September Newsletter

how Does prayer remove every obstacle?

September 2015

Simply Amazing PRAYER! DICK EASTMAN

“Publish his glorious acts throughout the earth. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.” (Psalm 96:3, TLB)

h, if only Psalm 96:3 could be the headline on tonight’s evening news! It’s one of the reasons for this monthly publication. God is doing amazing things throughout the earth, and we want you to know! What’s behind these amazing things? I believe we can attribute it to one thing— the power of prayer. I believe so deeply in the power of prayer that I’ve devoted my life to praying and teaching others to pray. Prayer was at the very foundation when the ministry of Every Home for Christ was established more than 68 years ago, and our belief in the power of prayer is actually one of our three unalterable convictions: Prayer, alone, will remove every obstacle that stands in the way of fulfilling the Great Commission. (Mark 11:22-23). If you haven’t guessed by now, we take prayer seriously at Every Home for Christ. Every decision that’s made, every piece of gospel literature given out, every outreach strategy that’s planned—all begin and are carried out with prayer. From our headquarters in Colorado Springs to the smallest country office in the middle of nowhere, time is set aside each day for our leaders and staff to come together for corporate prayer.

Every evangelistic outreach our global workers organise is covered in prayer, and every gospel presentation our pioneer missionaries give includes prayer. Why so much emphasis on prayer? One simple reason is that more than 50,000 Every Home for Christ pioneer missionaries are on the front lines of a battle over souls without Christ. But they aren’t out there alone. They have a powerful weapon and have been trained to use it forcefully. It’s the weapon of prayer. The stories we get from them are simply amazing, and it brings me great joy to share some of them with you. Because of prayer, centuries-old pagan rituals were abolished in Zimbabwe by the fetish priest who enforced them. Because of prayer, a young Chilean man came out of a lengthy debilitating coma. Because of prayer, a paralysed accident victim now hikes up mountains to deliver the Gospel to unreached people in Papua New Guinea. Prayer is every believer’s most powerful weapon and greatest defense. Here at Every Home for Christ, we never underestimate the power of prayer. Read on and you’ll understand why.

The Waking of a Brilliant Mind L

ife was so good for 23-year-old Juan Carlos Catalán, he may as well have scripted it himself. The fourth son of loving parents, Juan was earning a degree in civil engineering and thriving at the top of his class. For many Chilean families, academic success means everything, and Juan took the opportunity seriously. He worked hard, studied hard and slept when he could.

At first, the throbbing in his head was more annoying than anything. Juan didn’t have time for distractions. But a week later, he thought his head might explode and had to do something. When he took himself to the hospital, Juan Carlos had no idea that his life was about to change— forever.

CHILE By Kathy Gowler

“Cerebral haemorrhage,” the doctors said, astounded that Juan had survived without immediate medical attention. They wouldn’t know what the outcome would be until his brain had time to heal, and that meant putting him in a medically induced coma. It would just be for a few days. Then they would reverse the procedure, wake him up and assess the impact on his brain. Two months later, when Every Home for Christ pioneer missionaries were ministering at the hospital, they found Juan’s distraught family in the intensive care unit. Their beloved son and brother was still in the coma and completely unresponsive. Sensitive to their grief, the pioneer missionaries shared the love of Christ and told the family about God’s power to heal and do what is impossible for man. Desperate for a miracle, the Catalán family asked the workers to pray for Juan Carlos. Though it was strictly against policy, they begged the hospital staff to allow the visitors into his room.

The staff made an unprecedented exception.The young man lying in the ICU needed prayer. When they entered his room, a motionless Juan Carlos was tethered to all sorts of machines, but the pioneer missionaries spoke to him as though he could hear them. Taking his hands, they gave glory to God who is able to do more than we can ask or imagine. They spoke of the great physician’s power to heal, of God’s saving grace and of His gift of salvation. Then they prayed and asked God for a miracle. In the corner of the room, Juan’s family watched in silence. At first, they thought it was an involuntary twitch, so they continued praying. Then it happened again; only this time, there was no mistaking it—Juan Carlos had definitely squeezed their hands! Not only had God heard their prayers, Juan Carlos did too, and he was telling them so! That small gesture was the first glimmer of hope his family had seen in two long months, and they were ecstatic. When the pioneer missionaries came back the next week, Juan Carlos’ room in the ICU was empty. They inquired about him and were told Juan Carlos had regained full

