We Love Pirates

Prayer & Praise Report #3,  2008

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Dear Friends of God’s Story,

Thanks for your prayers. God surely is bringing wonderful answers. We leave for Africa Tuesday. (See last paragraph in this letter.)

We still lead with our flagship production God’s Story. Last year, our most productive yet, we saw completion of 33 new language versions. Through May this year, we have done or nearly completed, language number 34! [www.gods- story.org/curprogress.htm] These many languages are being birthed because those who step forward to partner with us are seeing the effect of God’s Word as presented in God’s Story, so they want this tool for reaching their target people. For example...

Pirates We Appreciate: In one North African country we completed a language for an unreached people, Mu.slim people. Word came to us, “God’s Story in XXX is being pirated and sold in the kiosks!”

“We are so sad. “Our players don’t work anymore!” In the last year, ten evangelists in Northern East Nigeria working among Musl.ims were each gifted with a solar player carrying the audio of God’s Story. [These players will broadcast for 6 hours before they need a recharge and the batteries will last for 500 recharges.] So, each player had been used to broadcast God’s Story for 3,000 hours!!! This is incredible, when you discover that the target listeners in this language are hard core Musli.ms! A request from this very area just arrived a few minutes ago. “Two Christians who accepted the salvation of Christ through the last batch of players to Nigeria

were whisked away by their relatives. No one knows if they are dead or alive. Please pray for them.” [We did get new batteries shipped to them.]

Liberia Twosome: “In one Mu.slim village, 25 people came to Christ as a result of the STS storying our evangelists conducted there. God’s Story is being used to reinforce the storying and is proving to be a great tool for discipleship.”

God’s Story Speaks in Ethiopia: “Two weeks ago I gave GS to one of my associate evangelist to use in a mission about 380 miles from Addis. In the whole time, about 450 people were reached with the gospel. 35 out of the 450 gave their lives to Christ. Through this mission we were able to put in hands the GS audio cassette to 25 unbelievers. Others were reached by the show of GS.”

Not Hindu, They Are Animists: Indians working among the remote Irula tribal jungle dwellers report, “Believers are increasing 50% more in the churches through God’s Story.”

Miracle in Hospital: “We distributed 30 God’s Story audio cassettes to the nurses and doctors who are in practical training in that hospital. 18 of them listened to full God’s Story. Next day every one came at 10am and shared that we need this Christ who came to save us from Spiritual death to Eternal life. They shared their desire to follow Jesus and other 10 village people also came to the Lord during our son stay in that hospital.”

Solar Player Blessings: Throughout Nepal come reports of God’s Story impact...”This is the voice of real God. We found such story in the Bible which we never heard before.”... “I am illiterate person, so player help me understand the Bible.”...”When I get this player I got chance to know more about God. I have decided to teach others what I have learn from this.”...”After listening they know that they are worshiping things which are made by themselves. They listen very carefully and they are interested to accept the Jesus Christ. And they repent about their sin.”

From Venezuela:...”Pastor Rafael was shocked at the gift of the player. We met outside under the trees, very hot. He could not express himself, just hugged and all day kept saying, ‘gracias, gracias and smiling.’”...”Pastor Perez said, ‘Thank you for coming to our poor church. We have nothing.’ (This man is already using it all of the time.)”

Simply The Story: This added tool of TGSP, teaching inductive Bible study oral style, continues to impact nations. www.SimplyTheStory.com has details on workshops. Lubbock, TX starts June 25; Sandpoint, ID July 14 and Dallas, TX Sept 19.

Won’t Take a Break!: Ethiopia “Every time I gave them a break, they could not go for the break

rather they gathered in small groups. I asked what they were talking about and was told they werediscussing about the STS Bible story.”

Competition: An American pastor working in Belize, “About 8-9 weeks ago one pastor I taught - who

had me come to his church to do a session there on a Wed. night updated me since my visit ‘Now, the people in my congregation have taken to storying so much so that they are teaching and actually nearly competing to see who gets to teach next week!’”

Nepal Testimonies: Only a small team was needed for our trip to Nepal and India, because wonderfully, the nationals we have previously trained are taking over leadership. We rained 68 pastors and church planters. Many came from very remote areas, enduring days of hard travel to get here. Now, under the new Maoist government, these believers need prayer...big time.

