2012 • Vol. 60, No. 1 2012 • Vol. 60, No. 2

Message

Every NationEvery TongueA fledgling ministry reaches out to the deaf of Bogotá, Colombia

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Learning a game w ith arcane r u les a nd obsc u re ter ms was a challenge. But the f un of play ing w ith family and friends and the excitement of watch i ng sk i l led players battle on the pitch helped me to love the spor t of cr icket .

Living in Trinidad immersed me in the mania of West Indies cricket. I k new that I needed to learn the game and I am glad that I did.

A key skill in cricket is batting in partnership. Two batsmen on the pitch at the same time try to score as many runs as possible. While only one batsman is hitting the ball (“on strike”) at a time, both players must run to the other end of the pitch to score runs. The two players must work together to maximize the runs scored. Strateg y and communication are necessary for the success of a batting partnership.

Learning cricket taught me important things about missions, too. As in cricket, partnership is an essential skill to advancing the gospel. Cooperating with others y ields greater results than we could achieve on our ow n. Solomon reminds us in Ecclesiastes 4:9 that this is a w isdom principle. How much more should it be a gospel concept for us who love God and desire to see Him glorif ied among al l people groups.

Think about the value of partnerships in missions as you read the article about Adelphos Chile. Their far m in Cuba is f und ing pastors and m issionaries where it is difficult for foreigners to work. They are one of 19 global partners that A BW E Canada has. Through these partners, the seed that you plant is multiply ing ministr y around the world to the glor y of God.

Tim Bahula,ABWE Canada Director of Communications & Training

EDITORIAL

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Spring 2012 • Volume 60, Number 2

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Features

Every Nation, Every TongueA fledgling ministry reaches out to the deaf of Bogotá, Colombia

By Jenni Autry

[4]

Putting God FirstPolice chief surrenders all in Costa Rica

By Jenni Autry

[12]

Growing a MissionFarm leads to funds for missionaries

By Message Staff

ConnectionsGlimpses of God at work

By ABWE Missionaries

The Harvest is HereLatin American missionaries

enjoy fruits of their labor

By Dave Southwell

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CONTENTS

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Every NationEvery TongueBy Jenni Autry, Message EditorPhotos by Jay York

A fledgling ministry reaches out to the deaf of Bogotá, Colombia

Imagine trying to explain the concepts of mercy, redemption and grace with only hand gestures. That challenge became an everyday reality for Amanda Bloom when she committed to two years of missions work in Bogotá, Colombia, ministering to the city’s deaf population of 50,000.

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Amanda, 28, understands Bogotá’s deaf com-munity on a deeply personal level, as she is also hearing impaired. But her knowledge of Ameri-can Sign Language and talent for reading lips proved unhelpful when she landed on the mis-sion field about a year and a half ago.

“The deaf culture between the States and Colombia is so different that I had to relearn it,” Amanda said. “I became very dependent on sign language, but I had to first learn Colombi-an Sign Language because it was different than American Sign Language.”

Amanda communicates with the “hearing” through reading lips and hearing aids. She cur-rently uses an interpreter to translate and works with a speech therapist and Spanish tutor. Her ultimate goal in learning Spanish and work-ing with the speech therapist remains “getting through the communication barrier” — an all-important aspect of her ministry.

“This is my top challenge, but it also has taught me to be patient,” Amanda said. “Deaf minis-try is still fairly new. A lot of hearing people are not aware of the deaf community. But God commanded that all nations and all tongues be reached.”

Left: Amanda Bloom, 28, is serving as a short-term missionary to the deaf of Bogotá, Colombia. Top: Amanda teaches a sign language class. Bottom: Amanda studies Spanish flashcards.

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Committing to Ministry

Amanda acquired her passion for the mission field during a trip to Jamaica with her youth group in 1998. About three years later, she decided to commit her life to full-time mis-sions work.

“When I graduated from high school, God led me to Joshua 1:9, which says, ‘Have I not com-manded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.’ I held on to that verse because I did not like changes. It was a constant reminder that God is with me.”

After high school, Amanda studied at Tennes-see Temple University, where she majored in missions and participated in the sign language department. She attended Fantastic Saturday, a deaf missions organization that teaches sign language classes and trains hearing people to serve as interpreters in churches.

“Through Fantastic Saturday I learned about the need for people to reach the deaf around the world,” Amanda said. This realization spurred her to pursue working with the deaf as a missionary.

