INTERNATIONAL UPDATE JULY 2008OM InternationalBy Peter Maiden, International CoordinatorDear partners in prayer, Greetings again in our Lord Jesus. So much can happen in one month, as you will see. Thank you for partnering with us to impact people around the world. emerging mission movementsZimbabwe: All NGOs have been ordered to cease operations. We have closed the day care centre in Banket and the mobile clinic in Siabuwa. Those distributing food aid are no longer permitted to continue. Millions of people in rural areas are dependent on aid after a failed harvest. We have not been forbidden from preaching the gospel, but may not help any needy person nor meet in groups larger than fifteen. The team began a 21-day Daniel fast to worship and praise God daily, to repent of our own sin, that of the church in Zimbabwe and of the nation. It is he who will judge and heal our land, not we ourselves by our own efforts. Please pray for:
Ecuador: The OM team runs a two-month cross-cultural mission school combining classroom training with practical evangelism. The goal is to equip Andean Region Latinos to serve God in missions; of the 50 trainees to date, approximately half are now serving locally or overseas. The Challenge into Missions Global Action program is open to international singles aged 18–35 with conversational proficiency in Spanish who are considering longer-term missions service (not necessarily in Ecuador). Internationals not fluent in Spanish are welcome to join the practical phase involving friendship evangelism, creative ministries and community development in a rural area. South African Darren van Rensburg leads a team weekly to an island in the Guayas River, populated by 200 destitute people. Over the last several years teams have built showers and toilets, a playground for children, and a simple restaurant as an income-generating project. A number of people on Santay Island have come to faith. The team is hoping that a local church will take the lead in establishing a permanent fellowship. South Africa: Following recent xenophobic attacks on immigrant Africans, OM is extending care to those moved from informal settlements to displaced-persons camps. OM acts as a collecting point for food, clothes, and blankets for a camp where about 2,000 displaced people reside. Arrangements have been made with three shopping centres for food donations to be collected. One staff member coordinates volunteers at the camp. National Director Peter Tarantal has discussed with seven denominational leaders how to collectively engage with the government to make the plight of the poor a higher priority. Peter recently led a delegation of Christian leaders to the Ugandan and Zimbabwean embassies to repent on behalf of South Africans and was well received. Further visits are being made to the consulates of Rwanda and Mozambique. Please pray for OM’s outreach to people in the camps and opportunities to share the Gospel. Pray for wisdom for Peter and the church leaders as they discuss the situation with the government. Nepal: Two hundred Nepali Christians took apart in the winter outreach that ended in April. Twenty-two teams reached into 19 districts of far and mid-West Nepal before returning for a conference. Thirty teams continued the outreach. Many pastors testified to the spiritual reality in OM’s ministry; young people were eager to learn creative ways of evangelism. Teams grasped every opportunity in markets and public places. relief & developmentPeru: In May, a seven-member medical team from the USA ministered for one week to 750 men, women and children in Chincha, a town devastated by a 2007 earthquake that left over two thousand dead and thousands injured. Laura relates, “You could see the earthquake damage everywhere. Locals had run out of space in the cemetery. So many illnesses reflected their brokenness. People cried as they talked about losses and pain, anxiety and depression. They needed the healing touch of Jesus. Around 250 people gave their lives to Christ. The church hosting the clinic was so grateful that we came to care for their community. Church members were ready to visit and follow-up each person who made a decision for the Lord.” If you are interested in joining such an outreach as either medical or non-medical support, please get in touch with: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Myanmar: Cyclone Nargis relief. Although foreigners are not able to go into the Delta area, nationals continue to visit villages, bringing food and basic supplies. One village in the worst-affected area lost over 700 residents, leaving just 100 behind. The survivors are stranded and totally dependent on donations. Travel takes three hours by boat from the port town. In many villages people are crowded into inadequate housing. Teams donated tarpaulins as temporary roofing against the elements. “They had received nothing until we came,” said one of the team. The