"I do not go to conferences, but came here and didn't know why. Now I see. The Bible is opened up to me and I can now share with others. "

"When I heard the statistics of literacy in the America, I suddenly realized that if it is that bad in America, then here in Nepal is much lower. I must use this oral strategy to reach the lost."

[I swallow pride to share this one.] "When I saw this big women up front give such interesting action to the story I said to myself, "If she can do this then why can't I?'"

"I am over 25 other woman who go out and evangelize woman who are not literate. I am going to teach them all to tell the stories in this way."

"My pastor told me to go to this conference. I said to myself, 'Go to a 3-day conference to learn to tell stories? That is crazy! How long does it take to tell a story?’ Now after three days I see the time went so fast I didn't even notice it because I was interested the whole time."

"I am going use this by waiting until the Buddhist monks who walk around the temple get tired and stop to rest and then I will tell them stories."

"I was not reading very carefully before and missed all of these treasures."

God’s Math is Multiplication:

We trained 65 leaders in Hyderabad, India. Afterwards, we drove an hour to tell a story to 300 youth workers and children. [The organizer of this meeting was training 20,000 workers to lead ten days of VBS in May to 1,000,000 children!] God led the presentation. The host loved STS and now wants the leaders who we just trained in Hyderabad to train his youth leaders in STS as a follow up to salvations and as on-going church planting strategy.

Before flying out of Hyderabad Saturday, we went to the offices of a very large mission organization [org name withheld for security] where we spoke for 2 hours to about 25 of their leaders and 15 leaders from other ministries. They caught the concept! These leaders plan to use God’s Story, and to have their workers learn STS for discipleship. The large org, that works in almost every state in India, can now be trained by those we just trained in the Hyderabad workshop.

Mumbai [formerly Bombay]. Sunday morning in church we joined the beautiful singing (as well as we could since they sang in Hindi and English.) At 10:15 am, after the announcements, the host’s wife turned to me and whispered, "You have until 12:30." "I do? What does that mean?"

"Oh," she said, "Didn't my husband tell you? You are speaking today." That's India!

Praise God! Having stories in your heart pocket is great. After finding two stories they had not yet taught at that church, we filled the next two hours. Whew! God carried the day.

Just before speaking, the host asked the 250 gathered, "Do you remember how we used to teach topically and then in Nov we changed to stories? "Yes." the people responded.

"Do you want to go back to topical teaching? "No," they all shouted."

So, even though in Oct we sent a fledgling team of STS instructors that was still learning how to train others, God has greatly honored the STS way of telling and discussion of the stories recorded in His Word. These leaders ask their pastors to tell and teach a new story Sunday in their main churches, Then, during the week, their house church leaders tell and discuss the same story with their nearly 10,000 church members. [This leader shared his stats with us, showing that since October their rate of church growth rose by 50%.]

Fire of Revival: Afterwards this Mumbai leader wrote, “It was great [again] to receive ministry from your team. All the leaders who attended the STS Training are blessed immensely. The fire of revival has flooded every one of them. Regular practice and application is going on in a big way. By now more than 300 people are trained and twice in a month STS Trainings for down the line leaders is planned. All our Sunday Services and House Churches have switched over to STS method, which means regularly our whole congregation of 9000 plus is getting the taste the goodness of STS. There is great excitement all over.”

One gorgeous young Indian woman, a music leader in that church told me. “I’m not an evangelist or house church leader or anything, but since October I have been telling stories on the train. At first, I told Bible stories to just one believer who travels the route with me as we go to work. Then two lady commuters became believers, so now four of us tell stories (but everyone in the train car listens to us.)”

India STS Training Centers Established: Now in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Siliguri as well as Bangalore and Mysore, those interested in learning STS can come to be trained by Indian instructors.

STS Enters Closed County: A believer from Bhutan came to a workshop NE India run entirely by nationals. He wrote... “Simply the Story-imperatives for disciple making, the God Story Project, is new but effective tool for all the Bhutanese participants (remember all the participants were layman pastor and evangelist) and this will further encourage them to learn the stories and tell the others.”

Children Respond: Indian Pastor wrote this after our April trip and workshops. “Here all the evangelists meet 3600 childrens in this summer (85% are Hindu background) and told them different stories by following all our STS steps. there are 38 regular Sunday schools started through this result of STS model of telling the stories to childrens here. 22 Sunday school teachers are newly commited for the childrens ministry their testimony is "Simply The Story method is very easy and very much applicable to our childrens understand the truth with in the story. In this summer it was great movement among them. please continuely pray for them many more may come to the Lord.”

