God Works in Mysterious Ways

Introducing people to Jesus in the 10/40 Window November God Works in Mysterious Ways P By Marcelline Dass eople around the whole world will hear the name of Jesus before He returns. How can this be accomplished for the teeming millions of India who are poor and illiterate? God has his ways! Near the confluence of two mighty rivers of North India the Ganges and the Yamuna sits a non-denominational Christian agricultural university in the city of Allahabad. The fertile land fills the district s granaries to overflowing. A majority of the large population are Hindus, forming the highest population density per square mile in India. In the year 2000, when the new president of Allahabad Agricultural University was appointed, he asked his evangelist to go into the neighboring villages and ask the residents, Do you know who Jesus is? The village head man was approached and» People eagerly come by all means of transportation to enjoy free food and listen to stories about Jesus and how He can change their lives. asked if he knew who Jesus was. His reply was, No one by that name lives here. Try the next village. Maybe you will find him there. Village after village responded with the same answer. In a radius of 50 miles around the university, no one had heard the name of Jesus. So the president went to the university board and asked for funds to serve free breakfast and lunch to people who would www.goaim.org... continued on pg. 3

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES Gospel Work in Northern India Published monthly by Gospel Outreach www.goaim.org Vol. 25, No. 11 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: Brent Scully VP for Administration: Richard Madson VP for Field Operations: Pat Gustin Treasurer: Lois Hellie Associate Treasurer: Danielle Stewart BOARD OF DIRECTORS Larry Dodds, Chair Brent Scully, Secretary Carl Bauer Ken Crawford Jon Dybdahl Rick McEdward Shirley Panasuk Leo Ranzolin Robert Rawson Dwight Rose Steven Rose Marj Simons Beverly Thompson Bruce Thorn Kevin Waite Fred Webb Janet Wilkinson 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 We were recently appointed as regional directors to oversee Gospel Outreach workers as they strive to reach the 650 million people of northern India. At first, we were shuddering and praying as we contemplated our task. How would we even begin to strategize with the 262 Gospel Outreach workers to accomplish God s work in 13 different sections and reach the millions there who have diverse languages, religions, and cultures? One of the methods we use to attract people to Christianity in our territory is music. The last time we traveled to India, our first stop was at a recording studio to make copies of the CDs in the languages used in the areas where our Gospel Outreach workers would be able to use them most effectively. We had given one of our CDs to my uncle who lived in a high-rise suburb of Delhi. Every morning he played the music. Soon, Hindu neighbors began requesting, Please increase the volume. The lyrics and music are so calming. The days we don t hear music, we can feel the difference. Many individuals are coming to the Lord both through the music and one-on-one interaction in the large cities. These believers often assemble to worship the Lord in old buildings needing to be refurbished or rebuilt. Since India is now riding an economic boom, construction prices are soaring every day. Non- Christians laugh at our dilapidated structures, yet the Lord speaks to the hearts of genuine seekers as they cheerfully come to worship Him. The latter rain is falling in northern India. We need your prayers and financial support as we develop various strategic plans and train our workers to reach more people with the gospel message.» Edwin and Marcelline Dass, co-regional directors for North India 2 GOSPEL OUTREACH November 2017

... continued from cover page. attend his meeting to learn about Jesus. The funds were granted. The first Sunday six to seven hundred people came. During the time between breakfast and lunch, the president preached to the people about the love of Jesus. Week after week the people came for a free meal and to hear about Jesus. People found relief from all kinds of demonic forces controlling them. Word spread, and more people came by any transportation means available carts pulled by bulls, horses, camels, and goats; bicycles, scooters, and public transportation buses. To date, 25 30 thousand people have come, and many of them testify of their healing and being baptized into the faith of Jesus. Edwin Dass, our Gospel Outreach co-regional director for North India, was invited to be on the university board of directors. Edwin began working with the president and showing him Bible verses proclaiming the Sabbath as the biblical day of worship. Soon Sabbath was incorporated into the university worship schedule. Thousands of people came on Friday evening to worship on Sabbath all greeting each other by saying, Shabbat Shalom. On Sunday, they used the regular local greeting, Salaam. Edwin brought in Gospel Outreach workers to work with the university staff to study with the people who were coming week after week to listen to the good news about Jesus. Our workers soon established a Seventh-day Adventist church of over 160» The Dasses conduct a Gospel Outreach Leadership Training Seminar for our Gospel Outreach workers in Dehli. members who worship weekly in that town. The university president has been openly threatened by Hindu fundamentalists that he will be shot if he does not stop preaching and teaching about Jesus. In spite of these threats, he says, I am not afraid to die for Jesus. So, he is continuing his preaching and teaching about Jesus. In July 2017, in one of the towns in Rajasthan, hoodlums came into our Adventist church during the worship service and beat up the worshipers. One of the members is hospitalized in critical care. Fellow believers have been praying on her behalf. Pockets of persecution exist all over the northern region of India. As a result of the persecution, the news media is weighing the pros and cons of the Christian faith, giving our workers further opportunities to share the gospel. God is using the tech world to proclaim the name of Jesus. The more the Hindus try to stop Christian faith, the faster it is growing as the latter rain is falling on India. Our Gospel Outreach workers, along with the Christian workers at the university, continue to share God s love with the thousands of non-christians seeking the peace that only Jesus can give.» Marcelline Dass, along with her husband, Edwin Dass, is Gospel Outreach co-regional director for North India. www.goaim.org ADVENTURES IN MISSIONS 3

