Unleashing Babies Increases Pace
"If we go by this same speed and by the same strategies, how many years will it take to reach this nation (India)? It will take hundreds of years." Pastor Thomas told his team. There are 4,000 unreached villages in his state alone. Pastor Thomas wants to reach everyone but realized his current strategy isn't the fastest. He used to train people in Bible school for 4-6 years, then tell them to start a church. After 25 years Pastor Thomas is changing his strategy and moving toward Disciple Making Movements. He is training his church planters to equip new believers to make disciples. This training approach just started in July but we are already seeing its impact.
Read MoreEars To Hear
Jenni is one of Heaven’s Family’s national missionaries in Nepal. One day while she was traveling in the city of Pokhara, she saw a man gesturing with his hands to communicate. She had never known any deaf people, nor had she ever seen someone communicating in sign language. In Nepal, deaf people are generally marginalized.
Read MoreFrom Drug Addict to Missionary
If you followed David and me on our recent trip to India, you'll recall that we spoke of a man named Thomas (name changed for safety) who is working to plant 5,000 churches. This area in North India is less than 0.1% Christian. There is an anti-conversion law and the persecution is severe. But so far you have already helped Thomas plant 320 churches. Wait, make that 321.
Read MoreBut the Greatest of These Is Love
Two years ago, we got word that one of Heaven's Family's national missionaries in Pakistan, Fatima, was on the run. Some of her disciples had been kidnapped and her enemies were hot on her heels. We began to pray for her but didn't get an update. When people at my church asked if she was okay, I had to say that I didn't know.
Read MoreLost Inheritance
The second leg of our journey took us to a free state in India with no anti-conversion law. It is predominantly Hindu, so the Christians who live there still suffer persecution. Tapan (name changed) met us at the airport, and we had a short ride to his home. There was much less pollution than in Delhi.
Read MoreJesus Still Heals
Taking over the National Missionary Ministry at Heaven’s Family was a challenge for me. I'm very big on developing relationships, but now I have all these new partners I've never met. How do I tell their story? What vision has God given them for their nation and how can I communicate that to you? How can we best help without fully understanding their ministry context? My recent trip to India and Nepal has helped to answer these questions. But even more importantly, it gave me time to build relationships with these giants of the faith.
Read More