You’re Kidding! A Pastor’s Wife?: Evenings after workshops our India director leads attendees to the villages for “practical.” That first evening, by using the stories, 8 came to the Lord and the next night 4. In the workshop his wife was helping the attendees discover spiritual insights from the Blind Bartimaeus story. He wrote, “My wife said blind man left everything belongs to his old life (his blanket) when he wanted to get a new life. A pastor’s wife was started to weep in the group and then my wife asked what happen. Lady she said openly, ‘I did not leave many of my old life even though I am pastor's wife.’ Then everyone hugged her and prayed for her. and she accepted Jesus as her personal saviour and she felt very joy in her person life.”

American Amazed: This report came from a conservative American who knew oral strategy was needed, but had reservations at first on whether correct doctrine could be delivered and maintained through this STS inductive way of study and sharing Scripture. “I'm so excited to report a little bit of the results of the conference we did here. I go on Tuesdays with a pastor who we've been teaching Bible Stories to for several months  He gave them all an assignment to find 5

disciples that they could meet with weekly and share the same stories we've been teaching them in the same method. On the way there this week I told him that I expected only about half to have completed this assignment.

I was shocked when nine of the 12 showed up with lists of their new disciples. This group of 12 has found in one week 40 people who they are passing the stories along to. The other three promised that next week they'll each have their groups as well.”

Strange Honeymoon: Andrea plus Regina and Jim (MAF) just returned from leading a two 5-day workshops in Madrid and Barcelona, Spain. This was a new region for STS. One newly married couple shared how happy they were that God had led them to spend their honey moon in this storytelling workshop. “This is preparing us for our life of service together.” In Spain the team left behind good STS practitioners and some who are ready to train others.

For Such a Time as This: In just three days we leave for Africa. There 160 leaders from over 10 East African nations (as well as from South Africa and Nigeria) are converging in Nairobi to be trained in oral strategy. The 3-day African initiated MANI conference on orality is featuring STS. At least 1/4 of these attendees have experienced STS in either a workshop or a vision casting in this past year. We three instructors from the US are joining 22 Africans, already trained in STS, to lead this workshop. Afterwards, we host a 2nd smaller workshop expressly to train instructors. These county contingents are largely leaders of ministries (some heads of seminaries an Bible schools.) They, by God's grace, afterwards will go back to train others in their countries.

In August and September, workshops are scheduled for West Africa that should have attendees from 17 nations. We plan to go to Asia and Philippines in the Fall to share God’s Story and run STS workshops.

Thanks for your support, prayer and encouragement. Please do pray for the people and opportunities in this letter.

In His service, Dorothy A. Miller

Asia Trip Hyderabad Advantage of Heart Pocket

Prayer & Praise Report #2,  2008

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"Training Leaders to Reach Millions"

One more Simply The Story workshop completed; 60 more leaders trained! One pastor who attended mentors 550 pastors in Orissa state India. Last year, when our TGSP India team recorded two new versions of God’s Story for Orissa, this pastor who helped arrange those translation, was trained in STS along with 50 other pastors. The first-hand reports this pastor gave about the impact of God’s Story and STS were most exciting to hear. (His location in Orissa is where 200 of the 400 prisoners in a jail now meet in "cell" churches inside the jail. All this as a result of Bible stories told STS style! This Hyderabad India visit was our second 5-day workshop of this trip.

This workshop was held in an RC retreat center used for conventions. Wonderfully we were able to hand off some copies of God’s Story to some sisters and the mother superior. They, and their staff, were touched by the way the attendees and staff cared and treated them, so the response to the gift was very positive.

After the workshop in Hyderabad closed on Friday, we traveled an hour away to tell a story to 300 youth workers and children. God led the presentation. The organizer of this meeting was training 20,000 workers to lead ten days of VBS in May to 1,000,000 children! He loved STS and now wants the leaders who we just trained in Hyderabad to train his youth leaders in STS as a follow up to salvations and as on-going church planting strategy.

Then Sat, before leaving Hyderabad, we went to the offices of a very large mission organization (org name withheld for security) where I spoke for 2 hours to about 25 of their leaders and 15 leaders from other ministries. They caught the concept! These leaders plan to use God’s Story and to have their workers learn STS for discipleship. They work in almost every state in India. They, as well, can now be trained by those we just trained.