FEATURE: Gospel Outreach Training Team Serves India By Pat Gustin or nearly 20 years, Gospel Outreach boarding secondary school, carrying his F(GO) has supported Bible workers few belongings in a small cardboard box. in India. At present, GO sponsors more The school became his home for the years than 1,000 workers located throughout seven regions in India. The contribution of seven GO-appointed regional directors from America is richly complemented by the leadership of locally appointed and supported leaders from the Adventist division and the unions who together form a Gospel Outreach India team. For several weeks in August and September, several of these leaders joined a training team from GO USA as we traveled to four Indian cities Hosur, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Pune. Our Indian leaders play a vital role in the day-to-day operation of GO in India, and their skills and wisdom contributed invaluably to our team effort. Let me introduce you to a few of these dedicated leaders. The division-appointed GO coordinator is S. Ambrose, an experienced pastor from Tamil Nadu in South India. Born a Hindu and orphaned at a young age, Pastor Ambrose struggled against seemingly insurmountable odds to survive and get an education. He attended an Adventist 4 GOSPEL OUTREACH November 2017 he studied there since he had no other place to call home. They were my family, he recalls. After four years, he sadly watched his friends leave for Spicer College while he had to go to work doing menial day labor. Discouraged, he learned to rely completely on God who miraculously opened the door for him to attend college. I had no mother and no father since I was 12 years old, but God is my Father and my Mother, and my life has been very blessed, he testifies. Praveen Tamsang, a dynamic man from Assam, a state in Northeast India, is the GO coordinator for North India. The 200 plus GO workers in his union come from all over North India. They are located thousands of miles apart, and reaching the most distant workers requires him to travel by train for 24 36 hours. Pastor Tamsang has the daunting task of overseeing their work and providing encouragement and ministerial support. In Hyderabad, we met the newly appointed GO coordinator for the East

» From left: Pastor PK Tamsang, GO worker supervisor for North India, and Pastor S. Ambrose, division-appointed GO coordinator, participated in the training sessions in Kolkata.» Pastor S. Alexander, GO worker supervisor for East Central India, shares his testimony during the GO training in Hyderabad. Central India Union. Pastor S. Alexander was born into an Adventist family, but extreme poverty prevented him from pursuing education past elementary school. He was determined, however, and eventually moved to a nearby city where he found odd jobs, sleeping wherever he could, while he finished his secondary education and a two-year vocational course. His passion, however, was telling others about Jesus, and during this time he planted several churches. Global Mission offered him a job with a small stipend as a Global Mission Pioneer (similar to a GO worker), but he refused to accept a stipend. I m doing this for God, not money, he said. After he finished his vocational course, Pastor Alexander was offered a good job with a comfortable salary, but he turned it down so he could keep planting churches. During part of this time, he slept on the floor of a rice mill and earned just enough money each day to buy a little rice and dal, a staple Indian food made of lentils, peas, and beans. He spent most of his time telling people about Jesus and planting more churches.» Pat Gustin traveled to India where she held training sessions for church leadership on GO s newly developed Bible-study curriculum based on biblical stories. God eventually opened the way for him to attend Spicer College, where he worked to earn his entire way. During those years he only had a few hours of free time each week on Sabbath afternoons. He used that time to plant a church near the college among Telegu- speaking people. Today, he is a man of prayer, and his life, even now, is characterized by a series of miracles. The GO coordinator for the Western India Union is Prakash Mali, born and raised in the area of Pune where Spicer College is located. He has pastored in village churches as well as in Metro Mumbai and at Spicer College. He brings years of practical experience as a pastor to his work overseeing over 100 GO workers in that union. Gospel Outreach India is blessed to be partnering with these fine Adventist pastors. Pray for these leaders as they work alongside our GO workers and the seven regional directors.» Pat Gustin is a career missionary having served six years in Singapore, 17 years in Thailand, and nine years as director of the Institute of World Mission at Andrews University. Currently, she is VP for field operations at Gospel Outreach. www.goaim.org ADVENTURES IN MISSIONS 5

