Category: Ministry

How A Disaster Turned into Success

Conference Control Room

The dress-rehearsal was a disaster! And we were three days from the actual event! Emotions were running high in Stefan’s team as they were trying to find solutions for all the technical difficulties. 

The dream was to have a Zoom conference for all our church planters and partners around the world. The content would be short 10 minutes slots delivered by different speakers, break-out groups of 6 people to discuss the content, and apply it to their context. For this, we had to ensure that people end up in discussion groups with people who spoke their language. We had to stream the conference in 8 languages.

This meant lots of things could go wrong. And with the dress-rehearsal, it did!

One team joining from Mongolia

However, God heard our cries for help. On Tuesday, 14 July 2020, the Bold Moves 3 conference kicked off with a bang!

People from 116 countries joined the conference using 1,309 devices. Many of the devices had more than one person watching. We are so grateful for the good participation. The technical issues were minimal, and some things worked that we have no explanation of why it worked. We can only say that God did it!

One of many Zoom screens – this one has Spanish speakers

Thank you so much for your prayers!

Since this worked so well, we will do it again on the first Tuesday of every month till the end of the year. The topic for August is to explore partnerships in urban church planting efforts.

Kenneth managing the Spanish stream and Monica the 3rd English stream

Watch one of the short stories from Moldova told at the conference to inspire others to think creatively in reaching people with the gospel.

New Opportunities To Equip More People

Amid lockdowns, restrictions on travel, and uncertainties, Stefan’s team had a great idea. Why not have an online conference for our nearly 3,000 church planters and partners?

We have never attempted to do something like this. Usually, we will have smaller, localized conferences because of the cost involved. But COVID-19 is allowing us the opportunity to experiment and try something new.

On 14 and 15 July, for three hours each day, they will virtually bring together our church planters from over 150 countries and will offer translations into 7 languages. Each language will have a specific link to follow the short presentations and then go into virtual groups to discuss what they have learned and how they can implement it in their own ministry.

Stefan, the conference director, shares, “We desire for every church planter to have the mindset of multiplication in everything that they do. We will be looking to whet their appetite by sharing examples from around the world of others living that out.”

Please pray for the following:

  1. For the conference:
    • That the church planters will be encouraged and motivated towards the task of fulfilling the Great Commission.
    • All the technical stuff – Internet connectivity, conference platform, speaker and system transitions
    • The translation of the conference – for people to understand.
    • Follow through by teams, cities, and nations after the meeting. That partnership opportunities may be discovered and explored.
  2. We are taking some required theological training until 24 July. These courses are our last ones to fulfill all the requirements of our organization. We are excited to be completing this but need stamina and diligence for it amid all our other responsibilities.
  3. For Kenneth and Monica to enjoy the last few weeks of their summer vacation. They are due to go back to school on 10 August.

Be assured of our prayers as we all make adjustments to living with the reality of COVID-19. May the Lord flood you with peace and a strong sense of His presence.

I thank God for you and for Indian Church planters

Photo Fun in Jaipur

Clickety-clack. Clickety-clack. As the overnight train shook from side to side, I was laying in my narrow bunk thanking the Lord for His growing church in India. 

That day, my travel buddies and I visited several new churches in the Northern part of India. We had taken the overnight train to get there – and believe me, the trip was a cultural experience. However, all the discomfort was worth it when we saw how God’s church is growing despite the increased hostilities toward Christians. 

We went there to encourage our church planters in their work, instead, I was humbled and encouraged. As I listened to the stories of how the new believers came to Jesus through miraculous healings or the breaking of demonic bondage, I was again in awe of our Powerful God.

Today we celebrate Thanksgiving here in America. You are on the list as someone we are thankful for. Thank you for your investment in our lives and in turn, into the lives of church planters around the world. Thank you!

Train accommodation – don’t let the smiles fool you.

