Bishop Noah Repents, July 2009

I love my job. I love it because I have the privilege of serving Someone who died for me. I love my job because I have the opportunity to serve very poor believers all over the world. And I love it because I have a chance to serve you.

I hope you understand that you are similarly blessed—for most of the same reasons. It is such a joy to help “the least of these” among our spiritual family around the world, and to know that you are making a significant impact. Although you may not be devoting your full time to that cause, a percentage of your daily work at your job, for which you are paid, then becomes a tangible blessing to people who live on less than two dollars a day. So every day you are also serving your brothers and sisters, whom you will meet in heaven, using the skills God has given you. They will thank you then. What a blessing this is!

I hope you enjoy this month’s reports from around the world. I’ve also included an article entitled, “Why We Do This,” that I think will bless you. Thanks for being an answer to the prayers of many.

— David

Kenyan bishop Noah Mulati

Bishop Noah Repents
The Books for Pastors Fund at Work in Kenya

One of the least-known—but most fruitful—outreaches of Heaven's Family is the distribution of our 500-page equipping manual, The Disciple-Making Minister, to pastors around the world. So far, TDMM has been translated into twenty-two languages. Recently, ten-thousand more copies were printed in East Africa, in English, Swahili and French.

One pastor in Kenya, Noah Mulati, has been greatly impacted by reading TDMM. Noah oversees about forty-five churches in his nation. In 2007 he was invited to attend a conference where a dear friend of Heaven's Family was teaching, pastor Teryl Hebert of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Teryl is not known for sugar-coating the truth, and pastor Noah was brought under so much conviction as Teryl spoke that he walked out of the conference. On his way out, however, the conference organizer gave him a copy of The Disciple-Making Minister, which was to be given to all the pastors who attended the conference. Noah was told, "Don't throw this book away!"

In his own words, here is what happened next:

What follows is history. I thank God for you and the way you have brought out the word of God with ease. Though I don't agree with everything in the book, but one thing I say is that the book has delivered a lot of us. I write this as a changed man. The face of our whole ministry changed. In your book the way you have explained and also after searching the Scriptures, I have repented to God for manipulating Gods people. Whatever we hear on TV is not Gods word. We thank God for you for opening the eyes of many.

I recently turned on TV and was so angry to see a preacher selling small bags of dirt at $50 saying that if you are believing God to buy land, just buy this small dirt in a bag that fits into your pocket and God will give you land. And he calls this prosperity. I sometimes cry for the things I did but I thank God for rescuing me.

I came back last year to get 300 more books of which I sent 180 to a bishop in Sierra Leone [West Africa] who I went to the same Bible School with and who has well received the books. The rest I gave to 50 of our leaders and to help our pastors in Zambia.

I am so thankful. The book has become a great manual in our hands. Again thanks. I will need a few more books to take to Northern parts of Kenya with me.

Thank you for helping us to equip literally tens of thousands of pastors around the world like Noah, who are often being fed the very worst of what American "Christianity" has to offer.

The Bigger Picture: It usually costs Heaven's Family anywhere from $1 to $3.50 to print one copy of The Disciple-Making Minister, depending on the country where the book is printed and the number of copies in the print run. With your help, so far we've printed 115,600 copies in twenty languages. Doors are wide open to print and distribute hundreds of thousands of additional copies around the world.

Isa Saves
The Muslim-Background Believers at Work

Blessed child: Her parents converted from Islam to Christ, and HF is helping relocate her and her family to safety.

"And peace was on me the day I was born, and peace will be on me the day I shall die, and the day I shall be raised up to life again." That was Jesus, son of Mary. This is a statement of the truth concerning which they entertain doubt. — Mohammed, as quoted in the Qur'an, Surah 19:33-34

In the Koran, Jesus is surprisingly mentioned many times, often as Isa. It states that He was a miracle-working prophet who was born of a virgin, who predicted His resurrection, and who will one day return to judge the earth. Yet in many Muslim nations, if a Muslim believes that Jesus is the Son of God and begins to follow Him, he has written his own death sentence.

Through gifts to Heaven's Family's Muslim-Background Believer's, we're helping Muslim families who have come to Christ relocate and begin their lives again, safe from those who would kill them if they discovered that they had become Christians.

In his best English (and with just a little editing), here is the testimony of one man whose family has recently been relocated with our help:

My name is — —--. I have spent thirty-one years of my life under the preaching and principles of Islam. I was renown as a Muslim, not by name, but by all religious practices like having fasts. In the month of Ramadan I used to go to Mosque for the call of Azzan for the call of prayer.

