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CLC RLD CLCWW RLD 2018 Issue 2
LEARNLOVELIVE
THE WORD Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it. Proverbs 22:6 (NLT)
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2015 N /E1
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Available at your local CLC branch or online at clcbookshops.com and clcbookcenter.com
In this issue: 6 - 7 Mozambique Bible Project
8-9 You May Think It’s All Over... butGod
10
Author Interview
24-25
11-22
4-5 CLC Int’l News
23 Colombia Social Foundation
From the Editor
Amanda Lutes
Dear Reader Welcome to CLC World! This free mission magazine enables us to share with you, our faithful supporters, current news, testimonies, as well as prayer and praise points, illustrating how we are daily impacting thousands of lives in nearly 50 countries.
Excerpt 26 -27
Each year, I like to use ‘Issue 2’ as an opportunity to focus on discipleship and training. One main reason for How this is that there are a lot of special occassions during To Get THAILAND 30 this quarter. Finding the right gift (a book, of course!) Involved! BIBLE to encourage, educate and edify the lives of our youth, P RO J E C T 31 family and friends is then especially important. Along with the amazing selection of youth resources featured, we have also chosen to centre our focus on being totally surrendered to God. When we live a life surrendered to God, He takes the ordinary and makes extraordinary things happen. Just look at the life of Billy Graham, a humble man with many health issues, who committed his life to pointing people to Jesus. Billy Graham once shared, “Being a Christian is more than just an instantaneous conversion – it is a daily process whereby you grow to be more and more like Christ.” Therefore, there is no better time than now to train and learn how to be fully submitted to God’s will in our lives. Whether you are a child, an adult or somewhere in between, when we learn, love and live the Word of God and combine all this with an active prayer life and a grateful heart, God is able to use us in ways beyond anything we could ever imagine. Thailand Bible Project
Review 28
Give a gift that keeps on giving!
Help us bring affordable, easy-to-read Bibles to those seeking to know God in Thailand!
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CLC International
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Magazine Editor: Amanda Lutes, Global Communications Director
3
Venezuela:
Urgent Prayer Needed! Members of our team (as with the majority of the population) are struggling in every way possible—little available cash, no appropriate salary, no access to food and other essentials at reasonable prices, difficulties with travel, lack of medical and fuel supplies… the list is endless and the trouble they are in appears to be endless too. Every day and in ever greater numbers people are leaving the country. I think the majority are young or middle-aged—people capable (hopefully) of finding work elsewhere. This means the country is losing its medical staff, teachers and other professionals as well as people just hoping for a better life—for themselves and their families—elsewhere. This mass exodus is understandable in the circumstances, but it deepens the crises at the same time. Now some CLC staff who have worked faithfully and loyally under these conditions for months, if not years, are considering opportunities beyond their country. Keeping bookshops open in this day and age is not as easy as it has been, and in Venezuela it is almost impossible—but we don’t want to extinguish the Light and Hope of the Gospel message in this place. Please pray for God’s intervention—His comfort, His provision and His guidance to those of our team who want to stay and for those who are seriously thinking that it is time to move out of their homeland. Photo: One of the ways the CLC Venezuelan team have been reaching out to encourage each other and their community is through sharing of Scripture, like the one above: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. This CLC USA BookLink Romans 15: 13 shipment is now on its way to CLC LIBERIA
Liberia:
New Ordination for CLC’s Director We give thanks for the Lord’s provision for James Cooper, CLC Liberia’s Director. Last February, he was ordained into the Pastoral Ministry of Bethel World Outreach Ministries International Inc. James is certain that this is God’s perfect timing for him and his family. Please pray for James as he balances his family along with his ministry with CLC and Bethel.
4
United Kingdom:
Shop Flooded - Again! Please pray particularly for Luke Potgeiter and the Welling team as the shop has been flooded yet again! It barely seems credible coming so soon after the previous inundation. Maybe it is part of a spiritual battle because they were part of a 24-7 prayer initiative in the lead up to Lent. Please pray that this shop’s ministry will not be negatively impacted and that customers will continue to visit and support this team.
Portugal:
Myanmar:
Dedication for First-ever Burmese Study Bible Thank you, Lord, for the recent dedication service held for the Myanmar Study Bible. The event took place in the church of which our director, Jacob Mung, is also pastor. There is a poster over the pulpit that says their vision is to plant 300 churches in 30 years. Wow! Please continue to pray for this team and that this Bible will help many Christians to mature in their relationship with God.
Break-in at CLC Coimbra Bookshop Thieves recently broke into the CLC bookshop in Coimbra. Despite smashing the glass of the front door, we give thanks to God that no other damage was caused. There was also only a small amount of cash left in the till, so the theives left with very little. Here are some praise and prayer points from Director, Carlos Cunha: Praise God for His protection because, despite the theft, everything happened outside the hours of service and without personal consequences, and there was minimal damage and no vandalism. Please pray that our insurance will cover the damage to our glass door and stolen cash. Pray, too, that this will be a one-time event without repetition. Thank you!
Fascinating Bible Facts 2 volumes Irene Howat • A fact–finding expedition through the Bible • Small, exciting devotionals for 7 – 12 year olds • Padded hardback giftbook with ribbon.
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GOD HAS GIVEN US TWO HANDS, ONE TO RECEIVE WITH AND THE OTHER TO GIVE WITH. BILLY GRAHAM
THANK YOU! ... Because the Bible is for Everyone!
Praise God with us as your support has made the Mozambique Bible project a reality! Frustrated by the unavailability of enough economy Bibles in Mozambique to meet the need, CLC Mozambique started conversations with the Bible Society of Portugal (SBP) in 2016 to find a solution to the problem. Commissioning a print run of 10,000 economy Bibles and using the proceeds of the sale towards new print runs seemed to be the way forward. In faith that enough funds for the first print run would be raised, a contract with SBP was signed in June 2017 that would allow CLC to use their ‘Biblia Para Todos’ (Bible for Everyone) translation—an everyday Portuguese translation that would resonate with the Mozambican people and give them a better understanding of the Scriptures. While fundraising in Europe began, the local CLC team started to make people in Mozambique aware that these Bibles were expected to arrive before the end of the year. Flyers were printed to explain what this Bible translation is all about 6
and why the local CLC team is convinced it will help the church reach more people for Christ. A simple booklet with the book of Proverbs was also printed in this translation so that the team could give them away, explaining the benefits of the soon-to-arrive Bible. In the shop in Maputo as well as in Beira, posters were put up in anticipation of the arrival of the Bibles with texts that we hoped would catch people’s attention. Although the paperwork for the importation of the anticipated Bibles arrived in early November, saying the Bibles were expected to arrive at Maputo harbour around the November 20—in reality, they arrived two weeks later! This meant that the Bibles arrived only a week prior to the Maputo Bible launch and Thanksgiving service, scheduled for Saturday, 9 December. On top of this, the customs clearance took longer than expected, and the Bibles would
not be available for pickup from the harbour until the day before the event! By this time, the local CLC team were really asking for prayer from everyone they knew that the Bibles would arrive on time. Added to this chaos, the truck driver had underestimated the size of the load and arrived in the harbour with a truck that was far too small for all the boxes. He rushed back to the depot of the truck company to get a larger truck and returned immediately to the harbour, but, by then, the harbour had already closed! Thankfully, he did not give up! He arrived at the harbour at 8am Saturday morning the day of the launch, assuring the team that he would deliver the Bibles to the shop a few hours later. So the team once again sent out an urgent request for prayer. Unfortunately, there were a lot of trucks having to sign off their goods that morning, so everything took far longer than anticipated. Eventually, he arrived in Maputo—only to get lost! The boxes were mistakenly marked with the address of the
Bible Society in Maputo instead of CLC’s! Praise God, the truck arrived a little after 2pm, exactly the time when our service was about to start. In Europe or the US, project managers would be very upset about such timing, but here, people are much calmer about schedules. Some guests even said that it was exciting to see the Bibles being delivered during the event; they thought we had arranged it like that on purpose! What an amazing God we have.
