Journal, Plain & Simple

Hmm…no, this is not a testimony but rather a journal about what’s occurring in my life right now. Please don’t continue to read unless you truly want to be affected by my negative emotions – be warned.

I know most of my post that are written by me reveals that I’m a person with a pessimist mindset. Lately (actually it has been a few months) that I’ve been feeling rather “down” in my life, emotionally, spiritually, etc… Feeling rather drained out right now. Trusting God isn’t easy, lest living for Him. Not that I will give up my salvation, it’s just that in my opinion, we may not have all we desire in this life on earth as Christians, and we may not experience all of God’s blessings on earth but in heaven thus storing up treasures in heaven. The requirement of having contentment in this thought is to have the eternal perspective, and not the short-sighted earthly perspective that life here on earth is all that it is. Though I do know intellectually that what’s in Heaven is better, yet I just don’t feel contended or fulfilled unless I have all my earthly desires fulfilled. That’s just me, I want to have all my earthly hearts’ desires fulfilled here on earth before I leave earth because I can’t enjoy some of these desires in heaven…funny but true…but shall not elaborate further. Will He grant me all my hearts desires, and hopefully not less than what I desire? Bible says God is capable of doing more than what we dare to ask of Him. I agree that God is capable, but the question is that will He, or is He willing to grant me what I ask for? I’m sorry to say that I don’t have that much faith in believing that all my hearts desires will come true. The fact is that life here on earth isn’t a bed of roses, and this stays true to all people, including Christians. I think that even I as a Christian, not all prayers for will come true, but only some…for all prayers are subjected to His will. That’s why I don’t dare to hope too much, fearing that the more hope I put in, the more vulnerable I will be to experience disappointment. I’ve been disappointed enough due to expecting too much…I do know of people who are carefree in their perspective in life. Whether they have what they want, whether their desires are fulfilled or not, they’re fine either way. All they do is to just “cruise” through life. Maybe they’re happier people, and on the other hand, yet on the other hand I consider them people who are shallow in life…due to their lack of purpose in life. I expect much in life, to be honest. I am focused, making sure that everything I do will bring desired consequences, if not I rather not spend my effort doing it. I confess my motives is partially self-centered. Serving God is a desire I have in my heart, a pure desire… in doing what He asks me to do, yet on the other hand, I also hope He’ll meet my ends. It’s just me, as I don’t like being betrayed or cheated, nor to out-give…It’s my nature…I may be testing God, not for fund. Even in giving Him and serving Him, putting in money and effort, there are always doubts and fear within me of whether He will be faithful in providing my needs as I serve Him. Not that I serve Him for money or anything. It’s out of my desire to do so, God given I think. But the doubts that He may not grant me what I hope for is evident. Thus the anxiety and all…I still hope that God will bring ALL my hearts desires to fulfillment before I leave earth…I just want this as blessings from Him. I do not like being deprived of my hearts desires; neither I want those desires to change or to be taken away but fulfilled completely. Rather demanding Sorry to God regarding this issue. It’s just not Christ-like I know. It’s strange that I’m still clinging upon Him in life as my responses above aren’t “CHRISTian” at all. Yet there is a desire to want to please Him…I am rather confused about myself….It’s not that I want to upset Him for being selfish…I can’t help feeling this way…I don’t want to be deprived of what I long for. I am upset that being a Christian has to be so tough…

What is my purpose to be a Christian? To be saved? God revealed Himself to me, and I believed. That’s how I came to know of Him intellectually. Giving my life over to Him? I did that, because I felt His love and that He has revealed to me the true meaning of Salvation, living a life which is not my own but of Christ, which He lived in a way that is perfectly pleasing to God, thus us who accepted this gift have become pleasing and acceptable to Him and are redeemed – all because of what Christ did, not our effort. Is He now my Lord and not just my Savior? Did I turn all my life over to His control? Hmm…in words of prayer I did so, but what about my heart…If I truly am surrendered to Him, I would have been willing to give up anything I desire just for His sake, but sadly I’m not. I am not completely willing. I still want my desires fulfilled in full. I don’t want to be deprived. I’m afraid that giving out my all will cost me so much that my desires will not be fulfilled. It’s self-centered…I’m only taking one step at a time…I’m afraid of going all out now…I’m not that sacrificial. Sorry for the disappointment…don’t take me a role-model...But if you want a role model for a worldly guy…I’m not the best choice either…I’m stuck in between…

