SEND International - World Missions

July and August - these two months all Czech children enjoy their summer holidays. Our neighbourhood is changed completely: Where usually the park and playground is crowded with playing children, everything is quiet. Children are with their grandparents on a "chata", the holiday cottage that most families own, or on a camp. Many camps are three weeks long!

The first two weeks of July I too was planning our children's camp -- that it could take place was God's miracle for us. Just a month before the camp only three children had applied - that's just not enough for a camp... Where could I get 27 more children, in just four weeks? None of the children who came on camps the last years had applied. Our camp has a 7 years tradition by now, and I just didn't understand what went wrong this time.

I called all the last year's campers. Everyone had a reason for not coming: They didn't want to, they had another camp going on at the same time, the family had no money. I felt so puzzled. The Lord had provided such a wonderful camp site, I had enough leaders - and now we are lacking children. I didn't want to give up yet, so I sent e-mails to all my Czech friends to ask if they knew some children who could come to our camp.

I also sent this prayer request to friends all over the world. The next day I prayed with a friend of mine who had been a leader at camp in recent years: "Lord, would you do this miracle to send us children? We know you can do it!" After this prayer we looked at each other "Guess what it will be like if the Lord will really answer this prayer!" Even though we believed in a God who can do it, it was so much more realistic at that time that the camp would have to become cancelled.

But God did do the miracle! It was amazing. The telephone began to ring every day. "We heard about the camp, is there still a place for my son?" Honestly, most of the time they asked for their son. In the end we had 25 children and only five of them were girls. They all came through personal contacts from all over the Czech Republic. Each one these children were brought to us by God. That's true for every camp, but I never realised this so strongly. He must have a reason for bringing them.

What would these children experience with God at camp? What would be His plansWe will never completely know the answer to this question, maybe one day in heaven but I could see some glimpses at camp:

For some of the children it was the very first time to be with Christians. They saw and heard us praying. We prayed before the meals, in our quiet time groups, in the evening in the tents. That was something new for them: "You can talk to God like a normal person. Someone talks to God about me!". Every leader had one tent where they went every night to talk with the children and pray. The second night I asked "my" two boys if someone at home prayed with them. I knew their parents were not Christians, but maybe there was a grandmother or aunty... It was very touching when Roman answered very convinced, but with a bit of sadness in his voice "Nobody is praying for us." It was so good to hear these boys starting to pray during the camp.

Another boy started the first prayer of his life with these words: "Hello, God..." I nearly cried when I heard this. It was such a privilege to be the witness of this boy praying for the first time of his life. He was so natural when doing this. It must have been a very special moment for our father in heaven! This boy and his brother are living not very far from our church, but they would need to go by bus. I invited them to come to Sunday school, when it starts again after the holidays in September.

Of course we sang a lot with the children too. At the beginning of the camp it was very quiet and shy -- they didn't know the songs yet. But this changed quickly. Our praises to the Lord sounded great! It must have been heard even in town, which was about 3 km away. The last night I asked "my" two boys which song they liked most. I was surprised that instead of a short answer they started singing nearly all the songs. By now they knew them by heart! What a treasure in their hearts -- the songs of spiritual truths, a nourishment for their lives!

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Counting the cost -- a Japanese trusts Christ
John and Susan Edwards, Japan

“Sunday, March 2, our pastor turned to Mr. Motoi and said, ‘Do you have something to share?’

Most of us were surprised. Although Mrs. Motoi has been a Christian for nearly 20 years and is very involved in the church as organ player, translator, and helper with meal preparation and clean up, Mr. Motoi only a few months ago started coming to church. He would sit over on the far side of our sanctuary and pleasantly respond to greetings, but not initiate any contact. He always had his Bible open to every passage and reportedly reviewed them again at home. He almost never stayed after church to eat or talk.

But on Sunday, he stood and using English said simply, ‘Last night, I became a Christian.’

Silence and tears followed by many in the church. Susan and Barb walked over to him during the next song to give him a hug and welcomed him into the family.

According to the pastor, Mr. Motoi counted the cost before becoming a Christian. He called his siblings and parents to tell them of his decision because he would not be able to continue caring for the family god-shelf, which had been his responsibility as the only son. Further, he accepted that he would not be allowed to be buried with family members and would have to look else-where.

Having taken care of this personal business, Mr. Motoi called our pastor to invite him to their home so he could take the step of faith of ‘believing in Jesus’ and all that implies. Now Mr. Motoi initiates greeting at church and he stays afterwards. His face radiates warmth. What a difference. Praise God!”

