Joyreport Spring 2015 The Living Word Transforming Lives JESUS is ALIVE! God Is moving worldwide through you! Wow! You ve done it again! p. 7 Why I Give A donor s passion for the gospel...p. 4 From Arms Dealer to Missionary They thought they finally escaped... p. 14 Please Pray Jesus already gave us the answer... p.6
JOY REPORT 3 Our Mission: We are called by God to provide Scriptures and training worldwide, so that people prepared by the Holy Spirit will be brought into relationship with Christ and His Church. The Joy Report is published four times per year to inform you about what God is doing in the lives of individuals we support and about specific results of your gifts and prayers. Permission is granted to copy, re-publish and/or distribute the information in this issue as long as Bible League Canada is credited. Additional copies of this newsletter may be obtained by contacting us at 1.800.363.9673 or ministry@bibleleague.ca Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. ~John 11:25-26 (NIV) FROM THE PRESIDENT Dear Friend, Can you remember the first Easter you celebrated as a new believer in Jesus? sometimes, like the story of Lwin (page 12), we even find freedom from literal slavery. they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name (Romans 1:4-5). Bible League Canada is registered with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) as a charitable organization, registration number 10822-2084-RR0001 Well, this Easter, your gifts and prayers will help reach out to people with the all-powerful saving message of Jesus death and resurrection! Just think your compassion today can give someone his or her first Easter ever as a follower of Jesus. That is life changing now and for eternity. Tina, a new believer from Armenia says, The works of sin are dark, but I need light. May God bless all those who brought me to my Lord again. I have repented all my sins. I know what I have done and I know that God forgave me everything. (You can read Tina s story on page 11.) Thank you for getting into the spirit of Easter for taking part in the movement to spread the Good News of what God has done! Jesus Christ is Alive! Yours Sincerely, In Christ Box 368, Grimsby, ON L3M 4H8 1.800.363.9673 bibleleague.ca ministry@bibleleague.ca As you will read in this Joy Report, being a follower of Jesus can change our lives in so many ways. We learn to turn away from our hurtful pasts we discover encouragement and love we find ourselves in our identity in Christ and Isn t this what Easter is all about? God s Word says that through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority to tell people everywhere what God has done for them, so that Paul Richardson, President
4 JOY REPORT JOY REPORT 5 WHY i GIVE... A loyal donor shares his passion for the gospel Oh, what Joy there is in doing His Will! John says. Jesus Christ to the four corners of the globe. Over the years John and his late wife Marlene have funded many projects so that people around the world can receive the Scriptures in their own language. They have been obedient to share their resources even when their own situation looked bleak. Over the years, they learned that this last minute rescue was God s Personal Signature. His loving, faithful, authentic proof that these rescue sales were orchestrated directly by His sovereign Hand! God is always on time. He is never late. He is seldom early! John says. John shares that in 2011, the business experienced an unusual dry spell with no orders in July, August, September, or October! In October 2011, Bible League Canada told John about the Oromo Scripture Placement Project in Ethiopia and the desperate need for 100,000 Bibles. Despite his financial situation, John had a strong desire to fund 1,000 Bibles for the project by the end of December that year. A customer requested a small order in November. At the beginning of December, another small order trickled in. Being confident of God s faithfulness, John continued to entrust the company to his Heavenly Father. Miraculously, 14 orders came in between December 14 and 20! John had just enough money to rescue the business and make a donation for the 1,000 Oromo Bibles. John and his wife Marlene were determined to be faithful to God with the profits from his Canadian software company MGCS. In June 1992, they began tithing on the gross income to Christian missions. Their faith was tested when the company neared bankruptcy and was narrowly rescued at the end of June 1992. One morning, John awoke to this Scripture:... for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose (Philippians 2: 13). John and Marlene were reassured that they were on the right track. Jesus had given them His peace! Enough orders came in by June 30 to rescue the business! Twenty-two years later, the business continues and John is still passionate about taking the gospel of The love story of John and Marlene Murray spans four decades, a rare and true unconditional love story rising from the ashes of two broken lives and two broken marriages. Marlene, A Woman after My Own Heart A book by John Murray (To order your copy, please contact John Murray directly at 905.831.0038) Doubtless, Marlene was cheering up in Heaven. Jesus was on time again! Oh Glory be unto our God! says John. Bible League Canada wants to place 1 million Bibles with the Oromo people of Ethiopia by 2020 (there are more than 2 million Oromo Christians and very few have their own copy of the Scriptures.) Generous donors like you, John and Marlene have already funded 160,000 Bibles. If you want to get in on the faith action, talk to Tanya, our Donor Relations Associate at 1.800.363.9673 or by completing and returning the enclosed form. You can also give online at bibleleague.ca.
