From Every Home For Christ International

At EHC, we often recall how Jesus told His disciples, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40, NIV). He was speaking of feeding the hungry, comforting the stranger, clothing the naked, and visiting the sick and those in prison.
These lost souls live in every nation on earth, often forgotten in the darkest corners of society. As EHC workers carry the love of Christ from home to home—including nontraditional homes like hospitals, prisons, orphanages, and even street corners or sewers—they encounter the “least of these” and seek to care for them as they would care for Christ Himself. Special EHC outreaches and projects seek to reach these lost ones “right where they live!”

The Least of These Living in the Sewers and Slums of Mexico
In Mexico, much of society would like to forget that the “least of these” are among them. EHC Mexico National Director Gloria Silva Lopez explains, “Common people—even Christians—don’t go to the places where these people live because they believe that if we can forget them, they will no longer exist. But they do exist, and they are waiting for someone to bring them the hope of the Gospel!”
Gloria and her teams have made reaching Mexico’s “indigent” populations a priority. “The idea is to immerse ourselves in the depths of our society,” she says, “where no one else wants to go. We find people with drug addictions and with mental health problems. These are people who aren’t even aware of reality. They aren’t able to buy clothes or food, so they rely on people to give them basic necessities. Their homes are streets, gutters, bridges, railways, slums—and yes, even sewers.” EHC Mexico workers will truly go anywhere people call “home” to share the Good News!
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Gloria and a team of EHC workers recently completed a project designed specifically to reach sewer-dwellers. “We were invited to visit a network of drains, sewers, and underground passages where entire families are living. Amazingly, up to three generations of indigents sometimes live together in just such a situation!”
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Society may have forgotten this community of people literally living beneath them, but EHC has not. Even when homes are in sewage drains, EHC workers will take the Gospel to every such non-traditional dwelling. Although it was dirty and disease ridden, Gloria took a team of workers who together climbed down into a network of sewer drains to share the hope of Jesus with families living there. And as usually happens, a harvest of results awaits our teams wherever they go. Rarely would our workers go to such lengths and not see souls come to Christ as a result. This is exactly why Every Home for Christ exists!

Note: EHC Mexico National Director Gloria Silva Lopez is the guest speaker for our 56th Anniversary Celebration!   We invite you to join us for this special gathering on Saturday, October 21st at 6 PM.

During a recent trip to Seychelles, WMP President Harold Mack and I were blessed to meet with leaders from twenty-nine different African nations.  Two of those precious leaders were Fred and Josephine Mukasa from Uganda.

We encourage you to listen to this week’s podcast, as Fred shares about his wonderful nation and its challenges, his role with Every Home for Christ, his use of World Missionary Press Scripture booklets, and his deep appreciation for the staff, volunteers, and supporters of World Missionary Press.

Statistics from EHC concerning the nation of Uganda:

Population: 35 Million
Life Expectancy: 54.46 years
Literacy Rate: 73.2%
Official Language: English
Other Languages: Luganda, Swahili

Religions:
​Christian: 79.74% with only 32% claiming to be Evangelical
Islam: 11.49%
Other: 8.77%

Homes Reached by EHC: 8,299,750
Responses to Christ: 4,259,788
New Christ Group Plants: 4,427

We encourage you to listen in on this week’s podcast and to enjoy the amazing interview!
Stay tuned for more interviews from our trip in the weeks to come.  In each interview, you will notice a common thread of extremely deep appreciation for World Missionary Press and all of our precious partners, along with each leader's cry for more Scripture booklets to reach the people of their respective nations.

Here's the link to this week's podcast: http://www.wmpambassadors.org/podcasts.html

Blessings!

Yours in Christ,
Joe Chadburn
Ambassador Network Coordinator
World Missionary Press

​Aloha Brother Joe and the Staff at WMP:

I'm so excited to share to you all at WMP that, as the Ambassador for WMP for Oahu, Hawaii. I was able to give WMP Bible booklets/tracts to the Seafarers Ministry in Honolulu Hawaii, who Pastor Jerry Saludez of Waipio Community Baptist Church to hand out to the Seafarers from Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines. 

These Seafarers are not allowed to leave/restricted to the piers in Honolulu. So Pastor Jerry Saludez who helps run the Seafarers Ministry in Oahu are able to have fellowship and share the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord, they also are feed with a nice dinner and even given some medical attention. The Seafarers Ministry are so happy to get these booklets provided by WMP and please pray for Pastor Jerry Saludez and his Seafarers Ministry team to continue to share the gospel to over 500 Seafarers/fishermen in Honolulu, Hawaii. 

Attached is a photo of Ellen who is one of the Indonesian interpreters for the Seafarers Ministry in Honolulu and  sharing/giving a WMP bible booklet to an Indonesian seafarer.

