The Quest

An excerpt from...

The Quest: Community Transformation

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By Joy Phillips, Compassionate Ministries Coordinator
July-September 2015

“No one in my family got sick with malaria this year,” reported Alice, one of the Community Health Evangelism participants in South Sudan. After putting into practice what she’s learned, her family gets sick less often. Yay, that’s what we want to hear! Others are planting banana and papaya trees in their yards, enhancing their families’ diet. Another participant reported that they have formed a prayer group that prays for their community on Tuesdays and Saturdays. All of that must please the Lord, don’t you think?

This process of community transformation didn’t just happen. It took a team and lots of networking. John and Beth Muehleisen, in the role of Africa Regional Transformation Training coordinators, have mentored WGM international missionary Adhanom Hidug as a CHE facilitator. Volunteer CHE Champion Rick Morse joined the Mango Ministries training team and others have helped as well. I’ve also been able to use my experiences from serving with Tenwek Community Health and Development in Kenya to help develop this new ministry in South Sudan.

WGM’s central ministry focus is wholistic transformation. As you can see from the ministry in South Sudan, this is best facilitated when resources, personnel, and ideas are shared. One of my favorite books that has helped me gain a better understanding of transformational development is When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. It’s a great read for anyone interested in missions.

I’ve been connecting with many missionaries in WGM as I take on the role of WGM’s Compassionate Ministries coordinator. It’s been amazing to hear about where God is already at work. From Argentina to Arizona to Africa, WGM missionaries are involved in all kinds of creative ministries that are resulting in transformed lives and communities. I’m excited when I see people following Jesus and reaching their God-given potential.

If you look at the nightly news, it appears that communities in our own neighborhoods as well as around the world are in serious need of transformation. Will you join WGM in our quest to see communities transformed?

ACT: Is God calling you to share a kind word or deed with someone where you live or in a nearby neighborhood? The peoples of the world have come to us; who can you reach out to today?

PRAY: Grab a friend and ask them to join you in praying for the CHE participants from South Sudan this quarter. Pray that God will continue to grant opportunities to get this team involved in His transforming story.

Zambia: Rural Education

Kids who live in the Zambian countryside can’t get to school. It’s not that it’s too far—it’s that there are no schools to get to.

Rural education development is one of the most pressing needs for many communities throughout Zambia. Access to quality education is a challenge for many. Lack of a nearby educational facility has been a long-standing issue. As a result, classroom attendance, participation, and performance are all significantly low.

WGM will be working in partnership with the Samfya Bible School in Samfya, Zambia. Samfya Bible School is an institution run by Christian Missions in Many Lands and equips men and women for Christian ministry, focusing on rural church ministry. Billy Wayne and Jenny Fuller, veteran WGM missionary couple from Kenya, have relocated to Zambia to assist with pastoral training.

ACT: Send the Fullers your prayers and well wishes in their new ministry at wgm@wgm.org.

No Missionary Presence

BURUNDI, TANZANIA, INDIA, NICARAGUA, HAITIAN AMERICAN MINISTRIES,
AND MUSLIM MINISTRIES USA

Burundi: Light University, located in Bujumburu, Burundi, offers quality education intertwined with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ. However, the university is in need of short-term professors.


Tanzania: This East African nation has benefited from a growing economy over the last few years but is still lagging behind on key development goals for safe water, income, and health.


India: Did you know that one out of every seven people lives in India? Over 83 percent of the population practices Hinduism or animism, and India also has one of the largest populations of Muslims in the world. India is a country with tremendous opportunities for evangelism.


Nicaragua: WGM would like to establish ministries in Nicaragua alongside the Honduran Holiness Church and AMSLA (Latin American Holiness Missionary Agency). Evangelism will be a main thrust with the ultimate goal of developing and establishing churches.


Haitian American Ministries: Identity is a big problem among Haitian American youth. As children of first-generation Haitian immigrants, they live in a mix of Haitian and American cultures.


Muslim Ministries USA: More than 7 million Muslims live in the U.S., and 99 percent have never heard the gospel message presented in a way in which they understand it.

