tears on his knees’ asking for STS training. He saw the demo of an STS story done for the attendees in which the participation and discovery was phenomenal. He said, ‘This is for my people. Only me and God know how long I've wanted this for my country and how many times I've been turned down or given the wrong form of teaching material. Please come,’ he said!!! So we are making a date before tomorrow.” 

Men, women and children in Mali lean in to see Bible pictures as they hear God’s Story played on solar powered audio players.  

Over and Over: In Africa a Simply The Story (STS) instructor led a Mus.lim man from Ethiopia to the Lord. The instructor loaned a MegaVoice solar-powered audio player to him with God’s Story in the Oromo language. We were told, “Over and over this new believer keeps listening to God’s Story. Then he asks questions and we talk and he is learning about the Bible.” 

Mali, It’s Their Bible: “We brought in some players with Bambara God’s Story and Bible stories in them. In the few weeks we were there, they listened to them constantly, calling it their ‘Bible.’”  

“While in Haiti, I did use the Megavoices - PTL for those little voice boxes! [With God’s Story in Haitian Creole.]  I saw several of the pastors again whom I had given them to in the last 2 years (Thanks to you and donors).  One pastor I saw again said – ‘It is so wonderful, my people like it.’”

From Nepal: The leader who attended our STS seminar along the Tibet border and another one reported, “By using this tool we have now started 6 churches average 20 people in each.”

Paraguay: A man who learned STS in Ireland wrote,  “I did a story last night with the youth. I hadn’t told the pastor how I was going to do it, but he asked me about it today. ‘Where did you learn to do that?  It is a style that works very well in nuestro ambiente’ [our environment]. Everyone participated including 2 drunks who had come in! So maybe STS will be able to come to Paraguay sometime?”

Upcoming Trips: Please pray for our STS staff (including 7 International directors) who will be sharing the vision and how-to of STS and God’s Story at the International Orality Network’s conference in Asheville, NC and then going on to Williamsburg, Sept ,16-20, to lead a workshop. [A few attendee spots are still open. Details on site, lower right, Workshop Locations.] In October a team goes to Bible schools in Ukraine for the first STS training done in that country. Continually national instructors are leading workshops throughout Africa, Asia, India and Oceania as well as making ongoing forays into Europe. Numerous Central and South America countries are being touched through workshops, led mostly by one of our senior instructors, Regina.

www.SimplyTheStory.org presents the short Clouds Without Rain video on the right side of the home page.  Hear vibrant testimonies, including how Africa Inland Mission leaders are setting up the STS Oral Bible Schools (OBS). Now, 15 schools are meeting in Kenya alone. The schools use God’s Story and train students to learn over 200 Bible stories. Because of what pastors in the region saw take place on the lives of the graduates, the Kenya leaders have been asked to start eleven more schools!

Nine Machines: Below is a note sent to an STS national instructor in Africa.  The instructor had led a workshop 6 months earlier among these MBBs (Mus/lm background believers).

"Greetings. Thank you for the 9 machines (mega voices) you gave us after training us to tell stories. We have used the machines in the village and 1000 people have heard the word of God from the machine. 35 people have given their lives to Jesus as they heard the word of God from the machine. People are interested hearing the machine as it speak our language. If you have more, we need other 35 machines. Thank you for coming to help us."

Seminary Success:  We have asked for prayer to see more doors open for STS in seminaries and Bible schools.  By God’s grace, in the last few months, instructors have taught classes wrapped around STS in Denver Theological Seminary and Talbot Theological Seminary at Biola.  The PhDs taking the classes continue to send in praise reports to the professors who taught the classes.  The reports include successful witnessing using the stories and the lives of the students themselves being touched by God’s Word.

Myanmar: “I believe I told you that some of our grads from the 2 Bible Colleges that my church now supports have told me that they were having no success in sharing the ‘Good News’ with anyone in their villages.  The Buddhists didn't want to hear.  Then, after learning STS, they found everyone willing to listen to a story and ask for more.  They also would say, ‘We didn't know your God was like that, tell me more about Him.’  Last time I was there I had reports such as, ‘I just baptized 14 people last month.’ I asked what had changed to cause the Buddhists to listen and respond by trusting in Jesus for their salvation?  They said, ‘It was the stories.’  Many now have a church and are using the stories to disciple the new believers.  Their Bible College information is not presented in a style that they understand, but the stories are easily understood.”

God’s Way of Peace in Asia: “In our radio station right now many people has been touch by the story. The good news are the listeners joining us at the radio station they just wanted to thank us and to be a part in our program. So I put schedule for sharing time so they are crowded in studio.

“The place that is famous for always having war between our gov army and the rebel army until this day text us how they are bless listening in our program. They are hoping that they will receive peace in their place because of this program. 

“These places are not desirable to minister or to go there and plant church, but by the power of the Bible story near to that place asking us come. So I let my team to visit and stay 2-days just to share stories. The result is the people are asking us to put a church building in their place.  Please pray for them that God in the heaven will grant their prayer because this is a great changing in their lives our country are famous rebels movements, especially many young people in that mountain asking us to study desiring to know how to do more STS so pray for them.”

Togo Attendees: In West Africa they said,  “The training time is too short.” “STS helps to have a deep Bible study.” “STS help to keep the attendees awake during all the presentation what is difficult when preaching.” “I will do a better work in the ministry after this training I wish That all the churches attend this training.” “STS is a good tool it open my eyes deeply in the word of God.” “STS model is effective even the unbelievers who hear a story can remember it after.”

Ethiopian Women's Conference: “It was an amazing time, especially for the first women’s conference ever in the Awi zone.  We had hoped for 200 women. And that is how many showed up.  75 women came by public bus from outside the city. That was a great surprise to the Evangelical fellowship leaders. They were beyond thrilled with the event.” [Next report we hope to share impact.]