Translation of some of the posters made by the CLC Mozambique: • After 20 years of Bible translating, you will only need 20 seconds to understand it... • In the beginning was the Word and the Word was not complicated... • I bring you good news and the great joy is not only for the Wise Men from the East...
...because the Bible is for Everyone!
Saturday, February 17, and the Bible launch was well attended. Please continue to join us in prayer that these new Bibles will bring an abundance of opportunities to share God’s love with Mozambicans all over the country.
Beira Bible Launch:
An answer to prayer In February, CLC Mozambique planned to have a second Bible launch in Beira for the new Portuguese ‘Bible for Everyone’ translation. Just days before the event, however, an urgent prayer request was made as they were having flash floods in the area. Praise God that those who follow us on Facebook were able to join in as we made pleas to our Heavenly Father that these torrential rains would quickly end. As there had been serious flooding in the area in January, flash floods were a great concern. The Lord is always faithful, and He was especially gracious to our team as the sun was out that
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MOUNTAINTOPS ARE FOR VIEWS AND INSPIRATION, BUT FRUIT IS GROWN IN THE VALLEYS. BILLY GRAHAM
You May Think It’s All Over... But God Says Otherwise! Don’t let your age keep you from being involved in missions with CLC The phrase ‘goals in extra time’ is now familiar to many, especially to those of the post-war ‘baby boomers’ group, now assumed to be enjoying a pleasant retirement! Perhaps my life always did fail to conform to the norm as I became a Christian in my first weeks of being a university student—seriously affecting my own life plans! This led to working in Istanbul for two years with a well-known student outreach group in the 1960s, but I could not stay long term due to visa and political problems. Rather, the family years were spent raising six children and latterly training to teach English to foreigners in the city of Sheffield, UK. However, all of this experience prepared my late husband and me to gravitate to the Muslim world when we were free to do so. Initially, we had trips to Bulgaria (working with the growing Turkish church there), and we then lived in Turkey itself for three years from 2002 with a retirement visa. My English teaching qualification also opened doors everywhere, and we continued making long trips, travelling even to India, until I found myself alone again, as a widow, in the summer of 2015. 8
Much adjustment continues, but I have found real fulfilment in travelling for up to 60 days at a time for various English teaching opportunities, including Turkey, as well as two recent visits to another country in Central Asia. This country also has very strong connections to the Turkic world. In my home church in Sheffield, I am friends with Neil and Sheena Wardrope (former CLC International Director) and, while attending the 75th anniversary celebration of CLC in 2016, I befriended several CLCers who were interested in having me come for a short visit to help them improve various aspects of their spoken English. As a result, I was able to spend five weeks in 2016 and then eight weeks in 2017 with the local couple who run the CLC bookshop in the capital of this country in Central Asia. While living in the adjoining flat, I was able to be in the bookshop daily, encouraging them in their English progress. Inevitably, I also met shop customers and was able to help some of them with their English too. I also shared in local church life (the English language International Church) and made friends with local believers. This included one lady who hopes to transfer to working with from her current local
students in Turkey. A memory I cherish is the time that together with the shop manager and his wife, and their developing understanding of English, we were able to help a mother obviously in distress. We were able to encourage and pray with her (I in English!), and the Lord gave us a real understanding of her situation. It appears that after I left, she returned with news of answered prayer and how close the Lord felt as we had prayed with and for her! Students from the nearby university are always happy to practice their English with a lady who is actually from England! They are always glad to receive New Testaments, not only in the local language, but in English too, and, I hope, a testimony and a sense of love that they will not forget. I particularly enjoyed this involvement with the students.
As I own a small flat in Selcuk, near Ephesus, I base myself there for these 60-day trips, and, by doing so, I can still get my health insurance at 73 years old. Istanbul provides flights worldwide and so, still covered by the care and prayer of my home churches in Sheffield and Selcuk, I am able to take these opportunities to help those who wish to improve their English. Some preparation is necessary but this is more than compensated by the pleasure of being able to bless my brothers and sisters with better access to the English language. Friendships and understanding, and often real enjoyment of the cultures come with the package and is to be highly recommended. In some areas, you don’t even have to have the qualifications to serve with CLC, just willingness and simplicity of communication. Carol Langsley, Sheffield Retiree & Missionary
SURRENDER by John Stanley
Are you ready to learn how to navigate life’s deep waters with Christ as your guide? In Surrender, John Stanley encourages readers in the call upon every Christian’s life to daily die to self and surrender— in salvation and in every single circumstance.
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Expertly weaving together Scripture, personal anecdotes and a white-water rafting story, John explores what a truly surrendered life can look like and how that provides a new outlook on what it means to live a satisfied, joyful life.
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One man’s incredible story of faith, hope and forgiveness in the Burundian Civil War Jess Komanapalli tells the remarkable story of Theo Mbazumutima in her new book How did you come to meet Theo and discover his story? My good friend Alison is a missionary in Burundi. She introduced me to Theo when he came to preach at her church and told me he had an amazing testimony and that I should hear it. I remember thinking ‘wow, that’s an incredible story!’ Theo’s story is set against the backdrop of the Burundian Civil War – is this essentially a book about historical events or does it have relevance to us today? Without doubt, Theo’s story has relevance today. The war is just a backdrop for situations and crises we all go through. This is a book about God’s love for all of his children. It’s a book about faith in trials, about the power and beauty in the acts of repentance and forgiveness, about God’s ability to rescue us from, and even use, our most difficult and painful experiences, and about the good purposes and plans God has for each one of our lives. Anyone who reads Theo’s story will be amazed about the faithfulness of God – but what strikes you most about Theo and his story? Theo has endured and experienced so many traumatic and unbelievable hardships, but he
has emerged from it all with a strong faith and commitment to God, and with a desire to help transform the lives of other people. He was always adamant that he shouldn’t be made a hero in any way but was open about his failings and about the times when he was angry with God or doubted him. Instead, Theo always pointed to God as the hero in this story. What do you hope readers will get out of reading My Country Wept? I hope readers will be extremely encouraged in their faith. Deciding to serve God in India, away from my loved ones in the UK, and with no real plans ahead of us, was certainly a journey of faith for me and my husband. But when we have encountered difficult times or needed to believe in God for provision, Theo’s testimony has always come back to me. It’s helped me remember just how powerfully God can act on our behalf to intervene in any situation and to direct our paths. It’s helped me remember that God is able to answer our prayers in incredible ways and that he truly has a good plan for each one of us, if we would just seek him and submit to his leading. I also hope it challenges those who are struggling with issues of forgiveness or repentance to allow God to do a work in their lives which will bear much fruit, just as Theo did.
