6,000

We have just returned from our latest INFUSION ADVENTURE to Guatemala, and once again, God was faithful.  As promised, we ventured into the mountainous regions of the country to deliver what ended up being over 5,000 lbs. of food.  This food was given to hand-selected families who were experiencing the worst of the starvation that is occurring in this part of the world.

Initially, we only had enough funds come in to feed 38 families.  Through God’s favor, and some strategic decisions made on the field, we were actually able to provide food for 116 families.  This represents a minimum of 500 people receiving enough food to last them several weeks.

Obviously our job there is not done.  Though we fed 500, there are 6,000 without food.  Many of them have literally been existing on bananas and water for several months.

We were also able to conduct several services and times of prayer and evangelism out in the villages.  In one area, we literally met with the people on a road because no church exists.

There is a lot of work that Global Infusion can and will do to infuse life into this area of the world.  More food needs to be brought in, but this is just a temporary solution; we need to find a permanent one.  In this region of 6,000 people, there is only one Pastor, and he cannot reach them all himself.  We are scheduling another team to go back to Guatemala in April.  This will be a powerful trip, and the outreach you will be involved with will see an immediate impact.

If you have never looked into the eyes of a malnutritioned person, there is a part of your heart that has not yet been broken.  The images you have seen on television showing starvation around the world simply pale in comparison to standing in front  of a live human being who lacks a basic necessity of life.

Our lives in the West are extremely convenient.  Many times when I travel, I get frustrated when I do not have quick access to the goods and services I am used to living with at home.  One becomes very resourceful at times like these, however, there are many people in this world who face insurmountable circumstances.  They will not overcome these challenges without outside intervention.

When I was in the country of Guatemala a few months ago, I met a Pastor who has taken what responsibility he can to help a group of 6,000 people who are experiencing starvation as you read these words.  1,200 of them are under six years of age, or over sixty-five; these are considered high-risk, which means they will be the first to die.

In conjunction with Pastor Oseas, Global Infusion has researched the costs and distribution methods to help families obtain food.  We are only limited by financial resources.  There are people ready to go to Guatemala right now to literally deliver food to those who are in need.  All of these volunteers are believers who are trained to concurrently share the Gospel with each family.  Pray, give, or go - you can help make this vision a reality.

1.85 Billion

I remember speaking to a man in the jungles of Guyana while I was leading a mission trip. I will never forget him because of the look on his face. It was the look he gave me after I explained why our team was in his country. We were there to tell people about Jesus Christ, and how He came to save us. The man just stared at me in silence as I spoke to him through an interpreter. Eventually, I realized this was becoming a very one-way conversation, and I asked my friend, the interpreter, why is this man not responding to anything I am saying? My friend laughed, and immediately explained to me that he is listening intently because he has never heard of Jesus, God, or the Bible.

Apparently my friend already knew this information, and that is why he laughed. Now I was the one staring. He continued on to say that most likely no one in this village of more than 1,000 people have heard the Gospel message.

Have you ever met someone who has never heard the message of Salvation? You can rule out the majority of people in North America, because most have been exposed to the Gospel in some measure. Yet, as of the summer of this year, there are 1,850,402,000 people who are considered unreached. In other words, they have never heard of Jesus Christ, not even one time, or how they can be saved through Him.

You may not think we are saturated with Christianity here in North America; that is until you come with one of our Global Infusion teams to see the effect of Islam on a Middle-Eastern country like Egypt, or the Hindu domination in India.

A number like 1.85 billion people who have never heard the Gospel can be overwhelming. You may ask yourself what can you, as just one person, do to lower that number? What can you do as a Christian to reach those in other countries who may have had brief exposure to the plan of salvation, but have not made that commitment? If you are reading these words, then God wants to speak to you about reaching the world for Him.

From Ujjain

Ujjain, INDIA - As these words are being written, we are currently in the country of India where for the third year in a row, we are facilitating a conference for indigenous Indian Pastors. In addition to the multi-day conference, we are spending time preaching and ministering in village churches and teaching at the college campus run by our contact’s organization. Graduates of this college will ultimately be sent to the unreached people of India to evangelize and plant churches.

The city of Ujjain, located in north-central India, is known as the city of temples. The Shipra river, which runs through the city, has extreme importance to Hinduism. Once every twelve years, over a million people make a pilgrimage to Ujjain, strip down their clothes, and bath in the river. They believe that this action will wash away their sins. Within 2 kilometers of this river, there are over 3,000 temples. There are many mentally ill, deranged, and demonized people in this city.