Togo Pastor Reports: “STS is different.  It is practical.  In most of the seminars I have been in are just messages.  But here you use your time to help us to come step by step and this is something very significant for me.  And this will help me for my personal meditation and the Bible study and different type of teaching.”                                                                                                                             

India, Pastors Recommit: “Many leaders told that God’s Story and STS is a great tool from God for their Mission field. It is very useful and great opportunity to learn from God through HIS word to our personal life and as well as make disciple (story tellers) as Jesus taught to His called once.  6 Pastors recommitted their lives to the Lord in this workshop. The Bible Stories helped these pastors to come back to Christ and experience with the fellowship of Triune God.

“During the 1^st day evening practical work 21 new souls came to the Lord. On first evening an Advocate, when she heard the story of Martha and Mary, she told that, ‘I am working since 15 years as Advocate, I have earned lot of money but I did not spend time with God and not done any good work.’ She accepted Jesus as her personal Saviour. Then she requested us saying that shall I attend STS? We said ‘Yes!’

“She attended next four days and she learned STS skills. She said, ‘Now I understand the Word of God well and now STS helped me to do my job according to God’s plan. And I have learned how to ask questions to my opposite clients.’ She led 5 more people to Christ within those 4 days and now she is a great witness to the local Court. Please pray for her and her family.”

Witnessing At My Apartments: Jenny attended two workshops and started using Bible stories to witness including sharing a story with a guy at her apartment complex. A week later she wrote,
”By the way, I ran into the Russian guy who I shared the story of blind Bartimaeus  with. (He is not a believer. Someone had given him a Bible and he keeps it by his bedside, but doesn't really ever read it.) Well, he said he went and read that story. He told me, ‘It’s just a short story, but so much in it.’

“I asked him what did he see or learn from the story?  He said, ‘Well just what we had talked about before, you know … mercy. He (Bart) saw something in Jesus.’ So we talked just a few minutes about mercy again and then discussed whether today we ever find ourselves in a place where we need mercy. We talked about who we look to receive mercy. I commented, ‘We did see that Bart saw something, believed something about Jesus, so he cried out to Jesus for mercy and Jesus responded Bart received his sight and was made whole.’

“Then I asked this guy, ‘Do you think if we find ourselves in a place of needing mercy that we could cry out to Jesus and He would respond?’ I could see the wheels in his head turning and he nodded his head and smiled. It was cool to see God's word stirring this man’s heart.”

USA Youth Leader: “In July of this year I did STS with a team of our youth leaving on a missions trip to Russia. When they got there, they found out that they were ministering to a large group of young adults that were there studying to be doctors and scientists. These students were from all over the world and very intelligent! At first our students (ages 14 – 18) were intimidated by this group. The youth ended up sitting down with the students and telling a Bible story. It was incredible! The foreign student’s hearts were captured by the Word of God and discussion came alive with revelation after revelation. The trip was very fruitful with our students feeling empowered to minister and the foreign student’s learning a different way to explore the Bible.

“In the USA, one of our youths brought a completely unchurched friend ‘J’ to a meeting. ‘J’ didn’t know any Bible stories.  As the 2 girls and the pastor’s daughter got into my car for a ride home, ‘J’ said, ‘Jen, I bet I can tell you the story.’ ‘Ok I said. She was almost word perfect! We dropped her off and then the pastor’s daughter said, ‘Jen, I bet I can tell you the story.’ So I had her tell the story. She was word perfect.  Her next statement blew me away. She said, “I have been in church and Sunday School my whole life. I have memorized all the verses in Sunday School and won the prizes, but I barely remember any of them. This story … I will never forget it, never.

“The next day after school, Kate connected with me. She said, ‘Jen, you will never guess what happened. Last night after we dropped off ‘J’, her mom asked how it went and what happened in youth. ‘J’ then proceeded to tell her mom the story AND the observations AND the applications!’ One night at youth meeting, and an unchurched 14 year-old girl is sitting on her bed sharing the Word of God to her unchurched mom!”

*New God’s Story versions:  Kayah -eky Myanmar; Ao-Naga – njo,  Khasi-kha & Kui - kxu all for India; Juba Arabic - pga Sudan; Luganda – lug for Uganda; Maldivian-div Dhevehi for Maldives; Afrikaans-afr for South Africa; Bassari - bud Ghana & Togo, Chumburung – ncu,  Hanga – hag, Nafaanra - nfr  all for Ghana and Malagasy - plt for Madagascar     

The effectiveness of these tools and trainings was sweetly demonstrated at the September 4^th OBS graduation. One lady confessed to her fellow students that she was married and had split up with her husband two years earlier.  She told of tremendous hatred in their marriage. They had not communicated even once since the breakup. 

Oral Bible School graduates in gowns march through town. Crowds followed these 24. Soon the parade swelled to over 300 people in the spontaneous celebration. The paparazzi saw their chance, snapped pictures, and quickly set up display to sell photos of this great event to the excited onlookers. 

What she saw in all of the stories they were learning was forgiveness.  She said, ”I can’t forgive him, but would you pray for me to change?” The ladies prayed. 

Two days later her husband phoned her!  Soon they reconciled and she began telling her newly-learned Bible stories with him. 

Now, fast forward to her graduation.  Her beaming husband presented her with a bouquet of flowers!  Everyone present knew how God and his Word had healed this marriage! Please pray for an expanding army of OBS graduates, as they are now well equipped to tell the stories and to teach others.

Thanks for your prayers and support for all of the volunteers that God is using to accomplish this work. For each of the praise stories we shared, know that many volunteers are sacrificing to produce new languages of God’s Story, to lead these workshops and to attend a training.

In His Mercy,

Dorothy A. Miller