Church Plants!

Praise & Prayer Report 5, August & September 2025

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God’s Story: From Creation to Eternity a Church Planting Tool?

Jesus said, “I will build my church,” (Matthew 16:18). It has been wonderful to hear how fast His Church is growing in Cameroon and other places throughout Africa. As our leaders continue to bring the Word of God to the people, churches are being planted. This growth is based on new believers, not transplanted Christians. Some pastors are finding it hard to keep up with the new growth because they are not used to seeing this level of growth! We see this growth also among the underground church in challenging locations.

God’s Story: From Creation to Eternity has been an amazing church planting tool. Our leader in Togo recently premiered several newly completed languages.

We are thrilled that our tools are helping to bring God’s love and His life-changing Word to people throughout the world. People are coming to faith in Jesus day by day. Many of them live in difficult and dangerous situations. Those in Muslim villages face intense persecution and physical abuse. Some Imams are even being hunted for turning to Jesus in faith. In these locations, new believers are not only rejected by their family and community, the existing church doesn't even accept them. Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ living in such dire and challenging situations.

The Big Story That Shattered the Lie.

One of our instructors has been faithfully leading a Bible study for a group of adults learning English. The students come from a difficult country in Asia where the Gospel is not welcome.

Using God's Story: From Creation to Eternity as the study outline, the group journeyed through the Bible overview to learn English. The 12-year-old son of one of the students listened quietly on the sidelines each week. The stories of God’s creation and other Bible stories planted a seed in his heart. After one of the recent sessions, the boy came forward with a stunning declaration. He shared that growing up in his home country, he always knew that the official narrative from the government wasn't right. He said, "Now I know why. Now I know there’s a God.”

That seed of truth has already begun to bear fruit. This boy, who grew up under an atheistic state ideology, has now joyfully joined the church choir. Praise God for revealing Himself to this young boy and shattering the lies his government teaches! Pray for this young man and for his family as they seek the Lord in a difficult nation.

Wrong House? Maybe not!

One evening in Israel, an instructor shared a story with a married couple because the wife had never experienced an STS-style story. The instructor told the story of Paul interacting with Felix from the book of Acts. After the spiritual applications of the story, God sent two unexpected guests.

At about 11 p.m., a knock came at the door. Two young men stood outside, slightly confused; they had mistaken the apartment for their Airbnb. The men were curious about all the talking inside. Instead of turning them away, the husband explained they had just been discussing a story from the Bible. Intrigued, the young men wanted to know more.

Right at the “wrong” apartment, these two men heard God’s Word told with the simplicity and depth of Simply The Story. Praise God for divine appointments. Pray that these young men take the story to heart and carry it forward into their own lives.

Freedom in Prison? Yes!

One of our leaders sent us these testimonies from prisoners who participated in an STS training he led in East Africa. We praise the Lord and rejoice at the work done in the lives of those attendees.

“Martha & Mary story touch me. I learnt I should listen to Jesus. You have given us confidence to share God’s love with others. Thanks!”

“I have learnt a lot. I’ve liked the tribe discussion. Now I know how to spend my time here in prison. I will be discussing Bible stories with my friends. Please come and equip us more.”

“Thanks so much. We have seen your love. You didn’t reject us but shown us love. That’s what kept me coming back to the training. You also have shown us how to dig deep in God’s word. We want to do the 296 STS Oral Bible School stories.”

“Thank you for coming. We see how our relatives are treated at the gate when they come to visit us. But you were willing to go through all that. I was touched by Moses rock 1 (Exodus 17:1- 7) story. Our situation here is like a desert. I feel sometime like I’ve been forgotten even by God. But I’ve seen God’s love when he provides water for a bit ungrateful people. I will see things different now. We need the 296 stories immediately please.”

“You have awaken us. Many here have a calling but didn’t know how to share God’s word with our friends. STS can be easily used in sign language. Moses rock 1 story touched me. Moses was bold in presence of danger and opposition to obey God. We know God’s word, we will grow. Another story that touched me is the widow and the 2 mites. She gave all and I was challenged to give all my life to God. I will apply the lesson in my life. Until you come again to give us more, I will be studying God’s word the way you have shown us. Please we also want to be trainers like you so we can train others”.

We have been blessed with a wide-open door to train in several prisons. Please pray for these prisoners and that we can raise them to be trainers as well.

A Beloved Leader Goes Home.

