Myanmar, an Unknown.

When I started to write this Prayer & Praise the coup in Myanmar was beginning to break in the news. Our leader there was able to send out an email, but we have not heard from him since that day. Please pray for him, his family, the whole STS crew and those caught in the middle of an unsettling situation.

Understanding Bible for the First Time!

Our STS instructors just finished training a group of the Toposa people in South Sudan. Fourteen leaders were raised and now they are establishing oral Bible schools in the region. The lead instructor wrote about the Toposa people, "This people group is not widely reached and do not respond well to the Bible! I was told even the ones in the church are mostly not converted! But today some of them started giving testimonies of how for the first time they understand the Bible and how the stories of Martha and Mary and Rock One [Exodus 17:1-7] addressed their spiritual issues.

“Pray that God opens their hearts and draw them close to Himself according to His grace."  There are few Bible resources in their language 

God’s Story Languages

We thank the Lord for the 83 languages currently in progress. One of our leaders and 3 recording teams in West Africa have experienced tremendous spiritual attack. They have had to postpone recording 1 language. Pray for the teams as they continue to bring God's Story to the nations.

Children Become Missionaries?

While in Uganda, our team conducted a workshop during the day and showed God's Story by night. The team stayed in the Bishop's house. The Bishop's daughter, who was about eight or nine years old, managed to attend several STS training sessions. One night, the Bishop and our leader returned home and found the young girl telling a Bible story to about 15 children in the neighborhood, most of whom were older.

After telling the story of the sinful woman, his daughter asked the other children, "Do you know why the sinful woman was forgiven? She confessed her sins and Jesus said to her 'Your sins are forgiven'. So I want to ask you do you want to continue to be sinners or do you want to be saved?" The children said yes! This powerful girl made the children stand, and she led them in prayer.

Her father, the bishop, wept 3 nights in a row when watching the crucifixion of Jesus on God’s Story. All that the Lord Jesus did for him impacted him greatly.

North Sudan Out Gives Expectations

One Sunday, after the story in church, the storyteller reported that the people were praying for repentance, praising God, and dancing. The Bible touched the people's hearts to the point that the church collected 2 baskets full of money during the offering. This is from a people who are struggling to have enough food and barely surviving! (The price of bread has gone from 1 Sudanese pound two years ago to 15 Sudanese pounds, and bread is hard to find.) The pastor said that ever since the church heard the story of the Widow's mite, the people continue to  give abundantly.

The area around the church is dangerous and full of robbers with swords who stop people and demand all valuables that the people have.  The robbers stole the pastor's phone. The next day they stole the phones of 2 other church members. The pastor and the church decided to stand strong with sticks and were able to defeat the gang of 20-30 robbers. Now the robbers are scared to steal from the church members.  The church continues to minister successfully in these dangerous area.

Many churches and ministries are requesting STS workshops and Oral Bible Schools. Our leader in the region continues to ask for prayer for the teams.

Radio and more Radio

Ministry in the Market Place

Simply The Story has integrated in the training a five-minute or more conversational model of reaching people in the marketplace with Bible stories. Hundreds of people have used what they have learned in their communities. So when we were asked for a radio interview with Ministry in the Marketplace, a ministry of Dr. Richard Hamlet, we accepted gladly. This program is simulcast on several Christian networks.  You can hear this radio interview at the link below. 

https://mitmradio.org/2021/01/30/a-narrow-path/

For very short video lessons on how to use Bible stories in the marketplace, please also visit our Moment For Eternity page: www.SimplyTheStory.org/evangelism

In the Philippines…

Our leader there report, "We are doing great in radio by giving stories to the people and ministering to the people who are afraid of the pandemic." The Filipino team also ministers to the people online by mentoring to them and helping them to grow

their relationship with God.  The STS leader also ministers to most of the drug addicts because they are required to attend the online story telling every Wednesday.

The leader shares what happened when a professor and lawyer attended his program, "They laughed and criticized my way of giving the story and they ask me to debate." The lawyer and the professor continued attacking our leader's radio program through their own radio program. These men said that more Bible verses were needed to open the mind of the people. One day the STS leader shared the story of Abram and the great famine from Genesis 12:10-20. The two men listened to the story.

During the part that applies the Bible story to our lives today, the leader asked, "Does it happen today that people using the name of God and lie to get rich?"  After the program was completed, one of the men looked at our leader, smiled and grabbed his hand. The man said the story blessed him. This same man who once criticized this STS leader asked how to do simple Bible stories and questions that are so clear and wants to learn from our leader!  This man, touched by God from the Bible story, already has a big ministry and wants our team to minister to their people.

A Boat in the Hospital?

Within the past few years there was a man that began to learn Bible stories. Being discipled by his pastor he grew tremendously in the Lord. Then last year, prior to the shut down, this man and his wife attended one of our trainings for Simply The Story. Recently this man was admitted to the hospital due to complications with Covid, but was equipped with God’s word. While there, this man shared the storm story from Mark 4:35-41 with all the doctors and nurses. Even though this man went through a storm with Covid, he would tell the doctors and nurses that the bed he was lying in was his boat. The man knew he was not alone, that Jesus was in the boat with him. When entering the room it became standard for staff to ask, “how are you doing in the boat today?“ Although the man passed to glory, he left a Bible story with all of the staff in the hospital who tended to him.

Bible Story Opportunities Everywhere

Our team in the Middle East continues to meet every Saturday online. The recent Bible story had people from central Asia, New Zealand, India, Scotland, America, Poland, and more.  It was truly an international perspective!

We have opportunities for people to participate in Bible stories online in English, Spanish, Mandarin, and more. We’re thrilled to see how the Lord continues to bring people together over His Word. If you would like to participate in online Bible stories, please sign up here: https://forms.gle/3TshQ9LfccUypRhb7

Thank you for your time and prayers,

Andrea & The whole staff of The God's Story Project (TGSP)

Executive Director