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| Recently
I have been feeling more and more in need of the Holy Spirit’s
guidance in teaching my classes, because to tell you the truth, I
break down and cry sometimes. |
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| I
decided that I was not spending enough time in my private Bible studies
so instead of coming home after my classes at night and going to bed,
I started relaxing in the Word of the Lord. Since then it’s been
wonderful. |
| I
teach classes with different levels of understanding. We have levels
one through five, with level one being the lowest level where the
students form sentences much more slowly than in the other levels.
There is a lady in one of my level one classes who is a bit shy, but
recently started opening up to me. One day shewas the only one who
came to class because of a flu epidemic. We talked for the entire
class about her life and the problems she is having in her marriage,
which she is afraid will end in divorce. I knew this was my opportunity
to tell her about Jesus but I didn’t know how to start and what
words to use. When she was finished she said to me, “What do
you think?” |
| “I
believe in Jesus. Do you know Him?” I asked. “Yes, but not
much,” she replied. |
| I
then told her that I have been serving Him for eight years now, and
during those years I have had many difficulties and when I ask Him
for help with my problems He’s answered every time. “He
has never failed me yet and I am sure He never will.” |
| I
told her He speaks to me through His Word and I speak to Him through
prayer. She then asked, “How do you pray?” I told her, “You
speak to God like you are speaking to me now.” She said, “Could
you show me how?” |
| I
went and found a Bible and opened it to the Lord’s Prayer in
Matthew and we read it together. I then prayed with her. She asked
me if she could have the Bible. “Sure, and if you want I can
study with you, too.” She said that she would like that so I
told her to start reading the books of Genesis and John because they
are the two which I could understand and helped me when I first became
a Christian. I gave her two chapters in each book to read. |
| She
was surprised when I suggested Genesis. She told me her Bible has
only the New testament and the priest told her that the old testament
has been done away with. I then explained to her why we read the entire
Bible. We are planning to meet every Sunday so I can study the Bible
with her. |
| She
also made an effort to come to Friday night meetings with her three-year-old
son. She told me he loves the singing and he was singing when he got
home. I was so happy when she told me that. I was also delighted that
she is interested in attending the services. |
| Please
pray for this lady, that she may find Jesus and join His family. She
is such a sweet woman. |
| After
she left I could not contain my joy and I was jumping up and down
and smiling and reiterating again and again how happy I was. These
people here do not know God and it is so wonderful when they ask you
about Him. I was so happy. |
| Please
pray for me as I continue to study with her. I am comforted in knowing
that God is indeed working through me. It’s amazing what He can
do through us if we let Him lead. |
| Please
continue to pray for our Kiev school. There are many more who are
interested in the Word of God and are coming to our programs. Please
pray that somehow they too may have the zeal to want to know more
about Jesus. |
| Sometimes
it gets hard and I feel like I can’t make it but God gives me
new strength every day. He keeps molding me as well as refining me
by the experiences I face. He teaches me love and patience in ways
I can’t even understand at times. I know He is just showing His
love and making me into the best Joy I can be. I know now the fact
that we are all His PRECIOUS SOULS.
By: Joy Williams, Volunteer
serving in Kiev, Ukraine.
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iad:inter-america
division
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| We
determined to do our best in rearing the children. Right from Osquítar's
birth (that is our affectionate name for him), we dedicated time to
teach him about our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. We told him
the Bible stories, we sang, and we prayed with him during his earliest
years. A profound respect for spiritual things became very evident
in Osquítar. When he turned three years old, we were surprised
early one morning to hear his voice singing to the accompaniment of
a portable tape recorder we had in the house. With his own words,
he told us that he wanted to serve God through music and prayer. |
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| A
Shadow Over Our Home |
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| Osquítar
was taken to the clinic with an irritation in his throat and a lump
on the left side of his jaw. Four months passed while the church family
prayed with us for this mysterious problem. Pastor Victor Venegas
decided to anoint our boy. Briefly he explained to Osquítar
the purpose of anointing and baptism. |
| Six
days later, we took our boy to have further medical exams in three
different clinics. The doctors who saw him were very concerned with
what they found. Osquítar was transferred to the children's
hospital in preparation for surgery. A biopsy was performed, and Dr
García summoned us to meet with her. The biopsy revealed that
our little boy had Hodgkin's Lymphoma. |
| My
mind went blank. Just the name of Jesus came to my dry lips and I
begged Him to hold me in His arms so that I would not lose my faith.