Working to share the Truth of God's Love with those in North Africa comes with challenges. When Dr. Luke accepted Christ, he dedicated his life to disciple others. One of our leaders helped Dr. Luke to learn the Bible and to share it with others. Sadly Dr. Luke passed away recently. The work of his life was demonstrated by the hundreds of people who came to pay their respects at his life celebration. Pray for Dr. Luke’s family and the many disciples looking to navigate these new waters without their beloved leader.

NEW God’s Story Visuals

After receiving 2 price quotes for redoing the visuals of God's Story: From Creation to Eternity, we are now waiting for 3 or 4 samples to send out for a survey. Our hope is to bring the visuals up to date and build in longevity. If you would like to be part of the team that helps find the new look, please let us know. If you would like to donate toward this vital project, please use this link: https://oralbibleresources.com/shopcart/donate.htm.

NEW God’s Story Puzzle and Game

We are excited to share that we have produced the God’s Story: From Creation to Eternity Puzzle with a bonus game included. For a limited time we are offering a Christmas special that includes the puzzle, a God’s Story Illustrated Book with all the stories, and your choice of a CD, DVD, MP3, or MP4 download of God’s Story in a language of your choice. During our testing, this puzzle and game really helped the younger children learn the Bible. Adults can play too!

By Faith ...

Praise & Prayer Report 4, June & July 2025

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God's Story Touches Lives in Central Africa

A faithful team continues to serve in CentralAfrica--not just through recording God's Story:

From Creation to Eternity, but through living it. This ministry is not just about finishing projects quickly, the main team gets to know the people deeply, walking alongside them and helping them grow spiritually.

During a recent recording trip, the Fast Track team helped to build up the local church body, providing needed support for the pastor and our resident local leader, using Simply The Story. Some of the youth were young men breaking free from addiction. Our team impacted the youth to the point that some of them chose to be baptized. Our language leader in Africa had the honor of baptizing some of these youth alongside their pastor. What a testimony of transformation!

Earlier this year, one of our beloved team members, who records the languages, suffered physical and emotional trauma when thieves cut his arm deeply and stole his possessions. He spent six hours in surgery and we prayed he would regain use of his fingers. We praise God for our leaders' recovery; he has full use of his fingers and he has returned to recording languages.

What is being done here isn't just changing individuals; God's Story impacts entire language communities-- people we never meet, but who will one day hear God's Story in their mother tongue.

Praise God for this lasting, multiplying impact. Pray for God to strengthen those serving in this ministry, and for the seeds planted through God's Story and STS will bear fruit for generations to come.

When Obedience Unlocked Europe, Asia and Beyond: A Story of Faith

Sometimes, the path God lays before us requires us to let go of something good to receive something greater. We are thrilled to share a powerful testimony from one of our instructors in Europe.

Her journey with Simply The Story began over a decade ago when she was first trained by a senior mentor at a workshop in Western Europe. Her passion for oral Bible storytelling ignited, and she soon began assisting at workshops in her own region of Europe, witnessing national leaders catch the vision.

In the middle of another successful ministry, the Lord called her to put down that ministry and focus on STS storytelling. After two months of wrestling, she obeyed, surrendering to God call.

The very next day, her mentor invited her to be equipped as a lead instructor at our ministry's global training center in Hemet. Her obedience unlocked a future she could never have imagined.

The fruit of that single act of faith continues to multiply today. God has used Simply The Story as a lifeline, giving her a renewed sense of purpose and pulling her out of the isolation of administrative work. She has taken the powerful stories from God's Word into churches, women's prisons, and homeless shelters, bringing light to the darkest corners of several countries.

Praise God for the renewed passion and impact He has given this instructor!

This new path opened doors for her to partner with our teams in other nations, expanding the ministry's reach and fostering cross-cultural collaboration. Along with the collaboration in other countries, she leads an annual workshop. All of these trainings have become a catalyst for missions mobilization. For example, one of the participants she trained was recently sent out as a full-time worker to serve on the islands of Oceania!

Praise God for raising up and sending out new laborers for the harvest! Pray that God would prepare the hearts of those she would train and make the way plain for His will to be done.

God's Light Shines in the Shadows of Europe

One faithful STS instructor, working extensively with the Travelers, a gypsy people group in Europe, has been using our Ministry That Multiplies (MTM) study guide to walk alongside a small group eager to learn God's Word.

This group has reached Story 6 in their STS journey. The leader has chosen a set of stories that build a clear chronological view of the Bible.

Among the most faithful attendees are four seekers from the Middle East, each one deeply engaged and hungry for Truth. One is a transgender individual; all are searching. God is drawing them, and the seeds are being sown.