She learned that deaf churches are extreme-ly rare, even in North America. Out of 1 mil-lion U.S. Baptist churches, less than 200 cater to the deaf. In Bogotá, there are less than five deaf churches, none of which are Bible-based.

Two years after she graduated from Tennessee Temple, Amanda discovered an opportunity for deaf ministry in Bogotá while browsing for short-term missions work on ABWE’s website. A year later, she was helping to start a deaf min-istry from scratch.

From the Ground Up

Johnny and Susan Bolin, ABWE church plant-ers in Colombia since 1983, were introduced

Students in Amanda’s Colombian sign language class practice signing at Iglesia Bautista de Gethsemane in the Bogotá neighborhood of Castilla.

“Deaf ministry is still fairly new. A lot of hearing people are not aware of the deaf community. But God commanded that all nations and all tongues be reached.”

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to deaf ministry in 2008 when another mis-sionary stayed with them while teaching a sign language class.

“Johnny and I attended the class as onlookers, with about 25 Colombians attending,” Susan, 57, said. “As the class continued, I memorized and studied the signs. We were overwhelmed, because we knew we were only getting a tiny introduction into the deaf culture.”

As Susan continued to learn more about sign language — she took advanced classes that gave her more confidence — she quickly learned that ministering to Bogotá’s deaf is a delicate process.

“As a general rule, someone, usually a deaf person, has to help us reach out to a deaf person,” Susan said. “There is a large distrust of (those who can hear), not to mention a hearing foreigner with another ‘religion.’”

W hen a local grocer y chain started hiring deaf workers, Susan visited the store to practice her sign language. She invited the workers to

church, but most of them worked on Sundays. She continuously prayed that God would send her someone she could invite to church.

During the last week of her advanced sign language class, God answered her prayers. Two deaf men visited the class to talk about a telecommunications relay service that can help the hearing and deaf communicate. Prior to the class, the men asked in sign language if Susan was American and why she was in Colombia.

“With God’s help, I signed that I was a Baptist missionary and American,” Susan said. “They both broke out in huge grins. ‘Really?’ they asked. ‘We are Baptist also and are looking for a Baptist church.’”

Jorge and Omar visited the Bolins’ church the next Sunday and were over whelmed by the warm welcome they received from a congregation that had prayed for three years that God would bring deaf individuals through their doors.

“As I sat down with them and started sharing what the message was about, I realized how little I knew in Bible signs,” Susan said. “We got out a notebook and they patiently showed me the signs. That is where the real deaf ministry began in Bogotá.”

Jorge and his wife, Andrea, became the first deaf Colombians to join one of ABWE’s 17 churches in Bogotá.

Every NationEvery Tongue

Johnny and Susan Bolin have devoted much of their ministry to the deaf of Bogotá, Colombia, in recent years.

As I sat down with them and started sharing what the message was about, I realized how little I knew in Bible signs. We got out a notebook and they patiently showed me the signs. That is where the real deaf ministry began in Bogotá.

“ “

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Since the deaf ministry in Bogotá officially began in 2009, a few Colombian nationals have joined the effort to reach the deaf, and Amanda has also joined the team. But the size of Bogotá’s deaf population can be daunting when considering how few workers are on the field.

“The pastors of the fellowship of churches have been very supportive and prayerful of deaf ministry. Almost all of them would like to have an outreach to the deaf, but the lack of workers and interpreters prohibit our ability to help them,” Susan said.

Studies conducted by the Colombian govern-ment have estimated the country’s deaf popula-tion at around 2 million, making the deaf the largest minority language group in Colombia. Newer studies from Southern Baptist mission-aries estimate the deaf population at 4 million, with 50,000 residing in Bogotá.

Southern Baptist missionaries have minis-tered to the deaf along Colombia’s northern

coast for 15 years. After nearly two decades of ministry, deaf churches are slowly beginning to form in those areas. Bogotá, however, has not seen such successes.

“Various religious groups are currently work-ing with the deaf in Bogotá,” Susan said. “The ever-growing Jehovah’s Witness cult has reached out to large numbers of the deaf. The Catholic community is very protective of deaf within their parishes, making it difficult to present the gospel.”

ABWE’s fellowship of churches in Bogotá has reached out to about 20 deaf since 2009. Susan attributes these low numbers to numerous challenges that plague the deaf ministry every day.

