Stefan

How 27 Years Makes a Big Difference

Marie and Alex from Bulgaria

Twenty seven years ago, as a brave and naïve second year nursing student, I took my first flight on my first missions trip. At the age of four I declared that I wanted to be a missionary when I grew up – this was my chance to taste the missionary life.

My destination – Sofia, Bulgaria.

The country recently opened up to the gospel after the fall of communism and we were ready to tell students the Good news of Jesus. There I learnt many things about God, myself and the sinfulness of people. I also learnt that I wanted to be a missionary the rest of my life!

Fast forward 27 years and I just returned from Sofia. This time, I trained 42 of our missionaries from Central and Eastern Europe how to use digital tools to spread the gospel. We met in our beautiful national office, run by our Bulgarian missionaries.

My highlight – Alex.

Alex, a Bulgarian student who was wondering about the purpose of life and the existence of God. While searching the internet he found our evangelistic website everystudent.com. After reading many of the articles, Alex became convinced that God was real and Jesus offered a way for him to connect with God. He accepted Jesus in his life, and through resources on the site and an email follow-up series he grew in his relationship with the Lord.

Alex became convinced that the site needed to be translated into Bulgarian for his countrymen to also discover the Good news about Jesus. He contacted our ministry, and with their help, he translated the site. He advertised on FaceBook to make the site known.

It was my privilege to help Alex develop his strategy to reach Bulgarians. The past three months he had 40 000 site visitors and 400 people invited Jesus into their lives. We planned together what next steps he could take with these new believers and how he could see more people visit the site.

I was thrilled to see how the Lord has been working in Bulgaria. From the humble efforts of a few South African and American students who went to share the gospel there in the early ‘90’s to a fully-fledged Bulgarian ministry.

Thank the Lord for what He is doing in Bulgaria and pray for Alex and our missionaries from the other Eastern European countries to serve the Lord with all their hearts and skills.

See photo from Marie’s trip here.

Also thank the Lord for Stefan’s healing – he was given the green light last week to start walking again. Pray for him as he will be meeting with our church planters in India from 19 February -2 March.
Oh happy day! Returning the wheelchair.

To Puerto Rico and the Philippines

Stefan had a wonderful visit with our Eastern European staff members last month. He loved hearing stories of what God is doing and how churches are planted in places like Moldova and Georgia. He was thrilled to pray, plan and partner with them to trust God for even greater multiplication and church growth.

Philippines:

Stefan’s team travels to Manila on Wednesday (21 February) for a meeting with church planting missionaries from all around the world. This meeting serves as a time of training, refocusing strategy, sharing best practices and encouragement. Your prayers for safety, unity and great learning would be appreciated.

Puerto Rico:

Marie’s team travels to Puerto Rico on 20 February to assist with Hurricane Maria relief efforts, coordinated by GAiN (the humanitarian arm of our ministry). It is five months since the hurricane hit that country, but a lot of work remain. Pray that their service will be an encouragement to the churches they partner with and that it will open doors for the church to minister to the lost in their community.

Pray for Kenneth and Monica’s protection and for a great time with our friends that are taking care of them until Marie’s return Thursday night.

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement!

P.S. Together with our Global Alliance partners, 1.3 million churches has been planted since 2011. Praise the Lord!

2017 Highs and Lows

Missionary co-workers recently shared their experience: “One visit in a village was especially memorable. They have a tradition of showing respect to a person who is superior or in authority over them by cupping their hands and and bowing down on one knee. They then clap their cupped hands to show honor. We sat in a top leader’s home, himself a chief, telling the people present why Christ went to the cross for their sins. We invited them to watch the JESUS film that night and told them about the Holy Spirit … that He was everywhere. ‘He’s in this room with us right now.’

“As we spoke, the all dropped to one knee and started giving the hollow clap to show honor to the Holy Spirit. Like the wind they could not see, they knew He was there. They gave Him respect. Even the ultimate leader in that village was on his knee. This is the work of the Holy Spirit Who goes before us, opening hearts, setting the captive free. We praise God.”

We also praise God for all our missionary co-workers who take the gospel to those who have never heard, who plant new churches and help them grow in Christ. We also praise God for your partnership with us.

At the end of 2017 we look back with gratefulness:

Highlights:

Our visit to South Africa in June-July.
Stefan witnessing the baptism of 16 new believers in a river in India and seeing God multiply the church planting efforts there.
Marie seeing progress in the ways our organization digitally communicates with those curious about being Christ followers, those looking for resources to reach their friends as well as our staff members around the world.
Kenneth being in high school and joining the marching band and Monica being chosen for the robotics team.
Our study tour to Israel in September.

