EHC Newsletter - August 2021 by Every Home For Christ - AU/NZ

Sierra Leone

August 2021

Sierra Leone

Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel”.

Prayer Crosses All Divides

By Emily Stroble

Rugiatu’s family thought she was suffering a spiritual attack as for two days, she lay on her bed, hopeless. Her family consulted native methods of spiritual healing but nothing helped. When an Every Home for Christ team visited Rugiatu’s house in Sierra Leone, they asked to pray for her. At first, her family was reluctant to agree. “Why would you Christians pray for us Muslims?” they asked. The world is full of divides between people. Many may seem impassible. A language barrier may seem even more insurmountable than a steep mountain range. But often the deepest ravines form between people of different beliefs. "Why would you Christians pray for us Muslims?" Divides that seem insurmountable can make love unfathomable. The question Rugiatu’s family asked sounds a lot like the question the Samaritan woman asked Jesus in John 4:9: “‘You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?’ (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)”

In Jesus’ day, the Samaritans and Jews shared history and geography and derived their differing beliefs from some of the same scriptures. But each group believed the other had departed from true faith and they despised each other for it. At the root of questions,“Why would you ask me for a drink?” or “Why would you pray for me?” lies the deeper question: “Why would you care about me?” The answer the EHC team embodied as they gathered around Rubiatu’s bed is that the Gospel is for everyone. New life and living water are for everyone. Jesus died for the sins of the whole world. That love doesn’t stop at country borders or the doors of people who are different from us. After some consideration, one of Rugiatu’s aunts encouraged her family to let the Every Home for Christ team pray. After the team had prayed intensely, Rugiatu got up and asked for water. Rugiatu’s story “brought salvation in that home,” the team reports. “The entire family gave their lives to Jesus.” The love of Jesus and the prayers of His people can cross any divide, difference, or obstacle.

Serge Djohy Ministry Director

Serge’s uncle Germain was one of the first Christians in Houawo, a Benin village that Serge calls “the origin of voodoo.” The community practiced African Traditional Religion, and Germain’s father — Serge’s grandfather — was a voodoo priest. But when Germain befriended a missionary couple, he gave his life to Christ. This was a bold choice with immediate consequences. Germain’s family disowned him and he was forced to leave the village. But he went on to study theology and he even started a church. From the age of 10 years old, Serge would visit Germain whenever he had a break from school. He feels lucky to have had the opportunity to learn core Christian values from his uncle, but it would be a couple more years before Serge would fully realise God’s love and give his life fully to the Lord. Serge became a leader in the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. This group met weekly for Bible 4study, fellowship, prayer, and sharing their

faith with friends. At a missions conference that Serge helped organise, Serge realised that he wanted to give his life to Jesus and ministry. From then on, he became more and more involved in youth ministry. In 2016, Serge was introduced to the ministry of Every Home for Christ by one of our old colleagues in Africa. Serge served brother Emanuel in Cape Verde and Jose in Sao Tome, helping them develop their plans, projects, and reports. He enjoyed working in the “missions department” which involved pushing activity to new churches and the island areas. As Serge was preparing to move to Lisbon, Portugal for his schooling, he was curious about the plan for Portugal. He reached out to the Every Home for Christ leadership, and they were receptive to his desire to start a work there. Portugal is very similar to Cape Verde and Sao Tome in language and culture, which will help Serge in his transition there.

portugal

Though the culture of Portugal is like Cape Verde and Sao Tome, the view of religion in Portugal is very different. Africa is deeply religious and everyone has a spiritual view. In comparison, the U.S. is somewhere below Africa, and Europe is below the U.S. In Cape Verde, they ask what you believe and why — but the audience in Portugal doesn’t believe in God or spiritual things in the first place. Serge shares his thoughts about ministry in Portugal: “The context is definitely different from Africa to Europe, but in every place, people will listen to us more if we show that we care about them. I am passionate about fostering a wholistic approach to people’s needs. We don’t have the secret answer to the cultural opposition to evangelism in Portugal, but we are making progress with mobilising churches. With them, we will experiment and go where

there is energy and learn as we go. We cannot bring a solution until we engage with the community. We will try and fail happily so that we can learn and scale it later. We want to learn what is good for these people by trying things that have worked in other places. The cultural flavour of Christianity here is more difficult than even many other European countries, but that should not be a reason for not having the Every Home movement there.” Here are some ways you can pray! • Pray for wisdom in how to approach the audience in Portugal. • Pray that God will guide us to strategic people of peace who can increase our impact and own the ministry vision themselves. (Serge already has connections to five local pastors in Portugal who are excited to do ministry.)

