April 2009

AP Photo / Pavel Rahman

April, 2009

BANGLADESH ONE MILLION GOSPEL TRACTS FOR BANGLADESH In 2008 almost one million Gospel Tracts were delivered house-to-house in Bangladesh and 23,176 people sent response cards to know Christ or receive more information. Amazing! Bangladesh, with a population of almost 159 million people according to the World Bank figures, and almost 132 million Muslims, with some 25 million Hindus. Of the remaining people there are 221,000 Catholics and 150,000 Protestants. But even with an overwhelming Muslim population, Bangladesh is a democracy and practices human rights, so Every Home for Christ is able to do the work of taking Gospel literature home-tohome in the villages as well as the very busy cities as pictured below. Bangladesh is also one of the first countries to have micro enterprise and EHC sponsors a Rickshaw/ Van program as pictured below, providing men with the opportunity to own their own Rickshaw or Van instead of being forced to pay exorbitant rental fees. This has enabled many men to improve their financial status, pay off their debts and better provide for their families.

In Bangladesh Every Home for Christ there is training for women in sewing and the women are then able to get jobs in the garment factories and in this way help their family pay the bills, or they have sewing machines at home that Every Home for Christ helps them to buy and they make clothes to sell and clothes for their family. COVER PHOTO A Bangladeshi child covers his head with a cooking pot as he waits for food in a relief centre near Dhaka, Bangladesh, during floods caused by seasonal monsoon rains. Every Home for Christ supplies food, blankets, and often housing during the flood crises. There are often flooding catastrophes in Bangladesh Daniel Sarker (B.A. in Accountancy) has been the National Director of Bangladesh Every Home for Christ since 2005. He has been on the staff for 36 years and is doing an incredible job, being responsible for all the projects.

Every Home for Christ has Four (4) Primary schools for 1200 children from the slums and poor areas of Bangladesh. You can sponsor a child for $30 a month or $44 Gold Sponsorship See Gift Slip enclosed

Every Home for Christ/ Formerly World Literature Crusade Australia: PO Box 168 Penshurst NSW 2222 Telephone: (02) 9570 8211 Facsimile: (02) 9570 4738 New Zealand: PO Box 31-260 Milford North Shore City 0741 Telephone: Free call 0800 900 200 Facsimile: 0061 2 9570 4738

ETHIOPIA

thiopia is one of the oldest nations on earth. It is mentioned more than 30 times in the Old Testament and has a history that dates back to at least 1000 b.c. Sadly, Ethiopia also has a long history of recurring droughts and deadly famines that have claimed millions of lives. An extended drought and growing food shortages are slowly spreading across the nation. “Our nation faces an economic crisis, people are suffering and have many physical needs,” said EHC Director Aynalem Haimanot. “UNICEF has announced that 75,000 children are already in need of food. Water is in short supply, along with a shortage of electricity. Crime and violence are increasing. There is even a threat of war between Eritrea and Djibouti. Pray that God will protect us.” The religious make-up of Ethiopia also makes it a difficult place for evangelism. The nation’s 26 million Muslims are often resistant to the Gospel, and a rising tide of Islamic fundamentalism has led to violent clashes in some areas.

Mentioned more than 30 times in the Old Testament Despite many dangers, EHC workers are determined to take the Good News to every home in every village. EHC teams are training church leaders and mobilizing believers to share their faith and disciple the new believers they welcome into their congregations. “After we trained 34 new leaders from local churches in the Mojo region, they were very excited,” Aynalem said. “They immediately shared the Gospel with

150 people in the area. Twenty people received new life in Christ, of whom two were former Muslims. Praise God!” Many people do not have Bibles or even gospel booklets to read. When EHC workers arrive with gospel booklets written in the local language, people are excited to read every word. Many find salvation. During one recent outreach, the Gospel was taken to 341 homes in several villages, drawing 90 people to