Since 2011 – growth from 5 to 89

Particpants at the Global Alliance for Chruch Multiplcation Meeting in Dallas, Texas.
(Spot Stefan in the second row toward the middel)

The Power of Unity

When God created us, He said, “Let us make mankind in our image.” King Solomon concluded, “Two are better than one.” And before going to the Cross, Jesus prayed, “That all of them may be one, Father, just as you and I are one.”  
Unity, togetherness, and intentional collaboration are values that drive our practices in the Global Alliance for Church Multiplication (GACX). In September, 311 leaders from 156 organizations came together in Dallas, Texas for the annual GACX Forum where we could support, learn from, and partner with one another. 
 
Since we started GACX in 2011, we have been growing in so many ways.

  • First, we have grown from 5 organizations to 89 that are working together to see a vital church or faith community established for every 1,000 people among every tribe, tongue, people and nation.
  • Second, by working together, we have helped to start about 1,75 million churches and faith communities worldwide, 35% of our global goal.
  • Third, our language is becoming “Let us,” instead of “Let me.”
  • Fourth, and more important, our most common attitude is, “How can I bless the kingdom of God?” “How can I help inspire and support others so that they could do more and better for the Lord?”  

Since the GACX meeting, Stefan had the privilege to visit and work with church planters in Central and Eastern Europe as well as Barcelona. It is amazing what the Lord is doing!

Prayer Requests:

  1. Praise the Lord for the GACX and all the churches planted through the alliance.
  2. Praise the Lord for a new platform identified to help with internal communication among all our missionaries around the world. Pray for Marie as she leads the communication strategy for this platform.
  3. Pray for Stefan’s Mom. Life has been rough on her and we need solutions to help her.
  4. Pray for Kenneth and Monica to walk closely with the Lord.
  5. Pray for our co-worker, Mike Haupt, who fell off a ladder and has several fractures. 

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.

2019 Is Here! But Let’s Look Back And Celebrate 2018

We want to wish you a very special 2019 in which you will see the Lord’s goodness every day. We look back at 2018 with gratefulness to the Lord.

Highlights:

  1. The Lord’s provision through our partners, their continued prayer support and encouragement. After 24 years in ministry, this is one of the most extraordinary confirmations of the Lord’s calling.
  2. Kenneth and Monica had a fun and full year at school. They loved the sport and club activities that included: tennis, swimming, waterpolo, robotics, green team, science olympiad, chess, math club and tech sazzy girls club.
  3. Marie’s added responsibilities have help her connect with our missionaries who use digital tools and platforms to reach people for Jesus. She loves connecting them with resources and best practices.
  4. Stefan enjoys working with our church planters in South Asia, Western Europe and Eastern Europe. A trip to the country of Georgia counted among his highlights for the year as he personally had the opportunity to help lead a professor to the Lord. (See the story below)

Lowlights:

  1. Toward the end of the year we had three car accidents within 45 days.
  2. Stefan broke his left leg in one of the accidents and is in a wheelchair for three months.
  3. Monica was diagnosed with an impacted tooth and will require braces to have it corrected.
  4. The unfavorable exchange rate made our finances very tight this year and we know many of our ministry partners also felt the strain of the harsh economic climate.

Thank you for your part in our lives!

The story below from Stefan is a reminder why celebrating the birth of Jesus is so special – He came to make a way for all of us to be reunited with God. Thank you Jesus!

It was Wednesday afternoon, and my colleague Virgil and I felt a bit off from jet-lag since arriving in Tbilisi, Georgia. All the Georgians were going out to practice the first sessions of the church planting training we were there to present. Even though we needed some rest, the thought that moved us out the door was “Our training is so simple. Just walk up to students and show them the 2-minute clip on your phone. Yes, The Amazing Question clip would make it easy.”