ACT: To review the ministry positions available in these areas, visit www.wgm.org/go.

Kenya: A Million Orphans

The AIDS epidemic in Kenya has left more than 1 million children orphaned. Poverty and disease leave innocent, helpless children in their wake.

In response to this serious need, Africa Gospel Church partnered with World Gospel Mission and opened the Africa Gospel Church Baby Center located in Nakuru, Kenya. The AGC Baby Center provides hope to orphaned and abandoned babies through loving care.

The baby center opened its doors to the first two babies in April 2006. The need for abandoned children to find a safe haven continues to grow, so the AGC Baby Center Board decided to allow babies up to 24 months old to enroll, up from the previous maximum entrance age of 12 months old. Today, enrollment is over 30.

ACT: You can partner with the AGC Baby Center and share love with a precious little one. Your commitment to give $10 a month for six months will provide support and care to one baby living at the center (account # 21193-CALL). You can learn more and choose the baby you would like to “adopt” by e-mailing Staci Keter at director@agcbabycenter.org.

Say this prayer for Kenya:

Dear Lord, thank You for meeting with us as we pray for the needs of our world. Thank You for helping us understand how we can bring the life-changing message of Your love to the nations. Today, we bring before You the country of Kenya. Many things break Your heart about this area of the world, and today we want to lift up the 1 million children who have been orphaned due to the AIDS epidemic and other diseases.

We know how important a child’s growing-up years are and how those years form who the child becomes and the direction of the child’s life. What happens if they have no parents and are shunted to relatives or orphanages or are simply abandoned to fend for themselves? Lord, thank You for leading the Africa Gospel Church to establish the Baby Center. It’s so wonderful to know that there is a place where these orphaned or abandoned little ones can be taken. Thank You for rescuing these children. Thank You for the Kenyan and American caregivers who minister to them until they can be adopted into good Christian homes.

Lord, I ask that You will continue to lead Kenyan men and women to adopt these children. Help the staff of the AGC Baby Center as it is almost at capacity with the number of babies right now. Thank You for leading churches in the U.S. to partner with this ministry, helping it to grow and be sustainable.

This center is just one of many homes for orphaned or abandoned children in Kenya. Lord, it seems so overwhelming. Help us to know how we can be a part of restoring the future of these children. Help us to trust You and believe that our efforts to help even a few have kingdom benefit.

We read in Your Word that we are to help the powerless and the oppressed and that You are the Defender of the weak. Thank You for that promise. Help us to remember that as we go from here. In Your name I pray, Amen.

Honduras: Disadvantaged Youth

The Honduran constitution formally stipulates that minors have to have their educational needs met; however, many Hondurans arrive at adulthood without learning to read or write. More than half a million people in this country are illiterate, which is the equivalent of the entire population between 15 and 40 years old.

Many children find themselves in single-parent homes with a necessity of increasing the family income. Children are often required to leave school prematurely to work.

WGM Honduras has responded to this issue through Escuela El Sembrador (School of the Sower). El Sembrador is a boarding school for underprivileged Honduran boys founded in 1954. The primary purpose of the school is to teach the Word of God with love and a genuine concern for the boys.

ACT: Consider sponsoring a student at El Sembrador. WGM Honduras invites sponsors to take an active role with their students—writing letters and praying for the students on a regular basis. Just $125 per month provides a student with an academic scholarship (account # 23493-CALL). Other options for sponsoring are available as well. Learn more at www.escuelaelsembrador.org.

Ukraine: Unemployment

In 2009, Ukraine’s unemployment rate was at 10.5 percent. With approximately 50 percent of the population under the age of 25, that’s a lot of youth with spare time on their hands. Alcoholism, drug abuse, domestic abuse, and lack of jobs have demoralized young people, giving them little hope for the future.

WGM Ukraine has a vision to provide a safe environment for troubled youth to interact with each other and with Christian counselors, and also to create a base for other community-oriented ministries through the Home of Hope Ministry Center.

ACT: Share the Home of Hope ministry needs with others. Download a free speaker outline at www.wgm.org/ukraine.