Yet amid the light, darkness still pushes in. Tragedy has struck the local Traveler community--three lives lost too soon to murder, suicide, and alcohol. Each in their 30's and 40's had heard the Gospel. Only God knows what happened in their final moments. What is clear is this: Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy, but God brings hope.

Pray that the seekers come to salvation, and that God's light breaks through Satan's lies that have enveloped the Traveler people for generations.

Building Homes and Hearts in Mexico

A church mission team from Southern California traveled to Mexico equipped to build homes and change lives. The pastor leading this mission's trip, connected with a family and shared God's Story with the mother and children. This family was captivated by the story of the Bible that _God's Story _brings.

During that same trip the local Calvary Chapel pastor shared that he was starting a school of ministry, and when he heard about Simply The Story (STS), he said to the visiting pastor, "It was no coincidence that this meeting happened."

The local pastor recognized that God had orchestrated the timing, and he expressed a strong desire to host a workshop and include STS in the training of future leaders.

Praise God for aligning hearts and timing so perfectly. Pray that this new school of ministry becomes a place where the Bible is not only learned but lived and shared throughout the region.

NEW God's Story Visuals

We finally have 2 price quotes for redoing the visuals of _God's Story: From Creation to Eternity. _Our hope is to bring the visuals up to date and build in longevity. We will be sending out a few samples for people to pick the new look and feel of GS. If you would like to be part of the team that votes for the new look, please email our office. Click this link to donate toward this vital project:

Recently on Heart Pocket Podcast (www.HeartPocket.org)

• The "Lost Ax" story from 2 Kings. Hear why Albert loves this story!
• A mom shares her heart as she sees her children shift spiritually
• The Bible story of Manasseh

Thank you all for your prayers and love for the nations.

Andrea & The whole staff of The God's Story Project (TGSP) Executive Director

Discipleship and Church Planting

Praise & Prayer Report #3, April-May, 2025

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Great Stuff!

We recently completed a Simply The Story training in Uganda and the results were outstanding. Several of the students received MegaVoice audio players with God’s Story and the Bible in their language. Tears streamed down faces as people heard the Bible in their heart language. The instructor asked one girl if everything was ok, she said, “My mom is blind, and she’s wanted a talking Bible for years. Can I give this to her?” Of course, the instructor said yes.

Our team always gets excited to hear feedback from the workshops. Here is some of what the trainees shared:

"I would suggest that the time of the workshop is increased." Everyone loved the training that several people asked for more time!

"I would like you to continue spreading this to all countries. It's really understandable."

"The workshop was very useful to me and to the people. It simplifies discipleship and evangelism.  Telling the story does not make the congregation go to sleep and … [instead people participate and puts] God's word on their hearts permanently."

"I liked the teamwork by the instructors, and the love they showcased to us while during the entire course."

"Assuredly this has been really interesting, inspiring and motivating on ways of understanding Bible stories and truth."

Those trained plan to use what they learned in children's ministries, discipleship, evangelism, home, school, church, and elsewhere.

Please pray as our team’s follow-up to raise instructors in this region of Uganda.

Evangelism in Central Asia?

What happens when an instructor is asked to teach on marriage in Central Asia? There’s a real need in Central Asia for marriage help. After some brief research, we learned that the divorce rate is higher there than in the USA. Even Muslims are seeking marriage help from Christians.

One of our instructors was asked to lead a marriage seminar. While there he also conducted a one-day STS evangelism training. As part of the training the group went out to tell Bible stories on the street. A former Muslim, our instructor, and the host went to a local restaurant. It turned out that everyone in training went to the same restaurant. Seeing this, the instructor assumed there wouldn’t be enough opportunities for people to do stories. Was he wrong!

Everyone returned to the training center after lunch with testimonies of success. Every person shared a Bible story with someone. Only the instructor and host did not share a story. People said they had been so scared to share and yet this method of telling Bible stories was so easy. Two days later our instructor received an email from the pastor saying, “Our people were impacted more than anything they’ve ever done … we want you to come and do a full workshop.”

Eighteen months ago, we entered into a partnership with Grow Mongolia, a ministry focused on evangelism, discipleship, and prayer in and for Mongolia. Throughout this time, leaders from Grow Mongolia learned STS and have become instructors in their own right. Last week Grow Mongolia leaders led their first solo STS workshop without help from outside STS instructors. Workshops in Mongolia have now been held in 4 different regions of the country. In September we plan to return to Mongolia to deepen the skills of the Mongolian leaders even further through advanced training. We will then coach them as they lead a workshop in yet another region of the country. 

