Fall 2013

Meeting Place of the Liberty Church of Christ, Dennis,

Mississippi, Long-Time Sponsor of World Evangelism.

Mission Information Magazine

for
Churches of Christ
Editor: Wayne Barrier
Founding Editor: J.C. Choate
Associate Editor, Design, Lay-out:
Betty Burton Choate
Publisher:
World Evangelism Publications

Team Members and Contact Information:

Wayne and Janet Barrier: 3000 County Road 10, Florence, AL 35633; Email: wbarrier@highwaay.net; Phone:
256-766-2807.
Mrs. J.C. (Betty) Choate: 708 Burton Drive, Winona, MS
38967; Phone: 662-283-1192; Website: WorldEvangelism.
org; Email, Choate@WorldEvangelism.org.

Byron and Gay Nichols: P.O. Box 11218, Springfield, MO

65808; Phone: 417-823-4918; Email: byron.nichols@att.net.
Jerry and Paula Bates: P.O. Box 172, Winona, MS 38967;
Phone: 870-897-2373; Email: jerry@worldevangelism.org.

Louis and Bonnie Rushmore: 705 Devine St., Winona,

MS 38967; Phone: 662-739-3035; Website: GospelGazette.
com; Email: rushmore@GospelGazette.com.
Justin and Leah Hopkins: Phone: 210-593-8329; Email:
justin@hopkinspublishing.com; Justin@IntoGodsWorld.com.

Rafael and Kattia Barrantes: 19 Standridge Cv., Jackson, TN

38305. Phone: 731-664-4812; Email: manuelkattia@msn.com.

What is the purpose of Global Harvest???

What else could it be but to say, throughout its pages, Lift

up your eyes and see that the fields are white unto harvest?
These are pivitol times. With technology and communication being what they are, we have such amazing and powerful

W
D

tools for reaching into any country with the Gospel

even those that seem closed or
antagonistic toward Christianity. God has truly supplied!
On the other hand, it
has been many years since
the world has seemed so
volatile. We could be on
the brink of major conflict,
engulfing humanity in the
worst of wars.
Since the work of the
church is the spreading
of salvation through the
preaching of the Gospel,
if we will do our part, God
will overrule to bless us
with opportunity. Let us be
praying for each other!

Are you a part of

our support team
yet???

SINGLY, we cant do much;

TOGETHER, we can
evangelize the world!

e invite submission of feature and report articles from biblically-sound brethren, along with
colored photographs, for inclusion in future issues of Global Harvest.

isclaimer: We believe that we must answer to God for what we teach and promote. It is our
purpose to be biblical in all that we do and, to the best of our knowledge, we will not promote
in these pages the work of unsound brethren. Because we cannot personally know all that anyone
believes and teaches, we ask your help in guarding against unknowingly publicizing those who are
either liberal or fanatical. If such material is inadvertantly printed, we ask your understanding and

cooperation.

Global Harvest

Volume 9

Fall, 2013

Table of Contents
Editorials

u France .................... Charles White .............................40

u Greetings from Athens .... Dino Roussos ...................41
u Romanias Needs .... Harvey Starling ......................... 42

Specials and Services

Africa

u Editorial: A Way Forward .... Wayne Barrier..............6

u Evangelism Is the Answwer .... J.C. Choate.................7
u Transforming the World .... BBC ................................4
u Lifes Rumble Strips ... Louis Rushmore .................... 8
u Into Gods World ..... Justin Hopkins .......................... 9
u Treasure in a Box ...Jerry Bates .................................. 10
u Tracts for Evangelism and Growth .......................... 14
u The Voice of Truth ...... Byron Nichols ...................... 15
u World Evangelism School of Missions ..................... 16
u Maywood Missionary Retreat ................................... 17
u Gospel Broadcasting Network .................................. 23
u In Search of the Lords Way .... Phil Sanders .......... 24
u Apologetics Press ........................................................26
u House to House ............................................................27
u Polishing the Pulpit......................................................27
u Focus Press ... Brad Harrub..........................................30
u World Video Bible School ..........................................32
u The Gospel of Christ .....Kevin Pendergrass................34
u Mission Printing ......... Richard Renfro ...................... 43
u Theres an Open Door ......WE Team.......................... 46

Gleaning from the Fields

North America

u Liberty Church of Christ .....BBC ............................. 18

u Can We Do This? .....Ricky Gootam ........................... 22
u Reccovering Addicts ...........Ronnie Crocker ............. 25
u Evangelizing in a Nursing Home ... L. Holmes ........31
u Dont Be Afraid to Share ... James D. Suiter ............. 29

Central and South America

u 2013 Guyana Update ..... Louis Rushmore ................ 11

u I believe the Bible... ..... Samuel A. Matthews ........ 35
u Working in Haiti .......... Joe Holley ............................36
u Reaching Our Hispanic World ... J. Hernandez ........37
u Dealing with Obstacles ..... Alex Del Zotto ............... 38
u Work in Montecarlo ......... Helmut Garcia .................39

Europe

u Meetings on the Streets .... K. Sisman ........................39

u Progress in Syktyvkar .... Larry Little ........................ 40

u An Unfinished Story ........ Ruth Orr .......................... 44

u Messages from the Heart .....Richard Stephens..........46
u Sellers and Orr in Malawi .....Prissy Sellers...............47
u The Village of Hope .....Araba Hammond ..................48
u Zimbabwe ..... Loy Mitchell ........................................ 49
u Eastern Cape Bible College ....Chris DuPreez ...........50

Indian Sub-Continent

u A Brave New Brother .....Katheryn Haddad................51

u Secret Conversions .....Katheryn Haddad ..................52
u Asghar Ali in Hyderabad .....Shahid Khokhar............54
u N. India Preachers Lectureship.... E. Gill.................56
u Hindi TV in North India .... Sunny David .................57
u Life Is in the Seed .... Joshua Gootam ......................... 58
u JC School of Evangelism .... Philemon Rajah ........... 60
u Summer Bible Camp .... S. Rajanayagam ..................62
u On The Road .......... B. Arjunan .................................. 64
u Kakinada School of Preaching .. T. Waycaster ..........65

Asia

u Christs Happy Childhaven .... Demar Elam ........ .. 65

u Discouragement .... Gill DuPreez ...............................66
u China Mission News .... Ron Brown ........................... 67
u Taking the Gospel to China .... Simon Hui ................68
u Seol, Korea ....... Malcolm Parsley ..............................69
u Nias, Indonesia ...... Colin McKee .............................. 70
u Yangon, Myanmar .... Winsome Vertannes ................ 71
u Philippines ...... Prissy Sellers ..................................... 72
u A Dream to Reach ...... Reuben Emperado ................. 73
u Philippines Mission Work ..... Michael Stock ............ 74
u More Tragedy in Japan .... Stephen Hasbrouck ......... 76
u Sonlight in the Pacific .... Randy English ................... 77
u Pacific Islands ....Robert H. Martin ............................. 78
u Hello from New Zealand .... Kent ODonnell ............ 79
u Happenings in Auckland .... John Staiger .................. 80
u Charting Bible Truths .. Donnie Barnes, Th.D. ......... 81
u How Much Do You Know? ....B. Choate .................... 82
u Quotes from the Quran ....Keith Sisman .................. 84

Global Harvest

A little quiz from the pages..

1. Other than spiritual, has Christianity had any real

effect on the world? (P. 4)
2. For whom are we asking special prayers? (P. 8)
3. What was the treasure in a box? (P. 10)
4. What is the name of the proposed Bible class
materials? (P. 9)
5. How long has The Voice of Truth International
been in publication? (P. 15).
6. Which congregation sponsors the World Evangelism program? (P. 19).
7. What is being suggested as the best way to reach
Indias 1.4 billion people? (P. 22)
8. Who is the 88 year-old woman who does daily
evangelism in a nursing home? (P. 27)
9. Christians should not wear clothes that draw
________ ___________ to their ________. (P. 28)
Christians, living in this country
and under the protection of our nations
laws, may take for granted the tremendous daily blessings we have from God.
To us, this has always been a place of
security unless the laws are broken.
Sadly, the fabric of our nations
existence is being eaten away by antiChristian laws that are creating gaping
holes in our heritage. Christianity is
being maligned as narrow and bigotted,
as a mind-set that cannot be allowed to
have a voice in any public arena. The
pages of history are being turned back
to pre-Christian days. Are you aware
of what the world was like before the
spread of the principles of the New
Testament and their permeation of the
laws and thinking of the masses?
Historically, Christianity not only
transformed the lives of the Apostles
and of millions of individual believers, as well as an increasing percentage of rulers, but through its converts
it also achieved immeasurable changes
socially, economically, politically, and
culturally throughout the world.
Lets look at some of the common
practices during the first century:
P Infanticide the practice of ex-

10. According to one study, how many congregations

have closed their doors in recent years? (P. 30).
11. What simple challenge is made on page 33?
12. Traces of the Kingdom shows the existence of
churches of Christ in what country? (P. 39)
13. Who works with the church in Athens, Greece?
(P. 41).
14. Who enables Mission Printing to print and distribute many thousands of copies of literature? (P. 43).
15. What happened to Mary? (P. 44, 45).
16. Much work is done in __________ in the prisons.
(P. 46).
17. List some things that would be discouraging to
missionary wives. (P. 51).
18. What happened to the convert in Afghanistan?
(P. 52, 53).
19. How would you describe Islam? (P. 82, 83, Back
Cover).

Transforming the World

posing or simply killing newborns,
especially deformed babies, was widespread throughout the world. It is still
done in India. Abortion was also widely practiced.
P Babies and children, as well as
adults, were offered as sacrifices in extremely brutal deaths.
P Adultery, fornication, incest, prostitution, homosexuality, pedophilia, bestiality, and every other imaginable type of
sexual perversion was practiced.
P Men did not belong to anyone by
way of marriage, so their extra-marital
activities were not illegal. On the other
hand, the wife belonged to the husband
and could be killed for infidelity, unless
she registered as a prostitute. In that
case, she was no longer recognized as
belonging exclusively to her husband
and could, therefore, not be prosecuted.
P A women, typically, was not allowed to have an education, to be seen
in public without accompaniment of a
trustworthy male slave, she could not
speak or be present even in a social
gathering in her home; she was con-

fined to the womens quarters. She

was her husbands property and could
be killed by him at his discretion. He
also had the authority to kill his children or grandchildren.
P Giving to relieve economic hardship was usually done with the expectation of a return favor.
P There were no established hospitals
for the common people.
P Schools for general education were
not available.
P Sports included death in gladiatorial arenas.
As the thinking and principles of
Christianity pervaded the leadership and
the resulting laws of developing nations,
attitudes changed concerning the sanctity
of life, sexual immorality, the bonds of
marriage, the status of women, the need
for charity and compassion toward the
helpless, and the need for education for
the masses. Amazing doors were opened
for national freedoms, scientific discovery, and countless other revolutionary advances for civilization, unknown before
in human history. I recommend a thorough reading of Under the Influence:
How Christianity Transformed Civilization by Alvin J. Schmidt. BBC
>

Global Harvest

We Need Your Help!

In order to make Global Harvest the informative, useful, and inspiring magazine we envision, we
must have input from brethren, churches, and program projects throughout the brotherhood and all over the
world. We will try to make you aware of services available and of needs you might help to cover.

We need four things from our readers/participants:

(1) Your name, address, phone number, and email address.
(2) Submissions of articles (with accompanying high quality color photos; if sent over the internet, photos must be at least 200 dpi and 4x5 in size). Articles need to be story-form, rather than general report form;
they need to focus on a particular event, specific method of work, some turn of events, an exemplary person,
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(3) Please understand that we cover services made available through brethren of printing, magazines,
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(4) At this time it is our intention to print Global Harvest twice yearly, in the interest of helping bretren to be more aware of what is being done and of what needs to be done. Financial support will be greatly
appreciated from brethren who will make a personal donation to receive the magazine individually, and
from congregations that will pay for bundles to be supplied to their members.
Individual donation:
$5.00 per copy
Congregational donation: $75.00 per 25 copies;
$125.00 per 50 copies

Global Harvest
Editorial:

A Way Forward
Wayne Barrier

survey of conditions in the world
today reveals several very serious problems. First, the U.S. is struggling with a
very weak economy and failing financial
system for the fifth straight year. Unemployment rates are very high, national
debt is growing at over 1 trillion dollars
per year because U.S. government spending is only about 50-60% covered by tax
revenues. The U.S. economy is a powerful force that is connected to the world
economy and threatens to push the entire
world into deeper financial and economic
problems. These situations ultimately affect the availability of resources for mission work.
Second, the Middle East and North
African regions of the world are in
political, civil and economic turmoil.
Over a dozen nations that are home
to hundreds of millions of people are
unstable, with problems including civil
war, terrorist activity, mass demonstrations against leaders, unemployment,
poverty, and religious persecution.
Mission efforts are directly impacted
by this situation. Missionaries are restricted or completely prevented from
conducting work in these troubled nations. Christians residing in these places are at great risk of serious harm or
death as they exercise their faith.
Finally, the national and global
perceptions and beliefs that American

exceptionalism and success are significantly influenced by principles of Christianity are under constant attack by influential liberal news media and social
forces. Christian principles include encouragement of personal character traits,
such as love, integrity, honesty, hard
work, godliness, kindness, compassion,
respect, sacrifice, patience, commitment, and faith. The worlds population
is being encouraged to trust in godless
secular humanism as the basis of beliefs,
attitudes, and behavior. Results will be
even higher levels of crime, poverty,
abuse, and failure.
How do we respond to these problems? I will suggest several things that
I believe we should do. First, we should
pray often and fervently that God will
help each of us to sustain our faith and
trust in Him and His Way. We are instructed to pray without ceasing. Our
prayers should be specific and comprehensive. We may not know exactly how
to say to God what is in our hearts, but if
we can simply approach Him in prayer
with our hearts focused on these great
needs, God will hear and understand us.
His power is needed to address these
serious problems because His ways
are superior to ours, His knowledge
and wisdom exceed anything we can
ever possess. He will answer our every
prayer with good. We must be patient,

submissive, and thankful, ready to act,

based on His response.
Next, we need to recall the guidance and commandments of God for
our earthly journey. We are told that
Jesus is the model for our behavior
and faith. He came to save the lost.
Thats also our first priority in life. He
loved, respected, honored, and obeyed
His Father. We are to do the same. He
trusted that, even in the darkest hour
and hardest trial, God must be obeyed
and that we will emerge victorious. We
are instructed to do the same. We are
told that He is always with us and that
our burden can be light and never more
than we can bear. Jesus based his actions and teaching on Gods Word. We
have His Word today, so we must read,
study, know, and obey it.
Finally, we need to remind ourselves that Jesus promised that His
kingdom is all powerful and can never
be destroyed. We are citizens of this
kingdom, which is also called His
body, family, church, and our place of
rest, peace, and refuge. We must obey
the laws of His kingdom. We are recipients of all spiritual blessings. These
include: Gods hand of providence, His
love, mercy and grace, wisdom from
Him, and His inspired Word for guidance and instruction.
Continued on page 21

Global Harvest

Evangelism Is the Answer!

J.C.Choate [Deceased]

The idea of evangelism involves

preaching the Gospel, converting souls
from sin, and spreading salvation. This
is how Christ lived, what He taught,
and what His followers practiced.
Jesus was ever on the move during
His personal ministry. He went to the
villages and to the cities. He spoke to
the multitudes and to individuals. He
used physical acts to teach spiritual lessons. No man ever spoke with greater
authority or showed the power of God
more clearly in His mighty works. Truly, He was the Son of God.
Calling twelve men, known as apostles, Jesus taught them and trained them
to carry on His work after His death,
burial, and resurrection. Some of His final words were, Go ye therefore, and
teach all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them
to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you: and, lo, I am with you
alway, even unto the end of the world.
Amen (Matthew 28:19,20). Just before
returning to the Father, He said to the
apostles, But ye shall receive power,
after that the Holy Ghost is come upon
you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me
both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea,

and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost

part of the earth (Acts 1:8).
Turning to Acts 2, we read of Jews
coming from all over the world to celebrate Pentecost, a Jewish feast day.
This was not by accident. The Lord
planned it this way. With the apostles
receiving the power of the Holy Spirit
to guide them into all the truth, and
with the Gospel being preached for the
first time in fact, from this very first day
the good news began to be taken to all
of the world. Some 3,000 people who
heard the message, believed it, repented of their sins, were gladly baptized,
and the Lord added those that should be
saved to His church.
But this was just the beginning.
The Gospel was preached again and
again in Jerusalem and throughout Ju
daea, with similar results. Then Philip
taught in Samaria and many were baptized, both men and women (Acts 1:8).
In both Acts 8 and 9 we read of
Saul, a man who severely persecuted
the Lords people, but with his conver
sion he became a great spokesman for
Jesus, making three missionary journeys in which many souls were con
verted and numerous congregations of
the Lords church were established in
both Asia and Europe. In Acts 10 the
record tells us of Cornelius and his
household Gentiles who became
Christians after hearing the Gospel.
Now the message of salvation was truly being taken to all mankind!
Although there was persecution of
Christians from the beginning, this did
not stop the disciples. Steven was martyred and James was slain by Herod, but
these acts, and the many others, did not
slow the spread of Christianity. Rather,
they served as fuel on the fire, causing

it to burn even more brightly. The per

secuted were scattered abroad but
they went everywhere preaching the
word (Acts 8).
As a result of these things, within
less than 30 years the Gospel was taken into all the world (Colossians 1:23).
There were fewer people back then, but
there were many obstacles. They had the
Gospel but they did not have the written
Word. They did not have the methods of
trans
portation and communication we
take for granted in our age. Yet, they did
the work God gave them to do, and the
world was forever changed.
Today we have the same great commission. What does that commission
mean to you and me? Do we take it per
sonally? Do we intend to obey it?
So far, individual Christians and
many congrega
tions have done very
little about our Lords commission.
As a result, we are faced with many
problems, both outside and inside the
church. How can we expect to please
God when we fail to do what He has
asked us to do?
Will we never learn? Look at
the world today with all of its evil,
ungodliness, materialism, and outright unbelief. How can these things
benefit anyone? As the world grows
worse through the influence of sin,
will Christians not also suffer grave
consequences? Even the problems in
our personal lives and in the church
itself are the result of our failure to
give ourselves to the Lord and to do
the work He has asked us to do.
How can we turn this tragedy
around? By simply repenting and becoming seri
ous about world evangelism. Evangelism is the answer.
Today! Right now!
>

Global Harvest

Lifes Rumble Strips

Louis Rushmore

Rumble strips on our nations highways as one approaches a stop scream

out, Slow down, Look out ahead!
Rumble strips vibrate through the entire vehicle and shake all the passengers; rumble strips are meant to get
ones attention. However, after rumble
strips and the eventual stop, the journey
continues.
Bonnie and I have experienced
some of lifes rumble strips from time
to time as every family does. Our
most recent rumble strip in life, of
course, is Bonnies surgery and chemotherapy for stage 3 pancreatic cancer.
Admittedly, this has slowed us down a
little temporarily!
Our program of work has not
stopped! Since our office is mobile, I
continued our work even from Bonnies hospital room. I corresponded
with the printing company for The
Voice of Truth International about the
next edition and I published the April
issue of Gospel Gazette Online to the
Internet. I forwarded online book orders to other team members to fulfill.
Since returning to Winona, following a phone conversation, I have
shipped a case of my book, Beverage
Alcohol, to a congregation in northeast

Mississippi where voters will determine shortly whether to permit local

alcohol sales. I have proofed an article
for a preacher prior to his submission
of it to a popular brotherhood publication, and I proofed a new tract on grief
written by a talented preacher upon
my request for inclusion in our line of
tracts at World Evangelism.
On Sunday, April 28, I resumed my
weekend appointments with churches
stateside. Bonnie is cleared for resuming our travel stateside and abroad, according to her assessment of her ability
to travel. She is also on target to meet
her assignment to teach in a 2-day ladies retreat in November of this year.
However, she will not be able to travel
abroad into Asia this fall because her
chemotherapy treatments will not have
concluded by that time, but the surgeon
and the oncologist have pre-authorized
her trip to Guyana, South America in
February 2014 as long as we do not interfere with her three-month checkups.
Whether stateside or overseas,
whenever Bonnie does not choose to
travel with me, as long as she experiences reasonable health, I will continue
to make those trips. Historically, Bonnie and I travel an average of 45 weeks
per year in this country, as well as in
other countries. Most weekdays, we
are in Winona preparing to print Global Harvest, The Voice of Truth International and Gospel Gazette Online
magazines. We ship books and tracts
daily. We help with the preparation of
publishing class books, too. There is a
mountain of behind-the-scenes work
required to make possible the public
and foreign labors of the World Evangelism Team.
Our work for our Lord continues.
Bonnie is forbidden to be lifting boxes

in the warehouse or to load and unload

trucks, but that was a small part of the
overall work in which she actively participates. She does the lions share of
layout for The Voice of Truth International, which requires nearly a quarter
of effort to produce each quarterly issue; thats a lot of lead time necessary
to keep it in production in a timely way.
Bonnie will continue with that, in addition to doing the computer accounting
for the Rushmore Evangelism Fund,
teaching ladies events, writing, accompanying me as I report to congregations
in the States, and she will continue with
me in our foreign mission trips in the
foreseeable future.
The oncologist expects to cure Bonnie of cancer, given the promise of the
newest chemotherapy drug available,
her good health (including abstinence
of alcohol and tobacco) and relatively
young age. Bonnie and I long ago adopted an unwavering conviction to live
and serve God until we die whenever and however that may come to
pass, and that has not changed. We will
be found in faithful service to Jesus
Christ, and we invite you to continue
participating with us with your moral
support and encouragement, as well as
financially.
>
We, fellow members of the
World Evangelism Team add
our voice to Louiss, beseeching your prayers for Bonnies
full recovery from the cancer.
She and Louis are of vital importance to each other, to their
family, to the team members,
and to the overall work. Pray
for them, pray for the doctors,
pray for Gods overruling for
good.
BBC

Global Harvest

Travels in Behalf of
the Bible Class Materials

On March 2, we arrived at the Liberty Church of Christ in Dennis, Mississippi to attend a meeting with other World
Evangelism team members. One of our
elders from the Granbury Street congregation in Cleburne, Clark Lehtinen and
his wife Debra, were able to join us. The
elders at Liberty oversee the funds for the
curriculum, while the elders at Granbury
Street oversee our progress. We were so
excited that one of our elders could meet
the other team members and the Liberty
elders face to face.
While in Dennis, we were able to
meet with some volunteers after worship on Sunday. After this, we drove to
Florence, Alabama to attend a Mission
Training Workshop hosted by the Florence Ave. congregation. Unfortunately,
we did not arrive until it was almost
over. We did however get to see brother Wayne Barrier again, as well as see
other missionaries that I have not seen
since the Maywood retreat last May.
After this, Leah and I worshipped with
the Eastwood Church of Christ where I
was allowed to speak about the curriculum to the members there. I appreciated this opportunity very much, since
it was not a planned event.

After this we drove back to Winona,

MS where we spent the night. The next
day we were able to get some packages
of Global Harvest ready for mailing
before pointing the truck toward Texas.
The boys stayed with my brother and
sister-in-law on this trip, and we were
anxious to get back to them.
The last week of March, I preached
in a Gospel Meeting in Caddo Mills,
TX. This is the first seven day Gospel
Meeting I have ever attended, and it
was a wonderful blessing! Our brethren there are kind, and we count ourselves blessed to have been able to get
to know them better over the week. We
were also able to attend the Southwest
Lectures and, the Lord willing, we will
be at Focal Point in May. These are
great avenues in which to spread the
news about the curriculum.

Progress & Goals

We have a lot of projects developing simultaneously. Right now I am

working on the style guide. This is a
guide that we will be giving to all of
our writing, editing, and art volunteers,
which gives details about where a student is cognitively, emotionally, spiritually, and developmentally at every
age and stage of life. It also will include a completed scope and sequence

Team members and representative elders at the March meeting

Justin Hopkins
for both the chronological and topical
studies within the curriculum. This will
be over 2,100 lessons!
This guide is important because
writers need to know what their student
is facing so the lessons created will be
comprehended by each age and proper
assignments given so that the most can
be gleaned from the study. In addition,
instruction will be included for those developing visual aids so that this art will be
true to the Bible in every way, as well as
protocol for editorial volunteers as to what
they need to be looking for and recommendations on how to correct mistakes. If
this sounds like a lot...well, it is! It is well
worth the hours of research, though, when
this amazing Bible class material is being
used by congregations around the globe
and people are becoming workers for
God! Our goal is to have the style guide
sent off to press by the end of summer, and
assignments given shortly thereafter.
While all of this is going on, Leah
is contacting volunteers and organizing
them so they will be ready when it is time
to call for their expertise. There are hundreds of volunteers to contact, speak with,
and send doctrinal questionnaires. A file is
made so she can organize volunteers both
alphabetically as well as by what they will
Continued on page 21

10

Global Harvest

Treasure in a Box
Jerry and Paula Bates

World Evangelism Publications [J.C. Choate Publications] is a

service, rather than a business. Yes, we print and sell books here
in the States, written by faithful brethren. We print enough to sell
enough to give away many thousands each year. We know this
part of our work will continue to bear fruit for many decades after
all of us have gone to our reward. Betty (Mrs. J.C.) Choate
Most preachers we know in the around the world for many years.
States have numerous volumes on How is this treasure distributed?
many different subjects to
which they can readily refer for research, ideas, out Jerry and Paula putting together one lines, etc., but where does
the preacher in a village in
of those treasure boxes.
Africa, India, or most any

We all know about treasures, and other spot in the world go
we would all love to receive a treasure. for sound teaching? He
We at World Evangelism send trea- cannot pick up a book in
sures in a box nearly every day. No, his big library, because he
our treasures are not gold or silver, but doesnt own one. His entire
biblical literature. A few months ago library may consist of only Groups of volunteer Christians come from nearwe received a letter from a man in Ni- a few books, or sometimes by or distant congregations to pack boxes for
geria, thanking us for a box of literature only the Bible.
overseas shipment.
that he had received from us. His box Where can a man in
contained 27 books, along with several such places go to buy refHouse to Heart papers, tracts, etc. as erence books? Only the
very largest cities would
fillers. Notice what he said:
What you did for me is more have even a denominational
than money, riches, wealth. I call bookstore, and there would
it a treasure cause what I saw in be none operated by Christhose books are real wealth. My joy tians and offering sound
is without measure when I saw and biblical teaching. A man
received the carton full of treasure in those countries has very
limited or no access to the
with the following topics
This man went on and named every internet. He often has to go
single book that was in that box. Notice to an internet caf and pay
he twice called his gift a treasure. I am money that he can hardly Assembling the boxes onto pallets and loading
pretty sure none of us would ever think afford. Of course, he needs them in the trucks for delivery to containers that
will take them to their destinations overseas is a
about describing it in those words, but things at his fingertips in his
wearing job. We happily accept volunteers for this
the evaluation of brethren overseas is home to which he can refer. fun work too! Here, Loy Mitchell, a big brother
quite different from ours. This illus- This explains why World in the church, is stooping to this menial task!
trates how important our work is to so Evangelism has been
Continued on page 12
many of our brethren in other countries. sending boxes of its books

Global Harvest

11

2013 Guyana, South America Update

Louis Rushmore

With great difficulty, I

tians to Pentecostals, for
finally reached Guyana on
instance. Confrontation
Saturday, February 9. Plane
with Catholics, Wesleymechanical failure in Atlanans, Adventists, Jehota caused me to divert from
vah Witnesses, etc. has
going to JFK in New York
prompted brethren to
to Miami, FL instead. Unrequest future lessons to
fortunately, my luggage did
help them defend truth
not divert with me. I had to
and convert these destay over two days in Miami
nominational persons.
before continuing my flight
There is much to do,
to Guyana on Surinam Air- Louis, Nigel, and Michael Hooper, pictured with the plane in but not enough time.
ways instead of on Delta.
which they flew to Monkey Mountain, the only access to this More tracts and first prin I was on the go, trav- very remote area of Guyana.
ciple books are needed
eling across the country by
desperately. One of the
small plane and boats. Two Guyanese preachers and I re- stated reasons for brethren coming together for these seminars
turned to Linden for the evening before launching out again in greater numbers than is usually the case has to do with our
for several days on land, in the air, and on rivers.
approach versus that of some other American brethren. Some
other American brethren take control from the local brethren,
which is viewed as offensive by brethren here. I know of this
occurring in India as well. We, however, request an opportunity
to work with a hosting congregation in an area and, then, we
stress that we work for that congregation and its leadership.
Our seminars have a very capable Guyanese preacher
directing and taking care of all the details and an additional

The eager group attending the seminar at Monkey Mountain.