consciousness shortly after their last visit. He was moved out of the ICU and was making a remarkable recovery! Juan Carlos told the workers he’d heard every word when they prayed for him. He and his entire family wanted to know more about this God of miracles. That day, they all gave their lives to Christ. One week later Juan Carlos was discharged from the hospital. Every Home for Christ operates on three unalterable convictions. One is “Prayer, alone, will remove every obstacle that stands in the way of fulfilling the Great Commission.” We believe that, without prayer, our efforts will be futile and our labour in vain. But because of prayer, mountains of impossibility have been moved, life-threatening sicknesses have been healed and nearly 2 billion families have received the Good News of the Gospel. Every Home for Christ’s 50,000 pioneer missionaries don’t need to be told about the power of prayer. They experience it every day as they deliver the Gospel to homes, hospital rooms and campuses around the globe. It’s their number-one tool for evangelism, and it’s transforming the world—one home at a time.

NOT HOW IT WAS SUPPOSED TO GO Papua New Guinea By Rob Stennett

ours after a car had struck Jeremiah, he was told he might never walk again. This is how so many meaningful stories start in our lives: Not with happy beginnings, but with sad ones, leaving us feeling hurt, desperate and not sure where to turn next. This was the condition Jeremiah Sulaca, a native of Papua New Guinea, found himself in. “The doctors said I would be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life,” Jeremiah said. “I felt lonely and hopeless. I hated myself and everybody else, even my own family.” Jeremiah spent several months in the hospital where a team of medical professionals tried to restore his health. Eventually, he was discharged and spent his days at home, trapped in bed and wondering if he would ever walk again. During that time, feeling completely alone, Jeremiah was visited by an Every

Home for Christ team doing a home-to-home outreach. Jeremiah didn’t have anything to say to the workers, but they had something to say to him. “They shared from Ezekiel 37 about the dry bones coming together,” Jeremiah said. Their message gave Jeremiah real hope for the first time since his accident. He asked the Every Home for Christ team to pray for his legs and believed God would bring his broken bones back to life. “Something lifted me from my bed, and I was on my knees weeping,” Jeremiah said. “My family members stood in total amazement. It was a miracle.” From that moment, Jeremiah’s purpose in life changed. “I wanted to testify to others about the power of God so they would come to know the Lord as I did.” Jeremiah never took the ability to walk for granted. He used his legs to minster home to home throughout the Western Highlands

“Something lifted me from my bed, and I was on my knees weeping,” Jeremiah said. “My family members stood in total amazement. It was a miracle.”

Jeremiah wears a handmade bag from the Highlands of Papua New Guinea on one of his outreaches.

Province of Papua New Guinea. He also crossed rivers and hiked mountains he could have never reached when he was injured. He even ministered to an entire village when he was in the remote mountains of the Baiyer district. As he made his way up the mountainside to the village, he met an elderly woman and her daughter. He told them about the love God had for them, and he proclaimed the miracle God had done in his life. And then the elderly woman spat in his face. This was not how it was supposed to happen. She should have been grateful that he would travel all that way, but she told him, “I don’t need God. I don’t want to waste my time listening to a stranger with a strange religion.” She said maybe he should preach to the men at the top of the mountain who spent their days gambling. Jeremiah continued climbing the mountain and discovered a group of men tossing dice and playing cards. He didn’t start sharing the Gospel right away. “I didn’t want to interrupt,” Jeremiah said. “So I stood beside them praying and waiting upon the Holy Spirit for wisdom and direction.” When the men noticed him, they stopped gambling. “I started preaching,” Jeremiah said. “And they were all amazed to see me sharing God’s word in the middle of nowhere.” As he was telling the gospel story, the daughter of the elderly woman ran back up the trail and begged Jeremiah to pray for her mother. The elderly woman had been struck and injured by a stray rock

“They knew God was visiting them. The fear of God filled that village, and about 20 people gave their hearts to the Lord.”

tumbling down the mountain. Jeremiah didn’t run to her right away, because she had mocked him and spat at him. Forgiveness is hard for all of us, even if we’ve experienced a miracle. But the men who were gambling knew this man’s God could heal the woman, so they ran down and carried her across the river. Jeremiah was moved by their faith. It was the same kind of faith he had when the Every Home for Christ outreach team came to his house. He prayed for the woman, and she was healed. By that time, much of the village had gathered around the scene. They were

inspired by the miracle. Jeremiah clearly recalls looking up and seeing everyone’s faces, “They knew God was visiting them. The fear of God filled that village, and about 20 people gave their hearts to the Lord.” Through his journey, Jeremiah realised that there will always be barriers to sharing the Gospel. We will face hardships and think to ourselves that this is not how it’s supposed to go. The meaningful stories often aren’t the easy ones. Miraculous events usually take place when we pray, step out and trust God to do the impossible. This is the kind of faith that gets noticed. These are the kinds of prayers that change hearts and lives.

