Category: Evangelism

28
Feb 2018
AUTHOR admin

Stories from Reach KC: Countdown Week Five

Stories from REACH KC

Our Bible workers and church members continue to connect with the community of Kansas City in anticipation for the Revelation Today series starting March 30, 2018.

Lucius

Some Bible workers are making one-on-one connections with people while others are hosting large events. Each one is designed to touch hearts and reach different needs. The most recent large event has been a city-wide prayer meeting, and God is doing something amazing. One day, Lucius* was at home with his wife on a Friday night. He works in a “secular, chaotic” environment and at the end of the week he says he is “exhausted physically, spiritually, and mentally.” That’s when he received a text message, inviting him to a city-wide prayer meeting.

“We were tired, but the Holy Spirit guided us to go,” he said. Lucius felt connected to the others as soon as he walked in the room. He heard others praying and realized that he, too, shared their concerns. “Yes, Lord, me too,” he prayed to himself. He began to pray out loud and uplifted others and himself to God. After an exhausting week of work, Lucius was surprised by how he felt after the prayer meeting. “I felt refreshed. Refreshed! I felt like I was coming out of the locker room after half-time.” Lucius has been invited to attend the meetings starting in five weeks. The team is praying that he goes from the locker room to the end zone!

Ultimately, each large event is designed to help people make personal, one-on-one connections for Jesus. Jennifer received a Bible interest card from a minister, and she was a little uneasy about answering it. “Pamela had filled out a card with the title, ‘Minister Pamela’ and I was not sure what to expect. I prepared well, planning what I was going to say, and I prayed a lot before I went to visit her. I knocked on the door and a person called, ‘Come into my house.’ I went in and immediately, Pamela began to ask me lots of questions about It Is Written like, ‘Who started it?’ ‘How did it start?’ ‘Why does it exist?’ and ‘What does it do?’ After I answered her questions, she was ready to study.

“Our study went really well, and I was excited to continue the next week. But, to my surprise, when I knocked on her door, she was not at home. Fortunately, a neighbor shared with me that Pamela was in the hospital so on my way home, I stopped at the hospital and visited her. She wanted to study in the hospital! We had a good study together, and I was able to give her a ride home from the hospital.

“Each week Minister Pamela and I have studied together. Her ex-husband has joined us in the lessons too. She has been sharing what we have been studying together with her church members. She has even asked me to come preach at her church. ‘It’s in the Bible,’ she tells her congregation, ‘and we must follow what’s in the Bible.’”

The relationships our It Is Written and local team members have made with the community is making the truths of the Bible come alive and real.

Please continue to pray for the entire series. For more than a year, It Is Written representatives and local church members have been reaching Kansas City through targeted events, small group gatherings, and one-on-one Bible studies. As we get closer to the start of the meetings, make sure to check this blog every week for updates and more stories.

*All names are changed.

28
Feb 2018
AUTHOR admin

Living with Hope – Guatemala 2018

Living with Hope - Guatemala 2018

From February 21 through February 23, Pastor Robert Costa, speaker/director of Escrito Está, held evangelistic meetings in the capital city of Guatemala. On the first night, almost 3,000 people attended the meetings. One thousand of the attendees were visitors who were either brought by a friend or who received one of 10,000 invitations delivered by Publinews newspaper or through social media. The event concluded with 90 baptisms, including eight on the first night, and 195 additional decisions for baptism.

A local church pastor, Leonardo, told us: “I’m a blind person, but tonight I’ve lived with hope. As I hear the splashing of the water from people getting baptized and listen to the footsteps of those coming to the Lord, I think it’s worth being blind because having hope is more important than having sight.”

The event was streamed through three local radio stations and Facebook Live where thousands more had the opportunity to listen to the message.

During his visit to Guatemala, Pastor Costa was also scheduled to speak and pray for the thirteen magistrates of the Supreme Court of the nation. He and local church leaders were welcomed with kindness and given full attention. One of the employees of the Supreme Court who coordinated this meeting said, “We will receive them like ambassadors because they are ambassadors from Heaven.” Pastor Costa gave the president of the Supreme Court, Jose Antonio Pineda, an Ambassador of Peace Medal and invited the magistrates to attend the evangelistic meetings. They were also given the book, Una Luz de Esperanza (A Light of Hope), written by Pastor Costa. The pastors were delighted to learn that one of the Supreme Court judges watches the half-hour program, Escrito Está, and enjoys listening to the daily devotional, Una Mejor Manera de Vivir (A Better Way to Live).

Another important activity took place last Thursday, February 22, when Pastor Costa was invited by a lay member, Manuel, to visit the military prison to preach and pray for two former presidents of the country and former government officials who are accused of political corruption. Manuel visits this prison weekly to study the Bible with the inmates and bring them hope. He was grateful that Pastor Costa could come to share with them.

