Tuesday nights at 8:30 p.m. prompt, 24 people from four different towns meet in, or rather, on one place: the Internet.
Believers in Uruguay from the Grace Brethren Church of Montevideo have found a way to spend time praying together without having to gather in the same place. Skype, the popular web communication tool, has proven more than a telephone for these believers, but a room in which they can all hear each other.
“We firmly believe that prayer is an evangelistic tool,” says Daniel Barbitta, a missionary serving in Montevideo. Continue...
by Wayne Hannah
GBIM Asia Regional Director
Apparently the busiest bridge in the world is the Howrah Bridge in Kolkata (Calcutta), India. Approximately 60,000 vehicles and more than four million pedestrians (the population of Los Angeles) cross this 1500-foot-long bridge—every day!
We talk a lot about bridges here at GBIM. In fact, “Bridges” is the theme we will highlight at the FGBC National Conference this month. When we talk about “bridges,” we are talking about relational bridges—ways that one can connect with other people to build authentic relationships that lead to living and sharing his or her faith in Christ. Paul Klawitter, Europe Regional Director, lists 60 different relational bridges that the Europe Team uses in their various ministries. They include an Irish Felter’s club, fencing (like with swords), motorcycle club, Fair Trade Café, teaching English, a guitar guild, and Chinese classes. They are all serious, intentional, relational encounters with Europeans that the Europe team is using to bridge into others’ lives as seeds for the sharing of the gospel.
Continue...
In February 2009, Wilfried Dengler, a National Ministry Partner from Germany, began a three-year term in the Central African Republic working with the Fulanis. “I am a gardener and work the soil alongside the Fulanis, not only planting seeds for their livelihood, but also planting seeds of faith,” says Wilfried. The Fulanis were always nomadic or semi-nomadic cattle herders. They were wealthy because most of the Central Africans, the Bantu, do not raise cattle and always relied on the Fulanis to provide them. But the 2002-2003 civil war changed all that when many Fulanis lost their cattle and way of living. Continue...
Nao Makino was looking for purpose...in Sitka, Alaska. Shortly after graduating from a university with a degree in economics, he left for a three-month backpacking trip to Alaska chasing an improbable dream. He was inspired by a documentary about Michio Hoshino, a Japanese photographer renowned for his breathtaking pictures of the Alaskan wilderness.
“I thought it would be better than what I was experiencing in Tokyo,” he said. What he was experiencing in Japan was a culture that pressured him to be materially successful. But Nao decided there must be more to life than universities and careers. As he would discover in Sitka, there was.
“Michio wrote about Bob, a Native American spiritual leader and local legend in Sitka, like he was a kind of ghost,” says Nao. “Michio liked [Bob] so much and respected him. I wanted to meet Bob too. At that time, I wasn’t a Christian, but I knew what prayer was. I prayed when I got to the city of Sitka and I asked God, ‘Is Bob here? I want to meet him.’”
It was a small thing, but it was all it took to change Nao’s life drastically. Five minutes later, Continue...
…a Journey of Trust by Anna Boze
May the God of peace … equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ (Hebrews 13:20-21).
My journey toward trusting God with my finances began with His provision: the gift of redemption and everything needed for living according to His will. Through every unexpected turn, I see evidence of His mercy and faithfulness because His purposes are always higher than my own.Tough experiences often demonstrate God’s faithfulness more clearly than when everything appears to make sense. Four years ago, I began losing weight rapidly without any clear explanation. The process of seeking a diagnosis and completing treatment took over a year. I left a summer job to return home for medical tests and so suffered financial setbacks. Through it all, every need was met. Continue...
