Monday, December 12, 2011

The Ultimate Sacrifice

by Branden: 

It was a cold snowy morning in Central Asia; we had gathered students that had been coming to our English classes from several universities around the city.  The students had the day off for celebrating the Muslim holiday Eid-al-Adha, which is their most honored holiday because it is the day they sacrifice sheep for the forgiveness of their sins they have committed over the past year.

As I walked into our English center I was amazed by all the students that had come that morning to meet with us!  They had two days off for the holiday.  The previous morning we had a "game-day" in order to lighten the mood for what we had planned for this particular morning, when we would be talking to the students about the five languages of love.

When men walk into a room it is cultural to shake all the other men's hands.  As I glanced around the room I recognized all the other guys, except one.  His arms were crossed and he was slouched in his chair with a light blue toboggan on; he seemed as though he had been drug their unwillingly.  I usually approach new people first to make them feel as comfortable as possible; so he was the first person I greeted that morning. 



As I made my way around the room shaking the others hands I ended up at a different table from the new student who had caught my attention.  When we transitioned into the main topic we realized the groups were too big.  After splitting up the groups, I ended up, unintentionally, at the table with the student who I had met earlier.  As we walked through the five different points each person in the group had a chance to share something in the last week where they had shown love or been shown love.  When the time came around to this young man he sad up in his chair and said "You probably won't believe me, but I killed fifty sheep on Sunday for Allah and we gave more than half of the meet away to the poor"

As he sat there in his self righteousness, I began to ask question as if I had no idea about this holiday.  After he finished, I felt the Lord pressing so hard that I couldn't keep my mouth closed when it was my turn to share.  Respect is a big deal here; so my first words were, "I respect what you did and giving to the poor is a great thing." Then I shared how I experienced the forgiveness of my sins on a daily basis because of the ultimate sacrifice for me when Christ hung on the cross and I no longer have to kill sheep to earn my way and favor with God.

Although there was some tension in the air, I was prompted by the Spirit to respond to what this student had said about his faith and forgiveness of sin.  Four students were able to hear about ultimate forgiveness and having a personal relationship with the living God.  Opportunities like these are bringing us closer to all the nations hearing truth.   

Friday, December 2, 2011

MMDR Opportunities!




Every month Mobile Medical Disaster Relief sends teams to Africa or Haiti.  So far MMDR has impacted on several areas accross the world. They focus on helping the oppressed, neglected, and medically vunerable. Currently they are in need of Nurses and Doctors to come on the trips to Haiti each month and have asked for help from Thompson Station.  For those interested in learn about getting involved with MMDR click here:

Thursday, December 1, 2011

The Gospel is Worth the Danger



 

Approximatley 57% of all the personnel working for the International Mission Board live and worked in Security Level 3 environments.  (Level 1 is like Canada, Level 3 is like Afghanistan and China). Eric Reese is missionary who lives in a level 1 but his ministry is a level 3. 



Currently Eric Reese is taking many risks by ministering in the slums of Brazil to drug dealers and gang members.  Although he is serving in one of the most dangerous areas, he believes it is worth the cost.  He recognizes what the people need most is to hear the gospel. In this video one man gives a detailed experience of a night with Reese and captures a night where they encountered the leader of a gang.  You won't want to miss his story!  To watch this video and learn more about the work going on in Brazil click here: 

December Project 61 Prayer Requests

Sumer and the kids are all coming to the States for a few weeks.  Pray for safe travels as they leave on Friday.  Pray the boys will sleep and travel well on the flights.

Pray for Corey while they are away, he will be there alone for three weeks.  He is very grateful to have some good friends at the school that he will spend a lot of time with.

Pray for those who will be working for Project 61 and as they run things while Sumer is away.  Pray that it will be an uneventful three weeks!

Bibles For Africa




During the Global Impact Conference many heard about the lack of Bibles available for African Pastors.  Some are using Bibles that are missing whole chapters or more! Thompson Station church is privileged to partner with African Leadership by providing Bibles for these pastors.

How to Get Involved:


If you are interested in helping our fellow believers accross the world African Leadership would greatly appreciate any Bible donation.  More specifically African Leadership is looking for NIV Study Bibles. If you have bible's to be dropped off and need to be delivered please contact Bill Sullivan at:

Bill Sullivan
African Leadership
Adziwa Sponsorship Coordinator
(615) 533-2402

Bibles can also be dropped off at the World Cafe as long as they are labeled to Bill Sullivan and for African Leadership 

There is also a great need for NIV Study Bibles to be translated in several of the National Languages, these can be purchased for $20.00. Checks can be made out to:

African Leadership Inc.
PO Box 2888
Brentwood, TN 37024-2888

Payments can also be made securely online at http://www.africanleadershipinc.org/pastor-training by clicking on the “Donate Now” link and writing “Bibles” in the note box.

African Leadership is a Christian education and development organization that trains pastors and church leaders in Africa and funds relief and development projects in their communities. It is also the parent company of Mocha Club and Refugee Ministry. Currently, African Leadership is training approximately 11,800 students in 22 African countries and is supporting over 50 projects in 9 countries.