Gloria has been reaching Mexico for 55 years.

She’s called “Mamaíta,” which is a Spanish nickname that means “Mom.” “I have many children,” says Gloria Silva, Every Home’s ministry director in Mexico, describing the people with whom she has shared Jesus’ love. “I have boys in rehabilitation centres. They write to me about their problems. Our task as a Christian is to listen, not just to give people gospel literature, but to listen to them.” Gloria has spent the last five decades listening. A historian by training, she genuinely cares about each person’s story. She goes into sewers where children who have run away from home gather, some as young as 6 or 7 years old. “The smell takes days to wash off,” she says. The marks of suffering cling to people in this place. “These children have heavy pasts on their backs. You have to tell them that Jesus takes burdens. Too many are being lost.” In over 50 years of ministry, Gloria has reached millions with Jesus’ love. This enormous, eternal impact is something she has in common with Rev. Don Minnich.

Every Home for Christ teams pray with those they visit. Newbelievers in Mexico testify to new life in Christ through baptism.

Don is also a history enthusiast. Born in Philadelphia, close to Independence Hall, Don likes to tell his students that he “was just a little late for the signing of the Constitution.” Don has given faithfully to Every Home for the last 55 years. Every dollar equips someone like Gloria to share Jesus’ love with about 12 people. Over the last 55 years, Don’s gifts have helped to reach about 18,500 people with the gospel! Today, Don is a substitute teacher in Connecticut. Like Gloria, he cares for people individually. “I’m not going to sit around with my feet on the desk. I go around and talk to the students. We have some interesting conversations,” he says. One student asked him out of the blue to explain baptism. On another day, he substituted in a social studies class that was discussing the Protestant Reformation — an opportunity to explain why the way of salvation matters enough to change history. For the last 85 years, Don has made daily conversations with people his mission field and faithfully responded to God’s call to share the truth and love of Jesus every chance he gets. When I moved to Connecticut, I still wanted to teach in Christian schools as I had for many years,” he says.

“But I guess the Lord wants me in the public schools. I’ve been like a missionary there.” God has continued to multiply the wonderful impact of Don’s practice of faithfulness. Reflecting on one young man he mentored, Don says, “I had just a small touch in his life. I hope I helped.” That young man, however, went on to found his own evangelical ministry. Gloria has an apostle’s story — risk, miracles, and transformations. She tells one story of how her outreach team barely escaped the dangerous Chiapas region of Mexico. As they drove away, they saw four women digging graves intended for Gloria’s team had they stayed. Later, Gloria received a report that all four shovel-wielding women have given their lives to Christ. Though Gloria’s story is dramatic, her message and method are simple. “You don’t have to give a sermon,” Gloria insists. “We must share what the Lord has done for us — for you, for me.” For over five decades, in opportunities great or small, when Jesus called them to listen, speak, give, or go, Don and Gloria have faithfully responded to God’s leading. And God has multiplied their gifts in miraculous ways, like the loaves and fishes.

This article was originally published at churchanswers.com on June 14. Thom S. Rainer served as president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources. Among his greatest joys are his family: his wife Nellie Jo; three sons, Sam, Art, and Jess; and seven grandchildren. Dr. Rainer can be found on Twitter @ThomRainer and at facebook.com/Thom.S.Rainer.

