GLOBAL ISSUE 138 SPRING 2013 To the ends of the earth for the glory of god In this issue PAGE 3 Missionary Media PAGE 4 Ethiopia s Final Frontier PAGE 7 Investing GLOBAL SUMMER in Youth2012 1
The Call When people ask me about SIM they always have the same questions: What do you do, and why do you do it? SNAPSHOTS Bruce Johnson President SIM USA People new to SIM are especially struck with the wide variety of work that we do. From church planting, to medical missions, sowing gospel seed among unreached peoples, Bible translation, and confronting human trafficking. What do we do? All of what we do includes proclaiming the gospel, addressing human need and equipping the church. And why do we do it? For His glory. We are all called to bring glory to God through what we do both personally and corporately. And here at SIM we are compelled by the heavenly vision seen in Revelation 7:9-10: After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb! This is our passion and vision to see people from all tribes and tongues bringing glory to God. And today, to see the whole church around the world all working toward that goal together. on the cover» ON THE COVER Young boys play in the Omo River in Southwestern Ethiopia. The broad river, and its wide, wild valleys divided several unreached tribes from the gospel. Until now. Anyone acquainted with SIM knows that we are a missionary-sending organization that also establishes and funds projects to respond to need, equip the church, and proclaim the gospel around the world. But how did this idea of projects and project funding begin? It began with SIM founder Rowland Bingham back in 1906 when a fire destroyed the homes and mission base of four SIM (then Africa Evangelistic Mission) missionaries in Nigeria. The February 1906 edition of The Missionary Witness, a periodical that Rowland edited himself, broke news of the fire: The mission buildings were totally destroyed by fire including much, if not the greatest part of the wearing apparel of the missionaries, their year s provisions, and nearly all of their little stock of money. In response to this catastrophe the editor wrote, The fire at Bida has made the need there so urgent that we believe many of our readers will desire to contribute to relieve these beloved workers. And so a fundraising and restoration project was born. Today SIM, whose motto is By Prayer, still echoes another call in that article: Dear reader, if your heart is touched and you have none of the Lord s money to give, you can pray your rich Father to influence others to send help, and thus you will share in the blessing of this ministry. 2 GLOBAL SPRING 2013
SIM AT WORK around t he WORld» At the Carachipampa Christian School in Bolivia, where SIM missionaries the Cooks are teaching, the true meaning of Christmas really came through at the school s program. Over 400 people attended the event and heard the message of hope that Jesus brings.» SIM missionary Luke Voight titled the above: Ko Jass is ready to shake the nations! It was taken during the recent Sports Friends training event in Malawi. It was an ongoing training program to minister to the leaders they have been discipling over the past two years. They traveled several hours south to the heart of the southern villages and there held several days of trainings and classes on coaching sport for ministry. Ko Jass is just one of many ministers using sport for evangelism.» SIM missionaries Percy and Carol Valiente recently started a branch of the Christian Motorcycle Association where they live in Peru. There, bikers are highly prevalent and there are many motorcycle clubs. Percy writes that their objective is for the motorcycle community in Peru to see the CMA as a service that offers spiritual counseling, support, and hope to bikers. Already they are seeing success through their model of friendship evangelism! Above is Percy with the Steel Riders Club members. GLOBAL SPRING 2013 3
Ethiopia s Final Frontier Almost a century after SIM first began work in Ethiopia, an effort begins in order to bring the gospel to the three most remote unreached people groups. in southwestern Ethiopia, far from Addis Ababa, runs the river Omo. Beginning in the Shewan highlands, it runs a generally southerly course, twisting and winding down until it empties into lake Turkana on the Ethiopia- Kenya border. Seasonal rains cause the Omo to rise and recede rhythmically, leaving fertile silt along its banks and over its deltas. This seasonal ebb and flow makes the river vital to the indigenous people groups their ways virtually untouched by modern life that continue on in the ways of their ancestors planting sorghum, maize, and beans in the Omo valley. These dozens of people groups may be remote, but because their location on the river is relatively stable, they are not without a gospel witness. West of the Omo, however, are three pastoral tribes that until now have remained untouched by the gospel: the Surma, the Taposa, and the Nyangatom. The tribes live in the arid region between the Omo and the Ethiopia-Sudan border to the west, roaming lands their fathers fathers fathers roamed. They are so isolated by vast stretches of plains and plateaus that missionaries have to travel by helicopter to reach them. Still, a project to reach these three peoples began in 2010 after survey trips revealed large unreached areas among them. Now, SIM is in partnership with the Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church (EKHC) to reach them. ON LOCATION Omo River Valley ETHIOPIA 4 GLOBAL SPRING 2013
