Prayer Calendar: August 31 - September 6, 2014

Your missions prayer point inspired by The Call magazine for August 31-September 6 is:

PRAY for Jim Ritchie and the rest of the team at Chogoria Hosptial as they train "inside men" to reach out to their own people in Kenya.

Inside Job

What if these people have a climate, language, or culture so hostile and complicated that they are nearly impossible to reach? What if those inaccessible people were to send one of their young men or women to a school to learn how to be a doctor?

Find out about the inside job at http://www.wgm.org/inside

Re-creative Thinking

An excerpt from...

Re-creative Thinking

By Nathan Metz, Uganda
July-September 2014


One of my favorite classes in high school was creative writing. I loved the freedom of putting anything I wanted onto the page. It brought me happiness to express myself in a way that others might be able to feel enjoyment and inspiration. I’m living that class again now through my children. Often they will hand me some small work of art or piece of writing that shows creative expression. They didn’t have to be told how to create and express; they just did it. It seems that creativity is woven right into the fabric of humanity.

Recently one of my daughters came running into the room in tears with a flapping shred of construction paper crunched in her tiny hand. Before I could speak, she wailed, “I made this for you and she destroyed it!” She thrust her pointer finger at the doorway where her baby sister had waddled up, holding what appeared to be the missing portions of construction paper. I took the tattered gift and folded its edges back to create a slightly more presentable work of art. She smiled.

Creation is amazing. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth using nothing but His voice. Out of a vast nothingness there was a creation of space and time, heaven and earth, planets, bugs, carbon, and ice. We Christians admire this opening Genesis story for good reason. God’s creation is amazing. So is His re-creation.

Just like my daughter’s art project, there was a destruction that tampered with the creative expression. God made us and we chose to sin. Creation was torn and tattered. The Old Testament tells the story of a torn creation repeatedly running back to the Creator for mending. With an unfailing and unceasing redemptive plan, God responded to the tears of His people and sent His only Son. Jesus came to re-create.

When a human responds to the wooing of the Holy Spirit by believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, there becomes a doorway swung wide for God to enter in. The Holy Spirit enters into that human and reworks/re-creates/regenerates. This re-creating in the human is no less impressive than the first creation. We marvel at the Genesis story. We are fascinated with the birth of a child. Yet what a miracle it is that God could redeem a sinner! The One who has created all maintains the power to re-create all.

Our life’s work is not driven by a desire to merely make the most of what we have. We are liberated from an imprisonment to that which is fallen. God does not just fold back the tattered edges of sinfulness to create something slightly more presentable in us. He remakes us and gives us the freedom of re-creative thinking; something far more grand than just repairing and patching what has been destroyed. The power of God to regenerate a person is the hope that we let shine from the hilltops. Our God is a re-creative thinker!

ACT: Let’s dig a little deeper into the Word. Take time this week to meditate on Titus 3:3-7.

Avoiding the Minefield: Understanding Others by Understanding Yourself

An excerpt from...
Avoiding the Minefield: Understanding Others by Understanding Yourself

By Rachel Elwood, Support Staff
July-September 2014

When someone does something that you feel should be done in a particular way, in a way that is different from your way, do you get stressed or angry? If so, your culture-based judgment system might be showing.

Culture. Values. Simply put, the way you do the things you do. The things that distinguish a Swede from a Kenyan from an Australian. It’s one thing to look at what makes us different from each other—how we act, how we dress, what we eat. It’s an entirely different thing to look at the roots of why. How did those values, whether you are aware of them or not, get formed?

According to Dr. Sheryl Silzer, author and missionary with Wycliffe Bible Translators, it all was formed in your childhood home. She recently came to WGM headquarters in Marion, Indiana, to speak to a large gathering of support staff and missionaries about this idea, called culture-based judgment systems. What formed your ideas of right and wrong, what you were disciplined for, your early experience with authority figures—these are the things that shape how you view the world today.

This concept is extremely important within missions work, because ministry teams are becoming increasingly multicultural. Cultures communicate differently, view authority and time differently—it can seem that a minefield of misunderstandings is just waiting to happen.

Fortunately, there’s grace.

“We can follow our own cultural way of doing things, or we can ask God’s help in transforming our cultural way to better reflect God’s heart for people,” said Dr. Silzer.