6 JOY REPORT PRAYER PLEASE REQUESTS PRAY Please Pray... GOD IS MOVING WORLDWIDE THROUGH YOU JOY REPORT 7 MINISTRY UPDATE Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:18-19 (NIV) THE WORLD CAN BE REACHED IN OUR GENERATION We can sit around all day asking, What s going to happen next? When will there be peace on earth? When is Jesus coming back? But Jesus already gave us the answer: You will be my witnesses... (Acts 1:8). What we should be asking is what about His first coming for villages that have never heard the gospel? We want to see the remaining villages of the world reached with the gospel in our generation. If Jesus challenged His disciples to go into all the world when there were no automobiles, airplanes, internet or smartphones, what do you think He expects of us in our generation? Just imagine if we work together, it is possible to reach every village on the earth in our lifetime! It all depends on how many of His disciples will be obedient to go, or give, and pray! Lord, you told us to go into all the world and share the gospel. Thank you for making that possible in our generation. Help us to pray, to give, to go as you have commanded us and enabled us. Lord, this is for Your glory and the sake of those who have never heard. In Your Name we pray. Amen BIG MOVE for Digital Bibles! Wow! You ve done it again! In November, we offered you an exciting Match opportunity to support persecuted Christians around the world by delivering 100,000 Digital Bibles and every dollar you donated was matched! Because of YOUR GENEROSITY, we were able to deliver 85,000 Digital Bibles! I want to pray and thank the Christian brothers and sisters who supported us to have this material and their caring, says a recipient of a Digital Bible [name withheld for security]. FACT: The Bible is banned in 52 countries
8 JOY REPORT JOY REPORT 9 Where We Work: WORLD MAP As people are transformed by the Word of God, they affect their communities. In more than 40 countries worldwide, we work with indigenous men and women, equipping them with Bibles and resources to bring the message of Jesus to their own people. Whether we train pastors or children s ministry leaders, equip literacy teachers or provide Bibles in regions of persecution, our overarching mission is to bring the Word of God to all people, in all places.... because the world needs the Living Word of God more than anything else. LATIN AMERICA: ARGENTINA BRAZIL COLOMBIA COSTA RICA ECUADOR EL SALVADOR GUATEMALA HONDURAS MEXICO NICARAGUA PANAMA PERU URUGUAY NORTH AMERICA: CANADA AFRICA: ETHIOPIA KENYA SOUTH SUDAN UGANDA Locations around the world where Bible League Canada works (as of March, 2015). Colours represent the ministry programs in which Bible League Canada is engaged. Church Planter Training Children s Ministry EURASIA: ARMENIA BELARUS BULGARIA LATVIA LITHUANIA MACEDONIA MOLDOVA POLAND ROMANIA RUSSIA SERBIA UKRAINE SOUTH EAST ASIA: BURMA CAMBODIA INDIA PHILIPPINES THAILAND Adult Bible-based Literacy The Persecuted Church *Countries of severe Christian persecution have not been shown on the map for security purposes.