Lowlights:

Hurricanes Irma and Maria and dealing with the effects.
The persecution of our brothers and sisters in Christ in various places around the world. Meeting pastors who had their homes burnt down because of their beliefs.
Journeying with people who are going through extreme hardships.
Adjusting to the new school schedules of a high schooler and middle schooler that start and finish schools two hours apart and juggling the car rides.

As we celebrate the birth of Immanuel – “God with us” this Christmas season, let us drop to our knees, cup our hands together and give honor to Jesus. Merry Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is a public holiday here in America that we can participate in despite not being American or understanding the history.

Being thankful to the Lord in all circumstances is a wonderful discipline and blessing.

Here are five things we are most thankful for this year:

Our family – those near and far.
Our jobs – we excitedly look forward to everyday, knowing how privileged we are to be missionaries.
Our partners – your prayers, encouragement and generosity still humbles us.
Our visit to South Africa during June and July.
Our hobbies – having the opportunity to pursue our interest: playing tuba, knitting, reading and swimming (guess which hobby belongs to who …)

May you also take a moment to thank the Lord for the many blessings in your life.

From Irma to Israel

Jordan River

We will remember the month of September as a month of a deep “lowlight” and a wonderful highlight!

Lowlight:

Florida is still recovering from the impact of Hurricane Irma. Our children lost six days of school, and so many tests and events were rescheduled. The evidence of Irma’s destruction is everywhere, and it will be months before all the debris is cleared and repairs done.

Florida is also the home of many Puerto Ricans, and we have felt their pain as Hurricane Maria ripped through their island. Many of our friends are trying to bring their families from the island to Florida.

Despite some chaos, everyone continues with life as normally as possible. God has made mankind very resilient!

Highlight:

Stefan and I just returned from Israel, where we attended a Senior Leaders’ Development Study tour. We joined forty colleagues, representing 21 countries. The focus of the tour was to study the process Jesus used in building His “disciple-making movement” that resulted in us, over 2,000 years later, also following Him.One of many study stops

It was a privilege to experience and see the context in which Jesus connected with people, won them over to His kingdom and built them up in their faith, while training and preparing them to be sent out as His disciple-makers.

Magdala Synagogue:

A personal highlight was to stand in the first century A.D. synagogue in Magdala (earlier manuscripts mention Magadon). Magdala is located four miles north of Tiberias, on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.

Mary Magdalene is believed to be from Magdala. She is mentioned 12 times in the four gospels, more than most disciples. I am named after her–my full name is Maria Magdalena.

No one really knew the location of Mary’s authentic hometown until 2009, when it was discovered less than one foot under the topsoil. The excavation of the first century A.D. synagogue is significant, as it is one of only seven from that period. From the gospel of Matthew, we know that Jesus went through all Galilee and taught in the synagogues. It can be assumed that Jesus also preached in this beautiful synagogue.

Prayer requests:

Thank the Lord for His protection during Hurricane Irma and pray for the ongoing restoration that needs to take place.
Thank the Lord for the opportunity to visit Israel and experience the land of the Bible. We learnt so much. Pray that we will be good stewards of our new knowledge and experiences.
Thank the Lord for Stefan’s sister Lauren, who came to help with our children while we were away.
Pray for the Global Alliance for Church Multiplication meetings that take place this week in Minneapolis. This alliance includes our organization and 62 partner groups that are all striving to see 5 million churches planted by 2020. Learn more at www.gacx.io

Kenneth’s Leg Operation

Dear Friends

Could you please be praying for Kenneth. Over the weekend he broke his leg trying to stop a rope swing that was about to smash him into a tree. The break is such that he will be having an operation tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon Orlando time.

Marie is finishing her time in South Africa and returning to us next week. She has had a very productive time with her family. We have missed her very much, and look forward to having her back, especially the patient.

Thanks
Stefan, Kenneth and Monica
(surviving without Mom)

30 Sleeps Left

Thirty sleeps left. Excitement is building as we count down to our South Africa visit. Yes, we are coming for June and July to see our ministry partners (that’s you, our family and friends)!

Please pray for us as we put things in place for progress to be made on various projects while we are away. Operationally and on the Communications side of our ministry, there are many exciting developments to make the gospel known to unbelievers, but also to empower millions of believers with tools and training to help them become disciples of Christ who make disciples. We call people like this multiplying disciples. Our goal is to see 10 million multiplying disciples by 2020, empowered so that everyone on this earth will know someone who truly follows Jesus. Won’t you pray with us for this?

Here is one such tool:

“If you can use your phone, you can share your faith.”