Aloha and God Bless all and keep sharing to those who need Christ as Savior and Lord;

Americo (Rick) DiLoretto
WMP Ambassador Oahu, Hawaii

Here’s a short video from our National Coordinator in Puerto Rico, Adalberto Santiago. These pictures were recently taken in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.  Imagine the ripple effect of Jesus' Love, as the people of Haiti grow in their knowledge of Christ and their truest identity in Him!  The looks on their faces, as they had just received their very own WMP Haitian Kreyol New Testaments and Scripture booklets, are priceless!  Huge thanks to our dear brother, Aldaberto for compiling these images.  We appreciate how the Lord's Love is operating through him to impact so many precious lives for eternity!

Katey Hearth (MNN) — Iquitos, Peru, is known as a global hub for so-called “spiritual tourism”. Thousands flock to the jungle village each year seeking spiritual encounters and a dangerous drink called ayahuasca.
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But, the dark magic that’s so common here is no match for the power of Christ.
“It’s a tremendous testimony to the power of the Word and the faithfulness of those who continue to give it and preach in the face of the enemy,” states Helen Williams of World Missionary Press.

“Our partner just sent us an email that said… a man almost ran to the front of the church to give his heart to Jesus,” Williams shares.

“He belonged to a cult of Satanists…. They’d been sent out to destroy the largest churches that were preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and this man had been assigned to this church in Iquitos. But, he could not resist the power of God, and ended up receiving Jesus Christ as his Savior.”

Because the man couldn’t return to the group of Satanists, he took shelter in the church’s safe house. Once the group had left, the man moved on to start a new life and learn more about the God who saved him.

Iquitos: spiritual tourism and ayahuascaIquitos is Peru’s largest jungle city.

In 2014, AmusingPlanet.com dubbed Iquitos “the largest city in the world that cannot be reached by road.” Surrounded by thick rainforest on one side and the Amazon River on the other, Peru’s largest jungle city may be difficult to access. But, that doesn’t stop the tourists.
Ayahuasca – a plant-based brew that produces hallucinogenic effects when consumed – is traditionally used by Peruvian shamans to access the spiritual world. Over the past decade, the drink has attracted growing numbers of people who want to “experience the sacred.”
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“I went into the experience a devout atheist,” an Australian woman told News.com.au.“Now I am very open minded to the fact that something may exist beyond what we consciously see, the same way that we know infra-red and UV light exists even though we physically can’t see it.”

According to a June report by The Guardian, “Every year thousands descend on the city, where centres offering ayahuasca have sprung up in the surrounding forest, while lodges offering ‘jungle tours’ or ‘nature tours’ include ayahuasca as well.”

While ayahuasca is a relatively “new” discovery to mainstream culture, the witchcraft associated with it goes way back. In fact, according to this 2013 blog by Christian missionary Scott Doherty, “Whether poor or rich, uneducated or educated, young or old, almost everyone has used witchcraft at some point…The reality is that witchcraft and the occult is greatly manifested in Peru.”

World Missionary Press sends Scripture booklets so believers can fight darkness with the light of Christ. For $5, you can help WMP print and send 125 Scripture booklets to the church in Iquitos. Click here to get involved.

“Their ministry has been most effective when they’ve dealt with healing, helping people heal (from past traumas) and being open doors to those who are struggling,” says Williams, “whether it’s women who’ve been abused, or orphans, or young people with no place else to go except to wander the streets.”

She says the Iquitos church they partner with takes hurting people in and offers them the hope of the Gospel.

“That’s what’s worked there, and what works around the world, because people are needy and Christ is the answer for that need.”

Scripture booklets needed in Europe BY JULIE BOURDON Europe (MNN) — As violence in the Middle East rages on, refugees are flooding into Europe.

Helen Williams of World Missionary Press says that Christians in Western Europe want to help. And so, they’ve shared the one thing that is most precious to them: the Gospel. Many of them have asked for assistance.

“World Missionary Press provides Scripture in many different languages. Even if you don’t know how to speak your neighbor’s language, you can deliver a wonderful message. (Photo courtesy of World Missionary Press).scripture booklets that are designed to introduce people to the one true God, the message of salvation, and then bring them to a decision.”
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Williams says explaining that the requests for scripture booklets in Europe have been immense. Many of these refugees have not previously been exposed to the Gospel. Their presence in Europe is an exciting opportunity.

“We hear politically that it’s a difficult situation—and it is—for the countries in Europe, and yet it’s an open door for the Gospel,” Williams says.

Stories from the field:

Munich, Germany
In Germany, a team of Christians were waiting for Syrian Muslims to arrive.
“When they got to Munich, someone introduced them to the Scriptures and to the Gospel and ten of them were born again. And these ten have gathered together to reach out to the rest of the Muslims that are coming through.”

