Country Confesses Need

Country Confesses Need

Praise & Prayer Report #4, August-September 2009

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Dear Friends of God's Story,

It's been a long time since we reported to you, July 22 to be exact. As usual, we have tons to report. (Find in this newsletter how it happens that this pretty Dominican-Irish girl has a Peruvian anaconda in her grip.)

Through the dedication of beloved national leaders, we have recorded 70 Bible stories in Swahili, Kannada, Nepali and BURMESE!! These stories are on solar powered audio players along with God's Story. Still we need many more languages recorded so we can train more non-literates.

By God's grace 20 new versions of God's Story are being recorded. What happens with the completed versions?...

Automatic Weapons Guard California Team: A Church just sent a medical team deep into Mexico to a armed region where outsiders may not survive. A line 2 miles long waiting for treatment greeted them. Under the watchful eyes of local militia carrying automatic weapons, the Mexicans were treated by day with physical care, and love; by night they were treated to the Lord's spiritual care through seeing God's Story. Scores were saved!

Just One Man's Fruit: In regions of Burma,

congregating is not allowed. So, evangelists travel home to home, a village at a time, playing God's Story on a DVD player.

In 2 months one evangelist reports, “Total 13 people were become strong Christian and baptize. Many people accepting, but not yet baptize."

China: One humble US believer wrote. “We provide our contact with the MegaVoice players [God's Story audio] continually, helped pay for his group to go to STS workshop the first time, and partnered with them in earthquake relief. So he had new believers resulting from the earthquake relief at this month's STS training. And he told them he expected them to go back to their respective areas and train the other new believers.”

Holy Hip Hop Expands: Modavador G did the narration in the Holy Hip Hop version of God's Story. Now he adds to his Spoken Word ministry the tool of telling Bible stories, Simply The Story style! Where? Where not? In line waiting, at the barber shop, at the airport, to his family at church...where there's people.

Modavador’s use of stories to minister in a particular prison is young. But after only three times there, something significant occurred. After various chaplains preached to 90 inmates, three soon-to-be- released inmates came forward to give their goodbye testimonies. These prisoners have been ministered to for years by chaplains and visiting speakers.

The first inmate told how God had showed him stuff in the Martha /Mary story that was going with him to the outside. (Then he shared specifically the parts that impacted him.) The next prisoner said, "That glass of oil story helped me and I will never forget it." (Then he told the part about God's care for the widow that touched him.) The last man talked about how the "King David story was about me."

Amazingly, after years of the preaching and teaching Christians had given these prisoners, three for three, they mentioned the Bible "stories." Wonderfully, the inmates even remembered the story content and had made personal applications.

Please pray for Modavador as he is seeking direction in job/ministry.

Huge Country Confesses Need: We just introduced God's Story to leaders in the south part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). We trained six language teams how to translate, which is a lot of work and the pay?... is collected in Heaven. The trained theologian in DRC wrote us afterwards...

"War and conflict that have torn the Congo for years that left a lot of regions of the country with Christians without Bibles. Rebel groups used the burning of holy Bibles as a weapon of war, wherever they went they burnt Bibles. So we believe that God’s Story will give an opportunity to such people to hear God’s word in their own languages after losing their treasured Bibles through war. In certain parts of the country Bibles are not easy to find.

1. “The Congolese church is not strong in the area of discipleship making. It has a big church membership that is not well grounded in God’s word. The God’s Story Project presents a lot of new ways for discipleship making and this will be emphasized as the program takes roots.
2. “Some of the Congolese provinces are slowly becoming Islamic spreading areas; with the coming of God’s story project, we hope to work out programs that will venture into those regions and tell God’s story that leads to salvation.
3. “Congo has many villages and rural areas where the influence of God’s word is very little. With people who can’t read or write, God’s Story will make a big difference in leading people to Christ.”

[Attendees who learned how to translate and were also introduced to Simply The Story gave these comments.]

-           “This program has been an eye opener, it has added a lot to my Christian knowledge which was limited for years. I pray that it will continue in our country, God bless the initiator of God’s story.

-           “God’s story project is to me as a pastor a new pastoral tool for teaching God’s word to my flock.

-           This program is not easy but very interesting and enriching. It will enable me to make disciples and reach out to a bigger audience with God’s word.

-           “God’s story training is fantastic. I have been

personally blessed and enriched spiritually. It is a method that is practical in personal evangelism. It can bring thousands and individuals to Christ.

Please let this program continue in our country.

-           “God’s story project is complex, it takes both intellectual and spiritual abilities at the same time. We have to do this work with love so that many people could be blessed through it.

-           “God’s story is welcome to the Congo. I believe that it will bring a big change in our way of thinking and doing missions.

-           “This program has been a reminder of my calling to go to the unreached groups in our nation.

-           “I really appreciate the sponsor of this program who thought of reaching out the lost especially those who can’t read or write. I will continue to work for this program.

-           “This program is very helpful for all Christians and those involved in ministry, but we did not have enough time for training. Please we need more training.

-           “I thank God for this program from its beginning to the end. Since souls are precious to God, we must do a good job in translation so that others will hear God’s story in their own mother tongues and be saved.”

This Congolese theologian and man of vision, ended the letter, “These few comments from church leaders who attended the training program can tell the joy and the interest shown by Congolese brothers and sisters who have participated in God’s story project for the first time. If church leaders expressed themselves in this way, what more of church members?”

Jesse Still at It! How can one man reach a country by himself? He can't! But with God leading and guiding and the support of a Godly wife, Jesse can and is flooding Ghana with new language versions of God's Story. This retired Southern gentleman is in Ghana now recording 5 more languages to add to the 20 he has already done!