Why a Lousy Outreach Ministry Is Better than None At All Thom Rainer July 13, 2021

Many years ago, almost in the prehistoric ages, I served as pastor of a church with a traditional outreach program. It was cold-call, ineffective and poorly attended. I made a seemingly bright decision that was stupid. I eliminated the program. It seemed reasonable. We could not identify one person we had reached evangelistically in a year. Why should we continue to waste our time on something that didn’t work? From Vibrancy to Lethargy For over a year, our church saw many people follow Christ. We were growing. There was palpable energy. The Holy Spirit was visibly at work in our church. Then lethargy hit. It was dramatic. Within weeks after stopping an ineffective and ill-attended outreach program, our church seemed to have lost its Spirit-given momentum. How could this change transpire? We had no evidence the traditional outreach program amounted to anything positive. A Case Study in 2021 We have an outreach resource at Church Answers called “Pray & Go.” It has been received well by many churches. Its concept is simple. Church members walk in a neighbourhood and pray for the people in the homes. They don’t stop at a home. They don’t knock on doors. They pray and then go to the door and leave a door hanger. The hanger says something like, “We prayed for you.” It provides the address of the church, an email or text number for prayer requests and the church’s website. We get reports regularly from church leaders who share excitedly about the number of people who have visited the church as a consequence of these efforts. We have heard of many who have become followers of Christ. But then we heard from a church that used “Pray & Go” to reach thousands of homes before the first person responded.

Let me share the story from the pastor’s email: "I just wanted to reach out to you because we started Pray & Go in the fall of 2018. I listened to your teaching and thought this is what we need to do. We are a church in the inner-city / a church revitalisation. For the past two years we have prayed for 4,542 homes up to this point. We haven’t seen people coming to the church because of “Pray & Go,” but we always seem to have visitors whenever we are praying in our community. This past week we saw our first family come through the doors of the church because of Pray & Go. Our team was excited when I told them because of their diligence in praying for the community we had a family connect to the church. I just wanted to pass this along and encourage someone doing this that just because you might not be seeing the results from something, keep doing it and you never know. It might take you praying for 4,542 homes before you see people you are praying for connect with your church. The one thing that keeps us going is Galatians 6:9: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Did you get that? Did you get that? They put door hangers on 4,542 homes before the first guest showed up as a result of these efforts. But during the entire time of “Pray & Go” they saw a steady flow of visitors. The Principle at Work It is simply called “the principle of obedience.” Though we can’t control God’s work, He does seem to bless those churches that are making any effort to pray for and reach their communities. I hope most churches don’t have to make 4,542 visits before someone shows up directly from those efforts. But I also hope churches will see fruit from their obedience, even if the results do not seem to be direct. Is your church seeing many guests come through the doors? Is your church reaching many people for Christ? Perhaps it’s time for obedience. A weak outreach ministry often has positive corollary benefits. And a weak outreach ministry is certainly better than no outreach ministry at all. *** Prayer is desperately important to Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom because EHC has also experienced results similar to this article in the newsletter. We must go into all the world as Jesus asked us but also we must increase the intensity of our prayer as it is the only way the Gospel will go to every home. Jesus told us to go "into all the world" and most people in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom have never heard the Gospel.

Australia: PO Box 168 Penshurst NSW 2222 Telephone: (02) 9570 8211 Facsimile: (02) 9570 4738 ABN: 88001276240 www.everyhome.org.au E-mail: ehc@everyhome.org.au New Zealand: PO Box 31-260 Milford North Shore City 0741 NZBN: 9429043322862

Telephone: Free call 0800 900 200 Facsimile: 0061 2 9570 4738

AUGUST 2021

Bible Readings: This month the daily text will be taken from the book of Deuteronomy. For those wanting to do the one-year Bible reading program these chapters are in brackets.

1 2 3 4

PRAY FOR DICK AND DEE EASTMAN Dick is the International President of Every Home for Christ with a large responsibility for EHC ministries across the world. Deuteronomy 1:24-46 (Psalms 135-136) PRAY FOR DIPLAVE POKHREL Thank you so much for praying; Diplave now has a Visa which allows him to stay and work with EHC for 5 years. Please continue to pray, this time for permanent residency. Deuteronomy 2:1-15 (Psalms 146-150) PRAY FOR ERIC AND LORRAINE LEACH Pray God will guide Eric in his leadership as Executive Director in Australia and New Zealand and Lorraine with EHC office responsibilities. Deuteronomy 2:16-37 (1 Chronicles 1-5) PRAY FOR YOUR FAMILY - sons, daughters and grandchildren, plus others to come to Christ. Get a piece of paper and write down their names. Get their photos and pray every day for their salvation; eternity without Christ is a long time! Deuteronomy 3 (1 Chronicles 6-9) BANGLADESH Pop. 164,000,000 Map. 132 A recent spike in COVID-19 cases has brought some EHC outreaches in this nation to a halt. Please pray for the health and safety of the outreach teams and that the situation will improve so they can return to traditional EHC activities soon. Deuteronomy 4:1-22 (1 Chronicles 10-12) SOUTHEAST ASIA - CREATIVE ACCESS Praise God! Four Christians working in the area with an Every Home for Christ team, who were imprisoned for seven months, have been released! “They are healthy and strong in the faith,” the EHC team in this nation reports. Deuteronomy 4:23-49 (1 Chronicles 13-16)

