Thursday, January 30, 2014

Prayer is Building God's Kingdom in Gujarat!



Meetings in yet-unfinished building

“Prayer is not a passive activity. Prayer alters us. It awakens us. Our eyes begin to notice beauty where we never noticed it before. Our hearts begin to feel compassion we never knew we had. Our priorities shift. As we talk to God, we receive the encouragement to live up to the potential inside us. Soon we start to see beyond ourselves into the world that is waiting for our help.”

Madhya Pradesh School of Evangelism (SOE) Director S____ F____ wrote eloquently about prayer because he and his students pray regularly.  Many of our SOEs hold prayer vigils—some fast and pray all night, lifting up not only their own needs, but those on ER’s Prayer Hotline.


Director F____ visits the construction site

Prayer is undergirding a very important new effort by the Director and his SOE. Sensing that God is opening a door, and having practical experience in evangelistic efforts, S___ and his team know that the people of Gujarat are hungry for God. Madhya Pradesh borders Gujarat, and the two neighboring states in India share languages, people groups, and customs. Many unreached people groups reside in the region, and millions of people have no witness for Christ among them.



S___ and his team hope to remedy that situation. They are constructing a building as a center for outreach, having already raised and spent nearly $30,000. In January of 2014, walls are going up, and meetings have already been held there which have been attended by hundreds of people. Not depending solely on foreign help, local church members from Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat are also giving sacrificially for this endeavor. Some are even donating sand to assist in the project.

Under construction is a church hall. The first floor is targeted for completion this year, with 2,880 square feet of meeting room. Six or seven rooms in the second phase of building will be set aside for SOE students to live, but when instruction begins in July they will likely be living in temporary quarters behind movable partitions. 30 students are expected. They will remain at the school for nine months, and upon graduation they will be launched into church planting ministries.

ER has already sent start-up funds for the SOE in the amount of $2,000. Upon receiving this provision, S___ wrote, While we certainly know the joy of giving, I must be honest and let you know there is a whole lot of joy in receiving too, especially a gift of this magnitude and thoughtfulness. Needless to say, our hearts are overjoyed and full of thanksgiving first of all to our Lord and Savior, and secondly to you for being obedient to the prompting he placed in your heart.”

He continued with this written prayer: Heavenly Father, You are the Lord and there is no other. You publicly proclaim bold promises;  we thank You for giving our leaders the vision to build.  Thank You for providing the resources for us to build.  Thank You, Father, for being a wall of fire and protection around all the families of ER and those involved in the construction of this new building. He also requested, Please hold us up to God when you pray that we may continue to be a blessing to those in need of the glorious gospel.”

He closed his e-mail simply, “Salutations, S___.”  Please pray with us, actively and not passively (in S___’s words), that God will answer the prayers of these precious people as they build God’s Kingdom in Gujarat. 

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Friday, January 17, 2014

Casting the Net for the Kaibartta



As you read the timeline below, perhaps you can begin to understand why we at Evangelism Resources are so excited about our endeavor to reach Unreached People Groups!  One such group adopted by ER is the Kaibartta tribe of India.  Read the text below to see how God is moving among them to reach them with the gospel!

June, 2013

The Kaibartta tribe of India is identified as an unreached, unengaged people group (UPG) within the sphere of influence of ER’s Schools of Evangelism. Research on the tribe is conducted on the Joshua Project website and a flyer is prepared to recruit prayer partners.

July, 2013

God stirs prayer for the Kaibartta tribe as people pick up the UPG flyers at the ER Board meeting and summer dinner events. Partners begin to pray for Great Commission outreach to the Kaibartta. Their prayers are heard by Almighty God!

September, 2013

The Director of the Odisha SOE reports that some of his students have already begun outreach among the Kaibartta.

October 11, 2013

Cyclone Phailin, a Category Five storm, slams into coastal Odisha, India. It greatly affects thousands from the Kaibartta tribe, coastal dwellers who rely on fishing as their primary occupation. Homes and belongings are swept away by widespread flooding, and many escape death with only the clothing on their backs. However, in spite of the ferocity of the storm, few lives are lost... “a miracle,” say some.

In Genesis 50:20, Joseph said to his brothers, “you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good.” Could the same be said of Cyclone Phailin? Could God bring good out of something apparently so evil?

October 12, 2013

The Odisha SOE and sponsoring organization Odisha Follow-Up (OFU) swing into action immediately. Students are trained and become active in disaster relief doing lifesaving, providing food and clean drinking water, and assisting government workers who use their campus as a staging ground for rescue operations.


