Could God’s Story affect children, non-Christians, and refugees alike?

Recently I had the privilege of speaking with a retired man who has spent most of the last 10 years getting God’s Story into the languages of Ghana.  We expect that next year, most, if not all, the languages will be done!  He has also worked with several ministries in the region.  One ministry does Bible studies using 9 languages of God’s Story with 9,000 children in 197 or more clubs every week. 

Working with Refugees

In early 2016, a handful of STS leaders traveled to Germany to test reaching refugees with various tools. God’s Story, a major tool our team used, impacted several people, including a small group of Arabic speakers turning to Jesus and wanting more. 

This January another team from Europe and the USA returned to conduct an STS training for Farsi and German speakers.   The pastor of the church there reported this to one of our leaders before the training, “Since we've been there last year we left a trail of blessings. Seventy people got baptized last year, now weekly 80-85 people meet in the coffee shop. He's impacted [because our STS team] travels from all over the world, with the love of Jesus, to set a good Biblical foundation for the [refugees] here [going] to whatever region they're going afterward.”

Some impact reports from Germany follow.

“In each story of the bible is a part of our life and I can see our lifes in each of the story.” [person 1]

 “I learned from you patience, kindness, and love.  In this one week all of you worked so hard and trying to teach us but sometimes we could not learn it but still you had kindness and patience in yourself and you had perseverance with each one of us.” [person 2]

“Now I feel that all of you really give me hope for the future also my faith today is strong in Jesus.”
[person 3]

“I don’t want to lie to you guys I was drinking so much because of problems During the time you guys are here and teaching us I’m not drinking or using alchol.”
[person 4]

God’s Story on the solar players used with non-believers?!

A recent email report came to us about some of the several hundred solar players that went out last year.

“We passed them out to our ethnic rangers [from persecution states in ‘Asia’] and everyone loved them and listened to them right away. I gave one to our chief medic who is a believer and right away he sat down in his bamboo house and with his family around the player began to listen.

“Non-Christians on our team asked for them and told us it was easy to listen to and understand and easy to carry…. Out in the villages non-Christians came up to me asking for them and we ran out very fast. These are a blessing and a popular way to hear the gospel. We only need more — both for Christians and non-Christians.”

An amazing report from Papua New Guinea!!

“Thank you for replacing our disk. I played it for years until it just could go not longer. Our clinic is located in the middle of the jungle in Papua New Guinea. We have no roads, no electricity (we DO have solar power) and our "running water" comes from the stream up the mountain. We've been here about 9 years. My husband is a Bible translator and church planter…

“We see around a thousand patients per month… and people come for days, hiking through the jungle to get treatment.

“The Gospel is given out daily in our clinic as well as medicines.  Your video the God's Story in Tok Pisin is shown frequently. Sometimes we get a person that will translate it from Tok Pisin into their tribal tongue while it is playing.  But mostly it draws a group of people and it is silent except for the video.

“Our clinic also employs a young fellow about 25 years old [who] has been blind for about 6-7 years now…. Sometimes the clinic is so busy we forget the video has finished.  But not [JM]. He about has it memorized along with the New Testament in Tok Pisin….

How has STS impacted those in Central Asia at a recent STS training?

A couple of impact reports from Central Asia.

“Even through the small stories through this study I have taken in deep understanding. It has been kind of like being in a university. Being a teacher at my church I have gone through many seminars, but this seminar compared to those is so very different and so much better, I’ve taken in so much more understanding and information. I’m very happy.” [C. Asia person 1]

“This is a great Bridge into sharing the gospel with people and to get into a conversation with them. It’s simple. It’s a great method and can really be useful and helpful. This is especially good in Eastern cultures.” [C. Asia person 2]

The impact from STS training continues in Singapore as reported from a Mandarin speaker here. “We are able to make disciple in our elderly ministry and also in many fellowship group in the past few years.

“Last year … we started to bring the Chinese group to share Bible story to the brothers in half way house, … also shared in a women half way. By God grace , they are people came to Christ and repented. During one of a sharing, more than 4-5 girls came and said they want to learn the word of God.  I am following up two sisters, they had stop drugs and now started to work last month, one already finish the program and leave the half way house. Life is transformed and lost sheep are found. Praise God.

“After my testimony, I tell a bible story and many were touch, all most the whole class raise their voice to say they are the sinner and need to repent and we prayed together to repent to God….  A sister came to me and said' you share better than pastor…. You know why the respond to me so well? Because, I speak broken English. Hahaha .... So I am at the same level like them and part of them.

Our Mandarin speaking friend continued, “I was invited to share in elderly day care center….Although they are old, weak and sick, but many elderly responded when I ask question and some came to faith. Even Children ministry and Children Gospel rally, many children responded and came to Christ.”

Where can people do a Bible story?

How about at a check-in counter? “I just told the story to the two ladies at the Admirals Club check-in counter.”

What about on radio?  “The radio program here are used by God that you will amaze the result because they are listening in their house….”

Could a story be done during a drug bust? One man, on the way home from our training, told a Bible story to a man and his girlfriend during a drug bust…of the girlfriend!  

What about in a college class?  One woman wrote, “Last week My African friend told the Christmas story of the angel appearing to Joseph [see Matt 1:18-25].  Our [recently baptized Muz] friend was blown away by the idea about a righteousness man showing mercy rather than punishment.

The woman continued, “She teaches beginning Arabic at the same college where I work. One of the Americans was probably being a little confrontational, and asked about the Muz practice of stoning women.  Without being taught about looking for openings for 5-minute stories [something STS trains people to do], she explained that Jewish law demanded the same thing, and launched right into the story that we'd just done.  All of them, Christian and Muz alike, were stunned to realize that if Joseph had followed the letter of the law, Jesus would never have been born.  They were totally engaged in the story.

“She called me the next day, and asked if I'd ever realized how powerful these stories could be.”

Grateful to the Lord,

Andrea

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