The following report was submitted to the ER home office by S_____ R_____, the WIN/AIDA National Director. This blog is lengthy, but worth the time to read!
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| WIN Director (l) and a new WIN-ner |
Praise
the Lord! WIN
is launched! The
vision has begun to be a reality!
WIN’s
orientation and launching took place on December 7-8 2013, in Nagpur, where the
zero mile of India is located. Twenty-five selected women, twenty-three from seventeen
states of India and two from Nepal, were invited to be WIN Coordinators in
their respective states.
Two
of the curriculum team led the sessions, along
with me. One woman joined us as a helper with one of the
delegates. A thorough explanation of WIN’s different structural and functional
elements helped them to understand its vision and mission and specifically
their responsibility as State Coordinators for WIN. The actual WIN program will
begin in their states with WIN Summits.
Each
one was excited, challenged and grateful to to God for choosing her for this
significant ministry among women. We, too, were amazed to see the result— the
impact of understanding WIN—on them. It was so quick and obvious that I felt
surely God was assembling all parts for accomplishing His purpose. It was He
who was uniting these women in the unity of the Spirit for being one in
carrying forward the vision of WIN which, as they too understood, is actually
the mission of the Great Commission.
These
women—who have now become WIN-ners—the WIN State Coordinators, are from
different denominations, both mainline and independent churches. Following is a
listing of the denominations represented:
Mainline:
1.
Church in North
India
2.
Disciples of
Christ
3.
Evangelical
Lutheran Church
4.
Brethren
5.
Methodist
6.
Assembly of God
7.
Baptist
Independent:
1.
Hallelujah Church
2.
Orissa People’s
Church
3.
Shiloh
Pentecostal Church
4.
Carmel
Pentecostal Church
5.
Assembly of Believers
Church, etc.
There
were many professions represented:
1.
Child Evangelist
and an Editor of Hindi Daily Bread
2.
Principal of a
government school
3.
Bible School
Teacher
4.
Doctor, M.B.B.S.
and M.D.
5.
Girls’ Hostel
Warden
6.
Manager of a Children’s
Home
7.
Nurse
8.
Prayer Warrior
9.
Pastor’s wife
10.
Housewife
etc.
They
were from different backgrounds/people groups:
1.
Brahmin
2.
Janjati
3.
Banjara
4.
Karbi
5.
Nadar
6.
Gond
7.
Muslim
8.
Scheduled Castes
9.
Damor
10.
Lepcha
11.
Bhutia
12.
Goala, Santhali,
etc.
Some
came sacrificially, facing various kinds of problems and difficulties:
1.
One left her
one-year-old suckling daughter with relatives, while her husband brought her
halfway and waited there for two days to take her back home.
2.
One was suffering
from severe back pain.
3.
One was under
much tension, as her teenage daughter was going through depression because of
exceptionally serious gynecological problems. She was also being pressured by
her son as they were facing difficulty paying his fees.
4.
One was sick with
a severe throat problem and fever.
5.
Three, who traveled
together, had only one berth in the train and could not rest well during their
overnight journey.
6.
One came with her
husband, since she was traveling such a long distance for the first time. Her
husband, who had no place to stay, was taken home by another participant’s
husband as they got introduced to each other at the railway station upon
arrival in Nagpur.
7.
For one, it was her
first time to travel by train so far. Her husband did not tell his parents about
her trip since they, as village people, would have objected.
8.
One traveled
alone for the first time, enduring much fear, and also had vertigo because of an
inner ear disturbance just two days before the trip.
9.
One came even though
her mother was very ill and was bedridden because of breaking her hip just a
week before the conference.
Even
in spite of all these diversities and difficulties, the response was the same –
the WIN vision was instilled in their souls. They expressed it using different
words:
1.
“I did not know
about the AIDA Women’s Impact Network program, but now I have come to know that
it is a very urgent work…so now I have a vision to carry out the WIN mission.” (Assam WIN Coordinator)
2.
“I am privileged
to be a part of WIN. This meeting made an impact on me to know the purpose of my
life for Christ. It also taught me to be a true disciple first and then
disciple others.” (Andhra Pradesh WIN
Coordinator)
3.
“I am proud to be
a WIN-ner and want to be a good mentor and build up this discipleship activity
regularly.” (Chhattisgarh WIN
Coordinator)
4.
“I have
understood the WIN vision very well. I will make true disciples and will be
associated with WIN-AIDA and will advance this mission as a network.” (Gujarat WIN Coordinator)
5.
“I had one more
opportunity for my self-evaluation, a chance for my renewal. With WIN I will do
my best for His kingdom.” (Jharkhand WIN
Coordinator)
6.
“I have been to
many kinds of meetings and orientations, but WIN is totally a new concept. I
will take it as a challenge to go to my state and win many women for Christ
through WIN.” (Karnataka WIN Coordinator)
7.