Christ. “These areas are affected by witchcraft,” Aynalem said. “Many people are addicted to drugs and alcohol and follow evil practices.” EHC is also participating in the Ethio-pian Call project, a church-planting effort being done in conjunction with the Blair Foundation. More than 1,300 churches have been planted, with 55,000 people attending. In response to the project, 23,850 people have been baptized. Prison outreaches are also yielding results. “Our former prime minister was in prison for 12 years and released two weeks ago,” Aynalem said. “While he was in prison, a woman ministered to him, giving him a gospel booklet. Now he testifies that Jesus touched his heart through this literature. He is witnessing in the local newspaper, magazines and through the media.” Please pray for EHC workers as they take the Gospel into dangerous and underevangelized regions of the nation. Pray that many will learn about Jesus and accept His offer of salvation.

SERBIA Reaching New Areas

erbia gained independence in 2006 as part of the prolonged and often violent break-up of the former nation of Yugoslavia. That same year, former Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic died while being tried for war crimes related to brutal battles in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo.

Even through the dark years of struggle, EHC workers offered hope by sharing the Gospel in Serbia and the surrounding breakaway republics, and it continues today. “By the grace of our God, the distribution in Serbia continues,” said EHC Director Ivica Stamenkovic. “We’re sharing Christian literature, Bibles, audio cassettes, Bible-study courses for children, and children’s Bibles.” Over 5,000 people in Serbia have responded to EHC’s home-to-home gospel outreaches. Six home fellowships called Christ Groups have also been formed. EHC Serbia recently launched a web-site that people can visit to learn about Christ, request gospel literature and connect

with local churches. “We are very grateful to our Lord for the website,” Ivica said. “Please join us in prayer, especially for young people who visit our site. EHC workers have also been taking the Gospel to prison inmates. Through the campaign, gospel literature found its way to a Serbian man named Marko who is serving time in prison. Marko wrote to EHC Serbia, explaining that he had accepted Christ, and was in need of a Bible. After Marko received a Bible, he sent another letter to EHC. “I want to thank you

from the bottom of my heart for the Bible you sent me,” Marko wrote. “It is a tremendous gift for me because I am a man in jail. I have a very bad past and I want to change my life. I’m sure that only God and His Son, Jesus Christ, can change my life.” Day by day, Every Home for Christ workers continue to spread the Good News of salvation in Serbia. “Thousands of homes were visited in the last few months,” Ivica said. “Thousands of people had the opportunity to know Jesus Christ through the written word taken to their homes.” Responses on behalf

of children give EHC workers hope for the future. Mihaela, a mother, wrote: “Please send a child’s Bible for my daughter.” Another parent wrote: “We must urge young people to believe that a spiritual life is important.” Ivica is anxious to get more churches involved in sharing the Gospel in Serbia. “Pray for the evangelical churches in Serbia, for better cooperation in spreading the Gospel,” Ivica said. “Praise God for the Second Baptist Church in Belgrade that took seriously its commitment in helping with EHC distribution in their city.” Ivica is also excited about reaching new areas where the Gospel has rarely been heard. “We need your prayers for God’s wisdom and blessing. Above all, pray for the people of Serbia to turn to God. He is blessing us with the opportunity to share the Gospel in places in Serbia where no evangelical church exists.”

From the President you from what is ake a quick look at Joyous Optimism coming upon you” Ttoday’s news and

it’s hard to be optimistic. Politics, the economy, crime, and a global epidemic of deadly violence has put a cloud on the future. In times like these it can be difficult to embrace the hope and joy promised to us in God’s Word. We’re also tempted to believe that if we just had enough money, everything would be okay.