FIELD NOTES Hearing the Invitation Gabon, Central Africa God is still calling men and women from all walks of life to serve Him and share the gospel in the 10/40 Window. Here is how Makosso Jean Faustin, now a Gospel Outreach worker, miraculously came to learn about Jesus and accept Him as his Savior. Makosso was a Muslim when God spoke to him out loud, saying, Accept Jesus. God also sent angels who personally spoke to Makosso again and again, encouraging him to accept Jesus. God loves each one of us so much that He is willing to do whatever it takes to get our attention and show us the way if we are sincerely wanting to know! Key Deliverance Guinea, West Africa Elaina tells her story. I was not interested in studying the Bible last year. I was attending the Catholic Church, but I was not doing well. Demons did not allow me to sleep. I had no peace of heart. I had a dream that someone gave me a key and told me it was a key to heaven.» The key to heaven that Elaina found on her bed was actually a gift from a demon that brought slavery to sin. When I awoke in the morning, I found a key on my bed. But I was still possessed by an evil spirit. I could not even live without having a boyfriend and having sex with at least one man and sometimes many men every night. I finally told my parents. They took me to a place to get rid of the demon, but it did not work. I heard about Nyankoye, a Gospel Outreach worker, and asked him to pray for me. He taught me truths I had never heard before. I learned Jesus forgives sins. Nyankoye told me how to fast and explained, We are going to fast and pray for three days, beginning on Sabbath. Nyankoye asked me to give him the key I found on my bed. He told me, This key is not from God. It is from the demon. As we fasted and prayed, Nyankoye told me, Nothing can harm you now, because we are claiming the promises in the Bible. Not until the third day did I receive deliverance from demon possession. But since then I have remained free by praying every day. Prayer has changed my life completely. 6 GOSPEL OUTREACH November 2017

THE MAIL BOX I had a bad debt that I had been unable to collect for some time. I thought about it one morning during prayer time and told the Lord that I was done trying to collect the debt, and if He wanted it for His work, I would need for Him to collect it. Several weeks later, the money came in without any further effort on my part. I knew just where to send the money. When God runs a business, He takes care of business! Blessings, use where needed. W. B., Washington IN MEMORY I cannot send money, but I keep you in my prayers Ron Beddoe and enjoy your articles when they arrive. Anita Beers P. A., South Dakota Rolland Bivens Thank you for the update on the worker I am supporting. God bless! A. S., California God bless and guide each of you as the Holy Spirit, through you, breaks down the strongholds of Satan. E. & P. M., Tennessee Vivian Black June Giarde Rod Mahaffey David Parks Richard Pflugrad Bob Reynolds Emanuel Rittenbach Betty Rose WATCH ADVENTURES IN MISSIONS IN HONOR 3ABN www.3abn.org Blue Mountain TV College Place, WA www.bluemttv.com Good News TV Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth, Flagstaff, Payson, Phoenix, Prescott, Tucson, 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 Loren Dickinson (birthday) Vicky Edwards (birthday) Ken & Jackie Ladd (GO volunteers) Dan & Nancy Godman (50th anniversary) Sandra Mathis (birthday) Marjorie Nowlin (UCA classmate, 55) Jack Pester (UCA classmate, 55) Dianne Reynolds (birthday) Gregory Reynolds (birthday) Monti Reynolds (birthday) FOLLOW GOSPEL OUTREACH Alden Thompson (birthday) facebook.com/gospel1040 instagram.com/gospel1040 www.goaim.org ADVENTURES IN MISSIONS 7

Snapshots of Recent GO Meetings This GO committee developed the new story-based, Bible study curriculum. GO volunteers prepared meals for the meeting attendees. David & Yvonne Crook retire after serving GO Canada for 13 years. The Melashenko Four shared gospel music at the Sabbath afternoon mission rally. GO regional directors present their semi-annual reports. GO co-founder Edgar Pangilinan & wife Linda visit GO from the Philippines. PO Box 8, College Place, WA 99324 Address service requested NON-PROFIT US POSTAGE PAID CHATTANOOGA, TN PERMIT NO. 1114