Introducing people to Jesus in the 10/40 Window January How God Transformed My Life As told to Rupinder Singh y name is Soni. I come from a Mvillage in Sirsa, North India. Recently, my life has been transformed. Here is how it happened. Several months ago, I was an active young man enjoying life. I wanted to become a teacher. One day as I traveled home, I developed a strange headache and heard buzzing in my ears. Upon arriving home, my mother gave me some pain medicine, and I went to sleep. However, I had very bad dreams as I slept. I heard voices and began hitting my head on the wall. My parents became worried and took me to a doctor. He gave me some medicine which made me sleepy. I could feel someone pushing me. After I told my parents what was happening, they scolded me and told me to go back to sleep.» Soni was healed from a mental condition when Gospel Outreach worker Rupinder Singh and the Dabwali church members knelt around him and prayed for his healing. When I awoke, my head still ached. I did not know what to do. Every day I got worse. My parents kept giving me medicines the doctor prescribed, but when the effect wore off, I would run out of the house screaming and shouting. Finally, my parents took me to a mental hospital. There doctors gave me electric shock treatments, but to no avail. The doctor said I was mentally ill and must be admitted to the hospital. However, my parents decided to take me www.goaim.org... continued on pg. 3
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES Published monthly by Gospel Outreach www.goaim.org Vol. 25, No. 1 ADVENTURES IN MISSIONS TEAM Editor: Ann Fisher Art Director/Designer: Mark Bond Copy Editor: James Fisher Circulation Manager: Nadine Reneau Printing: College Press, Collegedale, TN PLEASE SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO: Adventures in Missions Circulation P.O. Box 8, College Place, WA 99324 Or E-mail: office@goaim.org ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS President: Jon Dybdahl VP for Administration: Richard Madson VP for Field Operations: Pat Gustin Treasurer: Lois Hellie Associate Treasurer: Danielle Stewart BOARD OF DIRECTORS Larry Dodds, Chair Jon Dybdahl, Secretary Carl Bauer Rick McEdward Shirley Panasuk Leo Ranzolin Robert Rawson Dwight Rose Steven Rose Beverly Thompson Bruce Thorn Kevin Waite Fred Webb Lenard Wittlake GOSPEL OUTREACH P.O. Box 8 (712 NE C Street) College Place, WA 99324 USA (509) 525-2951 office@goaim.org GOSPEL OUTREACH CANADA P.O. Box 27061 Kelowna, B.C. V1X 7L7 (778) 754-2079 GOSPEL OUTREACH BRAZIL Instituto de Disseminação do Evangelho Gospel Outreach do Brasil IDE-GO Caixa Postal 44, Engenheiro Coelho, SP, 13165-000 www.ide-go.org.br secretaria@ide-go.org.br Happy New Year! Blessings to each of you for the New Year! As I mature, it seems to me that time passes ever more rapidly. But we have much for which to be thankful. A contentious presidential election has recently concluded in the United States. We are all skeptical as to what might happen next, but in God s Word we find confidence in the assertion that He removes and sets up rulers. Praise His name. He is in control. Gospel Outreach celebrates an important anniversary in 2017. This is the 25th year we have been publishing our newsletter,» Dick Madson, Gospel Outreach VP for Administration Adventures in Missions. Also, your donations along with the support of many volunteers have sustained us throughout 2016. None of the founding leaders from the early 1990s are still serving, but numerous replacement volunteers have stepped up to fill their positions. Jesus hasn t yet returned, and the task commissioned to the apostles remains undone. So we have been entrusted to continue the mission of telling the wonderful news of salvation to a world mostly without hope. What a priceless gift we have to share: forgiveness, acceptance with God, promise for a life with God Himself throughout eternity, and the opportunity to serve Him forever in a cleansed earth, free from the troubles we now face. On behalf of the volunteers here at the home office and the Bible workers supported by your donations, our wish is that the New Year will be especially kind to you as we wait for our Lord s coming. Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20). Maranatha. 2 GOSPEL OUTREACH January 2017
... continued from cover page. home and again gave me medicine to make me sleep. Whenever I awakened, I would scream and bang my head. My parents were desperate to find help. They called Muslims to perform exorcism rites over me. Yet I did not improve. One day I even tried to commit suicide. Fortunately, my mother was able to prevent me from doing this. Eventually, one of my cousins came to visit and saw my condition. He told me, You should go with me to the Adventist church in Dabwali. I attend this church regularly and feel relaxed and happy. God helps to solve all of my problems. Reluctantly, my parents allowed me to go with my cousin to church. There I met Rupinder Singh and the other members. I had heard people say All Christians eat meat, drink alcohol and have no morals. But I did not see any of these things at the Dabwali church. People there looked happy and