How Small Is Our World?

USA

While waiting for a flight, I received a call from Dorothy Miller's sister-in-law. She had just returned from a conference about working with international exchange students, and had no idea anyone there knew about God's Story or Simply The Story (STS). One Chinese student shared about her experience, "I don't know much about the Bible, so, I use STS." What a small world that our founder's sister-in-law would hear about someone using STS at a conference devoted to working with international students.

Africa

Our leader in Kenya was traveling down the roads in Mombassa when he noticed a man with an oversized backpack walking down one of the side roads.  Led by the Lord, our leader stopped and spent time with the man. He soon discovered the man had been going from village to village showing God’s Story on the projector in the backpack, and had received STS training, and was seeing great results! What a small world to see this man walking down a side road!

Southeast Asia

The world decreases in size when one is in prison. However, when the Lord opens the door for people to know him, the world increases and one has the opportunity to join a great family of believers.

A trainer in Asia shared, “One group of [these] leaders commented after an STS training that they … are excited to use STS as a way to lead and raise up disciples in [country]. These [country] brothers and sisters work in a tribal area where many do not read and write.”

This trainer continued, “Please pray for our friends, they are experiencing persecution. The believers in this area have tripled in the past 3 years. The [taken out] government is noticing the growth and threatening them to stop believing in Jesus or go to jail and face all kinds of hardships. They continue trusting in Jesus at the cost of going to prison.”

This active trainer shared more, “Had a good time doing STS … near [Asian] boarder. What I found encouraging was the comment made by some local people after we were done. She said, ‘When I heard a missionary was coming to teach us, I thought we would be sitting and just  listening to something, but you have given us very practical tools to share the bible with our people and we are excited to go out and start to tell Bible stories.Another leader in a difficult Asian country shared with us the following about people knowing Jesus through 3 different language versions of God’s Story shown both on TV and in prison. “Celebrating Christmas in the prison in a Buddhist place is not easy.  To  get  permission is very hard/ difficult. But by the WILL of God we did the Merry Christmas celebration in prison.”

He continued “… Many people gave response that they were encouraging through GS [God’s Story]. After showing GS in the Television people asking me to get  a copy of the GS so I make a copy and give or sent to them. God is so good. He love and Care us.”

How Do People Worldwide Respond to Bible Stories Coupled With Deep Discussion?

USA

A special instructor told a Bible story to a mix of adults and children during 2 church services. Here are some of the results. “In both services a couple of parents sat on the floor with their kids. One guy said he really liked hearing the story 3 times and will be thinking about it this week. Another lady said that she was stepping out of the boat ….”

During another occasion, the instructor shared, “At the end we all prayed and the 5 yr old thanked God for a good teacher and [the boy] wanted to know if he was in the class next week.”

Africa

One sharp man in East Africa said, “I have gained leadership skills” to our STS instructor, who

also shared, “All so thankful and attentive and wanted skill.”

In West Africa, 103 people were trained in STS, among them 20 pastors. During the outreach time, many people listened to Bible stories and about 15 people came to Jesus!

Middle East

An email forwarded to me from one of our instructors, “Thank you all for your time and commitment in making STS a success. As His word says seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, … STS is a wonderful way to help people seek HIS kingdom.

“As I had epilepsy for many years until God healed me in year 2001, I was not a good learner, I couldn't study at all as my memory was really bad as a symptom of epilepsy, so I used to forget a lot and I kind of got used to live without making any effort as it was difficult.“Coming to STS helped me to remember the biblical stories in detail (like a movie) and to find spiritual applications while reading a small passage, and I do believe that this method will help me to evangelize, and simply tell HIS stories to many. “Thanks again. May God bless all of you, and use you more and more for HIS glory.”

Have You Ever Seen the Physically Blind Leading the Spiritually Blind?

Cote d'Ivoire

One of our West Africa leaders shared that blind men have asked for an STS workshop for blind people. Amazingly, two blind men are part of a God’s Story translation team. They have finished the translation and are ready to record.

Can you imagine! These men may be physically blind, like Bartimaeus along the road near to Jericho. Like that blind beggar, who recognized Jesus as the Son of David (Messiah, Mark 10:46:52), these men also see with their spiritual eyes. They see that God’s Story and Simply The Story are spiritual tools to help the spiritually blind find Jesus as Lord.

West Africa

We have 7 languages ready to record and thank the Lord for the many who work hard to make

God’s Story available. Pray for the completion of these languages.

More for Prayer and for Praise! USA

One instructor recently received an invitation to do training in a state prison! Praise the Lord. Think of how people in prison could be changed by the Word of God in their heart pocket

Latin America

Recently, many of our Latin American team of instructors met for extra training and to discuss the Lord’s direction for 2016.  We are overwhelmed by the requests, and are  moving rapidly to raise more STS instructors.

During a training in South America, trees kept raining mangoes! Thankfully no one was hurt in Burkina Faso.

We praise the Lord for the safety of the attendees and instructors during the attacks in Burkina Faso. One of our leaders had his plane diverted to Niger because of the attack in Ouagadougou. The passengers were given a choice to get out or go back to Europe. Thankfully, our instructor chose to take the bus to the Burkina Faso training, and, after more than 20 hours of ground travel, the instructor arrived at the training as planned.

Our leader in Burkina shared about a church in a remote village that received an STS training. “Many people become Christian, many got healed from their sicknesses. Most of the ladies in the church are illiterate and were able at the end of the training to learn and share stories with their families and friends, they testified that it is their first time to find themselves useful in the Lord house.”

Pray that the team can return to this remote village to help the church to reach the local people as the church grows. The leader commented, “It is not easy to make the 40 km on Moto [motorcycle] to reach the village after the bus ride.”

Middle East

By the end of 2015, more than 117,000 copies of God’s Story have been distributed in a language for a difficult to reach people group.

Refugees in Europe

A select team of Simply The Story instructors and I have an incredible open door to work directly with refugees in Europe over the next few weeks. We will be working side-by-side with other ministries to help develop more strategic uses of several ministry tools that are available. Please keep this time in prayer, as it will affect thousands of refugees all over Europe.

Thank you to all for your prayers and for standing with us.

Grateful to the Lord,

Andrea

Executive Director

The God's Story Project