Homeless Disciples?

One instructor shared that 80 people accepted Christ when going door to door and during public meetings at night showing God’s Story. He called them lost sheep and did the Prodigal Son story. 

However, our instructor reported that the Church in the area does not want to disciple those people. He stated, “The church said they cannot come and do bad things in the church. Yet these people decided to be good people and follow Jesus.” Prior to God’s Story the people called Jesus ‘the White people’s god’ and so the people followed their own gods as animists. Now this instructor has been discipling these new believers using both God’s Story and Simply The Story.

Reaching the Downtrodden.

On occasion I get the chance to join an STS training. When the opportunity to join the Oklahoma City training arose, I jumped at the chance. This incredible time did not disappoint. Pastor Greene serves his church in Oklahoma City. While his size could seem daunting, his heart exceeds his former offensive lineman frame. Pastor Greene and several in the congregation are reaching people who suffer from PTSD, those who want freedom from drugs and alcohol, and others who are downtrodden.

Pastor Greene saw the value of integrating Simply The Story into their ongoing outreach. Bible stories with discussion, open people to hearing Truth and discovering solutions to their very real struggles. We continue working with the church to help further their skills.

Souls Saved in India

India has become a difficult place to share the Truth of Jesus Christ. Although some men seek to stop God's Word from going forth, many are finding Jesus and are spiritually changed. Recently, 47 people who came to faith as a result of storytelling outreach practice during an STS workshop were baptized.

Several Bible schools in India are also integrating STS into their curriculums.

Teams are recording the 52 Bible stories we use in our workshops. They have finished more than 25 languages.

In another area of India, a trained STS storyteller wrote that more than 100 children came to a camp. After the storytelling, many children shared with the storyteller what they learned from the story of Zacchaeus. Several shared that Jesus would take away their sin and many repented.  More than 100 children received Christ!

Praise the Lord! Pray for the many STS team members who are training people, recording Bible stories, and overseeing the STS Oral Bible Schools. Pray also for the teams in India who are teaching children.

Thank you all for praying for our leaders, the trainings, languages, and the ministry. Thank you also for the gracious donations that help us get the Word of God out.

Andrea Miller
Executive Director
The God's Story Project (TGSP) & Simply The Story

Around the World in Stories

Praise & Prayer Report #2, February - March, 2025

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Growing Mongolian Believers

Our partnership with Grow Mongolia continues to produce incredible results. Our Central Asia director recently returned after conducting STS advanced and assistant instructor training with some of last year’s Mongolian trainees. Seven participants who were trained in Kazakhstan and Mongolia practiced going deeper in Bible stories, learning how to help others go deep in the Word, lead discussions effectively, and received personal coaching from senior and lead facilitators to help improve their skills. They also practiced other teachings in order to lead their own workshops in the future.

Shortly afterward, a total of 36 participants representing 26 churches from several Mongolian cities and provinces attended the STS workshop that these instructor trainees helped to lead.

A foundation was laid for the STS “Ministry That Multiplies” in Mongolia, a model that supports discipleship and church planting.

A couple of comments from some of the attendees.

Attendee #1: "I learned many innovative methods from this training. It was a tremendous blessing to establish God’s Word in our hearts, build friendships by sharing the gospel through storytelling, start groups, and lay a biblical foundation for people of all ages. The pastor and I realized that we are not just teachers—we are also learners, growing together in both spirituality and character development."

Attendee #2: "I really appreciated how they taught without using notebooks. I was especially impressed by how the stories were read, memorized, and internalized. Every story we worked on was committed to memory, making the learning experience unforgettable. Unlike traditional methods where information is simply written down, this approach ensured everything stayed in my mind. If I had taken notes, they might have stayed in a notebook, but this method made the stories truly come alive.”

Youth With A Mission - YWAM Partnership

We have been blessed working with YWAM in Brazil and other places globally. The Brazilian teams are using our evangelism model of Simply The Story called “Moment for Eternity” and many people on the streets are accepting Christ.

One of the YWAM based leaders in Brazil specializes in proclaiming the gospel through the arts. Our instructor commented that the dramas done by the students at the end of the workshop were some of the best that he has ever seen. Many of the students will incorporate STS into their daily devotions. STS really helps the students to internalize the Bible story. The instructor said that after the workshop one girl mentioned that before the workshop the Bible stories would get as far as her head, but now they were getting into her heart.