Another issue is that I’m still waiting for an answer regarding the Living Sacrifice program of my church. Regarding what this program is about, in short…it’s a one year commitment to serve the church, as an unofficial “worker”…a course designed for those who think that God may place in their heart a desire to serve Him fulltime…feeling called for ministry etc…I’m just feeling anxious about this, and also regarding or things in life. Anyway, I will be meeting Pastor Peter on Tuesday regarding this program. Please keep me in prayer yes?

Anyway, enough babbling, sorry if I make anyone of you feeling distress or anything. This isn’t meant to entertain anyone, it’s a journal and I need to vent somehow. At least now I’m “blogging”. Isn’t this is what blog is created for?

Nothing To Be Proud Of

Dear friends,

Thanks for your comment and encouragement on my blog. To keep you all updated, I've been encouraged by senior pastor and my youth pastor to take up this Living Sacrifice program, a one year course where I'll serve the church in whatever ministry that needs people, yet not considered as an employment thus they don't give salary but reasonable amount of allowance. I've gotten the form and yet to sign up for it. I’ve also been interviewed by Pastor Peter who is in charge of this Living Sacrifice program. What I'm concerned now is regarding the financial part, and whether this is really God's will for me to take up this program. I haven't had any prompting of the inner witness regarding this issue. Please keep me in prayer yes? As for my relationship with the Lord, it has been ups and downs, trying to love Him yet having doubts about His plan for me, difficulty trusting Him to fulfill whatever desires which is in my heart. I've grown rather fearful of giving too much to Him that it'll cost me so much, and thus living the kind of life which deprives me from the things I desire....I know this isn't Christ-like, and it's rather self-centered than God-centered. I don't feel that I'm that Lawrence whom you used to know...I know there’s no such thing of out-giving God, for all things are His in the beginning, and when I read the notes from the bible in the book of Hosea, I told God that I couldn’t accept the fact where I have to suffer the loss, in order to benefit others yet not myself. Now my relationship with God is like a barter trade, I serve Him in order to get what I want from Him. Yet I know this isn’t what pleases Him. God would rather want our hearts than our service, and to serve Him out of gratitude, out of love for Him. That aside, I do have the desire to serve Him, and it has been there for quite sometime, not for the wrong reasons, but now due to the fear of what this will cost me, I continuously remind God to not deprive me my hearts desires as I serve Him for the rest of my life. I made a vow years ago to serve Him regardless of whether He will give me what I desire, now, things have changed. I will serve Him still, because of my vow, yet I will not give up praying daily regarding my hearts desire until I hear from Him, or until I get what I desire from Him. I’ve been persistent in praying for this…now….this is who I am now….There’s nothing to be proud of me, really…

In Him,
~Lawrence~

AIM Graduation Tomorrow

AIM Graduation Tomorrow

Dear all,

Tomorrow I will be officially graduate from AIM (Asian Institute Of Ministries) a short term bible school program of my church, recognized by BCM (Bible College of Malaysia) . Yesterday was the day I received my final allowance from my dad, which also means that he will no longer support me financially because I told him that I want to work, even serving God in ministries, in church. He is not in favor with it, inclusive of the idea of me going to bible school, even though he is a believer himself, believing in the same God yet from a different perspective of God and how He works due to different denominational background. I am from the Assemblies of God, while he is from the Brethren background.