“There is the very challenging work of being accepted in the deaf community; lack of trained interpreters to help a deaf person understand the teaching; financial limitations to pay for transportation; lack of education or

Above: The deaf ministry ministers through sign language to the hearing impaired at Valle de Tenjo Baptist Church outside Bogotá. Opposite page: A Station of the Cross at Monserrate.

“We rejoiced when Amanda contacted us because we felt God was answering our prayer in a very special way.”

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communication skills; fear of stepping out of the religion of the family; and, most impor-tantly, a lack of missionaries to the deaf and a lack of trained national deaf ministry work-ers,” Susan said.

A Blooming Ministry

Armed with the knowledge that Bogotá need-ed more deaf ministry workers to reach the population, Susan posted a plea for assistance on ABWE’s website. Amanda answered the call for help shortly thereafter.

“We rejoiced when Amanda contacted us because we felt God was answering our prayer in a very special way,” Susan said. “We sensed God had given her many talents and abilities to be used in the deaf ministry here.”

The Bolins left Colombia for home ministries for six months, which overlapped Amanda’s arrival in Bogotá. When they returned, Susan found Amanda already immersed in evangeliz-ing and training deaf ministry workers.

“Tremendous cultural boundaries, language barriers and safety issues for a single mission-ary would exhaust even a prepared and trained career missionary, but Amanda continues to make strides and inroads to the deaf commu-nity,” Susan said. “Frustrations abound, but she hasn’t given up.”

Signing the Gospel

Many of Bogotá’s deaf have limited-to-no knowledge of Colombian Sign Language, mak-ing evangelism a daunting task. A very small per-centage of the deaf population can sign f luent-ly, and an even smaller percentage are educated beyond high school, Susan said.

These communication barriers led Susan and Amanda to rely heavily on visual representations of the gospel. The deaf ministry often presents

Bible stories through drama presentations; DVDs that explain the gospel through sign lan-guage; and the EvangeCube, a block that unfolds to tell the salvation story through pictures.

“Only a few of the deaf can read and under-stand parts of a Bible verse,” Susan said. “Almost always, they stop to ask what a word means. Some of the signs for biblical concepts, such as justification or substitution, show a beautiful picture of the Word.”

Amanda enjoys using one-on-one Bible studies to minister to the deaf, teaching stories through sign language and using pictures to help repre-sent the story. Her only group Bible study for the deaf is held monthly at a church in Tenjo, a town near Bogotá.

Every NationEvery Tongue

“ “Only a few of the deaf can read and understand parts of a Bible verse. Almost always, they stop to ask what a word means.

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“The deaf have been very receptive to Bible studies. They are searching for the truth,” Amanda said. “They are being exposed to so many different religions, so they are confused about what to believe. By taking them to the Bible and using pictures to answer their ques-tions — step-by-step, from beginning to end — they come to know the saving grace of Jesus Christ.”

Trapped No Longer

Three of the 17 established ABWE church-es in Bogotá now have ministries to the deaf. Amanda and Susan continue to organize out-reaches to the deaf, all of which have been well received. But one outreach in particular stands out to Amanda.

After months of preparation and prayer, nine deaf people came to a Bible workshop in Tenjo. A couple from another mission board

performed a reenactment of Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000 and gave an invitation for salvation at the end.

“A young woman named Johana sat in the back crying while her friend, Paola, tried to comfort her,” Amanda said. “I grabbed my EvangeCube and took her and Paola to anoth-er room. In her limited signing vocabularies, Johana told me her story and how she needed relief from it. From what I understood, she was at the end of her rope. She was desperate for answers.”

When Amanda asked why she was crying, Johana, 22, tearfully explained that she had been raped, impregnated and forced to abort her baby. Amanda hugged and comforted Johana as she continued to cry. Finally, Johana asked, “What can I do? I’m trapped.”

Amanda used the EvangeCube to explain that Johana could have freedom from this burden because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. When Amanda asked Johana if she wanted to accept Christ as her Savior, Johana closed her eyes and began to ask Jesus to be Lord of her life through sign language.

Paola also wanted to accept Christ after wit-nessing the emotional exchange. That life-changing Bible workshop sparked a wonder-ful friendship between Johana and Amanda. The two continue to see each other at month-ly Bible studies, where Johana revels in what Amanda teaches her about God’s goodness and love.