10 JOY REPORT JOY REPORT 11 FACT: We want to reach 24,000 children with the gospel message this year. Thank you for your generosity and prayerful support of this ministry. Without you, we would not be able to share the gospel with millions of people around the world. Together we are fulfilling Jesus commission to go and make disciples of all peoples. Yet the work remains great, and the need for Bibles and resources is increasing. By God s grace, and with faithful followers like you, we are confident that all things are possible. Come and see what God has done, his awesome deeds for mankind! Psalm 66:5 (NIV) ANOTHER WIN for the Ethiopia Kids! We proudly used your generous donations to reach out to 4,895 kids in Ethiopia with the Good News. Your gifts are changing the direction of children s lives children like Abaye. I want to be a pastor and preach the gospel and bring people together to fight the poverty of our church, 10-year-old Abaye says. GOD IS MOVING WORLDWIDE THROUGH YOU Jesus Finds Lost Mom After getting drunk at her friend s house again, Ina arrived home late at night. Her three children were standing in the street looking sad and forlorn. She hadn t paid the rent, and the landlord had kicked them out. Shocked and ashamed, she asked herself, What am I doing? Only 31, Ina had been left to care for her kids alone when her husband moved to another country to earn a living. The money he sent home was not enough for Ina and the kids to live on. Depressed, she had started drinking and beating her children. Haunted by the memory of her kids on the street, she decided to make a new start. She and her children moved to a new town. The first person Ina met was a Christian. When this believer invited Ina to church, Ina and her children eagerly attended. I found God, says Ina. Jesus brought light into my life. I have found the most important part of my life and of who I am. I love Jesus. He brings joy to my children and me. Through support from Bible League Canada, the church hosts five-day children s Bible camps in the summer. Ina s children went to camp and she volunteered with the ministry. I ll be faithful to Jesus. He will keep me away from trouble, she says. I never want to experience those terrible years again. You can make a difference for desperate families like Ina s through donating to Bible camps. The children play games, sing songs, memorize Bible verses, and experience the love of Jesus. On the last day of the camp, Children s Ministry Workers invite parents to attend a graduation day with a concert. The kids receive a certificate and a Bible. May God bless all those who brought me to my Lord, Ina says. I pray for those who don t know God yet. May they find the Lord, too, and may God keep them from the dark paths of life. Your gift today will bring more clubs to existing regions and introduce Bible camps in new areas. Give by completing and returning the enclosed form. Or you can donate online at www. bibleleague.ca or by calling Tanya our Donor Relations Associate at 1.800.363.9673.
12 JOY REPORT JOY REPORT 13 CHURCH PLANTER TRAINING BURMA CHURCH PLANTER TRAINING BURMA From Slave to SAVED I am so thankful God provided a way out for me. When I got here, I received so much love and encouragement. Lwin says the greatest gift she received is God s love and His salvation. He has been faithful and answered my prayers. I know God is real. Sadly, there are more young girls and boys like Lwin. Without parents or relatives to care for them, they are at risk of being sold into slavery. Starving for HOPE in Burma Eighty percent of people in Burma are Buddhists, while only 4% are Christian. An estimated 40 million people have not been reached with the gospel. So many are in spiritual and physical need in Burma and there are so few Christians to live out the love of Jesus among them. We would boil rice and let my brother drink the water. Sometimes we scraped enough together to have one meal a day, usually a boiled potato, says Lwin. Her parents died when she was a toddler, leaving her and a baby brother orphaned. A widowed grandmother, who could barely feed herself, cared for the two children. Lwin s grandmother washed people s clothes, while the young girl cleaned dishes and did other small jobs to earn a few cents. Despite their best efforts, the little family was constantly in danger of starving. Then things spiraled out of control Lwin s grandmother died. I depended on my grandmother she was the only relative I had left. I did not know what I was going to. Vulnerable and scared, Lwin was powerless to stop a man in her village when he sold her as a household servant in a neighbouring town. I felt completely alone. I had a miserable life. One day, while she was at the market buying food with her owner, she began to weep uncontrollably. She didn t know anyone was watching or that anyone cared. A church planter, trained by a Bible League Canada partner in Burma, saw Lwin crying. He and his wife asked what was wrong. Hearing she was a slave, they offered to buy her freedom, but the owner was asking more than they could afford. Unable to forget about Lwin, the church planting couple asked God to help them rescue her. In response to their prayers, they received a gift large enough to redeem the enslaved girl! The Christians brought Lwin to safety, shared Jesus with her, and took care of her needs. Together with indigenous partners, Bible League Canada wants to change that! You can help to train Burmese church planters who will reach their communities. Despite years of persecution and suffering, the Burmese Church continues to grow. With a recent increase in the freedom of religion under a more democratic government, the time is right to equip Burmese Christians to share Christ s message. To donate to the Burmese Church Planter project, please complete and return the enclosed form. You can also contact Tanya, our Donor Relations Associate at 1.800.363.9673 or give online at bibleleague.ca.