One man’s incredible story of faith, hope and forgiveness in the Burundian Civil War When love overcomes the violence and hate of war, a story of redemption, salvation and hope remains.’ Scott Norling, International Consultant Asia Director, Joyce Meyer Ministries
9781780784649
‘An important work that should be read by everyone.
WE CAN CHANGE THE COURSE OF EVENTS IF WE GO TO OUR KNEES IN BELIEVING PRAYER BILLY GRAHAM
April 2nd - 8th
Week 14: Global Praise Points Monday (2nd) – Philippines:
This quarter CLC Philippines is hosting a Daily Vacation Bible School (DVBS) Seminar/ Workshop on April 9, 2018. Many churches have been invited to send at least five delegates to participate in the event. Pray that many churches and church leaders will attend enabling them to conduct DVBS programmes that are more relevant to their community so that many children, young people and their parents will be reached for Christ.
Tuesday (3rd) – Canada:
Thank you Father for clearly showing us Your plan for CLC Canada’s distribution department because it wasn’t cost effective and was, in fact, losing a lot of money. After obediently following Your plan to restructure this department, we are now seeing positive results.
Wednesday (4th) – Sierra Leone:
We thank God for the year-long celebrations of our Golden Jubilee. We launched our first event in February 2017 and built up these joyous occasions to finish with an Anniversary lunch on February 11th, 2018, and a Grand Thanksgiving Service on February 18th, 2018. The celebrations were a real blessing to our team because we were privileged to meet with past CLCers who helped to bring the ministry to where it stands today.
Thursday (5th) – Papua New Guinea (PNG):
We praise God for the safe arrival of CLC PNG’s order of children’s resources from Scandinavia Press in the United States. These books arrived just in time for the ‘Back to School’ sale in Port Moresby. This is a big event for CLC’s ministry as many come from miles around to attend.
Friday (6th) – Venezuela:
We thank God that recently, after an extensive wait due to our country’s financial difficulties, Ruby Arrieta, a member of the CLC Maracaibo bookshop team, was able to receive a necessary operation. Praise God the surgery went well! Please continue to pray for her recovery. *Photo
The Weekend (7th/8th) – Dominica:
Praise the Lord that CLC Dominica now has a part-time helper, Patricia Laudat, to cover for Tajya Winston, who is on maternity leave since the birth of her baby daughter, Yahna. Please remember both of these wonderful women as they settle into their new roles. 11
April 9th - 15th
Week 15: International Prayer Requests Monday (9th) – Sierra Leone:
At the time of writing, Sierra Leone was planning to elect a new president on March 7, 2018. Please continue to pray for this nation as well as CLC’s ministry and team as the post-election era is always a serious concern for every Sierra Leonean.
Tuesday (10th) – Liz Patten, CLC Africa Regional Director:
“Please pray for my travels to Ivory Coast (Abidjan and Bouaké) and then to Burkina Faso in the first half of April. I am looking forward to seeing our teams there. Emmanuel Ladeyo (FWA director from CLC Benin) and Bernhard Koecke from CLC France will accompany me. May we travel in safety and be an encouragement to our brothers and sisters. May we find practical ways to help them grow the ministry in their own countries. Thank you!” Liz Patten
Wednesday (11th) – France:
At the end of March, CLC France completed the annual stocktake in its warehouse and in its 13 bookshops. The team is currently checking all the results and integrating these figures into some financial software. This is a lot of work that must be accurate, so please pray for the team and especially for Etienne Audier as he oversees this task. May the Lord inspire us to continue developing our ministry and projects so that we may better serve our clients in 2018, both personally and professionally.
Thursday (12th) – Antigua:
The government will be calling an election this year. Please pray for guidance and safety. Please also continue to pray for the CLC team, their families, friends and customers.
Friday (13th) – Canada:
We ask you to pray for us as we need wisdom and innovation from the Lord to face 2018. New opportunities and ideas are required to help increase our presence in the country so that we can provide the best possible service to our community. Pray, too, for our upcoming meetings with church leaders as we discuss hosting Thompson Bible seminars for them.
The Weekend (14th/15th) – Colombia:
“As a team that is also a publisher and wholesaler, we ask for your prayers as we make a number of trips to visit other countries during May. We thank God for His provision and ask that you pray also for safe travel mercies for those traveling. May these opportunities strengthen our partnerships in these countries.” David Pabon, National Director April 16th - 22nd
Week 16: Upcoming Events Monday (16th) – Gary Chamberlin, Europe Regional Director:
Please pray for a blessed and productive time at the CBA Marketsquare Europe meetings in Budapest from April 16 – 20. CLC directors from all over Europe (with the addition of Colombia, Korea and Kenya) will be meeting with many US Christian publishers and rights’ agents to evaluate new books on the market for their own countries. In addition, there will be three days of training to better our capabilities in publishing, partially in collaboration with CBA. Please pray that these days will be very beneficial and instructive for all of the CLCers 12
and other publishers attending, mostly from Eastern Europe.
Tuesday (17th) – Switzerland:
On the 6 May, CLC Switzerland will attend the ’Culto Cantonale,’ the general meeting of Italianspeaking believers here in south Switzerland. We are thankful to God that pastors have decided to repeat this meeting annually instead of every two years. Our CLC team will have a book table there, so it will be a blessing for our ministry and for them. It’s probable that the mayor will be there, and it is the CLC team’s hope that more and more people will be blessed by this event.
Wednesday (18th) – United States:
Please pray for the CLC USA annual conference (April 22 – 23) as we spend time together in prayer and seeking God for His will for the next year of ministry. Pray for discernment and unity in decisions and a strengthening of the fellowship.
Thursday (19th) – Spain:
On Friday, June 1st and Saturday, June 2nd, the Thompson Bible seminar will be held in Madrid. Another two seminars will be held in Barcelona and Gerona in the week of June 4th to 10th. Pray that these events will be a great blessing to the Christian people in Spain and that the local team that is being formed for the continuity of this seminar will be consolidated. Also, pray for the economic and logistical resources for the development of the seminar in Equatorial Guinea. *Photo
Friday (20th) – Papua New Guinea:
“Please pray for our bookshop staff as we plan to have a short retreat soon to encourage and refresh us as a team. The time will also serve as a reminder to help us stay focused on the task the Lord has given us. Since many of our team members are also family members, we ask that the Lord would help us to remain united as a team and as families. Pray too for our team as we set up book stalls in public places where we can be a witness to those in our city as well as highlight helpful resources to those in need.” Vere Babona, National Director
The Weekend (21st/22nd) – Panama:
During May, CLC Panama will be hosting a Thompson Bible seminar in the Ngobe Buglé region. Please pray for those who are working behind the scenes to make sure everything is ready for the event and that it will be well attended and a blessing to many. Please also continue to pray for our team as some members are leaving to dedicate themselves fully to their university studies. Please help those remaining to find new staff or ways to fill the gaps and grow together in unity. April 23rd - 29th
Week 17: Evangelism & Outreach Opportunities Monday (23rd) – France:
CLC France National Director Hervé Lessous will be making a presentation at the next board meeting of Livr’Afrique in June. Please pray for a blessed meeting with wisdom from the Lord. CLC and Livr’Afrique are hoping to help about ten French-speaking countries in Africa, plus Madagascar and Haiti. Together, they would like to find a way for these countries to receive Christian literature and Bibles for less money than normal. This is a very big challenge, but we know that with the Lord’s help, all things are possible.