Each day, the WGM website will highlight a specific compassionate ministry during the concert of prayer. Come back often to learn more and to share your prayer for the field.

Paraguay: Prostitution

Prostitution is legal for adults in Paraguay. Late at night in certain parts of each city, young people will congregate around street corners and work by selling their bodies. Young women are enticed into going to neighboring countries and, while being away from family ties, are often forced into prostitution. New cases of this are exposed regularly in the Paraguayan press.

WGM Paraguay knows that these lives can be transformed through the love found in Christ Jesus. Paraguay has one of the smallest percentages (3 to 4 percent) of evangelical Christians among South American countries. WGM Paraguay and the national church are looking for ways to evangelize and bring hope to the hopeless.

ACT: You can support the ministry efforts of WGM Paraguay through financial partnership. Consider a love gift to the field as an encouragement to those serving. Please write account # 46695-CALL on the memo line of your check.

Hungary: Depression

Due to the prevalence of depression, Hungary has been called the “gloomiest nation on Earth” by writer Krisztina Fenyo. The widespread problem of depression in Hungary can be attributed to the vast social changes that the country has undergone since the 1950s. According to the World Health Organization, Hungary currently has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. Economic uncertainty and the breakdown of the family have added to the problem.

ACT: You can be the hands and feet of Christ in Hungary. Consider serving six weeks to a year in Hungary’s church ministries. To learn more, visit www.wgm.org/gowithwgm.

Pray this prayer for Hungary:
Father, having the title of “gloomiest nation on Earth” is a heavy load to bear. We know that You can bring light and hope to Hungarians. God, we ask that You will help the churches to rise up and bring encouragement to a nation that needs to hear from You.

We ask that You grant wisdom to the small WGM missionary staff serving in Hungary. We pray that You will guide and direct as they minister to the hurting through Your church. We pray that they will be able to share Jesus to those with whom they come in contact and that Your light, joy, and hope will shine brightly through them.

I want to pray for others today in our lives who are struggling with depression. Give us the courage to pray for them by name. As we lift their needs before the throne today, help us to remember those in Hungary who are sharing those same feelings and burdens. Jesus, we ask that they will cry out to You and that You will provide care for their needs. We ask this in Your name. Amen.

Japan: Suicide Rate

Recent figures released by the Japanese authorities show that the country's suicide rate continues to climb despite government efforts to reduce the figure by 2016. The fastest rise of suicides appears to be among elderly Japanese, a growing sector of the population that is also experiencing rising poverty.

Over 33,000 Japanese committed suicide in 2007. This indicates a rise of 3 percent from 2006, and it is the tenth year in a row that the figure has exceeded 30,000, says Japan's national police agency.

ACT: Missionaries and national Christians need your help to continue expanding ministries in Japan. Is the Lord leading you to support the efforts of WGM Japan through a financial gift? Please make checks payable to World Gospel Mission and write account # 26400-CALL on the memo line.

Interested in hearing more about WGM’s compassionate ministries? Listen to podcasts online or download podcasts to your computer and listen to them later. You will need iTunes to download the podcasts.

Bolivia: Street Children

According to the 2001 census, 45 percent of Bolivia’s population is children and adolescents under the age of 18. Children’s rights are not widely recognized in Bolivia’s culture. Children are often viewed as objects and their parents' property.

Even then, many parents are discarding their “property.” According to UNICEF, an estimated 3,700 children and adolescents live on the streets in the cities of La Paz, El Alto, Santa Cruz, Cochabamba, Tarija, and Sucre. This represents a growing social problem in Bolivia. The living conditions of street children are deplorable, affecting their physical and emotional well-being. Street children are susceptible to sniffing glue, consuming drugs and alcohol, and being involved in prostitution. Most of these children have been living on the streets since their birth.

ACT: You can partner with WGM Bolivia’s ministry to street children. Support Rick and Lori Lampen with a monthly gift to account # 21620-CALL. Please note the account number on the memo line of your check.

Beginning at 8 a.m., WGM’s Prayer Lifeline will feature a prayer for Bolivia. Call 671.7232 (Marion, Indiana, area) or 1.800.426.0846 (toll free) to join the prayer intercession.