“Lord, we have
been doing so many things for You, but we did not make true disciples. Forgive
us. Help us to be slaves of others and win many to be Your true disciples.” (Maharashtra WIN Coordinator)”
8.
“Women under a
huge umbrella gives me a great joy. Yes, I am a WIN-ner and will win souls for
the extension of God’s kingdom.” (Orissa
WIN Coordinator)
9.
“I have learned
what the vision of WIN is and I am going to Punjab with this vision.” (Punjab WIN Coordinator)
10.
“I liked this WIN
because through this we can very well bring women into discipleship.” (Sikkim WIN Coordinator)
11.
“Now since I have
been attached to WIN, WIN’s vision is my vision.” (Uttar Pradesh WIN Coordinator)
12.
“I have
understood that I have to be a true disciple of Christ. I count it my privilege
to contribute my efforts for fulfilling the vision of WIN. I will be a true
disciple and will help others in becoming true disciples.” (Uttarakhand WIN Coordinator)
13.
“In the year
2010, I rededicated myself to the Lord and promised that by 2015 I would raise
100 spiritually-true disciples. I did
not know how I was going to do it, but now I know through WIN I can do it.” (West Bengal WIN Coordinator)
14.
“The WIN meeting
in Nagpur was a blessing to me. It impacted me so much that I got encouragement
to go, teach my people and make disciples. I will also share the same vision with
my fellow women in Nepal.” (Nepal WIN Coordinator)
Sunday,
December 8th was very special for us. Pastor (name withheld for security purposes: a Sikkim
WIN-ner) and I led the worship service. It became a unique experience. Though
we were not only from two nations but from different denominations, people
groups and languages, we worshipped the Lord in the unity of the Spirit.
Worship songs were sung in nine different languages by different participants.
We meditated on 1 Corinthians 3:9-15. Applying that to our responsibility in WIN
ministry—understanding that it is GOD’s work, a team work, with only one
foundation that is JESUS; knowing that it requires carefulness on our part how
we build; we dedicated ourselves for His
glory, to do the work by the grace He is going to give us.
Along
with the PowerPoint presentation and explanation, all were given in written
form WIN’s structural and functional details. It was used as a pledge form, “I understand …. I, therefore, pledge …”
There was a question and answer time for them to feel free to ask their queries
and discuss doubts. All these things served to strengthen their commitment to
the structure and system of WIN. As all signed the acceptance and filled out
the personal information form, all were declared WIN-ners, and WIN State Coordinators.
For
the launching ceremony, we handed each woman a card with the map of their
respective state with the WIN logo on it. They were asked to come in a costume that
represented their state or its people groups. Along with the Executive Director of AIDA, three ER School of Evangelism Directors were
present. (Names withheld for security purposes.) They graciously joined us to present the women with the map cards as a symbol
of official welcome as a State Coordinator of WIN.
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| One WIN-ner and the map of her state |
As
I was about to tell them what was going to happen, I was reminded by the Spirit
of the biblical record of the daughter of Pharoah handing over Moses to his own
mother. With this inspiration, I said, “Some
expositors say that when Pharaoh’s daughter said, ‘Take him….nurse him for Me,’
Jochebed actually heard the Lord saying to her, ‘Take him…nurse him for
me.’ Today, as we hand over to you your
state’s map with the WIN logo as a symbol of accepting WIN’s responsibility in
your state, ‘Take it’ as from God." There
was pin-drop silence, serenity in the whole hall. One by one they came forward;
we could feel in their comportment the awe of God’s presence as well as a gleam
in their eyes of receiving a marvelous opportunity.
Pray that they continue in that
experience and that God will prepare them for His purpose through WIN so that they
fulfill the responsibility of WIN Coordinators in their states, impacting other
WIN-ners for eternal life.
It
was not just a time of teaching and learning, or discussing and filling out
forms. It was a moment of experiencing WIN’s vision right in our souls, by
God’s own doing!
The
whole event reminded me of the beginning of AIDA. It was inaugurated as the
Decade of Advance North India (DANI) in January of 1999, in the presence of
Tata Dr. Willys Braun and Mama Thelma Braun, along with a team of friends and
supporters of ER. At that event my husband and I were just local hosts. This
time, by God’s grace, we were stewards of the WIN vision. As we thank God for
this privilege, we thank you and all ER-AIDA partners for their prayer support.
Several
things were similar in both launchings. As I have witnessed God’s grace on DANI,
and later on AIDA as it reproduced several fruitful ministries in the following
years, I am confident in Him that He who has begun WIN’s good work will
accomplish it for His glory, for His purpose, and according to His will.
Therefore thankfully I pray, “Thy will be done through WIN.”
Submitting
joyfully, rejoicing in Him,
(name withheld)
WIN-AIDA Director