At first, SIM s main priority was to find a way to connect with the people a way to minister to their needs and crack open the door for the gospel. Fortunately, God had prepared SIM missionary Trent Cox for the job. As a veterinarian, Trent is especially trained and equipped to reach the Nyangatom people through their most prized possessions their cattle. Through periodic visits to the distant Nyangatom villages and cattle camps to run clinics for the animals, Trent and other team members gained the trust and affections of the Nyangatom leaders and families. And with the relationship established, it was a natural transition from responding to a felt need, to proclaiming the gospel. Back in 2012 one missionary wrote in a report: We set up camp under a pair of trees. A group of older men with an assortment of automatic weapons sat in the shade with us for several hours. We used the opportunity to explain why we had come to tell them about God and the salvation He offered. The men responded with evident appreciation and explained that we were very welcome, that there were three things they hoped we would bring to them. First, was truth about God. Second, they needed medicine for their cattle. And thirdly, they wanted school for their children. God had already been preparing the hearts of these people to receive the gospel. And He had already been preparing a culturally relevant way to teach them the Word. To begin introducing the Word, missionaries used a Bible storying method called the Chronological Presentation of the Gospel (CPG) that was developed over the course of several years by veteran missionary Ben Skaggs. The CPG is a series of 68 lessons in booklet form that tells God s story from creation through the resurrection of Jesus. The lessons are in simple question and answer format, each one building on knowledge gained in the previous. This format works especially well in cultures where oral tradition and storytelling are arts like in tribal Africa.» Veterinary missionary Trent Cox (on left) got a lift from the helimission team to visit this remote group of Nyangatom. Each time he visits he brings medicine for their cattle, and builds relationships with the tribal leaders. 5
In order to use these materials among the Nyangatom though, they needed to be developed in the Nyangatom language. Translation began booklet by booklet, and each time the missionaries visited the isolated clans, God s story began to unfold. After one lesson, two women from a group of Nyangatom gathered under a tree to listen, stood, asserting that this kind of teaching is what they need to hear, and asked the teachers to return soon. We may know how God created Adam and then the woman from his rib and how they sinned and all of us are sinners, they said. But we don t know anything else about what God does. We do trust Him. We need to know what He says. With such groundwork laid, it was time to establish a permanent witness among the distant Nyangatom cattle camps. And for this, SIM called upon their Ethiopian partners the EKHC and the few Nyangatom believers living in a permanent settlement called Kangeten about an hour s flight south of the unreached region. In Kangeten there are two small Nyangatom churches, the result of a split after the departure of the Swedish missionaries who had left some years before. SIM and the EKHC approached these churches hoping to find a Nyangatom believer to be one of the missionaries to live in the camp, but this raised questions for the Kangeten churches. pray / give / go Pray for the Nyangatom believers from Kangeten as they begin to minister to their unreached brothers and sisters. Praise God for all that He has done to bring His Word to these remote peoples. Are you a veterinarian? Contact SIM to learn more about short- or long-term ministry opportunities using your skills. Watch a video about this missionary effort at http://vimeo.com/12414533 or scan this QR code to watch on your smart phone. All of the Nyangatom church leaders said they cared about the gospel going to the farflung camps where most of the Nyangatom lived. But, if they sent a missionary, who would pay the salary? If churches were planted, what denomination would they belong to? In the end, though, the Nyangatom church leaders decided that this effort is more important than small questions, and together decided to send two missionaries to the cattle camps. The next day, miles and miles from the nearest road or village, SIM missionaries, a translator, and a couple of believers from another pastoralist tribe arrived by helicopter in one of the cattle camps. Throughout the afternoon they negotiated with the men of the camp hoping to secure hospitality for two missionaries to come live among them. We have no money to offer, they said. But we have something better God s words. In exchange, the Nyangatom would build a grass house for the two missionaries and provide their food as long as they stayed. After the negotiation concluded and the visitors waited for the return of the helicopter, one SIM missionary, Steve Bryan, sat next to a young Nyangatom man who looked to be about 35. He said he had a hundred cows, three wives, and thirteen children, Steve wrote recently. On this day he seemed not to have a care in the world. But he also spoke of a spirit in the area who sometimes caused them trouble. There s stuff that we do to bring the trouble to an end, the Nyangatom man told Steve. But it doesn t really work. So if you tell us to stop doing that stuff, we ll stop. In a week or two, Steve continued. [The missionaries] will go with a message which calls people to turn from worthless idols to the living and true God. Remarkably, it seems, they will go to a people who, in part at least, already sense that their worship of evil spirits is worthless. What they don t know yet is that the message they will soon hear is not just a message about an alternative religion, but a message which has the power to turn their world upside down. 6 GLOBAL SPRING 2013