GodTools (godtoolsapp.com) now includes 32 language versions of the Four Spiritual Laws evangelistic tract, as well as other tools, to help any follower of Jesus communicate the gospel clearly and simply. Since the tool was updated six months ago, it has been opened in 179 nations, daily usage has increased 500%, and each witnessing opportunity lasts a little over three minutes.

In one particular Middle Eastern nation, where it is illegal to follow Jesus, the app is being used about 100 times per month for twice as long — 6 minutes — per session. Only God knows the names of the faithful disciples who are sharing their faith there. We currently have no known missionaries in this nation.

You can check it out and use it as well!

We are thanking the Lord for you, and we hope to see you when we are in South Africa!

School’s Over

They did it! Kenneth and Monica completed their first American school year well! Here are their thoughts and some new photos:

Monica: “The biggest lesson I learnt this year was: to have or make friends, you have to be a friend first. I am also a “TCK” or a “two-country-kid”, which means I am influenced by both the countries I have lived in, just like my best friends that are from Brazil and Trinidad. I loved my teacher, Mrs. Haynes because she made it easier for me to adjust.”

Kenneth: “I met my best friend, Adrian, while walking home from school. He is originally from Porto Rico and I love eating some of their traditional foods. I miss South Africa, and especially our family, biltong, rugby and cricket.

I graduated from Elementary school and will go to Middle school in August. This is exciting and a bit scary because they say Middle school is very hard. My biggest lesson learnt is that God provides for your needs and often also your wants. For example, someone blessed me with a PlayStation.”

Kenneth and Monica now have their summer vacation for 11 weeks, or 74 days as Monica counted. This is a first for us, and we don’t know who needs prayer the most 🙂

Please visit our new Team Site technology.ccci.org

Praise and Prayer requests:

Praise the Lord for Stefan’s productive time in England, Ethiopia, Nederland and South Africa and that the family here survived without him.
Praise the Lord that Kenneth and Monica did so well in school and have adjusted nicely.
Continue to pray for Lynne (Stefan’s Mom) for healing.
Our Global Leaders meeting (16-20 June) here in Orlando. Pray for the safe arrival of our 200 leaders, productive meetings and stamina for Marie as she helps to coordinate the program.

Digital Tools

Hong Kong is a buzzing city. I joined 105 participants from 12 countries, mostly from Asia, to collaborate and develop new digital tools to help reach people for Jesus. Here are two of the tools we made one afternoon:

An evangelistic website: www.didjesuslie.com

Evangelistic Video: Here I am

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I’m on my way to similar gatherings to be held in Africa (Addis Ababa) and then in Europe (Amsterdam). I’m especially looking forward to connecting with my African brothers and sisters. Each continent has unique needs and connection points with the gospel. Pray that our collaboration will multiply our efforts to provide digital tools for each area.

Last Wednesday we voted in Washington, D.C and felt so privileged to have the opportunity. We are trusting that the voting in South Africa today (7 May) will go as smoothly.

Additional Prayer Requests:

Pray for safety in all my travels. After Amsterdam I plan to briefly visit my Mom in South Africa. Her declining health has been a concern to us.
Pray for protection and wisdom for Marie and the children during my absence.
Pray for you, our partners. Your prayer requests showed that many are struggling with job security and in your marriages.

Answers to Prayer:

Thank the Lord for good health and His provision.
For my productive time in Korea and Hong Kong.
Marie did very well in her course.
The children completed their exams and we have one month left before the start of a long summer holiday.

Hack-a-what???

Walking into the meeting room, I could have mistaken the chatting as a foreign language. Except, I knew it was just programmers lingo. Eighteen programmers joined us in Manila for our Global Technology meetings.

Campus Crusade for Christ is trusting God to have 10 million multiplying disciples by 2020. To track the progress toward the goal, we wanted to ensure that we have the right system in place. The programmers joined us to put their heads (or rather their hard drives) together and in less than two weeks integrated many existing systems into a data warehouse. We called this meeting a Hackathon.

It was exciting to watch the programmers from different countries and languages unite. Guided by the Holy Spirit, they developed the system. Thank you for your prayers – my expectations were exceeded and we continue to trust the Lord for wisdom to use technology wisely for the growth of His Kingdom.

Marie and I would appreciate your prayers for our teams as we develop a system to effectively communicate with our global leaders. My team works on the technology aspects and Marie’s team on the content.

Praise God – Kenneth and Monica both made some good friends.

Continue to pray that we will be a shining light for Jesus here in America.

Your Missionary

Stefan

See our latest Photo’s here.