team returned to an area they had visited, and took rice, cooking oil, tinned fish, fish paste, and noodles for over 250 families. Many had come from surrounding villages and requested the team to visit their villages in future trips. These relief trips have given rise to many discussions about God and His love. pioneering initiativesNepal: 75,000 Nepalis are HIV-positive; by 2010 there may be one million cases (UNAIDS). Those suffering from AIDS are often abandoned and destitute. AIDSLink Nepal helps them to access medical treatment, takes them to hospital, lobbies on their behalf and counsels family members. People infected by HIV need not only the spoken love of Christ, but also the touch of Christ. Some are beginning to find hope. Pray for the ministry and impact of AIDSLink Nepal as they plan for a care centre and outreach, and that people will respond to God’s call to support this ministry. Hungary: The baseball season is under way, providing many opportunities for teams to be light and salt. Terry Lingenhoel and his team of coaches share their lives with local players in Erd. Terry has been asked to help coach the Hungarian National Youth baseball team and take them to the European championships at the end of August. Praise the Lord for privilege and opportunity to minister to the Hungarian baseball community. Pray for continued relationships within the wider sports community. Italy: From 13–23 June, OM partnered with Torre Pellice’s local churches to host Ultimate and Flag football events for families in the mornings, special fitness activities for mothers and children in the afternoons, and evening football matches and a barbeque. Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) provided professional coaches and high school girls to teach the games and visit a children’s home and elderly home. From 25 June–1 July, high school students from all across Italy took part in the first-ever Italian Sports Summer Christian Camp. In partnership with FCA, who supplied teaching material, graphics and coaching staff, teens played sports while being challenged to be real in their walk with Jesus. europeRomania: OM’s Bus4Life (B4L) is a well-equipped mobile bookshop, IT service and evangelistic medium serving 21 churches in 10 locations in recent months. At a Christian publishers’ conference in Oradea, staff sold over 550 books and raised 350 Euros for India’s Dalit ministry. Over 2,500 visitors enjoyed coffee or tea, played ping-pong and basketball, had their blood sugar level and pressure checked, and bought quality Christian literature. Children played games with volunteers, who also carried out questionnaires and gathered contact info for follow-up. Enthused one church elder, “Through Bus4Life we brought the Church to the people—something we should have done long ago!” Pray for follow-up, continued finances and staff for this effective ministry. Belgium: OM hosts Hope Brussels June 27–July 11, providing churches with resources, assisting in organized activities and exposing Christians to outreach with different religious groups by building bridges through music, drama and friendship. “There is a great void in our city,” says leader Jan Wisse. Pray for open doors to spread the Gospel and that the relationship between OM and churches will be strengthened. Czech Republic: OM operates an English Conversation Cafe each Tuesday evening for Czechs to try out their English on native speakers from the team while creating an opportunity to share friendship and Jesus with them. As Christians from local churches get involved, they both try out their own English and share their love for Jesus with their neighbours. Pray that this would be a start for many in coming to know Jesus. Lifehope (UK): It was a privilege to host a team from First Evangelical Church, Memphis (USA), for a two-week outreach. They had a very positive attitude and passion to share the love of Christ with people. In the first week, 75 Muslim children attended a children’s holiday club where they learned Bible verses, stories and Christian songs. More than 250 Muslim children and youth were reached with the Gospel through various activities and clubs. During door-to-door visitation, 50 Jesus films and Gospels were given out to Muslims and many new contacts developed. Hundreds of tracts and Christian literature were also given on the streets in the centre of Birmingham. Albania: Up to 20 street children regularly attend a drop-in centre run by OM. Twice a week, the team runs a programme combining prayer, Bible lessons, songs, educational lessons, art time, excursions to a nearby hill to play outside, and a meal of bread with cheese or sausage. One day as Mona was preparing for the children to arrive, a young teenager sat down. Mona greeted Tana and asked her how her family was doing. Tana, a very quiet, shy girl, smiled and replied that they were ‘better’; earlier in the week, her parents had been