Anyway, what makes this more difficult is that my mom is a person very against anything that has to do with Christianity. She only takes religion as something to benefit herself, yet not something to devote to. She is an unbeliever. Because of her, I cannot attend church on Sundays, except when she is not around on that day, or whenever I can find an opportunity to go, I will. I even lied to her just to create an opportunity to attend church on some occasions. I know this isn't God's way so I’m not encouraging anyone to do what I did.

Right now I just consider this as a perfect timing that my dad gave my final allowance due to the reason that I will be an official AIM graduate tomorrow. I know this day will come and I’m quite prepared for it. Pastor Steven (My Youth Pastor, President of AIM and the Chairman of BCM) has asked me whether I’m serious in taking up the Living Sacrifice program – a one year program where the church will bring me to whatever ministries that need people, serving the church for one year as probation for being a fulltime staff for my church. As what I’ve mentioned in my previous posts, I have been checking my heart for a long time and I am very certain that I have the desire to serve God in wherever He leads me. This desire has been in my heart for quite a few years, and I do not have the passion to work in any secular jobs, meaning being a businessman or anything but only ministries. I do not know what my calling is, thus I joined AIM in order to receive ministry training and theology education, and also to by myself time to seek God in order to find out what He actually wants me to do. Now without the financial aid of my dad, it actually gives me the opportunity to trust God in giving me a job to finance myself, and also for training me to do whatever He wants me to do. Please be in prayer for me, as I know I need that badly. I’ve been praying for months, or even years for this but right now I still have not got any answer from Him yet. Please also pray that He'll provide me enough financially as what I heard about the Living Sacrifice program is that it doesn't give people salary, but only allowance which isn't quite much. I do not work for God because of this financial reason but to serve Him, yet I also cannot survive if I do not have enough to pay for my daily living. Really appreciate it if any of you can pray for me.

In Him,
~Lawence~

Saved Marriage

Saved Marriage

Most of us would avoid a married couple in the midst of a heated argument—but not Yaftha, a GFA Bible woman serving in South India. Moved with compassion toward the embittered couple, Yaftha told Jose and Sita of the love of Christ.

After earnestly praying for them, the young woman visited the couple to counsel them. God did an incredible work; both husband and wife admitted their wrongs and decided to stay together. They also put their faith in Jesus for salvation and submitted their lives to His authority. Because Yaftha was a willing vessel in her Master's hands, she had the privilege to witness God's mighty hand at work.

Give thanks to God for restoring a marriage and saving two precious souls. Pray for unity to pervade the hearts of this newly restoredcouple, that their love for each other may speak to other villagers of God's redemptive power.

Be Thankful Always

We have so much to be thankful for, and in expressing our gratitude to the Lord, it is easy to point to our material prosperity. Although we cannot always count on having our work, our good health or even family and friends with us tomorrow, there are things we cannot lose. Even if all the external blessings were taken from us, we still have Him to thank for our eternal life (John 10:27, 28), the promise of access into His presence through prayer (Hebrews 4:15, 16) and His faithfulness to forgive our sins (1 John 1:9).

God's unfailing, unchanging love towards us remains forever. Paul wrote in Romans 8:38, 39, "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Let us be aware of all our blessings and make every day a day of thanksgiving!

Still haven’t decided yet

I still haven’t get an answer from the Lord thus far, regarding whether He wants me to go for the family trip. My family will be leaving tomorrow at 6:30 in the morning to avoid the heavy traffic, stopping by Ipoh for Dimsum (one of my Chinese delight) before moving on.

Lord, what is You will? If you want me to go, I will. If not I’ll stay back, for I really do not feel like going. Just let me know what You want me to do Lord, and I’ll obey. In Jesus name, amen!

If Joe Could, So Can You!

INSIGHTS from Bill Bright
Reflections from the late Founder and President/Chairman Emeritus of Campus Crusade for Christ International

If Joe Could, So Can You!

God deliberately chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise (1 Corinthians 1:27, NLT).

Dear friends:

Do you sometimes feel as though your looks, personality or abilities limit you from accomplishing anything significant with your life?