“Watching her try to grasp who God is and drinking it all in has been an awesome expe-rience. I feel like I have a little sister and want to teach her all I know,” Amanda said. “Her eyes light up when she learns that God is with

Johana found Christ while attending a Bible workshop for the hearing impaired in Tenjo.

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her in her home, on the street, on the bus or wherever she is.”

Surrendering All

Johana’s story is just one example of how God is blessing the f ledgling deaf ministry in Bogo-tá. Although Amanda will return to the U.S. in several months after her two years of service are complete, she has decided to go back to Colombia as a career missionary to the deaf.

While making the decision to commit her life to career service, Amanda came across Romans 15:20-21 in her daily devotional: “And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man’s foundation, but as it is written: ‘To whom He was not announced, they shall see; And those who have not heard shall understand.’”

“God kept those verses in front of me. The Bible studies in Tenjo also helped me make the decision,” Amanda said. “They had never

heard the gospel of hope. In teaching them God’s Word, they saw and understood that Christ died for them and wanted to give them eternal life. Many more deaf people still need to see the hope that the deaf in Tenjo saw.”

As Amanda returns home to start the process of becoming a career missionary to Bogotá, Susan will continue to reach out to the deaf through a growing ministry that has “opened a whole new world” for her.

“My soul is stirred to think that many will literally never hear the gospel because of their deafness,” Susan said. “When I share the Word of God with a deaf person and see a glimmer of understanding in their face, I rejoice that I can communicate in a limited way God’s love for them. And when they understand it, it is like a f lood of joy and relief f lows over their soul to know that God loves them.”

Left: Susan Bolin signs after a church service outside Bogotá. Right: Amanda, right, gives Johana a hug. “I feel like I have a little sister and want to teach her all I know,” Amanda said.

Every NationEvery Tongue

“ “When I share the Word of God with a deaf person and see a glimmer of understanding in their face, I rejoice that I can communicate in a limited way God’s love for them.

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Chief D clung desperately to the end of his rope, grasping at what little remained of a frac-tured relationship with his wife and children. As the leader of a 600-officer police force in Costa Rica, Chief D knew he had placed his own ambitions above the needs of his family. Now he faced the consequences brought on by years of neglect.

As he realized the desperate nature of his situation, Chief D remembered a TACTICA Ministries training outreach he had attended several weeks earlier. TACTICA — Teaching Authorities Christian Truth in Central Amer-ica — seeks to reach out to law enforcement officials through police training, evangelism and discipleship.

Putting God First Police chief surrenders all in Costa Rica

By Jenni Autry, Message Editor

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iStockPhoto.com

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In crisis, Chief D scrolled through the numbers in a cell phone packed with contact information for the city’s most inf luential leaders. He could only find one person to call: TACTICA Director Ryan Rought.

From Death to Life

Chief D met with Ryan at a local restaurant, along with Ryan’s wife, Gretchen, and two Christian police officers. They listened as Chief D “poured out his heart” and answered many questions about his marriage and relationship with his children.

“After over an hour of listening to his story, I told Chief D that it would be easy to give him a self-help marriage book or a quick five-step plan to win back the hearts of his children, but this would only be a temporary fix to a much deeper issue,” Ryan said.

Ryan walked Chief D through the story of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, explaining that God calls on every person to repent of his sins and ask Christ to be his Savior.

“In a very crowded public restaurant with huge tears streaming down his face, a broken and repentant man bowed a knee to the King of Kings and passed from death to life,” Ryan said.

A month later, Chief D prepared to be baptized at the conclusion of a TACTICA police-training evangelism course with more than 100 officers in attendance. Before the baptism, Chief D told Ryan he wanted to be baptized first.

Ryan soon found out why. When Chief D’s name was called, he entered the swimming pool in full dress uniform, wearing every award,

medal and achievement he had earned in his police career.

“Chief D shared with the crowd that he chose to be baptized in his uniform to demonstrate that Jesus was Lord over every component of his life, including his police career,” Ryan said. “He then told the officers how he had used them, betrayed them and backstabbed them over the years — all to benefit himself. Then, with a deep breath and a crackling voice, the chief asked his family and his officers for their forgiveness.”

Chief D publicly dedicated his life and his leadership over to the Lord. God was now going to be number one in his police force.

Overcoming Obstacles

Chief D’s story is just one example of how TACTICA is successfully ministering to law enforcement officials in Costa Rica. Ryan and his team have fine-tuned their strategy after years on the field, where they quickly learned that evangelizing police officers and other authorities comes with its own unique challenges.

