Shy Lady Finds Ministry

Praise & Prayer Report #3, 2009

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Dear Friends of God's Story,

Thanks for your interest in God's Story and its young off-shoot, Simply The Story.

Pirating at a new Level: Yes we hear from time of some of our completed languages being copied and sold in the kiosks in Muslim countries. But pirating rose to a new level when we heard that a Muslim group had translated God's Story into a new language, produced it and is selling it! [Yes! Don't worry. We are trying to buy a copy to check what the narrator is saying!]

Is Empowering Illiterates Important? No!: Nepal. "I led an STS in Barabise the Tibet boarder along with XXX. With STS and solar tool with God's Story and the Bible on it, XXX started 6 churches average 20 people in each."

Is empowering national believers (including the vast army of illiterate believers) Important? No... It is vital. To reach people isolated by rural locations, areas hostile to outsiders or separated from others by harsh terrain, we must hand off the baton. We MUST involve the whole Body of Christ in Great Commission fulfillment!

Still Room! Colorado Springs July 24-29th promises to be the most exciting STS workshop ever yet held. Phone 951-658-1619 for information or ask on subject line by return email for "CO flyer." See web site for July WA and Sept MN/WI workshops.

By God's grace, so far this year we have arranged STS workshops in 22 countries and added 19 new language versions of God's Story.

I Had to Go run a Lap: "We showed God's Story on an island off the coast of Tanzania in the trade language. These people are unreached and Animists. In one village we started playing the DVD for 30 people. But people kept coming. I was by myself when it started, but when it is done I was surrounded by viewers that looked to be from 3 to 80 years old. Nobody stirred. Nobody talked. They were mesmerized by the story. By the time the 80-minute show was finished, 1,000 were there watching it. The next day, I went out door to door to huts. Through an interpreter I was starting to witness to a 12-year old by using an Evangecube. The boy stopped me and explained to the interpreter, 'I prayed that last night after the movie!' I had to go run a lap! We used God's Story, Jesus Film and Evangecube. When our team left two weeks later, 4,000 had accepted Jesus! We want to go back as soon as possible and disciple those new-borns. [This church, that has adopted these people, is arranging to have God's Story translated into the people's mother tongue and plans to investigate STS as a way to disciple these

new believers.]

Who Would Have Thought?: A very quiet lady came to our California STS who is the mission team leader at her church. She came to learn about STS for others. "I am not an up front kind of person."

They Cried in the Congo: In Democratic Republic of Congo, over 100 pastors and evangelists, who could not fit in the first workshop ever held in their country, cried when there was no room for them to be trained.

Angels Sent at The Right Time: The superintendent of the denomination that hosted leaders from Zambia to lead this workshop in DRC said, "CONGO is an open valley lost in the complex of biblical teachings that do not change lives. We still fight over doctrine, denominational affiliations and evangelistic crusades that leave people without anyone helping them to grow after receiving Christ as their personal savior. You are angels sent at the right time."

Next New STS Innovation: Literate leaders saw how easily non-literates grasped deep biblical-truths through STS and how readily these ex Muslim, Hindu, Buddhists, animist and cultural Christians started effectively reaching others. Now nationals are founding oral Bible schools for illiterates! The curriculum is STS. Bible stories and Scripture on players act as an anchor to preserve correctness of the learned stories. We need to supply players, gear up for workshops in new countries and help guide the establishment of these oral schools. Please pray about this and the potential is enormous.

First STS in Bangladesh: "Those we trained are begging our India instructors to come back and train more people."

Muslim Wants God's Story To Return: Liberia. New version of GS shown to mostly Muslims. Late into the night they watched it two times. The children were discussing what they heard.. An older Muslim man spoke highly of the work and "wished it could return soon."