You see the "beautiful people" paraded on television, with their charming personalities, or the brains of the world featured on talk shows. You may think, "If I could just be like him or her, then I too could make something of my life."

When we first began the ministry at UCLA in 1951, I met a young man who was not at all attractive in appearance, and you could say that he had zero personality. But he was on fire for Christ and regularly God used him to introduce others to the Lord. He would call me on the telephone and share the wonderful experiences that he had and I would rejoice with him. It was truly a remarkable experience.

One day a mutual friend said to me, "If Joe didn't have the Lord, he wouldn't have anything, would he?" That is really true for all of us. Joe had no personality and no real abilities, except that he was consumed with the most important thing in life. He lived to share God's love and forgiveness in Christ with everybody who would listen and, in the process, he probably led more people to Christ than all the rest of the students together because he was so single-minded.

I am reminded that our Lord selected mostly a bunch of unlearned, ordinary people to be his disciples and to later turn the world upside down with the gospel after they were anointed for service.

This also reminds me of the apostle Paul, who obviously lacked much in human ability, but he was effective in his single-mindedness. He said, "I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power" (! Corinthians 2:1-5, NIV).

The Bible says, "God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things -- and the things that are not -- to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him" (1 Corinthians 1:27-29, NIV).

If Joe could be an effective witness for Christ, and Peter, John and Paul, so can you!

Yours for helping to fulfill the Great Commission each year until our Lord returns,

Bill Bright

In The Presence Of Greatness

INSIGHTS from Bill Bright
Reflections from the late Founder and President/Chairman Emeritus of Campus Crusade for Christ International

In The Presence Of Greatness

Kings will stand speechless in his presence (Isaiah 53:15, NLT).

Dear friends:

During the days of the administration of President Ronald Reagan, Vonette and I were invited to the White House for a state dinner, which we discovered was a very unique privilege.

I had just assumed that all congressmen, senators and cabinet member were regular participants in state dinners, but I was told that it was very rare and few people were ever invited more than once to the White House for an occasion like this.

Vonette and I were sitting with President Reagan and his wife, Nancy, and enjoying their fellowship and the fellowship of others who were invited along with us. It was a time of pomp and ceremony. The colorful and outstanding United States Marine Band and Color Guard and all the ceremonies of that magnificent state affair were very impressive. It was a great honor to be there on that occasion when President Reagan entertained a head of state from a foreign country.

But as impressive as it was, it was really nothing compared with what I do every day, and the company I routinely keep! Presidents and government leaders are just humans, like all of us, with their human weaknesses. But daily I have intimate fellowship with the King of kings and Lord of lords. I enter through His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise (Psalm 100:4). I come boldly before His throne (Hebrews 4:16), and am seated with Him in heaven (Ephesians 2:6). I know this is true because God said it, and I believe it.

What a greater privilege is ours as believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, each day, any hour of the day or night, to have fellowship with the omnipotent, creator God and Savior.

Although I greatly admire and respect President Reagan as I have many other Presidents whom I have come to know through the years, there is no one who can even begin to compare with our Lord Jesus Christ, Creator of the Universe, the One who holds everything together with the word of His command, and who died on the cross for our sins. Three days later He was raised from the dead and now lives in the hearts of all believers.

We can come into the presence of this great King at any time, with no appointment necessary. And unlike White House state dinners, we can come back again and again, daily and many times a day. In fact, He allows us to live and walk in His presence continually.

Such truth is too great and wonderful to comprehend or to fully appreciate. All we can do it thank and praise Him as we stand in awe at His greatness and love.

Yours for helping to fulfill the Great Commission each year until our Lord returns,

Bill Bright

Brighter Future for Sudeesh

With trembling hands, Nanjiy brought Sudeesh, her 4-year-old grandson, to the GFA Bridge of Hope school (http://www.gfa.org/gfa/bridgeofhope) in her village. Surely this will be good for him, she thought. Hearing about this school where children learn in a nurturing environment and receive a nourishing meal each day gave her reason to hope. Hope for a brighter future for her grandchild.