GUINEA-BISSEAU Pop. 1,900.000 Pray for divine protection over the EHC pioneer missionaries who make sea voyages to the islands to train leaders and mobilise churches for outreaches in their communities. Please pray that God will bless the volunteers that attend and that the message will bear much fruit. Deuteronomy 7 (Psalms 48-50) PARAGUAY Pop. 7,200,000 Map. 222 The Every Home team in Paraguay has asked for prayer that God would open doors to the gospel in the Paraguayan Chaco, an area that is difficulty to access but that desperately needs to encounter the truth and love of Jesus. Deuteronomy 8 (Psalms 73-76)

LITHUANIA Pop. 2,700,000 Map. 99 Please join the Every Home team in Lithuania in praying for revival. They are asking God to open hearts and doors to receive the gospel because of the team’s home-to-home outreaches. May many people discover the truth and love of Jesus. Deuteronomy 9 (Psalms 77-78)

ANGOLA Pop. 133,600,000 Map. 13 The Every Home for Christ Team in Angola reports that communities in several areas are experiencing hunger and several people have died. Please pray for the families affected, for the success of efforts to alleviate this crisis and for the love of Jesus to reach people in the midst of suffering. Deuteronomy 5 (Psalms 42, 44) MOZAMBIQUE Pop.33,800,000 Map. 8 Recent terrorist attacks in Mozambique have left many dead or homeless. Please join the EHC team in praying for peace in their nation. And pray for God’s protection on believers as they share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the midst of violence and destruction. Deuteronomy 6 (Psalms 45-47)

PRAY FOR ISRAEL

ROMANS 10:1

DOMINICIAN REP. Pop.10,500,000 Map. 192 Please pray for a spirit of unity among the pastors who are partnering with Every Home team in this nation. The team is working to mobilise churches for upcoming outreaches in the Province of San Christobal. This region is a key priority for the Dominican Republic team. Deuteronomy 10 (Psalms 79-81) CZECHIA Pop. 10,700,000 Map. 82 Please pray for the EHC team in Czechia as they prepare to conduct outreaches again after a long COVID lockdown,. Pray that God would give them inspired words and a spirit of courage as they reach their communities with the hope of the Gospel of Jesus. Deuteronomy 11 (Psalms 82-85)

LIBERIA Pop. 5,200,000 Map. 42 As part of the Oikos Initiative, the Every Home team in this African nation is traveling to Maryland County, an area known for violence, killings, and closely held traditional spiritual practices. Please pray that God will protect the Every Home team and open many hearts to the Gospel. Deuteronomy 12 (Psalms 86-88)

ETHIOPIA Pop. 110,800,000 Map. 29 Please join the Every Home team in Ethiopia in boldly praying for important leaders in various regions to respond to the truth and love of Jesus. Pray for whole families to receive the gospel. And pray that God will raise up believers to build and lead churches in their own communities. Deuteronomy 13 (1 Chronicles 17-22) 11

BULGARIA Pop. 6,900,000 Map. 77 We celebrate with the Every Home team in this nation who recently received a gift of potatoes that they will distribute to families in need in their area as part of their home to-home outreaches. Thank God for his provision and pray that people who hear the gospel as a result of this outreach will have open hearts. . Deuteronomy 14 (1 Chronicles 23-27) BURUNDI Pop. 12,200,000 Map. 18 As part of its Christmas project, this team recently visited a refugee settlement. This settlement is protected by the government, so permits and clearances were needed to get in. Pray that the seed of the gospel planted during this visit will result in many from the settlement encountering Jesus even after the team has gone. Deuteronomy 15 (1 Chronicles 28-29) SPAIN Pop. 47,200,000 Map. 60 “We need the light of the gospel,” the Every Home team in Spain says. Spain is one of the largest destinations in the world for human trafficking. Pray that this the love of Jesus will bring freedom to those held captive in this industry and transform hearts in this nation. Deuteronomy 16 (2 Chronicles 1-5) MEXICO Pop. 69,800,000 Map. 178 Please pray for the Good Samaritan Project, a partnership between the EHC team and several local homeless shelters, to provide food and care for homeless children, that many will experience the love of Jesus and respond to the Gospel. Deuteronomy 17 (2 Chronicles 6-9)