Building the CHURCH of Tomorrow One Camp at a Time For youth in Paraguay, attending a Christian camp is a rare chance for discipleship, encouragement, and conviction. And for many, a chance to hear the Word of Life for the very first time. We won t know how many youth will be going until just a few hours before the camp. That was the repeated reply to Daniel Hough s question as he tried to get a headcount the day before youth camp. That s just the way the game is played when planning large group events in Paraguay. In the end, 60 young campers arrived, and as camp got under way, Dan realized just how many of the camp s attendees didn t know Jesus. I stood in front our group at camp and led them in some well known Christian songs, he wrote. As I looked out, few were singing and many had blank stares. Instead of feeling discouraged by a lack of response, Dan felt encouraged. It dawned on me that many of these boys and girls were probably hearing these words for the first time in their lives. pray / give / go Pray for future youth camps and the young Paraguayan leaders that Dan works with to plan and implement them. Give a gift to support a youth camp, or to provide leadership training for counselors.» Youth at Camp Itycurubi in Paraguay But the truth is, it wasn t just the nonbelievers who really gained during camp. Young believers in Latin America are often starved for discipleship, guidance, and encouragement. It s a struggle for them to lead an active Christian life. What happens at camp is important especially when you realize that within the next few years, Latin America will be the continent with the largest population of young people worldwide. Indeed, what happens at camp today may very well decide the shape of the Church in Latin America tomorrow. And as Dan looked out across the room of faces during the chapel message, he prayed silently. I saw the same thing in all their eyes, he said. Potential. GLOBAL SPRING 2013 7
your turn answering THE CALL» PRAY By Prayer Our ministries cannot succeed without God s help and blessing. Your prayer partnership with us is vital! Join us over the next few months as we pray for needs around the world. Prayer Update: Did you know that SIM has a scripture prayer guide that relates scripture passages to your prayer needs? You can download this resource for free on our webpage: www.simusa.org/content/prayer-resources. Each month SIM follows a prayer schedule so that each country in which we work is bathed in prayer. We pray for the missionaries, the projects, and the church body in each country. If you d like to pray along with us as we progress through the month, here is how we will be praying through the days: Day 1: Day 2: Day 3: Day 4: Day 5: Day 6: Day 7: Day 8: Day 9: Day 10: Day 11: Day 12: Day 13: Day 14: Day 15: Day 16: Day 17: Day 18: Day 19: Day 20: Day 21: Angola, Australia Bangladesh, Benin Bolivia, Botswana Brazil, Burkina Faso Canada, Central African Republic Chile, China, Côte d Ivoire C-SEA (Central and Southeast Asia), East Africa Office, East Asia Ecuador, Eritrea Ethiopia, France Ghana, Guinea India International Office Islands (Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion, Japan), Kenya Korea, Liberia Malawi, Mali, Mongolia Mozambique, Namibia Nepal, New Zealand Niger Nigeria, OCLA (Office Connection for Latin America) Pakistan, Paraguay Peru Day 22: Day 23: Day 24: Day 25: Day 26: Day 27: Day 28: Day 29: Day 30: Day 31: Philippines, Senegal ROSA (Region of Southern Africa), South Africa South Sudan and Sudan, Switzerland Tanzania, Thailand, Togo United Kingdom United States of America Uruguay, West Africa Office Zambia, Zimbabwe SIM Worldwide, Multi-Country Ministries, Serving in High Security Areas Prayer for Renewal» GIVE This quarter s focus is on raising funds for SIM s work Proclaiming the Gospel around the world. Each and every dollar makes a significant difference in the field helping to support projects like our Somali Outreach, geared toward bringing the peace and love of Christ to some of the most difficult people on earth. Will you prayerfully consider partnering with us in such efforts by sending a special gift today?» GO Do you have a passion for education? SIM has need for teachers around the world in Asia, South America and Africa. If you ve ever considered serving the Lord overseas, there may be the right opportunity for you in one of 29 different schools. If you re interested in finding out more, fill out the following link https://web.simusa.org/iif and someone from our recruiting department will be in touch with you soon.» SIM PO Box 7900, Charlotte, NC 28241-7900 1-800-521-6449 SIMGlobal.org