Category: Ministry

“The Christian life never meant much more than attending church to Mebrete. As a first-year student in northern Ethiopia, he was challenged to attend a discipleship group. He soon realized that his mission was to study and share Christ!

Attending Evangelism and Discipleship Training, Mebrete was asked to make a plan to win his campus for Christ. He came back with a simple plan–to win his roommates for Jesus, according to Acts 1:8.

Mebrete began making his roommates’ beds, laying his hand on each bed and praying for the salvation of each of his seven roommates (see photo on the right). Today Mebrete tells about the dramatic conversion of six of his roommates before he left campus. The seventh also accepted Christ a year after he graduated. Mebrete helped them grow and become involved in spiritual multiplication. While a student, Mebrete shared the gospel with over 2,000 students, and 35 of them put their faith in Christ.

When about to graduate, Mebrete sensed God’s call to become a missionary in one of the most difficult parts of Ethiopia. He started sharing the gospel on the Ethio-Sudan border, and people began responding.

The new church Mebrete planted has grown to over 50 members and become self-sustainable, with local leaders and financial support raised in this resistant area. When Mebrete felt it was time to leave the church in local hands, he moved to Azezo and planted a second church, mentoring the leaders of the first church from a distance. The second church now has over 20 members.”

Stories like these reminds us of God’s power to use a humble, obedient person. Pray with us that we would also be like Mebrete.

Stefan is currently in South Asia meeting with church planters. Please pray for his safety and that he would be an encouragement and support to our church planters.

Marie is on her way to Canada to speak at a conference of global digital strategy leaders. This surprise invitation came as a result of her testimony about Peter’s death. She would appreciate your prayers. Also pray for Kenneth and Monica and their American “grandparents”, Keith and Kay, that are looking after them while their parents are traveling.

Your prayers encourage us. Thank you!

• Mebrete’s name has been changed for his security.

Nelaam*, was lying in hospital in an Asian country, nearly paralyzed from alcohol poisoning. Out of desperation, he had cut himself repeatedly. One of our church-planting pastors visited him. The pastor explained the gospel. Nelaam believed and became a follower of Christ.

Nelaam is now married to a wonderful Christian wife (who came from the dominant religion). This couple shows people the “JESUS” film and use a strategy called “Prayer, Care, Share”. They have lead 20 of the 100 families in their village to the Lord!

In this Asian country, in a grand vision, staff members are working to train 4,200 new lay leaders like Nelaam in their nation. These trained workers will plant churches using the “JESUS” film, implement the “Prayer, Care, Share” and other strategies. The results to date are extraordinary. Of 700,000 villages, 300,000 now have a church! Staff members hope to see a church planted in each of the remaining 400,000 villages, many in the most challenging areas.

As Stefan work with the church planting leader of this vast country, we want to do everything we can to help him and the other Spirit-filled workers fulfill the great vision, particularly in the difficult areas. Above all, they need prayer.

We want to ask for your intercession for the church planting teams. Please pray for their protection, that God will restrain radicals, open hearts and whole villages to receive the gospel. Pray also for us, as we encourage and assist with operational support, that the Lord will make us sensitive to His guidance. Would you also pray for the protection of our family? Recently we have experienced many kinds of difficulties that could make us feel discouraged and we recognize the influence of the evil one in it.

Thank you so much for enabling us to serve our church planting missionaries around the world.

*Name Changed

In the last two week:

• Kenneth’s leg was declared healed
• We survived the effects of a grade 1 hurricane 
• The children successfully completed their first month at their new school

All things we are very grateful for.

We also attended a meeting of church planting organizations.

Did you know?

• There are 7 billion people in the world.
• There are only 2 billion people who identify as Christians.
• There are 5 billion left to reach.
• There are currently 5 million churches in the world.

The Global Alliance for Church Multiplication (or GACX), is trusting the Lord to help start at least 5 million new multiplying biblical churches and faith communities, covering every neighborhood, village, high-rise and digital community in the entire world. We believe God is calling the body of Christ to do this by 2020.