Much More Than a Game B y

K a t h y

G o w l e r

ZIMBABWE, AFRICA

A young man herds goats in Zimbabwe.

is exact age is not known. It is enough to say that Fibion Mahembe is not a young man. As the headman of his village, he controls everything that comes into, touches or influences the community. He’s a man of great power and highly revered as one who never makes decisions without calculative consideration. Our outreach team wouldn’t even have attempted to reach Mahembe’s village without clear confirmation from the Lord. The demonic powers that control the area are fierce and relentless. We spent many hours praying and fasting to find the will of God: Is now the time? Shall we go? His answer was clear: “Go. I’ll go before you and be your rear guard.” So we went. Our challenges were few, but never absent. The journey to old Mahembe was exhausting, but God gave us fortitude. Provisions were scarce. Long before we got there, we ran out of food and had little water to share among us. Now we value water more than ever. As we approached Mahembe’s village, we unloaded our gear and took time to pray. Tribal communities in this area belong to the headman. This is his land and his community, and they are his people. Nothing happens here without his blessing. He approves who comes in and who goes

A young mother receives gospel literature.

out. He has control over all outside influences, forbidding those who are not to his liking. The headman is more than the village leader. He is the priest, the law and the maker of all decisions. He demands obedience without question; to cross him is to invite disaster into your household. The first obstacle was the watchman. It is he who grants access to Mahembe. If the watchman was not in the mood or Mahembe didn’t feel like seeing visitors, our trip would have been in vain. We needed them both to give us favour, and we depended on the Holy Spirit to help us. Mahembe wanted to know why we had come—what did we want, and what was our business with his people? He remained stone-faced as we told him we’d travelled far and explained that we’d come with a message for his people. We told him we represented the living God who loves mankind and has mercy for our wrongdoings

doings. We shared the Gospel with the boldness of our calling and respect for his authority. Then we waited for his decision. If his answer was yes, we could enter his village; if it was no, we’d have to leave. We prayed silently while we waited, and it was a long wait. The old headman said nothing for quite some time. Finally, he gave a simple nod, and we rejoiced in our spirits that God had penetrated his hardened heart. For an entire week, we shared the Gospel among wary and untrusting villagers. Mahembe held tight control over their spiritual environment. The message we shared was far from the traditions he enforced, and the people were afraid to respond. We were somewhat discouraged, but we did what we came to do. We planted seeds and trusted God with the outcome. When Mahembe summoned us to his homestead the evening of the seventh day, we were unnerved. No-one was called by the headman unless there was trouble. Had we misunderstood his nod, and now he was angry? Was he going to curse our efforts before he sent us away? We prayed all afternoon with considerable trepidation. The watchman was stern as he ushered us straight to the old man’s courtyard. To our surprise, we weren’t the only ones there. The courtyard was full of villagers. Their silence was awkward. No one knew why we were there. When he finally spoke, Mahembe’s words were slow and deliberate with long pauses in between. He recalled the day we’d first arrived and told him why we had come. He said the message we brought made him question many things, and he’d spent a long time considering what it meant. He spoke of his responsibility to uphold ancient traditions and how they haunted him. Looking down, he was clearly moved by what he was about to say.

Every Home for Christ workers gather to pray before they go home to home.

“Last night I dreamed a strange creature was chasing me,” he said. “And when I cried for help nobody came. I was running and fell into a ditch filled with mud. When I opened my eyes I saw one thing—the piece of paper these preachers gave me when they came to our village. A bright light shone directly on it, and when I lifted it up, I felt an overwhelming peace.” Then, raising his voice and standing tall, he said,“I have called you here tonight as the headman of this village to tell you that for all these years I’ve been leading you wrong. I believe I’ve found the light—I have found God. From now on, no one is to come to me with issues from spirit mediums again. I have decided to follow Christ and want you to follow Him too.” Then he asked one of our workers to go stand next to him and lead everyone who chose to accept Christ in a prayer of repentance and salvation. That night, 36 villagers, all of Mahembe’s watchmen and all of his household staff surrendered their lives to Christ. We were astonished. Old Mahembe had spent many days considering our gospel presentation, calculated the consequences and—without telling anyone—made the decision to follow Christ. His conversion was a monumental breakthrough. The news quickly spread, and other headmen from surrounding villages asked us to share the Gospel with them too. -An Every Home for Christ Zimbabwe Pioneer Missionary

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 www.everyhome.org.au ehc@everyhome.org.au

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

SEPTEMBER 2015

PRAY FOR ISRAEL, THE NATIONS, THE WORLD'S PEOPLE. Rev 12:11 "They overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony: and they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death." Speak your prayer!