Sudeesh was born in a tribal community in Kerala, South India, where many of the people are poor, living in little huts in the forest. When he was just a baby, his father abandoned the family. Filled with despair, his mother ended her life by eating poisonous fruit. Nanjiy, his grandmother, was left to provide for him. But she barely had enough to fill her stomach, let alone a small child’s. Then neighbors told her about the GFA Bridge of Hope school.

Though Nanjiy had nothing to offer for payment, the teachers graciously welcomed Sudeesh. The little boy soaked up the love these teachers lavished on their students. He easily made friends with his classmates and was soon excelling in his studies. More than that, he began to learn about Jesus and the hope found in Him.

Just last month, Nanjiy tragically died in an alcohol-related accident. Like many women in the tribal village, Sudeesh’s grandmother was addicted to locally made liquor, easily accessible in the forest community.

But today, because the Lord provided for Sudeesh to attend a school where he could have a brighter future—his grandmother’s dying wish—he is part of a nurturing community where he is being cared for and hearing stories of Jesus and His love. Imagine the day Sudeesh runs into the arms of the Savior and embraces the love of his heavenly Father. By God’s grace, almost all of the children in our schools are giving their hearts to Christ. Through GFA Bridge of Hope (http://www.gfa.org/gfa/bridgeofhope), thousands of children like Sudeesh are experiencing God’s love and, through His salvation, finding hope for a brighter future.

Prayer Requests:

• Pray for Meesh’s mom – Pamela and Cindy – Rita’s daughter. They are currently affected by the MS and are thus receiving medication from their respected. Cindy may be undergoing an operation soon. Do pray for God’s mercy the He will do what is best. Pray for God’s total control in their health condition, the doctors & the whole circumstance.
  

• Pray for my friend Lorraine’s father. He has been experiencing headaches for days and has thus been consuming painkillers constantly. He has undergone an operation due to cancer not so long ago. My friend is really worried for her dad and has asked me to pray on her dad’s behalf. But I put this up so that there’ll be more people to intercess for them. I believe in the power of an earnest prayer.
  

Matthew 18:20 :"For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."

Praying For Nations

INSIGHTS from Bill Bright
Reflections from the late Founder and President/Chairman Emeritus of Campus Crusade for Christ International

Praying For Nations

Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance (Psalm 2:8, NLT).

Dear friends:

At one time, President Mikhail Gorbachev was riding the crest of popularity and great power as head of the atheistic Soviet Union. But President Gorbachev was only a man. And God says, "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD" (Proverbs 21:1, KJV).

Here is a most fascinating series of events and circumstances that our mighty God orchestrated by His great wisdom, compassion and power.

Our Russian representative living in the Soviet Union at the time, Dan Peterson, was teaching in a very prestigious school for the children of our ambassadors. Dan communicated with my wife Vonette and me that we should organize a 24-hour, 30-day prayer vigil and encourage Christians all over the world to pray for the liberation of the Soviet Union. Vonette was then chairmen of the international Lusanne intercessory prayer committee, a Billy Graham ministry to millions. She sent a plea to go out to millions of people all over the world, to pray that God would do something dramatic and supernatural to liberate this nation, especially for that 30-day period.

Russia had previously known 900 years of Christianity, but for 70 years had been under the oppressive, anti-God communists. We felt strongly led by the Holy Spirit that we should pray that the people of the Soviet Union would be liberated out of their bondage.

Then with incredible timing, one of the most dramatic answers to prayer happened that I have ever observed. The 30 days passed and, miracle of miracles, the very first working day following those 30 days, President Gorbachev announced new freedoms through what was called "Glasnost" (openness) and "Perestroika" (restructuring). That was the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union and the beginning of religious freedom to a nation of close to 300 million people.

There is no doubt that prayer literally influences men and nations in accordance with God's promises and purposes. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you a similar burden and leading for our country or another nation or group of people. Maybe it will be China, South Asia, Africa, Europe, South America, or whatever. When He does, obediently step out in faith with it, pray, fast, ask and keep on asking, and believe God's promises.