November-December, 2013

The U.S. Kaibartta prayer team and ER donors respond to the plea for funds to assist in rebuilding the lives of the Kaibartta people. $17,000 is immediately sent to OFU for “buckets of love” with food and supplies which are given to the Kaibartta and other needy people in the region. As they provide material goods such as blankets and tarps, SOE students share the biblical account of Noah and the flood, and give encouragement about a loving God who is providing for their needs during this crisis. For some, this is the first time they have heard the gospel! OFU becomes known as a place where loving assistance is offered to rebuild homes and provide seeds and fertilizer for agricultural property stripped of topsoil, giving hope for a crop next year.

January, 2014

A cultural event, the “Sea Beach Festival,” is held in Odisha on January 14. Over 5,000 Kaibartta attend, and 200 of their leaders are present in a small meeting (because of concerns about persecution) where the SOE Director shared the gospel. ALL 200 PRAY THE SINNER’S PRAYER! 1,000 Bibles will be distributed through Kaibartta schools in the coming months. January 21-23, OFU plans to bring 200 house-church planters together including some Kaibartta, to give fresh orientation and evangelism strategy training. The Kaibartta are no longer unengaged, praise God!  Our Director and his team are engaging them! Pray with the Kaibartta team for ongoing efforts which will include sponsoring promising Kaibartta believers to Portable Bible Schools and Schools of Evangelism!

Would you like to adopt one of our thirteen Unreached People Groups?  Send us an e-mail at:  eroffice@qx.net.

Friday, January 10, 2014

Congo's Youth on Fire!



“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy…” Joel 2:28


A'sial Nyamuke
A’sial Nyamuke is one of ER’s longest-tenured School of Evangelism Directors, leading the school in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Consistent and persistent, Nyamuke is a giant of the faith in Congo, well respected by other believers. The DRC is the birthplace of Evangelism Resources, having been the nation where Willys and Thelma Braun faithfully served for decades as missionaries with the Christian & Missionary Alliance. The SOE founded by ER has endured and expanded its sphere of influence in spite of changes in government, poverty, and rampant violence, spreading the gospel of peace in a nation often torn by war. During one of the uprisings several years ago, his own niece was a civilian casualty, and we prayed for our brother as he grieved her death.
Elnathan (front) and Core Group
One of Nyamuke’s sons, Elnathan, has become a leader in the Great Commission Challenge Camp movement (GC3). Inspired and “fired up” after attending the March 12-14 Master Trainer’s Seminar in Côte d’Ivoire, he returned to the DRC and immediately assembled a team of seven youth to train for leadership in the movement, teaching the lessons of the Tentmaker’s Manual. His core group met September 1-4, and their hearts were inspired by their prayer and study of God’s Word with a vision to win not only Congo, but the world.

29 Mini-camp participants

A mini-camp was held October 12-13 in Kinshasa with 29 participants. The Spirit of the Lord was powerfully present. Elnathan wrote, “We thank the Lord for his presence at the mini-camp... After the lesson In Christ, there was a moment of depth that triggered an atmosphere of consecration and the Lord wrought cures on wounds of the heart. On Saturday morning after breakfast, the anointing of the Holy Spirit was again prevalent in the room and the simple prayer to prepare for the day turned into a time of intense prayer.

November Camp with 100+ participants!

Still the movement grows! An even larger camp was held November 26-29, with more than 100 participants from multiple churches and denominations. At this camp two Indian youth were expected, but complications with visas and passports prevented them from coming.  Undeterred, Elnathan and his team held the camp themselves. One of the remarkable outcomes from all the camps is the joy they share as they develop relationships, some of which may last a lifetime. Elnathan reported, These young people from the four corners of the city of Kinshasa, more than 20 different churches, spent four days in the peace and joy that only the Holy Spirit can communicate. At the end of camp, people no longer wanted to leave, exchanging phone numbers and addresses, etc.

Just today, Elnathan sent a report that reveals some of the good fruit from GC3. Currently he is responding to an avalanche of requests from churches to train their youth, and he’s discipling two groups every weekend. A Day of Evangelization was held in the DRC on December 15th.  

89 souls prayed to receive salvation in Christ and 12 prayed to rededicate their lives to Him!   

The Indian youth are still planning to come to the DRC (date as yet unknown), and yet another camp will be held to inspire youth with the challenge of the Great Commission.

Thank you for praying for GC3-Africa—rejoice with us for marvelous answers to prayer, and pray for more victories to come!