Tuesday (24th) – Ruud ‘Rudy’ Kuijer, Global Mobiliser and Evangelism Development:
Please pray for clear guidance for Rudy Kuijer in developing a God-given strategy for getting 13
new people with a heart for evangelism through Christian literature to join CLC. Rudy has been networking with other missions, such as WEC, OMF, Frontiers, Wycliffe and CAMA. We thank the Lord that these relationships are growing. We aren’t just interested in having book tables at their events, but also in being a bridge that supports and serves all types of mission organisations through lasting relationships.
Wednesday (25th) – Kenya:
We thank the Lord for your prayers as CLC Kenya explored different children’s orphanages to donate books to. The search led the team to the New Life Home in Nairobi, and it is hoped that our ministry can be a real blessing to these children. CLC Kenya usually donates books at the end of every year; however, it is felt that their need for books is urgent. Please pray that the Lord will provide a way for the team to make the donation sooner. *Photo / Scan the QR code graphic to learn more about the New Life Home Trust.
Thursday (26th) – Switzerland:
“We are hoping to partner with Compassion and hold an event this autumn in the bookshop in an effort to make believers in the area more aware of the needs of the poor. If the Lord is in this, then it will happen! Please pray for us as we meet with Compassion workers to discuss and plan this event. Pray too that many children might be sponsored through this event.” Carlo Ciafani, Manager
Friday (27th) – Cyprus:
CLC Cyprus often has customers from other countries and faiths—mainly refugees or asylum seekers—who come to the shop to do photocopying. At times, the team members have the opportunity to share the Gospel with them or give them a Gospel tract. Please pray that the Lord will work in their hearts and that the Lord will provide more of these opportunities.
The Weekend (28th/29th) – Central Asia (CA2):
“Please continue to pray for the protection of our CLC Central Asia team and for opportunities to share the Gospel with those who visit the shop. Please pray that God will open the spiritual eyes and ears of the people we share with.” The Director April 30th - May 6th
Week 18: Prayer Requests from the CLC World Monday (30th) – Dominica:
Please pray that God would continue to grant Davis Laudat (Manager) wisdom and vision for CLC’s ministry here in Dominica.
Tuesday (1st) – Benin:
As 2018 marks the 20th anniversary of CLC Benin’s ministry, please join with us in thanking God for what He has brought us through. Pray that we trust Him for all that is to come! Also, please pray for the special ways in which our team is planning to commemorate the anniversary so that God is glorified, customers are blessed and CLC is made better and more widely known. Over the years, CLC Benin has repeatedly asked for prayer that the LORD will provide the opportunity for the team to purchase its own property. Again, we request intercession for this. We would love for this team to have its own place, centrally located, as a means of securing the future of the ministry. Please pray for God’s provision. 14
Wednesday (2nd) – United States:
Pray for CLC USA bookstores during this busy time as we promote Christian resources as options for those purchasing gifts for upcoming special occasions. Many give gifts to unbelieving family members, so please pray with us that God’s Spirit will open the eyes of the blind.
Thursday (3rd) – Antigua:
As mentioned yesterday, a number of special occasions occur during this quarter. We ask that you will pray for the safe and timely arrival of necessary stock, especially for CLC Antigua. Please pray that these items will lead to greater sales in the shop so that the team can pay its invoices on time and continually reinvest these funds into CLC’s ministry and the people it serves.
Friday (4th) – Colombia:
We ask that you pray to the Lord for CLC Editorial (Spanish CLC Publications). The team is making some adjustments and changes that are not easy, but they are necessary so that the ministry can continue to sustain itself abroad. We believe that the Word of God should reach every corner of the earth where Spanish is spoken. Although these are drastic and crucial changes, please pray with us that the Lord will support, strengthen and guide the team in each step. We also ask for your prayers for the presidential elections that will be held this year in Colombia. Please pray, too, for the current situation in Venezuela since the high number of immigrants coming to Colombia has been putting a real strain on the economy and government.
The Weekend (5th/6th) – Kenya:
Praise the Lord for the partnership we are developing with Robert Carr of Metro Philly Church Planting Partnership (USA). We are keen to see how things will develop this year. Please pray for the Lord’s wisdom, direction and unity. There will also be a large conference for pastors in Nairobi during June at The Deliverance Church. Please pray that CLC Kenya will be able to find new ways to partner and be a blessing to the (over) three thousand pastors who will be gathering for annual prayers. May 7th - 13th
Week 19: Encouraging Stories Monday (7th) – Portugal:
After National Director Carlos Cunha recently attended his seventh Global Leadership Summit in Ponte de Sôr (Alentejo), he shared, “It was a great opportunity because we had about fifty attendees from local churches and around twenty non-believers too. Several of these nonbelievers work for the local government. It is the second year in a row that they have attended, bought leadership books and, in some cases, Bibles. It is so encouraging to see their desire to apply some of the leadership principles that they have learned at the conference into the local government. This annual event is not only making a great impact on our community, but it allows us the chance to put the seed of the Gospel into these people’s lives too! What a great blessing to be part of this project!”
Tuesday (8th) – United Kingdom:
“We are grateful for the way our customers have responded to our Bible Projects, including the Mozambique Economy Bibles and the Thai easy-to-read Bibles. People are happy to identify with what we are doing. In fact, a customer recently sent £200 in cash through the post!” Neil Wardrope, CLC Ministry Director
Give a gift that keeps on giving!
THAILAND
BIBLE P RO J E C T
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*More details on page 30 15
Wednesday (9th) – Papua New Guinea:
“Last Christmas Eve, my children decided to cook containers of food and give them to the street people that live on Okari Street. These are people we see often but rarely interact with. What a blessing it was to see God use my children that night to bring some Christmas cheer in their lives. This one act has brought us closer to these unfortunate souls who now refer to us as ‘the Bookshop People.’ It was an eyeopening experience that reminded me that we have a big responsibility to look out for those around us in order to build a bridge for the Gospel. Please pray for us as we build these relationships and for the resources to do these food packs again soon.” Vere Babona, National Director
Thursday (10th) – Colombia:
CLC Editorial (Spanish CLC Publications) has just published nine books for children that have been very well received by adults and are a delight to children. These books have been prepared with very attractive images and simple texts, adapted for each age. We rejoice with the Colombian team because children can hold in their hands the Bible presented in didactic and entertaining ways that amuse them and teach them to love the Word of God.
Friday (11th) – Central Asia (CA2):
“Praise God that we finally have received official registration as a Christian Bookstore! On top of that, we have even managed to get permission from the Religion Committee to import and sell nearly twenty new titles in Russian and in the local language. This is in addition to the ones already being sold elsewhere in the country.” The Director
The Weekend (12th/13th) – Colombia:
“The OM ship Logos Hope visited our country recently, staying in the Bay of Santa Marta during December, in the Port of Barranquilla during January and in the Port of Cartagena in February. David Pabon (Colombia National Director) and I were blessed to visit the ship and to set up a book table on the ship. The team from the CLC Barranquilla bookstore attended the book table and also put up a banner highlighting CLC’s ministry. This ship takes the Gospel to the nations of the earth. It is the largest floating bookstore in the world and sells books at very affordable prices to sustain itself. It has become a unique tourist attraction. It attracts believers and non-believers and impacts them through their work. CLC sold a large number of books, more than 2000 from different publishers—including ours—at very favourable prices to support this evangelistic work. We donated books from our own publishing house to the ship as a way to encourage missions and to contribute to their spread of the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ in the world. Praise be to the Lord!” Blanca Garzón, CLC Editorial May 14th - 20th
Week 20: Working Together Monday (14th) – CLC Russia & CLC Korea:
In the last couple of years, CLC Russia has been able to publish titles in a joint effort with a number of other CLC countries in Europe. Praise God that the team has just completed—for the very first time—a joint publication with CLC Korea. May the Lord continue to open doors that will allow CLC teams to support each other’s publishing efforts.