God will hear, and answer according to His own plans and divine timing.

Yours for helping to fulfill the Great Commission each year until our Lord returns,
Bill Bright

GIVE HIM THE GLORY!

JfH Weekly Devotional #302-"Give Him the Glory!"

Jesusfreakhideout.com Weekly Devotional
http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com

Dear Friends In Christ,

It's our hope that this week's message will have such a profound impact on your prayerlife, that your measure of answered prayer will abound and increase for the glory of God. We have you in our hearts, as well as our prayers. Please don't hesitate to share your prayer requests with us at any time. "May God our Father shower you with blessings and fill you with His great peace!" (Colossians 1:2 TLB)
Yours In Christ, Joanne (Farro @ The JfH)

GIVE HIM THE GLORY!
"I am the LORD; that is My name! I will not give My glory to anyone else." Isaiah 42:8 NLT

Recently, my husband and I had an important function to attend that involved our oldest son and his wife. As much as we wanted to be there for our loved ones, we were concerned about severe weather conditions that were headed our way at the time. A storm of hurricane proportions was working its way up the east coast, and our forecast said there was a 100% chance that it would be right on top of us at the exact time that we needed to be on the road. I began earnestly praying that the Lord would intervene and keep our weather calm and clear, so that we could travel in safety. When the weather that evening exceeded our highest expectations, I was quick to give God all the thanks, praise, and glory. But my husband began chiding me, saying that it was just a coincidence, and there was never a real threat to begin with.

This experience reminded me of the account in Acts 12, where the apostle Peter was imprisoned and destined to be executed. Scripture says that a group of believers gathered together and began earnestly praying for him. Though Peter was heavily guarded, the Lord enabled him to escape by sending an angel to deliver him. The first place that Peter went was the house where these believers were united in prayer on his behalf. When he knocked on their door, and a servant girl recognized his voice, she got so excited that she neglected to let him in. When she told the praying believers that Peter was at the door, they promptly told her, "You're out of your mind." (v.15) Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking, and when they finally opened the door and saw him, "They were amazed." (v.16) Can you just picture this scenario? God's people are crying out for His divine intervention, and when their answer is right on their doorstep, they don't even believe or recognize it? How many times are we guilty of doing the very same thing?

The Bible says: "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs and don't forget to thank Him for His answers." (Philippians 4:6 TLB) I must say that I have gotten very good at praying about anything and everything, and because of that, I witness the Lord's involvement in my life on a daily basis, in small matters as well as big ones. But I have to confess that I don't always remember to thank Him for all the times He intervenes on my behalf. And thanking God for answered prayer is essential, because it reminds us that we are dependent upon Him, that He is the Source of all good things, and that He deserves all the glory. It's offensive to the Lord when we rationalize or reason away His blessings, because it robs Him of the glory He so richly deserves. He says in His Word: "I will not yield My glory to another." (Is 48:11 NIV) This is a stern warning to those who would habitually give themselves or others credit for God's gracious gifts.

Psalm 50:15 (NKJV) says: "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me." The New Living Translation says, "You will give Me glory." The Lord invites us to come to Him with our problems, because He wants to demonstrate His power and love on our behalf. This is a wonderful promise for us to claim in faith when we're in need, but we mustn't neglect to keep our part of the bargain, when God is gracious enough to keep His. As we call upon Him for help, and He answers us, we must remember to give Him all the glory, as well as all the thanks and praise. I believe that one reason why I have seen my percentage of answered prayer increase over the years, is because I've gotten better and better at giving God all the glory He deserves, and I am careful not to reason away His blessings.

If you want to stop the flow of God's blessings in your life, failing to give Him glory and honor for His gifts is a good way to do it. I pray the Lord will sink this message down deep into your heart, so that you may begin to experience an unhindered flow--even an overflow--of His very best blessings!