One of TACTICA’s greatest obstacles remains the difficult work schedules of police officers. Many officers work 12-hour shifts on a rotation or six 14-hour shifts each week, which leads to extreme exhaustion. Officers also work nearly every weekend at city events.

“The enemy certainly has filled the weekend schedule with what many would say are ‘good things,’ but they are things that the enemy uses to keep people from a regular church commitment,” Ryan said. “Concerts, bicycle

iStockPhoto.com

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Fo

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and running races, parades, art exhibits and soccer games take place throughout the year. Consequently, nearly every Sunday morning a large group of officers must provide traffic control and security.”

Rather than discourage the TACTICA team, these scheduling challenges have encouraged the missionaries to be more creative. Ryan offers the same Bible study throughout the week at different times, enabling officers to attend on their day off.

“The other important side to the solution is that we have turned our home into an open-door ministry center, creating a refuge for officers to come, rest, visit, talk, eat and receive counsel,” Ryan said.

Growth and Expansion

While the police officers’ taxing schedules have taught Ryan to be f lexible, the TACTICA team knows it must be unmoving and stand firm when it comes to the truth of God’s Word.

“The only thing that doesn’t change is God’s Word. This is the standard and authority that we will never change and will never be compromised,” Ryan said.

Thanks to the Lord’s provision, the ministry is growing quickly, with the McGinnis family joining the Roughts on the field as TACTICA missionaries last year. Two more missionary couples and one single missionary are currently raising their support to come and minister in Costa Rica.

In addition to the blooming ministry in Costa Rica, Ryan has identified promising opportunities for TACTICA-type ministries in other countries around the world. As Ryan and his team prepare for how and where the ministry will expand next, they trust that God will continue to radically change the lives of law enforcement officials wherever they go.

“We have been privileged to witness the salvation of many police officers, along with their wives and their children,” Ryan said. “Pray that we would have tremendous wisdom in our decisions, counseling and handling of the ministry God has entrusted to us.”

He then told the officers how he

had used them, betrayed them and

backstabbed them over the years

— all to benefit himself. Then, with

a deep breath and a crackling voice,

the chief asked his family and his

officers for their forgiveness.

“ “

Fo

rgiv

en

ess

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“ “

Age Rate

70 5.1%

80 6.8%

90 9.0%

By Message Staff

When it comes to providing funding for its ministries, Adelphos Chile is getting cre-ative. The Chilean missions agency, which is affiliated with ABWE’s Global Access Partnerships, opened a working farm in Cuba last year, with all proceeds going to support Cuban pastors and missionaries.

Julio Fredes, Adelphos Chile’s director of Cuban ministries, said the idea of using a farm to support pastors and missionaries came to him when he read a magazine arti-cle on a bee project that funded missionary needs.

“This became a burden on my heart,” Julio said. “I spoke with a Cuban pastor, asking him about the possibility of buy-ing a farm that would be able to gener-ate funds and help the missionary work in Cuba. He told me that it would be pos-sible, so we developed the farm project in Cuba. God has already provided finan-cially for this project through many sup-porting churches.”

Four workers currently tend to the farm, which grows corn, plantains, beans and rice. The farm also houses six cows, two horses, 10 pigs, six bulls and 30 chickens.

“We are slowly looking for tools, seeds and other things that will allow us to move for-ward in supporting missions,” Julio said.

Growing a MissionFarm leads to funds for missionaries

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“Over the next two years the goal is to generate enough funding to support Cuban missionaries who can plant churches where there are none, as well as support mission-aries in other countries.”

While the farm has only been in existence for a year, the workers are already seeing the fruits of their labor. The first crop of fruits and vegetables was harvested last spring, and the first litter of baby pigs was born last fall.

That f irst crop sale enabled Adelphos Chile to begin supporting its first mission-ary in Liberia. Julio hopes the farm’s efforts will lead to funding for many more pastors and missionaries in the future.

While Julio knows he needs more financial support to fulfill his vision for the farm — like adding a pig barn, an irrigation system and cabins to house missionaries in training — he has also seen God’s provision, which gives him hope for the future.

“The Cuban pastor who helped us with the farm planted a watermelon seed. He did it to see what would happen,” Julio said. “The harvest time came and the fruit was 100 watermelons from one seed. It reminded me that in the Promised Land, the Isra-elites planted fruit that resulted in many blessings.”