I had intended to target mainly preachers and teachers

this time. However, the response from other members as
well doubled the expected attendance at each venue. Originally, we anticipated speaking to 535 persons in three weeks,
but as the actual attendances continued to increase proportionally in each additional event, well over 1,000 different
persons were present for these seminars, evidencing genuine
interest in the studies, for which we were deeply thankful.
Christians are starved for lessons on the authority of
Scripture and lessons countering denominationalism. Some
losses among the congregations have occurred, losing Chris-

This Amerindian Gospel preacher rode his bicycle 12

hours over the mountains in order to attend the seminar..
Continued on page 13

12

Global Harvest

Treasure in a Box
Continued from page 10
First of all, we send out boxes by direct request, most of which come from
Africa. These are shipped by either the
Post Office at their exorbitantly high
Priority Mail rate, or another surface
mail service. However, this is expensive and just recently we were jolted by
a considerable price increase.
Another method is sending materials in containers that travel by ship.
This is much cheaper; however, it is
hard to deliver material to individuals
by this method because of prolonged
delays in customs clearance. One such
container bound for Chimala, Tanzania
was tied up for several months before
it was finally released. We also must
be informed when shipments from the
States are being planned, and often we
dont know until it is too late to prepare
literature for that particular container.
Sometimes, we print books in the
country in which they will be distributed. For example, The Voice of Truth
International is printed in English in
India, as well as being translated into
four Indian languages. It has also been
printed in Nepal. Other books, as well
as tracts, are translated and printed in
various countries, such as India, Nepal,
and Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, and South Korea. None of our
material is copyrighted; therefore, it is
free to be used by others as they see fit,
and many other mission workers translate and print various books in their
specific areas. One well-known book
that brother Choate wrote has been
translated and printed in more than 30
languages. Brother Curry Montague,
who works in Hungary, called recently,
asking permission to translate it into
Hungarian and to print it there.
In reference to the container sent

to Chimala, the Tanzanian customs

authorities took a long time to release
it. Counting shipping time, it probably
took 9-10 months for the container to
finally arrive at its destination. I visited
Chimala only a couple months after its
arrival and got to see the end result of
the shipment. In this case, preacher
boxes were distributed to graduates at
the Chimala Bible Institute, an extension school of Bear Valley. As I was

Each graduate new preachers,

now has become the proud possessor of his own box of books!

people would love to read what we discard. Just collect your materials, and
we will pick them up sometime when
we come by.
Shortly after the Jamaica shipment,
Healing Hands sent a container to Honduras. Honduras is a Spanish speaking
country, thus there is limited need for
English material. We have some Spanish material, so we delivered about 300
pounds of Spanish books for their use.
Both shipments were delivered to Healing Hands in conjunction with visits to
supporting churches in Middle Tennessee.
Near the end of 2012 we received
a request from Gospel Chariots, a mission program operating in Africa, to
supply literature for their use. They
have a unique approach to evangelism.
They use semi-trailers and travel to
various villages, holding Gospel meetings, distributing literature, etc. It is a
great way to encourage and help local
congregations. They were starting a
new truck in Ghana, and they asked if
we could supply some literature to help
them outfit it. As providence would
have it, the collection point was Little
Rock, AR, and we had already planned
a trip to western Arkansas to visit a
supporting congregation; thus we were

there to teach in the graduate program,

it was the perfect opportunity for
me to distribute a stack of books
to this class. One of the students
made the comment, I cant believe this. Are all these mine?
Recently, Healing Hands
shipped a container to Jamaica,
and we were privileged to add
about 1,500 pounds, most of
which were our books; however,
some of this material had been
collected from various congregations that we have visited. This
is an excellent way to recycle unused Bible class materials, song
Jerry, unloading books delivered to Nashbooks, Gospel magazines, tracts, ville for a Healing Hands shipment.
etc. There is no need to throw
things away when millions of
Continued on page 20

Global Harvest

13

2013 Guyana Update

Continued from page 11

able Guyanese preacher participating with me in these seminars. These seminars are viewed very much as being something in which the Guyanese brethren are active participants.

Traveling by boat the only way to reach Port Kaituma.

Some of the lodging and amenities (lack of electricity,

toilet facilities, bathing facilities, water with which to wash)
have been primitive, and potable water has been an issue at
times. I have encountered new experiences. I can easily discern preaching brethren in our travels who have no wherewith
to function but do because someone must, as well as acquaint
myself with well qualified preaching brethren, too. It is possible to see what each needs to succeed better, plus what the
members in various places need to hear from Gods Word.

This is a small country with less than 800,000 people.

The Lords church has made a good start here over the years.
There has been a continual interest by American brethren
here to acquaint non-Christians with the Gospel, but congregations are failing without adequate edification. Members
are being lost to denominations and preachers are discouraged, especially in isolated communities. Many congregations lack qualified teachers and preachers, only having
someone appointed to lead them who was converted when
the rest were converted and who shares the same shallow
knowledge of the Bible.
I am confident that with the blessing and encouragement
of the Siwell Church of Christ, that Bonnie and I can help,
along with others as we are doing already, to make a difference in strengthening the Lords church in Guyana. Though
much literature has been shipped to Guyana, much more
needs to make its way there chiefly good, short tracts and
first principle books. Bonnie and I with others in tow from
America and coupling with biblically qualified Guyanese
brethren can strengthen the Lords church throughout Guyana and make a significant impact along the way on the nonChristian population, too. U

Louis presents a brother with one of the preacher boxes

supplied from the World Evangelism office in Winona.

Michael Hooper speaking to the gathering of the Westbury brethren; women had separate classes.

Louis Rushmore: Email: rushmore@gospelgazette.com

Website: www.gospelgazette.com; Blog: http://louisrushmore.wordpress.com; Visit us on Facebook https://www.
facebook.com/louis.rushmore

14

Global Harvest

Available NOW! Full-color, pocket-sized, tri-fold tracts on 100 topics, written in old-time Gospel clarity. Call 662-283-1192 for a list of the titles and to
place your order.

These conveniently-sized

tools will be helpful for outreach and for strengthening young Christians. We
are making an introductory
price of only ten cents each,
$5.00 for 50, plus postage.
J.C. Choate

J.C. Choate

We are thrilled with the increasing use of the

tracts we have printed, in English, and in a growing number of languages overseas. In addition to
the original 76, these new titles have been added:

Justin Hopkins has written:

u
u
u
u

Christian Values OR Truth?

Go to Your Brother
Consider the Weaker Brother
What Is True Love?

five new studies by Louis Rushmore:

u The Foreknowledge of God Explained

u What About Instrumental Music in
Christian Worship?
u The New Testament Church Is Divine in

Organization
u Did Dinosaurs Really Exist?
u To Drink or Not to Drink?

one tract by Ron Williams:

u When Families Deal with Grief and Loss

u Will a Man Rob God?

u How to Study Gods Word

these new titles by Jerry Bates:

and these by Betty Burton Choate:

u Training Children in Obedience

u Training Children in Disobedience

u Satan Do You Recognize Him?
u Fig Leaves Are Back in Style!
u How Do We Approach God?
u The Heavens Declare
u The Wrath of God
u The 21st Century Holocaust
u Doubts and Fears: Satans Challenge
u Womens Liberation or Exploitation of Women?
u Where Grace and Mercy End
u Why Did God Do This to Me?
u True Science? It Follows a Known Path!
u He Lifted Up His Eyes
u How Do I Wear Christ?
u What Does Prayer Accomplish?
u The Soul and Its God
It is our intention to continue to add to the titles
we offer. Many churches are ordering these handysized, succinct, and biblically-sound tracts.

We encourage you to order a set for $20, or bundles of

a single title at $2.50 for 25. Call 662-283-1192.

Global Harvest

A Global Tool
Byron Nichols

J.C. Choate believed in and showed

very clearly the tremendous value of
the printed page in teaching others
about the Lord.
The birth of The Voice of Truth
International 20 years ago has proved
to be a landmark event. This quarterly
magazine continues to be a blessing to
more people than any of us can calculate.
We continue to do our best to merit the
confidence of our brethren in Christ.
In thinking about the endless
blessings that have come about as a
result of the existence of this magazine,
I very quickly came up with this list
of people who have been a part of 20
years of blessings as a result of The
Voice of Truth International:
u those of us involved directly with
the magazine
u those supporters and their joy in
having a vital part
u those receiving the magazine
u those who have become Christians
with the aid of this spiritual material
u those whose Christian faith and
service have grown from this
u those who have had the joy of
sharing the magazine with others
u those who share in just knowing
that this publication exists

15

We want to sincerely thank every

person and every congregation that
has contributed in any way to these 20
years of blessings.
I want to say also that I am
overjoyed with the favorable response
to the compilation of my editorials in
the book, Messages of Truth. It gives
me great satisfaction that the book is
proving to be a blessing to the lives of
many people.
It is also thrilling to think of the
copies that will be sent to people free
of charge in many other countries. It
is humbling to think about the prospect
of influencing thousands of people for
Christ through this means.
Let me stress again that I receive no
money from the sales of the book. All
profit goes to pay for the printing and
shipping of free copies overseas.
U

Messages of Truth
Byron Nichols
call
662-2831192
or
417-8234918.

An excellent
book to share
with a friend
who is not a
Christian.

Many of the articles for the monthly

magazines published in India are
drawn from the pages of The Voice
of Truth International.

Languages and
Circulation

What is the story of The Voice

of Truth International? Beginning
with only the prayer that the dream
could become a reality, the magazine
has grown to a publication of about
65,000 copies of each issue. Of the
40,000 printed in English in the United
States, 20,000 are typically shipped
free of charge in response to requests
from 80 countries of the world. The
monetary receipts from subscribers and
contributors provide the funds for the
printing and shipping of these copies
that go to mission fields.
In addition to the English issues
printed in the States, an English
printing is also done in India for
sharing throughout that country and
surrounding areas. There are also
editions in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Paite,
Nepali, and Spanish. We are thankful
for the help of dedicated brethren
who do the translation into the varied
languages and are responsible for
getting issues into the mail.
Congregations in the US often
subscribe to one or more boxes
(35 copies) of each of the four yearly
issues, at the rate of $25 a month or
$300 per year. In addition to individual
subscriptions for single copies ($12
for one year (4 issues) or $20 for
two years), some mission-minded
congregations and brothers and sisters
make monthly contributions to help
cover the cost of the copies sent to
mission fields. If you would like to
help with this, please call us at 662283-1192.
BBC
U

16

Global Harvest

Seasoned, long- and short-term missionaries engage in panel discussions

and answer questions from the participants concerning mission work and
methods, drawing from their years of experience in many nations.

World Evangelism School of Missions

The World Evangelism School of
Missions is a mobile training program,
begun in 2005. Its purpose is to offer
comprehensive, practical training and
educational programs to prepare workers
for involvement in successful evangelism missions. Courses provide instruction and coverage of topics that include
world religions and culture, mission and
evangelism methods, biblical patterns for
missions, mission program development
and implementation, mission planning,
reporting, finance, work evaluation, and
preparation for missions.
Over the past seven years, programs have been conducted for several
congregations and groups of individuals. Shown in these pictures were classes taught at the Florence Boulevard
congregation in Florence, AL in March
of this year. About 90 individuals participated in the school. Instructors included Dr. Jeremy Barrier, Loy Mitchell, Colin McKee, Wayne Barrier, Joey
Barrier and Janet Barrier.

Students are provided with over

30 mission books written by seasoned
missionaries from across the world.
Follow-up study is available through
congregational classes using the World
Evangelism Book entitled Mission
Training Manual.

Evangelizing the world is the assignment given to the church by our

Lord. Let us help to prepare you as an
individual or as a congregation to do
that work.
U
For more information or to schedule a
school, contact us at 256-766-2807.

Loy Mitchell, long-time missionary to Zimbabwe, speaks to the class.

Global Harvest

17

Maywood
Missionary Retreat
Plan to Come Next Year!
Each year in May about 100 missionaries and supporters gather for a twoday retreat in Hamilton, AL at the Maywood Christian Camp. This year on May
9-11, 2013, 99 individuals heard inspiring and motivational presentations by
Dr. Mike Houts, Gordon Hogan, Loy Mitchell, Colin McKee, Robert Martin,
Mike Brooks, and Joey Barrier. Also, reports were made by over 15 mission
workers from across the world. Missionaries from every continent except Antarctica were represented. Special sessions were held for ladies and school- age
participants. Over 30 youngsters enjoyed guest speaker Travis Harmon, followed by a Friday evening period of recreational activities. Adults enjoyed Friday evening visiting and fellowship, plus entertainment, including two hours
Dr. Mike Houts bringing a very informative
of music by Jon Lucius, Jamie, Katie, and Joey Barrier with their folk band.
lesson about the religion of evolution.
Every session was packed with quality information that
helped inform, educate, and encourage mission efforts. Dr.
Mike Houts, a NASA science and engineering professional
gave an outstanding presentation entitled Evolution, A Persistent False Religion that revealed the numerous violations
of scientific laws that are incorporated in the secular faithbased theory of evolution as an explanation of human origins. Other excellent presentations and discussions included
a review of fundamental principles essential to missionary
success, studies of biblical
texts providing encouragement and instruction for accomplishing Gods will, and
an in-depth mission topic
Joey Barrier with one of the panels answering questions.
group session.
As in the past, the Double
Springs congregation provided food for evening meals,
and the World Evangelism
team covered other meals
and refreshments. Plans for
next years retreat are already
in production with the tentative dates set for May 1-3,
2014. Plan to attend.
U
Make reservations for
next year by contacting Janet at 256-766-2807; Email:
wbarrier@highwaay.net.

Barry Baggott of French

World Missions.

Of course, delicious Southern food is part of every retreat!

18

Global Harvest

Liberty Church of Christ

The original meeting place of the church,

established in 1890. Membership pictured
totaled approximately 175.

to another missionary family, the

Choates moved to Colombo, Sri
Lanka to begin the church, and
then to New Delhi, India. In
1975 it became possible to have
radio programs from Sri Lanka
that would cover much of the
Eastern Hemisphere. Thus began 20 years in which J.C. spent
three months in the spring in India, recording radio progams and
working with the local men to de-

Benford Pierce, Harold Oswalt, Tommy Moody, and Raymond Carr

serve as elders.

Far-Reaching Work of the Liberty Church

The Liberty Church of Christ is
located in the rural community of Dennis, in northeast Mississippi, on state
highway 25. Its existence as a part of
the body of Christ dates from the 1890s.
In 1960, J.C. Choate made an appointment to speak to the congregation
about his desire to do mission work in
India. As a result of that meeting, the
church began to help with the Choates personal support. In 1965, under the leadership of the elders [Merle
Trimm, Freed Lindsey, Zeke Harrison,
and Monroe Pounds] the church agreed
to be the Choates sponsor, receiving
funds for their work and getting out reports to churches partnering with them
financially.
Leaving the work in Karachi, Pakistan

velop follow-up printed materials. Summers required a full schedule of speaking

appointments with American churches,
raising funds for the programs and the
printing. The fall season was again spent
in India, and winter brought another round
of appointments. The foreign work, under the oversight of the Liberty elders,
moved from personal evangelism done
by the Choates to mass evangelism as
they worked with and through sound Indian brethren. This enabled the Gospel to
spread at a much faster pace than had previously been possible.
With the addition of Jerry and Paula Bates and Louis and Bonnie Rushmore to the mission team, and with
brother Choates death February 1,
2008, the Liberty elders made the deci-

sion to continue sponsoring the radio/

TV/literature program that had already
accomplished so much.
The Liberty church has been supportive of other important efforts,
Stateside: Sunny Brook Childrens
Home, Magnolia Bible College, Heritage University, India Radio Program,
Let the Bible Speak radio program,
the Alex Gear Mission Fund, Tommy
Carr outreach in Rosemount, MN, the
Lads to Leaders program, and the Pine
Vale Childrens Home in Corinth,
MS, which provides for the needs of 15
children.
In 2011, a dedicated brother in West
Texas left part of his estate to World
Evangelism, under the oversight of
the Liberty elders. With prayerful consideration of the great need for biblically sound and motivational Bible
class materials for the American church
and for churches worldwide, the elders
decided to use the funds to develop literature for all ages under the banner
Continued on page 19

David Conley serves as minister.

Global Harvest

19

Continued from page 18

Into Gods World. Justin

and Leah Hopkins are providing leadership for more
than 300 Christians who
have volunteered to help
with the humongous task. Ultimately, the goal is to provide Bible class
materials in many of the languages of the world, using men of longstanding in the church in numerous countries to do the translation.
When worshipping with this exemplary congregation, one notices
immediately the full range of ages in the auditorium: many babies, children, parents, grandparents, even great-grandparents certainly not a
typical situation in most rural churches. Looking at Libertys history, and David Conelys PowerPoint lesson on the parallels
listening to the announcements of activities, the mystery is easily solved: between the soldiers who have died for our country
k For many years they have had a strong Lads to Leaders program,
and our Lord who died for our eternal salvation.
educating the children in the Scriptures, training the youth in leadership, and building a strong bond among parents, teachers, and children.
k Plans for the summer of 2013 include a week-long Evangelism
Training Class taught by Jeff Martin.
k On the completion of the training class, four teams are to be developed: (1) a Correspondence Team to do mail outs, make phone calls,
grade correspondence courses, and to take care of other needed correspondence. (2) a Visitation Team to pass out literature, to visit the sick
in nursing homes and in area hospitals, to visit members that have missed
assemblies, to provide transportation for team members and young people to make the visits, and to take part in other visitation as needed. (3)
a Teaching Team to conduct personal Bible studies, to work with the
Visitation Team in setting up studies, to provide helpers to accompany
teachers for personal studies, to teach at suppers, classes, devotionals, Members from Liberty came to Winona to help
training programs, etc. (4) a Follow-up Team to greet visitors at the asassemble mail outs for Into Gods World.
semblies and to help them fill out attendance cards, locate the restrooms,
appropriate classes, and to seat them in the auditorium; to mentor new
Christians, helping them to find their place in the congregation, introducing them to others, and encouraging them to participate in the activities of the church; to monitor the new Christians, to be aware that they are
regular in attendance in the assemblies and growing in their participation.
k Organize times for members to meet to specifically pray for the
spiritual needs of those whose names are submitted.
k Summer VBS, organized by teams 1 and 2.
k A singing school for better training the congregation in this part of
worship (but already, their full participation is inspiring).
k Conduct a meeting in August with Keith Parker, completing the
summer plans, but with the expectation that they will become permanent activities in the Liberty Church.
A unique postal system: each member has a
We are thankful for the vision and wisdom of the Liberty Church. > slot for exchanges of cards and other information.

20

Global Harvest

Treasure in a Box
Continued from page 12

able to again combine the two trips. This allows us to make

good use of our time and miles traveled.
Distributing books is only a part of the work in which we are
honored to be involved. Paula and I are putting the finishing touches on this report in Kolkata, India, waiting to catch a plane to South
India, after being in Myanmar for the last couple of weeks.

Christians folding Tamil tracts in Madurai, India for distribution. Initially, we wrote and printed the tracts in the
States; now they are being translated and printed in languages in India.

Each
year we make two During the evening worship
extended trips in South- service of a congregation in
east Asia, teaching and Lamka, Manipur, India, this
doing follow-up work brother taught a lesson. We
with our TV speakers were surprised to see that the
and their printing work, little book he was using was
as well as working close- The Church of the Bible! He
ly with two Bear Valley had obtained his copy in 1998!
Schools of Preaching. I The Choates helped to print
much lterature in Northeast Inusually make two addia, reaching over into Burma.
ditional shorter trips to
teach in schools in various places. This is in addition to
our stateside work of visiting supporting churches, shipping
literature, and other normal day-to-day office work. This
keeps us very busy; however, we feel privileged to serve
God in this way.

>
Jerry and Paula Bates: Email: Jerry@WorldEvangelism.org;
Phone: 870-897-2373

Hey!
How would you like to give away
a million dollars?

Its fake, of course (Uncle Sam hasnt started printing

million dollar bills YET) but Gods plan of salvation on
the back is real. This is an eye-catching little tract.
35 cents each;
$30 for 100.
Call 662-283-1192
The tracts are all folded and the soldiers are ready to
go out! JC School of Evangelism is a training program
developed by Philemon Rajah in Madurai, to train Christians in the pews [or on the floor, as may be the case in
Indian churches] how to reach out and to evangelize in
their own communities.

email: Choate@
WorldEvangelism.
org

Global Harvest

21

Missionary Stories
Wayne and Janet Barrier
You wont want to miss this thrilling book!
Available now at special discounted price:
$8.00 for one copy; $6.00 each for five.
Stories of Christians in Myanmar, Sri Lanka,
India, Pakistan,
Viet Nam, Peru,
China,
and
other exciting
places.
Order from:
World Evangelism Publications
P. O. Box 72
Winona, MS
38967
662-2831192

Continued from page 9

be doing. This keeps her pretty busy. There is also the matter of
making sure display items are ready, in addition to other office
duties, teaching, and household responsibilities.
Something else that we are excited to tell everyone about
is the launch of the new website for the curriculum, www.IntoGodsWorld.com, as well as our pages on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. We have a wonderful couple who have
volunteered to help with the updates on the social media
sites, and there are others who have expressed interest as
well. This will help us to update people on progress between
these updates as well as share encouraging thoughts.
Once the curriculum is developed there will be more to
the website, but we do invite you to check things out, and let
us know what you think!
U
Justin Hopkins: 210.593.8329; Granbury St.Church of Christ
1211 N. Granbury St. Cleburne, Texas 76033
Justin@IntoGodsWorld.com; Leah@IntoGodsWorld.com

A Way Forward
Continued from page 6
If we will live for God as good citizens of His kingdom,
all these problems will work out. We may not be capable
of visualizing and understanding the path to a solution. We
often see Gods hand as we look back. If our faith is true,
we will be victorious.
Each day we should do our best to contribute positively
to solving any and every problem confronting us, but we
must place at highest priority the obedience of Gods commands for us to honor Him through faithful worship, Christian service, and spreading of the Gospel. Gods kingdom
and king must be the focus of our lives. This will cause us
to be good stewards of everything He has given to us, to be
good citizens and supporters of earthly kingdoms, and to be
good members of our family and society.
A survey of Gods promises will give us hope, strength,
and confidence. We cannot predict the outcome of the problems of our country and the world, except to say that God
provides for His family and is in control of everything in
this world. All things are working together for good, if we
are in Gods family. His Word is specific and easy to understand regarding entrance to His family and kingdom. The
greatest thing for us to do, ultimately, is to contribute all we
possibly can to the work of teaching the non-believer how
to be a child of God.
Problems with the economy, societal degradation, and
political/civil strife and war can all be corrected with Christianity.
>

Lest We Forget

Dr. Philip Slate has worked diligently to bring together

the mini-biographies of brave missionaries of the early Twentieth Century. These men and women 84 of them are
pictured in the collage shown on the front cover of his book.
Anyone, reading the book, will be
humbled by the courage and faith
of these Christians who blazed the
trail for those of us who would follow them.
Lest We Forget is affordably
priced at $8.00 per copy and can
be ordered from World Evangelism, P.O. Box 72, Winona, MS
38967; Phone: 662-283-1192

22

Global Harvest

Can We Do This???
Information Supplied by Joshua and Ricky Gootam

Whenever we turn on a TV, whether in the US or in Indonesia [a Muslim

country], or in India [a country whose
population is 85% Hindu], so-called
Christian cables carry either Catholic or non-stop charismatic/Pentecostal programs. The world is being indoctrinated with these false portrayals
of Christianity. The longer they are
allowed to be the voice without a
challenge by Truth, the more difficult
it will be to correct the errors.
A missionary brother in France
made the observation that many Christians feel that there is no obligation on
our part to evangelize Europe because
they have had Christianity through
the decades, and they are responsible
for how they have accepted or rejected
it. His answer was, They have had
Catholicism, not true Christianity,
and that has turned them into infidels!
It is true that the masses in Europe now
claim to be atheists.
If people have never heard of the
Bible and have never seen a corrupted
form of Christianity, it is not difficult
to open their eyes to the Truth, if they
are interested in their souls.

The Problem
When Christ began the church, satan had suffered his tremendous defeat
at the cross. Now God was opening
the doors to His spiritual family. What
could satan do to thwart the salvation
provided by the blood of Christ???
His answer was to distort the
Truth, to mix error with the message,
to begin hundreds even thousands
of competing churches, and to so
confuse the hearers that the ultimate
result would be division and a total
rejection of God on the part of many.

He has succeeded very well. Today,

there is more division among believers
in Christ than in any other religion.

The solution
What can be done to reach more
of those sincere souls throughout the
world who are truly hungering and
thirsting for the Truth?
Several years ago, after seeing one
of these charasmatic cables in the Islamic country of Indonesia, J.C. Choate returned to the States and met with
numerous churches and brethren, urging, We need to band together and
start our own world-wide 24-houra-day channel. Everybody agreed,
but nobody stepped forward to actually help to do it.
Then, some time later, Gospel
Broadcasting Network was formed
in Dalton, Georgia. Their goal was to
build toward that dream of having a
world-wide voice for the Truth. They
are now located at 8900 Germantown
Road, Olive Branch, MS 38654, under the oversight of the elders of the
Southaven Church of Christ, with Don
Blackwell serving as the director of
the work.

TV Channel for
Churches of Christ
Recently, Joshua and Ricky Gootam have informed us of a Christian
cable that is for sale in India. The
original asking price was one million dollars, but it is now half of that
amount for the initial payment.
When brother Joshua Gootam
started the radio ministry in 1975
though J.C and Betty Choate, we had
a great success with that and with our
printing ministry. We entered in TV

ministry in 2001 and have had a great

success in this work too.
Gods people always need to
be up-dated on our outreach and our
methods to reach the lost. In India now
more than ever, it is easy to start a TV
Satellite Channel. There are more then
100 Christian channels right now on
Indian TV, but there is not one for
Churches of Christ. We telecast our
programs in 30-minute slots through
four channels run by denominational
groups. All the remaining hours are
filled with their error.
To start a TV Channel of our own
it would cost $500,000 initially, and then
there would be annual costs, including
the recording costs (like studio operation, salaries, cable operator fees, tips for
the government officials, etc.).
This would be very good for the
Churches of Christ in India. I went
and talked to few CEOs of TV channels and asked how they did it and they
were explaing the good and the bad of
having a TV Channel and all the legal
work on how to start it. If we have the
capital to start our own channel, that
would a great thing for the Lords
church in India. If we come together,
we can do it.
Brethren, if you are interested
in helping to make this happen,
please contact us at 662-283-1192. If
enough of us would band together
with whatever funds are available to
us, perhaps we could work with GBN
and Search for the Lords Way,
and other brethren involved in telecasting to expand ultimately to that
world-wide outreach tool that God
has provided for evangelizing the
world in this generation.
>

Global Harvest

How Shall They Hear?

Preach the Gospel to every creature is a charge current

in every generation until the end of time. Admittedly, reaching
every soul with the message of salvation is challenging, considering the worlds population of seven billion could double
by the year 2040! Coupled with the fact that about a hundred
precious souls are dying every minute, the problem the Lords
people face in reaching a world rapidly rushing into eternity
is obvious. However, since God desires that all men be saved
and come to the knowledge of the truth, we must believe He
has given His people the power and potential to solve the
problem of reaching every soul with the truth.
A large part of the problems solution is now in production... GOSPEL BROADCASTING NETWORK...a
satellite network, broadcasting the truth and nothing but the
truth, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. GBN is under the
oversight of the Southaven church of Christ in Southaven,
Mississippi. The primary thrust of the network is:
h To establish in viewers of all ages a strong belief in the
existence of God through a heavy concentration of Christian
evidences.
h To establish in viewers the conviction that God has revealed Himself and His will to man through the Bible.
h To encourage the proper response to Gods Word obedience to the plan of salvation and adherence to the New
Testament pattern of worship, work, and Christian living
In many places brethren are threatened by false teaching. A saturation of sound Bible teaching via GBN may help
strengthen them to withstand error and to stand for the truth.
In areas where the church is practically nonexistent and
brethren are striving to grow in the faith, GBNs programming may be viewed, possibly videotaped, to edify these
Christians and assist them in their evangelistic efforts.

23

Come to see us at the GBN facility south of Memphis at

8900 Germantown Road, Olive Branch, MS 38654. The new
location of 8,000+ square feet is open on weekdays from 8am to
5pm, and we would love for you to organize a group from your
congregation to visit with us.

Free Material!

GBN offers a FREE non-denominational Bible Course!

It is based on Gods Word and not the creeds or the traditions
of men. Contact us for lesson #1. If you have Bible related
questions, please contact us by phone, mail, or email.

Subscribe

We encourage you to subscribe to our email newsletter.

For those who do not know much about GBN, here is a fantastic way to learn more. For those who support GBN, it is
also a great way to donate!
U
Ph: (662) 874-5508; www.gbntv.org

Hey!
How would you like to give away
a million dollars?

Its fake, of course (Uncle Sam hasnt started printing

million dollar bills YET) but Gods plan of salvation on
the back is real. This is an eye-catching little tract.
35 cents each;
$30 for 100.
Call 662-283-1192

email: Choate@
WorldEvangelism.
org

24

Global Harvest

In Search of
the Lords Way
Phil Sanders and Mack Lyon

Springtime presents a financial

challenge to SEARCH
Phil Sanders

Some spring months, we fall far short of our financial

needs and have to dip deeply into our emergency fund. While
our revenue exceeds our needs in December and January, we
can easily fall more than $100,000 in the red over the spring
months. We strive to spend as much as we can afford for the
Gospel, but we must have a reserve for our lean months.
Each month we must come up with more than $255,000
in order to meet our expenses. More than 85 percent of our
expenses come from the costs of media and filling requests.
We send out thousands of transcripts and CDs to our viewers
each month; the cost of postage and supplies continues to
rise. While we have been able to hold our airtime costs, our
requests are increasing along with postage.
People support us through a variety of means. Many
give in memory of friends or loved ones, and others give in
order to honor a living friend or loved one. Some give to
help us with the costs of regular transcripts and CDs. Still
others who watch SEARCH regularly give because they
enjoy the program. Some give stocks or bonds; some give
houses or property; some give valuables or automobiles; and
some give money from a windfall or inheritance. We are always deeply grateful to those who leave us money in their
wills or who invest in a charitable annuity. We could not survive long if we didnt have faithful stewards who generously
support us with their prayers and their money.
Whatever means you use to give, we can assure you of this:
we will use your gift wisely to preach the Gospel to a lost and
dying world. We will work hard to make the most of every dollar.
Help us meet the challenge this year. Be generous and give what
you can to meet the expenses we face each month.

What the Gospel Can Do!

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power

of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew
first and also to the Greek (Romans 1:16).
We preach the Gospel because we love God and love
the souls of men. God chose the Gospel message as His
means to save those that believe (1 Corinthians 1:21).