As well, Jesse is training Ron who, with his wife Terri, works in South Africa. Ron hopes soon to record Zulu, Afrikaans and Sotho.

Simply The Story

Flash!

The first official Timothy Church Planter Training schools have begun!

In Nepal, twelve students, nine non-literate and three literate, gathered from different villages for six months of immersion in God's Word. The goal is for each student in these oral schools to learn 200 stories by heart.

A dear pastor and his wife are hosting the students in their church. As well, this couple will mentor and assist in the learning and exploration of each story and in the personal application of the Scriptures.

Practical outreaches for the student to minister using the Bible stories are part of the curriculum.

The 200 Bible stories they learn are to be recorded for insertion on the solar audio players along with God's Story. After graduation, the players will serve as a Bible for the non-literate students to keep the stories accurate. As funds allow, these players can also be made available to added non-literates who want to learn Simply The Story and need accurate Bible information.

Zambia, India and Kenya also started their pilot oral schools. At each location, the biggest problem is having to turn away so many eager people who want to be students!

Never Too Old! Our director in India excitedly told us, "My father, who is 75 years old, is not literate.

He is one of the 12 students! He already knows 40 stories but he wants to learn more!"

Japan: Everyone gasped when a conservative elder pastor said, "I told Martha /Mary story at a conference and 4 got saved!" That is mass evangelism in Japan!

From Wisconsin workshop we hear, "Never have I been able to understand the Bible like this."

"I have learned more in this one workshop from the Word of God than in all of my years as a believer." "This I can use to reach the people in my church." "We don't need to add, and we don't want to take

away from God's Word."

These statements are most meaningful when we see that the 69 in attendance represented 10 states and workers and leaders from 40 different ministries in 12 countries! A lot of Kleenex became useful! The emotion seen in this particular workshop resulted from God speaking to people through His stories.

Amazingly, this happened most during the workshop when people gathered in small groups. God touched them as they explored Bible stories and the fledgling storytellers moved to new groups to put into practice telling a story and leading a discussion. God's Word understood showed its power."

Only For Highly Educated? Ah! One might say, "This way of 'inductive Bible study oral style' is really for the highly educated and ministry leaders. After all, didn't you say that a PhD is teaching Simply The Story at US Center For World Missions?"

Yes...True. It is for the highly educated and yes, it is for the leaders. But     can less educated people learn

Simply The Story? You judge  After landing in

Peru, a husband & wife and three teenage daughters from Ireland flew to a remote city. Then    they

traveled for 30 hours by boat up the Amazon to the very remote village of Ollanta. How remote? The children have sloths and anacondas for pets (as the one daughter in the photo on first page illustrated.)

This family led a workshop for nine Urarina Indians and 28 Mestizos, some who walked five days to come to the training! These Indians live in raised stilt houses and sleep in hammocks.

YWAM workers reached these people with the Gospel and now disciple them. It is slow tedious work to teach these rural Peruvians to read and to study topical Bible lessons.

The family from Ireland taught them Bible stories. How to teach using the stories and how to lead others to discovery through discussion proved to be a brand new concept to everyone. The Christian leaders marveled as they watched these traditionally stoic Urarina Indians come alive! Everyone in attendance told the Bible stories, enacted lively dramas and clearly understood the deep doctrines in the stories.

Amazingly, the same training schedule used to train in the USA was used in Peru! Simply The Story centers on the Bible and believes that God's Word is sufficient for all. From stilt houses to high rise condos, we see that those who listen...will hear.

From Bangladesh, after a workshop a Bangladesh pastor told one of the instructors from India, "Thank a lot for your all kind assistance what you did for us. I really grateful to my God that He send you in my life as Guardian."

USA: A pastor in a very conservative evangelical denomination incorporated Simply The Story into his pulpit, their Children's program and in the Bible school teaching he does. He wrote of a friend who called him..."He was all excited because he said that studying his Bible STS style had really improved his Bible study skills. This friend is a retired CMA Pastor who pastored for nearly 50 years! I said to my friend, "I TOLD YOU SO!!!

USA Starbucks. Sally, is an ace workshop instructor, but shy about sharing outside of training. But          last Friday, Sally went to not one, but TWO

Starbucks, and told 5-minute Bible stories, Simply The Story style. The first try was a young man who had to take out his ear buds and stop listening to his music to hear a story told by a 70-year old, retired, school teacher. (Humm? Never underestimate the power of an innocent looking little grey head!)

They discussed the story of Zacchaeus, mostly how Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus, but how when the crowd got in his way that Zacchaeus didn't give up, or let public opinion get in his way. The man noted that Zacchaeus risked ridicule by climbing a tree just to get to see Jesus. At the end of this 5-minute Bible discussion, the young man thanked Sally. "I was getting discouraged and wanting to give up. This helped."

At the next Starbucks, Sally told a story to two ladies. She discovered during the discussion that the

two ladies were Mu.lims from Iran! Again the conversation was good and Sally gave a sweet parting shot about Jesus.

Simply The Story Workshops

For 2010 we have workshops set for Hemet, CA on Jan 25, and for The Woodlands (Near Houston), TX on April 16.

A busy Southern tour for March in, AR, MO and GA is nearly solidified. Trips from USA to Japan, Africa, South America, Israel and other countries are pending.  Web site posts dates.

At Last... We expect the long overdue arrival of the

God's Story flip charts to be at the end of 2009.

Thank you for making all of this possible. The learning curve is sharp and challenging. Your interest, encouragement, support and prayers, submitted to and led by our Lord, are reaching individuals and the world!

In His mercy, Dorothy A. Miller

Executive Director The God's Story Project