Prayer Calendar by Global Mission - 4th Quarter 2009

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DEARFRIEND

R

Gary Krause Adventist Mission Director

o p e n i n g

Prayer Journal Inside

In Christ,

PRAYERCALENDAR

12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904

itual cuts on both cheeks heavily scarred Nguerabaye’s face—a reminder of his heritage and former life. Beads of perspiration lubricated his skin, leathered by the hot African sun.

I was visiting Nguerabaye, a Global Mission pioneer working in Moissala, in southern Chad. He was on a mission—to share with the people of this town the good news about a man named Jesus who could bring them peace, joy, and salvation.

That hot, humid night I tossed on a rough bed under a torn mosquito net in a local guest house, my body soaked with sweat. Finally after midnight I could stand it no more. Desperate for fresher air I went outside and lay on the ground—praying that the mosquitoes would leave me alone.

In tough, unwelcoming conditions, Nguerabaye—a married man with four children—was sharing the love of Jesus. He had already led nearly 50 people to baptism. Among the new believers I met former prostitutes and drunkards.

I then discovered that through some glitch in the system, Nguerabaye had not been paid his stipend for more than 12 months. I was shocked. These humble frontline church planters are sacrificing enough already, without this type of neglect.

But at no stage did he complain about his situation. Finally I asked him how he and his family were surviving and he simply said, “It is hard.”

“Why have you kept working?”

“I want to free people from guilt by telling them about the blood of Jesus.”

On the Sabbath morning I was there, hundreds of townspeople gathered to hear the gospel preached. Nguerabaye led from the front, a proud parent looking out at his children in the faith.

I’m sure another proud Parent was smiling down from heaven.

Thank you so much for your faithful support of Global Mission pioneers around the world.

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he Internet is changing the way Adventists tell the world about Jesus Christ in Slovenia. This progressive Central European country is home to some two million people, but less than one percent are Protestant Christians.

Last summer Internet Pastor Matthew Vincent held a seminar on online evangelism to show church members how to share the gospel as “digital missionaries.” This program uses the Global Mission-sponsored LifeConnect. info curriculum, a framework designed to reach out to postmodern and secular people who might never step into a church on their own.

The first part of the seminar raised people’s awareness of the postmodern movement and the values it represents. The second part taught digital discipleship methods and shared how to use Christ’s method of reaching people using the digital tools given to us today such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and YouTube, among others.

Commenting on the seminar, Vincent says, “It was truly a joy to share this vision with the Slovenian people. I am excited about the enthusiasm I witnessed and look forward to seeing this same enthusiasm manifested digitally.”

Courtesy: Trans-European Division News To help Global Mission church planting projects in Europe such as this one in Slovenia, please support Fund #5270.

O C T O B E R

SLOVENIA Europe today has the fewest Adventists per capita of any continent. The region’s challenges include post-modern and secular countries such as Sweden and the United Kingdom and former Soviet bloc countries, such as Hungary and Serbia, where years of religious oppression left many with no religion at all. Nearly half of all Europeans are secular and practice no religion. Please keep this region of the world in your prayers.

P R A Y E R J O U R N A L

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P ro v id ed fo r y o u r u se d u r i ng d a i l y d e v ot i ons .

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ing! Ring! The phone rang at the home of Hospa and Nonhlanda Sibanda, two Global Mission pioneers in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Hospa answered. It was the pastor of a local Sunday-keeping church asking to know more about the Sabbath. The pastor asked the pioneer couple to visit his church and present a seminar on the Sabbath. Hospa readily agreed.

The next Sunday the Sibandas visited the Sunday-keeping church and presented a two-hour seminar on the Ten Commandments and the Sabbath to the he entire congregation. The congregation enjoyed the seminar so much they invitedd tthe pioneers he pio ioneer errs to comeback and present another seminar a couple weeks later. They nodded yes.

On their next visit the Sibandas presented how the Sabbath was changed to Sunday. Following their presentation the Sibandas had a question-andanswer session. One of the church members stood up and said, “Since we now know the true day of worship, when are they going to start keeping it?”

The pastor took it to a church vote, right then and there, and the next Saturday the entire 60-member church kept its first Sabbath together. The Sibandas are now conducting a series of Bible studies to teach the congregation more about the Adventist Church. The church pastor has already been baptized.

To contribute to Global Mission work in African countries, such as South Africa, please support Fund #5220.

N O V E M B E R

SOUTH AFRICA The Adventist Church has grown throughout much of Africa. Yet major challenges remain. Religious, social, and ethnic persecution makes church growth difficult in some areas. Please pray for the Global Mission pioneers who are taking Jesus’ love to all of Africa.

P R A Y E R J O U R N A L

century after the first Adventist missionary arrived in Japan, the church is struggling to grow. Today only some 15,000 Adventist members live in Japan, a country with a population of more than 127 million people.

Additionally, there are few pastors to serve the Church in Japan. To meet this need, the Adventist Church in Northern Asia established an initiative called the Pioneer Mission Movement. The program places Adventist pastors from areas of Northern Asia where the church is flourishing as missionaries to countries within hin Northern Asia where the church needs help.

One such Korean pastoral couple, WonHo Lee and YunYoung Cho, is working in Matsuyama, Japan.

Here they teach Korean cooking classes and operate a language school, hoping to invite some of their students to an evangelistic series. However, the couple have found their students are often reluctant to attend. So they decided to go door-to-door and hand out evangelism DVDs to as many of Matsuyama’s 500,000 residents as they can.

The couple rings people’s doorbells and asks them if they’re willing to watch the DVDs. If nobody answers the door, they leave mission leaflets.

They do this nearly every day. Two Sabbaths a month local church members join them. So far 164 people have accepted the DVDs. Despite their diligent efforts, the results seem few. However, they give thanks to God for the spiritual growth of their newly baptized church members and those who are interested. Please continue to pray for them.

To contribute to Global Mission work in Asian countries, such as Japan, please support Fund #5240.

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Provi d ed for y ou r u se d u ri ng da i l y d evoti ons.

D E C E M B E R

JAPAN Worldwide there is one Seventh-day Adventist for every 423 people; but it’s far different in Asia. In Taiwan, there is one Adventist for every 4,247 people.

Most of the believers there come from minority ethnic groups who live in the mountains. In Laos there’s not one ordained Seventh-day Adventist pastor for the country’s six million people. Please keep the work in Asia in your prayers.

P R AY E R J O U R N A L

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Provi d ed for yo ur use durin g daily devo tio n s.