Tuesday (15th) – CLC & Pastors in Florence:
“Praise God for the growth of fellowship within the CLC team in Florence. Doors are opening for 16
evangelism from the bookshop due to its prominent tourist location. Recently, the team invited thirteen local pastors to join them for a meal. May the Lord provide more opportunities like this, enabling CLC to build stronger relationships within the local Christian community.” Ruud ‘Rudy’ Kuijer, CLC Global Mobiliser / Evangelism Development
Wednesday (16th) – CLC PNG, Government & Churches:
There is an opportunity for CLC PNG to partner with the Department of Community Development and Religion to provide counselling services and resources to victims of family and gender-based violence. Pray that this will become a reality as we negotiate and liaise with different church leaders to strengthen our ministry.
Thursday (17th) – CLC Editorial (Colombia) & Publishers:
God is opening amazing doors for CLC Editorial (Spanish CLC Publications). Many favourable alliances have been made with Scandinavia and Copenhagen Publishers to produce beautiful children’s books at very low prices. The team has also partnered with a Biblical organisation to print Bibles for Colombia, as well as with other authors and publishers who will be a great blessing for our ministry. Praise the Lord!
Friday (18th) – CLC Bolivia & Events:
Pray for CLC Bolivia as it prepares to participate in the 2018 International Book Fair in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. More than 50,000 people normally attend. Please pray for good sales. Please pray that through those that the team encounters at the event, God will open new doors for the placement of Christian literature in churches, universities, markets, events and fairs.
The Weekend (19th/20th) – CLC UK & the Vineyard Church:
We thank the Lord for the growing relationship with the Vineyard Churches in the UK. They are actively planting and growing churches in this country and beyond. CLC UK has recently established a relationship that enables the team to supply them with a website, book tables at their events and necessary ongoing resources from the CLC Warehouse in Chester. Please also pray for our Annual Conference that begins this weekend (May 20 – 22) as CLC UK seeks the Lord for the way forward. There are multiple challenges to the ministry, and the team wants to be both relevant and sustainable. May this also be a time for reflection and personal renewal. Following the conference, the UK trustees will meet on May 22nd and 23rd. Pray for them in their responsibilities. CLC UK is blessed to have an excellent group of trustees with experience in various areas. May 21st - 27th
Week 21: CLC Publications Monday (21st) – United Kingdom:
Praise God as CLC UK recently participated with Scandinavia Publishing to produce three children’s books. It has been many years since the UK team has been involved in publishing locally, and we pray that this is only the beginning. Please also continue to pray for the development and implementation of various digital technologies in these months, including websites, eBooks and Print-on-Demand (POD). The demands of the market—anywhere, anyhow, any time—are a challenge for us, but they also come with opportunities that we wish to grasp.
Tuesday (22nd) – Portugal:
Last November, CLC Portugal’s publishing department translated and published two popular titles into Portuguese. Already 87 copies of the first title, The Christian’s Pocket Guide to Loving the 17
Old Testament (Christian Focus), have been sold, and 84 copies of The Starter Bible (Thomas Nelson). “We cannot thank the Lord enough for the opportunities to publish such strong Christian titles into our native language,” shares Carlos Cunha, National Director. *Photo
Wednesday (23rd) – Colombia:
“We thank the Lord for the book we are working on, The Genealogies of Genesis, written by the Rev. Abraham Park, a Korean writer and pastor. He has written five wonderful books. We hope to publish them and develop seminars on each book for different countries. Pray that God will allow these books to reach the hands of thousands of pastors and leaders who need to understand the providence of God in the history of redemption.” Blanca Garzón, CLC Editorial
Thursday (24th) – France:
CLC France has recently published two new titles by an American Rabbi in an effort to help Christians better understand the Jewish culture and customs. These ‘what every Christian should know’ style of books explore understanding Jesus as a Jewish man and understanding the Passover. It is hoped that through these publications, Christians will be able to reach more Jewish people by building better relationships with those in this community.
Friday (25th) – Kenya:
CLC Kenya just released its very first children’s publication. The book, Conceive Achieve for Teens, has already sold a good number of copies. Pray with us that this book will be a blessing that helps teenagers in Kenya to conceive ideas and dreams (in accordance to God’s will) and then gives them the tools and motivation to work hard to achieve them.
The Weekend (26th/27th) – Russia:
Last January, CLC Russia celebrated the safe arrival of the Key Verse Bible (in Russian) for children. This joint production between CLC and Scandinavia Publishing House has been long awaited. Upon seeing the new arrival, one of the bookshop assistants said, “This is the best book we’ve done (so far)!” May 28th - June 3rd
Week 22: News, Prayers & Praise Monday (28th) – Italy:
CLC Italy is excited that Gerardo Scalante (CLC International Director) and his wife, Silvia, will be attending its annual conference being held just outside Catania, Sicily, June 10 – 14. Please pray for their safe arrival and a blessed time for all. May the staff find refreshment and be challenged to move forward together in accordance with God’s will.
Tuesday (29th) – Italy:
CLC Italy currently has eight bookshops in Italy’s biggest cities and a large warehouse on the outskirts of Catania. There is a ninth shop in the Italian speaking part of Switzerland. With the increase in Internet sales, it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep all of these shops open. Pray that the shops and warehouse can grow and be centres of witness.
Wednesday (30th) – Central Asia (CA2):
Pray that the Lord would help this CLC team to develop deeper relationships with local churches and their leaders. Pray too that this will lead to new opportunities for outreach and 18
enable them to better support one another. Recently, CLC CA2 has been able to put some of its books into a ‘church bookshop.’ Praise God for these opportunities, which are key to financially supporting CLC’s ministry in this country.
Thursday (31st) – United States:
Please continue to pray for the regular shipments coming from around the world for CLC’s Multi-Language Media department. It is not unusual for boxes to be lost or damaged, so please pray that our Bibles and books will arrive on time and in good condition.
Friday (1st) – Burkina Faso:
Let us continue to pray for Luc, Gerard and all those that assist (including their families) in the CLC bookshop in Burkina Faso. This small but faithful team is committed to the Lord and to seeing their nation reached through Christian literature ministry. May God bless their hard work and continuing efforts to pay back the loan they received from CLC Colombia and reestablish the payments towards their pension plans. Pray too that a local prayer support team will be established for the ministry and that those in the area would be open to participating in new ways in order to keep the ministry sustainable.