I didn’t hear the name of Jesus in these thirty-one years. Since childhood we were introduced about Prophet Essa who is known as Jesus in Christianity, who had the desire to come in the nation of Prophet Muhammad and for this he has to come again to be the follower of Prophet Muhammad....

One day I share my desire to my friend named Saleem. He took me to a Christian Baba. When we entered in his room the Christian Baba was reciting from the Holy Bible the verses from Gospel of Matthew from chapter 11 verse 28 “Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; ye shall find rest unto your souls.”

I heard this kind of verse first time in my life and I compare it with the preaching of Muhammad. He always ask others to pray for him. But Jesus said,” Come to me I will give you the peace.“ This verse change my life because it was the plan of Jesus for me.

I got Bible from my Christian fellow and start to read as soon as I finished readings of four gospels Matthew, Marks, Luke and John my belief become stronger.

Jesus said “I am the truth and way of life." Also I read about the miracles performed by Jesus Christ. No one rose from the death only Jesus did such miracles. Then my belief grew day by day. I don’t know which power was forcing me that Jesus gave his life for the sinners none of the prophets did such kind of miracles.

My mind and heart was satisfied and accept Bible is true word of God and Jesus is the son of God. Then I decided to become a Christian because it was clear to me that Jesus is the Savior. I told my brothers and sisters that now I am Christian. They started to beat me and threatened me that they will kill me. At last they take over my home and all the property belonged to my father’s inheritance. They took all my things and broke the blood relation. Then I was helpless.

After this I, my wife and children spent four and half month with brother —— in ——-. Now I have no proper job. I request to my Christian brothers and sisters help me to provide shelter and help that I could stand on my feet. I wish I could do my own job and serve the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Bigger Picture: Jesus told His disciples, "Whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next" (Matt. 10:23). Unfortunately, when many Muslims believe in Christ—putting their lives at risk—they don't have the resources to flee. This is the reason Muslim-Background Believers exists.

My Very Own Missionary
The National Missionary Fund at Work

An obvious future evangelist like his father: Jededdiah with his parents, Joseph and Par Dim of Myanmar. Joseph is not only an orphanage director, but also a national missionary who is making disciples, and whose ministry is supported by good folks in Colorado and Pennsylvania.

Long ago in Burma, Burmese kings would send their soldiers into the tribal areas to abduct young girls to be their concubines. The Chin tribe in particular, tired of losing their beloved daughters, came up with a solution. They tattooed their daughters' faces to make them unattractive potential concubines. Their strategy worked, and tattooed female faces eventually became fashionable among the Chin people, so that the tradition continued long after Burmese kings stopped raiding their villages. These days, however, the tradition has almost died, and only older women can be found adorned with permanently inked faces.

One such woman, whose photo is on the right, lives deep in the heart of Chin State. She traveled many miles to seek the prayers of Heaven's Family national missionary Chan Hmung, having suffered with stomach and uterine problems for a long time. Chan wrote to his sponsors in Texas saying, "Miraculously she was healed from her sickness and praised God. And she said, 'Jesus is my healer.' "

Every month, we're receiving good reports like that from around the world from ministers who are sponsored through Heaven's Family's National Missionary Sponsorship Program. Those reports are forwarded by email to their sponsors. To learn how you can sponsor your very own national missionary and share in his or her reward, see "The Bigger Picture" below.

Dedicated national church planters: Peter and Chin Chin Cung of Myanmar and John and Eunice Omondi of Kenya

National Missionary sponsors in Oregon, Florida, Texas and Wisconsin

Stephen's Smile is Back
The Orphan's Tear Special Gifts Fund at Work in Myanmar

Stephen Tun Win when his life was in danger from a growing infection

He can't remember his mother or his father. Both died when he was very young. He can only remember living in a Buddhist monastery. About three years ago, a monk brought him to Nazareth Orphanage in Shan State, Myanmar, where he is now dearly loved by the Christian family who took him in. I met Stephen for the first time last November. He was a very happy ten-year-old with a great smile.

Two months ago, however, the orphanage director sent us the above photo of Stephen, telling us that he needed surgery due to a serious infection that could result in his death if it was not treated. Stephen was in constant pain, and it really hurt when he smiled. We were blessed to send the $350 needed for his surgery from the Orphan's Tear Special Gifts Fund.

Stephen came through his operation with flying colors, and he is now back to his old self, as you can see in the photo below.