Lord, forgive me for the times I called upon You in prayer, and neglected to thank and praise You for the answers. Help me to never rationalize or reason away Your gracious gifts. Thank You that as I am quick to give You the glory, Your blessings will chase me down and overtake me!

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A Joyful Surprise

Her death seemed inevitable. Nibun’s mother had been ill with malaria for a long time. Doctors, priests and sorcerers were unable to find a cure.

But Nibun had a seed of hope in his heart—God’s Word. Bible stories were a regular part of the curriculum at the Bridge of Hope school (http://www.gfa.org/gfa/bridgeofhope) he attended, where teachers worked diligently to give children the best education while also showing them the love of Christ. Like many other children, Nibun would come home and relate to his family the stories he heard.

One night, as Nibun and his family sat together at his mother’s bedside, he told them how Jesus raised a widow’s son from the dead. That moment became a turning point in their lives.

That night, after hearing the story, Nibun’s father later shared, "I could not sleep. This story was burning in my heart again and again."
Nibun’s father sought out Pastor Samuel the next morning. After hearing more about Jesus and His offer of salvation, the man asked the pastor to come and pray for his wife. "I believe Jesus will heal my wife just as He did the widow’s son," he affirmed.

Though weak in her body, Nibun’s mother shared the same confidence: "My son talks about Jesus many times in our home. I believe Jesus will heal me."

Pastor Samuel laid hands on the dying woman and prayed for the Lord to raise her up. Then he returned to his home.
The next day he saw Nibun and asked how his mother was doing.

"My mommy is walking around," he reported happily, "and this morning she prepared breakfast for us!"

When Samuel arrived at Nibun’s house, he found a family transformed both physically and spiritually. They had each made a decision to follow Christ.

It has been a joyful surprise for Samuel to realize the incredible potential within his little school that started out with 35 children. "I never thought that through the school, a family would be added to my local church," he comments. "I pray God will use many students like Nibun as His tools to bring families to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. I am fully confident that this school is a good means to not only share the love of Jesus in our region, but spread His hope through the entire nation."

Through GFA Bridge of Hope schools (http://www.gfa.org/gfa/bridgeofhope), God is using children like Nibun to touch many lives. In one region, 50 schools that were started resulted in 37 new churches being planted in less than a year. Praise God for His mighty work among the unreached.

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Safe Return

Shashikila’s family was frantic. It was bad enough that the elderly woman had lost her sense of memory, but now she had wandered from home. They didn’t know where she was or how to find her. But there was a GFA Believers Church in their village. Maybe, just maybe, if Pastor David prayed to his God, they would get their loved one back.

The family visited Pastor David and asked him to pray for Shashikila’s safe return. "As a church we prayed for her," Pastor David writes, "and the Lord brought her back safely." That wasn’t all. As Pastor David earnestly prayed for Shashikila, the Lord intervened and restored her mind.

Today Shashikila worships Jesus. Her family has embraced her new faith. "The Lord’s name was glorified through this incident," Pastor David writes. May this family shine as a witness of God’s love to spiritually dark hearts in their Tamil Nadu village.

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Freed by the Blood of Jesus

Picture yourself as a woman in South India. Because someone reached your village with the Good News of Jesus and the price He paid for your salvation, you are no longer in bondage to the angry, unforgiving deities your neighbors bring sacrifices to. You have been set free; now you know the living God and the joy of His presence.

Your husband, an alcoholic, doesn't know this Jesus yet. And he has stopped you from attending church to worship Him.
Prasela found herself in this predicament. Oh, how she longed to go to church and fellowship with other believers!

One day the unbelievable happened when her husband, Harun, agreed to accompany her to a prayer meeting led by Anil, a Gospel for Asia Bible college student. As Harun listened to the Gospel that day, the Holy Spirit convicted him of his need for salvation. He surrendered his heart to Jesus and experienced complete deliverance from his alcohol addiction.

Pray for Harun to continually grow in the faith he now shares with his wife. Give praise to the Father for two lives that have been set free by the precious blood of Jesus.