As we receive reports from all over the world of the impact of these partnerships in planting more churches, won’t you praise the Lord with us and continue to pray for continued wisdom, unity and impact.

You can learn more about GACX here.

These are exciting days as we see the Lord work in special ways to unite Christians to work together for the fulfillment of the Great Commission. Thank you for joining us in this great task.

10 million multiplying disciples by the year 2020!

We are starting with very strategic meetings with 250 global leaders today (24 June) here in Orlando. The main agenda of our meetings will be to discuss the shifts required to enhance our efforts toward this goal.

We would covet your prayers for:

1. The safe arrival of all our leaders.
2. The Lord’s guidance and wisdom as we discuss the shifts needed.
3. The city of Orlando that is still reeling under the tragic events from the shooting on June 12th.

Following the meetings, Marie has a quick visit to South Africa to celebrate her Mom’s 70th birthday. All 5 the siblings will be in South Africa for the event, so this is a big treat.

Please pray for:

1. Safe travels for Marie (she has an interesting itinerary because we used airline miles)
2. Stefan and the children as they fend for themselves.
3. A big reunion and celebration for the Ferreira family.

For fun here is a link to a few photo’s of interesting postbox’s here in America

On Sunday morning we awoke to the horror of the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. Right here in our back yard!

Orlando, the tourist capital of the U.S is such a warm, welcoming community. It makes this tragedy even harder to comprehend. Today we have felt and witnessed a profound sorrow for the lives taken by this unjust act of violence.

Our prayer since Sunday morning has been, “Lord, what would you have us do?” Continue to pray with us for guidance from the Lord. Here is what we already know:

Walk closely with the Lord
As we seek to love in word and deed, we are to be sensitive and yielded to the Holy Spirit.

Pray
“Bring your presence to bear, Lord Jesus, by your Spirit and through your people. May your servants weep with those who weep and wail with those who wail. Extend your tear wiping hand—reach into this great tragedy with an even greater grace.”  –  by Scotty Smith

Serve
In the days ahead we will look for opportunities to be the hands and feet of Jesus. City officials have established an online form for volunteers. We’ll hear more soon. In the meantime there are some basic acts of service we and our co-workers will pursue, including to:

• Give blood.
• Provide meals for caregivers and counselors.
• Offer water and sunscreen to mourners, city workers and others standing in the sun.
• Provide financial assistance to families of the victims where appropriately needed.
• Join churches in making care packages for families that are staying with their injured members in hospital.
• Offer grace and encouragement as we pray with all who are willing.

So often, tragedy make you pause and evaluate your priorities in life. Please pray with us for many opportunities to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to our grieving community.

We appreciate your love, concern and prayers for us and for Orlando.

The flags outside our local High School today

Stefan’s News:

Meeting our global ministry leaders and missionaries always encourages me. I then hear first hand how the tools/platforms we develop and work on, help them to reach people for Jesus.The past month I had the joy of attending our global church planters conference, our global technology leaders meeting and connecting with missionaries that work in some countries that are very closed to the the gospel. I thank God for your partnership with me that enables me to serve them.

Global Technology Leaders

Please pray for my Mom who is in hospital with a pulmonary embolism.

Marie’s News:

Many Christians pray that the Lord would help them to make their lives count for Him. Dr. Steve Douglass, the president of Campus Crusade for Christ, for many years have motivated believers to make their lives count by walking closely with the Lord, praying for God’s supernatural help, caring for others and sharing what God has shown you.

For the last year our team worked closely with him to make these principles available to an audience that would not necessarily hear it from him or any of our missionaries. On March 1st, we launched www.makingyourlifecount.org in conjunction with his daily radio program that has a listener audience of over 5 million listeners.

This has been an exciting but daunting task. Please pray with us that thousands of believers will be encouraged to become multiplying disciples in their communities. Please visit the site to see how God can use our partnership to encourage believers – maybe you will also learn something new.