We preach the Truth because people purify their souls

through the obedience to the Truth (1 Peter 1:22). These
people are consequently born again through an imperishable
seed, the living and abiding Word of God (1:23).
We preach the Word of His grace because it builds
up the brethren and gives them the inheritance among those
who are sanctified (Acts 20:32).
We preach Jesus Christ and the Gospel because God
is able to use the message to establish or strengthen brethren
(Romans 16:25).
We preach the Word because faith comes by hearing
and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17).
We preach what is written so that you may believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing
you may have life in His name (John 20:30,31).
We are determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2).
We want everyone to know, to love, and to serve the Lord.
The Gospel opens that door so people can be saved and
come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:3,4).
SEARCH will begin broadcasting soon over Inspiration
Network International (ini.tv). This network is served by 4 satellites, reaching more than 100 million households in 158 countries. We are also on the Pacific Broadcasting Network. A radio
broadcast that reaches 30 countries. SEARCH virtually circles
the globe each week. We need your prayers and support.
We are deeply grateful to have so many partners in
this effort to take the Gospel to every home in America and
throughout the world. We know the greatest spiritual need in
our country is for people to have a saving relationship with
Jesus Christ. Only the Gospel can bring people to know the
Lord, to love Him, and to serve Him.
Please continue to pray for us and to give generously.
The money you give enables us to touch millions of souls
with the saving message of Jesus Christ!
>
Phil Sanders and Mack Lyon: IN SEARCH OF THE LORDS
WAY; PO Box 371; Edmond, Oklahoma 73083; Phone: 1-800321-8633; Website: searchtv.org

Global Harvest

25

Recovering Addicts
Ronnie Crocker

In ministering to recovering addicts, it is easy to lose my patience.

Most of our men are doing a great
job working their recovery programs.
However, a few just will not cooperate. We have several men who have relapsed numerous times. Some want to
spend the day playing video games and
watching television. These few can really drive me nuts. The urge is for me
to give up and send them home!!
Like the lukewarm Laodicieans
(Revelation 3:14-20), these Project Rescue members do not see how sick they
are! They do not understand how much
they need God and His Word in their
lives.
The bad news is, drug and alcohol
abuse damages the brain. The good
news is, once the abuse stops, the brain
begins to heal. A healthy diet and exercise help the brain to heal.
We look to God, the Bible and the
church for the answer. Spirituality is
essential to the healing process!
The other side of our program is to
help each man to find a job he loves or
to go back to school to pursue a career.
Our goal is for him to become finan-

cially independent with his own bank

account, driving his own car and living
in his own home. Our objective is also
for him to be reconciled with his family.
The recovery process we use is
community based with control. As our
program members live in the community in our apartments, we control their
social activities. As each man works in
the community, he turns his paycheck
over to Project Rescue. In time, he
assumes control of his life a little at
a time. When a member relapses, he
starts over and begins the process to
freedom again.
Revelation 3:20 portrays Jesus patiently waiting for a heart to open and
invite Him in: Behold, I stand at the
door and knock. If anyone hears My
voice and opens the door, I will come in
to him and dine with him, and he with
Me (Revelation 3:20).
We presently have 18 men participating in the Project Rescue Addiction
Recovery Program. Six of our program
members have been living in our apartments for less than 2 months. Five
have been in our care for more than 200
days!
With the help of churches and families, we clothe, house and feed them, as
we stand with Jesus knocking and patiently waiting for their hearts to open
and accept our spiritual help.
We have group Bible classes Monday through Friday, daily 1-on-1 Bible
classes, 1-on-1 counseling sessions
twice a week, and church services twice
a week. However, we cannot make

if one member suffers, all the members suffer

1 Corinthians 12:26

them accept our spiritual instruction.

All we can do is patiently wait outside
the door of their hearts and knock.
We have helped eight of the men to
find great jobs. Several others work in
our House Flip Program. Still, we wait
for an invitation from their hearts.
God, through His Word, continuously reminds us to be patient with the
sick souls in our care!
Vines Dictionary points out that
the tense of restore in Galatians 6:1 is
the continuous present, suggesting the
necessity for patience and perseverance
in the process. Brethren, if a man is
overtaken in any trespass, you who are
spiritual restore such a one in a spirit
of gentleness, considering yourself lest
you also be tempted (Galatians 6:1).
The Apostle Paul described the
patience we must have as we minister to unruly, feebleminded and weak
souls: Now we exhort you, brethren,
warn them that are unruly, comfort the
feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men (1 Thessalonians
5:14 KJV).
At times, we lose our patience with
members who resist our spiritual and
scriptural assistance. Still, we pray for
the patience of Jesus, as we wait outside the door of their hearts for an invitation to enter. We are glad to report
that 12 of our 13 graduates opened their
hearts to Jesus and are continuing in the
faith!
For more details about Project Rescue, please see our web page at www.
projectrescue.org.
U
Ronnie Crocker is director of Project
Rescue under the oversight of the City
Boulevard church of Christ at 618 City
Boulevard, Waycross, GA.

26

Global Harvest

Apologetics Press
Our History

In the late 1970s, there was
a need to make available scripturally sound and scientifically
accurate materials in apologetics
among the churches of Christ.
The idea for Apologetics Press
was bornan idea that soon became a reality. The necessary legal steps then were taken to
allow the work to be recognized as non-profit and tax-exempt
by both State and Federal governments. In 1985, Apologetics Press moved into its own custom-built, 11,000-squarefoot building that was debt free upon completion. Financial
records are managed by certified public accountants, who
also submit to the appropriate agencies all documentation
required by State and Federal law.
Currently, Dr. Dave Miller serves as the Executive Director. Dr. Miller, Kyle Butt, Eric Lyons, and Dr. Jeff Miller
compose the fulltime professional writing staff, assisted by
an auxiliary staff of scientists and other writers including
Dr. Joe Deweese, Dr. Jerry Fausz, Dr. Michael Houts, Dr.
Branyon May, Dewayne Bryant, James Spencer, Caleb Colley, Kevin Cain, and Matt Vega as well as an office support
staff that includes secretaries, production administrators, a
Spanish translator, a graphics-design artist, and a scientific
illustrator.

What We Believe

The following principles of truth are accepted by those who

actively participate in this work:
l God exists, and man can know that God exists, by means
of His manifold revelations, both in nature and through the
inspired Word of God, the Holy Bible.
l The entire material universe was specially created by
this almighty God in 6 days of approximately 24-hours each,
as revealed in Genesis 1 and Exodus 20:11.
l Both biblical and scientific evidence indicate a relatively
young earth, in contrast to evolutionary views of a multibillion-year age for the Earth.
l Both biblical and scientific evidence indicate that many
of the earths features must be viewed in light of a universal, catastrophic flood (i.e., the Noahic Flood as described in
Genesis 6-8).
l All compromising theories such as theistic evolution,
progressive creationism, threshold evolution, the gap theory,
the modified gap theory, the day-age theory, the non-world
view, etc., are denied and opposed as patently false.

l Christianity is the one true religion; Jesus Christ is the

only divine Son of God, resurrected Lord, and Savior of all
who lovingly obey Him.
l The 66 books of the Bible are fully and verbally inspired
of God; hence, they are inerrant and authoritative, and a
complete guide for moral and religious conduct.
l Salvation is by means of obedience to the Gospel system, involving faith in God and Christ, repentance from sin,
confession of faith, and immersion in water for remission of
past sins, coupled with a life of growing consecration and
dedication.
l Those enjoying salvation are members of the one true
church, which is the body of Christ.

Bible Class Curriculum:

Exploring Gods Word

For many years, members of the Lords church have

been looking for an informative, engaging, biblically sound
Bible school curriculum that is flexible and can be adapted
to any size congregation. The Apologetics Press curriculum,
Exploring Gods Word, is just such a tool. It has been developed over a series of many years by highly qualified individuals who have invested countless hours in its production.
We think you will find this to be one of the most unique,
effective Bible school curricula available anywhere.
In addition, Exploring Gods Word is unique in that it
is an online curriculum. Since it is online, it can be viewed,
downloaded, and printed by anyone with an Internet connection anywhere in the world. Also, the bulk of the curriculum
is absolutely free. All the material for two-year-olds through
fourth grade is completely free. The only part of the curriculum that needs to be purchased is the material for fifth
and sixth grades. Furthermore, Exploring Gods Word is an
open system curriculum (read more about the open system
concept by clicking the What Is Open System? link on our
website) and will be constantly improved as more congregations use it and offer their input.
Exploring Gods Word has already been used to influence thousands of children all over the world. Check it out.
See what it can do for your congregation. We think you will
discover that using this curriculum will be one of the best
decisions your congregation made for your children.
We believe that the open system method underlying the
A.P. curriculum is an innovative, extremely effective way
to produce a superior Bible school curriculum. The system
will only work, however, if creative, sound Christians add
Continued on page 33

Global Harvest

27

We are working on the topics for next years House

to House/Heart to Heart and we need your help!

Recently we covered:
Baptism
The Thief On the Cross
What Does the Church Have to Offer Me?
Do You Think You Are the Only Ones Going to Heaven?
The next three topics will be:
July: Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?
September: Why Do Churches of Christ not Use Instruments of Music?
November: Is the End Near?
What topic do you think would be successful next year?
What topics are your visitors and community talking about?
Give us your suggestions.
Each issue House to House/Heart to Heart focuses on a
basic topic or question designed to interest and instruct nonChristians. Last year we covered the Plan of Salvation. This
year we are focusing on Religious Questions People Are
Asking. Circulation continues to increase each issue. We
have increased printing by 54,000 copies this time! The issue
on baptism generated an overwhelming response. Circulation
increased over 500,000, which is an all-time record!

The $1,551,466 Christian

The Christian Church spends S1,551,466 to make one

convert. That figure comes from the World Christian Encyclopedia published by Oxford University Press in 2001. Accurate or not, even if the number were a tenth that, its still
staggering. Remember also that money doesnt go as far today
as in the recent past, so the figure would be even higher now.
Only Apple has the war chest to spend that kind of money to get a customer. Even then, at that rate, Apples halftrillion dollars wouldnt last long enough to generate a sustainable client base.
Simply put, if this percentage held true for the true
church, and the church were a business, it would be bankrupt. Marketing and sales would get the blame.
But the church isnt a business; its a collection of people
joined by Jesus Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and
tasked with a mission to make disciples. Given that $1,551,466
figure, the inescapable conclusion is that someone is not doing
his part of the mission, or at least his ineffectiveness is mindboggling. We, ourselves, must do better!
U

We are happy to share the PTP 2013 schedule with

you. With over 700 sessions, there is truly something
for everyone! View this information in your browser at
polishingthepulpit.com.
View and/or download the tentative schedule, with
lessons designed for elders, preachers, and all Christians.
Ladies and children also have special sessions. The dates
are August 23-29, 2013 at the Sevierville Event Center
in Sevierville, TN. In the near future, we will be sending
out information for hotel pricing and reservations, but for
now, just pencil us in for Aug 23-29!
We would like to remind you that each paid attendee
will receive a free USB with hundreds of lessons on it at
the conclusion of PTP.
Do you know someone who would like to see the
schedule? Forward this information to a friend. We encourage you to go to our website to subscribe to PTP
email updates.
Steve Higginbotham said of Polishing the Pulpit:
Wow! Im at Polishing the Pulpit for the very
first time and Im impressed! What a great event. I
heard there are approximately 2000 Christians present. Ive seen a lot of old friends, met people for the
first time who Ive never met but heard of for years,
and just heard an excellent lesson on church growth
by Gary Hampton.
Im really looking forward to hearing the rest
of the lessons this week and delivering a lesson on
church growth on Wednesday.
If youve never attended, youll not regret making plans to attend next year.
Our mailing address is:
House to House Heart to Heart
321 Nisbet Street N.W.
Jacksonville, AL 36265

28

Global Harvest

Evangelising,
Even in a Nursing Home
Lois Juanita Holmes

My name is Lois Juanita Holmes.

I reside in Victoria Gardens of Allen
Nursing Home in Allen, Texas. I have
been a Christian for fifty-three years.
My goals have been to be faithful day
by day as long as I lived and to share
my faith at every opportunity. My desire was to take Jesus a BIG bouquet
a bouquet of souls redeemed by
his blood. Now, at age 88 it is still my
mission, my real reason for living because Im homesick for Heaven. I want
to see my Saviors face, kneel at His
feet and hear Him say, Well done thou
good and faithful servant.
As a child I was taken occasionally
to a denominational church. When I
was dating, my fiance went to church
with me every Sunday, but after marriage he would not go even once. I was
embarrassed to go alone so I stopped
going, also. After an unhappy marriage for fourteen years, I got a divorce
and moved with my precious 12-yearold son from Michigan to California to
start a new life.
My son and I went regularly to a
neighborhood denominational church,
and I was making good money selling
knitting machines when I learned my
employers were falsifying contracts. I
knew I was a sinner, but I wasnt a criminal. My employers had been duped into
buying the business and had lost their
life savings. I resigned after trying to
get them to shut down and went home
to fall on my knees and cry out to God

for help. I promised Him I would give

up anything, EVERYTHING, anybody,
EVERYBODY, if He would lead me to
the Truth.
God heard my desperate prayer in
a wonderful way through a minister of
the church of Christ whom I had met. I
called him to ask for prayer about a new
job. At last I learned the Truth when he
suggested a Bible study which soon led
to my baptism into Christ and enrollment in a Bible College that I attended
for five years. I was determined to be
SURE I was teaching my twelve- yearold son accurately, and I wanted to be
able to help others become Christians
and share my joy.
God blessed me in ways I could
never have imagined as I used my
evenings to teach people I met and to
invite them to a Bible study and to go
with me to the worship services. I went
to their homes with filmstrips, records
and screens as well as my Bible, as I
shared the wonderful story of Jesus. I
even had a chance to teach people in
the hospital and in a nursing home.
I retired at 62, and my health was
failing. After two bad falls at home
alone, my doctor told me I had to go to
a nursing home. How in the world was I
going to be able to continue to win souls
for Christ? I have many medical problems, and Im in bed except for a couple
of hours a day. I am lifted from bed with
a machine called a lift and deposited
in my wheelchair. I can move my legs to
roll the wheelchair backward. I can go
only a few steps forward, but it enables
me to do an important part of the ministry God has provided for me in this difficult situation.
Nothing is impossible with God,
especially with help of dedicated Chris-

tians. Practically the only people I see

are the employees, and they are very
busy caring for many needs of the residents. They cannot stay long enough
for me to do any teaching. When I
was up and able, I used the Visualized
Bible Studies which were also in print,
as well as film strips and videos. I had
used the printed lessons many, many
times as part of my home teaching because the student could read them and
learn between my visits.
I usually approach my prospects
when it seems to be the right moment,
and I ask them if they like to read their
Bible. Their answer and their attitude are
critical so I can know how to proceed. I
keep the Bible lessons close to my bed,
and I ask them to hand me one if they
answered favorably. I quickly show them
a #3 lesson which is on The Christian
Age. I explain the layout and show them
how to do the review at the end of each
lesson and how to look up the answers
for themselves. They usually relax and
agree to take the lesson with them, and
promise to bring it back to me when it
is finished so I can check it and answer
any questions they have. At that time I
give them the next lesson and encourage
them to continue to do well. When they
have completed #5 History of the Lords
Church, I award them a nicely framed
Completion Certificate.
I LOVE these students! Each one
has a different religious background
Catholic, Baptist, Anglican, Seventh
Day Adventist, Muslim (Islam), Greek
Orthodox, and on and on. Each one has
a family, an extra job, studying to be
a nurse, etc., etc. Busy people! They
have very little time for study.
In addition to the Bible lessons, I
Continued on page 31

Global Harvest

29

James D. Suiter
Have you ever thought about using
the internet to do evangelism? I read a
preachers statement the other day and
he said that social media would go down
in history as having as big an impact on
Christianity as the printing press in 1440!
We are living in amazing technological times! The early disciples of Christ
used the Roman road system to take the
Gospel all over. We have a road system that they would have loved to have!
The Internet is like our highway system,
only it includes both the destinations
and the roadways. Just as you can travel
in a car over a series of connected interstates, state highways, city streets,
farm-to-market roads, and gravel paths,
the Internet lets you travel electronically
through a network of computers to get
just about anywhere in no time flat.
When the Christians were scattered
in the first century because of persecution, they preached the word, Now
those who were scattered went about
preaching the word (Acts 8:4 ESV). As
Christians, we are scattered all over and
we have the great potential of reaching so
many right from our own computers! Everyone who is selling something wants to
be on Facebook because that is the place
so many people visit every day!
We have a great product, if you will
Christianity that all people need
and will enjoy! I created a Facebook

group several months back for our personal work groups to use in Facebook
evangelism. It has grown, and many
people are on it from all over the states,
India, Russia, South Africa, the Philippines, Pakistan, Nepal, and Guam! The
purpose of my page Undenominational
Christianity is that it would be a holding tank of good sound materials that
folks could like and share on Facebook
and, as we do this, simple New Testament Christianity gets out and about!
Our marching instructions from Christ:
He said to them, Go into all the world
and preach the gospel to all creation
(Mark 16:15)! We know this! We just need
to do it! Facebook evangelism is so easy
that everyone from a teenager to a retired
person can do it! We have so many good
quality materials and websites to share:
World Video Bible School, Audio Evangelism, The Gospel of Christ, Gospel
Broadcasting Network, The Voice of
Truth International, Truth For Today,
World Mission School, and many other
good sites, with videos and pointed focused
Scriptures and articles that we can use!
I have found that many like to share
the fuzzy touchy feely verses and I love
them too! However are they doctrinally
focused, are they going to point folks in
error toward truth? We can reach out to
the unchurched and we can encourage
one another daily, exhorting one another

every day, as long as it is called today,

that none of you may be hardened by the
deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:13 ESV).
According to Dr. Steven Guy, a 6year study of churches of Christ found
that 526 congregations closed their
doors, and we have in the states 78,436
fewer members! This is alarming and not
acceptable! We can add Internet evangelism to other tools for spreading the Truth
and, in this way, we can take a bite out of
this very unacceptable number of losses!
We share football, baseball, fishing, pinterest, recipes, and jokes on Facebook
because it is a joy to share! If we dont
have a joy in sharing the Gospel, maybe we need to look at this verse closely
and prayerfully: Restore to me the joy
of your salvation, and uphold me with a
willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to
you (Psalm 51: 12,13). I am a part of
11 Facebook groups, and my own group
has a potential of reaching 10,000 people
every day! If only 5 percent look at the
post that is 500 folks! The power of the
click of your mouse!
>
James D. Suiter did mission work in Russia, worked for Midwest CBK (an import
company) for 18 years, is admistrator for
the Undenominational Christianity page
on Facebook and is the director of the
personal work groups at the Bishop St.
church of Christ in Union City, TN. (jsuiter68@hotmail.com)

30

Global Harvest

The Great Commission

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, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you;
and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.

The Shame of Immodesty Among Christians

Brad Harrub, Ph.D.

Its an epidemic that affects

almost every congregation
in the United Statesimmodesty. Clothing that
was once reserved for immoral individuals is now
considered in style. Simply put skin is in. Any
clothing that isnt revealA monthly magazine, dealing ing skin is often so tightwith todays culture and the fitting that one can easily
needs of Christians all over spot moles or scars beneath
the world. We highly recom- the clothes. Sadly, many
mend it to our readers.
Christians have embraced
this pagan practice and can
see nothing wrong with imitating the world.
In all of my years of teaching, this topic elicits more
emotion from youth and their parents, as individuals seek
to justify their clothing because they cant find anything
in the stores or my child has a weird body type. And so,
week after week, our children march into worship looking
no different from the world, and looking as though they were
streetwalkers from the 1970s. It would be easy to get upset
at these young people however, it is the parents who most
often purchase the clothes. And a quick scan around the auditorium reveals that some parents are trying their best to
mimic the latest styles as well.
Imagine the scenario of watching a man serving the
Lords Supper, only to see him return to the front and place
the bread plate on the table after serving only half of the auditorium. How would it feel to know the man stopped serving
the Lords Supper because he could not, in good conscience,
continue looking up and down the aisle at people who were
sitting in immodest clothing, revealing far too much as he

stood at the end of the row? There is no excuse for what is

happening in our worship assemblies, and there is no excuse
for elders and preachers not rebuking parents (and teens) for
immodesty.
Styles come and go. You may never experience wide
collars or bell-bottom pants, but rest assured certain things
will be in style in your life that the media wants you to
embrace. There will be strong pressure to conform to the latest fads. But remember its just a fad. Sadly, many of your
friends will find their self-worth in their clothes (brand name
or style). I pray that we, as Christians, rear our children to
be more confident than that. Your self-worth is in the knowledge that you were bought with the blood of Jesus Christ!
Clothing began in the Garden of Eden. After eating of
the tree of knowledge of good and evil, Adam and Eve covered themselves with fig leaves (Genesis 3:7). It is noteworthy to realize that after God pronounced His punishment on
their sin, He further clothed them with tunics of skin (Genesis 3:21). From that point on, man has covered himself in
the sight of others and in the sight of God. Clothing has been
a part of life since those days in the Garden.
Jesus reminded us not to worry about clothes (Matthew
6:28-30), and as such, Christian fathers and mothers should
not put a huge emphasis on clothing, and they should not
teach their children that focus. Yes, clothes should be clean.
And yes, they need to fit even though that gets harder
through the growth spurts that outpace clothing sizes. But in
every closet there will likely be some outdated outfits that
still have lots of wear in them and even some hand-medowns that a sibling or friend once wore. That doesnt lessen
the value of the person who wears them.
Modern styles change every season. The primary reason
for these frequent changes is to drive up sales in the clothing
Continued on page 31

Global Harvest

31

The Shame of Immodesty....

Continued from page 30

market. Christians should recognize a

problem with this constantly changing
industry. God does not change (Malachi 3:6), and neither does His view on
modesty. Tight, low-cut, or revealing
clothing is never in style in the sight
of God. Furthermore, just because you
see another Christian wearing something, that does not necessarily mean it
is appropriate.
Christians are admonished to adorn
themselves modestly: In like manner
also, that the women adorn themselves
in modest apparel, with propriety and
moderation, not with braided hair or
gold or pearls or costly clothing, but,
which is proper for women professing
godliness, with good works (1 Timothy 2:9,10), and that beauty should
not come from outward adornment (1
Peter 3:3,4). When selecting clothes,
be sure that you select something that
is glorifying to God and that does not
draw undue attention to your body. Our
clothing should not cause anyone to

lust: You have heard that it was said

to those of old,You shall not commit
adultery. But I say to you that whoever
looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in
his heart (see Matthew 5:27,28).
Parents will not always be around to
select or purchase their childrens clothes.
Young people, as you move into adulthood, it is my prayer that when you select
something, you will remember Whose
you are and Who you represent. Sure,
you can dress like the world and blend
in, but you are called to be different (Romans 12:1,2). That doesnt mean weird
but different. In a world determined to
reveal skin, it shouldnt be hard to adopt a
modest style that helps demonstrate your
Christian character. I assure you that wise
clothing choices will earn you respect
in the eyes of faithful men and women.
Dont worry about the look and label on
the outside. Worry about your look and
label on the inside!

>
Brad Harrub, Focus Press, Inc.
www.focuspress.org; 866-313-6474

Are you looking for magazines, books, audio CDs

and DVDs developed by doctrinally sound Christians,
designed for home schooling, equipping our teens,
and educating parents on the
crucial questions with which
your children are dealing, in
school and through media exposure? Focus Press offers
a treasure trove. Call them at
866-313-6474, or go to their
website: focuspress.org
Also, check out the new Focus Press Youtube channel at
www.youtube.com/focuspress1

Evangelizing...
Continued from page 28

get lifted into my wheelchair after

lunch, and I do my rounds. By
pushing my wheelchair backwards,
I go around the entire nursing home
and give handouts, encouraging
articles from religious publications
that teach many biblical truths. I
give the residents a different one every day, seven days a week. That is
a real job but is worth it. Most of the
employees are appreciative.
This is definitely NOT a onewoman ministry. Our congregation
has a discipleship minister who is
wonderfully evangelistic. He calls
contacts and encourages their study,
teaches them personally in their home
as the need arises, invites them to worship services with him, and then he
and his wife take them out to dinner to
further the relationship. He copies all
the tracts, articles and charts that we
use as handouts. He has a true heart
for evangelism and missions so these
students have the best.
Our team has another member
who is a beautiful Christian woman
and an irreplaceable part of this ministry. She helps me be organized!
Since I cant be up, she keeps the lessons and handouts in order, looks up
things on the Internet, does necessary
shopping, typing, helps distribute the
handouts, invites ladies to the worship services, as well as doing many
personal things for me. Shes terrific!
So day by day, we plant seeds
for the Lord in this huge home of
sick and even helpless people. We
all want to bring God a harvest, a
bouquet of redeemed souls. Every
soul is valuable, and we three will
continue to serve our Savior, Who
gave His life for us, as long as we
are able.
>

32

Global Harvest

Searching for Truth DVD

World Video Bible School has been

privileged to serve the church since
1986 by making teaching and evangelism materials for the churchs use
worldwide. Our goal is the same as
it has always been, to serve God and
His people by doing His will to the
best of our ability. We are committed to producing and distributing excellent quality, scripturally
sound, inexpensively priced Bible
study material through video, audio and the written page. We have
a genuine desire to glorify the Father,
His beloved Son, His Word and His
blood-bought church and not to glorify ourselves or any other men!
What WVBS Provides:
We produce material in a wide
variety of formats, including DVDs,
CDs, MP3s, Posters, Books, eBooks,
Notebooks, Electronic Notebooks,
and Websites. Over 1,800,000 tapes/
DVDs and nearly 100,000 books
have been sent throughout the world.
Thousands of teaching posters, CDs,
MP3s, as well as millions of pages
of teaching materials have been distributed across the globe with some
of the most popular materials being
translated into many other languages.
Our video websites provide a range
of full-length, freely viewable resources including video, transcripts,
charts and online books.

DVDs

We carry DVDs covering a widevariety of topics, including in-depth

coverage for every book of the Bible,
as well as hundreds of Bible and Bible-related topics. With our material
you can: learn to read Greek, study
evidences for the Christian faith,

grow your relationship with God, and

listen to good Gospel sermons.

CDs

We have taken the audio tracks from

many of our DVD courses, and recorded
them on audio CDs. These audio lessons, including all of the Old and New
Testament Bible book courses, are the
same audio as found on the DVD. We
continually try to take advantage of new
technology and make material available
for less money, so we have converted
much of the audio material to MP3 format.

Websites

We have several unique video websites that provide a range of full-length,

freely viewable resources. Each website
includes a different video or set of videos to address specific topics and needs.
You can see all of our current video websites at WVBS.org/video; some of the
websites include: SearchingForTruth.
org, TheTruthAbout.net, EvilPainAndSuffering.com, WhyAreThereSoManyChurches.com,
PregnancyDecisions.
org, AbstinenceOrSex.com, and BuscandoLaVerdad.org.

Books/Notebooks

We carry numerous hardback and

paperback books that are used as resources in our DVD courses. The books
can be purchased separate from the
DVD courses, but are most useful when
studied with our lessons. They include a
wide variety of topics, including overviews of the books of the Bible, Christian evidences, and learning Greek or
Hebrew.

Teaching Charts/Posters

We produce numerous teaching

Product code: 104100DVD01

Quick Overview
Searching For Truth was produced with the thought in mind of
the great filmstrips of the past that
did so much good in teaching the
Gospel. This new program is designed to teach the viewer what one
needs to know to become a Christian. Written and hosted by John
Moore. The DVD includes English
Subtitles.
Mix & Match available with other
Volume Deals
Buy 20 or more for $1.00 each
Over 950,000 Copies
Have Been Sent Out!

charts suitable for visual aids in Bible

studies. We are offering free electronic
versions of our charts in multiple languages. Simply click on the links on our
website to download the free PDF versions of these charts.

Ways WVBS Materials

Can Be Used:

1. Members can check them out of the

churchs library for home study. This is
especially good for those who are confined at home or in nursing homes. In
addition, the library can be made available to other congregations even the
general public!
2. Church leadership can use the DVDs
to increase their Bible knowledge, improve their ability to hold fast to the
Word, convict the gainsayer, and help
ensure, through their study, that only
sound doctrine is taught in their congregation.
3. Ministers can study a subject before
teaching it, or improve their understanding of special subjects like Greek, Logic, Christian Evidences, Homiletics, etc.
4. Bible class teachers can prepare
more in-depth studies for their classes.

Continued on page 33

Global Harvest

33

Will You Take the

Challenge?
1. Will you determine today to
give just $1.00 extra each Lords
day for missions?
2. Will you encourage others in the congregation
to do the same, working toward 100% participation
among the membership, to reach the goal?
Please write us: World Evangelism Team, P.O.
Box 72, Winona, MS 38967; or call: 662-283-1192;
or email: Choate@WorldEvangelism.org.

World Video Bible School

Continued from page 32

They can increase their own knowledge by studying the tapes at home, or
improve their teaching technique by
studying the Teachers Improvement
Seminar series.
5. New Christians, those recently restored, and others can study the course
on Fundamentals to build a strong
foundation on Gods Word and grow as
Christians.
6. Ladies can use the tapes for ladies
Bible classes.
7. Small, remote, and military congregations can use the tapes to better train
qualified teachers and to provide more
in-depth Bible studies.
8. Parents can use the videos to teach
their children in family Bible studies at
home. This way, the family can study
together, even on subjects the parents
may not have had time or opportunity
to learn themselves. Imagine the benefit gained by families taking 38 minutes
each day to study a videotaped lesson
on Gods Word!
9. Bible training schools, especially
overseas, can use the lessons to prepare
instructors or to actually do the teaching.