Our group took the metro and then walked to the University.  After sharing with some students, we moved to the next group who were open to speak to us and give their feedback to the video clip. Except it turned  out that the 4 “students” were either professors or PHD candidates. We invited them to meet again on Saturday evening at one of the restaurants. Two came. Besides an amazing conversation around the 2-minute clip, we finished the evening going through an evangelistic Gospel track. The one professor accepted Jesus into his life. It was such a special time of celebration and he continues to keep contact with us and the local ministry.

Dinner with the Professors in the Republic of Georgia

Have a wonderful 2019!

Crashes and Crutches – How Quickly Life Can Be Changed

Crashes

Doef!

“Not again!” came the sigh from Kenneth and Monica.

In the past 45 days, our family was involved in three car accidents. Twice we were rear-ended at red lights (blame cell phones for driver’s lack of attention).

Crutches

And on Wednesday, Stefan was involved in a crash that left his tibia bone fractured. He needed surgery and some screws to correct it and will be on crutches for the next three months.

We would appreciate your prayers for our protection and for the Lord’s provision for all the medical bills. Despite the drama, we can see the Lord’s hand over us and friends and co-workers have helped us in many practical ways.

Digital Ministry in Africa

“In my country the day is coming when it will not be safe to meet in churches for fear of attack by people from other religions. So we are preparing the believers to meet digitally instead of in churches,” said Moses, one of our missionaries from a prominent African country. He was one of 40 missionaries from 17 countries who attended a workshop I (Marie) helped lead in Nairobi, Kenya at the beginning of November.

Despite the challenges of internet connectivity in Africa, we are already seeing thousands of African visitors to our websites and social media channels. We know this growth is because of the growing number of smartphones now available. So we were training our missionaries how to use these channels for the spread of the gospel, using locally produced content. Pray for our missionaries as they implement this training.

Personally it was a big treat for me to be back in Africa – to hear the call of the “Piet-my-vrou” and to watch monkeys in our hotel garden.

Thank God for all He is doing around the world and for your part in it. I am grateful for the opportunity to help train my African brothers and sisters in the use of digital tools for ministry.

Twenty Years Later …

2011 Visit to Namibia

This week we received a letter from our dear friends Helmuth and Niina Garoeb from Namibia who reminded us of a wonderful experience we had twenty years ago and the subsequent fruit. Helmuth was a student involved in our ministry at the University of Durban Westville until 1997, where he studied geology.

In 1998, with Helmuth as our in-country organiser, we led a team with participants from Finland, South Africa and Swaziland  for three weeks in Windhoek to launch Campus Crusade for Christ Namibia at the University of Namibia. Niina was a Finnish exchange student at the time and volunteered with us.

Looking back, we hardly knew what we were doing, however, it was a great opportunity to see God at work. Now twenty years later, Helmuth has been a part of it all from volunteer to board member to joining as missionary (13 years ago) with Niina also in the mix for most of this time.

Helmuth and Niina look back at some of the things God has done the past twenty years:
“We want to thank God for His continuous faithfulness. We do not even know all the stories of what God has done and continues to do in people’s lives but here are some things that we can praise God for:

  • All the main campuses in Windhoek (plus Ondangwa, Rundu and Katima Mulilo) have (had) student movements of evangelism and discipleship.
  • Jesus Film teams travelled all over Namibia, visiting villages and local churches. Now local pastors become Jesus Film partners to do the work in their local communities.
  • The Jesus Film has been recorded (lip sync) into Kwanyama, Otjiherero and Khoekhoegowab.
  • The “Knowing God Personally” track has been translated into Kwanyama, Afrikaans and Otjiherero.
  • The “Walking with Jesus” follow-up DVD-series has been recorded in Kwanyama.
  • We currently have six full time staff, two interns, two salaried staff and dozens of volunteers.
  • The national office was built with local resources and all current staff are locally hired.
  • We work in collaboration with several local churches and some other Christian organisations.
  • And the work continues… there are many who still are to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ!”