Allah of Islam Could Not Do It: STS Uganda: A former Sheik in the workshop reports, "I had been in Islam, yet I was bound to witchcraft and theft but Mohammad couldn't deliver me, neither Allah of Islam could do it. But when I heard about Christ and opened my heart to him, I have been totally transformed! We are ready now to take this Gospel to the Muslims using STS that can never be refuted. Many could not come to Christ from Islam due to poor approach. We have now a very simple tool, but the answer to Muslim communities"

Kosovar Muslim Weeps: "The middle aged and older women have mostly never been to school and think they are too stupid to learn. The mother who explained to the children did have 4 years at school before her uncles decided that further schooling would damage her marriage prospects...She had not been able to learn to read. (She eventually realised that after hearing the story 3 times she could begin to remember it. She wept bitterly when I left, and I promised to come back prepared to teach her stories that she could then teach the others. Ideally a Kosovar should do that, but they are in a remote village, and very Muslim. After my 2 weeks with them (extended by a week with the flu, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise) they realised that the Bible stories relate to their own experience. I told them about Moses because a lot of baby boys were reported as "born dead" before and during the war, c.f. midwives."

Kosovar Worker Benefits: What with the Sunday readings and the stories for the women, the boys and the children, my week of Bible study is filled out. Instead of forgetting what I had been studying so hard, it now stays with me. Even if I don't tell the story to anyone so don't get it fixed in my head and heart, I can brush it up quickly if I need it later."

Uganda..."Now I know how to listen to Jesus." This was said by African pastor after a workshop.

We Gave Spiritual Junk!: "I have leadership over 8 local churches. I honestly confess they are still spiritually babies! Now I know why they couldn’t grow to maturity! We have not been giving them the real Word of God but spiritual junk! Please take this training to all the pastors and other church leaders under my denomination. This will be the tool that will cause us to fulfill the Great mission of making Disciples not converts!"

The Depths They Discover: "A pastor lamented how Abram, who was meant to be a blessing to all nations, ended up taking curse to Egypt! ‘The plagues that struck Pharaoh’s house were a curse because of Abram’s lie!’ One leader was shocked when he realized how Abram compromised by giving his beautiful wife to Pharaoh for the sake of security! He lamented, "We believers too sometime seek for security from the world instead of directing people to the one who offers true security! Abram was a man of promise and should have waited on God or asked Him for direction and solution to the famine.’"

I have come in to leadership and I didn't know what to do, but now STS is answer to my prayer.'

"The church members you tell the story to will be alert since it is participatory learning. The devil won't have a chance to with draw people's minds from the Word and it is also a tool to overcome their fears."

One pastor who is a lecturer in a Bible school said, "I have been in ministry for long and taught in many Bible schools, but I hadn't discovered such an impacting method and approach of the scripture that brings all the biblical truths without getting outside the

text!" He asked me, "Which Bible school did this young man (Remy) do his theological studies?" I told him, "He has gone to The God's Story Bible School, STS!" He still couldn't understand what I meant! I told him, this is the Bible school you have been attending; it is meant for all believers both literate and non-literate.

 Another old woman testified how she used to help people but eventually stopped doing it. Now when the application on the Samaritan's story was done she stood up and wept, saying, "pray for to God that I may be forgiven; I have met many people and ignored them as I concentrated on my own problem! I am sorry for the selfish uncaring heart I have been having".

One leader said, "This is what we need in our church and we are going to change the whole way of teaching and preaching to STS approach. He continued, "We have made serious blunder on the pulpit due to ignorance of using God's Word!"

Another pastor who has been a lecturer in a Bible college said, "It is the best method of interpreting the Bible; unlike many preachers who quote scriptures to boost their own views."

An attendant said, "It is a good approach for teaching children to be rooted in the Word and memorize scriptures easily."

Another lady who has a very active child at home said, "She didn't know how effective she could groom up her child in the fear the Lord. But now STS has given me a tool to introduce my child into God's Word through story telling."

A lady testify that she used to take other stories in the Bible to be of no value, but through STS training she has realized that God has given his church all the Bible stories and they are equally important for growth and edification.

Texas Ladies Mobilize: "Friday (the day after we got home from LA) I was telling my friend the story of The Bent Woman. It touched her deeply and she cried about the tenderness of Christ for that woman. She has been pondering it for the last 3 weeks and will still tear up when she talks about the story. God's word is so powerful, and I pray that he continues to build her up as she is fragile right now.