“Over the next two years the goal is to generate enough funding to support Cuban missionaries who can plant churches where there are none, as well as support missionaries in other countries.”

>>

through ABWE’s stories from around the world.<Connect With Us>

<NICARAGUA> Praying for Pedro

Pedro, left, stands with Pastor Luis.

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63%percent of Americans would visit church if a friend or neighbor invited them

Lifeway Research, 2009

Have you invited a friend or neighbor to church? Join the discussion on Facebook <<<www.facebook.com/abweministries

“I want you to meet Pedro. He’s the town thief,” said my church-planting friend Luis the last time I went out to visit him. I knew he’d have another story for me since it is never boring out in the town where he is working.

“Okay, fine.” I said, wondering if I’d have to hide my wallet. I’d always heard of the town drunk, but I wasn’t familiar with the town thief.

“Pedro usually steals pineapples and other fruit,” Luis said.

Well, that sounded harmless enough.

“But when Pedro steals pineapples, he steals 100 to 200 at a time out of the fields,” Luis said.

Well, in that little farming community that would just about wipe out a farmer’s whole crop. Pedro has been taking things ever since he was a little boy. In fact, when he was 11 years old he was shot in the hip and seriously wounded while stealing.

When I saw Pedro, now in his early 30s, it was easy to see he still walks with a severe limp.

Luis has been witnessing to Pedro since December, and slowly Pedro’s behavior is changing. The whole town has noticed the change.

We went to Pedro’s house to encourage him and pray with him, because only the week before he had finally made a decision to trust Christ as his personal Savior.

Pedro has tried many, many times to stop stealing. Even a bullet couldn’t stop him. But now the transform-ing power of Christ is helping him make that change.

Would you please pray for Pedro — and many more new believers like him in our church plants throughout Nicaragua — that he will be able to make the complete transformation by the work of the Holy Spirit?

A whole community is watching, and the testimony of Jesus Christ is at stake.— Diane and Mark Henzler, ABWE missionaries to Nicaragua

Connections { {

<SOUTH AFRICA> The Last 2 PercentI gave a testimony at a Saturday brunch that I was going to take a step of faith and buy a ticket to return to the field from furlough when I reached 98 percent of my support. I only needed $40 to reach that point. While I was listening to the other missionaries share, my cell phone buzzed that I had a voice message. It was from friends who wanted me to know that they had just signed up on the ABWE web page to support me for $20 a month. At the end of the testimonies, I shared this news with the people. A few seconds later a couple from the church came up to me and said, “Sue, go buy that ticket because we are taking the other $20!” On Sunday morning the church presented me with a check to purchase the ticket.

— Sue Lodico, ABWE missionary to South Africa

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<NICARAGUA> Praying for Pedro

Bible BreakdownA glance at trends among regular Bible readers in the U.S.

1/3 of American adults

read the Bible every day

3.6 — number of Bibles owned by Bible readers

80% use only one Bibletranslation

50% read various religious magazines

42% read the Bible as part of a small group Bible study or prayer group

19

Information from LifeWay Research, 2012

“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

Sue Lodico

63%percent of Americans would visit church if a friend or neighbor invited them

Lifeway Research, 2009

Have you invited a friend or neighbor to church? Join the discussion on Facebook <<<www.facebook.com/abweministries

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<TOGO> The Windows of HeavenAt the end of a church service in Kpetegan, Togo, five men stood at the front of the church and shared how they had accepted Christ as their personal Savior. At the end of these testimonies, Pastor Martouka asked for several of us to come to the front. He had the five men kneel and the rest of us held hands and formed a circle around them, praying that God would truly change these men’s lives. I stood there, holding hands with two Togolese — the only white person in the circle — feeling like my heart was about to burst with joy! I don’t think I have ever been in a similar situation where I just had such a sense that the windows of heaven were open — that God was looking at what was happening in that little village and smiling.

— Sharon Rahilly, ABWE missionary to Togo, Africa

Five men accepted Christ after this church service in Kpetegan, Togo.

Facebook FactsWe asked. You answered.

If you could go anywhere in

the world on a missions trip,

where would you go?

27% Africa

23% Costa Rica

19% Papua New Guinea

18% Southeast Asia

13% Australia

What is your favorite praise

and worship song?