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One by one harvest in Hong Kong
Jonathan and Jodi Thar, Hong Kong

“A couple in our church prayed for their father, Mr. L, who was battling with cancer. In November he came to church and placed faith in Christ. Praise the Lord that his heart responded to the good news. Later, Mr. L threw out his idols. (This is a big step for a Chinese believer.) Two other members of his family have also trusted in Christ. Mr. L died in December, and we rejoice that he is with the Lord. Continue to pray for the family to have comfort during this time and the new believers to grow spiritually.

“Alex was on our prayer list and we prayed for him to accept the Lord. His wife is a believer and attending our church. He came on a church outing in October, and his wife continued praying. What a joy when Alex came to church on Dec. 15 (an evangelism outreach Sunday) and he gave his life to Jesus! It was neat to see his excitement as he participated on Dec. 24, singing and passing out tracts.

“We praise the Lord for the great spiritual harvest. In November 7 people placed faith in Christ. Then, 11 people placed faith in Christ in December. Your prayers made a difference in many lives. Continue to pray for the spiritual growth of these new believers.”

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SALVATION STORIES

Diamonds formed by pressure!
Brett and Michelle Hamilton, Poland

“DIAMONDS ARE FORMED under extreme pressure and stress. We would like you to meet a real diamond . . . Jenna.

“Jenna’s son Andre, who is 13 years old, is severely autistic. When Andre is awake he can’t be left alone as he might harm himself or others or damage something. He loves to throw things out of their 7th floor apartment window and is aggressive with younger children. In addition, Andre has started to have epileptic attacks. He is very strong so it is hard for Jenna to control him. This is a tremendous demand on her time, energy and patience, yet Jenna exhibits a sweet Christ-like love for her son.

“To make matters more difficult, Jenna’s husband, is extremely anti-religion, antagonistic, and verbally abusive. He is a truck driver and is often gone several days each week, does not come home when he says he will, or tell Jenna when he is leaving. This makes it very difficult for Jenna to plan to be at church or at our group meeting because she can’t depend on him to be home, and no one else is able to take care of Andre.

“In order to be close to her son’s school, Jenna teaches English despite holding an advanced degree in physics. Because of this background in science, it was difficult for Jenna to accept that Christ’s death on the cross was necessary. She felt there must be a more logical way to solve the problem of sin. It was a waste of a life to have Christ die.

“Two summers ago, Jenna attended our summer camp for the first time. She found what it meant to have a personal relationship with Christ, learned that there was no other way to have our sins forgiven and prayed to receive His wonderful gift of salvation.

“Throughout the past year Jenna has been hungry to learn God’s word and spend time with fellow believers . . .

“This year, Jenna took the next step of obedience and was baptized by Brett. This was one of the highlights of the summer camp. While the daily stresses and pressure still remain, God has used these to draw Jenna to Himself and transform her life into a diamond that reflects His brilliance.”

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God reaches kids at summer camps in Japan
John and Susan Edwards, David Barkman, Japan

“At B Camp, the group of guys that went up to the chapel before every meeting to pray grew from five at the beginning of the week to over twenty by the end. I believe four students accepted Jesus as their Savior. With hands held around the campfire, campers offered prayers of thanksgiving and praise to God.

“At C Camp, Naoko alone stood by the campfire in front of everyone else to testify that that she had decided to become a Christian at camp. Her friend, Megumi (which means ‘Grace’) had been a faithful and influential friend to her. Several others stood to share that they would inform their pastors of their desire to be baptized. Others stood to say that they were recommitting their whole selves to the Lord.

“ . . . Thank you so much for your prayers. As far as we know six students trusted Christ during these summer camps. And many, many others heard the gospel and will continue to seek God. It often takes many hearings for a Japanese to step out alone and make a decision to follow Christ. In addition, students who are already Christians are going home having made decisions about steps to take in their spiritual growth.”

At Okutama Bible Chalet (OBC), Junior English Camp brought 60 kids came -- 25 made a decision to trust Christ. Pray for these kids as they return home that they will get plugged into churches and be followed up to grow in faith.” At the OBC Elementary Children’s Camp 75 kids attended, many making decisions about salvation and baptism. They had a super campfire on the last night with lots of great testimonies and sharing.

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They broke my heart
Alaska short-term missionary

After a long day at camp, my campers and I dragged back to our cabin. I just wanted to go to bed, but we were going to read the Bible together first. One girl started crying as she talked about home, then another, and then the whole cabin was crying. I began to hear their stories and understand the pain of their homes. I got a glimpse into the lives of these kids I wanted to tell about Jesus. We had been told about the terrible conditions in the villages but I didn’t feel the pain until I saw their tears. I was plunged into the culture. Most of all, I realized what it meant to grow up without Christ – and without hope. How will they hear … unless we hold summer camps?