Jesus had a perspective on life that takes personal securities like money and power and throws them right out the window when He said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-20, nkjv). Looking at the current state of the world, there is no better time to embrace Christ’s faithfilled attitude toward the future. No Needs Jesus didn’t have a problem with people having money; His focus was on priorities. The bottom-line question is: Where do we place our

by Dick Eastman

ultimate trust? In money or in God? If our faith is in money and things, we find ourselves in good company with moths and rust. But if we place our faith in God, money doesn’t matter, because God has promised to take care of our basic needs. Jesus said, “Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:25-26, nkjv). If we simply trust God, all of our basic needs will be met. No Problems Having the faith to believe that God will provide does not release us from the responsibility of working diligently to help provide for ourselves and our

families. The apostle Paul said, “If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8, nkjv). Paul made it even clearer in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 (nkjv) when he said, “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.” No Worries Faith in God’s promise to provide will also free our minds from worry. Jesus said, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (Mat-thew 6:27, niv). Worrying about what might happen tomorrow results from trying to look into the future and seize control of it. But God scoffs at people who try to look beyond Him into the future: “Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save

(Isaiah 47:13, niv). In Leviticus 20:27 (nasb) God made this frightening statement: “Now a man or a woman who is a medium or a spiritist shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones, their bloodguiltiness is upon them.” God hates fortune tellers because they try to replace faith in Him with foreknowledge. We are tempted to think that if we can just anticipate the future, we can prepare for it in advance. However, the future is in God’s hands and the only way to prepare for the future is by having faith in Him. In the face of an uncertain future, the key to joyful optimism is balance. If we act responsibly with the time and resources the Lord has entrusted to us, we can have peace knowing that the final outcome is in His hands. The hope we have in Christ doesn’t mean that we will never experience difficult trials, but we have hope that when the final Word is spoken, “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28, nasb).

Bible Readings: This month the daily text will be taken from Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon. For those wanting to do the one-year Bible reading programme these chapters are in brackets.

PRAY FOR THE

April, 2009

JERUSALEM

PEACE OF

PSALM 122:6 AND THE WORLD.

BANGLADESH – Pop. 142,700,000 Map 130. Pray for Daniel Sarker Executive Director and the 70 staff. Pray for those who receive the one million tracts and the 23,176 people who responded to receive Christ or know more. Pray for the 4 Schools and sewing classes. Proverbs 16 (Leviticus 8 – 10) AUSTRALIA - Pop 21,374,000 Map 145. Pray for those who have been devastated by the bushfires and floods. Many EHC supporters lived in these areas. Pray the Lord to sustain them and give them an even better life than before. Proverbs 17 (Leviticus 11 – 14) ARMENIA – Pop. 3,000,000 Map 102 .The Parliament of Armenia is currently passing a law which will formulate proselytism in a very unfavourable way. Namely, preaching will be legally persecuted as a criminal charge of 1 year imprisonment or will be fined $78,000. Pray this law will not be passed. Proverbs 18 (Leviticus 15 – 16) NEPAL – Pop 27,900,000 Map 131. All across this nation the number of believers is growing but there are not enough workers to provide follow-up as well as plant Christ Groups and churches. Pray that the Lord will call more workers to His harvest field in Nepal. To date, 8,677 Christ groups have been formed. Proverbs 19 (Leviticus 17 – 22) MALAWI – Pop 13,200,000 Map 15.Doors of opportunity for ministry are opening in many of the men’s prisons. Pray with EHC Malawi for the transformation of many inmates in body, soul and spirit. Also, pray for much fruit to be realized from the end-of-year outreaches among the Yao people of the south. Proverbs 20 (Leviticus 23 – 27) CHILE – Pop 16,600,000 Map 218. There are currently several EHC projects that are underway so pray for their effectiveness. Especially pray for the Casablanca outreach project. EHC workers are planning to reach all the families in that valley region. Pray for Copiapo City, that God’s Word will bring healing. Proverbs 21 (Numbers 1 – 4) UGANDA – Pop 30,800,000 Map 26. Pray for God’s wisdom as EHC leaders and their teams reach out to children in Ugandan communities. At a special men’s workshop the men were challenged to be godly leaders in their homes, churches and in society in general. Pray for much fruit from these efforts. Proverbs 22 (Numbers 5 – 7