“White Flag” — Josh O.

“Amazing Love” — Beverly K.

“Jesus Messiah” — Gary C.

“At Calvary” — Mark R.

“Hosanna” — Renee S.

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<SOUTHEAST ASIA> Bringing the Gospel to the MrusThe Mru people of Southeast Asia live on the edges of civilization. In 2007 the bamboo in this region bloomed, a phenomenon that cycles every 50 to 70 years. The resulting fruit attracted large numbers of rodents; when the rodents were finished with the bamboo they decimated the rice crops. The Mrus were starving.

Concerned Christian neighbors helped to meet their physical needs, opening up doors for further sharing of thoughts and ideas. Our Mru evangelists were able to make contacts and eventually they invited a medical team to come and provide clin-ics and village midwife teaching. People showed interest in the gospel, some came to Christ and churches were born. But how were we to provide teaching and discipleship to a largely illiterate popula-tion with no trained pastors?

Many years ago, some initial work was done on translating the book of Luke in Mru. However, because their own people group didn’t translate it, it was difficult for the Mrus to understand. Mru believers

went to work on an audio recording of the book of Luke, and also formed a singing group to provide Christian music. A pastor prepared a sermon that covered creation to Revelation with a strong gospel message.

All of these recordings were installed on audio players and are currently being distributed to Mru villages by our national evangelists. This happened just in time, it seems, because the doors are once again shut to foreigners traveling in these remote regions. Just as that bamboo flowered, we pray for God’s Word to flourish and bring forth fruit in the lives of lost Mrus.

— H F, ABWE missionary to Southeast Asia

6,938number of unreached

people groups

2.81 billion

number of Christians worldwide

(Joshua Project 2012, Pew Forum 2011)

6,900number of languages

spoken around the world

UNREACHED

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the

Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19

The Mru people are hearing the gospel in their own language.

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the Harvest is here

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Growing up, our family had an enormous garden. It was a lot of work for us all in tilling the soil, planting the seeds and watering the young sprouts. But slicing those big red homegrown tomatoes and sinking our teeth into ripened sweet corn was worth the work and the wait.

Paul used that same word picture in writing to the Corinthian church; Paul had plant-ed the gospel seed and Apollos had watered it. Perhaps they often wondered if God was going to make it grow — but He did, and it was worth the work and the wait. Harvest time for gardeners and for those doing God’s work is worth both the work and the wait.

By Dave SouthwellABWE Area Director of Latin America and the Caribbean

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I am sure many missionaries of 40, 50 or even 100 years ago to Latin America and the Caribbean longed to taste the fruits of the harvest. In the early years of planting and watering the gospel seed in that region, many missionaries were spat upon, hung in effigy, run out of towns and villages, and even martyred. But it is now “harvest time,” as God is causing great growth to occur.

ABWE has been working in South Amer-ica since 1939. Its missionaries serve in 13 countries in a variety of locations, cultures and people groups. The story of Amanda Bloom’s work in Colombia and what God is doing there through a person dedicated to Him is exciting — He is giving a spiri-tual harvest. Rather than seeing herself as unable, Amanda sees herself as uniquely prepared by God to reach other hearing-impaired people for Christ. The ground-work laid by ABWE missionaries over the years in both church planting and leader-ship training in Colombia has resulted in a solid base of churches that have begun to reproduce themselves in and around the city of Bogotá.

The TACTICA ministry in Costa Rica is relatively new, but it is reaping a tremendous harvest among law enforcement officers there. The ministry is now poised to reach out to other countries of the region to plant, water and harvest among an oft-neglected people group. These stories illustrate how God is using ABWE personnel in His work in South and Central America.

Years ago, ABWE missionaries learned they are not alone in this endeavor; they learned the resource for reaching the world is in the harvest. Missiologists have told us that the next great sending region for missions is Latin America. The outreach of Chileans into Cuba is one illustration of how God is now working not only “in” our region, but also “from” our region. Stories of Brazilians reaching into East Timor and Peruvians into India are not just a dream, but a reality.

Author John Ortberg explains the concept of joining our efforts with where the Holy Spirit is working with an illustration from sailing: “Where’s the wind blowing? How should I set the sails?” No one would spend the effort to plant and water a garden and then walk away at harvest time. I hope this Message issue encourages and challenges us all to “set our sails” for the harvest in Latin America.

Historical image of ABWE missionaries in Brazil.

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