BARBADOS Pop. 300,000 Map.207 Please pray for Barbados and the Every Home team ministering there as this island nation slowly reopens after a national lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pray that God will bless the pioneer missionaries conducting outreaches and that many homes would be reached with the Gospel. Deuteronomy 18 (2 Chronicles 10-16) KENYA Pop. 54,600,000 Map. 27 “The Lord has opened beautiful doors” Kenya EHC reports, reaching hearts in areas where the population is mostly Muslim. EHC has set up safe living arrangements for new believers who are no longer welcome in their families. Pray these new believers will grow in their faith. Deuteronomy 19 (2 Chronicles 17-21) MYANMAR Pop. 57,000,000 Map. 182 Please pray for pioneer missionaries as they travel throughout their nation,. Pray that God would strengthen his servants and that the gospel message they share would bear fruit. May many respond to the Gospel. Deuteronomy 20 (Obadiah) FRANCE Pop. 68,000,000 Map. 89 Praise God! Despite the COVID-19 challenges, the Every Home for Christ team in this nation reports that pastors are testifying to many people putting their faith in Jesus! Deuteronomy 21 (2 Chronicles 22)

21 22

REP. OF CONGO Pop.5,400,000 Map. 20 Please pray that God will open up doors for pioneer missionaries in the Republic of Congo to reach villages that do not yet have churches. Many people have not yet heardthe message of Jesus. Deuteronomy 22 (Joel 1-3)

CROATIA Pop. 4,200,000 Map. 69 Please pray that God would give the team in this nation health and strength to serve others. The Every Home team in this nation asks: “Pray that we show love and compassion and that many would see Jesus in us.” Deuteronomy 23 (2 Chronicles 23:1 to 26:8) GAMBIA Pop. 2,200,000 Map. 48 An Every Home for Christ worker in this nation will visit Christ Groups and bring support from Christian workers, especially meeting with all new Christ Groups. Please pray that these visits will be fruitful, that they will encourage the believers and equip them for great ministry. Deuteronomy 24 (Isaiah 1-5) MIDDLE EAST - CREATIVE ACCESS Please pray for our brothers in this nation who recently started a new ministry. Pray that God will protect them and give them courage and wisdom as they work to reach their neighbours in this dangerous country. Pray that their faithfulness will result in many hearts reached for Christ. Deuteronomy 25 (2 Chronicles 26:9-23, Isaiah 6) RUSSIA Pop. 142,300,000 Map. 106 The EHC team in Moscow is making arrangements to launch a project that will distribute 25 million pieces of gospel literature in the next 24 months! Pray that God will open the hearts of each person who receives a gospel message and than many families with receive Christ as a result. Deuteronomy 26 (2 Chronicles 27-28) CAPE VERDE Pop. 500,000 Map. 43 Cape Verde has recently experienced a spike in COVID-19 infection rates, posing a risk to the Every Home team serving in this nation. “Pray that our health will be renewed each morning by the grace of God". Deuteronomy 27 (2 Chronicles 29-32) CENTRAL ASIA-CREATIVE ACCESS Please pray for God’s protection on the Every Home for Christ team; these believers have been bold and active in their evangelism and now the police are looking for them. Pray that the opposition of earthly leaders will not be an obstacle to the Gospel. Deuteronomy 28:1-47 (Isaiah 7-12) THE NETHERLANDS Pop. 17,174,016 Map. 86 Please pray for the Netherlands (Holland) for an EHC work to commence in this country for the first time. Pray a leader of God's choosing will be found so that gospel literature can be distributed to every home. Deuteronomy 28:48-68 (Isaiah 13-23)

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