You may also access these prayers at www.wgm.org/lifeline.

Taiwan: Social Pressures

In 1949, 2 million Chinese people fled to the island of Taiwan to escape Communism and find religious freedom. Today, nearly 23 million Taiwanese enjoy that freedom, but it is coupled with new societal pressures to seek wealth, power, and the mysteries of traditional religions. The Taiwanese are searching for the truth, and that truth can only be found in the life-changing power of Jesus Christ.

ACT: The Taiwanese are searching for the truth. Will you help shine God’s light in Taiwan? Short-term opportunities for serving in Taiwan are available. Please contact Troy Simpson at recruiting@wgm.org.

Click on the comments link below to tell us how you are using the concert of prayer in a small group, a Sunday School class, or another creative way.

PNG: Superstition

Papua New Guinea’s culture is steeped in superstition. Because people from Papua New Guinea believe in many spirits, they are open to hearing about Christ and the Holy Spirit, but the truth of Christianity often becomes entangled with traditional tribal beliefs. Once a person embraces the Lord as their personal Savior, they often struggle to stop worshiping and fearing other spirits.

ACT: Could Papua New Guinea be waiting for you? Career ministry opportunities are available for those interested in church planting in PNG. To learn more, visit www.wgm.org/png or call Troy Simpson at 765-671-7226.

Interested in hearing more about WGM’s compassionate ministries? Listen to podcasts online or download podcasts to your computer and listen to them later. You will need iTunes to download the podcasts.

Hispanic Ministries USA: Immigration

Of Hispanics living in the U.S., 62 percent are native-born citizens, and the remaining 38 percent are immigrants. Approximately half of the 38 million immigrants living in the United States are of Hispanic or Latino origin.

WGM’s outreach to Hispanics in the United States will focus on leadership training with the goal of starting more Hispanic churches. As Hispanic church leaders are trained, they will be able to take that spiritual foundation and leadership training with them. Whether they go to another state or return to their home countries, they can use their training to plant churches and lead others into the kingdom.

ACT: This is a ministry happening in your community and likely in your church. Start bridging the gap between cultures by inviting a Hispanic family in your neighborhood or church to have dinner with you this month.

Beginning at 8 a.m., WGM’s Prayer Lifeline will feature a recorded prayer for Hispanic Ministries USA. Call 671.7232 (Marion, Indiana, area) or 1.800.426.0846(toll free) to join the prayer intercession.

Mexico: At-Risk Families

Mexico is the most heavily populated Spanish-speaking country in the world. With approximately 24 million Mexicans living in extreme poverty, many families have turned to drugs, alcohol, and even physical abuse to cope with their circumstances.

Desperate families are making decisions that are affecting the family structure. There is a great need to reach out to all ages, but especially the children. Some have been abandoned in orphanages (including newborns), while others have been left to the streets.

God has given the Mexico national church a burden for at-risk families. These families need an outreach of God’s love.

ACT: Career opportunities for serving alongside the national church in Mexico are available. Is God calling you to minister to families in Mexico? Contact us at recruiting@wgm.org to apply for or obtain more information about these opportunities.

Each day, the WGM website will highlight a specific compassionate ministry. Come back often to learn more and to share your prayer for the field below.

Kazakhstan: Alcoholism

Among many problems in today's Kazakh society, the problem of alcoholism is one of the top-ranking issues. Alcoholism damages and separates families. The Apple Tree House serves as a safe haven for underprivileged and abused children who are often living out the effects of alcoholism in their homes. As the children experience a few hours in a loving, healthy environment, may they establish the next generation of alcohol-free families.

ACT: The Apple Tree House ministry shares several needs in The Great Co-Mission Catalog. Find out ways to partner with this ministry at www.wgm.org/catalog or request a copy at wgm@wgm.org.

Click the comments link to tell us how you are using the concert of prayer in a small group, a Sunday School class, or another creative way.

Stockton Peniel: Violence

Stockton, California, has one of the highest crime rates in America. Residents have a 1 in 11 chance of becoming a victim of a violent or property crime. Stockton also has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country. Gang violence, substance abuse, addictions, and transient families are issues faced by thousands of people in this city.