While the doctor explained in greater detail the nature of the disease,
my eyes filled with tears, and anguish invaded my spirit. I could
imagine the suffering of God when He gave His Son up to die. |
| The
Savior then gave me a sign of His love. Even though devastating news
had just befallen us, this little boy gathered 15 people, among them
doctors and nurses, and invited them to listen to his song of gratitude
to God. Following that presentation, he went to another mother there,
consoled her, and prayed for her little girl who was also diagnosed
with cancer. Osquítar prayed that day with several families
whose children were in the cancer ward, and he handed out copies of
the Christian magazine, El Centinela. God was reminding me to whom
my boy belonged. He was Jesus' little servant. |
| Chemotherapy
was ordered to begin immediately. On returning home, sadness again
overwhelmed me. How was I going to give this news to my daughters
and my husband? That Friday evening the entire family was heart-broken.
We hoped to find comfort as we gathered together for worship. |
| Osquítar
was in bed suffering from the effects of the therapy. We hugged each
other, cried, and prayed together with our son, asking God for mercy.
Despite our anguish, we knew that all things are possible for Him. |
| "'Mommy,
I think Satan has caused me to have this disease because he knows
I am serving Jesus," exclaimed Osquítar. “Don't worry!
Jesus defeated Satan and He will win over him again in our family.
Jesus came down from Heaven with power and glory.” Later, he
said “Jesus is coming back and I want to get ready. I want to
learn new songs and present His word.” He spoke with real conviction. |
| While
undergoing chemotherapy there were especially difficult periods because
of the reactions caused in his body. Nothing, however, kept Osquítar
from glorifying the name of God. He passed sleepless nights, and frequent
vomiting, with determination and singing. Even while the treatments
were continuing, numerous people, including pastors would come by
to see our boy and ask him to sing in evangelistic efforts and at
weeks of prayer. Often they had not even heard about his battle with
cancer. |
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Osquítar
always accepted their invitations, conscious of his calling. Presently,
our son continues serving the Lord with eagerness. The doctors say
that he needs to have frequent check-ups. But we know that God keeps
him in His hands and has a ministry for this child. Osquítar
will follow God's will for his life. God's plan for our lives is
always the best plan. His wisdom and His mercy mean everything to
us. We trust Him to lead us day by day until Jesus returns.
The
Vargas Family
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nsd:northern
asia-pacific division
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By
far, the most amazing and exciting things occur daily in our
English School “classrooms,” if they can be called
such, during our Bible classes. |
| Mr
Nakamura attended a counseling class 3-5 years ago and recently
attended two of the ACTS 2000 meetings. He speaks almost no
English, but Mr Yamamoto was able to translate the lesson about
Abraham and his near sacrifice of Isaac. |
| On
Sunday he was back for more Bible study. This time he brought
company: his wife and dog. Yes, his dog! On Wednesday, he was
15 minutes early. I pulled out the lesson on “The Creation
of Man and Woman.” Right after we prayed, Mr Miura and
Akemi walked in. When we were almost finished, who should open
the door but my mountainclimbing student, Mr Kawai, who, on
the first day of class, had loudly declared his dislike for
the Bible and all things related. |
| We
read all the verses we had already studied so that he could
know where we were and then I proceeded to wrap things up with
the summary of the three gifts God gave us at creation: life,
marriage and the Sabbath. |
| We
were on the last point, the Sabbath, when for some reason, I
said the word “doyobi” (Saturday in Japanese).
Mr Miura’s head shot up and he cried, “Doyobi?
You mean nichiyobi (Sunday) don’t you?” “No,”
I replied. “I mean doyobi, Saturday.” Mr Miura
seemed completely lost. “Doyobi?” he repeated. |
| “Yes,”
replied Mr Nakamura as though it was an obvious fact, “the
seventh day.” This was scarcely Mr Nakamura’s third
class and he was already teaching the class! |
| “What
about Sunday? What is Sunday?” Mr Miura questioned. “Is
it a normal day?” |
| “Yes,”
I answered. |
| “We
work on Sunday. God made light on Sunday,” Mr Nakamura
interjected. |
| “Yes!”
I cried, “God worked on Sunday. He made light!” What
insight for such a new student! The situation was ironic. God
was using the neophyte to teach the more seasoned student and
He was also making sure that Mr Miura got a point which I had
somehow failed to make clear the first time. God is so good!
If we don’t get it right the first time, He’ll simply
bring it around again until we get it right. |
| In
our last Bible class before Thanksgiving break, Mr Hideo stayed
behind and asked me a question. “The Bible is a big book
and I know it will take us a long time to read it. Sometimes
we have troubles or problems and we need help. I have some trouble.
I’m looking for some peace or something. Is there a part
in this book that could offer some help, some encouragement? |
| I
was completely dumbfounded! No one had ever asked me for help
from the Bible so directly before. John 14:27 immediately (and
I’m sure providentially) came to mind. “Peace is what
I leave with you; it is my own peace that I give you; I do not
give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not
be afraid.” |
| Mr
Hideo was silent after he read those words and then he said,
“That is a very good verse. Sometimes I feel like that,
worried, upset and afraid. That is a very good verse.” |
| Then
he said that there was something different about Carmen and
I from himself and other Japanese. “You seem like something
holy,” he said. I had to smile. I assured him that it was
not Carmen or I, but that it was Christ. |
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When
you have Christ as your best Friend, the relationship is visible
to those around you. When Mr Hideo left that day I was still
in shock over the working of the Holy Spirit. Angels could
finish the gospel work in a flash. But we are given the opportunity
of service for our benefit. Twelve English schools and 50
churches in Japan seem so small among 150 million people.