"We have begun to meet each week to work on our story telling. Last week.Mona did the story. Kellie, Valerie and I were there with two other friends. Today we met at my house and I did the story. Mona and I are telling stories that are for our trip to the Dominican Republic. Well, today we had 10 people there and we are inviting more to come next week. I told the story of the widow with Elijah who offered her last flour for his meal, 1 Kings 17:8-16. We had a widow there who shared a story how God prodded her six months after her husband died to go on a mission trip and how he really healed her grieving heart with that experience. She had tears in her eyes talking about that experience."

In Communist Country: "When I did Mary and Martha at the secret house church - 21 nationals in attendance, there was more conversation taking place then I thought would be expected. A lot of inter-communication and learning was going on. People were really blown away, including both the senior and assistant pastors. I'm not kidding when I say a lot of discussion was taking place - no rabbit trails were ever gone down, pure path-walking taking place."

Europe Responds: STS teams led workshops in Liverpool, UK; North and South Ireland and Scotland. Follow up workshops are under discussion. Email Bryan at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Mullingar Rep of Ireland,

" Amazing how you guys use discussion to ruthlessly bring application of Bible stories to life." and

"I will travel anywhere on the island to do this training and

"My church and pastor need to hear about this. I will tell them all about it next week."

Jet Plane To Eternity or Up a Tree: This report came from ministry leader, experienced speaker and author, who attended one 5-day workshop, practiced and then joined the Europe team as Provisional Instructor.

"On the journey home too, the Lord gave more opportunity as He got me talking to Hans [not real name for privacy] who'd flown in from Zurich that morning to join the Logo Hope. In the plane the Lord had me tell XXX a story, Zacchaeus, and I asked Hans how he'd react to Jesus' invitation to go to Han's home.

“This Austrian is coming to see if he, his wife and family, should serve on the ship for a two year period, Did he, Hans, want to see Jesus as did Zacchaeus, climbing up to view him, as Zacchaeus, and as Zacchaeus rush down to receive Jesus warmly? I asked if Hans too could do this - he hesitated, arguing there were language barriers between us, differences in this point of and that. But we persisted within the story. An interesting situation of one who is looking to see, prepared to serve on the ship, but not sure of his personal relationship with Jesus. "Hmm, I think I know Him" Hans said. Keeping behind Zacchaeus within the story was easier for Hans, coming to personal application gave him much to think about.

"After we landed, my host kindly asked if he could take Hans to the Logos; of course the latter was thrilled. Ironically, the question the Lord prompted Clifford (my host) to ask was, 'Tell us of your personal story of how you met the Lord and know Him?' Isn't God precious. Hans was again trying to move through. On the plane he was struggling to say he knew Jesus "personally", dancing around the meaning of personal. When I asked if he knew his wife personally he got cornered with how to answer - we've been praying for him and his time on the Logos Hope, I know the Lord has a wonderful plan for him! I loved using the story in one on one counseling on a PLANE this time. I've already been it many times as I council on the phone!

All VERY exciting."

Future Plans: I wish I could say our new STS web site was running, but it is sooooo close. Starting maybe by July 10th, instructors can down load the most recent document, some of the many recorded stories in various language can be heard. As time goes by, targeted ways you can use STS and ministries in which you work can fold STS concepts can be utilized will be posted.

1. Already non-literates are leading workshops for illiterate AND literate pastors. We plan to format the actual STS training method on audio players so non-literates can more easily go to new regions and thoroughly lead full-blown workshops.
2. Information from the STS Handbook (80 pages) and almost completed Instructors Manual (projected 150 pages), all that is germane for illiterate leaders, is going into an oral format. We are not just recording literate information. Our goal is to have the 90% or more of the information housed inside verbal (not written) illustrations and stories.
3. This, plus a DVD showing workshops in action done in multiple languages, is now under way. We must respond to pastors who begged, "Please take this training to all the pastors and other church leaders under my denomination. This will be the tool that will cause us to fulfill the Great mission of making Disciples not converts!"

In His service,

Dorothy A. Miller
Executive Director TGSP