Wow! THANK YOU for partnering with us in this part of God’s work and mission in Namibia. Little could we have known that a student project in September 1998 would spark such a movement of God.

Continue to pray for Helmuth, Niina and our other missionaries working in Namibia. Also pray for the teams that have recently left to start ministries in countries we can not even mention. Pray that the fruit we have seen in Namibia will also be true for these countries!

Starting a New School Year in August is Still Weird …

Kenneth and Monica with a mysterious friend.

Last month, Marie prepared a report for our board of directors who met in Korea. The President’s report was particularly exciting. It tells the story of remarkable progress in fruitfulness God had given our ministry.

We thought we would highlight a few of the statistics so you could praise the Lord with us, because He is at work around the world!

STUDENTS:
In two years, our overall ministry to students experienced a:
• 43% increase in campus presence (from 5,007 to 7,149 campuses).
• 32% increase in Multiplying Disciples.
In North Africa and the Middle East, the team saw expansion from a presence on 104 campuses to 342 campuses (240% growth). This is remarkable considering the opposition from the majority religion.

LEADERS:
In two years, our ministry to leaders or influences in major cities grew from working in 50 cities to 265 cities.

JESUS FILM:
2017 Statistics (This includes roughly 1,500 Jesus Film partners):
• People exposed to the gospel through the film – 375,000,000.
• Indicated decisions for Christ – 42,000,000.
• Churches planted – 432,000.

DIGITAL MINISTRY:
There are four million unique visitors per month on our web properties, plus another 4.1 million engaged in 100 social media channels per month. Removing overlap, that is altogether about 6 million visitors per month in 2018.
A specific example is that of Everystudent.com, one of our evangelistic websites, is now seeing 1,300 people indicate receiving Jesus Christ every day.
• Total Number of Visitors in 2017 – 23.2 million.
• Total Number of Visitors from Jan – June 2018 – 15 million.

Prayer Requests:
1. Praise the Lord with us and thank you for your part in taking the Gospel to everyone around the world!
2. Our new school year starts on Monday, 13 August. Pray for Kenneth as he starts Grade 10, and Monica Grade 8. It will be her last year in Middle school.
3. Pray for stamina, wisdom, insight and passion as we continue to utilize the many opportunities for the expansion of God’s Kingdom.

Skit and Strategy

 

Marie (above) acted in a skit to teach digital principles. The actors were from 5 different countries and it was fun to practise the skit virtually in preparation for the conference.

Thank you so much for praying for our Global Leadership conference. All 350 global leaders arrived safely in Orlando.  We had a wonderful time sharing stories of what God is doing around the world. We were also encouraged to keep spreading the gospel until every last person on earth had an opportunity to hear about Jesus.

Your prayers sustained us through a very busy ten days. Thank you!

Stefan and fellow church planters strategizing together.

Prayer Requests:
1. Praise for a successful conference for all our leaders and for God sustaining my team as we hosted it.
2. Pray for good implementation of all the plans made during the conference.
3. We are taking two theological courses during this month. Pray that we will learn a lot and grow in our love for our Lord.
4. Our Swiss ministry has been developing a ministry strategy called MyFriends. Stefan will be joining them next week as a part of an international learning community, to understand the strategy and look for other ministry applications. Pray for safe travels and good learning.

Finally, we wanted to let you know about an excellent resource called Art of Parenting that has recently been produced by our FamilyLife ministry. If you are a parent of young children or teens, or know parents who are raising families, you will definitely want to look into this and/or pass this along. Art of Parenting is a free digital experience, designed to help individual parents, stepparents or couples instill faith in their children. You’ll enjoy an in-depth library of rich and inspiring videos from all kinds of parents. These are real people sharing helpful insights from God’s Word and their purpose-filled, but not perfect, lives. The free online course can be accessed at your individual pace, or with other parents to work through the small-group series. Learn more at FamilyLife.com/Parenting.

Thank you for participating in our work through your gifts and prayers.