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Rusty arrived with a team of seasoned world travelers who were warm and friendly and quickly put our local church members at ease. The conference leader, Don, laid out a solid foundation of why Christians are called to evangelism, and not just pastors. I think this is one of the main points that really hit home with our congregation. The local people tend to be bashful, particularly if they have limited education. They rely heavily on just the pastor to spread the word. The Face to Faith educators were encouraging and motivating. The sessions were followed by practical application, going out into the community. One of the attendees said: “I never thought I could do something like that, just ask people about their beliefs and tell them about Jesus. Really, it wasn’t as uncomfortable as I thought it would be. We had a lot of good conversations and made new friends, and saw new faces start to show up on Sundays.”
The team used fun activities to demonstrate ideas, which really helped with engaging all the participants and helping those with low literacy really grasp all the ideas. I had to laugh when all the yards of string, and balloons were steered towards the main training and not the kids ministry section. To see the shining faces of our church members laughing and participating in the learning illustrations was so great. I enjoyed seeing these relationships being built across language barriers, as they worked with our friends. The team put in the effort to learn about the local customs to show their respect and partnership with the local church.
After the conference, our local Pastor gave a heartfelt speech. He expected to feel exhausted at the end of this week, but he actually felt energized. He really appreciated how the team helped to equip the church to work together. They celebrated the 13 new believers and twenty people who had rededicated their lives to the Lord.
A big heartfelt thanks to the Face to Faith team for breathing in fresh energy to the Light of Love Church, and for braving the hottest temperatures of the year to do it.
Ultimately, I’m sure that many nonbelievers have heard the gospel of Jesus Christ in those days. The training was very meaningful because it gave us not only the head knowledge but also it opened a platform to practice what had been taught to us. The lecture materials were well prepared and it helped to present the gospel interestingly. The only advice which I can think of is in that training we were taught salvation by using the word ‘FAITH’ acrostically and it’s very persuasive and clear enough for being a Christian. In the same way we were asked to present the gospel by using five fingers to explain the word ‘FAITH’ and my concern is whether or not nonbelievers are able to grasp the gospel in full. According to me most Burmese Buddhists do not have an idea of the beginning and destiny of human being. Therefore, whenever I get chance to present the gospel to the Burmese Buddhist I first ask them their idea about the beginning and end of Human being.
It’s my sincere Testimony!
Thank U & God bless…
Amos
Needless to say they were a little wary! The supplies we brought were delivered to the villagers coupled with a hilarious skit from Rusty on how to use the soap (with his clothes on)! This broke the ice and allowed us the opportunity to share the gospel with the Buddhist villagers. These stoic, serious people listened respectfully and attentively. God allowed us to share His precious Word and we left this remote village confident that God’s Word accomplished what He intended. In the book of Isaiah 55:11, God says, “So my word that comes from my mouth will not return to me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do.”
Through flooded rice fields and a steep climb further up the mountain, we arrived at another small, dusty village. Not long after we arrived, we were told of a local man who had not spoken for over a year…he was a husband, a father to three young children, and a severe alcoholic. The village pastor explained to us that this man had once been a village leader but had deteriorated significantly over the past few months, leaving his family without any means of support. We had planned a church service later that night, but decided that this man needed our immediate attention and prayers. He allowed us to circle around him and lay our hands on him. We fervently began to pray, crying out to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We knew we had no power to heal or save this man; his healing would only come from God Himself. After quite a long time, the village pastor asked that we let the man rest.
After the church service later that night, we arranged our sleeping bags on a large wooden platform that was covered with a large tarpaulin. July is the monsoon season in Nepal and the nights are chilly. In the middle of the night, we experienced a true Nepali monsoon, with water pounding the tarpaulin throughout the night, cascading along the sides soaking and freezing Don to the bone! When we awoke the next morning, the man that we had prayed over was sitting with his back against the wall facing our sleeping quarters, and he was reading his Bible! His mind had cleared and later we were able to counsel him and his wife and children! God showed up in a miraculous way. News from that area many months later confirmed that he was still sober. Not only did this strengthen the faith and commitment of the local believers in almighty God, but our faith as well.
“For the word of the LORD is upright, and all His work is done in faithfulness.” Psalm 33:4