The Weekend (2nd/3rd) – Philippines:
Regional Director Romualdo Macinas shares, “Praise God for the many new opportunities we have received to have book tables in state universities/colleges and in private universities run by the Catholic Church. We have even been able to reach out to introduce our ministry to the private and public libraries in schools and universities. We also thank the Lord for a new wholesale customer in South Luzon.” June 4th - 10th
Week 23: Projects Updates & New Opportunities Monday (4th) – Kenya:
CLC Kenya’s Print-on-Demand (POD) system is touching lives in ways we had not imagined. So many authors have been able to get their messages out, and we are grateful to God for using this team to facilitate this. This project is also a financial blessing to the ministry in Kenya. When bookshops are struggling, the POD system helps the team to manage its cash flow. CLC Kenya also feels that there is a need to engage in training others to use books as the core resource. The team is currently in talks with several organisations on how to partner together. Please pray for direction and wisdom for the Kenyan team, that it will engage only with those that God has appointed.
Tuesday (5th) – Colombia:
CLC Colombia has several prayer requests, but asks especially for prayer for the new CLC bookshop in Chocó, a region with a majority of Afro-Colombians and indigenous people that have many beliefs that contradict the Bible. The team has been doing several activities, supporting the community and inviting them to the shop for Bible studies, Sunday school activities and seminars. Pray with us that the Word of God will produce much fruit in this region.
Wednesday (6th) – Sierra Leone:
During the period when CLC Sierra Leone was printing the Scripture Union devotionals on its Print-on-Demand (POD) system, the team ran out of supplies. Thank God with us that the supplies arrived just when they were needed most. Pray too for this team as it plans to launch the Africa Study Bible on June 8, 2018. Pray for God’s zeal for every member so that they do not get weary or discouraged in their planning. 19
Thursday (7th) – Canada:
CLC Canada is working hard to develop a project that seeks to influence pastors to engage their audiences in good reading habits. The team has joined together with the Francophone Christian publishing community to create this programme. Please continue to pray for opportunities to share and encourage church leaders to take part in this endeavour.
Friday (8th) – Central Asia (CA2):
In response to the praise point from May 11, at the time of writing, CLC CA2 was preparing to place an order for new Russian Christian books. Please pray for the safe arrival of these new Russian titles and for the Lord to help the team continue to participate in translation projects to make quality Christian books in their local language available.
The Weekend (9th/10th) – Ecuador:
Join us in praying that CLC Ecuador’s bank loan application for a new wholesale warehouse (including offices and a shop) will soon be approved. The team would like to begin construction on its property in the city of Guayaquil in August, but this loan is needed to proceed. CLC Ecuador is also awaiting various building permits and soil checks from the municipal authorities. These permits are a bit complex due to the latest earthquakes, but the team (and the rest of CLC) are trusting that God will be working a special way for these approvals to be granted. June 11th - 17th
Week 24: More Global Praise Points Monday (11th) – Cyprus:
It may seem like a small thing, but the timely arrival of books for customers and ministries that are holding events or meetings is a real struggle at times in Cyprus. Since the majority of CLC’s inventory comes from publishers outside of the country, we give praise to God that, once again, a customer’s special order of books arrived just in time! Thank you, Father.
Tuesday (12th) – Papua New Guinea (PNG):
Book Aid Australia (BAA) has promised in the near future to donate, a pallet of good secondhand Christian books and Bibles to CLC PNG. Please pray that CLC’s partnership with BAA will continue to grow and that many will come to faith and maturity in our Lord through these quality resources.
Wednesday (13th) – Portugal:
On February 18th, CLC Portugal had a book launch for its latest Portuguese publication, Mulheres Sem Nome no Velho Testamento (Anonymous Women in the Old Testament), in the Coimbra bookshop. Written by local author, Clarisse Barros, this is CLC Portugal’s second publication with her. Join us in giving thanks to God for this partnership and that the team had such a successful event. *Photo
Thursday (14th) – India:
We thank God for the good dedication service of CLC India’s new Tamil title, Biblical Interpretation, that was held at the New Life Assembly of God Church, the biggest church in India, on the February 11. By God’s grace, nearly 500 books sold on the day itself. Pray for CLC India’s publishing team and that the Lord would provide the funds needed to soon publish other much-needed titles. 20
Friday (15th) – Kenya:
We thank God for CLC Kenya’s partnership with Leadership Partnership Development (UK) as it has been a source of great encouragement for the team. Working with Brian and Sheila Keel is refreshing and, together, CLC and the Keels are looking for ways to better support each other as they co-labour with God to do the Great Commission.
The Weekend (16th/17th) – Philippines:
Praise God that with its Print-on-Demand (POD) system, CLC Philippines was able to publish over ten titles in 2017! Four of these titles were written by local authors. Pray with us that these titles—and those the team prints during 2018—will make a real impact in our readers’ lives. June 18th - 22nd
Week 25: Ongoing Prayers & Concerns Monday (18th) – Papua New Guinea:
Pray for the churches in Port Moresby and especially for their leaders as the CLC team have noticed a drop in visitors to the bookshop. Online sermons, which are easy to download and do not require much time spent studying the Bible, are creating a society that doesn’t read or have good Bible study habits. Please pray that as a bookshop ministry, CLC PNG will find a way to revive interest as it becomes proactive in getting the message out and encouraging Christians to be active readers and students of the Word.
Tuesday (19th) – Venezuela:
The prayer needs of CLC Venezuela continue to be for the political and economic situation of the country, which affects all the economic, social and daily life activities of the population. Please pray for the CLC ministry in Venezuela and for the provision for the team and their families. We ask God that His provision may never be lacking since, at the present time, each day it becomes more difficult to buy the necessities like food, medicine and clothing due to high prices. Inflation has depleted most of the purchasing power of the population. Each day this produces a greater outflow of Venezuelans to other countries in search of a better future. They must leave the country to help their families.
Wednesday (20th) – Germany:
Praise God that a lot of people are still coming and using CLC’s service in Germany, but each year this figure seems to be dropping. Please pray that God would help us discover new ways and opportunities to draw people back in to the Hamburg shop.
Thursday (21st) – Canada:
Praise God that CLC Canada was able to break even last year, yet it remains financially fragile. Please pray for the team as it continues to find ways to stabilise and sustain the ministry. CLC Canada needs a volunteer who can work one or two days a week at one of our branches. Please pray that God will send the right person with a heart for literature ministry our way.
Friday (22nd) – Bolivia:
We give thanks to God for the new location of the Bolivian bookshop as there is a lot more footfall, providing opportunities for new people to find it. Unfortunately, the CLC team has discovered that this new location is also an area where many protest demonstrations occur. At times, tear gas is used to break up these marches, but, thank the Lord, we have not yet had any broken windows. Please join us in praying that God will continue to protect this shop that is in such a visible and central location to reach thousands each day! 21
The Weekend (23rd/24th) – Benin:
Please pray for an improvement in the overall economic development of Benin, which depends heavily on the cotton trade for income. Pray for improvements to the business environment, boosts to the infrastructure investment, transformation of the agricultural sector and more inclusive growth. Our CLC bookshop is located in Cotonou, a large port city on the south coast.
SEEK
the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace.” Jeremiah 29:7 (NKJV)
June 25th - Julyl 1st
Week 26: Answers to Prayer Monday (25th) – Dominica: “Alleluia. Alleluia is the highest praise to our God Almighty. Join us as we give thanks. Sandra
Robinson, CLC Director for Antigua, Dominica and Trinidad, was recently over to help with our annual stocktake. She had a conversation with our landlord, and the Lord prevailed. Now, we will not need to move! To God be the glory, great things He has done.” Davis Laudat, Manager
Tuesday (26th) – Portugal:
Praise God that after many years of CLC Portugal having only a single full-time missionary, due to recent growth, the ministry is now financially able to support another part-time missionary working in the bookshop. Thank you Father for this answer to prayer! Please pray that God would send the right person to work alongside Carlos Cunha so that he will have the necessary support he needs.