Today was our first full day in Mumbai (formerly Bombay). We had anticipated that Sunday would be a true day of rest in between workshops, but on the way from the airport Saturday evening the host announced, "We will pick you up for church at 8:30."

Then Sunday, at 10:15 am after songs and announcements in church, the host's wife turned to me and whispered, "You have until 12:30."

"I do? What does that mean?"

"Oh," she said, "Didn't my husband tell you? You are speaking today."

That's India!

Having stories in your "heart pocket" is so great. I named off three

stories I knew, but our host said they had told them already. Mercifully, I found two new to them. Whew! God carried the next two hours.

Before I spoke the host asked the 250 gathered, "Do you remember how we used to teach topically and then in Nov we changed to stories? "Yes." the people responded.

"Do you want to go back to topical teaching? "No," they all shouted."

So, even though in Oct we sent a fledgling team of STS instructors that was still learning how to train others, God has greatly honored the telling and discussion of the stories recorded in His Word. These leaders ask their pastors to tell and teach a new story Sunday in their main churches, then, during the week, their house church leaders tell and discuss the same story with the over 10,000 church members. This week we train 100 of these leaders how to train others. When we are done, then Mumbai will be another location in India, besides the ones in Hyderabad, Bangalore and Mysore, where those interested in learning STS can come to be trained. We want to try to free up our Indian TGSP director to enable him to focus on orchestration and recording of new God’s Story languages. He has 5 new languages now ready to record!

For now we live in a hotel on the edge of the slums. At 11:26 pm the sounds outside my window are loud and mixed from the many people crowded into very small spaces. The need is very great! Even the smells reveal the need. The darkness is everywhere, but as in the Bartimaeus story, when the blind call to Jesus, He responds and gives light.

Thanks for your prayers,

Dorothy

Asia Trip Nepal This is Crazy

Prayer & Praise Report #1,  2008

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“Surprised Attendees”

The encouraging 3-day Nepal workshop is completed. Some of the attendees want to come to our director’s’ home for further Bible study, if riots do not follow the elections.

We trained 68 pastors and church planters. Many came from very remote areas, enduring days of hard travel to get here. Below are just a few of the rewarding responses. (Not included are the spiritual responses to the stories as they were taught. Excited spontaneous testimonies of discoveries from the Bible stories were common. Then, at times the eager and verbal attendees suddenly went silent as conviction grabbed them.)

Testimonies: Same old same old..."I do not go to conferences but came here and didn't know why. Now I see. The Bible is opened up to me and I can now share with others. "

"When I heard the statistics of literacy in the USA, I suddenly realized that if it is that bad in the USA then here in Nepal is much lower. I must use this oral strategy to reach the lost."

(You will like this one.) "When I saw this big woman up front give such interesting action to the story I said to myself, "If she can do this then why can't I?'"

Workshop attendees share Bible stories with illiterate villagers like this Nepali lady who is

Pastor who attended workshop reaps fruit from use of teaching Bible through STS story style.

"I am over 25 woman who go out and evangelist woman who are not literate. I am going to teach them all to tell the stories in this way."

"My pastor told me to go to this conference. I said to myself, 'Go to a 3-day conference to learn to tell stories? That is crazy! How long does it take to tell a story? Now after three days I see the time went so fast I didn't even notice it because I was interested the whole time."

"I went home the first day and told a story to my children and they said, 'Mommy do this all the time!'"

"I am going use this by waiting until the Buddhist monks who walk around the temple get tired and stop to rest and then tell them stories."

"I will use in my church...youth.. in the field.. with children..etc."

"I was not reading very carefully and missed all of these treasures."

After every round all the storytellers came to me to share their view of what happened in the presentation. Every one reported that lives were impacted even as they the storytellers and questioners were nervous and struggled.

I asked many of them. "Do you know how to ride a bicycle? “Yes," each would respond.

"Do you remember the first time you ever rode a bike?" I would ask. Big smiles would come, and they would say things such as, "Oh yes. I fell and skinned my knee!"

"Now you ride a bike well from practice. Even though you are wobbly in your skills of STS. like you were wobbly on your bike, you made progress and already lives are being touched. It is the Word of God you are delivering and in time with practice you will become more skillful."

Blessed to be in God's service, Dorothy