The weekend’s agenda also included providing evangelism training to lay members and pastors and a professional seminar entitled “Failing Successfully” for a relatively small group of 300.

Pastor Costa said, “I’m very excited to see what we are doing in Guatemala to reach people in all levels of society. They have a great team here and I ask that you please continue to pray for the people who have and will be reached with this message of hope through their ministry.”

Video overview

This video provides a short summary of one of the evening meetings in Guatemala City.

Photo gallery

26
Feb 2018
AUTHOR admin

Updates from Moldova

Updates from Moldova

On Friday, February 23, a group of over 25 people led by It Is Written ministry Partners Dr. Brad and Angela Emde landed in Moldova, the poorest country of Europe, to continue the evangelism that It Is Written began there a year ago. The majority of these volunteers are high school students from a small and comparatively warm town in Tennessee. They decided that they wanted their class trip to be about service and our Partners wanted to make that a reality. The team is focused on reaching the young people of the country for Jesus Christ. During the day, the students are assisting with a free vision clinic, giving out free eye glasses and doing other community projects. In the evening, the young people are holding Vacation Bible School-style evangelism programs.

Below are the first impressions from our team in Moldova. Check back regularly this week, February 25–March 3, 2018, for more updates:

Saturday, February 24

Angela Emde, group leader:

Today we went to church and were fed lunch in different people’s homes. Wonderful hospitality and great food! After being fed supper, some kids stayed to help with a vision clinic after sundown, and others went to recreation to play ball with some Moldovan kids. We saw 50 patients in the first vision clinic.

Camille, student:

After sundown tonight, we spent four hours in clinic with only one doctor, and we saw 50 patients!

Sunday, February 25

Hannah, student:

I worked in the vision clinic today, and we saw 126 patients. It was a great experience because I got to bond with people from the community. The people are so enthusiastic and nice.

Angela Emde, group leader:

Another busy day! Some students did community service…helping old, disabled people. Others worked in the vision clinic. Then in the evening we ran two VBS programs while our Pastor Alex preached.

It’s cold here. Most of these kids are used to getting out of their warm house into their warm car and darting quickly through the cold into their warm school. So that’s an interesting adjustment for these kids. We are all learning that layers are important! Everybody is happy.

Monday, February 26

Angela Emde, group leader:

Vision clinic is all held in one room, the church’s sanctuary! We have five stations and we saw over 150 patients today! One blind man can now see and many others can see better. Students who aren’t helping in the vision clinic are working in the community offering house and yard cleaning to people who aren’t physically able to do these tasks for themselves.

We have been treated with some wonderful local foods. Tonight, we enjoyed a dessert supper: little crepes filled with jam and layered with something that is a cross between whipping cream and cream cheese. I am hoping that being cold helps burn the extra calories!

In the evening, crafts are a favorite time of VBS program and Pastor Alex and our translator are presenting meetings for the adults. One person told me today, “These kids are lights in the darkness.” I praise God for the difference our students are making here – changing hearts and lives.

Katie-Jane, student:

Although there are many significant stories, one of my experiences in the vision clinic stands out: An American living in Moldova for the past two years came to volunteer as a translator for our clinic as her “father” came to get his eyes checked. She told me that she wished that more people had the same spirit of selflessness and generosity that our group showed. She said the doctors here are greedy and prescribe unnecessary medication just for money and to keep the patients coming back again and again. She thanked us for our spirit of giving and commented that she could only hope that others would share their resources unavailable to the people here. If anything, we have opened doors, and hearts are now clearly more receptive to the love and name of Christ.

Tuesday, February 27

Angela Emde, group leader:

Good morning from cold and blustery Romania! Today we took a day trip so that the students could visit the oldest building in Galati, Romania. Built in 1647, the building was first used as a fort and then purchased by the Orthodox church. I hoped that it would snow on this trip and it did! God answers little prayers.

Thursday, March 1

Angela Emde, group leader:

There is a lot of snow on the ground for this group of Tennessee students, but it’s not slowing us down. The vision clinic is full, and several students are making visits to homes in the community offering to do yard and house work. It’s awesome to watch the smiles on people’s faces as the young people pray with them and give them a hug.

Friday, March 2

Angela Emde, group leader:

This was our last day holding the vision clinic. We saw 787 patients and dispensed over 760 glasses! It has been a full and rewarding week! Every day has started around 7:45 am and ends about 8:00 pm. The kids are exhausted but happy.

Saturday, March 3

Angela Emde, group leader:

Our work is done. We had a beautiful send-off from these wonderful people at church today. One lady in church today shared that before we came, she and her husband had to share a pair of glasses. Now they both have their own pair.

The city mayor made a special appearance in church today to thank us for the work we have done. What amazing bridges we helped the local church to build in this community! The local pastor, Alex, had tears in his eyes as the mayor spoke. It was an emotional service.