It starts with understanding ourselves. Once you get where you’re coming from, you can start to understand others. Laura Griffin, missionary to Honduras, shared, “My culture-based judgment system isn’t an excuse, but it gives me awareness that will help me avoid behavior that could hurt my ministry.”

As the missions community becomes more multicultural, this kind of understanding is key to removing obstacles that hinder our common goal: to spread the gospel to every man, woman, and child. In the midst of theoretical terms and case studies, we catch a glimpse of heaven; where there will be no more divisions or cultural faux pas, but when we can worship our Lord in harmony, our differences blending seamlessly into the fabric of the Church.

MORE: Purchase Dr. Sheryl Takagi Silzer’s book Biblical Multicultural Teams to learn more about the creative design of our respective cultures.

Prayer Calendar: August 24-30, 2014

Your missions prayer point inspired by The Call magazine for August 24-30 is:

Pray for God to give multicultural ministry members special understanding toward each other as they work together for the cause of missions.

Avoiding the Minefield

It starts with understanding ourselves. Once you get where you’re coming from, you can start to understand others. Laura Griffin, missionary to Honduras, shared, “My culture-based judgment system isn’t an excuse, but it gives me awareness that will help me avoid behavior that hurt could my ministry.”

Learn some tips on understanding yourself and others at http://www.wgm.org/minefield

Feeling Lonely?

And excerpt from...

Feeling Lonely

By Kelly Hallahan, Uganda
July-September 2014


Whenever you are the new kid in town, you are bound to have moments of loneliness. Missionaries are not exempt from this common experience, despite how often they get to practice moving! When we moved to Uganda, we were warmly welcomed by our teammates. Our boys easily made friends at school. My husband began making friends with his coworkers at Heritage International School. But I was a stay-at-home mom, with my kids in school for the very first time. The days were long with a lot to learn and plenty to keep me busy, but I began to get lonely. I quickly realized I had a choice to make: sit around and throw myself a pity party, or throw a real party and make some friends!

I took my own need for fellowship and turned it into an opportunity for ministry: the Oasis Gathering was born! I knew I couldn’t just wait around for someone to solve my problem. I prayed about what would bless my own heart and created an avenue to bless other women like me. I wanted our time together to be refreshing and life-giving. I didn’t want the Oasis Gathering to become another burden on our calendars to dread, so I scheduled it once a month for two hours. The ladies were welcomed with tea, coffee, and goodies. Candles were lit, flowers adorned the table, and the conversations began in clusters as we greeted one another and caught up. Then we moved into the living room for a discussion question about life: in our city; as foreigners; and as mothers, wives, and friends. Those conversations helped the new missionaries and seasoned missionaries learn from each other—we discovered new restaurants, shared tips on cooking, and brainstormed how to make a difference there in Kampala. My favorite part of the day was when we split into small groups for prayer, because that was when God came to transform and refresh us. Nothing is sweeter than a room full of women lifting each other up in prayer.

As I took my eyes off my own problem and chose to be a blessing to others, God used me and He met my needs. He took a need in my life and used it for His glory. All He needed was a willing heart; He did the rest!

ACT: This month, pray about a way to take your eyes off your problem in order to bless others. Then do it! Whether it is throwing a party like Kelly did or starting a free babysitting network, etc. God can use you for His glory.

Prayer Calendar August 17-23

Your missions prayer point inspired by The Call magazine for August 17-23 is:

Ask God to help you find a ministry avenue that will both enrich your heart and be a blessing to others.

Feeling Lonely

I quickly realized I had a choice to make: sit around and throw myself a pity party, or throw a real party and make some friends. He took a need in my life and used it for His glory.

Read about the friendship party at http://www.wgm.org/lonely.

To France, Russia, Australia, and Beyond

An excerpt from...

To France, Russia, Australia, and Beyond

By Paul Shingledecker, Retiree, Haiti
July-September 2014


If you had asked me 15 years ago what audience Radio Lumière was trying to reach, I would have told you, “The Radio Lumière Network covers 90 percent of the island of Haiti with Christian broadcasting.”

That was before we got on the Internet. For years it was just a dream to “stream” our network signal so Haitians in the U.S. could hear it too. It was a dream because we didn’t have either the equipment or an adequate Internet connection to make it happen. Still the dream was there—a creative dream to reach more people for Christ.