Responding to our questions about Stephen's problem, the director of Nazareth Orphanage, Mosez, wrote to us in his best English saying:

The cause of the swelling was not from an accident. It started from itching and developed into such swelling. Mostly or all these children when they arrived to this home they brought at least one kind of sickness, like Job came to us with dysentery, Noah with abnormal mentally, so on. I believe mainly because of malnutrition in their past life they were not feed properly. I can boldly say most of these orphans after arriving to this home they regain their health. So the case of Stephen was malnutrition now on he would be gaining his health. Thanks for your concerns. Yours in Christ, Mosez

Although twenty-six of the children at Nazareth Orphanage are sponsored, eight are not. Perhaps someone reading this will want to sponsor one of the unsponsored children. Please email Charity@OrphansTear.org if you are interested.

Stephen being visited in the hospital after surgery by Mosez, his orphanage director. And Stephen, smiling again.

The Bigger Picture: Through the Critical Medical Needs Fund, Heaven’s Familyprovides funding for ill and very poor members of our spiritual family around the world to receive needed medical attention. 100% of every gift to this fund is sent overseas.

Why We Do This
By David Servant

A young boy stands before his family's "house" after cyclone Nargis devastated southern Myanmar. Notice the difference between his house and your house.

What is the driving force behind the ministry of Heaven's Family? The answer is found in Scripture. It teaches us that when a person believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, he or she is spiritually reborn and becomes a "new creation" (2 Cor. 5:17). So dramatic is this change that Scripture compares it to dying and coming back to life, which is one reason why new Christians are baptized. Going under the water represents their burial, and coming out of the water represents their resurrection to a brand new life. Additionally, their new self has been washed clean by the Holy Spirit, symbolized by their "washing" in the water. They have not only been forgiven of their past sins, but they've also been given the Holy Spirit to empower them to live holy lives.

How do I know if I've truly been born again and am a new creation? How do I know if I've gone from the state of being spiritually dead to the state of being spiritually alive? The apostle John gives us an answer:

We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death (1 John 3:14).

Love is the litmus test. God places His love inside the hearts of the reborn (Rom. 5:5). That love, however, transcends warm feelings and a few handshakes at church services. It is a self-denying love, the love that Christ exemplified in His life and death. So John also wrote:

We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? (1 John 3:16-17).

At least one-half of our spiritual family around the world today lives on less than two dollars a day. Most have no opportunity to earn more money than that. Worse, some face extenuating circumstances beyond their deep poverty, such as persecution, handicaps, orphanhood, widowhood, civil war, natural disasters, sickness, unsafe drinking water, and more. We who possess "this world's goods," cannot close our hearts and claim that God's love abides in us. If we do, then we are goats, not sheep, and we need to be truly born again (see Matt. 25:31-46).

Heaven's Family exists as a love-link to our poor brothers and sisters around the world who need our help. The work of the Heaven's Family staff, now consisting of seven full-time employees, is to identify genuine needs, communicate those needs to you, meet those needs by means of your contributions, and then communicate to you how your compassion is making a difference. We are here to serve you as you serve "the least of these" among Jesus' family.

By giving a percentage of your income to poor members of your spiritual family, you are turning work hours at your daily job into a ministry whereby you are "laying down your life for the brethren." 100% of any amount contributed to any of Heaven's Family's many restricted funds is sent overseas to meet pressing needs within each fund's category. All administrative costs are paid through the general fund.

So why do we do this? Simply because we love Jesus, and so naturally (or perhaps it would be better to say "supernaturally"), we love His family, here, and around the world. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to serve you. Jesus is the force behind Heaven's Family. — David

Good TV
David Servant's Israel Teaching on DVD

Filmed in Galilee near the place that Jesus originally delivered His most famous sermon, these twenty-one teaching lessons through the Sermon on the Mount are great for group Bible studies, house churches, or personal devotions. Each half-hour teaching examines the heart of Jesus' challenging and life-changing message. Every episode also includes an interesting side trip to an historical biblical site in Israel.

There are a total of seven DVDs in an attractive case for $45 (including shipping within the U.S.). These identical teachings can be viewed in small-screen format on our website so you can "try before you buy." You can order the Sermon on the Mount 7-DVD set securely by credit card.

Parting Shot
Biker Orphanage Directors

At a farewell meeting with many of our orphanage directors last year in Myanmar, I couldn't resist lining up those who were wearing leather-looking jackets and posing them in front of this Honda. A few of them do own scooters, so I suppose they could be classed as Christian bikers!