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When the gospel breaks the barriers

Macedonia is bordered on the north by Kosovo (just a few miles from here), on the south by Greece, to the west is Albania and to the East is Bulgaria. Skopje is a mix of Macedonian Orthodox and Albanian Muslims - two totally different cultures. But all Macedonians are social and ministry revolves around much visiting in homes for tea and inviting people to your home for tea. It's a late night culture so you have to adjust life to get rest when you can. The SEND team in Macedonia burns the candle at both ends.

War is very close. There are military camps all over the place and it's not unusual for tanks to roll through the little neighborhood where we are staying. Photography is fine as long as you don't point the wrong direction.

On top of the mountain is a huge cross built at the government expense. Not that Macedonia is particularly religious or that they in any way trust in God, but it is a military symbol of aggression to the Muslim nations around. One of the team yesterday said, "Macedonians would be the most delightful people to work with if they could just get over the ethnic tensions." But the gospel is doing that as Macedonians and Albanians meet together in Bible studies.

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Missionary Stories

Camp blows the counselor away!

Last week was international camp. This is the camp for English-speaking high school students. These kids range from missionary kids to military base kids, and homeschoolers, etc. This year was pretty crazy because there were about 102 campers in a camp with a normal capacity of 80. So we were pressed for space, converting the new dining hall into a chapel, and the chapel into huge girls: dorm.

I was blown away this past week – totally blown away by God. I could talk about everything that happened this past week but I just want to share this one experience.

The past year, I have struggled with not having the love or joy of God in my heart to the point of overflowing. I know that my faith is not based on emotion, but when there isn’t emotion, it can get a bit frustrating. As I went into this camp, I was frustrated in my heart because I didn’t have a lot of love for the students.

On Wednesday night, I was on stage w/the worship team, and during the time of silences, I was praying in my heart. I was screaming in my heart for Jesus because I wanted to have Him audibly in there. I was crying out for Him and praying for Him to give me passion once again. As I opened my eyes when we were singing “I could sing of your love forever” I saw everyone in the room worshipping God with so much passion and love. I started to cry. I wanted the passion that everyone else in the room seemed to have.

After the worship music, I sat in the chapel and started to pray. God showed me a lot of ugly things in my heart that night. He broke my heart. I realized that the whole week, I had been trying to change the hearts of the girls in my cabin by giving and giving, and had been getting frustrated because they didn’t seem to be responding.

I love to give, but I have a really hard time receiving from people. That night, God seemed to say to me, “They aren’t your girls. They’re mine. And if I want to use you to draw them closer to me, I will.... but I don’t even have to use you.”

Man....that was like a stab to the heart. Through that, I realized how much pride I had in my heart that I didn’t even know about.

I had a big lump of pride in my heart. After God showed this to me, I repented and was able to pray and worship once again. The head girl’s counselor prayed with me, and that was great too.

After we prayed, another counselor came to me and said that one of the girls who had stayed after to pray had said that she saw really touched and by the singing and didn’t know why. She rededicated her life to Christ that night. I wept again, because scripture that says that
God’s power is made perfect in weakness. In my utmost time of brokenness and need and weakness, God used it for His glory and showed His power.

Amazing!!!!! During the week, one girl in my cabin accepted Christ, and two others rededicated their lives.... praise God!

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In weakness, God uses us
Evan Parks, Hungary

The other day I gave my testimony in Hungarian to my psychologist colleague. It was on a day I felt very discouraged, especially about language study. As I finished the story, he said in an excited voice, "That is just what we need here in Hungary. We have no examples of this!"

I had no idea what he meant. It turned out that, in my testimony, he understood that at one point I struggled with my faith and began to look for the basis for what I believed.
My colleague said that for years Hungarian Christians have shunned thinking, asking questions, and have shunned education. The truth is that many Christians were not permitted to be educated.

For example, our pastor's wife, a doctor, is the daughter of a pastor. Pastors and their children were never permitted to study in a university. She is only the third pastor’s daughter in Hungary to get a university education.

The result is that my colleague and I will work together to develop teaching materials that present models for Christian professional and university students on how to think about science, history, art, and God's wonderful creation.

As I said before, in weakness, God uses us. Please pray that I will learn to speak much better Hungarian and bring together the right resources in order to see this through to reality.

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Reaching sailors of the world in Alaska
George and Cheryl Reichman (SEND Alaska) volunteer at the Seamans Mission in Seward and have opportunity to touch sailors from all over the world.