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THAILAND – Pop 64,900,000 Map 134. EHC will be hosting an evangelistic meeting for 10,000 Hmong in Petchboon. Pray that many will forsake their idols to worship the living God. Also, Pray for peace and revival in Thailand. To date, more than 9.3 million homes have been reached with the Gospel. Proverbs 23 (Numbers 8 – 10) KOSOVO – Pop 2,100,000. After having recently visited 15,000 families, about 30 people started a spiritual search through EHC’s Bible correspondence course. Continue to pray for the impact of this ministry among the people of Kosovo and that many would come to know the Lord and would continue to mature in Christ. Proverbs 24 (Numbers 11 – 15) GHANA – Pop 22,000,000 Map 38. Praise God for His provision and guidance of EHC’s ministry in Ghana throughout the year. Pray that many individuals and church groups will volunteer to assist in the gospel literature distribution efforts. Pray for God’s clear direction over preparations for this year’s outreaches. Proverbs 25 (Numbers 16 – 19) CREATIVE ACCESS #7. EHC used the unique opportunity of this past Christmas season to communicate the message of the Gospel to 2,000 orphans growing up without families. A book that describes the Good News of Christmas was distributed along with a present. Ask God’s blessing upon those who received these gifts. Proverbs 26 (Numbers 20 – 24) CAMEROON – Pop 16,800,000 Map 24. Pray for the spiritual growth and development of a mission vision among the new Christ Groups recently formed in Ahala. Pray that the Holy Spirit will enable Pastor Belombe Vincent to effectively disciple the 18 people who came to faith in Yaounde and Bafia. Proverbs 27 (Numbers 25 – 27) GERMANY – Pop 82,300,000 Map 81. Thank the Lord for the workers who participate in EHC’s mission in Germany. Prayer is helping each of the 80,000 residents of Flensbourg to receive the gospel message. About 40,000 evangelistic calendars will be distributed along with a weekly magazine. Pray for success in this endeavour. Proverbs 28 (Numbers 28 – 31)

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LESOTHO – Pop 1,800,000 Map 2. Pray for the 500 “herdboys” EHC workers reached in Lebakeng as part of the special end-of-year outreach among the Maluti mountain peoples. EHC National Director Josias Mohanoe and his teams reached a total of 4,550 people in that region. Pray that many hearts will be changed. Proverbs 29 (Numbers 32 – 36) MONGOLIA – Pop 2,700,000 Map 173. Pray for safety for the EHC team and volunteers – protection from opposition that may come from local government officials, Mongolian ultra-nationalists and others. To date, more than 800,000 homes have been reached and more than 100,000 people have responded. Proverbs 30 (Deuteronomy 1 – 4) ROMANIA – Pop 21,500,000 Map 76. Pray for unity in the Church and for the unity of Romania. Pray for revival and deep reformation in the lives of the Romanian people by turning to the Lord, turning to His Word, knowing Him and knowing His Word. Pray for a hunger and thirst for the living Christ. Proverbs 31 (Deuteronomy 5 – 8) SIERRA LEONE – 5,800,000 Map 43. Pray that God will give the government a clear sense of direction and wisdom to rule for the betterment, peace and progress of the nation. Pray for the citizens of Lugbu. They are very receptive to the Gospel but are overwhelmed by great misery and pain. The infant mortality rate is very high. Ecclesiastes 1 (Deuteronomy 9 – 11) SPAIN – Pop 43,600,000 Map 59. Praise God that during a recent month EHC workers distributed 28,150 gospel messages, visited 12,340 homes and received 246 responses. Pray for the follow-up of all who have responded that all the gospel seed-sowing will be transformed into a glorious harvest! Ecclesiastes 2 (Deuteronomy 12 – 18) CREATIVE ACCESS #5. Though Christmas is not celebrated “officially” by the majority of people in this nation, most are familiar with the occasion. It provided a wonderful opportunity to talk about the Christ of Christmas. Pray for the literature distribution taking place in the province of SD. Ecclesiastes 3 (Deuteronomy 19 -26) ZIMBABWE – Pop 13,100,000 Map 9. Pray for the continued EHC outreach in the Tsolotsho area as God is bringing a message of healing and restoration in this district, with many responding to the call of salvation. The situation in Zimbabwe has deteriorated terribly. Please pray for those who are suffering in this nation. Ecclesiastes 4 (Deuteronomy 27 – 30) CZECH REPUBLIC – Pop 10,200,000 Map 80. Pray for the distribution campaign in the town of Prestice. EHC workers are praying that people will be open to the gospel during this effort. Pray for those who have been studying the EHC Bible correspondence course – that they would grow in the Lord. Ecclesiastes 5 (Deuteronomy 31 – 34) INDONESIA – Pop 227,200,000 Map 141. Pray for the Christ Groups in Skg – that they would increase in boldness and zeal as they share their faith in Christ. Pray, too, that God would raise up leaders for nine local Christ Groups in that area. To date, 4,311 Christ Groups have been planted all across Indonesia. Ecclesiastes 6 (Psalm 91)