The Christians who got to witness this wanted to emphasize their amazement at God’s power in changing hearts. So now, as hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees are living in Germany, the team wants to reach all of them. Scripture booklets could expedite this process. World Missionary Press is working on getting them scripture booklets in Arabic and any other languages they may need.

Helsinki, Finland
Williams explains that when refugees get off the train in Helsinki, Christians are usually waiting for them. In many cases, when they go to give them a booklet that shares the Gospel, refugees will show them they’ve already received one.  This means on the road between Syria and Finland, Christians have been considerate of their need for the Gospel.

Sweden
World Missionary Press also received a letter from a woman in Sweden. A woman was asking for more booklets. She saw the plight of the refugees around her, and the only thing she knew to do was to share with them her greatest hope in Jesus Christ.

Williams explains that the individuals and groups handing out the booklets are simply people who are wanting and willing to give hope, and they’ve taken a look around them to see the need of the refugees. “These people have hungry hearts and they have needy hearts and now’s the time.”

Someone might wonder why, when the refugees have lost everything they have, Christians might choose to give them a booklet of scripture. “I think a lot of it comes from their own experience with the Lord,” Williams says. God was their comfort in their own time of pain and loss, and so that is what they want to give to these people who seem so hopeless. “Many of these people are offering the scripture booklets along with food and water and blankets and shoes,” Williams says.

Scripture Booklets in your own neighborhood
The situation in Europe is not unique in that there are people all around us every day who for one reason or another have not heard the Gospel. Some communities may stick to themselves, having come from one country. There could be language barriers that have kept others from reaching out to them.

“I think if people have open eyes, they’ll find that there are people all over who would love to have the Word in their language, and they never have totally understood it, never been reached,” says Williams. There are opportunities at your own front door. So, look around you. You never know who has or has not heard about the hope found in Jesus. If you find a group in need, contact World Missionary Press for resources.

Support
You can be a part of what is happening in Europe by assisting World Missionary Press. They currently have requests for around 72 million pieces of literature. They’re working on new languages, connecting with new distributors, desiring to get the Gospel into more heart languages.  To help, click here.

Williams says their greatest need is for prayer—for their mission, for the people that are reaching out, and for the people that are being reached. When refugees flee to other countries, they usually have nothing.

“What they’ve lost is what this world has. Their possessions— maybe they’ve lost family as well— but they’ve lost their place in society, many of them, they’ve lost the homeland.“ Some of these things are not replaceable. Much of the trauma will affect them forever. So merely meeting their physical needs, while necessary, is not enough.

“That’s what the Word of God does—it offers hope that is outside of this world, that cannot be taken away.”

PUBLISHED ON 30 MARCH, 2017 BY JULIE BOURDON

International (MNN) — In the iconic 1950s film “The Sound of Music”, Maria von Trapp’s character realizes her plans for her life were not going to work. To console herself, she says, “When the Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window.” This sentiment perfectly captures the changing environment of the mission field. Gospel-sharing opportunities aren’t ending; they just shift from place-to-place.

Helen Williams of World Missionary Press is constantly in contact with distributors of their Scripture booklets all around the world. She says some doors are closing for ministry, and others are opening. What either situation has in common is this: The demand for Scripture booklets is great.

Closing doors

She says, “There are places, particularly in Pakistan and India, where there is a tightening of things and time is short. And most of our major distributors are well aware of this and they are pressing the urgency.”  In these areas, Christians must take great care in what they say and how they conduct themselves around their neighbors. In Pakistan, the anti-blasphemy law has become an easy way to punish religious minorities. Even so, there are workers on the ground who refuse to give up.

“They’ve been threatened and they’ve been told, ‘You can’t do this.’ They’ve been attacked — and yet, they’re saying, “Just pray for us, that we’ll be bold, that we’ll be wise. We’re going to continue to do the work, we’re going to continue to share the Gospel.’” In parts of India, there is a growing intolerance towards anyone who would become a Christian.

“We are seeing more and more anti-conversion laws being proposed in India. We are doing everything we possibly can in India right now because we are hearing there that it’s getting more and more difficult,” Williams says.

One of their contacts in India has ordered 20 million booklets which will be used in just the next few months as they pass them out to a number of villages.  While some organizations are focusing on leadership training in light of the closing doors, World Missionary Press is working to resource these leaders while they still can.

Opening doors

And while time may be limited in these areas, people from other parts of the world have a chance to hear the Gospel for the first time.  Williams explains, “There are also other places where things are opening up. The refugee situation in Europe — we are getting so many requests from Sweden, and Norway, and Finland where people have migrated all the way up there.”

One contact from Helsinki told Williams that it was as if all the nations had come to Finland. Many of the refugees are coming from countries closed to mission work and evangelism. In addition to Europe, shipments of the Arabic New Testament are heading to the Middle East to be shared with families displaced by war and violence.