One day the chief engineer, a Haitian, decided it was time to try it with what we had. Sure enough, it didn’t sound too bad. We had lots of drop outs and buffering, but we put it on our website and people started listening. From those humble beginnings, we now have a much more robust signal and listeners all over the world. At any moment, 500 to 2,000 people are listening 24/7. We’ve logged listeners from as far away as Australia, Africa, and even Russia. Here’s a note from director Varnel Jeune’s recent newsletter:

“I received an email this week from a small group of brothers and sisters, Haitians, living in Moscow, Russia. They spoke of the fact that religious liberty is very limited there. They say they meet every Sunday semi-secretly in a basement. There they listen by way of the Internet to the worship services broadcast by Radio Lumière and this becomes their church! 

“One day the staff came to me and said they wanted to stream our signal over the telephone. I thought, ‘Who would want to listen to radio on the telephone, what with the poor audio quality and all?’ But a little company, Audio Now, in Washington, D.C., streams stations like ours to anyone who wants to call in. To my surprise, it caught on. Recent statistics show 1,541 calls in the U.S., 71 in France, and two in the Dominican Republic! The average listening time is over 30 minutes per call. Another 1,600 people around the world heard the gospel in Haitian Creole!”

ACT: Go to www.radiolumiere.org and click on Listen or call 712.432.6363.

MORE: Radio Lumière has an Android app. Look for it in Play Store under Radio Lumière.

Prayer Calendar August 10-16

Your missions prayer point inspired by The Call magazine for August  10-16 is:

Pray for spiritual growth in the Crole speakers who are listening to Radio Lumiere in Haiti and around the world.


Inspired by: To France, Russia, Australia and Beyond

Still, the dream was there – a creative dream to reach more people for Christ. It was time to try with what we had. We’ve logged listeners from as far away as Australia, Africa, and even Russia.

Discover the dream turned reality at http://www.wgm.org/france

The Outreaches of Tenwek Hospital

An excerpt from...

The Outreaches of Tenwek Hospital

By Mike Chupp, Kenya
July-September 2014


World Gospel Mission’s approach to evangelism and discipleship is through wholistic community transformational ministries. This recognizes that the gospel shapes not only what we believe, but also how we live. Just as Jesus ministered through preaching, teaching, and healing, WGM ministers through evangelism, education, and medical ministries. This has been our approach ever since the first missionaries were sent.

WGM currently has medical ministries in Africa, North America, and Latin America. One medical ministry that has grown from a small, single-nurse dispensary in 1937 to a large teaching hospital complex today is Tenwek Hospital in Kenya, East Africa.

In addition to the main 300-bed referral and training medical center located near the town of Bomet, three satellite clinics operate at Kaboson, Naikarra, and Ngito. Tenwek also ministers in the area of preventative medicine through Tenwek Community Health and Development. Since the start of TCHD, cases of malaria at the hospital have declined by 42 percent, cases of diarrheal diseases by 86 percent, and cases of measles by 99.6 percent. Moreover, TCHD’s mobile maternal and child health clinics have improved the health of pregnant women, reducing maternal morbidity and mortality.

Training national staff has been a focus at Tenwek since its inception. The first Kenyan administrator was appointed in 1972. In 1984, Tenwek Hospital employed 146 national staff members. Three years later, Tenwek School of Nursing opened, training Kenyan nurses for service at Tenwek Hospital and throughout Kenya. Tenwek now employs over 700 national staff, and nearly all of the top administrative posts are filled by Kenyans. Since the early 1990s, Tenwek Hospital has expanded its education efforts to include an internship program, a family medicine residency program, a surgical residency program, and an orthopedic surgery residency program. An eye clinic performs over 2,000 surgeries a year. Open heart surgery and joint replacement surgery are now done regularly at Tenwek Hospital. A CT scanner was dedicated for use and operational in September 2011.

Other Tenwek outreaches include immunization distribution, a hospice ministry, and chaplaincy training. 


GIVE: You can partner financially with the outreach projects of Tenwek Hospital to ensure that more medical needs are met in rural Kenya. The ministries featured in this article are online at www.wgm.org/tenwek, www.wgm.org/tenwekschoolof
nursing, and www.wgm.org/agc-correctional.