Pastor Alex made an altar call, and many people came forward to give their hearts to Jesus — many of them were the children from our VBS programs. I sat there and watched these young people making decisions for Jesus, and I cried — I don’t mean tearing up. I mean tears were pooling under my chin as I looked at these people who we helped win for the kingdom. I kept thinking over and over, “We made a difference, we really made a difference!”

22
Feb 2018
AUTHOR admin

Revelation Today Series to be held in Kansas City, Kansas

Stories from REACH KC

A new day of hope is dawning for thousands in and around Kansas City, Kansas. It Is Written is working with area churches in two states and three conferences to host a Revelation Today series presented by John Bradshaw starting next month. This is It Is Written’s first citywide evangelistic series for this growing town. The meetings will be held in the Jack Reardon Convention Center and streamed online.

Beginning March 30, 2018, Reach KC will bring together the many church members and new friends who have been working behind the scenes to build new relationships for eternity. As the meetings continue through April 28, new friends will become part of the network, strengthening existing churches, helping new churches to form, and nurturing the new flocks following the series.

“The best follow-up to any evangelistic series is the pre-work,” said Evangelism Director Yves Monnier. “We know friendship is key to closing the back door, and we’re encouraging all area members to get involved with a Reach KC project in your home church.”

Inspiring stories are pouring into It Is Written from the early contacts. Answering the call to be a part of Reach KC, Kathy* followed up on a lead card and met Sara at her home. Sara said she did not remember filling out the card, but upon further inspection the ladies were able to figure out that Peter, Sara’s husband, had filled out the card.

As God would design it, Peter arrived home at that exact time and encouraged his wife to join him in the Bible studies; Kathy happily helped them both get signed up. When they began studying, it became clear that Peter did not have a Bible. Kathy gave him one and soon realized from his excitement that this was the first Bible he had owned in his entire life. Peter was 94 years old and he lives in urban United States! Peter eagerly anticipated what he would learn from his new book. As he continued studying his own Bible, Peter fell in love with Jesus. He loved what he is learning so much that he has asked to be buried with his Bible but quickly added, “I’m in no hurry to die!”

Now is the time to pray for the entire series. For well over a year now, It Is Written representatives and local church members have been reaching their local communities through targeted events, small group gatherings, and one-on-one Bible studies. The meetings starting March 30 will solidify the decisions many people have already made for Jesus Christ and challenge others who are still waiting to make a decision. We are excited to be a part of making new friends for Jesus in Kansas City!

Over the next several weeks leading up to this series, check this blog site often for updates and stories about how God is working. We have a lot of stories to share already!

*All names are changed.

6
Feb 2018
AUTHOR admin

Philippines & South Africa Mission Trips

Join John Bradshaw & It Is Written on a Mission Trip in 2018

23,000,000. That’s the combined population of two places where It Is Written is doing mission trips in 2018. Those places are the Central Luzon region in the Philippines and the Guateng province in South Africa.

The Gauteng province is home to the administrative capital of South Africa, Pretoria, and also the largest city in the country, Johannesburg. It is the place where four languages overlap: Zulu, Afrikaans, Sotho, and English. About 50% of the population lives at or below poverty level because unemployment is rampant. The economic forecast for these people is bleaker than a category 5 hurricane about to make landfall.  

The Central Luzon region is where the two largest cities in the Philippines are located: Quezon City (almost 3 million inhabitants) and Manila (1.8 million inhabitants). According to the World Economic Forum, Manila, the capital of the Philippines, is the fourth most crowded city in the world (behind Dhaka, Bangladesh; Mumbai, India; and Medellin, Colombia) with 38,480 people per square mile. If that number were applied to Chattanooga, Tennessee (a city of 177,000 people where It Is Written is headquartered) the population would be a whopping 25 million people. In other words, the citizens of Manila literally live on top of each other and in often deplorable conditions.

Millions in the Central Luzon region and the Gauteng province are living with no hope of a better life—nothing to look forward to. The long-term solution is not a windfall of money, or a better head of state, but a new head of heart: Jesus Christ. And that’s the message we as Christians have been mandated to proclaim far and wide.

This year you are invited to join It Is Written to share that message in the Philippines and South Africa, through two different mission trips.

Both trips are two weeks long, during which volunteers will be conducting nightly evangelistic, Christ-centered presentations. The manuscripts and slides for the presentations are provided by It Is Written and are easy to use whether a person is a veteran preacher or a novice. In addition to the nightly meetings, It Is Written is also including a health component to these mission trips. We’re not referring to simply a short health talk prior to each nightly presentation, but the operation of basic health clinics where people can visit kind and caring health professionals. Doctors (all specialties), dentists, nurses, physical therapists, etc., are all needed to build vital bridges with people who find themselves in dire situations.

The needs are great and the door of opportunity to share the Good News in word and action is wide open. Join It Is Written this year for an exciting, life-changing mission adventure.

Sign up here!