fighting. Tana remembered that Mona had encouraged the kids to pray in every situation, so she began to pray for her parents. Almost immediately her parents stopped yelling and were reconciled. Tana then told that she was so happy that God really did answer prayers. world faithsTurkey: TACO communicates the Gospel through creative arts and recently facilitated a number of concerts. The rock band Funky Mustard performed in Bursa and afterwards received an email of appreciation: “I am 46 years old. I was Muslim, but for the last three months I have been serving the Holy One, Jesus Christ, and have become a regular member of the church. Since I met Jesus, He has become everything to me. I have been unable to convince my wife and son of this truth and they have refused to come to church. However, they came to the concert. We greatly, and I mean greatly, loved your performance.” On one day in April, a team of 30 believers distributed 10,000 New Testaments to pilgrims walking up a hill to a church on an island near Istanbul. Although this celebration was an Orthodox holiday, most pilgrims were from a Muslim background who believed that God magically answers prayers on that day. Besides giving out so many NTs, our team shared the Gospel personally with interested people, and hundreds stopped for prayer. Pray for lasting fruit. Tajikistan: Hillola is a Tajik who passionately shared her faith with Zarina, a cleaner at her workplace. Zarina began to open up her difficult life, including leg pain she often experienced. When Hillola prayed for healing in Jesus’ Name, the pain stopped. This encouraged Zarina to watch the Jesus film several times with her family. Her son shared the great things Jesus did and even memorised lines from the film. Her husband asked for a New Testament to learn more. Please pray for this discipleship relationship and that Zarina’s husband would find faith and a job to support the family. Mike writes, “I had an amazing language lesson with Baxtiyor, my good friend and language helper. We talked about why God allows suffering, and His plan. He agreed with me, and said that he needs to think about it. Good answer! I’ve told him not to believe a word I said, but to ask God and find out for himself. Pray that God speaks loudly and clearly to Baxtiyor; if he decides to follow Jesus, it will be a hard road.” indiaHeart Sounds International has launched a program of recording music to teach and bless Dalit children. “No one like you. No one like me. There’s no one in the world like you and me. I’m special, I am unique.” So begins one of the songs that will be taught soon to the thousands of Dalit children across India that attend the seventy OM India Dalit Educational Centers. This song is part of an ‘eight values’ project that will be featured on the first of ten children’s recordings for these and other schools across India. The songs are meant to not only instill values and restore worth and dignity to kids who have been downtrodden and mistreated, but also give them a chance to learn English. shipsLogos Hope: The two-day HopeFest in Kiel welcomed visitors to a celebration of international culture and partnership on the Experience Deck where they could participate in a variety of interactive cultural displays and programmes. On Saturday evening, a thank you farewell event reinforced the theme of God’s faithfulness through all occasions. After six months and three days, Logos Hope pulled out of Kiel. As mooring lines were taken up, the quayside resounded with local residents, waving banners and flags, shouting good wishes to the hope that had filled their city over the last half year. Committee member Ruth Müller commented, “One of the largest churches in the city is leaving us this week.” resourcingAustralia: For four years, Christian families from the Lithgow area of New South Wales (NSW) have hosted Koreans learning English in preparation to join OM. The impact of Koreans staying with them over these years has induced ‘missions fever’! Recently at the Bonfire Bush Bash, a celebration for the Koreans and their host families, English teacher Thalia chatted with a teenage daughter of a host family who told of her desire and ambition to join OM. Thalia was thrilled that she would consider an occupation with an eternal outcome. “It is stirring to see the body of Christ work together to accomplish His passionate purpose,” says Thalia. “I’m encouraged to see the churches here supporting us. Please pray that we will continue to get along in Christ’s spirit and seek Him in every challenge we face.” This year OM Australia is hosting 19 Koreans learning English. Nine will join the ships, while others will go to Asia and the Middle East. Once again, on behalf of all our people and those they will impact in the coming weeks, I thank you deeply for your prayers and support. Your brother in Christ, Peter Maiden
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