10. Churches can furnish lessons to

help establish new preacher training
schools overseas without incurring the
vast financial burden of hiring a full
staff of qualified instructors. Instead,
they can purchase the fruit of qualified
instructors on DVD that can be viewed
over and over for years to come.
11. The Lords church in this country
has used WVBS material to start night
or weekend schools to encourage more
in-depth study of Gods Word in the local church and area churches of Christ,
to develop and strengthen leaders, to
encourage those from the community
to study the Bible, and to train men
who cannot attend a full-time school of
preaching.
12. Evangelistic efforts can be enhanced by studying effective techniques from the lessons on Personal
Evangelism. There are even video
courses, such as Searching for Truth,
that will actually teach your prospect
about the church and Gods plan for
their salvation!
>

Web: www.wvbs.org;
Bible Study@
WVBS.org; Call:512-398-5211.

Pauls life and work in

Scripture, and how we can
profit by his example in our
mission efforts today.
$7.00, plus postage
Order from:
World Evangelism
P.O. Box 72
Winona, MS 38967
662-283-1192
or
Bookstore at GospelGazette.com

Apologetics Press
Continued from page 26

their originality and effort to the project.

We believe that a curriculum focused on
Gods Word, and produced by a communal effort of His people, will provide
the best teaching tool possible. In order
to make this happen, those who use the
curriculum will need to help improve it
by adding their creative, original ideas
to it. Thus, your help will be essential
to the success of A.P.s open system curriculum. We hope that after you peruse
the Website and see the curriculum, you
will be asking, What can I do?
>
Write us at 230 Landmark Drive, Montgomery, AL 36117-2752; email: mail@AP.
Website: apologeticspress.org
Phone: (800) 234-8558

34

Global Harvest

THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST

(TGOC) is a 16-year-old evangelistic
work overseen by the sound eldership
of the McLish Avenue church of Christ
in Ardmore, Oklahoma and directed
by Kevin Pendergrass, evangelist.
The work is fully supported by faithful congregations and members of the
churches of Christ worldwide (including China and Japan).

The goal of TGOC is to take

the whole gospel to the whole
world in our generation. This

is our motto AND our mission! In a

world where many have compromised
the truth and are preaching Peace,
peace! When there is no peace (Jeremiah 6:14), we seek to teach and preach
the whole counsel of God regardless of consequence or reaction (Acts
20:27; Galatians 4:16). THE GOSPEL
OF CHRIST uses a variety of different
ways to spread the soul-saving message
of Jesus around the globe. We share the
Gospel through

TV and Radio

Currently, our 30-minute programs

air on multiple TV and radio stations
worldwide (including Dish Network
channel 262, every Thursday, 6 PM
CST, which covers over 14 million
households, including Canada and
parts of South America)!

Our Website:
www.thegospelofchrist.com.

Our website receives multiple millions of page views per year and that
number continues to grow (190 of the
194 countries in the world are presently accessing our website). The site
includes video/audio lessons, written
articles, Bible crossword puzzles, quizzes, transcripts of our lessons, etc.

Personal Evangelism/
Local Mission Work:

body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-16). We

thank God for this partnership.

FREE Media
We go into the synagogues and the
From all over the world people can
marketplaces through tent meetings
and public debates (Acts 17:1-3, 17; request FREE copies of our programs
20:20). Kevin Pendergrass has partici- on DVD or CD. That is right, FREE.
pated in three formal public debates (in- We do not charge for ANY of our matecluding a debate with former Senator of rials (we even pay for postage, shipping
Jamaica and current diplomat of Cana- and handling.). We distribute thousands
da, George Ramocan) and continues to of pieces of our FREE media each year
schedule debates. You can order any or worldwide. We also have materials in
all of these debates for free by calling us Spanish. Over 13,000 brethren have
at 580-223-3289 or going to our web- signed up for our free electronic newsletter (You can, too).
site (www.thegospelofchrist.com).
Make sure you visit us online at
We encourage local mission work
www.thegospelofchrist.com
to learn
through two of our evangelists (Kevmore
about
the
work
and
to
order
your
in Pendergrass and David Fanning).
Kevin and David are presently travel- free media right away! If you or your
ling every Sunday to over 150 church- congregation is interested in learning
es of Christ per year, especially in OK more about this work, one of our evanand TX (Kevin), AL and TN (David), gelists/promoters would love to come
strengthening the churches of Christ, to your congregation to share in detail
encouraging unity without compro- the past, present and future of our promise, focusing on every member of gram. Please call 580-223-3289 to set
>
the church doing their own local mis- up an appointment.
sion work by sharing the Gospel with Kevin Pendergrass: kevinpendergrass@
the FREE materials we offer (Acts 8:3; gmail.com
14:22).
As a result of
this effort alone,
many souls have
been saved, many
new
preachers
have been discovered, mentored
and placed, many
congregations
have
become
more sound, and
many Christians
are now doing his/
her share, causing David Fanning and Kevin Pendergrass, evangelists in the
true growth of the McLish Avenue church of Christ in Ardmore, OK.

Global Harvest

35

I believe the Bible is the Truth

Newspaper Interview with Samuel A. Matthews

The following INTERVIEW was

conducted and written by a Daily News
staff writer:
I believe the Bible is the truth,
said Samuel A. Matthews with a warm
smile and deep conviction in his
voice. He further stated that his vision
is a unification of all Christians. I am
planning to revolutionize the religious
community in the Virgin Islands in 2013
simply by telling the truth, he added. I
am working toward all believers in Jesus coming together as one.
After retiring with 20 honorable
years of service as a nuclear submarine Weapons Officer in the US Navy,
the minister attended the Brown Trail
School of Preaching in Bedford, Texas.
After graduation in 1991, he served
for ten years as the evangelist for the
churches of Christ meeting in various
cities in the state of Utah. This charismatic minister of the St. Thomas
Church of Christ began his service to
the congregation in February of 2011.
Brother Matthews has a Bachelor
of Science degree in Occupational Education from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and a Masters Degree in Church Ministry from Southern
Christian University in Montgomery
Alabama. He designed, published and
maintains the website: www.TrustInGodAmerica.com a project that began as part of his masters program and
has continued to expand and thrive.
Those tuned in to his radio program, According to the Scriptures,
broadcast each Sunday morning at 7:30
on WVWI 1000AM, may be familiar
with his challenge to area preachers to
meet with him in a public forum.
Brother Matthews leads an active
congregation involved with feeding the

homeless, offering comfort to the elderly and many other projects focused on
benefiting the community. We have a
program that teaches Haitians to speak
English through studying the Bible,
said the minister. Classes are held in
the Family Life Center on the church
grounds. Additionally, the congregation
is in its tenth year of raising money to
support missionaries in the Caribbean.
Abbreviated Report on Haiti Work
by Samuel Matthews
My trip began with a 7 am flight to
Port-Au-Prince (PAP), Haiti on May
13. Jean Gabriel Sainval picked me up
from the airport and we began our trip
to Pignon, Haiti in a friends pickup
truck. During the ride I learned that
Jean is a business student in the Hinche,
Haiti University. We discussed the
church, and I quickly realized he was
NOT a member of the Lords church. I
taught him the plan of salvation, and he
understood the commands of the Gospel. He was receptive to the truth and
understands that his past teaching on
salvation was NOT all according to the
Bible; however, he was NOT ready to
become just a Christian.
We went first to Mayor Filton
Laguerres house where Ill be living
during my stay in Pignon. Three Gospel preachers (Daniel Simpreux, Elisee
Vilbon and Rosemond Dalmeus) were
there to greet me. Rosemond will be
my interpreter.
May 14: Studied the Bible with the
mayor, Garsconais, Daniel and Rosemond from 9 am to noon. Before we
finished six other preachers had joined
the study (Guener and Gregoire Pierre,
Fontes Massillon, Dieu Noy Joizil, Diony Etiennte and Elisee Dorcine). After much discussion, Garsconais asked

to be baptized to become a Christian.

We took him to the river and baptized
him into Christ (PRAISE GOD).
In the afternoon, from 3 to 6 pm we
studied the Bible in the mayors courtyard. Twenty-one men and two ladies
participated. We dealt with the seven

Mayor
Filton
Laguerre

ones of Ephesians 4:4-6. All in attendance were thankful for the knowledge
they received concerning the one faith,
the one body and the one baptism.
The mayor has two teen orphan girls
(Clenise and Rosephabie Manius) along
with their nine year old brother living in
his home. About 6 pm we took some time
to teach the girls and another denominational preacher (Paul Davidson Alcena).
All three desired to obey the Gospel. After a hard downpour of rain, we walked
to the river and baptized the three of them
into Christ (PRAISE GOD).
Had a late meal and laid down to
rest at 10 pm.
>
For additional information, go to www.
sttchurchofchrist.org or call 340-7792404 or 340-514-4306

36

Global Harvest

Working in Haiti
Joe Holley
The Faith Building Trip

The purpose of our trip was to build a pavilion style church/

school building at Hattjacmel (it is not on the map) and is about
15 miles out of Petite Riviere, in the area of LaArtobonite. The
workers included two of the Ford City Four, Brent Wear and
Rickey Lyell, two Texans, Wesley Wallace and Jesse Wagner,
and Frankie and Renaldo (two workers from Haiti).
On the truck we used to move the supplies were all the building materials, building supplies, water, food, tents, and four of
the guys riding on top of everything. With the truck being overweight, we had to travel about 15 mph. The trip would normally
take about 3.5 hours, but our travel there was over 7 hours.
The Lord provided, and we made it to our destination.
The last several miles, we crossed three streams, and the last
few miles only had foot and motorcycle traffic on it. We did
not see any other vehicles while we were there.

The temps out in the sun would be about 103 to 105. We

were sure glad it was winter! It would cool down at night to
maybe the high 60s.
One of the issues we faced to make this trip happen was
that we needed it to be dry, so we could get the truck in with
the supplies. God again took care of us. Another plus to

Typical mud houses in the area. Small rusty roof, no

water, no electricity, no outhouse for many of them.
For survival, they have to grow their food, eat the
goats, chickens, and depend on others.

it being dry was that we did not have a mosquito situation.

This is the dry time of year in Haiti.
The church in Hattjacmel has 30-40 members. Hopefully, this building will be a big help to them.
The funds for the project were provided by Arvy Dupy
and the Macedonia Church. The guys from the States either
raised funds or supported themselves for this trip. Some that
work for themselves missed pay because of not being at work.
They all sacrificed to make it happen because they believe in
the cause of Christ and working in His vineyard. Upon return,
Brent Wear had hip replacement surgery (planned). It was
amazing to see him work, knowing his pain. Rickeys mom
was very low. Many would have allowed these situations to
be reasons not to go, Brent and Rickey did not allow that to
happen. This was truly a faith building trip. So many times
we allow ourselves to get in the way of our faith and belief in
God.
Now GREAT news. I might stay longer and go to Pignon
and work there another week. In the recent past there have
been nine denominational preachers converted and maybe
all of their congregations. I have heard of denomational
preachers being converted, and their congregations, but never nine at once. God is opening doors, now let us as Christians walk through those doors, taking His Word.
The mayor of the town is all for our work. We are being donated 400 acres of land that a preacher school will be placed on,
and we will teach agriculture, and build a church building on it
if necessary. Please pray as never before for all this wonderful
work.... and then pray some more. If all of our information is
correct, we have a lot of work to do while this door is open. >
Joe Holley (Missions Minister), East Colbert Church of Christ,
5075 River Road, Muscle Shoals, Al 35661; 256-762-2931.

Global Harvest

37

Reaching Our Hispanic World

Jamie and Freda Hernandez

Warm greetings from

Mexico. Just wanted to say:
Thank you for your generosity! The books you folks
at World Evangelism gave us have been great tools when
door knocking in the area where we meet. I am attaching
some pictures from last Sunday before we headed to go door
knocking. We have put the address of the church building in
all books and we share them with people who are interested
in studying the Bible or that are already having private studies with us and have been attending worship services in the
last weeks. Thank you again and may God bless you.
>
Jamie Hernandez: 1395548888@facebook.com

Spanish Materials Available for Evangelism and Grounding in the Faith

The Voice of Truth International magazine

Class and study books.

Call 662-283-1192

38

Global Harvest

Dealing with Obstacles and Discouragement

Alex Del Zotto

When one speaks of going to a mission field and preaching the Gospel in
some place far from home, whatever
that place that we call home may be,
we have the tendency to feel a sense of
fear of the unknown. We assume that
we will meet with hundreds of various
setbacks. Even though we have to put
our faith in the almighty God, still we
tend to go out with some uncertainty.
While we were living in Florida, after having emigrated to America from
Argentina, we discussed with others
the idea of moving to Mississippi to
try to establish a ministry in Spanish.
The first thing my brother in Christ said
was, Excellent! Youll be in the heart
of what the Americans call the Bible
belt where the church is very strong.
I will never forget his words, Youll be
like in heaven.
My friend assumed that we would
not meet with setbacks and opposition.
We did not have to study English because we speak it as a second language,
and since our goal would be to take the
Word to people who speak our first language, we were urged to, Go with confidence; you will not have problems.
The truth is that we were in Mississippi 156 weeks before we had the first
service in Spanish. On that day, we arrived early in order to have the service
before the English Bible study. One
man had come, and we invited him to
enter our house of worship. He sat next
to my wife and, in that way, we had our
first Sunday service in Spanish at the
church building.
On December 30 of 2012 our dream
of beginning to bring the Word to the
Spanish community in our area became
reality. The guest, a Mexican immigrant, told us that his parents had taught
him to be a Christian, and that he was

very happy to receive the Word of God.

Someone many years ago had put the
seed in his parents. One never knows
how the Word move like the wind. Its
hard for us to think how great an impact
a small thing can do in evangelism. The
truth is that Victor is very excited about
being reunited with God in worship.
We have had many difficulties in
these three years of work. I have worked
at a secular job while developing a radio
ministry through the Internet. In this way,
I can teach many people throughout the
Spanish-speaking world. I am so happy
with the progress that is being made.
We should always keep in mind the
words which the Lord said to Joshua.
Only be strong and very courageous,
that you may observe to do according
to all the law which Moses My servant
commanded you; do not turn from it to
the right hand or to the left, that you may
prosper wherever you go (Joshua 1:7).

We love what we do. We wouldnt

exchange these years of experiences
for anything in the world. Our family has grown enormously because of
having put our trust in the right place
in the only One that called things
by name before they existed. Many
times we tend to forget that detail, that
God is in control although we cannot
see it. Sometimes our eyes dont see
divine providence, However HE is always there. Faith comes by hearing
the Word, and it is our responsibility
to accept it as the irrefutable promise
of Him who cannot lie. It is not that
He is slow; it is that Gods timing in all
that He does is right. The decision to
allow Him always to handle your life is
in your hands! See Romans 17, Isaiah
40:26, Hebrews 6:18, and Titus 1: 2. >
Alex Del Zotto: 662-650-0055; e-mail:
descubriendoajesus@gmail.com

Alex Del Zotto does broadcasting of Spanish lessons via the Internet.

Global Harvest

39

Meetings on the Streets in England

Keith Sisman

Darren Amos, a Christian brother, and I are setting up a

number of resources to reach out to Muslims, confront Islam with biblical truth, and allow a medium to discuss Islam
without being derogatory towards Muslims.
Brother Darren is a former Muslim, having spent fifteen
years attacking and seeking to convert contacts to that faith.
During this time he realized there were some serious problems
with the Koran and that it was not the word of god (Allah).
For the last ten weeks, most Saturdays we have been engaging with the Muslims in Cambridge City Center in the
Market Place. They, like ourselves, have a stand in which
literature is handed out. Darren and I divide into two teams,
one to man the stand, the other to seek out others for debate,
this mostly being the Muslims. The two previous weeks the
Muslims have been begging us to stay away as We cant
evangelize when youre around! Their pleas have fallen on
deaf ears, and we have told them such. They pleaded with us
to attend interfaith meetings; I told them that they did not
believe in such nonsense and neither do we. They agreed!
Today, despite us being in and around the Market Place
for about four hours, the Muslims failed to turn up, despite
being here in the cold and snow on previous weeks.
We are making contacts and enjoying several good conversations. Today was no exception, and some of those contacts are Muslims. Please see picture enclosed of Darren, in
the white jacket, disputing with the Muslims. Shortly after
the picture was taken, they packed up and went home.
On Saturday, for the second week running,
the Muslims failed to turn up in the Market
Place in Cambridge. They had previously said
they could not evangelize when were at their
stall. We call it stall hi-jacking!
The Muslims finally returned to Cambridge
City Centre yesterday. They were aghast at seeing us. After debating them, they packed up and
left very early. This time people were thanking
us and we were handing out leaflets, books and
Bibles, all free of charge from our stand.
Some excellent discussions were had.
Several Cambridge academics thanked us and
shook hands. One Muslim, Feisal, who is actually quite a nice guy, came over and pleaded
with us, saying we should turn the other cheek
to their stand. I replied we are set to defend the
Gospel (Philippians 1:7) and will contend for

the faith (Jude 3). Another Muslim is now engaged in study.

Having spent over 45 minutes in discussion, we met him at
the Muslim stand which we had hi-jacked! The atheists were
met with my new hidden secret weapon, a radio microphone
and sound system so I can speak louder than they. It was a
good day.
>
Keith Sisman: Keith@
s i s m a n f a m i l y. o r g . u k ;
Check the website: http://
cambridgecitycoc.org.
uk/serm.htm; churchesof-christ.ws/bk.htm

Brother Sisman has

done extensive study
and has written an excellent book, Traces of the
Kingdom, quoting from
museum records and also
from records in centuriesold church buildings,
showing the existence of the Lords church in England, according to some accounts, since the first century, and from additional extensive information for more than a thousand years.
You need to read this! Order from:
Chula Vista Books, 420 Chula Vista Mountain Rd.,Pell City, AL
35125; Phone - 205 338-1843; http://www.chulavistabooks.com

40

Global Harvest

Progress in Syktyvkar
Larry Little

In the past, we have mentioned

the mission work that the Syktyvkar
church carries out in areas around the
city. Leonid Ivashov, one of our elders,
is over this outreach and works with
Marlon Rutherford and others who assist with campaign efforts through the
year. A new congregation was established in the village of Mezhador in
2010 from these efforts, and we are
pleased to now have two of their men
as students in our Bible school. SBS
students assisted in the establishment
of this church, and now the school is
training their leaders. It is gratifying
to see how the school complements the
mission efforts of the church.
For some time now, brother
Charles Williams of Winchester, TN
has been doing a good work in organizing nation-wide preacher conferences
in Russia. In October of this year, the

Syktyvkar church hosted the event for

the first time. There were 39 in attendance representing Gospel preachers
from throughout Russia. If ever anyone questioned the results of the Syktyvkar Bible School, this should ease
their concern of the 39 attendees,
were graduates of SBS and of those
in charge of sessions in the conference
were our graduates.
While it seems that WEI has not yet
caught on in Russia to the extent that it
has elsewhere, the evangelism method
continues to produce amazing results
in many places. The Internet arm of
the ministry in particular is exceeding
all expectations, and the need for funds
and teachers is urgent. Following are
excerpts from a recent appeal by Tom
Langley, president of WEI:
Our internet teaching ministry is
exploding with untapped potential. We

France

are currently starting approximately

1000 Bible studies per month, but we
could easily increase that 10 times. In
order for that to happen, several things
must first happen:
1. We must increase the number of
our teachers.
2. We must dramatically increase
the size of our web site.
3. We must hire a full time WEI
web specialist to manage the site.
4. We must increase our Google
student advertising budget.
We have more students wanting to
study our Bible and English grammar
material than our current internet operation can handle. Just over the last few
years, hundreds of our internet students
have come to know Christ and put Him
on in baptism.
>
Larry Little: (Cell) 256 460 7068; email:
larrylittle2@yahoo.com

Charles White

Though France is considered,

along with most of Western Europe, to
be a very hard mission field, the French
still need to hear the Gospel. Through
persistence and a long-term commitment, the Lyon church of Christ is a
solid congregation of about 30 members
in the 2nd largest city of France.
The Church
The Lords church in Lyon goes
all the way back to the 1st and 2nd centuries, when there was a large number
of New Testament Christians in the
city. These Christians were decimated
by pagan persecution at the end of the
2nd century. The modern assembly was
inaugurated in 1975. Many who have
been converted in Lyon have moved

elsewhere, and some have become unfaithful. The rest remain, however, in a
core of faithful who continue to labor
for the Lord.
Though the church in France is
about 150 years behind the development of the church in the States, and
though there is at present in France a
general climate of indifference to biblical faith, there are still good hearts
willing to hear and to accept the Good
News. The church holds regular visitors days, presents public Bible studies and seminars, meets for round
table discussions and participates regularly in teen and family retreats. It has
a monthly pot luck meal and meets
weekly for prayer. It gives clothes reg-

ularly to organized charities and has

recently organized a group to sing in
hospitals and other medical care facilities.
The first priority of the church in
Lyon is to worship God and be faithful
to Him. Next, the members make every
effort to get the Word out to as many
people as possible. Then, they work
hard to teach and train every new Christian for a life of worship and service. We
pray that the church in Lyon may be a
strong base from which the church in
France will grow and multiply until the
Lord comes!

U
Charles White, 6 Impasse Millon, 69100
Villerbanne, Lyon, France

Global Harvest

41

Greetings from Athens

Dino Roussos

We are glad to be back home after spending an incredible

time in the United States. While in the states, we visited our
family and I had the privilege to speak in various churches
of Christ and Christian universities.
We are so happy to share with you the latest news from
our ministry in Athens, Greece and other mission efforts. We
are an extension of your ministry to this part of the world to
preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Preaching and Teaching at the

Glyfada Church of Christ in Athens

While we were gone, our brothers in Christ, Dimitris Argyropoulos, Mike James, Lucas Laliotis, Steve Chandler, along
with other Greek brothers, were able to keep up the Lords work,
by preaching, teaching, and helping people with their needs.
Dimitris has studied economics as well as psychology,
and hes helping our ministry very much. He is a mature
Christian, with a deep faith in God and a nice personality.
God sent him to us at a very important time. He is a gifted
preacher and sensitive to peoples needs. Dimitris and I
work very well together and have become good friends. We
are together daily, taking care of the needs of the church, our
members, and people who need our help.
We were honored to have with us here, in Athens, Dr. Burks
and his wife Leah. The new president of Harding, Dr. Bruce
McLarty and his wife Ann, were also with us in Athens. He
preached an amazing message from the Gospel of John. Our
auditorium was full of people who came to hear him preach.
We had a special time of prayer for him, as he will be
starting his new duties as President of this great Christian University on June 1st. I presented him with a statue of Alexander
the Great, the Greek King, who spread the Greek language and
Greek philosophical ideas of the fourth century BC, through
much of the world. May men and women from Harding University bring the message of Christianity all over the world!

Three More Precious Souls

Were Baptized in Greece

We were so excited to see new persons accepting Jesus

as their Savior and being baptized. In recent weeks two more
precious souls from the congregation in Crete were baptized.
Here is a letter I received from our brother John:
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Im happy to let you know that
David Dim Charles surrendered to the Lords command and
was baptized on the 6th April at 8:30 pm. He was of Catholic background. The Bible study lasted for about 45 minutes
with many questions on infants baptism. However, being
convinced by the Holy Scriptures, he decided to be baptized
immediately. We went to the sea. It was dark but the headlights of my car were used as light. He just enrolled as a WEI
student. Please remember him in your prayers. In Christs
>
vineyard. John.
Dino Roussos: dinoroussos@gmail.com

David Burks, President of Harding University

was in Greece and preached for us.

42

Global Harvest

Romanias Needs
Harvey Starling
Preaching Christ in Romania
(This Work Is Underway)

So very many of you sacrifice for the spread of the kingdom of God in the three districts of Dolj, Arges, and Valcea,
Romania. This is a review of what you are helping to accomplish this year by the grace of God.
u All seven congregations in the three districts have good
interest and attendance each week with 25 to 85 present each
Sunday. Romanian men do most of the preaching. None receive financial support but Midway provides travel expenses.
u Romanian Christians teach 14 childrens Bible classes
each Sunday in the seven churches.
u There are deaf Christians in the Pitesti and Craiova congregations, and translators are provided for all Bible classes
and assemblies. All day Saturday classes for the deaf are
conducted each quarter. The last one was March 30, 2013
with all Romanian teachers for the three lessons. A total of
41 students and translators were present.
u Special Ladies Days classes were taught recently by
Cindy Rieck and Ann Newton. There were 72 present in Pitesti on Saturday March 9 and 64 present in Craiova on Saturday, March 16. Several weekday classes were conducted
during the week also. Joann Peck of Florence, Alabama will
present Bible lessons in each of the seven churches in May.
u The Ladies Quilt Program continues to make hundreds
of quilts for the needy each year.
u Regular Ladies Bible Classes are taught by Romanian
ladies in the Fall and Spring.
u Several Mens Training Classes and Meetings were
taught early this year by Daryl Newton and Marc Curfman.
u The Annual All Romania Workshop for all 20 churches
was conducted by Pitesti last October. The attendance was the
largest ever with 300 to 500 present Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Bucharest is scheduled to host the workshop this year.
u The Summer Bible classes for children and adults are
scheduled for July. There will be 18 U.S. teachers in the school,
and we will be assisted by some 40 Romanians. There should
be over 300 children and adult students present each day.
u There were 28 baptisms in 2011 in the three districts and
16 in 2012. No one has been baptized thus far in 2013.
u Special Youth Bible Classes are taught each week in all
of the seven churches. This group is a great force now and
for the future of the church.
u There were 43 students in the 2012 Pitesti Bible Training
School last September. The school has 60 classroom hours

of intensive study during the two weeks. Marc Curfman, Joel

Inman and Mike Grose will be the instructors this year. The
date is August 25-September 8.
u Each of the seven churches has its own treasurer, and
each church plans a budget.
u About 600 Bibles were distributed last year. The average
in past years has been over 1,000.
u The budget for emergency benevolent needs is $1,000
monthly. This is primarily for food and medicine.
u Four of the seven meeting places are owned by the
churches and require normal maintenance. The other three
congregations rent their places of worship.
u Thousands of pamphlets, books, brochures, and outlines
are printed and distributed in all three districts each year.
u Our present contact and prospect list number over 1,000
in all seven churches. We mail regularly to them.
u Two churches have regular van transportation for Sundays for children and adults.
u There are about 100 food bags for the needy provided in
early December each year.
u Regular prayer sessions are scheduled for each church.

THE LOCAL CHURCH

The local congregation is often emphasized in the New Testament. A number, small or large, of baptized believers (Acts
18:8) assemble to worship the Lord and encourage one another
to serve the Lord. Jesus tells us of His church at Corinth, Ephesus, Colosse, the seven churches of Asia (Revelation 1:11) and
many others (Philippians 1:1). The local body of Christians
was important in the first century and the same is true today.
God does not give us many numbers nor does he tell us
who the local preacher was, but he does instruct us to grow
in faith, love and good works. The result of preaching and
teaching the Gospel in a certain area, in the U.S. or in a foreign field, will be the establishing of a local church. Some
fields are more productive than others. Paul preached in
many cities as recorded in Acts, and the Gospel was received
more readily in some places than in others (Acts 17:1-34).
We do speak much about spreading the Gospel into all
the world. This is as it should be, but let us make every effort
to be diligent in building the local church of the Lord. What
have we done if we go everywhere preaching but find no
church when we have finished? May God help us to plant
more churches, and may He help us to mature, grow, and
develop them!

U
Harvey Starling: hmsstar@bellsouth.net

Global Harvest

Mission Printing prints and distributes tracts to the

world for free. We are active in World Evangelism by the
Printed Page. God blesses us with dedicated volunteers
and generous donors to be successful in that endeavor. We
have 16 congregations supplying volunteer work groups
at their respective locations. They come to our facility
and pickup our printed and folded material to collate and
staple. Most work groups do about 10,000 tracts a month.
Mission Printing is pleased to have them helping us spread
Gods Word by the printed page. On May 29, an ocean
container of 750,000 tracts is scheduled to ship from Mission Printing to Abakaliki, Nigeria. It will be our 9th shipment overseas, avoiding hundreds of thousands of dollars
in mailing costs.

43

willing to study the Old Testament and about Jesus. Pray

that God will open the hearts of those who are lost.

Kumasi, Ghana

After about 250 miles at 35 mph, we arrived in the second largest city in Ghana. The Bomso church of Christ has
overseen the Ghana Bible College for many years. The men
of the congregation were very interested in obtaining our
tracts as soon as possible. This is one of the first churches
of Christ in Ghana, and we had almost 900 present Sunday

Report On My West Africa Trip

Monrovia, Liberia
I visited the Liberia Bible College for four days in
January. About twelve preacher students are dedicating
two years of their lives here to become faithful preachers of
Gods Word. The principal, Alassis Goldore, took good care
of Steven Ashcraft and me, even though we had no electricity or running water. We slept on the second floor and had
a power plant for a few hours a day. We also had walking
water with a bucket in hand. Liberia has been recovering
from a terrible civil war for many years. I was privileged to
preach Sunday morning at the Smyth Rd. church of Christ
to about 500 souls. Three came forward to be baptized in
an outside baptistry filled with water from a nearby well. I
spoke on the Great Commission and presented the work
of Mission Printing. They were invited to join in the distribution of our material as soon as it arrives. We are working
on the shipping details now.

Tamale, Ghana

My next stop was the Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies in northern Ghana. I was very impressed with a new
large building that opened this month for as many as fifty
preaching students. They still have a lot of work to gather
that many students, but they are pursuing it with faith. Steven has spent years in helping this school. The principal,
Joseph Baah, and the teachers are ready for our tracts today.
They have plans to distribute Mission Printing tracts to all
of northern Ghana. This area is 90% Muslim, but they are

morning. They continue to produce strong preachers and

dedicated members for the Lords service.