Wednesday (27th) – Ecuador:
We share our thanks to God for His faithfulness! Although CLC Ecuador started this year by closing its shop in the south of Guayaquil City, sales at the shop in the north have skyrocketed! The customers from the closed shop are regularly visiting our CLC shop in the north. Glory be to God! He is always good and faithful.
Thursday (28th) – Canada:
Thank you for your prayers! After a two-year wait, CLC Canada has finally obtained recognition as a charitable organisation for its distribution department. Thank you Father for Your provision!
Friday (29th) – Russia:
“We praise the Lord for the safe arrival of children’s Bibles by Scandinavian publishers, all in good condition. This was the first ‘import’ project for us. Praise the Lord—it went well! We have also introduced some changes to our customer service protocol in an effort to be even more available to our customers. Naturally, there are adjustment challenges, so please pray for us as we adapt to these changes. Pray that we will become better stewards of the Lord’s riches.” Nikita Sapunov, National Director
The Weekend (June 30th/July 1st) – Central Asia (CA2):
Due to shipping, customs and distributor costs, it is not always possible to keep CLC’s prices as low as some online sources. Despite this, CLC CA2 were greatly encouraged by one of its customers who decided to remain faithful and still placed her order with the team. When asked why, she shared that it was because the CLC team always worked fairly with her and responded promptly. Thank you Father! What an answer to prayer. Lord, please continue to help CLC teams around the world to provide the kind of service and ministry that keeps people returning to our shops and choosing to support our ministry. 22
OPEN A
BOOK
AND YOUR
HEART
TO HELP THE MOST
NEEDY... Colombia Social Foundation: We give thanks to God for the evangelistic, missionary and social work that CLC Colombia has been doing. Fundación Social CLC (Social Foundation) makes CLC’s heart for missions visible along with their desire to support pastors, schools, hospitals, Indigenous people, convicts, vulnerable children, disabled people and many others. Since this foundation is funded mainly by CLC’s bookshops, it is both a reminder and an encouragement to other CLC teams to keep striving to reach out to those around them. Every day, this particular CLC team is finding various ways to make a life-changing difference in so many lives as a reflection of God’s love. By providing basic human needs, teaching life skills, supplying equipment and support for quality of life and, of course, Biblical training, the Lord is truly using this team for His purposes. Director David Pabon, shares: “We thank God for the Thompson Bible Seminars as they allow us to teach the Word of God to pastors and leaders. More than 17,000 people have benefitted from our training, and we also work in jails in different cities across the country. This year we will go to cárcel Modelo, one of the most dangerous penitentiaries in Colombia. We will share the Thompson Bible seminar with 100 convicts that already know the gospel and who are now working as leaders in the prison. Our foundation is also working with ethnic minorities, providing Thompson Bible seminars, teaching life skills and supporting those who feel called into ministry by sponsoring them so they can attend a theological institution.” Thank you, Father, for CLC Colombia and their social foundation. Please continue to provide the strength, wisdom and funds needed to share the Gospel with those often overlooked by society. May You continue to encourage us all to surrender our lives fully to you so that we will be aware of opportunities you place before us and we can be Your hands and feet to those in need. 23
WWW.MULTILANGUAGE.COM The Joy of Working Together to Fulfil the Great Commission Rejoice in the Lord, always. Again I say, Rejoice! Philippians 4:4 Hopevale Church in Saginaw, Michigan, has partnered with a vibrant, multifaceted ministry in northeast Haiti for over 10 years. Our mission trips there have included a training conference for Haitian pastors using the Thompson Chain Reference Bible. For our third pastors’ conference in February 2018, we anticipated around 200 Haitian pastors and needed to purchase 120 French language Thompson Chain Reference Bibles and 120 ‘next step’ pastors resources in French or Haitian Creole. The source we had previously used for Thompson Bibles could not provide us the number of Bibles or pastors resources that we needed. We were getting desperate. We prayed and contacted organisations such as Christian Book Distributors, the American Bible Society and Chuck Ballard with African Pastoral Training. None could supply the quantity we needed but recommended other potential suppliers, including CLC. We called CLC just before closing time on December 20, 2017. Jim Pitman answered the phone and was 24
immediately helpful and hopeful that CLC could provide what we needed. He promised to pray for us, do some homework and contact us the next day. He did. After more conversation and consideration, we purchased the 120 French language Thompson Bibles and 60 Creole Bible concordances and Bible Doctrine books. Jim and Yaninna guided us through all aspects of our purchase and shipping. The materials arrived on time, and a total of 175 Haitian pastors took part in the week-long conference, learning to use the Thompson Bible and the other pastors’ reference books to strengthen their churches and reach their communities for Christ. It was amazing to see how eager and engaged these brothers and sisters in Christ were as we investigated God’s Word together. They were so appreciative of these valuable resources for their ministries. None of that would have been possible without the over-and-above help of CLC. We look forward to working them them again in the future! Pastors Ken MacGillivray & Adam Harbaugh, Hopevale Church
CLC USA’s Multi-Language Media As you probably know by now, CLC’s mission is to help people around the world come to faith and maturity in the Lord Jesus Christ by making Bibles and evangelical Christian literature available to them. Sometimes, however, the most important resources are not available in the local language. For this reason, CLC has been investing heavily in publishing projects, Print-on-Demand systems and other publishing partnerships that allow CLC teams globally to translate and print much needed resources in their own language. CLC USA’s Multi-Language Media department, however, is taking this one step further by making Bibles, Christian books and other ministry resources in over 90 languages, all available under one roof! Although it is a major challenge to collect resources from different nations, we hope that by having a distributor that is consistently stocking these resources, we will be able to better assist the needs of the international church. Has God called your church to be involved in a foreign language ministry? Are you struggling to find the necessary foreign language resources for your ministry? CLC wants to help! Please visit our website to learn more: www.multilanguage.com Alternatively, contact your local CLC branch to discuss how we can better assist you. If you live in the UK, CLC UK’s wholesale also has a large stock of foreign resources available. For more information visit www.clcbookshops.com
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JEFF LUCAS If you want to walk on water, consider
STAYING IN THE BOAT AND OTHER THINGS I WISH I’D KNOWN
Having spent over 40 years in Christian ministry, Jeff returns with his most profound collection of wisdom to date. Consider what God might be teaching you as Jeff, with humour, depth and grace, shares some of the most significant lessons he’s learnt so far. ISBN: 9781782598053
Available from CLC and all Christian bookshops.
9781619582842
WHEN WE COME TO THE END OF OURSELVES, WE COME TO THE BEGINNING OF GOD. BILLY GRAHAM
A Big Raft, Some White Water, and One Freaked Out Little Kid Chapter one excerpt from John Stanley’s Surrender, a CLC Publication We pulled into the dusty, rocky parking lot of a local rafting company headquartered in a rustic log cabin deep in the woods, about five miles from the Ocoee River. We piled out of our maroon minivan and saw the river guides who, despite living on a river for a whole summer, were surprisingly clean cut. The college- and adult-aged men had a clean shave, washed clothing that wasn’t faded or torn and hair that had recently been cut—a seemingly good, grounded, and acceptable group. Except for one. In my child mind, he looked like a serial killer. He had a good bit of scruff on his face and long, greasy, curly brown hair that hung just below his shoulders. I was certain it hadn’t been washed since his childhood. He was a bigger man, standing tall at about 6’3” with tree-trunk legs and muscular, beefedup arms. To me, he looked scary as all get out. This guy was someone you’re taught to run away from when you’re twelve years old, not someone you’d entrust your life to. Well, wouldn’t you know it? We ended up with that guy as our guide.