BURUNDI - Pop. 10,900,000 Map 18. Despite political unrest, pioneer missionaries are still active in Burundi. Thank God for workers who go the extra mile to share Jesus during an unsettling time. Please pray for their protection as they serve. Psalm 142,143. (Isaiah 24 - 27)

GUATEMALA - Pop. 14,600,000 Map 179. Pastor Eduardo Tamay Chan, a Mayan man, is now translating the Father’s Love Letter gospel literature into the Mayan language. Pray that he is able to complete the project while also visiting several towns in the Guatemalan jungle. Psalm 144 (Isaiah 28 - 35) CREATIVE ACCESS - Our workers in this nation were discipling a woman over the phone until her husband forbade her to call the office anymore. Now she continues to access gospel teaching on the web. Pray for her to find Jesus through our online material. Psalm 145 (Isaiah 36 - 39)

BENIN - Pop. 10,200,000 Map 37. Various ethnic groups in the south of the country still follow voodoo and African tribal beliefs. Pray that our pioneer missionaries will be able to share the good news about salvation through Jesus. Psalm 146 (Isaiah 40 - 43)

SERBIA - Pop. 7,200,000 Map 71. Every Home for Christ Serbia National Director, Ivica Stamenkovic, recently completed a book designed to reach people from traditional religious backgrounds. Please pray that this book will be an effective tool for discipling new believers. Proverbs 1 (Hosea 1 - 3) NIGER - Pop. 17,500,000 Map 36. Pioneer missionaries in Niger were thankful when a people group welcomed them warmly and accepted the Word of God with joy. They asked many questions about Jesus. Praise God for hearts open to receive the Gospel. Poverbs 2 (Hosea 4 - 7)

BELIZE - Pop. 300,000 Map 180. Since January, there have been 17 murders in Belize—mostly gang related. Our workers there ask for prayer “that God will send hope where there seems to be no hope.” Please also pray for their safety as they continue taking the Gospel to the streets of their country. Proverbs 3 (Hosea 8 - 13)

SOUTH AFRICA - Pop. 48,600,000 Map 1. One of our project leaders, Louis Bosch, has been given permission to share the Gospel in three Western Cape Province hospitals. Praise God for giving him favour with the hospital authorities, and pray for the patients to have hearts open to God’s love. Proverbs 4 (Hosea 14)

PAUPA NEW GUINEA - Pop. 6,600,000 Map 146. Docas Atep was ill and tormented by evil spirits. But after continuous prayer from our workers, she has been physically healed and spiritually delivered. Praise God for His divine intervention in the life of this precious woman. Psalm 147 (Isaiah 44 - 48)

CREATIVE ACCESS - Not too long ago, six pastors were arrested in this nation. Our office worked closely with many of them. Please pray for their release and for our own workers to remain hidden from the authorities. Proverbs 5 (Micah 1 - 3)

SIERRA LEONE- Pop. 5,700,000 Map 44. Travel has been restricted since the outbreak of Ebola, making it difficult for our pioneer missionaries to carry the Gospel. Pray for the epidemic to end so that our workers can travel freely again, and pray for the hearts of those they meet to be open to the message of Jesus. Proverbs 6 (Micah 4 - 5) CREATIVE ACCESS - This office is preparing to conduct seminars designed to train workers to reach Muslims in their communities. Pray that the training goes well and that they are able to communicate the Gospel to their Muslim neighbours in love. Proverbs 7 (Micah 6 - 7)

BURKINA FASO - Pop. 18,400,000 Map 40. This Every Home for Christ office is translating The Mirror of God gospel literature into the Moore language. Please pray for this project and that many people will come to know Jesus Christ by reading this material. Psalm 148 (Isaiah 49 - 57)

CREATIVE ACCESS - A man in this country was raised in a secretive religion by his father, an influential community leader. When the father found out that his son was being discipled by our workers, he beat his son badly. Please pray for the safety of this man as he grows in his new faith. Psalm 149, 150 (Isaiah 58 - 66)

RUSSIA - Pop. 143,000,000 Map 106 . A team is conducting the first missionary training course in the city of Yakustk. Twenty students meet on Saturdays and Sundays to learn about home-to-home evangelism. Please pray for their training to be effective as they go out with the Gospel. Proverbs 8 (Nahum 1 - 3)