World Gospel Mission is investing in the lives of children and families at risk due to this reign of violence. Through the ministries of The Center, at-risk kids from preschool through high school have a safe place to be after school. The majority of these children are from single-parent families, many of which are consumed by drugs and/or alcohol and the gang lifestyle.

Act: Interested in learning more about the ministries at The Center? You can visit www.wgm.org/thecenter to see what a “normal” day at The Center looks like and to download a speaker outline so you can share this ministry with others in your community.

Interested in hearing more about WGM’s compassionate ministries? Listen to podcasts online or download podcasts to your computer and listen to them later.

Sudan: Sight

A health report in 2005 stated that Sudan has more than half a million blind people out of a total population of 40 million. Undoubtedly this figure has only increased due to having no eye specialists working full time in South Sudan.

Can this trend be stopped? WGM Sudan thinks it can. Sixty percent of blindness is caused by cataracts, which can be treated with surgery, while 18 percent is caused by trachoma, a preventable or treatable disease when diagnosed early. However, another 17 percent of patients have glaucoma, which is not treatable. Those people need extra prayer support. For those whose blindness cannot be treated, the WGM Sudan team has also developed an option of providing them with talking Bibles.

This compassionate outreach provides wonderful opportunities to impact both the physical and spiritual needs of the Sudanese.

ACT: Give someone the gift of sight. With a gift of $200, you can provide cataract surgery for someone in Sudan. Please write account # 25791-CALL on the memo line of your check.

Beginning at 8 a.m., WGM’s Prayer Lifeline will feature a recorded prayer for Sudan. Call 671.7232 (Marion, Indiana, area) or 1.800.426.0846 (toll free) to join the prayer intercession. You may also access this prayer at www.wgm.org/lifeline.

AIF: Youth Suicide

Suicide has become an acceptable response to a desperate life for Native American teens. However, WGM missionaries are actively sharing the hope that can be found in Jesus Christ.

The teen suicide rate on Indian reservations has become an epidemic. Across the nation, Native American teens living on reservations commit suicide at a rate of at least twice the national average. Risk factors include substance abuse, depression, lack of social support, and racial discrimination.

ACT: World Gospel Mission has centralized its American Indian Field (AIF) ministries in Arizona and New Mexico. Consider serving on a short-term missions trip to the American Indian Field. Plan your trip with Noritta Carter at workteams@wgm.org.

Each day, on the WGM website will highlight a specific compassionate ministry. Come back often to learn more and to share your prayer for the field below.

Spain: Immigration

In the last few years, the number of immigrants arriving in Spain has increased dramatically, and Spain now has the second-highest immigration rate in the European Union. In 2007, over 4 million foreign residents lived in Spain, including many from Morocco and Latin America.

Since a huge number of displaced people are looking to make Spain their home, WGM sees the need for those individuals to have a personal relationship with the Lord and a church body to support them in transition.

Has the Lord called you to serve in Spain with your church or Bible study group as part of a work team? Plan to lead a trip next year to Spain. Send your RSVP to Noritta Carter by calling 765-671-7204.

Each day, the WGM website will highlight a specific compassionate ministry. Come back often to learn more and to share your prayer for the field below.

Grenada: Poverty

WGM missionaries in Grenada are ministering through the local church. According to the CIA, the poverty level in Grenada in 2000 stood at 32 percent and has likely risen since that time. Many people are unaware of the fact that this popular vacation spot is experiencing acute poverty and is in need of hearing the gospel.

WGM began working in Grenada in 2009 when veteran missionary couple Tim and Diane Bennett, who had spent 21 years in Papua New Guinea, moved to the island to help a new church plant. Grenada considers itself a Christian nation, but although many attend church, it doesn’t mean they have a personal relationship with Jesus. With the Lord’s help, WGM Grenada hopes to change that.

The national church in Grenada could use your teamwork. Commit to praying for church growth on this vacation destination over the next two weeks.

Interested in hearing more about WGM’s compassionate ministries? Listen to podcasts online or download podcasts to your computer and listen to them later.