Now at twelve, my prayer life was clearly growing. Prayers that would be considered ‘begging’ were few and far between. Yet the moment I found out he was our guide and our only chance of survival, I pleaded to God in every way to be released from the nightmare that had just begun. But sometimes, no matter how hard we beg, there’s a purpose for why we are where we are. In hindsight, I think God probably smiled, maybe even laughed a little and said, “You’ll be fine.” Did I feel that way? Nope. Little did I know it would turn out fine, but not until we finished the scariest ride of my life. Everything in between the start and finish line of this little journey is still unnerving when I think back through it all. But in the midst of my personal turmoil, the lesson had already begun. So, there we were, standing up to our knees in the frigid water. I was just trying to catch my breath and calm myself down as horrid thoughts raced through my mind. What was going to happen to us? As the self-absorbed tween, I also wondered, What is going to 27
happen to me? How long will it take for me to fly out of the raft and drown? I watched the white-water caps slam against the rocks as the river curved a long path to what seemed like certain doom. I was done for. It didn’t look like fun. In fact, it seemed evil. Yet there my parents stood with huge smiles across their faces. My dad was ‘livin’ it up!’ as he would say on virtually any adventurous journey. As I stood with my eyes locked on the terror before me, I made sure my life jacket was secure, my helmet was fastened and the paddle grips were in the right place. Then I took a deep breath and climbed aboard the raft. Now because I didn’t weigh much, I was put in the back. Heavier people were placed in the front to help keep the raft from flipping front to back when we hit harder rapids, like those ranked class V. I attempted to secure my feet in the grips underneath the seating in front of me, though I didn’t feel it would do much good. In my mind, placing such a little guy in the back of the raft didn’t seem to be a great idea. With one unsteady bounce, I could shoot up and out like a cannonball on some kind of raging rant of destruction. Oh, and the worst part? The ‘killer guide man’ who was scarier than anyone I’d ever seen sat right behind me. His booming voice could have caused anyone to freeze so, naturally, when we started moving down the river and he screamed, “DIG!”, I froze. It evidently caught his attention that I was doing nothing, so he calmly leaned into my ear and politely said in that scruffy tone,
“When I tell you to dig, boy, you dig. Got it?” Now, I don’t know about you, but when someone who looks like he could snap you into kindling leans into your little ear and commands you do what he says, you either pee your pants or you dig. I chose the latter. As I attempted the first of many failed ‘digs’ in my panicked state, my paddle was barely reaching the water. So my dig, as it was supposed to be, was nothing more than a dip. Still, terrorised and humiliated as I was, I screamed at everyone else at the top of my lungs, “DIG GUYS!” Later, as we made it farther down the river, I’m sure someone in our family wanted to put me out of my misery. As we continued the terror ride, our guide gave strong directives through every twist and turn. If they weren’t followed to the detail or with the necessary tenacity, he made it crystal clear that we would certainly be in some big trouble. All were doing their part, pulling their weight, except me. I was petrified. By the gracious hand of God, we made it down the river. Yes, we survived and finally arrived at our destination. I do believe it was one of the happiest moments of my life. As we gathered on the bus and began to head back, my parents asked me and my brother, “So what did you guys learn about life from that river ride?” I wanted to answer cleverly, “How to die.” Before the words could escape my mouth, my parents laid out their reasoning, plain and simple. Their words were etched in my mind and are still with me to this day: “It’s all about surrender.”
CLC World Recommendation:
The Prince Warriors
by Priscilla Shirer, Author of The Armor of God ISBN: 9781433690198, 224pp You will love this book because you don’t know what will happen next! There are funny parts and scary parts (but you won’t really be scared). There are mysteries and adventures that will blow your mind! Xavier was my favorite character because he has a cool name and was a hard worker for his team. I like that the team had to go to Ahoratos, a cave, to get their armour on. Their armour helps them accomplish obstacles and guides them. My favourite part of the book was the rescue mission of a Prince Warrior. I can’t wait to read the next book! ~ Review by Joey Robichaud, aged 8 (Photo) Book 2: The Prince Warriors and the Unseen Invasion ISBN: 9781433690204 Book 3: The Prince Warriors and the Swords of Rhema ISBN: 9781433690211 29
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Help us bring affordable, easy-to-read Bibles to those seeking to know God in Thailand!
in partnership with
OVERVIEW As there are so many translations of the Bible in certain languages, it is sometimes easy to forget that this isn’t the case around the world. Some regions don’t yet have a Bible in their native tongue, while others only have something in a very outdated language. As beautiful of a language as the English King James version is, you would probably agree that it isn’t exactly an easy read. For that reason, new believers, those who speak English as a second language as well as those who struggle to read due to learning difficulties quite often choose a Bible in a more modern language from a wide selection of translations. In Thailand, however, there are very few affordable, easy-to-read Thai Bibles available. For this reason, the Bible League recently translated a new modern language Thai Bible in the hope that it will greatly aid those who are seeking to know God. CLC has recently received permission from the Bible League to print and distribute these Bibles on their behalf in Thailand. The CLC team plan to print either an initial 3,000 or 5,000 copies of the Bible. It is hoped that by selling this initial print run at an affordable price, they will generate the funds required to continually reorder and print more of these Bibles as needed.
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN HELPING? 1) If so, please pray! This is only the second publishing endeavour that CLC Thailand has attempted so please ask that God will give them the necessary wisdom, direction and peace throughout this process. Pray, too, for the ongoing partnership betwen CLC and the Bible League. Thank you for your prayers! 2) Please prayerfully consider giving a gift that will keep on giving and be an incredible blessing for so many! As it stands, each Bible will cost just over 4 US dollars (£3 GBP) to print. Already, CLC Thailand has been able to generate enough funds to cover the shipping and customs costs, plus an additional 4,000 US dollars (£3,000 GBP) to put towards the initial print run of Bibles. However, in order to make these Bibles available, the rest of the funds are needed by May, 2018. If you feel the Lord is guiding you to make a donation towards this project, please see our donation form (page 31) for more details. Thank you for your continued prayers and financial support—YOU are a vital part of our ministry! 30
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DECLARATION FORM Make every £1 gift(s) go 25p further! Boost your donation by 25p of Gift Aid for every £1 you donate. Gift Aid is reclaimed by the charity from the tax you pay for the current tax year. Your address is needed to identify you as a current UK taxpayer. I want to Gift Aid my donation of £........... to CLC International (UK). I am a UK taxpayer and understand that if I pay less income tax and/or Capital Gains tax in a tax year than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all of my donations in that tax year, it is my responsibility to pay any difference. NAME:
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Thank you for your gift!
31 25
Celebrating the life and legacy of Billy Graham Including Songs and Hymns from his Mission England Rallies
The complete resource for all churches, musicians and worship leaders. Available in-store and online at clcbookshops.com Full Music (two-volume): 9780007563432 | Words: 9780007565191 | Large Type Words: 9780007565207
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3 Easy Ways to Support the Ministry of CLC
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