LESOTHO - Pop. 1,900,000 Map 2 . Pray for continued success of the Be Fruitful & Multiply program. One Christ Group leader shared that this style of sharing the Gospel and training new believers is the most dynamic tool we can use to expand the kingdom. Proverbs 9 (2 Chronicles 33-34)

CREATIVE ACCESS - Praise the Lord for healing a crippled 16-year-old boy. This opened doors for our workers in nearby regions which are strongholds of demonic activity. Our workers would not have been able to enter these areas without this miracle. Proverbs 10 (Zephaniah 1 - 3)

VENEZUALA - Pop. 28,900,000 Map 214 . Pray for the Church of the Saviour as it does outreaches in Valencia Edo, an area filled with idolatry and witchcraft. Pray for God to protect our workers and for people to come to know Jesus Christ and to be set free. Proverbs 11 (2 Chronicles 35)

SCOTLAND - Pop. 5,347,600 Map 92. Today Eric Leach is in Scotland teaching a Change the World School of Prayer. Pray God will put an ever-increasing burden for prayer in the hearts of His people in Scotland. Proverbs 12 (Habakkuk 1 - 3)

MALI - Pop. 16,500,000 Map 49 . Three new believers were recently baptised in this country. Thank the Lord for their witness within their community. Please pray for them to grow strong in their faith and for them to share the Gospel with their neighbours and families. Proverbs 13 (Jeremiah 1 - 6) MEXICO - Pop. 120,300,000 Map 178. A man named Octavio Gomez surrendered his live to Jesus after reading the gospel booklet Be Faithful, There is Hope. He has leukemia and was feeling desperate. But when he heard the gospel message of hope, he knew God had a purpose for him. Proverbs 14 (Jeremiah 11 - 12)

ETHIOPIA - Pop. 96,600,000 Map 29.Praise God for 67,000 gospel booklets that were recently distributed. After this effort, our workers received 2,600 positive responses to the Gospel! Please pray these new believers continue to grow in the knowledge of the Lord. Proverbs 15 (Jeremiah 26, 7 - 10)

GERMANY - Pop. 81,200,000 Map 83. Every year, this office distributes an evangelistic calendar, which leads to great responses from the community. They are now preparing the 2016 calendar. Pray for direction in the design and for many hearts to be open to the gospel message. Proverbs 16 (Jeremiah 14 - 20) CREATIVE ACCESS - Pioneer missionaries recently distributed literature in one of this nation’s most historically significant cities. Pray that the message of Jesus will reach the hearts of the people so that a new history can start to come from this city! Proverbs 17 (Jeremiah 35 - 36) CAMEROON - Pop. 23,100,000 Map 24 . Praise God for the 7,772 homes that received the message of Jesus in the town of Yaoundé. Our workers reported 184 positive responses to the Gospel, and many churches are asking about Be Fruitful & Multiply discipleship training. Proverbs 18 (Jeremiah 45 , 25) ESTONIA - Pop. 1,300,000 Map 97. Our workers in Estonia are encouraging churches to connect and fellowship with each other. Pray that the Christian community there would grow stronger and that a missions movement would result from their unity. Proverbs 19 (Jeremiah 46 - 49)

GUINEA-BISSAU - Pop. 1,700,000 Map 46 . Praise God that Every Home for Christ workers in Guinea-Bissau recently baptised 22 new believers. Pray for their discipleship as they grow in their faith and share the gospel message within their communities. Proverbs 20 (Jeremiah 13, 22 - 23) CREATIVE ACCESS - Despite government surveillance and opposition from the community, eight Every Home for Christ workers have continued to distribute gospel literature in this country. Please pray for their safety and for their efforts to be fruitful. Proverbs 21 (Jeremiah 24, 27 - 29)

LEBANON - Pop. 5,900,000 Map 114. Praise God for Syrian refugee women who have accepted Jesus. But please pray for them as well. Their husbands are now threatening to divorce them if they do not convert back to Islam. Pray for God to protect these women and soften their husbands’ hearts. Proverbs 22 (Jeremiah 50 - 51)

D. R. CONGO - Pop. 77,400,000 Map 19. Pray for Jesus Is Our Shepherd church as it distributes the Gospel in the district of Onatra. Pray for many people to put their faith in Jesus through this church’s efforts. And praise God that a man named Raja has already left Islam to follow Jesus. Proverbs 23 (Jeremiah 30 - 33)

WRITE YOUR PRAYER REQUEST and send it to us in the enclosed envelope and we will pray for you.