14 JOY REPORT CHURCH PLANTER TRAINING NICARAGUA A After years of civil war and economic devastation, Nicaragua was in shambles in the 1990s. Like so many other Nicaraguans, the Orozco family was struggling. We were on the street, says son Benedicto. JOY REPORT 15 From ARMS DEALER to CHRIST S AMBASSADOR At 16, Benedicto and his two brothers took matters into their own hands. They decided to supplement their income by trafficking weapons. Though he had accepted Christ at 11 years old, Benedicto set his faith aside for financial gain. As their consciences grew harder, the Orozco brothers began trafficking humans as well as guns. Then their contacts invited them to wholesale drugs. The brothers thought they had finally escaped poverty. Benedicto s parents were dedicated Christians. They pleaded with God to bring their sons back to Christ. Their father prayed for the young men three hours per day. Despite their prayers, Benedicto and his brothers sank deeper into the dark underworld of guns, arms, and drugs. As if that wasn t enough, one of the brothers fell into witchcraft. Drug traffickers often protected their drug transports using pagan practices. In the midst of their success, tragedy struck Benedicto s father died suddenly. When we were doing well, failure came, says Benedicto. Mrs. Orozco took over interceding for her boys. A short time later, assassins murdered the brother who was in charge of the business. The Orozco boys lost everything they had worked so hard for. When Benedicto s web of lies unraveled and his wife discovered the truth about his work, she threw him out. I know who you are a disgusting drug trafficker, she told him. Forced to leave his wife and children, Benedicto s life was in ruins. With no hope left, Benedicto planned to kill himself at nightfall. He went to the coast where he used to fish. As the sun set on the Pacific Ocean, it reflected on the water. Benedicto s hard heart softened as he admired God s creation and remembered that God was good. He began to shudder with weeping. Pouring out his sins to a God who had waited so patiently for him, Benedicto turned back to Christ at the age of 45. God answered his parents prayers after all. In 2013, Benedicto attended church planter training with a Bible League Canada ministry partner. With the tools he received, he has begun a congregation. I used to want to be a good outlaw and I wanted to be the leader of the mafia in Nicaragua. Now I long to represent the Lord for my country. I yearn to serve God to the best of my ability. Benedicto and his brothers thought the only way out of poverty was to help themselves by turning to crime. So many in Latin America need to know that Jesus is not a religious character in the Bible but a living God who cares about their daily lives. Please help us train more church planters in Latin America. Make a donation by completing and returning the enclosed form. You can also give online at bibleleague.ca or by calling Tanya, our Donor Relations Associate, at 1.800.363.9673.
BFM is GROWING! BFM (Bibles for Missions) is a volunteer-driven, non-denominational Christian organization that operates thrift stores across Canada to generate funds for the ministry work of Bible League Canada. We re pleased to share that in December 2014, Charlottetown, PEI, joined the BFM organization and in January 2015, a store in Belleville, ON, opened its doors to the public. There are now 45 member stores under the umbrella of BFM Foundation (Canada). In December the BFM staff met at the Bible League Canada offices to work on their Strategic Operating Plan for 2015 through to 2017. Three more stores are in various stages of readiness to open by December 2015 (Cobourg ON, Orleans ON, Saint John NB). There are also a number of new store groups with steering committees with plans to open a store in communities across Canada. The Joint Ministry between Bible League Canada and BFM Foundation (Canada) is making an impact worldwide. Since its beginning in 1989, BFM Foundation (Canada) has contributed more than $60 million to this ministry! Store interior in Charlottetown, PEI. Store Exterior in Charlottetown, PEI. Locally, the BFM stores are stewards of the environment, dedicated to providing a fun and satisfying place to volunteer and dedicated to supporting local communities. On behalf of BFM Foundation (Canada), we want to wish a Happy New Year to the thousands of dedicated volunteers who work in their thrift stores, as well as to all those who donate goods to their local store. You are making a difference Thank You! Store Exterior in Belleville, Ontario. Box 368, Grimsby, ON L3M 4H8 1.800.363.9673 bibleleague.ca ministry@bibleleague.ca @BibleLeagueCAN Bible League Canada