God may not be calling you to Japan, but if He is, don’t
ignore the call.
By: Jennifer Goley, student missionary from
Southwestern Adventist University, Texas.
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spd:south
pacific division
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| Debbie
and Elmer Santos, together with their children Jonathan and Larissa,
were the first Volunteer Missionary family to leave Australia at the
beginning of 2001, the International Year of Volunteers. They are
serving for two years at the River Plate Sanitarium and Hospital in
Argentina where Elmer is in charge of Biomedical Engineering. |
| The
Santos’, pictured here during their final briefing, are members
of the Toowoomba Church in South Queensland. Debbie served in Japan
as a volunteer previously. She originally came from Inverell where
her parents the Sheltons live. In the year 2000 almost 1,000 Volunteers
from the South Pacific Division served somewhere - 400 of these are
national volunteer lay pastors serving in our Island countries. |
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ssd:southern
asia-pacific division
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It
was Thursday and I was frustrated. Spiritually, I felt as if we
were losing the precious young man that Ben and I had worked so
hard for and nurtured over the last two years. As Ben and I talked
together, I felt so completely helpless. The two of us had had Bible
studies with Tarkwon and about eight of his schoolmates three nights
a week and on Sabbath afternoons. We had worked and prayed hard
for these precious teenagers that God had entrusted to our care.
Tarkwon was one of two that had made his decision to follow Jesus
all the way. Now it looked like we were losing one of the fruits
of our labors. What could we do?
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"We're
losing him Ben."
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Over
the last couple of weeks, I had sensed Tarkwon struggle. Inside,
there was something tugging at him. I was not sure what it was.
I tried to get him to talk to me, but he was not opening up to me
as he usually did. Outbursts in class were becoming a regular occurrence.
I knew that inside, something was eating away at him. This was not
the Tarkwon I had loved and nurtured over the last two years. Where
had that young man gone?
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In
my mind’s eye, I saw him just one year before. I had watched,
with tears in my eyes, as Tarkwon had been baptized. How PROUD I
was of him. He had made the decision in the face of opposition and
it had been a long road. His baptism had made all of the anxious
prayers and tears worth it.
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Tarkwon
had told a few members of his family about his baptism but not one
showed up. That weighed on him much more than any of us realized.
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Now
here I was, one year later, about to cry. Tarkwon had not been to
church more than two times since he had been baptized. His family
had told him that he needed to stay at home on Sabbaths and take
care of his grandfather. This was a perpetual frustration for me.
I KNEW that this was Satan's way of keeping Tarkwon away from us.
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Tarkwon
is an easy-going, likeable young man. He’s a good boy. One
that has been taught well. He knows how to make you laugh. He is
a hard worker. As I watched him, I had a growing concern that his
easy-going nature would get him into trouble.
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My
mind leaped back to the present. There had been another outburst
in class. I started praying. Only God could work this one out and
He did, sooner than I thought He would.
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Saturday
night Tarkwon came to me. With tears in his eyes he told me that
his family had kicked him out of the house the night before because
he wanted to go to church. I was so proud I cried. He had finally
stood up for what he believed in. I took him to the other SM’s
and we prayed with him. That is when he really broke down. Here
we had an 18-year-old young man, a senior in high school, who had
nowhere to go and only the clothes on his back to wear. He was sobbing,
head covered, body racked with tears.
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He
told us that he would not go back. He had to come to church. Who
was going to pay his tuition? Where was he going to live? What was
he going to wear? How would he make it through college?
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We
took care of the immediate needs and trusted God to do the rest.
You should have seen the trust in Tarkwon’s eyes. He knew HIS
God would take care of him.
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Tarkwon’s
family called him back home on Monday. His grandfather, who had
kicked him out, had spent a sleepless, tear-filled three days. They
took him back with open arms, more willing to listen to this son
of theirs that had given up family and home to follow completely
the Jesus he loved.
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And
his influence still is evident. Because of Tarkwon, three other
young men are making their decision to follow Jesus completely.
One has made a STRONG stand. He stands up to classmates and tells
them they need to follow the Bible and the Bible only.
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| I
thank God for Tarkwon’s witness and for the fact that we weren’t
losing him. We didn’t lose him. We’ll never lose him. His
witness will continue to bless others for a long time to come.
By: Tammy McGee, Student
Missionary serving in Majuro
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