Takoradi, Ghana

We arrived at the West Coast School of Preaching with

a broken fan belt. Steven is very resourceful and had an
extra belt, and he quickly repaired the car. We visited the
principal, Daniel Ampadu Asiamah (one of the first converts
in Ghana), with his staff of teachers. They had drawn plans
on how they would distribute the Mission Printing tracts
throughout western Ghana and beyond. Daniel and his wife
invited us to lodge at their home Monday night.
In July, Mission Printing plans to ship a container to
Ghana and it will be split three ways, between the Ghana
preaching schools in Tamale, Kumasi, and Takoradi. We
have already shipped about 50,000 tracts to Liberia last
month. They should receive a full container after the first of
the year.
U
Richard Renfro: Mission Printing, 2707 Medlin Dr., Arlington, TX
76015; phone.: 817-792-3371 Website www.missionprinting.us;
email: missionprinting@gmail.com; fax: 817-792-3372;

44

Global Harvest

AN UNFINISHED STORY
Ruth Orr
As we travel to Nigeria each year to
teach and work there, we are greeted by
members of the Lawarson Church of
Christ in Lagos. We will spend a few
days with the preacher and his family
in their apartment where the church
meets and work from there as students
of WBS come to study with us.
One day a young lady by the name
of Mary came on the church grounds,
and we could hear her screaming, Tell
me about Jesus! Somebody tell me
about Jesus! We immediately went
to her and could see that she was very
sick. The elders allowed her to lie on
a bench in the upstairs of their church
building. A nurse was brought to see
her and tests showed that she had TB
and Malaria.
Every day the nurse would come to
administer medication and to care for her
needs. Once she began to feel better, Ron
Pottberg, the visiting American preacher,
and I began to talk with her. She said she
was a prostitute but had run away from
her pimp. She said she could not take
it any more because her frail body was
broken down, and she knew that what
she was doing was wrong. But she said,
If he ever finds me, he will kill me.
She was begging for help because she
said that her parents had sold her at age
16 to this man for money, so she said she
couldnt go home.
Soon Mary was well enough for
us to study the Bible with her. She
had never had a Bible in her life, and
this became her greatest treasure. She
learned fast, reading Matthew through
Acts in no time. Within the three weeks
we were there, she became a Christian,
and I have never seen anyone so happy.
But now that she was well from the
malaria and under treatment for her

tuberculosis, she was asked to leave

the church building where she had
slept on a bench for three weeks. We
got her a room, and the necessities she
needed, and she began working at the
WBS office a few hours a week. She
was preparing to enter the West Nigerian Christian College. She had been
accepted and all paper work done; she
needed only to pass the entrance exam.
Since we had to return home, we
left her in the hands of the few who
took an interest in her. She was growing spiritually and loving her new life.
One day I received the following letter
from her.

share Gods Word with them if possible. Considering where I came from, I
have to be strong in faith because going
back into that sin is death. I am afraid
of God and His judgment for I have
read and confirmed it in the Scriptures.
Thank you for the Bible and things you
left me. I was so sick while you were
here and I thank you for the prayers and
for teaching me and helping me to become a Christian. I have truly experienced Gods greatness.

Letter from Mary

Dear Mom,
I want to thank you so much for
your support you have been giving me
spiritually and helping me to become
well physically because I was so very
sick. Your care and love towards me
has helped to make me a much better
person. Once in a while in the quiet
of my private moments, I take stock of
the various ways you responded to my
needs, how you showed love and deep
concern. Those things the heart does
not forget.
You know I left with nothing and
have just four pieces of clothing and
one worn out pair of slippers. I do not
look very good physically but I am
strong in spirit and in the Lord.
I pray I can one day communicate
with my people at home because I want
to teach them the Scriptures for I cannot enjoy the salvation you showed me
all alone. I do not want anything that
will push or lead me to sin again for
I know the consequences; but knowing
what my parents did to me years ago, I
am a little scared to go back, yet I must

Continued on page 45

Global Harvest

45

AN UNFINISHED STORY
Continued from page 44

The form for the West Nigerian

Christian College exams is here and I
am preparing to fill it out, but you know
I am a new convert and need prayers to
pass the exam. I am anxious to attend
the school and hope and pray God will
be with me as I take the exams and help
me to be able to enter.
May the Lord give me His grace to
follow and the power to finish this race.
May the Lord continue to keep and
preserve you, Mom Ruth, for His good
works. I love you very much and hope
to see you again soon. I do not know
what would have become of me if it
had not been for you and Rons help.
Always pray for me, rebuking any spirit of sin and every spirit that will rise
up to make me backslide. Please pray I
stay strong as I walk with Him and look
forward to a better home in Heaven.
My love to you, Mary Okoro

An Unfinished Story

I immediately wrote her back but

before she could get my letter, I had an
email from the WBS workers saying
that she did not show up for work, and
she wasnt in the room we had rented
for her. Her clothing and meager belongings were all there, along with her
treasured Bible. She wasnt at school
since school was not to start for another
two months. Searching, praying and
going to see her parents in the village,
all led to no one finding her or any trace
of her anywhere.
To this day there has not been a word
from her and no one has seen her. We
feel sure that her pimp found her and
she has gone to be with God and Jesus
the one she begged someone to tell her
about that awful day she came searching for help. We did tell her about Jesus, we did help her physically, she did
surrender her life, and she was baptized

for the remission of her sins. She was

a very happy lady looking forward to a
good life, to becoming a WBS teacher
and helping others as she was helped.
I treasure the time Mary and I spent
together those three weeks as we studied together and talked about her life
now to be. She was like a sponge,
soaking up every word from the Bible.
She was beautiful, in and out, and
was my friend and sister in Christ. I
am deeply grateful for the blessings she
brought to my life, and I earnestly look
forward to seeing Mary in the eternal
kingdom one day.
Sometimes there is a great cost to
entering the kingdom and following
Christ, but the greater cost of not entering is the loss of our souls in eternal
punishment. We must love all souls.
Jesus did (Luke 19:10).
>
Ruth Orr wbsteach@yahoo.com

Hey! Theres an open door for you....!

What is it?
The World Evangelism team here in Winona is in
need of YOU! We need more help with computer/
layout work in the office ... help with writing and
proofing ... help with reporting to churches about
the work ... help with cleaning and maintenance
of the buildings and the grounds ... and other such
things. We have an available house, but no salary
but if you are retired, with retirement income,
and would like to spend your years in Gods work,
please call us at 662-283-1192. Lets partner! BBC

46

Global Harvest

Richard Stephens
How can it be that floods are destroying roads, crops, and villages
while at the same time drought is ruining any kind of crop harvest? It is
such a tiny nation, this Malawi. Dont
you know it is only about the size of
Pennsylvania in the U.S. or the nation
of Portugal in Europe? While it is long
and narrow, with high mountainous areas in the north, and low river valleys
in the south, this tiny African nation
has very different weather patterns due
to its location and geography. This accounts for weather conditions that can
go to extremes. It has only two seasons;
the rainy season and the dry. The rainy
season runs from November to April,
and the dry season from May to October. This can vary slightly depending
on elevation and location.
This is how Malawi can have torrential crop-destroying rains in one part
of the nation while at the same time
having great crop conditions in another.
This year the rains spelled disaster in
both directions. Too much rain in the
north, and too little in the south. At almost the same time, these reports were
going out from the two different parts
of Malawi.
Floods Flatten 20 Villages:

Northern Malawi

The Agence France-Presse reported

that recent rains poured down non-stop
for a full week, and the result was over
twenty villages being completely flattened by floods in the Karonga district
of Malawi (this is in the far northern

Plant too soon or too late, and you will

have an inadequate harvest to reach the
next season. You will also have lost
your investment in seed and fertilizer.
Plant just right and your family survives starvation for another year, and
you will have the seed to plant your
crops for next year.

Struggling to Survive

part of the nation). The reporter indicated it was difficult to obtain full details of the disaster because the floods
have destroyed roads, bridges, boreholes, livestock and crops.
At the same time floods were ravishing the north, famine was stalking
the land in the southern regions because of the lack of rain.
Patchy Rains Bring Hunger to Many:

Southern Malawi

The World Food Program reports

rains have been spotty in the Southern
Districts of Malawi this year, bringing on
drought conditions that are causing hunger for many. Rising food prices, as well
as rising fuel and supply problems are
compounding the rain-shortened harvest.
For the subsistence farmers of Malawi the timing of when to plant has
always been a life-threatening gamble.

While the world struggles with recession and many families find themselves cutting back spending, many
people in Malawi have nothing from
which to cut back. Starvation is at the
door, and there is no budget to adjust,
no neighbor to offer help, no government or government agency to supply
food stamps, food lines, or public assistance.

>
Richard Stephens: For more information about the nation of Malawi and the
projects being carried out by the Malawi
Project; website: www.malawiproject.org.

Global Harvest

47

Prissy Sellers and Ruth Orr in Malawi

Prissy Sellers

Just a few more days before getting on

that plane to return home!
I want to share with you about bicycles. Other than the minivans used as
means of public transportation and what
few privately owned vehicles there are,
the bicycle is the major form of transport. Of course, most everyone uses
footing or travel on foot. Here they call
the pushbikes. I suppose that the reason
is because the roads are so bad and full
of ruts, etc., that so much of the time you
will see them pushing their bikes along
the way where they cannot ride them!!
When we go into one of the prisons
and teach and sign up inmates for the
WBS correspondence course, we are then
responsible for these prisoners. When so
many of them are being baptized, then
the church is established in that particular prison, and there needs to be worship
services for them every Sunday. The officers in charge have allowed this to take
place, so we try our best to leave behind a
local worker for each prison. They go to
the prisons several times each week and
collect and deliver the WBS lessons; they
hold the worship services; they become
an icon within the prison.
Ruth has raised some money to help
with the support of some of these local
workers. They need between $50-$100
per month. This is vital to the work in
the prisons and to the maturing of the
new Christians. We are trying our best
to raise money to equip each worker with
a bicycle so that he can come and go to
the prisons more easily and in much less
time. Right now, four of our eight workers have a bike. Each bike costs $150.00.
We have three more prisons for which
we will need to find a worker as we begin to have baptisms in them.
Ruth and I never dreamed that this
work would grow to the extent that it has.
Inmate Christians are already talking

about when they are released that they

want to begin to preach and share the
Gospel with those on the outside. Perhaps the whole of Malawi will be evangelized by former prisoners? Sounds like
the apostle Paul and Peter to me! So indeed, we have our work set before us. We
need to get good materials into the hands
of these workers, so that each week when
they hold worship services that they can
teach the sound doctrines of the Bible.
Anybody out there have any suggestions any support any help???
Ruth and I are just two widows trying
to go and teach. God indeed is giving
the increase, but it is getting bigger than
we can handle!
One of the security guards of the
grounds where we are presently staying knocked at the door the other night
and wanted to study. I was preparing
for a bath, so Ruth sat down and taught
him. Later, Ruth called and said that
we needed to go because he wanted
to be baptized. So we got our flashlights and entered into the darkness of
the night (Ruth even had curlers in her
hair!). Later, he said that he wanted his
wife to study. When Ruth went to her
house, she found out that she had been
baptized a couple of years ago, but had
fallen away. So now both the husband
and wife are united in Christ and want
to live for Him. We thank God for this
new relationship (in Christ) and pray
that it will strengthen their marriage.
The next morning we began our
trip heading south towards the airport.
Enroute, we stopped at two more prisons, new to us. We wanted to go in
and meet the officer in charge and the
chaplain, then we wanted to share with
the prisoners about the WBS correspondence course and get some of them
signed up. This way, they can begin taking the courses now, and when we come

back the next year, they will be ready to

study with us. So that we did.
We stopped at a little guesthouse for
the night. Once we got into the room, we
realized there was no garbage can, no handle for the door, and no sink! I told Ruth,
I guess you have to pay extra for those!!
In the tiny room that was the bathroom,
you had to pass under the shower head to
get to the toilet. I told her, First time ever
that we could take a shower while on the
toilet!! Ha!! It was a blessing to get on
the plane the next morning.
I ask for your prayers for Uganda.
Ruth and I have received a call to
go into Uganda in October. We are in
prayer about that now. I believe if God
wants us to go there, He will provide
the funds and everything will come
into place for that work to open up. So
prayers are needed in that regard.
Now I leave you with this thought:
It is so neat to see how God weaves us
in with other lives. In, and sometimes
out, they go at the perfect time. We see
a glimpse of His perfect masterpiece
Hes creating in it all. Cherish the people with whom your path crosses. Look
for the weaving of God in it all. He is
at work in mighty ways! I thank my
God every time I remember you. In all
my prayers for all of you, I always pray
with joy because of your partnership
in the Gospel from the first day until
now (Philippians 1:3-4).
Oh, Lord, who am I that you are
mindful of me? You protected me, provided for my every need, granted me
safety, used me as your vessel, blessed
me daily, gave me incredible experiences, touched my heart, and had sixteen little arms out-stretched to receive
me home! I am indeed blessed beyond
measure! Thank you Lord.
>
Prissy Sellers: sellers7@sbcglobal.net

48

Global Harvest

The Village of Hope

Araba M. A. Hammond
their skills and services to give Patience the treatment she
needs, and the United States government has granted visas
to Patience and a chaperone to travel to Dallas for the procedure! Praise be to God for His grace and mercy!
We could not, however, get any assistance towards their
airline tickets, but we are not willing to give up now that
such a of bright light has shone. They were scheduled to
travel on January 24, 2013, so we borrowed funds to buy the
tickets. These funds, however, need replacement. We are,
therefore, coming to you, our friend and supporter, to help
us raise the funds for their upkeep in the States and for the
airline tickets. We also ask that you pray for Patience as she
goes through this new and possibly scary process. >
Do you know how it feels like to just sit down and hope
that maybe someday a miracle will happen? Well, that is how
it has been for Patience Adu who was born with a swelling on
her right cheek that has been increasing in size. Being from a
humble background, her parents could not afford to take her to
a specialist. This meant that poor girl would endure the pain and
sleepless nights in humble silence and muffled cries. Maybe if
she could talk, she would have told us how much pain she was
enduring, maybe she could have explained to us what it felt like
to have a permanent pain in your cheek that would not let you
smile or even play heartily with other children.
Patience and her brother Alex were taken in by Village
Hope in 2010 because their aunt, who had been taking care
of them for seven years, could no longer keep up. Things
were so difficult that, in those seven years, these children
had not set foot in a classroom. Finally, God brought hope
into their lives through the Village of Hope.
Patience is now ten years old and in the fourth grade.
Since March 2010, we have taken Patience, several times, to
the available specialists in Ghanas largest teaching hospital,
but the condition still persists. She has undergone several
operations in Ghana but the swelling keeps coming back.
Eventually, since surgery was not solving the problem,
doctors in the United States suggested that she needs sclerotherapy or radiological assisted treatment which is currently
not available in Ghana.
Today, thanks to the persistence and generosity of some
members of the Village of Hope family in Dallas and Knoxville, doctors in the United States have decided to donate

Araba M. A. Hammond: In Ghana: P. O. Box GP 18169, Accra, Ghana | thevillageofhope@gmail.com |+233-24-431-3404;

+233-20-823-2585
In the USA: www.thevillageofhope.com; P. O. Box 670394, Dallas, TX 75367, USA | thevillageofhope.us@gmail.com | +1-817523-4419; +1-817-677-8647

Overseas Containers????

We folks in the office here in Winona would like

to partner with others in the church who are shipping
containers to points overseas. We have books, tracts,
and magazines (English, Spanish, French) that we
want to share with those brethren who so desperately
need literature. We would be willing to pay our percentage of the cost for shipping, believing that sharing the load will enable all of us to do more.
Please contact us at 662-283-1192.

Global Harvest

49

Zimbabwe
Loy Mitchell

After certain days, Paul said to

Barnabas, Let us now return and
visit the brothers in every city where
we proclaimed the Lords message,
to see how they are (Acts 15:36).
There was a disagreement about John
Mark but it resulted in two teams returning to the cities where the message had been proclaimed.

Mitchells 2013 Trip

Debbie and I are booked to leave

the USA on July 15th and will return
on August 9th, if God wills. We plan
to visit 21 congregations to tell souls
of the salvation in Jesus Christ and to
strengthen the churches. We write
letters daily to the brethren in Africa,
just as Paul did, but we also think it is
good to make return visits, as preachers did in the early church.
Bobby and Nancy Wheat plan to
travel to Africa, leaving July 8th and
returning on the 31st. We will work
together part of the time while in Zimbabwe. Nancy was born and brought
up in Mutare, so she is going home.

Word from brother Rungano

2012 saw the establishment of

the Mauswa church of Christ and we
managed to have five baptisms there.
It is an area that is very promising in
terms of growth. However, the major

challenge we are facing is its distance

from Dotito growth point. We have
prospects who are very enthusiastic
but are somewhat discouraged by the
idea of walking to Dotito. It is also a
challenge for my wife and me to walk
to Mauswa. The other option would
be public transport but that, again, requires money. The current membership in Mauswa is eight.
Dotito growth point has also been
a challenge in terms of growth but we
Loy presents Shona Bibles at Chikanga I.
thank God that we made some progress. In 2012 we managed to have six
baptisms, three of which were a single
family. We have since changed our
venue for our Sunday services. The
rentals required by the school were out
of our reach. We are currently congregating at the preachers residence.
At Nyamufukudza we are facing
a challenge of members who do not
seem to grow in their Christian faith.
By now they should be able to conduct
Sakubva church of Christ feeds orphans. worship services, but they would rather wait for the preacher to be present.
Iris Griffin shares a popTheir commitment toward the Lord
up Bible lesson with the
and things of the church have a direct
orphans at Sakubva.
bearing on how the community views
the church.

U
Loy Mitchell: lsmitchell@juno.com;
Phone: 731-287-8823

Left: Nancy Wheat, Loys

daughter, teaches ladies
at Chikanga I.
Right: Jackson House
teaches a youth class at
Nyanga.

50

Global Harvest

Eastern Cape Bible College

Chris DuPreez

It is 4:15 am, on a Thursday

morning in South Africa. It seems to
be the only few moments I have to at
least begin writing about the progress
with the work. Life, however, has been
very hectic for us the last 4-5 months.

Project

We have moved to Suffolk Farm

and are leasing it until the sale of our
house in town goes through. We had
to take occupation of the farm with
the agreement to rent it until December 2013. This has put us in a financial
bind, at least for a while. On advice
from the real estate agent, we did not
rent out our house as they thought it
would sell quickly. However, the housing market has taken a real slump, and
we have not yet sold it. Please pray
about this for us.
By March of this year, we had
moved the last of our belongings and
animals to the farm. I managed to
borrow some pick-up trucks from our
friends and did several loads myself. We
are confident that things will work out
if it is the Lords will. Since we cannot
afford labour, we are doing everything
ourselves at the farm at the moment.
The plans for the farm have changed
somewhat from what we shared with
you on our last visit to the USA in 2011.
Since we moved, we have cleared
most of the bush around the house and
inside the yard. Near the centre of the
farm is an old Schoolhouse, which
was used about 30 or 40 years ago as
a schoolhouse for the farm kids in the
area. (This will be great to be used for
our Eastern Cape Bible College.) Because the land was vacant and neglected for a long time, the building was
vandalized and all the electricity cables
and light fittings have been stolen and
forcefully removed, leaving big holes

in the precast walls and ceiling. Some

of the water pipes have been damaged.
The back door had been hacked open
and left in pieces. We have since repaired the door and mounted a security
gate at the backdoor. We have cleaned
inside the house and cleared around the
house and repaired some water pipes.
Next we will re-wire the house and repair the damaged walls and ceilings.
About 300 yards from the schoolhouse is an area near a stream that will
be suitable for setting up church camp
facilities. Since there is no infrastructure for that, we need to design and lay
out the camp. There is also a small pond
near the proposed camp site. However,
it is very overgrown and needs clearing. There are some small antelope species in the area, but since the fencing is
in bad state of repair, they wander off,
becoming prey for poachers. We therefore need to rig up fencing around the
property as soon as the deal is finalized.
The farm is situated in the Summer Pride area, and there is no church
of Christ in the area. We still travel
to Downtown every Sunday morning.
Our plan, and if it is the Lords will, is
to plant a church here. By September,
we will be doing an awareness campaign in the area, which will be an ongoing process.

Workshop

Annually, we have an end of the

year workshop, and we thank the Lord
that it was a huge success. An average of 250 people attended and, on
the last Sunday, over 400 were present. We had three childrens classes as
well as a youth class. Gill and Jessica
taught the children, aged 10-12. The
theme, Love One Another from
John 13:34-35 was a timely theme for
our churches. The lessons were of ex-

cellent quality and we all were edified.

Most importantly, it was a combined
effort from all the churches in the East
London to host this event. It was the
first time in the history of the churches
in the area that such an event was held.
This was a great encouragement
for all the churches and gave them confidence to host similar workshops or
lectureships in the future again. We had
three baptisms during the workshop,
and we praise God for them.

Downtown

At Downtown church, things are

going well. We average about 25 in attendance every Lords Day. Our young
Adults recently had a fellowship on the
farm and it certainly was enjoyed by
all. It was organized by brother Sydney Mishi, a post graduate student at
the Fort Hare University.
On the 9th of March, one of our
young adults, Lilly Mudzi, was baptized
into Christ. And the angels rejoiced!
On the 14th of April we celebrated the
5th birthday for the Downtown church.
Brother Bill Elliott from Knoxville
brought the lesson in the morning; afterward we shared a time of fellowship.
It has come a long way since 2008, with
only 11 in attendance that first Sunday
morning. It was another good Sunday
at Downtown.
5:30 am - Time to get the kids up
and ready for school...
>
chrisdupreez@lewisvillechurchofchrist.org

Global Harvest
He is a teacher in
his mid-thirties and
became a WEI student
in April, rejected Islam, and was baptized
in secret in his home in Iraq in late June.
Three years earlier he had decided to
leave Islam. He had seen so many bombings by Muslim radicals that he had to
turn his back on the religion he had been
taught was true all his life. I have been
living in deep sadness because of terrorism and sectarianism in Iraq.
His teacher explained in response,
I will help you with your healing.
There will always be scars, for you will
never forget the pain and feelings of betrayal. But you and I will go forward
now. You will find things in the Bible
to comfort your soul.
When I was a Muslim, I asked Allah why I loved Jesus more than Mohammed. Then I started to read the Bible and discovered the truth. When he
made this decision to follow Jesus, he
told his family and friends of his great
happiness, but they hit him. I told my
wife, and my wife told her family, and
her family told my tribe, and this has
been the cause of many problems.

51
in order to show him
how Christians can
worship in secret, she
began sending him a
different Sunday worship guide each week. Finally, the teacher explained how to be baptized and what
to say at his baptism.
He decided on a Sunday night to be
baptized at dawn the next morning. He
wanted to hear the Bible on his computer
all night. During the night as he listened
to and read the New Testament, he felt
the inner conflict between good and sin as
though it was struggling inside him. He
also struggled with what would happen to
his family when he became a Christian.
Society will hurl insults at my
children. They will suffer because of
me. I do not know what I will do. Regardless of the turmoil, after re-reading
the New Testament all night, as the sun
rose in the east, he was baptized in secret and started a new life.
When asked what his favorite Bible
verse is, he quoted Matthew 5:14-16,
You are the light of the world.....Let
your light shine before others that they
may see your good deeds and glorify
your Father in heaven.
>

A Brave New Brother!

You rescued me from fires of the

hell. Now I swear on the Son of God
that Im a Christian. I left Islam forever. Im not Muslim.
It seems he was very frustrated with
Islam and beginning to doubt God completely. When he became a WEI student last December, he said he never
prayed to God and never asked anything
of them, but I have found, if we are
faithful with God, God will answer our
prayers. Now I completely trust God.
As he progressed in the survey of
the Bible, he responded, I have learned
Jesus is the real Son of the God, and
I have believed Jesus is the only man
sent by God. He really sacrificed his
life for people. He is still alive, and
will be alive forever.
Nabeel (not his real name to protect

Katheryn Maddox Haddad

At first he thought perhaps he had

been wrong and that Jesus had left him,
but when he found WEI lessons, he said,
But now I believe that Jesus Christ sent
you to help me. I believe Jesus was and
is the God who created everything. God
created humans in his image, but Satan
always wants to distort his image.
He gave many reasons for leaving
Islam with what he called its false god,
hateful holy book, and lying prophet.
Islam cancels the role of reason. It is
the reason for backwardness and ignorance. If there is any beautiful thing in
Islam, it was taken from Christianity.
In comparing the Islamic holy book and
the Holy Bible, he said, When I heard
the sermon on the mountain, I cried and
I cried and I cried, and then decided this
speech must be from the Lord.
Because he still knew so little about
the Bible and of proofs Jesus really was the
Son of God, his teacher took him through
several lessons in our Bible survey, especially pointing out the prophecies. Also,

Another Brave New

Brother!

Katheryn Maddox Haddad

his identity) had been referred to WEI by
John Mark (not his real Arabic name),
who became a WEI student three years
ago, baptized two years ago, and is responsible for many signing up with WEI.
In March, Nabeel called John Mark and
told him he had finished his basic course.
He said, Day by day, Jesus followers
become more and more in the world. I
think it shows the truth of Jesus.
Then Nabeel lost his job and could
not continue with advanced lessons.
But, the two men met and Nabeel said
he wanted to be baptized as soon as
possible. Finally in mid-April, Nabeel

asked for guidance to be baptized. I

really decided to be a Christian with my
brothers for the remaining time of life.
But here in _____, if the Muslims
know that I left my religion and accepted the Christian religion, they will kill
me as soon as they know. It is a difficult choice for everyone in _____, but I
decided to be baptized in a hidden place
that no one knows about. I am impatiently waiting for the baptizing guide.
The next day, on April 15, he was
baptized into Christ for the forgiveness
of his sins. I baptized yesterday in the
bathroom,
But, he is afraid of his wifes family. I didnt say anything to my wife
yet, but I continue my best to try to
rescue her too. Now I need Christians
praying and guiding.
>

52

Global Harvest

Secret Conversions Deep in the

Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Katheryn Madddox Haddad
Muslim John Mark [He changed his
Muslim name.] wanted to learn English. He signed up with World English
Institute, and was surprised to learn the
text was the Bible. He had never seen
or touched a Bible, but he knew it existed.
After two months, he wrote, I need
your help and your special guidance
for my selection [whether to become a

An Afghani prison

Christian]. Now it is dangerous for me

in Afghanistan. What can I do? Two
weeks later, he wrote, I am going to
baptize as soon as possible. Please tell
me how can I do it and how I pray. A
week after that, at the risk of his life, he
took the grand leap of faith. I am very
happy this morning. I and my wife
were baptized in the bathtub.
They were overjoyed but lonely.
I feel alone. Here are not any Christians. But John Mark encouraged others to sign up for WEI lessons and was
responsible for some forty new stu-

dents. Still, it wasnt

enough for this Christian who longed to
have spiritual brothers and sisters nearby.
My goal and plan is
spreading Christianity
in Afghanistan.
I sent him my course called You
Can Be A Hero Alone, beginning
with Noah and ending with the Apostle
John. He began to feel a kinship with
them. I should sacrifice even my life
in the name of Jesus. I will continue
my talking about the right[ness] of Jesus. It is my duty. Yes, it is hard that I
speak about Christ, that he is the Son of
God. But I will tell secretly to people
who I know.
Then it began. The first was in
September, seven months after their
baptism. Today at 3:25 PM, one person called and threatened me. Immediately, he took out of his home all
printed Bible lessons in case his home
was searched. Then it happened again.
Last evening at 5:35 an unknown person called me. His language was Pashto (Talibans language) and asked me,
Where are you? UN military are not
allowed to contact any Afghans outside
their base.

He decided to escape with his family to another country. He applied to
organizations around the world, but no
one responded. He backed off telling
people about WEI, and things calmed
down again. But the peace was temporary, for he was too much like Jeremiah who said, But if I say I will not
mention him or speak any more in his

name, his word is in my heart like a fire,

a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in. Indeed, I cannot!
(Jeremiah 20:9). John Mark wrote, I
know the youth here are interested to
read the Bible.
Exactly one month later the threats
began again. Today at 11:00 [some]
one of Afghan National Security Forces that I have known called me to the
market and told me, We are informed
you are spreading Christianity. It is illegal in Muslim society. You have two
options: [1] Go to prison, [2] Give us
$50,000.
Immediately, he took the flash drive
he had downloaded the Bible onto and
buried it in his yard. Then he sent his
wife and four children to another province with instructions that they change
locations every night. He, in turn, went
to yet another province to divert attention away from his family.
Word went out to congregations
around the world. The Dunedin church
of Christ in New Zealand with 20 members said they would take money out of
their building fund and send this family money to fly there. Their preacher,
Aaron Knotts, had just lost his support,
but he continued to preach with tears
that they must rescue the persecuted.

Continued on page 53

Global Harvest

53

Secret Conversions Deep in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

Continued from page 52
India was the nearest non-Muslim country.
God intervened. An officer at the Indian Embassy
was friends with a member of the church in New
Delhi, and got emergency visas for this family.
John Mark brought his family out of hiding and to
the airport, but the plane was suspiciously delayed
six hours.
He had not met the deadline to pay the $50,000
bribe. What if his passport had been flagged and
he was arrested in the airport and his wife and children taken hostage? Many Christians around the
world stayed up all night praying for this family.
Lord, you who made the blind to see, now make
the seeing blind.
Finally, the word came that they had made it to
freedom in India. But there, over the next month,
they ran into more roadblocks. The New Zealand

John Mark with his wife and four children. Their 16 year-old-son
is now a Christian.

congregation must guarantee $50,000 to support them for a year. They

didnt have that amount. This was a family of six, and John Mark couldnt
leave them behind. Then Betty Choate in Mississippi said she and others
with whom she had contact would fill the need and even see that John
Mark got a degree in Bible, but he could not qualify for a student visa.
They were stranded and had only two options: Turn themselves
in to a refugee camp in India and stay there a year or two, or return to
Afghanistan and danger. They prayed with many tears, asking God to
guide them. Bravely, they returned to Afghanistan. He hid his family
in a city of millions while he checked out the situation in the location
of his workplace.
Once again, God intervened. John Marks close friend was chosen
to be police commander of their home province. He promised John
Mark he would protect him.
He sent for his family and rented a house on the other side of town.
A month after his return, he baptized his sixteen-year-old son. Soon after,
one of the Muslims he had convinced to take the WEI course was secretly
baptized. The new convert was afraid to tell his wife, possibly afraid of her
family. John Mark went to see him and said, Tell your wife!
John Mark, being who he is, has begun once again talking to people about becoming Christians. He knows the dangers he is in. He
knows! But he continues to teach. When we believe in God, he will
protect us. So dont be worried.
>

An Afghani soldier

Katheryn Maddox Haddad, Casa Grande, AZ, Church of Christ

Haddad1940@yahoo.com; 519-948-2828 or 520-509-8090
Teacher for World English Institute

54

Global Harvest

Asghar Ali Visits Hyderabad, Pakistan

Shahid Khokhar

Preaching Days, House-to-House:

Wednesday, Thursday, and
Friday:

On these days we visit Christian families who belong to different denominational backgrounds and who have asked
for Bible studies. We had visits with different families in Mir Pur Khas and, as
a result, people have come to know the
truth and true teaching of the Bible. They
are getting ready for baptism. However,
one of the church members is no more
with us as he could not hold his faith in
the Bible and has decided to go back to his
denomination (Mushtaq Masih).