peaceful. Their food was simple vegetarian fare rice, dal, and vegetables. After eating, the church members gathered around me. They began to read the Bible and sing songs. My headache increased at first, and I started to hear voices in my ears. I wanted to run away, but they forced me to sit still. After a few hours of prayer, I was feeling strange as» Gospel Outreach worker Rupinder Singh and his wife serve God faithfully in Dabwali, North India. Their congregation is growing, and members are very content. God is honoring their commitment and dedication to these villagers as they share the good news of the gospel. if I had become lighter. I became drowsy and sleepy. I thought perhaps I had died. Then I saw my cousin with the church members and realized that I had been healed. I returned home very happy. When I slept that night, I did not have any problems. My parents were overjoyed and allowed me to go to church whenever I wished. I am now fully healed and have returned to my normal life. I attend church every Sabbath and am learning more about Jesus and His many amazing ways. Now I have the desire to become a Christian. I want my parents to come to church with me. However, they are finding it difficult because they are afraid of relatives and other villagers. My mother attends church sometimes, and I pray that soon my father will attend also. I praise God for healing me and for those who prayed with me. Please pray for me and my family.» Rupinder Singh is a Gospel Outreach evangelist working in Dabwali, North India. www.goaim.org ADVENTURES IN MISSIONS 3
FEATURE: GUARDED BY ANGELS By Surendra Kamal Nayak My village of Kondhoguda in Eastcentral India lies deep in the jungle. Our only means of transportation is by walking, riding a bicycle, or taking a motorbike. One day one of our members asked me to accompany him to a hospital in a bigger town called Jeypore, located 60 kilometers from our village. We cycled 6 kilometers to reach the road. Upon arriving at the road, we saw that the bus to Jeypore was about to leave. I asked a nearby shopkeeper to take care of my bicycle until I returned that evening, then boarded the bus and left. It turned out that the church member, whom I accompanied, had to be admitted to the hospital. As a result, I was unable to return home until one of his relatives arrived the next day. That whole night I was worried about my bicycle, because the shops on the side of the road are closed at night, and anything left outside and unguarded would likely be stolen. I prayed often for God to keep my bicycle safe that night, because if it was stolen, it would have been a financial struggle for me to buy a new one. The next day, after the member s relative arrived, I headed home. When I got back to the shop where I had left my bicycle, I saw it was exactly where I had left it! As I prepared to return home, I prayed and thanked God for keeping my bicycle safe. Just as I was leaving, a boy came running out and told me, Every time I looked out my window last night, I saw someone standing beside your bicycle guarding it. I thanked the Lord again for sending His guardian angel. When I reached home, I told my wife what had happened, and she was delighted to hear about God s faithfulness. 4 GOSPEL OUTREACH January 2017
We both prayed and thanked the Lord. Another time I had traveled by bicycle to attend a marriage ceremony in the village of Chitrokonda. This village is situated 25 kilometers from my home in a remote jungle. While returning home, I unexpectedly encountered a wild elephant. The elephant was only about 100 meters away from me, and I was extremely afraid. In this part of the jungle, we have heard that elephants sometimes kill people. I thought, Oh no, I may be killed by an elephant today. I prayed to God silently in my heart and quickly climbed up a tree. The elephant came close and stood right under the tree where I was crouching. Eventually the elephant walked away. All the while, I was watching nervously from the tree. After the elephant walked a good distance away, I quickly climbed down, mounted my bicycle, and cycled home. I thank God for His protection and believe He wants me to live longer and continue serving Him. Otherwise, I might have died that day in the jungle. Please continue to pray for us that we may be able to win many people for God s Kingdom.» Surendra Kamal Nayak is a Gospel Outreach evangelist working in the jungles of East-central India. Surendra grew up in a religiously divided home with a Hindu mother and Christian father. When his father died, Surendra s mother pressured him into becoming a Hindu practitioner. One day in the market, he met an Adventist pastor. The following week they met again, and Surendra began to share his problems with Pastor Tappan, who invited him to begin Bible study. Eventually, Surendra accepted Jesus as his Savior. In February 2003, he was baptized as a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Surendra has a burden to go to the remote jungle areas and win tribal people for Jesus. www.goaim.org ADVENTURES IN MISSIONS 5