Whether the door of opportunity is opening or closing, Williams says it’s like there is a recommitment from their distributors to reach as many people as they can with the hope of the Gospel.
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“The Word of God is not bound in any way, and we just want to be on the front lines providing material for those who are willing to go.”

 PUBLISHED ON 15 JUNE, 2017 BY JULIE BOURDON Cambodia (MNN)

Despite economic growth in the last couple of decades, Cambodia continues to be one of the poorest countries in Asia. But, what would it look like to address not only the physical poverty in Cambodia, but the spiritual poverty as well?

Cambodia is a Buddhist dominant nation with nearly 90 percent of the people claiming that religion. Christianity accounts for just over one percent of the population . In this sense, Cambodia is a spiritually dark nation.

Hope: an answer to poverty Last year, we introduced you to Tom Faunce, a missionary who is passionate about sharing the Gospel in war-torn countries like Cambodia (read some of his backstory here). Faunce is a longtime friend and distributor of World Missionary Press. Over the last several years, Faunce has established contacts on the ground and the Gospel sharing ministry continues to grow. In fact, the pastor he works with in the area has been overwhelmed by the number of young Christians who want to learn more about Jesus.

So, how has that happened? What Faunce has learned over the years is that often times, people aren’t interested in what you have to say if you can’t put action behind it. Simple acts of compassion can open the doors and let people know they are truly loved and cared for.
Faunce says, “We’ve made a tremendous inroad, mainly up in the highlands on the Vietnam border, not only with the Scripture booklets, [but also with] water wells which open up a tremendous amount of villages.”

On his most recent trip, Faunce brought over fifty pairs of shoes for children in the highlands area. He wasn’t sure how the distribution would go, considering that they hadn’t taken measurements of the children. But miraculously, each and every child found a pair of shoes that fit them.

On previous trips, he and his team have installed wells in villages, some of which house several women who became widows during Cambodia’s recent violent history.

Through gifts like these, Buddhist villages that were previously resistant to the Gospel have welcomed Faunce and local Christians into their community. They utilize a variety of Gospel sharing methods including the Jesus Film, child story posters, and audio books from the Bible Alliance to share the Word of God in the villagers’ language. Additionally, in Cambodia and beyond, Faunce has been able to saturate communities with Scripture booklets from World Gospel Mission.

Faunce believes the Gospel will be able to touch and heal some of the scars left over from the war. He says, “These are people that know what it is to suffer. And people respond to love.”
But it’s not just the Buddhist communities who are embracing the Gospel. Ministering to the boat people in more recent years, they’ve also been reaching out to a group of Muslim boat people who live on the river. Upon meeting some of the fishermen one early morning, he learned that the people had many needs, and so he gave them what money and Scripture booklets he had with him. “I started going back and ended up befriending them. We started bringing the tremendous amount of needs they had.”

Many of the families slept under torn tarps, and Faunce helped them get new ones. Others were boiling grass for food, and so Faunce and his co-laborers helped to get them some rice. These acts of compassion have built a bridge between him and the boat people.

“Every trip, I’ve been going back and when I go there, they just come up and just respond. They hug us and just know that we love them. And that’s the Gospel, that you be a testimony to them and serve them.” But, Faunce says, wherever you go with the Gospel, you will face resistance. In this case, the opposition came in the form of fear. Many of the people Faunce spoke with accepted the Scripture booklets and read them, but would hide them from the rest of the community. The religious leadership was strict, and they could get in trouble for reading the Scripture. But as time went on, the people opened up to hear more about Jesus. And this, Faunce says, is the main thing.

“We can do a lot of good things — wells, feedings, clothing — but if we’re not giving the Word of God, that’s a band-aid on cancer. The answer is Jesus Christ.” In both the villages in the highlands and the community on the river, Faunce continues to share the Gospel and witness the change it is making in Cambodia. Even so, he says he doesn’t try to count the number of people responding. “God knows,” he says. “The important thing is to reach out, [and] begin to establish a fellowship with them.”

In between trips, a young couple Faunce has made friends with continues the outreach to both the boat people and the villages in the hills. “And that’s our goal, is to continually show up and love them. And the Bible says some plant, some water, but He alone brings the increase.”

Check back in later to learn about Faunce’s upcoming trip to Africa and how you can be praying. In the meantime, if you’d like to support this work, consider partnering with World Missionary Press. This ministry supplies missionaries like Faunce with free Scripture booklets so they can share the Gospel wherever they go. Click here for more information. He says, “It is such a tremendous blessing to have ministries such as World Missionary Press that provide the Word.”

And will you pray? Ask God to bless this ministry, to provide the leadership to lead new Christians, and to change Cambodia from a broken country to one transformed by the Gospel.