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FRANCE – Pop 60,600,000 Map 87. Members of an evangelical church meeting in the restored Carmes Chapel have started to visit homes in Rennaise. Every Saturday, teams of Christians take turns sharing their faith as they distribute literature. Pray for God’s blessing and a rich harvest of souls from this effort.

Ecclesiastes 7 (Joshua 1 – 5) MADAGASCAR – Pop 19,400,000 Map 4. Praise the Lord for spirit mediums and witch doctors who are coming to the Lord with open hearts, burning all their evil tools. This is happening with great frequency. There is a need for additional ministry tools so ask the Lord for the provision of gospel materials. Ecclesiastes 8 (Joshua 6 – 8) PHILIPPINES – Pop 85,600,000 Map 167. Ask the Lord to raise up additional churches and Christ Groups to partner with EHC in the outreach ventures in Negros Oriental, Palawan, Sorsogon, Aurora, Cagayan and Quezon. Pray for partners to provide for the printing of 5,000 copies of the Scriptures in English and Tagalog. Ecclesiastes 9 (Joshua 9 – 12) RWANDA - 9,400,000 Map 17. Pray for the 612 prisoners who were reached with a clear gospel presentation during a recent month – that they would continue to grow in the Lord and even be a light to the other prisoners. Praise God for the resources to conduct the end-of-the-year project that reached thousands of children for Christ. Ecclesiastes 10 (Joshua 13 - 17) SWITZERLAND – Pop 7,200,000 Map 61. Two new Bible study groups have been established with several people attending. Pray that they will be brought to salvation. Pray for the systematic literature distribution in Chablais Vaudois a Ollon, Villy, and St. Triphon where 6,650 people live. Ecclesiastes 11 (Joshua 18 – 21) ZAMBIA – Pop 11,800,000 Map 14. There were over 300 local workers from 30 churches who received training in carrying out the Christmas evangelism project. Pray that the Lord would bring in a harvest of souls from this significant project that reached 67,500 homes. Ecclesiastes 12 (Joshua 22 – 24) BOSNIA-HERZEGOVNIA – Pop 3,900,000 Map 69. Pray for the churches to develop a greater passion for sharing the Good News of salvation. Pray that plans for evangelism would include not only local communities, but would extend to the regions beyond. Also, pray for the resources to enable EHC workers to print 100,000 new pamphlets. Song of Solomon 1 (Judges 1 – 3) ETHIOPIA – Pop 80,900,000. Pray for the outreaches in the eastern portion of Ethiopia that took place recently. The goal is to reach 250,000 homes in 20 cities carried out by 500 workers from 30 local churches. Pray for the anointing of the workers – that they would be zealous in their efforts in declaring the Gospel. Song of Solomon 2 (Judges 4 – 5)

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