FIELD NOTES Saved From Poisoning GUINEA Gospel Outreach worker Felix Kiamou Delamou conducted a one-week evangelistic series in the village of Benjano. He started on Sunday and finished the following Sabbath. Since he did not speak the language of this village, a friend of his, who was not an Adventist, came to translate his message. On the sixth day of the meetings, a fetish priest was sent by a man to kill Felix and the interpreter by poisoning them. Since this was the first time the fetish priest had come to the meetings, he was invited to eat with the speakers that evening. Not knowing the priest had been sent on a special mission to poison their food and kill them, they were happy to see him. Towards the end of the meal, the priest got up very quickly, washed his hands and left. Just before leaving, he secretly poisoned the soup. The others continued eating until all the food was finished. An hour after the meal, the translator started complaining about stomach pain. He was rushed to a small clinic in the village, but one hour later, he passed away. When the fetish priest was summoned by the chief of the village for inquiries, he was surprised that nothing happened to Felix, the evangelist. This was a powerful testimony in that village, and, as a result, some gave their lives to Jesus Christ. Answered Prayers NEPAL I am Chature Basyal, a Gospel Outreach worker from Bhaktapur, Nepal. One day when I was in Sanga, I met a woman named Kinka Devi Magar. Sharing a deep concern, she told me, I am suffering with a pain in my stomach which has bothered me for over a month. She had taken medications prescribed by doctors but had not gotten any better.» Felix Kiamou Delamou is a Gospel Outreach worker in the Guinean village of Koyamah on the southwest coast of Africa. Formerly of another protestant faith, Felix became a baptized Seventh-day Adventist in 2002. He and his wife, Jeannet, are shown here with two of their children. She asked me to pray for her, which I did. Later when I saw her again, she cheerfully reported, I was healed that very day that you prayed for me. Now, she is interested in learning more about Jesus and the Bible. 6 GOSPEL OUTREACH January 2017
THE MAIL BOX PRAYER REQUEST I enjoy so much the news in your periodicals. I pray that you never get discouraged from working with people. May the Lord keep you safe, always! H. B., California God bless you and your staff and faithful volunteers around the world. E. P. S., Oregon Thank you so much for all you do to help others know that Jesus loves them. Our prayers continue with you all. E. & P. M., Tennessee May God continue to pour His blessings upon this ministry. T. & J. H., Texas May the Lord bless your remarkable ministry and all your dedicated workers and volunteers. H., Texas WATCH ADVENTURES IN MISSIONS 3ABN www.3abn.org Blue Mountain TV College Place, WA www.bluemttv.com Good News TV Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth, Flagstaff, Payson, Phoenix, Prescott, and Yuma www.mygoodnewstv.com HOPE Channel www.hopetv.org KBLN Grants Pass, OR www.betterlifetv.tv KHBA Spokane, WA www.khba.com LLBN Loma Linda, CA www.llbn.tv RCCTV Sacramento, CA www.isbsacramento.org/ rcctv.html Roku Add the Gospel Outreach channel to your favorites. SAFETV www.safetv.org China is known as one of the world s most polluted nations. Gospel Outreach teams and other church workers in China battle pollution and other environmental health concerns daily. Please pray that this will not hinder their ability to share Jesus with others. IN MEMORY Alvaletta & Herbert Ammon Manford Anliker Rolland Bivens Lois Butler Larry Halleson Barbara Hansen June Hayes Fred & Gloria Hunt Bonnie Meske Charlotte Nelson Iris Terry Muriel VanWyke James Wade Tom Watson Pauline Woodard IN HONOR Twyla Leiske Bechtel (birthday) Luis Enrique Gonzalez Peter & Isabel Jones (wedding) Dale Schnibbe (birthday) Richard B. Schnibbe (birthday) Wanda Thompson (birthday) www.goaim.org ADVENTURES IN MISSIONS 7
JOIN OUR TEAM At Gospel Outreach (GO) we have 130 Gospel Outreach Ambassadors. Some are ambassadors for their own church and others are ambassadors-at-large who will also represent GO at churches, camp meetings, and other church functions. Though GO has been around for 25 years and sponsors about 2,000 Bible workers in the 10/40 Window, it is still a relatively unknown ministry. We have found that an active ambassador is an effective way to tell the GO story. The goal is to have at least one ambassador in each Adventist church in the United States. TYPICAL GO AMBASSADOR ACTIVITIES: Pray for Gospel Outreach. Show Gospel Outreach Adventures in Missions DVDs. (SS superintendents often appreciate these.) Request and distribute GO literature as needed. Share GO s ministry with your church family. Nancy and Dan Godman are the ambassador coordinators here at GO. They not only recruit new ambassadors, but provide existing ambassadors with promotional materials and quarterly Adventures in Missions DVDs about GO workers. They also publish a monthly newsletter called The Ambassador. If God is calling you to be a Gospel Outreach Ambassador, please contact Nancy or Dan at 509-525-2951, ext. 255, or at dan.nancy@goaim.org. PO Box 8, College Place, WA 99324 Address service requested NON-PROFIT US POSTAGE PAID CHATTANOOGA, TN PERMIT NO. 1114