Working with Brother Asghar

Brother Asghar arrived here on

Thursday at about 12 noon; Saleem and
I were present on the terminal to receive
him. He had lunch with us at our place
and then shifted to a guesthouse as he
was very tired due to an extremely long
journey.
At about 12 noon I brought brother
Asghar from the guesthouse, and we had
lots of discussions on different church
matters before the Bible study class.
Saleem, Esther, Surayia, Jacinta
(Jennifers mom), Lazarus (Jennifers
father and a Pentecostal) and Josephine, a new student, were present. The
study was very smooth and I delivered
the lessonWhy Bible Class is Very
Important. Afterwards, people were
asked to give their queries, and brother
Asghar helped us in answering. It is
the crucial time for the people to understand the celebration of Easter, and it
was discussed in detail how we should
celebrate the Lords resurrection each
Sunday with the memorial supper, according to the Bible and its importance
in our lives.

Jennifer, Asghar, and Shahid with their children.

My father-in-law named Lazarus is

too much aggressive and stubborn on
this issue, and his discussions at times
also changed into suppressing others
and arguing on the matter, though the
proofs were presented from the Bible
by brother Asghar in a very humble
manner. Still, there was no understanding, and he argued to celebrate Easter
annually like Catholics and denominational people do.
This attitude in front of brother Asghar and the other new learners was too
much disappointing and was never expected or predicted.

J Can we hold conventions

for
preaching the Gospel?
J Holy Spirit and tongues
There were a lot of queries in our
minds and they were all answered
through biblical texts by brother Asghar.
At 4 pm, Jennifer conducted the childrens class at brother Saleems house
(Kucha Qilla), where the use of flannel
board was observed and much appreciated by brother Asghar. There were
about ten students in the class with different ages. Brother Asghar also guided Jennifer about the story, which was
explained in the class and rectified the
mistake right after the class which was
Another Day of Studies
Again our meeting at home took accepted pleasantly. Afterwards, brother
place in the morning of Saturday where Asghar, Saleem and I visited Saleems
brothers family in the same area.
we discussed about
Dinner was prepared by the Sal J chain prayers
eems
wife at his home and we returned
J womens role in the worship
to
have
dinner with them. The couple
J how to conduct Bible class
was
happy
to serve the guests.
J can we pray for those who are
Sunday Worship
not in our faith?

It
was
the Lords Day and brother
J why we offer the Lords Supper
and contribution on Sundays (asked by Asghar came to our place for attending
Continued on page 55
Saleem).

Global Harvest

55

Asghar Ali Visits Hyderabad

Introucing Esther and Saleem Masih

Brother Asghar serving the Lords Supper.

Continued from page 54

the worship. The people came later than the actual time given
to them. Anyhow, the worship began at 12 noon, it was led
by brother Saleem. The sermon was delivered by me and the
Lords Supper and contribution were managed by brother
Asghar. About 15 to 18 members were present at the worship, and the good thing was that they are all members of the
church of Christ. The attendance was quite less as compared
to the previous visit of brother Asghar, but he has well understood the issues over here caused by the recent riots. We
are having to be very careful because of the danger of accusations and arrests for teaching Christianity.
The evening was packed with too much discussion, and
and in night brother Asghar served us well with Chinese
food. He said that its a treat from his side for our family.

Last Day of Fellowship and Questions

I am pleased to be part of Gods family in Hyderabad. I

cannot express my feelings through words, but anyhow, I want
to share my journey with you dear ones. I belonged to a Catholic family, and my parents are still regular members of that denomination. I was married to a protestant guy named Saleem
Masih. By the grace of God I have a loving and God-fearing
husband and in-laws. We both work in the medical field.
After marriage, we were attending different types of
meetings and conventions in protestant and in the Catholic
Church as well, but unfortunately, we never heard the Truth
of the Bible from them. They were just putting their own
testimonies in front of the listeners. We wanted to listen from
the Bible but it never happened in these congregations. Their
faiths and rituals were more important for them, and their
focus is on raising funds only.
My husband had very close relations with a Christian family
here. He used to read the Bible with them, and after listening my
husband also shared with me the same Truth. This is the family of brother Shahid who is the preacher of the Gospel, along
with his wife. This God-fearing family is very much committed
and devoted to the cause of our Lord. Because of their faithfulness with the Word, they are very helpful for us and always
share whatever they learn from different means like WBS, WEI
and other Christian material related to the New Testament. It is
the result of their efforts that we are now in Gods family and
baptized as the New Testament requires. I humbly ask you to
pray for us as we are very new to the teaching of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Sister Jennifer is playing a major role in teaching women
and children in our area Kacha Qilla. May God give us courage
to learn the Truth and be committed in it.
>
Esther Masih

The next day morning was also busy in discussions on

different issues of our church members and their problems.
We even presented a lot of questions after the breakfast like:
J Compilation of Bible
J Prohibition of eating and drinking
J How to behave like a preachers wife
J Defending your religion against Muslims
Then there were some common issues discussed in detail regarding our culture and history. Brother Asghars time
with us was a blessing, helping us to grow in the knowledge
of the true teachings of the Bible.
>
Asghar Ali: asgharcoc@gmail.com

Esther and Saleem Masih

56

Global Harvest

N. India Lectureship
Earnest Gill

My sincere thanks for all the prayers and the support

of our work in Chandigarh, in the Northern part of India.
Our vision has been to reach the Hindi speaking belt of the
country and that has helped us to reach throughout India.
The task is not as simple as it seems in the Southern part
where Hinduism is less and receptivity is more, but our God
is great and He helps us trust in His strength like Joshua and
Caleb. Our God is able, and He can do great things through
us if we are willing to be used in His work.

The North India Bible College is proven as a big

tool for that. The outgoing students from Northern India

send good reports of their work. This year we graduated 5
more students from different states.

North India Preachers Lectureship has become

the famous place for the gathering of the preachers of North

India. Our focus has been to encourage the brethren in these
much neglected and hard states.
In our printing, Truth for Today, published by brother
Eddie Cloer of Searcy, AR, and translated by me into Hindi,
plays a vital role in equipping the national preachers with the
studies that help them to learn and share the Truth. We print
2,500 books each month for Truth for Today and send them
all over India. We receive letters of appreciation for providing this material free of cost.

The Voice of Truth International, printed in Hindi,

is appreciated very much

among the masses. Vol.
3 has been printed so far
and, by the end of May,
Vol. 4 should be out from
the press. Up to now we
have been printing 5,000
copies of each volume,
but I think soon we will
have to increase it because
of the growing demand
for it. People are eagerly
waiting for the next issue.
We thought to use it as an
evangelism tool and are
now sending students on
the weekends to different
nearby cities. Last week
they were in Ambala city

Please pray for sister Earnest

Gill. She has been diagnosed
with breast cancer.

(Haryana state). They visited a family and presented vol. 3. You

know what the house owner said? He said that he had already
received up to Vol. 3 and has been waiting for Vol. 4. Someone
else was saying that this book should be shown to the Church of
North India people.
Brother Jerry Bates encouraged me to start a Bible correspondence course, which I think is very natural because
people ask for correspondence courses when they hear about
the Bible College.
There was a problem with the post office recently. We
were sending our books at a reduced price, but now they have
stopped that, saying that without the official registration number we can not use that rate. So, until we can get the magazine
registered, we will have to send it as an unregistered parcel,
not as an educational book. The cost for mailing single books
will be an additional Rs. 15 for the 700 addresses we have for
the individual The Voice of Truth International.

The Daily SMS Service in which we were sending daily one verse of Scripture to registered Cell numbers
reached 1,600 plus. That grew to be a huge cost for sending
free SMS: 1600x30 makes 48000 SMS in a month. For that
we needed at least $100 a month extra. This is in our prayers
to be able to restart that service in the near future. Very few
people in our country would have a Bible of their own, to be
able to read these Scriptures without our service.
U
Earnest Gill: E-mail: ernst@rediffmail.com

Attendees at the North India Preachers Lectureship.

Global Harvest

57

Hindi TV Reaches North India

Sunny and Francis David

Thanks be to God for the wonderful opportunity of bringing the Truth to

thousands of people each week. What a
privilege! Please continue to pray and
help us to help others to learn of God.

From Francis and Vinay David

Sunny David

The Hindi telecasts of Gospel messages are shared by three of us every

Tuesday of the week at 7:00 P.M. Francis, Vinay, and I speak for about twentyfive minutes in a thirty-minute telecast.
The channel, Subhasandesh, is being
operated by some denominational group,
and almost everything on it is charismatic
(Pentecostal). People are being told to
ask for prayers and healing, etc. Benny
Hinn and such like are preaching on it,
and all of that healing and emotionalism is being telecast most of the time.
In contrast, we are preaching the
word from the Bible, and it seems very
different and strange to most people,
like the Athenians of Acts 17. We need
to keep on preaching because there
is so much darkness in a land that is
85% Hindu, and where denominational
churches and doctrines are primarily
what people have heard of Christianity. Minds have been darkened and
covered with denominational errors,
so it will take time for the truth to penetrate into their hardened or confused
hearts.

This is what is happening with our

Hindi TV program. First of all, its going
great. I wish we could have started this
program much earlier, since it is dealing
with the majority of the Hindi speaking
population here in India. Though at present the coverage of our channel is not all
over the country, still it is covering many
places. In fact, we have been told by the
Shubh-Sandesh Channel people that in
the coming days and months the coverage of the channel will continue to spread
to other parts of India.
The people are really enjoying our
programs since they get to hear the one
true Gospel of the Bible through three
different speakers, that is, Sunny, Francis, and Vinay. Just a few days back, Vinay and I recorded ten more programs,
and we are thankful to God for this.
In regards to the fourth Tuesday of
the month, and having a question-and
answer-program, we havent started

Francis David

Vinay David

that yet. At present, we are just recording our Hindi sermons for TV.
The early responses to our programs
have been quite encouraging and positive. As soon as we finish speaking, our
cell phones ring with people requesting
Bible correspondence courses, Hindi
Bibles, prayers, and wanting to know
more about the Church of Christ.
Many people also message us on our
cell phones with their mailing addresses,
requesting Bible correspondence courses. The TV requests and follow-up are
pretty much handled by Vinay, and he
has been quick in dispatching and mailing things to people. He is doing a good
job, and we appreciate his help.
It would be fantastic if we could
have an additional weekly program,
since that would give us more responses, and more time to share the Gospel
with people. Remember, we are dealing with the Hindi-speaking population
here in India, 85% of 1.4 billion people!
Therefore, we need to have more programs so that people can see the difference between the true Gospel and all the
error being taught by others.
>
Vinay David: vinay_david2002@yahoo.co.in
vinay_david26@yahoo.com

58

Global Harvest

Life in the Seed

Joshua Gootam

It was way back in 1982 when a

man walked into my office and introduced himself as a preacher from Berhampur, Orissa [a neighboring state in
India, where militant Hindus have persecuted believers in Christ] and invited
me to visit his congregation. He did
not identify what church he was from.
As far as I knew there was no Lords
church in that state at that time as no
one had gone there with the Gospel
truth. So I made an appointment to be
with them on a Sunday, to observe their
worship and to teach them the truth.
To my surprise, they sang without instruments of music, observed the
Lords Supper, and when I preached
about the Lords church they all received the word with gladness. After the
service was over I asked them just what
church they belonged to? They all said
they were the church of Christ! When
I asked, How come? they said, You
have been preaching about it on the radio, we got some books from you, and
we obeyed the Gospel to become the
members of the Lords body in Orissa.
They invited me to lay a foundation
stone for a church building they planned
to build, which I was glad to do. A few
years later they completd the building
on their own, and I made several visits
afterwards to encourage them. About
50-60 people used to meet to break
bread. Most of them knew the Oriya and
Telugu languages. Brother Y. Tata Rao
faithfully served as the preacher for a
long time. A few years back brother
Rao passed away, and I lost contact with
the congregation. I was told the church
there disintegrated and that his sons sold
the property to Hindus.
But for the last few months one man
was attending the preachers workshops

that we hold here every month. When I

asked him where he was from, he said
he was from the church at Berhampur,
Orissa! I was more than glad to hear
that. In the middle of March this year,
Kabita and I went there to check on the
church. This brother has been working
faithfully, has rebuilt the congregation
in a new locality and has even managed
to build a small church building. About
40 are meeting there to break bread every Lords Day. He took us to two more
villages where the Hindus were less receptive and more hostile, but those areas
can be cultivated as days go by.
This brother has more than an acre
of land right beside the National Highway 5, which is worth millions of rupees at this moment. Lots of car manufacturing units are coming up adjacent
to his property. We held a night meeting there. More than 200 attended and
heard the Word with eagerness. Even
though the former congregation disintegrated, the seed was alive in one
mans heart and the current work is the
result. There is life in the seed.

A copy of that old invitation to the

inauguration of the building.

Incidentally, brother Jerry Bates, too,

taught in that city a few months back to
yet another group of people. We have
been printing a bi-monthly magazine,
Bible correspondence courses, and tracts
and books in the Oriya language for several years now. We are thrilled that our
labors are bearing fruit for the Lord.
Orissa is the state in India with the
most anti-Christian history. Militant
Hindus with Maoist political alignment often attack believers in Christ.
Pictured on the next page is one of the
church buildings which was destroyed
by Hindus in Kandamal area in 2012.
They broke any cross they found. You
can still see the ladder which they
went up and broke the cross on the top
of this church building. In this place
they raped and left the women, burned
houses, and burned people alive.
They went into streets like this and
pulled the Christians out of their homes
and killed them. Names in India usually
have religious connotation, so they were
killing whoever had name-identification
of being Christian. Many ran to the
mountainous jungles behind them,
but their attackers
followed with big
knives and killed
them and threw
them into the rivers.
Reports said that
5,000 or more were
killed in these villages.

We have Christians and churches
in that area. Some
of the graduates
from our Kakinada School of Preaching
Continued on page 59

Global Harvest

59

Life in the Seed

Continued from page 58

work there. Our

church helps one
brother called Messiah who works in
Gajapathi district.
Brother Messiah
was a student in

our school, and

used to work in our
office in Kakinada
and that is how we
know all those areas.

seed is sown it will take roots and bear fruit. I reckon this
entire group would be a Lords church sooner than later.

Gospel Tracts; Door Openers

Last year we printed 120,000 trifold tracts in Telugu. We

used 12 titles of these wonderful tracts written mostly by J.C.
Choate. They are done on art paper and in multicolor, attractive to the eyes. Most likely people will pocket such a tract.
Denominational groups here hold huge rallys in various towns
and cities, and they come to us for free tracts for distribution! I
give them as many as they can carry, so they actually distribute
our tracts at their meetings! Every tract carries an ad about our
free Bible correspondence courses and an offer of a free Bible.
No wonder we get so many requests for Bible courses as a result
of these tracts. We could distribute a million copies here if we
have the funds to print them. Circulation is no problem as I use
the spiritually blind denominational preachers to do our job,
besides the distribution done by ourselves and our brethren.

Invitation from an Independent Group

We recently received an invitation from an independent

group that is located in the suburbs of Kakinada. They held
a 3-night Gospel meeting and had me to speak for them.
There were about 400 people every night in attendance.
It seems that many from that group took the Bible Correspondence course from us and obtained copies of the Bible.
Most of them, including the preacher, wanted to know more
about the Lords church. Last week I got the news that they
decided to give up instruments of music. The preacher said
they all have a desire to serve the Lord as per the New Testament pattern and asked for more teaching from our side. Here
is a group of honest people searching the truth, and when the

We have 70 children in our orphanage. Our school year

has just ended, and these students who were finishing 10th
standard graduated with honors. We are very proud of them.

The work here goes on and on by Gods grace. We covet

your prayers.

U
Joshua Gootam is the Telugu TV speaker in AP, India. His son,
Ricky, shares in the work responsibilities.
E-mail: rickygootam@yahoo.com.

60

Global Harvest

JC School of Evangelism & Follow up Works

Philemon and Kingsly Rajah
help by our students helped us to save our lives. The students
insisted that we hide in a forest for some hours, and then they
took us safely back. By the grace of God, we have not had any
threat in the place where we conduct the class program.

Meeting of three of the tamil preachers:

Philemon Rajah, S. Rajanayagam, and B. Arjunan.

Continued threats for evangelism efforts and

also New doors open for Evangelism training
in Mid & North East India through J.C.School
Greetings from Philemon, Kingsly and Antony from the
land of idol worshippers and false doctrines. We have been
updating you, the saints in Christ, that we have had threats
and some persecution from Orissa state where our training
through JC School of Evangelism is going to be completed
in another four months.
During one of our visits to conduct a Gospel meeting in one
of our students village, a group of 40 people planned to attack
us, hiding in some 10 houses as groups. But a prior warning and

Brother Jerry Bates releasing three new English tracts

in Raipur evangelism class.

Brother Jerry teaching a class in Raipur.

J.C.School of Evangelism class in Ooty, The Nilgris. At

present nearly 20 students are taking evangleism training. After a few months of training itself, the students
have brought back some back-sliding members and
the church finance increased.

The persecutors, who are sending letters threatening that

we will be killed if we give evangelism training to their locals, themselves report that 19 people have been baptized by
our evangelism school students in one tribal area, and there
are four other places where our 25 students have been able
to bring more souls for the kingdom of God.
Apart from these threats for life, we have also had good
news from Northeast and Central India, opportunities for
new classes for evangelism training. Hearing the success of
Continued on page 61

Global Harvest

JC School of Evangelism . . .

61
areas, Chattisgarh, or Assam, or Manipur. While we were somewhat discouraged with the opposition in Orissa state, God is very
good to give us happy days through the requests that we received
from these three mid-India and Northeast states. Hopefully we
will be able to take the great commission of Jesus Christ to these
Christians with the help of the World Evangelism team, converting new souls in these areas where there are many challenges for
Christians to introduce the truth to others.

An array of Tamil and English tracts.

Continued from page 60

the evangelism training program in Orissa and Tamilnadu,

leaders of churches in the states of Chattisgarh, Assam, and
Manipur have been constantly requesting us to come and
give them training through the JC School of Evangelism in
their respective areas.
We had preliminary classes in these areas, the one in
Raipur(Chattisgarh) with brother Jerry and sister Paula, and
the rest of the places (Gwahati and Manipur) ourselves. The
students had good zeal to do the work of evangelism and
hopefully, as in Tamilnadu and Orissa, the churches will be
surely strengthened.
Apart from the evangelism training in Orissa, we are also
having classes in Ooty in Tamilnadu through our school of evangelism. Since the classes in Orissa will be completed in September, we are looking for new classes in any one of the requested

Participants of the preliminary

evangelism training class at Raipur, Chattisghar.

Sister Paula teaching a ladies class in Raipur.

Without The Voice of Truth International and English

literature (tracts, sermon outline books, The Church of the
Bible) it would have been hard for us to identify the thirsty
churches whose members are longing to be trained in spreading the Truth they have learned.
We also have the opportunity and request to start the
evangelism training in Vishakapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.
God has given us strength and if He mercifully provides us
with tools and funds for these soul winning and encouraging
efforts, we can multiply the voices teaching Indians about
the New Testament church.

U
Young Blind men and women in Northeast india were
introduced to The Voice of Truth braille magazine.

Philemon Rajah works in Madurai, India.

Email: philemonrajahpc@yahoo.com

62

Global Harvest

Bible Camp Conversions

New Congregation Work
S. Rajanayagam

As Gods children, we all understand the church is the most important

in Gods sight because He allowed His
own begotten Son to shed His precious
blood for its purchase (Acts 20:2).
Also, we all agree that the church
is the direct result of carrying out our
Lords Great Commission as we can
verify in Acts 2:4.
So, dear brothers and sisters, we
are extremely happy to announce that
God Almighty used us again to start a
new congregation in the town of Mayiladuthurai, having a population of more
than 60,000 thousand people, where
there has been no congregation all these
years. In this city there is a majority of
Hindu fundamentalists, especially the
Brahmins, whom we can call the Pharisees of Hinduism. They are very firm in
their conviction and will never want to
compromise in their belief.
However, by the power of the Gospel, we were able to start a new congregation with the obedience of one young
man who is a catering graduate. Then,
by the continued efforts of this brother
and another brother who is from a nearby town and who is a government employee, three more souls were added.
Of the three, one is a nursing student,
and other two are husband and wife.
The Lords work is going very well,
and the Christians in that town effectively preaching the Gospel.
We are in the process of finding a
suitable place to worship in the main
area to give more access to others. The
brother who takes care of the work
found a place, and when we were ready
to erect a thatched shed, the neighbours objected to the land owner, and

so he refused permission, yielding to

the pressure from the Hindu fanatics.
We havent given up our effort, hoping God will provide. Please continue
to pray for the saints and also for the
worship place for these babes in Christ.
Looking toward our 16th Annual
Bible Camp, scheduled for May 6-8,
2013, we encouraged the new Christians and many others in that area to
participate, and more than a dozen people have agreed to attend.
In a recent trip to preach the Gospel,
early Saturday morning we started our
journey. My wife Racheal, our daughter
Lavine, and granddaughter Tennie accompanied me. We had a full load of Bibles, monthly magazines, the Tamil version of The Voice of Truth International
and Bible Tracts on many headings and
of course some gifts to the preachers.
On the Saturday evening, we had a
Gospel meeting in a place called Kumbakonam, and one lady was baptized.
Then, we arrived at the next station,
Tharangampady, a coastal town by 11
pm and had some rest. Then, on the
Sunday morning, I spoke for the gathering that assembled, and after the worship we had one more baptism. He was
the one from Mayiladuthurai where we
started a new congregation. He is the
Lydia of Philippi. We distributed Bibles and other books according to their
need.
This is to let you know that one
young man obeyed the Gospel yesterday, and he was from Pentecostal background. Basically, he was an Hindu,
converted to Pentecostalism and now
Continued on page 63

Global Harvest

63

Annual Summer Bible Camp

Continued from page 62

accepted the Gospel. We had a study with his mother also,

but she said that she will need some more time. Please pray
for this young man to be strong in the Lord.
Then, in the same evening, we left for Pondicherry, a
nearby state, and we arrived around 10 pm. The Christians
there constructed a church meeting hall by their own effort
,and we attended the dedication meeting on Monday. I was
one of the speakers. As our son-in-law, Benny Martin, had
some important work to take care, he could not travel with us,
but he joined us in the dedication meeting. We also distributed Bibles and other literature and rushed to a place called
Tiruvannamalai, where we had a meeting and I preached.
After this meeting, we headed to the city called Vellore,
where my son Abel is working as a physician in well reputed Christian Medical College Hospital. We spent overnight
there and left many books with him to distribute among the
doctors, nurses and other hospital staff.

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL BIBLE CAMP 2013

I am happy to share the news of this just concluded camp

with the Global Harvest readers, who are the well wishers
and supporters of this evangelism movement, founded by
our much loved and respected brother J.C. Choate.
Even though this was our Annual Bible Camp, it was
quite unusual compared to previous years. One of the political Party leaders of Tamil Nadu was arrested for some
reason, and that triggered a riot situation in the northern part
of the state where our camp site is situated. Due to stone
pelting, the buses were not plying in their routes on time,
and the bus services were suspended after 6 pm and resumed
by 6 am, and this situation continued from May 1st 10th
until he was released on bail. But, our camp dates were May
6-8, 2013. So, we had much concern for the attendance and
especially for the safety of the ones who wanted to attend the
camp. We hardly expected around 250 this time, although
we made arrangements for about 500 people.
But, dear brethren, to our surprise, we had not less than
450, and this gathering thronged from all the four corners of
the state and neighbouring states. Due to the facts explained
above, we could not start the camp on the scheduled time
and lost about half of the first day. However, we covered all
the topics as we had planned by using all the rest time. This
tells that the Christians across the state are eager to learn and
grow in the Lord. I am very proud of the zeal of our people
and that they have even gone to the point of risking their
lives for the sake of their faith.

We usually have the participants aged from three years

to 75 years, and so it has been our custom to split the gathering in to different groups according the age. First, we take out
the children away, and they will be entrusted with the male
and female trained teachers to handle them. We had more than
80 children this year. We teach Bible stories and songs. In the
end, they all were awarded Scripture boards and certificates.

We had 15 baptisms in total this year, and by this seven congregations were benefitted numerically. There were
about 30 non Christians, who are our TV viewers and magazine readers. Others attended the special session, and this
includes a denominational preacher from Coimbatore. Three
souls were added to the new congregation that was started
in the month of March in the east part of Tamil Nadu where
there was no church in the town of 60,000 plus people, all
these years. The church at Kangayam, where I am privileged
and blessed to preach, is willing to take care of its need both
physically and spiritually. The primary need of this church is
a meeting place. Please pray for them.
After allowing the non-Christians to attend the common
classes, we took them out and started teaching them separately on the subjects of the church and salvation. We used
five preachers for this purpose.
Since the church here in Kangayam is entrusted with printing of Tamil literature in different forms by the World Evangelism Team in Winona, we took maximum literatures, that is
books on different topics, written by brothers J.C. Choate, V.P.
Black, sister Betty Choate, different volumes of the Tamil version of The Voice Of Truth International, hundreds of tracts
written brothers Jerry bates, Louis Rushmore and brother and
sister Choate, to distribute to the crowd. We also took Bibles
worth about Rs. 25,000 with us. These Bibles and books were
very useful to the participants and preachers.
>
S. Rajanayagam - Email address: rajarichal@yahoo.co.in

64

Global Harvest

On the Road with

Arjunan and Glory...
in Tamil Nadu, India

We are very glad to do Gods

ministries together with the
World Evangelism Team, as
well as we are happy about Global Harvest issues which show the
preaching of the gospel throughout the World.
We are doing the Lords work
in Tamilnadu from Batlagundu
Town in Dindigul District. Our
radio ministry, which has been
broadcasting from Sri Lanka Asia
radio, is going well. A group of
blind people is listening in Pondicherry, the union Territory of India, every Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
They contact me by phone and
say that they are hearing the Truth
and New Testament doctrine eagerly. We plan to go and visit
these people.
In the month of February,
I went to Chennai to conduct a
meeting among our TV viewers
who are watching our program
regularly. This meeting was held
at brother G. Daniyels place.
He is a preacher of the church of
Christ at Kilpaulk in Chennai. We
were happy to attend the special
program that is the 30th anniversary of Kilpauk Church of Christ.
I preached the word of God on
23rd and also on the 24th in worship service there. Then brother
Daniyel and I started to Pondicherry on the 24th afternoon to attend
the opening ceremony of a new
church building on 25th. Brother
Rajanayagam and his family, brother Philemon and brother Kingsly
also attended that function. We all
preached the word of God.

Again, in the month of April

we conducted the The One Way
Bible Correspondence course
program in Namakkal District.
Twenty local preachers, who are
backsliders, attended the class.
All learned the New Testament
doctrine once again with much
interest. They said that Roger
Dickson had prepared a good
correspondence course and so
they would introduce it in their
local congregation and to denominational people also. They
understood that the Holy Bible
had taught The One Way only
and the Lord Jesus is that way.
They all received the certificatefor completing the study.
In the month of May, 27th to
29th, we had our Preachers Family Fellowship Meeting in Kodaikanal Hill. Nine District preachers gathered with their families
and sat in the presence of God and
learned many spiritual things. All
the preachers preached the Word
of Christ and shared their opinions and discussed about their
ministries in their places.
All preachers paid for their
food and accommodations, but
our Batlagundu Church bore their
travel fare only. They all got our
World Evangelism materials.
Some new preachers also attended this fellowship meeting. So
we praised God.
Please pray for all of these
ministries.
>
B.Arjunan & Glory: Email:
Arjun Glory arjunanglory@gmail.