“GEORGE AND I met J from Mexico the first time the ship he worked on came to Seward this last May. He spoke little English and we spoke little Spanish, but we could still talk and laugh together. He was a quiet man and could have easily been missed. God drew us together!
“ Through the summer he learned more about God’s love for him through all of us at the Seaman’s Mission and from Christian material he received. He gave me the opportunity to show him in a Spanish Bible why Jesus Christ came to earth, died, and rose to offer forgiveness of sin and life to all who believed. On another day, a Spanish-speaking, temporary volunteer shared Christ’s love with him. Then in August, he did not come to the Mission because he was sick. We missed him!
“ George had been given a bilingual Spanish/ English Bible for his birthday. Now he wanted J to have it. I wrote J a letter and gave him a special invitation to come to the mission on September 7, the last day his ship would be in Seward this season. J came looking for us. Because George was at work at KCAM in Glennallen, I met him and had the privilege to give him George’s Bible.
“ Again he allowed me to guide him through the message of God’s love and he read in Spanish from his new Bible. We had prayed and asked God to speak clearly to J and to guide me. I showed him in 1 Peter 2:24, 25; 3:18; John 3 and other places how a holy and loving God made a way to pay for our sins. He knew he was a sinner and could not measure up. I showed him the “bad news” from Romans 5 and Ephesians 2 that he was born ‘spiritually dead.’ ‘A dead man is helpless unless someone can give him life,’ I remember saying. Jesus paid for our sin, but also offered His risen life as a gift to all who would receive it by faith (John 10:10, 1 John 4:9)!
“ This was wonderful news to a ‘thirsty man!’ To clarify how to receive Christ as his personal Savior, J read from the Spanish Four Spiritual Laws and another Spanish publication. He prayed in Spanish, receiving forgiveness and the gift of spiritual life!
“ Now he knew that he was forgiven and the Holy Spirit of God lived in him. Joy beamed from his face! Another Christian who worked in the same department on the ship as J said he would help this baby in Christ!
“ !Nosotros tendremos confianza en Dios, J! (We will trust in God, J!)”

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Spanish teens take a missions trip
Raquel Garcia, SEND missionary in Guadalajara, wrote about a summer short-term trip with the youth group in Spain:

“As many of you know, our Spanish youth group went to Algerciras to work with the Bible Society. We passed out packs of literature which included More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell, The Jesus Video, and the New Testament – all of them in French and Arabic. Our time there was very powerful.

We worked with Christians from all over the world: Mexico, Spain, US, South Africa, Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, and Columbia. It was amazing! The reactions we received from people receiving the packs were so varied – everything from extreme gratitude to being yelled at. But all in all it was so worth it. The Bible Society conducts this ministry all summer long and by the time we left in mid-August, over 100 people had prayed to receive Christ!

“While in Algerciras, I received an email from a former client of mine from when I was a caseworker in Chicago. She had written to tell me that she had accepted Christ! This was such an encouragement! I had been praying for her for about five years! Please continue to pray for her and her family as they grow in their faith! And praise God for His faithfulness!”

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Summer worker tells impact of her Japan summer
Joani (Taylor) Bell

I just wanted to write a quick note to you all at SEND to tell you thank you again, after 12 years, for the opportunity to have spent the summer of 1989 at Higashimatsuyama in an English teaching/Bible study mission trip. It was there that I forged friendships with Japanese with whom I still, to this day, keep in contact. Since my trip in 1989, I have had four occasions when Japanese friends came to visit me in the US. I keep in contact with many from Saitama through e-mail, letters and occasional phone calls. Just recently, in 2001, a child who was six or seven when I stayed in his parents’ home in 1989, came as an 18 year old, choosing to study English in Salt Lake City because he knew we were here.

My interest in the Japanese began when I was 12 years old. The Christian school I attended accepted several students to come and stay with American families. Manami Fujita came to stay with me. Twelve years later, Manami met me at the airport to welcome me to Japan at the start of my summer trip. She and I met again at the end of my trip and I spent time in her home with her parents. It has been 12 years again and I wish I could see her but we email, send each other birthday and Christmas cards and home for the day we can reconvene again. She taught me Origami. I still remember how to make the swan, therefore teaching children in the classes I teach now, as well as my own children.

After reading your last calendar/newsletter, Intercede and Send, my heart is drawn to pray for the right people to go and minister with SEND. Although my husband and I are actively involved in ministry right here in Salt Lake City, my heart is still drawn toward the Japanese. Any time I meet a Japanese person, I try to remember my greetings which prompts them to continue in Japanese at which moment I'm unable to continue...so we go on in English. It continues to be an opportunity to share Christ when say that I went to Japan to teach English and study the Bible. Even the Mormons are baffled that I was able to choose to go on my own through SEND to Japan for a summer. They are required to go on missions. The women are required to go for 18 months and they are not to choose.

I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your organization. I love getting the prayer calendar, not only to know how to pray but also to keep abreast of the ministries in Japan. I remember meeting many of the long-term missionaries at Okutama Bible Camp. They probably don't remember me but those memories are forever engrained in my head.

Thanks again for all I learned!

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