One of these temples is built to the god Shiva, the god of death. Thousands of people filter through this immense complex, which also runs several stories underground. They bring various sacrifices to this god on a daily basis. Other temples are built to the god of alcohol and even the god of witchcraft. The Pastors we worked with, can verify that human sacrifice and eating of the dead regularly occur at the temple devoted to witchcraft and evil.

Please pray for our Christians brothers and sisters in this city. These are not fictional stories, or events that occurred many years ago. They are real, and they are happening right now. The spiritual atmosphere in the city of Ujjain is dark, heavy, and demonic. Yet in an area full of Hindu fundamentalists and anti-conversion laws, these incredible men and women of God continue to evangelize and plant churches.

GIMC 2007

The 2007 Global Infusion World Missions conference is just days away!  This event is completely free and you do not want to miss it.  Our contacts from EGYPT, MEXICO, INDIA, and GHANA will be speaking and you will hear first-hand what God is doing in their nations.  You will also hear about the desperate need that exists for Christians to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to their countries. 

Many of our contacts face incredible hardships and challenges in life, simply because they choose to serve the Lord.  We can pray for our Christian brothers and sisters in other nations, but there are many more opportunities that will help them reach their people for Jesus.

Spread the word and invite everyone you know to this incredible event.  If you ever wanted to do something practical for God that will make a lasting impact in somebody’s life for eternity, get involved in foreign missions.  There are untold millions of people in this world who can only dream of the opportunities to hear the Gospel like we have in North America.  It’s time to put our focus on the harvest field that has barely been touched, and transform our generation.

Real Heroes

In my recent trip to Guatemala, I was once again reminded of the sacrifices many men and women of God make around the world.  When I travel to different countries, I always try to prepare myself mentally, emotionally, and spiritually for what I am about to encounter.  I often brace myself for the worst of conditions, because many times, these are the areas in which God leads Global Infusion to work.  However, the reality of what I see many of God’s servants facing in these nations is always shocking.

In the small city of Chiquimula, Guatemala, Pastor Oseas and his family (3 children) showed me the 15x15 room they lived in for over three years in order to grow the church God called them to.  He told me about the near-demonic rifts occurring between churches and between the believers in his area.  He and I also met with local leaders who are dealing with utter starvation amongst several Indian tribes and local Guatemalans.

Yet I have also discovered that with ministers of the Gospel like Pastor Oseas, they would never want an ounce of sympathy.  They are willingly existing in less-than-ideal conditions when many of them could be in the corporate world living a far more affluent lifestyle.  I am continually challenged personally, as I see men and women like him face these kinds of circumstances with utter joy because they are serving the Lord.

No matter how often I travel to other nations, I am always surprised at how quickly Western materialism and comfort overwhelms my thinking when I return.  I see what money can buy, and wish for more.  My own personal challenges flood my mind.  But I stop myself, and think of people like Pastor Oseas, and realize that our call as Christians is much higher and important than anything this world has to offer.  With the Lord’s grace, we must press on, concerning ourselves not with the seemingly unending difficulties of life, but with winning our world for Christ.

Believe

With all the incredible reports of success you read month after month in our newsletters, emails, or blogs, do not be fooled, none of this comes without a price to be paid.  First and foremost, the greatest price that could ever be paid was done so by my Savior, Jesus Christ on Calvary’s Cross, and His subsequent resurrection.  This amazing act of sacrifice sparked a chain of men and women across the pages of history to BELIEVE God and take giant steps of faith in order to bring the Gospel around the world. 

Take our contact in India, for example.  As a high-ranking official in the Indian army, he converted to Christianity from Hinduism.  After this radical transformation, he set out on a God-given mission to plant churches all over India and propagate Jesus wherever he went.  One of his sons, a dear friend of mine whom I attended grad-school with, has told me stories of his father being chased by militant Hindu zealots, seeking to kill him and his family.  He also recounts stories of he and his siblings passing out from hunger when they were young because there was no food in the house.  Their father had chosen to follow God and had received a vision to change his nation, but from an objective point of view, God had abandoned him.  In the face of criticism and persecution, he BELIEVED in God.  Today, thirty years later, Indian Evangelical Team (IET) is on pace to cross 7,000 churches planted, with over 250,000 people in combined church membership.

Throughout my entire life, my family has faced many challenges in ministry.  Even this year, we have experienced a physical transition from one state to another, gone weeks without a paycheck, spent days upon days separated from one another due to mission trips, had one door close and another one open for our office, and run GI operations with very little personnel.  Ask God what He wants you to do to further the Gospel around the world through Global Infusion.  Some people have told me they cannot afford to give towards missions right now; I say, in the scope of eternity, we cannot afford not to.  This is what I know:  God’s heart breaks for lost souls. God gave me a vision.  God’s ways are not my ways.  God is faithful, and I BELIEVE.