Global Harvest

65

Kakinada School of Preaching

Tom Wacaster

Help Keep Kakinada School of Preaching

Open for Another Year
I have been associated with Nehemiah Gootam and the
Kakinada School of preaching now for almost a full decade. I
have witnessed first hand the good that the school has accomplished during more than 40 years of operation. Hundreds of
men have graduated from the school and are now preaching
full time throughout India and neighboring countries. Words
simply cannot adequately express the good that brother Gootam has done during his 40-year tenure in directing the school.
Now I have a special request. You may not be aware that
the school of preaching at Kakinada, India has lost its funding and is in danger of closing sometime around mid to late
March. At present they have 40 students enrolled, and all of
these will be sent home when the school closes unless we can
raise the funds to keep it open. I am making an appeal to all
of you to approach the elders where you attend and see if they
can contribute a small amount each month to the school at
Kakinada. $30, $40, or $50 will help. $100 would be better.
In addition, please make some calls, send out letters
to individuals or email anyone who might be interested

in helping in our work. With

Gods blessings, we will keep
the doors open for one more
year. If we can find 100 individuals or congregations who
can contribute $40 per month,
this will pay for the teachers
salary, and provide housing and food for the full time students. The same amount can be raised if we can find 200 individuals who will commit to $20 per month for six months
or longer.
If you have any questions, please give me a call or send
me an email and I will gladly discuss the situation with you.
All funds can be sent to our mission account here at Handley
Church of Christ for now, and we will distribute those funds
to the Kakinada School of Preaching as we receive them
each month. Make your checks out to the Handley Church
of Christ. Be sure to earmark the funds for Kakinada School
of Preaching. >
Tom Wacaster, Handley Church of Christ, P.O. Box 8733, Fort
Worth, TX 76124; Phone: (817) 451-7410

Christs Happy Childhaven

Demar Elam
God is to be praised and thanked
for His bountiful blessings regarding
the establishment of Christs Happy
Childhaven, located on the campus
of Philippine Theological College in
Salomague Sur, Bugallon Pangasinan
Philippines. The elders of the Central
Church of Christ in Dalton, Georgia
have enthusiastically accepted the oversight of this work of love for the little
ones in the Philippines who have lost
their parents due to many of the natural
disasters that strike these islands annually.
What a great outpouring of support weve had thus far regarding the
childrens home! We needed to raise

$120,000 to build two houses for the

children. One will house 12 boys and
the other will accomodate 12 girls. God
has blessed us already with just above
$60,000, which means we are half way
there! With enough funds to break
ground on the first house, we now need
to raise the balance for the other house
as soon as possible. Hopefully, we can
get an even better price if the contractor knows that he will be building two
houses instead of one.
The Bible is resplendent with
teachings regarding how strongly God
feels about his children caring for orphans. We know that He has given us
the stewardship over all our earthly

possessions, and He will hold us accountable for how we use our blessings
(Luke 16:2). We read in 1 Corinthians
4:2: Moreover, it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.
The elders of the Central Church
who are overseeing the childrens home
have appointed Junas Sagurit, the President of Philippine Theological College,
as the director of the orphanage. Junas
is a multi-talented man and is capable
of handling both jobs well. His wife,
Alma, has been a wonderful first lady of
the college and she will be such a blessing also to the work of the home.
The Open Door Ministry has always felt the compassion that is a large
part of the Gospel. The new home for
orphans will allow them the opportunity to become children of God.
>
Demar elam: thopendoorministry.com

66
Being a missionarys wife must be
the loneliest job on earth. Let me speak
from the heart, and tell you that, without
friends, the daily struggles of life sometimes appear so much larger than when
you have someone other than your husband to share them with. There are just
some things a woman cannot share with
a man and also the other way around.
During our visit in the States, we went
out to lunch with some folks, and I was
asked if I have any friends. The answer
is a resounding NO. I know many
people and have acquaintances, but not
close friendship with any of them.
Women need someone to talk to,
to share their joys, their fears, their
dreams. Some days I wonder how
I am going to make it, because some
days all I need is some encouragement
or a shoulder to cry on, and my husband is not always the right person for
some womens issues. Perhaps it is
because of my loneliness in the human
world that I turn to the animal world.
I find that I understand the world of
animals better, and this is what carries
me through the days. Oh, I long for the
companionship of a close friend, one
who understands what I have to deal
with on a daily basis.
Our countries are so different in
many aspects. Our peoples, customs,
laws, abilities and resources. It is not always possible for us to just go down to
the local store at any time of the day to
make emergency purchases. Just to get
into a vehicle at night is a dangerous undertaking, especially for a woman. Currently, the rape statistics are astronomically high. Even allowing our children
out, either day or night, is a risk we take.
It is my opinion that the media do not
portray a clear picture of what really goes
on here on a daily basis. Regular citizens,
like us, sometimes just barely scrape by
because of corruption and crime.
It has been very hard to do the work
in the Eastern Cape. This is mainly due
to difficult circumstances we have to

Global Harvest

Discouragement
Gill DuPreez

contend with. Although much has been

achieved in the country since 1996,
many citizens have not managed to
make the transitions and, therefore,
there are still many conflicts between
the races. Often the conflict is between
different black races. We have many
refugees from northern countries in Africa. This causes many problems.
Another problem we have to deal
with is tribalism, traditions, and customs which conflict with Christianity.
Every year a greater number of young
Xhosa men die because of the circumcision customs in this province. These are
things that we deal with on a daily basis.
Because the church work has always come first, our family has often
had to go without many things: without
friends, without outings, without new
clothing, without extra tuition when
they have struggled, and without regular medical or dental check-ups. Josh,
Amy and Stephen have never been to
the dentist. Amy, Chis and I all need
yearly eye exams and new glasses. We
are without pocket money to buy something nice for self or others. When the
children were little, they did not notice,
but they have grown and now are noticing, and this makes life harder.
Because of our skin colour, the
chances of any of us securing a job in
the country is slim to zero. Most of
the jobs in the country go to those of
colour. Unless you are the right colour,
chances of getting a good job are severely restricted.
We are seeing a scary thing in the
churches in South Africa. In the last
number of years, we have noticed that
it seems our young men, in particular,
are leaving the fellowship of the church,
and our young people are not marry-

ing Christians. This trend is damaging

to our families and making our ministry extremely difficult. We believe that
they need a place where they can get the
encouragement and growth opportunities they so desperately need. We want
to see change and the rescue of so many
families in dire situations. An example
close to our hearts is our nephew who
was a preacher up near Johannesburg.
Due to an overload of responsibilities
with the church, and lack of understanding and encouragement from the local
elders, he has fallen away and we dont
know how to help him.
When we were just young in the
church, we often had opportunities to
attend retreats. So many of our young
brothers and sisters are in desperate
need of encouragement and growth.
Most white South Africans may
get only one opportunity a year at even
meeting other Christians, and usually it
is at the Southern Africa Bible College
Lectureships. All too often families cannot make the trip due to financial restrictions or distances they have to travel,
which in itself is a risky business.
We desperately need more encouragement and help with sensitive issues
we have to deal with. Sometimes just
a nice message on Facebook or a card,
even to the children individually. We
need urriculum and visual aids to help
when we can teach the children. What
we have currently is not sufficient.
We need mission teams or couples
to come over on a more regular basis
to help us and give us the much needed
upliftment.
We love you with the love of the Lord. >
Gill du Preez, East London, South Africa.
campaigns4christ@gmail.com

Global Harvest

67

China Mission News

Ron Brown, Director

Three Siblings in
the Refuge of Grace
Christian Care Center

The Peng family has been at the Refuge of Grace Christian Care Center since August 2012. Their father died in early
2011 of Tuberculosis. The family had spent all their money
trying to cure his disease. Once he died, their mother remarried, moved away and was never seen again. They only had
their paternal grandfather left. He supported them the best he
could, but he has heart disease and is now 70 years old.

When we visited the Peng family, it was impressive

how respectful the three children were to their grandfather
and it was evident how much they loved him. They didnt
want to leave their home and grandfather. You can see from
the above picture how broken-hearted they all were, but he
could no longer support them.
Since moving to the care center, all three children have
made many friends. They all say they have more friends here
than they did back home and that living in the care center is
good and fun. The oldest sister, Peng Xing, complains a
little about having to get up so early to do chores, but she is
happy her grades have improved. She and her younger sister,
Peng Yue, both think the teachers are better here. The two
sisters and younger brother, Peng Dong Ming, are all happy
about the new clothes they have received since coming to
live in the care center. They still get homesick every now
and then, but their grandfather comes to visit them every
month.

Open Heart Surgery in the US

A sweet little 13-month-old boy, Meng Yuanchang, and

his mother arrived in Baton Rouge, Louisiana this week for
evaluation before his upcoming open heart surgery scheduled for May 24th. He is doing well here and enjoying his
visit prior to surgery.
Most of the familys income has been spent on medical
and doctor visits for this little boy. The father is the only
source of income, and he has not received much education.
This young family also cares for an elderly grandmother (a
very common practice in China). HeartGift will provide Yuanchangs heart surgery in New Orleans.

Can You Please Help?

Our new hospital in Henan, China will be opening soon.

We hope to help many poor children in the area. These children are usually malnourished and do not receive enough
adequate vitamins to stay healthy. Can you please help us
provide these children with chewable multivitamins? Maybe
your Bible class or congregation can announce about collecting childrens chewable multivitamins as a monthly
service project. Your contribution can help provide a child
with a healthier future. We can pick up your donations and
send them to China, or you can ship boxes by FedEx ground
to designated locations where we have teams who are going to China, and they can carry them in suitcases. If you
have any questions, please email or call Ron Brown at ronbrown20@gmail.com or 678-877-6300.
>
China Mission, c/o Lewisville Church of Christ, 901College
Parkway, Lewisville, TX 75077-2900

68

Global Harvest

Taking the Gospel to China

Simon Hui
On behalf of my family, we pray
that all of our dear friends in the world
continue to be blessed by Almighty
God. Through His teaching, we must
keep them in our heart.

News and Notes

On Sundays we have two meeting groups. One is in the morning; the

other is in the afternoon. In the morning group, many of our attendants are
teachers and college students. At this
moment, we have studied the books of
Thessalonians. Through these books we
can learn how to influence other Christians as well as the congregations. The

apostle Paul was pleased with the growth

of Thessalonian Christians. After Paul
left Thessalonica, he still received good
news from Thessalonian Christians. He
also sent Timothy to encourage them.
The Christians there remained faithful
in Gods kingdom. Their labour of love
and patience of hope in the Lord were
the examples for all Christians. We
hope that through these books, all of us
can learn the valuable lessons how to be
soldiers of God.
In the afternoon service, we studied
the basic foundation of Christian faith.
There were several attendants who were
not Christians in this group. Three of
them wanted to be children of God.

Hopefully, they will learn

that being a Christian, one
must submit himself or
herself into Gods kingdom. One young adult
asked, Being a Christian,
is it like a person who
plans to marry to other?
Well, all of us should
know how to answer this
question. Once we become children of God,
we should love and serve
God our whole lives. There is no turning
back.

On Tuesday morning
and afternoon, fifteen housewives attended my Bible
classes. Four of them are Korean. In this class, I used English language to teach them
the Word of God. In the afternoon, four housewives come
to join ourclass. All of them
are Chinese and I taught them
in the Chinese language.
Currently, we have studied
the Book of John on Tuesdays.

We already learned about the Lord Jesus who was with the Father before He
was born on the earth. The universe was
created through Him. From chapter one
of the Gospel of John, I connected this

chapter with the book of Genesis. Some

of them were surprised that everything
was made by Jesus. They thought in the
past that the Heavenly Father created the
universe. In fact, the Heavenly Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit worked together to create this beautiful world.

Moving

This coming August my family and

I plan to move back to Hong Kong in order to provide a better place for our three
boys to study. Actually, last year we sent
our older son, Cathan, to Hong Kong,
and it seems that he enjoys studying in
Hong Kong. Shirley has worked at the
present school more than six years, and
she says that this school does not
provide a good program for high
school students.
After we move back to Hong
Kong, I will continue to take
care of my present work in
mainland China, until the local members can handle all the
work. The present preacher is
over 75 years old. He really
wants me to come to work with
him if it is possible. Thus, I will
work at two places: Hong Kong and
mainland China frequently.
>
Simon Xu;
http://shui2005.blogspot.
com; sscathan@gmail.com

Global Harvest

69

Seoul, Korea
Malcolm Parsley

Attendees at the South Korean Mission Forum,

held in January at the College Hill Church of Christ
in Fort Worth, Texas.

We have just published our tenth edition of The Church

of Christ Magazine. We are so thankful to the Father that,
since its founding, we have seen it grow in acceptance and
support for nearly two years. We send it to every Korean
preacher and elder in Korea and America, and to all others
who request it. Besides that, we freely distribute it to the students at Korea Christian University. We have had no rejections and are getting more and more good comments about it.

Kang Nam News

The Kang Nam congregation is growing. We are about

30% larger in attendance than this time last year! More of the
ladies are assisting in the weekly Sunday potluck, and more of
the men are participating in the areas where they serve. Faithfulness is increasing, and Bible class discussions are more frequent. The Father is with us, and we are so, so thankful.

Yongsan News

The number of Yongsan members is growing also. This

growth is not so much from the military standpoint, but we
fairly regularly have new American English teachers come
into the country, find us, and want to be a part of our number.
Attendance is about twice what it was a year ago when the
membership was at its lowest.

Funds Needed for the Work

On our reporting trip to the States, the congregations we

visited gave graciously of encouragement and financial support. In spite of the decrease in the attendance of the Osan
brethren, and their not being able to help with our airline
tickets this year, most of the trip expense was covered. We
thank each one who helped. We are still in need of the $824
per month to cover the cost of living increase of the work
fund and the office staff.

Also, since the membership of the Osan congregation, as

well as the Yongsan congregations military personnel, have
greatly fallen off, both congregations have suffered a serious decrease in their contributions. This prevents them from
passing funds on to us for this part of the work in Korea. The
Yongsan congregation is still giving us 100% of all contributions, for they know well the work we do and therefore the
need. However, the total decrease in available funds is well
over $2000 per month.
We do not want to burden anyone, but rather to give you
an opportunity to serve in the Fathers work here in Korea,
as He has blessed you. Thank you for considering the need
and may He bless every heart that wants to help, regardless
of its ability to do so or not. For 53 years He has taken care
of His work here through His children, and He will continue
to supply according to the need. We all live by faith in Him,
and He lives with faith in us.
l
l

Read the Local Headlines with Me

Asiana named the best airline in Asia.
In Korea, High-speed wireless Internet
penetration exceeds 100% [Sweden: 98%;
Japan: 82.4; US: 76.1.
Birthrate drops from 6.0 in 1960 to below
1.23 since 2010.
Koreas elderly suicide rate is six times
higher than that of Japan.
Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in
Seoul banned drinking on campus.
Korea faces looming dementia crisis with
105% increase since 2006.
Minors banned from revealing too much
body on TV.
Korea Methodist Church bans father-to-son
pastoral succession in their 6,599 churches.
A Blessed Stateside Visit

We spent six weeks with brethren in the US, seeing many

loved ones whom we have known over fifty years. We were
able to help and lift up others, and we ourselves were highly
lifted up.
U
Malcolm Parsley: parsleyone@gmail.com

70

Global Harvest

Nias, Indonesia
Colin McKee

We have returned from an exciting

and successful trip to Indonesia. Seems
the older we get, the quicker the days
fly by, and we hardly turn around before the trip is over and we are making
further plans for our involvement in the
work there.

NIAS

The first part of our trip was spent

in Nias, an island off the western coast
of Sumatra. We have the largest concentration of congregations of the
Lords church there, compared to other
regions of Indonesia, with 83 churches
and about 4,500 total membership.
I taught special classes for village
teachers and preachers who came from
outlying areas to Gunung Sitoli for the

ten-day seminar. Their ages ranged

from mid 20s to around 70 and many
of them were new Christians.
The oldest participant had 7 of his
11 children to die before adulthood.
Health services are very meager in the
villages, and mortality rates are high
for children and adults, much higher
than in areas where wages and services
are more advanced.
We had 21 participants and, as usual, they had a lot of questions related
to the topics we studied. I taught a series on giving that I had just finished
writing before the trip. They, and all of
our Indonesian brethren, need to study
giving as many use their poverty as an
excuse not to give.
These men sit and study from early
morning until late afternoon, and into
the night. Two of the local brethren,
who are circuit riding evangelists, also
teach classes for these brethren who
come in from the villages. A question
came up about giving into the church
treasury: If we give into the treasury,
where is the treasury, and who controls
it, or takes care of it? Banks are not
available in the villages, and there have

been cases where the treasurer used

the church funds for his own needs
until his actions were discovered. I
explained that cautions must be taken
about the holding of the funds, and the
other church members must keep close
tabs with constant surveillance on whoever is entrusted with that task.
They also raised a question about
the church conducting a funeral for a
suicide victim. I explained that we can
conduct a service for anyone in order to
give encouragement to the family, as the
service has no bearing on the persons

destiny. Conducting such a service with

kindness to the family might open a
door to reach them with the Gospel.
Then the perennial question about
smoking came up. One man asked,
How can I quit? Ive really tried hard
but havent kicked the habit yet. I suggested that he pray about it frequently,
that he ask others to pray about it, that he
associate with those who do not smoke,
and that he take exercise when he has
the urge to smoke, or study his Bible.
Since we were also studying about
the doctrine of Last Things, they asked
about the spirits of those who have
died. Do they roam the earth, or the
Continued on page 71

Global Harvest

71

Yangon, Myanmar
Winsome Vertannes

We had our 8 Mile Church Annual
Meeting a few weeks ago, and I would
like to share the update news for your
praise and prayer.

We so much enjoy worshiping in
spirit and in truth, and we thank the
Lord for His leading until now. When
I think of the past, these things come
to my mind. The church started after
our family conversion in 1974, and
in this first period, under my fathers
leadership, the church grew inwardly
in knowing the truth day by day, and
also outwardly with the conversion of
a few members. They were my fathers
friends who worked together with him
at the Air Traffic Control Department,
and now they are all in Heaven,
including my father who passed away
in 1995.
In the second period, brothers
George Achard, Siang Thang and Philip
led the worship service. George and his
family relations were converted and we
worshiped together. In 2006, George
and his family left for the U.S.

Now is the third period with the
leading of brother Philip which started
in 2008. We, a few members (between
10-15), continue to meet for worship
regularly, and we are so thankful for
our overseas brethren who worship
with us and encourage us.

There is a Bible School in Hmawbi under the oversight of the 8 Mile
church, and we have programs, regular
and advanced classes, twice a year.
Students and preachers from all over
the country attend. We are thankful
to our overseas brethren who support
the programs and also participate in
teaching the courses regularly.
Our church helps Than Lyin
Church of Christ with preacher Hnin
Maung. We did relief work and
evangelized at Than Lyin in the year
2008 when a cyclone devastated the
area, and now we are helping with the

leadership work, Bible classes with the

ladies and children, and help support
their poor members children.

We also do evangelism work at
Chaung Tha Beach Town. A brother,
Saw Htwe, was converted and has
attended our Bible School.

For two years now, in the month
of May, we have had the Childrens
VBS in a 3-day Camp at our Hmawbi
Bible School premises. More than 90
children attended every time.

We have two new members who
now worship with us regularly. They
are brother Kambou, who works here as
a football player from Ivory Coast, and
sister Megan, a school teacher from the
USA. They got married in November
2012 and attend worship regularly.
Their contract is until August 2013.

Another family arrived from
Tennessee, USA in the first week of
February 2013. They are Daniel and
Julie Tignor with their two-months-old
cute little baby girl, and they work here
at Asia Language Business Acadamy.
We are thankful to our local
preachers, brother Hnin Maung and
brother Amos who led the worship
service at 8 Mile while our preacher,
Philip, was away for continuous six
weeks, working in the Delta region
with brother Bill McDonough and
with brother Daniel Hamm in Pyay
and Tachileik. One week, also, the
sermon was given by Kambou in the
French language, Megan translated into
English, and I translated into Myanmar
language. We encourage our overseas
brothers who work here to study our
language so that they can give the
sermon in Burmese.

We would like to thank all of you
for the encouragement to us. We always
remember you in our prayers.
U
Winsome Vertannes:
winsomev@gmail.com

Indonesia
Continued from page 70

universe, and do they communicate

with the living? They gave what they
considered to be an example of the
dead communicating by telling of a
man who had died in his chair and had
been suffering from a severe cough.
Some days later, the chair was heard to
cough, and they concluded that it was
the spirit of the man who had died.
I did not deny that they had some
kind of experience, but tried to get
them to think rationally about what
took place. Our minds can convince
us of many things that are not reality,
especially when we are accustomed to
believing in such occurrences. We examined Luke 16:19-31 and showed that
according to that passage departed spirits are confined to the hadean world and
are not allowed to exit from either division, i.e. Lazarus could not go back and
warn the rich mans brothers nor could
the rich man himself return to do that.
I also dealt with the witch calling up Samuel for Saul and explained
that it was a special case where God
allowed Samuel to appear in order to
confront Saul with his spiritual condition. The witch was astounded that
Samuel appeared since she knew she
had no power to call spirits. Samuel
was not roaming in space because he
was called up and disturbed.
A question arose about the second
coming of Christ: When He comes,
and we meet Him in the air, where
do we go next? And why not just go
straight to heaven instead of having
the judgment, since our fate is sealed at
death? I cited passages that show that
the judgment follows the Lords coming, but as to why things proceed that
way is not explained in Scripture it is
up to God.
U
Colin McKee: cohamckee@att.net

72

Global Harvest

Philippines
P riss y S e llers
Our mission trip comes to an end.... treat hosted by Remy Kingsley. She
As we entered into the last week of provided for the food and the venue,
our trip, we realized how many loose and the girls and I did the program.
ends we must tie up before leaving. The theme chosen was Women With
The girls worked diligently on all the a Mission. We gathered together on
details of the Missing Link Kits. Friday afternoon and shared lessons,
They printed off copies of the booklets, singing, small group discussions, and
they collated the pages, they punched fellowship. It was great to have that and leaders of the congregations. We
the holes and then they bound the much time to spend with the ladies and wanted to be able to honor them for
booklets. Hour after hour they sat in to challenge them from Gods Holy their hard work and efforts with the
children and their parents. In the midst
those tiny plastic chairs or on the floor Word.
Hope shared her first lesson of preparing my lesson to share with
to complete the work.
We had a couple more tutorials to to the group of ladies (generally she them, my computer crashed. So I took
visit as well. All in all, we were able teaches children). She did a super job! it to the shop and they installed a new
to check 16 of the 20 tutorials that are Kelsey accomplished a first as well. OS in it. Anyway, in the midst of havin session this year. It was such a joy She led our singing. She is so gifted ing to trouble-shoot, God was still in
to watch the teachers interact with the in this area and did a superb job. The control of ALL things as we were on
children and to see the attentiveness of ladies fell in love with both of the girls. countdown for our departure.
the children. At each tutorial that we We were able to make banana muffins It certainly was by Gods grace
visited, the children would sing a song that morning to share with the ladies that we were able to complete all
and recite their Scripture verses. Hope, before going to the retreat. It is always tasks that were set before us. Hope
Kelsey and Amelia would then teach special for them to receive something and Kelsey were grand!!! They aca new song to them, share a story, and home baked since most of them do not complished what was required of them
and did ALL things without murmurdo a craft project with them. Amelia have ovens in their own homes.
always enjoyed passing out the gifts We hosted a Teachers Apprecia- ing or complaining. I was so proud of
that we brought for them from the U.S. tion Banquet for our tutorial teachers them and their accomplishments. They
worked hard and diligently
Also at each tutorial a
and were indeed shining
group of the parents gathstars to everyone.
ered. Generally they had

Kelsey and Sean (my
prepared snacks for us
youngest son) are to get
and then would listen atmarried in December after
tentively as I shared some
Sean graduates from the
thoughts with them. We
Air Forces pilot program.
were always delighted to
I am so grateful that God
meet the parents that had
gave this opportunity to us
studied the Bible lessons
to get to know Kelsey betand had become Christer. It is one thing to have
tians during the course
her visit in our home a couof the year that their chilple of times, but an entirely
dren had studied in the tudifferent thing to see her
torials.
work outside of her comfort
This last week we
zone doing things she
were also preparing for
the weekend Ladies ReGraduating class of Missing Link Tutorials.
Continued on page 73

Global Harvest

73

A Dream to Reach the Philippines

Reuben Emperado

ies] has volunteered to take charge of

our early morning Program at BANTAY RADIO. The program is simultaneously aired in three different stations
every Sunday at 5:30 to 6 AM.
Dany is assisted by Joemar, Joie
Genio (newly baptized Christian) and
Mark Mantus. Edwin Inso is doing well
in Borongan, Eastern Samar.
Reuben with students at PIBS.

More and more students of PIBS

are now involve in the Radio Ministry. Danilo Turniado, who is a fulltime
evangelist and also student of PIBS
[Philippine Institute of Biblical Stud-

Radio Ministry Has

Multiple Functions

B As an evangelistic tool. Churches were established and souls saved

through the radio. Our first contact
with them was through the Radio.
B As a tool to encourage and build
faithful church members.

Philippines
Continued from page 72

normally doesnt do...eating food she

doesnt usually eat...being surrounded
by people speaking a language she
doesnt speak....customs she has never
been exposed to before...smells she has
not experienced...hours of work without a break...heat she has to deal with...
transportation to hassle with....scheduling that seems never-ending....taking
directives from me....sleeping with
Hope....and on and on. We told her that
it was still not too late to back out of
entering into this family if she so desired....However, she is a true diehard.
She and Sean seem to be determined to
serve God together. Praise God!
It was such a great joy for us to
have the honor to work with, and for,
God during this mission trip. Much
good was accomplished. Much work
for the brethren was set in motion in
regards to the Missing Link Tutorials.
In June, as the 2013-14 school year be-

gins, there will be a total of 27 tutorials

in session at that time. It is our prayer
that the members of the congregations
can rally around these tutorials and begin to make a difference in the lives of
the families in their communities who
participate in the program.
We pray that the children will learn
with excellence of academics, that the
parents will learn the truths of Gods
Word that will make a difference in
their eternity, that the local Christians
will reach out and share the love of
Christ as they interact with the parents
and children, and that the teachers will
make a difference in their lives of these
precious little ones.
We thank each one of you who has
made this trip possible. Thank you for
joining with us to spread the Gospel
through the mission of these Missing
Link Childrens Tutorials.
>
Prissy Sellers:
http://facebook.com/prissy.sellers

B To Teach the Truth and to expose

and correct errors.
B For preparation and training for outreach work.
B To announce major events in the church.
The book of Prophet Joel and quoted by the apostle Peter in his sermon in
Acts chapter 2 speaks of DREAMS and
VISIONS. Of course, we know that the
prophecy refers to miraculous visions
and inspired dreams. However, men
never stop dreaming, and we never
cease to cast our visions.
I, too, still dream for the future of
the ministry and cast greater visions for
the Lords work here in the Philippines.
I dream that in the future the brotherhood will have our OWN FM RADIO
STATION in CEBU. It will be the first
one in the Philippines. It is not an impossible dream. It is do-able if we have
the FAITH and the COMMITMENT.
We need at least 25 congregations or individuals of the Lords
Church who believe in this vision.
If 25 CHURCHES will give $1,000
each, a one-time donation, we can
put up an FM RADIO STATION.
Or, if there are at least 250 generous Christians willing to give at least
$100 each, we can do it! If we reach
this goal, the Gospel will be heard by a
potential of at least 1.5 million listeners, at least 12 solid hours daily. And
it will be the first Acapella station in
the Philippines by the brotherhood!
Why an FM STATION? We are
now living in a CELL-PHONE GENERATION, and cell phones have FM
Radio on them!
I need brethren who still believe in
dreaming big dreams and are willing
to cast greater visions for the Lords
ministry. With YOUR HELP and the
LORDS blessing it can be done. >
Reuben Emperado: rsemperado@gmail.com

74

Warm greetings in the name of our

precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The Lord has truly blessed the work
here in the Tagbilaran City, Bohol,
Philippines. Over the past six months
we have seen the Tagbilaran congregation go from an average Sunday attendance of less than 20 to now averaging
more than 50.
The members are an amazing group
of people, from the men who plan and
implement, to the women who work hard
behind the scenes, and to all the young
people who have been truly transformed
over these past six months. The changes
I have seen with the Bohol brethren, and
especially the Tagbilaran group, have
been truly amazing! God is good!

Global Harvest

Current News
This has been a busy year for us. We
have been constructing a new meeting
place for the past year and were able to
have our first service in the main building in January. Now we have another
problem. The new building is too small!
We never imagined this kind of growth
in just six months time. We had hoped
to plant an inner city congregation within the next couple years but if we continue to grow we may have to move forward with that sooner than anticipated.
One of the focuses of the Tagbilaran church is the fact that we are all family.
This means that we must know the needs
of each and every individual in the congregation. In November last year I imple-

mented a plan to visit every member in

their home within a 90 day period. Since
the visitation started, we have seen a large
impact on the growth of the church.
Another issue was how to train men
and how to get young people involved.
To deal with this, we started conducting activities in our house every day of
the week except Wednesday. Monday
we conduct a mens meeting, Tuesday
is in-house Bible studies, Wednesday is
mid-week service at the chapel, Thursday we teach the men how to write
sermons and lead songs, Friday and
Saturday we have our youth nights,
Sunday we conduct Bible studies and
bring along the young men to help train
Continued on page 75

Global Harvest

75

Tagbilaran church, Philippines

Continued from page 74

them and get them involved. Since we started conducting the

youth activities, we cannot keep them busy enough. They
love to sing and are very active in Bible studies and other
spiritual activities to help them grow closer to God.
On March 27, Deborah and I left the port of Tagbilaran
at 7am with 30 member of the Tagbilaran City church, most
of whom where from our youth group. After a 2-hour ferry
ride, we arrived at the port of Dumaguete where we caught a
bus for another 2-hour trip to Tayasan, Negros Oriental. We
spent an amazing three days at the summer meeting hosted
by the Tayasan Church of Christ. More than 1,000 were in
attendance, and it was very rewarding and encouraging. The
youth activities were great.
I had the privilege to close the meeting Friday night
with a sermon on Titus 2:13, Our Blessed Hope. Thursday we ended the service with five baptisms, and Friday I
had the privilege to baptize seven more (five of them our
own youth). Saturday morning concluded with a small beach
party and we baptized one more. Thirteen souls in all were
added to the Lords church, and many more spirits were renewed. God is truly good. Events like this help to remind me
why I chose to do mission work.
One note about the Tayasan church: February 2012, Negros was hit by a major earthquake. Eight meeting places
were totally destroyed. Tayasan was one of the areas that lost
everything, but by the grace of God they overcame these trials to host the largest summer meeting ever with 1,070 in attendance. In the past four months we have seen an increase
in requests for Bible study, and in the past two months ten
souls have been added to the Lords church.
In April we were pleased to have three field workers,
Andrew Cariaga, Jeremiah Corpuz, and Christian Abubo
join us from Sunrise College. They will stay with us for two
months. During this time they are helping to knock doors
around the chapel, helping with youth activities, and helping
to conduct worship services.
Future Plans
We are planning our 2-day youth retreat the last week of
May. We are expecting 100 to 200 participants. It will be a
great time of Christian fellowship but, most importantly, it
will be a time to renew the spirits and the commitment of our
young people to God. The future of the church everywhere
depends on grounding the younger generation.

The Lord willing, by August we will be able to implement our college campus ministry. With five major universities in Tagbilaran and several small ones, we have a unique
opportunity to reach many young people and share with
them the Gospel of Christ. Another program we hope to start
in August is a weekly feeding program for inner-city children. Just like many other areas of the Philippines, children
in Tagbilaran City are malnourished. This will give us an
opportunity to get the women and young people of the congregation involved while demonstrating the love of Christ to
the surrounding communities.
How can you help?
Thank you again for all the prayers and the support of
our brethren. Please check the Facebook account for Michael Stock for recent pictures and updates on our work.
Please continue to pray for the work in Tagbilaran City. When
we moved our work to Tagbilaran, we lost all of our support so
we need more than ever for people to help us on a monthly or
one time basis. If we could get 300 people willing to give $10 a
month, we would have no trouble meeting our budget for 2013.
Central Church of Christ is no longer our sponsoring congregation for 2013, but we hope to have another eldership take oversight by the end of May. If you can help please send checks to
>
Michael Stock, PO Box 1113, Jonesborough, TN 37659.
New Contact Information
Our Philippines mailing address is: Michael & Deborah Stock
Door C, Marilous Place, Pamaong Extension Tagbilaran City
6300, Bohol, Philippines.

Construction of the new building

76

Global Harvest

More Tragedy in Japan

Stephen Hasbrouck
Earthquake Sumoto (Awaji), Honshu, Japan 33 injured (9 seriously)
4151 houses damaged, 2 destroyed; Last update, April 23, 2013 by Ashish Khanal.
According to new FDMA reports, at least 33 people were
injured by this quake, 9 of them seriously:
Fukui Prefecture: 1 (seriously) injured
Osaka Prefecture: 5 injured, 1 among them seriously
Hyogo Prefecture: 24 injured, 7 among them seriously
Okayama Prefecture: 1 injured
Tokushima Prefecture: 2 injured
4151 houses were damaged, 35 severely. (1 building in
Tokushima, rest in Hyogo. Former mentioned, damaged
houses in Osaka not mentioned again) 2 houses in Hyogo
Prefecture collapsed.
450 houses damaged in the following prefectures: Okayama, Tokushima, Osaka, and Hyogo
Hyogo Prefecture: Awaji 287, Sumoto 118, Minamiawaji 39
and Akashi 1
Osaka prefecture: 4 (Hannan; Kaizuka, Higashi-Osaka and
Sakai)
Tokushima Prefecture: 1 (Kitajima)

This is a letter my father, Stephen Hasbrouck, Sr., wrote

to some of his churches. He is in Hokkaido. The little church
he is planting in Inaho is planning to send its entire savings
down to Honshu. With his permission, I would like to share
his thoughts. He is also praying for his brothers and sisters
in Tohoku and Kanto, and says that God placed them there
at the right time because they are the ones God needed for
the difficult tasks ahead. Here is the letter:
I will not take up time and space to write about what
we are usually involved in, due to the catastrophe that continues to unfold in Japan. We, our daughter and her family,
all of us on this island are safe, as are most of the folks we
know and love in the hard hit areas of northern Kanto (north
of Tokyo) and the Sendai and Morioka areas.
We continue to try and get news about these areas, and
there are so many good brothers and sisters who are working hard to get relief to the people that need it. Most of the
people in those areas, even if physically safe, are suffering
from lack of water, food, and even in the shelters, they are
freezing and some are dying. This is not a divinely sent punishment, as even one of their politicians said. Jesus knew
about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with
the sacrifice. He knew about the Tower of Siloam that fell

and killed 18 people. Jesus said that if the people who told
Him about this didnt repent, they would also perish. Let
us repent of our worship of money and position, power and
prestige, fall down on our knees and ask forgiveness from
the One True God, for there isnt a part of our world that
hasnt likewise bowed before these gods. Even Christians
get caught up in these things. It is time for us to repent, to
give until it hurts and then give some more, and to pray,
pray, pray.
Our fledgling little church is sending the entire contribution we have been saving toward renting space for the
church to meet. It isnt a lot, but we will add to it and continue to help as much as we can. Others are really sacrificing, time, money and their entire beings. We feel we can do
little in comparison. As for us, our days and nights are spent
in prayer. We pray yours are, too.
>
Steve and Marcia Hasbrouck

Global Harvest

77

Sonlight in the Pacific

Randy English

Thankfulness for
The Voice of Truth International
Just a few days ago we received another box of The
Voice of Truth International. It is useful in every area
of the world where I labor in the Lords work. In fact, just a
few feet away from me right now, placed neatly by our front
door at our home here on Tutuila Island, are about 5 copies
of The Voice of Truth. I have them ready because I know
someone will come soon, and Ill be able to help them learn
of Gods Will for their life. I dont have to wonder nor think
long about what to do with every issue of The Voice of Truth
when a box full arrives at our postal station. One of the best
places to start, in fact, is with the postal and customs officers
as I first get that yellow slip of paper from the postmaster,
telling me that Ive got a box waiting on me. I enjoy being
able to find 2-3 people right there to whom I can talk and
provide a copy of The Voice of Truth.
Next on the list is to place some in the vehicle that were
driving. Whenever I get in the car to go somewhere, I always
check to be sure Ive got my drivers license, and then I check to
be sure Ive got a few tracts, and then at least 2 or 3 copies of The
Voice of Truth. Then, I know Im ready to go! Also, whenever
Im working in a very remote area, and have need to travel at sea,
Ill have a backpack and a waterproof duffle bag; inside, Ill carry
6-10 copies of The Voice of Truth with me.
Here in American Samoa, every evening at around 6:00
p.m., you can hear the villages sound off a bell, signifying
the beginning of evening prayer time. Its often the heads of
families that conduct this time of prayer and short devotional.
One of my favorite things to do in this country is to take a few
minutes in offering The Voice of Truth to people who I know
will most likely be conducting those devotionals at some point.
I start by explaining that the articles are Bible based, with the
Scriptures included and most normally printed in full. I then
point out that the articles are about one page, and just the right
length for the familys evening prayer/devotional.
Even when I am in the USA reporting, I love to take a
copy when I walk out the door to go to a store or restaurant. I
do this with a goal in mind to meet someone new and talk
to them about God; and before I leave them, I kindly offer
them a copy of The Voice of Truth. Ive never been turned
down. In fact, most often I have received a genuine thank
you for providing The Voice of Truth in these situations.
So, today I wanted use this occasion to take a moment

The Randy English family,

long-time missionaries in American Samoa.

and pass along to you and others at Voice of Truth, those

collective, sincere words of thanks that have come forth from
people all over the world, throughout the years that weve
been blessed to share The Voice of Truth International.

The Pacific Broadcast Project

The Pacific Broadcast Project is comprised of three

different works, each of which has grown considerably in
goals of serving the Lord and the people of the Pacific Island
nations.
First, the project includes a radio Bible ministry
entitled Sonlight in The Pacific Radio which we began
in 1995. These programs are produced twice each week for
distribution to radio stations and individuals in the Pacific
Islands.
Second, the Pacific Broadcast Project includes an FM
Radio Station in the country of American Samoa which
we began working to develop in June 2000. Licensed by
the FCC in August, 2004, KULA-LP FM 95.1 operates 24
hours a day/7 days a week, with extensive programming in
Bible, culture, education, and health.
The third element of the Pacific Broadcast Project is the
development and operation of an International Shortwave
Radio Station. This high frequency international broadcast
facility will primarily serve the millions of Micronesian,
Melanesian, and Polynesian people living throughout
thousands of scattered islands in the Pacific.
Continued on page 78

78

Global Harvest

Continuing Work in the Pacific Islands

Robert H. Martin

Steve Lusk, who preaches for the

Red Bank congregation in Chattanooga, TN was my co-worker on this trip
to the Pacific Islands. He has made at
least ten trips to the Pacific to help with
the teaching here, and is a faithful Pacific Islands Bible College instructor.
We started our work on Sunday,
teaching the brethren in Majuro. People started coming in off of the church
van, which was left to the church by
the previous missionaries, David and
Loyce Smith and the brethren who supported them.
What a joy to see a great crowd
gathering for Bible study and worship!
As I was teaching the adult Bible class,
the children in their two crowded classrooms were singing so loudly they just
about drowned me out! I can tell you
that this congregation has a bright future
with a multitude of happy children.

When we all assembled for worship,

we had 70 in attendance. David and

Loyce did a good work here, and since

their departure the brethren have done
an excellent job of laboring faithfully.
Pray for this congregation to continue to
grow spiritually and numerically.
On Monday we started our Pacific
Islands Bible College classes. I taught a
course on hermeneutics (How to Study
the Bible). I love teaching this subject
because it is so important that every
Christian, Bible teacher, and preacher
know how to study the Bible effectively.
I taught the students how to use tools
such as a concordance, a topical Bible,
and expository dictionaries of Hebrew
and Greek words so that they can get the
most accurate perspective in their studies. Most of all, I emphasized the importance of rightly dividing the word of
truth (2 Timothy 2:15).
>
Robert Martin: RobertFiji@aol.com

Sonlight in the Pacific

Continued from page 77

The rugged and remote terrain

of the Pacific Islands limits frequent
access to the people. Just getting
there often presents problems.
However, with radio broadcasts we can
reach them today, and everyday!
RADIO BROADCASTING: 3
Important Facts and...
Speaking The Truth In Love
Fact 1: Radio is a very powerful
medium.
Fact 2: Through radio we can carry
out our goal to serve God and our fellow
mankind in ways that are consistent
with New Testament Christianity.

Fact 3: Fact 1 & Fact 2 will stand

or fall based upon what is said and how
it is said.
In Ephesians 4:15, Paul writes of
speaking the truth in love... Christians
are to speak and hold to those things
that are right, wholesome, and truthful,
doing so in the manner of love. When we
do this (and especially in radio) we take
back from Satan what belongs to God!
But to compromise what is most needed
to be said in our world today (truth), or
under any guise to neglect how it is to be
said (in love), renders Christians useless
in their service to God.
Whether it is our weekly radio
Bible programs, or the daily 24-hour

broadcast, or the initial steps being

taken for the shortwave radio station,
were blessed to have a growing team
of volunteer church members who
are giving their very best in research,
planning, engineering, and building.
Likewise we are thankful for members
who are speaking the truth in love
in producing the many hours of radio
programming. And, we are grateful
for the financial support provided by
congregations of the churches of Christ
and the oversight of our elders. They all
have a part in the truth being spoken in
love!
>
Randy English is a missionary to American
Samoa in the South Pacific.

Global Harvest

79

Hello from
New Zealand
Kent ODonnell

New Brother

2013 began in the best way possible

with the addition to our church family of
SHAUN COWIE on Jan. 6th. He was
the fianc of Michelle Wilson who was
herself baptized in March last year.

ward. Each of the

6 different speakers
did outstanding jobs
presenting their lessons.
Chloe & I
went to Foxton to assist the Horowhenua
congregations Good
Samaritan Outreach. Other brethren
from Palmerston North, Porirua, New
Plymouth, and the USA also participated. We knocked on doors throughout the town offering what aid we had
available and about 30 contacts were
made. Several bags of groceries were
delivered, DVDs were dropped off, literature was given, and yard work was
done. Of these individuals, a number
are still being visited on an regular basis.

Pirongia Camp

Church Activities

It was exciting to again host our

annual family retreat we call CAMP
KILSBY. We enjoyed the fellowship
of brethren from at least nine congregations and had a lot of fun throughout
the weekend. The theme this year was
Positive Christianity and the topics
were Seeing the Positive in the Negatives; The Philippian Epistle and
Joy; Who Are the Happy Ones? [BeAttitudes]; How Can I Make Worship,
Bible Study, & Outreach Enjoyable Experiences?; and Looking to the Re-

The following weekend 16 of us

from the Palmerston North congregation went to the retreat hosted by
the church in Hamilton, referred to
as PIRONGIA CAMP. As one of the
keynote speakers, I delivered three
lessons on the Life of Christ and covered His early years; His parable of the

two foundations; and then His death,

burial and resurrection. Trevor Major
from the South Auckland congregation
was the other speaker. It was a long
trip, but well worth the journey, and
Rachael had the added surprise of her
good friend Jo Parr coming over from
Australia to attend.
Kane Piper & Daniel Jensen of the
New Plymouth congregation organised
another CAMP in the town of ONAERO. It was a beautiful location with a
river flowing behind our tent site, and a
beach only a few hundred meters in the
opposite direction. Activities included
swimming, kayaking, fishing, motorcycling, beach walks and a lot of singing.
Stephen Higley presented the devotional lessons, one of which was done in an
open grassy area.

Wedding

Other than a baptism, when a soul is

united to Christ, one of the best things
to witness is a wedding, when a man
and a woman are united together. Shaun
Cowie and Michelle Wilson were married in our church building on February
23rd. I had the honour of being Shauns
best man, and my brother Todd did the
service. It was both a lovely and fun
day and many of Shaun & Michelles family & friends were
impressed by how the Palmerston North church family rallied
around to make the occasion a
special one.
>
Kent ODonnell: Ph.: 011-646-3544944. E-mail: kentandrachod@slingshot.co.nz
Sponsored by Central C.O.C., 200,
25th St. N.W., Cleveland TN
37311. Ph. 423-476-8941; Contact: Scott Medlin, email:
kf4gnl@yahoo.com

80

Global Harvest

Happenings in
Auckland,
New Zealand
John and Lynda Staiger

The New Year brought with it the best gift of all! Two of
the teens who came through our Sunday School program over
the years have become Christians. They are John Taufa and
Vilimaka Lehauli, two Tongan cousins. It filled the church
with joy to go down after worship one Sunday and watch John
baptize them in the sea water at Pt. Chevalier. These teens are
the church of today, and the leaders in the church of tomorrow. May God work through them in the years to come!
One Sunday I
found myself sitting
behind a Chinese
lady who dropped
in to the worship
service. After she
came a few times,
I asked her if she
would like to study
the Bible with me,
and she said yes.
We meet every
Thursday to study
and catch up on the
weeks events. I pray for Bonnie to find the Lord through our
studies of the Bible. Sometimes she says things and I think:
Shes going to become a Christian, and other times she says
things and I think: Hmm, I wonder if she will ever become
a Christian. She is not married, but says that she would like
her children (one day if she has any) to be raised Christians, as
she likes the way the Christian children act. What a wonderful compliment to our church children raised with the Lord,
moulded by Him, taught of Him, and now a great example to
a lady from a far away place!
We had an extremely faithful Christian in the church,
named Cathy Reid, and some of you may remember that she
died about 2 years ago. Cathys decline to her death took
about 4 days after her stroke, which left her unable to talk and
paralyzed her down one side. In those last days, when she lay
unable to communicate except with her eyes, family and her
Christian family, gathered around her bedside to tell her goodbye. Her one desire had been to remain alive to continue to
take her grandkids to worship, but just the week before the

doctor had told her that she had two weeks left to live. Cathy
was deeply saddened because her daughter Carol was not interested in the church. However, Cathy had some hope. She
told me, when she broke the news to me that she was dying,
that Carol had told her that she wanted her kids to go to a Sunday School, and she hoped that she would choose the Church
of Christ. When Cathy lay dying, I expressed these last hopes
to Carol. She listened, but never acted on it. Days turned
to months, and months, to two years, and then wonder of
wonders two Sundays ago, in walked Carol with her kids!
She decided she didnt want them to grow up like the kids
at school, swearing, etc. I wished so much that Cathy could
have looked down and seen what was happening!
Id like to give you an update on a boy (Tim) that we
took to worship for 4 or 5 years, starting when he was around
6 years old. He decided to stop coming around the age of
11. His British dad phoned us up to give us the news, and
ended the conversation very sternly with: Hes not coming
anymore, okay Lynda!
We lost touch with Tim. He started high school one
year before our son did. I saw his mother one day when Tim
was in his second year of High School. She told me that he
got in with a bad crowd and was smoking marijuana. The
school had suspended him for a term. The mother was very
distraught because she and his dad had tried everything to
help him, but he had told his parents that he was not going to give up his smoking. It made me sad to hear this.
They were still not seeking God for answers. I called Tims
mother this year and she said that they were sending him
to a boarding school in the South Island. She also said that
he had not smoked marijuana for 4 weeks, but she wasnt
sure if it would last. I told her about the Church of Christ in
Dunedin where Tim will go to boarding school, and that Tim
is always welcome there for encouragement and help.
>
John and Lynda Staiger: no.eye.has.seen@slingshot.co.nz

Global Harvest

81

Charting Bible Truths through Bible Charts:

See. . . Know. . . Consider. . .And Understand Together
Donnie Barnes, Th.D

Three powerful passages provide the foundational motivation and drive that energizes the efforts of the website,
biblecharts.org.
l Matthew 28:19,20 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, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am
with you always, even to the end of the age.
l Isaiah 55:11 So shall My word be that goes forth from
My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish
what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
l Isaiah 41:20 That they may see and know, And consider and understand together, That the hand of the Lord has
done this, And the Holy One of Israel has created it.
These statements constitute one of the strongest descriptions of what biblecharts.org is all about in its efforts to share
the Gospel with others today through the form of Bible charts
and others biblical teaching materials. People can See together . . . Know together . . . Consider together . . . and
Understand together. Isnt this a progression that every
Bible class teacher, Gospel preacher, and personal worker desires in each of their teaching sessions?
Biblecharts.orgs beginnings were humble, and remain
so, as God uses this effort to reach people all around the
world with a visual format of biblical truths. Authored by
Donnie S. Barnes, TH.D., and hosted by sister Marie Kinsella at Church of Christ Web Hosting and Design, the present site carries over 2,000 Bible charts and a variety of sermons and other teaching materials. Via the internet, the site
is available 24/7 to nations all around the world.
In addition to posting the charts on the website, they are
also available on CD. The present CD holds some 4,353 Bible
charts in addition to some 2,667 pages for 443 detailed sermon
outlines (includes 187 pages of 20 manuscripts), plus the Paul
A Hebrew of the Hebrews book, invitations, illustrations,
Bible history, Divided Kingdom Kings, Survey of Bible Books,
Books of the Bible Outlined, Book of Genesis (outlined study)
Book of Acts (outlined study), Book of Revelation (outlined
study), Bible Lands Notes, Information for Leading a Soul to
Christ, and Childrens Bible Charts. Some of the many volumes of Bible charts on the CD presently include:
Bible Characters (77 charts )
Bible, The (183 charts)
Bulletin & Sermon Charts (1,010)
Childrens Bible Charts (174 charts)

Christ, The (140 charts)

Church, The (155 charts)
Cross of Christ, The (130 charts)
Godhead (117 charts)
Marriage & the Family (130 charts)
New Testament ( 169 charts)
Old Testament (333 charts)
Personal Work (157 charts)
Sermon & Bible Charts (12 vols., 1,130 charts)
Spiritual Growth (114 charts)
Tabernacle, The (92 charts)
To put the number of CD charts in perspective, if the Masters Index of just the Bible Charts section of the CD was printed
out (single-spaced) it alone would presently require 108 pages!
Many mission fields around the world have been given permission to reproduce all these materials and the CD to further help
them in spreading the Gospel. The Bible Charts CD can be purchased from ww.biblecharts.org via PayPal for the modest cost
of $39.95, which includes all handling and first class postage.
Now in my sixty-seventh year and continuing full-time
work with the Red Boiling Springs congregation in Tennessee, if God wills, I plan to develop Bible charts and visual
teaching materials so long as I am able. To whatever end
God may choose to use these efforts and materials, I say
again, to God be the glory . . . All the glory! That they may
see and know, And consider and understand together, That
the hand of the Lord has done this, And the Holy One of Is>
rael has created it (Isaiah 41:20).
Donnie S, Barnes 2509 Arlis Gene Circle Lafayette, TN 37380;
Email: donniesbarnes@yahoo.com; Website: biblecharts.org

82

Global Harvest

How Much Do You Know?

Betty Burton Choate

We live in a deceptive age of political correctness, rather than an age

of honesty. We live in an age of tolerance in which everyone is to be tolerant
of everyone and everything and the
rule applies to everyone except for those
outspoken liberal individuals who rise
up in arms against any who would criticize them. We live in an age of chosen
blindness. It has always been true that
those who walk blindly will ultimately
face destruction. As Jesus warned, when
the blind lead the blind, they WILL fall
into a ditch (Matthew 15:14).

There are those sincere Christians
who fail to rightly divide the Scriptures, and thus fail to see that the commands made to Christians as members
of the Lords spiritual kingdom do not
apply to the secular governments of the
world. Go the second mile, pray for
those who persecute you, and Love
your enemies (Matthew 5:38-44) are
instructions given to individuals and to
what would become the spiritual kingdom of Christ. They were not given to
secular authorities.

While as individual Christians and

as the church, we are commanded to
love our enemies, and not to demand an
eye for an eye, Romans 13:1-7 clearly teaches that secular governments are
Gods tools to execute judgment and
vengeance on those citizens who are
disobedent.
In the Old Testament, we see a
unique situation: Gods spiritual people, living as a separate nation, under
a government established and guided
by laws which God Himself gave. That
governmental authority would have
been parallel to current secular law.
Under that law, God required strict obedience, including the blood of anyone
who shed innocent blood.
There are Christians who do not believe in the death penalty because we are
commanded not to kill. Let us not confuse issues, and try to apply to the secular government what was spoken strictly
to Christians. There is no question that
under Gods law for the Israelites the
law given by God Himself capital
punishment was required. The purpose?
To deter crime through
the knowledge that just
punishment would be
swift and sure. Just punishment rendered today
by secular governments
will have the same beneficial effect in establishing and maintaining
law and order as it had
for the nation of Israel.
We, as Christians,
have been blessed to
live in a unique country. We elect representatives who are to pass
the laws that govern us.
Looking at our history,

it would seem evident that it was by the

providence of God that America came
to be. American Christians because
(1) of the numbers of Christians here,
(2) because English is the international
language, (3) because of the worldwide acceptance of our currency, and
(4) because of our freedom to come
and go have done more in the last
century to evangelize the world than
has possibly been done since the earliest existence of the church.
As American citizens and as responsible Christians we must keep
ourselves educated about the world
situation, so that we will know how to
vote and for whom to vote, in order to
preserve our heritage and to continue
our God-given work.
Great changes are taking place in
the world. We are being continually
reminded, politically, that except
for the few radicalized individuals
Muslims are a peace-loving people, and
that Islam is a religion of peace. In fact,
these are blatant lies, told repeatedly by
instigation of satan, the father of lies.
Islam began through the efforts of
Mohammad in the seventh century. For
a number of years, he tried to build followers of his new religion, telling people
of his visions and that he was a prophet
Continued on page 83

Global Harvest

83

...Do You Know?

ed religion on
earth.
The Muslim
Brotherhoods
dream of a

world-wide
caliphate, governed by sharia
law, continues

Continued from page 82

of Allah. When he changed tactics
from teaching to warfare killing inhabitants of defeated towns and cities,
and dividing the booty and prisoners [as
slaves] among his men, he quickly grew
in power. It is a fact that, wherever Islam established full political control, it
retains that control even today. How,
and why? Because those who did not
submit were slaughtered.
Islam is not simply a religion.
It controls every aspect of life: political, economical, social, marital, and
religious. Children are taught the allpervading Islamic mind-set in schools
from the earliest ages, convincing them
that to be a martyr for Allah is the
greatest gain.
A quote from the Chairman of the
Board of CAIR (Council on AmericanIslamic Relations) warns us: Islam
isnt in America to be equal to any other faith, but to become dominant. The
Quran should be the highest authority
in America, and Islam the only accept-

to gain momentum around the

world.
The
leadership in the
Muslim-controlled nations
believe that it
is their duty
to spread their
power until everyone has been
forced to surrender to their rule or has
been killed. The Arab Spring was not
a surge toward democracy and freedom
but a well-directed plan to oust secular
rulers and to replace them with the Muslim Brotherhood and sharia law. Are we
watching the growth of that control, in
one country after another? Even in Europe, which resisted the initial onslaught
of Islam centuries ago, nations are being
overcome through immigration and the
high birthrate among Muslims. Today,
there are sections of the major cities that
operate under sharia law, and into which
the local police dare not go.
How much do you, as an American Christian, know about this political/religious system? Did you know
that a Muslim man can have four wives,
plus any number of temporary wives
[prostitutes]? Did you know that if he
chooses to divorce a wife, the only requirement is that he say, I divorce you
three times, and the deed is done. Did
you know that by Muslim law a man can

have a child even a baby however if he penetrates, he has to support

her the rest of her life but is not required
to count her as one of his allowed four
wives? Did you know that a girl who
is abducted and raped must have four
Muslim male witnesses attesting to her
unwillingness to cooperate, or she is
judged as indulging in extra-marital sex
and can be jailed, beaten, or killed for
her offence? Typically, her own family will kill her, to clear their name of the
shame she has brought on them.
Islams goal is to take over the
world and to kill all who dont submit. As American citizens, we need to
be vigilant, safeguarding the freedoms
and the integrity of the nation that has
been a tremendous tool for Gods work.
The directions Christ gave to the
church are to go into all the world and
teach His Gospel. Our first responsibility as Christians is to be serious about
doing this, teaching love instead of hatred, peace instead of war and we
must live what we preach. If we fail,
we may learn painful lessons through
Islamic dominance.

>

Be Aware of What the Quran Says:

Quotes selected by Keith Sisman

The constitution of the United States guarantees Freedom of Religion, so everyone thinks that Islam must be protected.
But if you look at Islam as a whole, it is far more than simply a religion. It pervades every facet of life, and its strength lies in
the fact that it USES religion as the BLUDGEON to enforce an entire POLITICAL system on nations under its control. What
Islamists are doing here in the States is using our freedom to destroy us. Their goal is to enact sharia law and Muslim governance over the world. WE MUST WAKE UP BEFORE WE HAVE A BLOODY WAR FOR SURVIVAL ON OUR HANDS, BROUGHT
ON BY OUR OWN BLINDNESS TO REALITY. BBC

Quran 33.27 And He made you heirs to their land

and their dwellings and their property, and (to) a land
which you have not yet trodden, and Allah has power
over all things.
Quran 9:123 Murder them and treat them harshly.
Quran 3.28 Let not the believers take the unbelievers for friends rather than believers; and whoever
does this, he shall have nothing of (the guardianship
of) Allah, but you should guard yourselves against
them, guarding carefully; and Allah makes you cautious of (retribution from) Himself; and to Allah is the
eventual coming.
Quran 3:56 As for those disbelieving infidels, I will
punish them with a terrible agony in this world and
the next. They have no one to help or save them.
Quran 4.89 They desire that you should disbelieve
as they have disbelieved, so that you might be (all)
alike; therefore take not from among them friends until they fly (their homes) in Allahs way; but if they turn
back, then seize them and kill them wherever you find
them, and take not from among them a friend or a
helper.
Quran 5:51 Muslims, do not make friends with any
but your own people.
Quran 5:72 They are surely infidels who say; God is
the Christ, the Messiah, the son of Mary.
Quran 8:12 cp. 8:60 Instil terror into the hearts of
the unbelievers; smite above their necks and smite
all their finger-tips off them.
Quran 2:191 ...kill the disbelievers wherever we find
them.
Quran 9.33 He it is Who sent His Apostle with guidance and the religion of truth, that He might cause it
to prevail over all religions.
Quran 8:71 And if they intend to act unfaithfully towards you, so indeed they acted unfaithfully towards
Allah before, but He GAVE YOU MASTERY OVER
THEM.
Quran 8:55 Surely the vilest of animals in Allahs
sight are those who disbelieve.

Quran 22:19-22 Fight and slay the Pagans, seize

them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in
every stratagem ... for them (the unbelievers) garments of fire shall be cut and there shall be poured
over their heads boiling water whereby whatever is in
their bowels and skin shall be dissolved and they will
be punished with hooked iron rods.
Quran 48:13 Those who believe not in Allah and His
Messenger, He has prepared, for those who reject Allah, a Blazing Fire!
Quran 3:54 Lord, we believe in Your revelations (the
Torah and Gospels) and follow this Apostle (Jesus).
Enroll us among the witnesses. But the Christians
contrived a plot and Allah did the same; but Allahs
plot was the best.
Quran 8:12 Your Lord inspired the angels with the
message: I will terrorize the unbelievers. Therefore
smite them on their necks and every joint and incapacitate them. Strike off their heads and cut off each
of their fingers and toes.
Quran 8:58 If you apprehend treachery from any
group on the part of a people (with whom you have a
treaty), retaliate by breaking off (relations) with them.
The infidels should not think they can bypass (Islamic law or the punishment of Allah). Surely they cannot
escape.
Quran 8:7 Allah wished to confirm the truth by His
words: Wipe the infidels (non-Muslims) out to the
last.
Quran 8:39 So, fight them till all opposition ends
and the only religion is Islam.
Quran 8:7 Allah wished to confirm the truth by His
words: Wipe the infidels (non-Muslims) out to the
last.
Quran 4:101 The unbelievers (non-Muslims) are
your inveterate foe.
Quran 8:60 Prepare against them (non-Muslims)
whatever arms and cavalry you can muster that you
may strike terror in the enemies of Allah (non-Muslims), and others besides them not known to you.
Whatever you spend in Allahs Cause will be repaid in
full, and no wrong will be done to you.