Myanmar Suffering (Need help with this article)

Many of you know by now about the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck the center of Myanmar, a country already riddled with tragedy and disasters since Covid. The military runs the country and fighting occurs between people who want freedom and the military. Corruption has made everything worse. Our leader there is ok and sends the following: “I am truly touched by your big heart and your desire to help. It means a lot, especially with the current situation here in Myanmar. The natural disaster has caused a lot of destruction in many parts of Myanmar. People have lost their homes, their belongings, and in some cases, their loved ones. The situation has made life even harder for so many, and they are struggling to survive. Please this time is the right time to support in prayer.

“This earthquake on top of an already devastating history: Millions died as a result of Covid. In 2021 a Military coup took power. Since 2022 they have been enveloped in a civil war. Cyclone Mokha hit In 2023 with heavy floods in 2024. Now in 2025 there are earthquakes, continued civil war, and military air strikes that destroy and kill people. The economy is broken, and prices for basic needs have skyrocketed. We are now the worst and poorest country in the world. People are struggling every day and life has become harder than ever. The cost of living has gone up and most families cannot afford even the basic necessities they need to survive. People are living in difficult conditions and since the earthquake, we have been without power day and night. However, I thank God for people like you, who have such a big heart to help those in need during these tough times…Thank you again for your kindness and for thinking of us. Your help will be a blessing. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Our gratitude goes out to all who have given to Myanmar and continue to pray for them.

More Around the World

Other trainings around the world in the last couple of months have included a training in Ensenada Mexico at a Bible college, India, Africa, and Lebanon. Refugees in East Africa want Simply The Story so much that we are turning down as much as 10 workshops a month. We can't raise instructors fast enough! Pray for our leaders in this region to raise Godly instructors. Pray also for our 17 STS Oral Bible Schools in Darfur, Sudan who have finished all 296 Bible stories but have not graduated. It has been too dangerous to send a team to graduate the students. Anyone with suggestions, let us know.

God’s Story, Changing Lives From Recording to Premiers

God‘s Story languages continue to be recorded. We are so close to 500! Praise the Lord for His faithfulness and love for the nations. A team of 21 people just finished recording another 8 new languages in Cameroon, while another team premiered 5 languages throughout several villages that were completed last year.

Our language director in Africa wrote this, “About half of the team members rededicated their lives to Christ after spending about 10 days each with us. They realized that they had not been faithful stewards and needed reeducation and prayer support. Translators are amazed by our language teams. One translator who attended the God's Story language workshop said the recording team is powerful, encouraging people in the Bible. Even as a Bible translator, she was deeply impacted.

The security men where they did the recordings said to our leader, “We will miss your presence when you leave. We have felt important by your interactions and care for us.” The language teams who come to do recordings and those who host our leaders in these locations constantly share how the time they spend in the Bible impacts them. We believe what we do is more than just recording languages, it’s about leaving God’s mark in the hearts of people after our leadership recording team leaves.

An Eye for New Visuals

We are excited to announce the beginning stages of our new God‘s Story visuals. We started working with an amazing group of believers in India that has both broadcast production experience and uses artificial intelligence. Many people have commented that the God’s Story audio is excellent. We hope to make the visuals timeless and something that works with all people. We are testing the Cain and Abel story first and the comments, thus far, are positive. Please pray with us as we seek funding for this special project, we need to find the right visuals for this new era.

Comments like the following encourage us.

From a missionary couple among a Muslim people group in West Africa said, "The God's Story was by far the greatest evangelism tool we used! We shared the message through video, audio and printed the text as a booklet. Thousands of copies were made and distributed."

Another man working in Malaysia said, “Since we finished the Lun Bawang version of God's Story, we have reports that the Lun Bawang in Temburong, Brunei, Malaysa and Kalimantal, Indonesia have been watching the video. God has greatly blessed the people from this language who have now watched God’s Story in three countries.”

Also, please pray as a couple of organizations look to include God’s Story on solar audio players which could be at least 320,000 copies of God’s Story reaching many people each year. Enjoy Heart Pocket Podcast (www.HeartPocket.org).

Thank you all for praying for our leaders, the trainings, languages, and the ministry. Thank you also for the gracious donations that help us get the Word of God out.

Andrea & The whole staff of The God's Story Project (TGSP)

Executive Director

Faithful Yaeko

Praise & Prayer Report #1, January 2025

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"Hello, this is Yaeko, how can I help you?" Those words rang through our office as Yaeko answered the phone for 20 years. The words "How can I help you?" exemplified this faithful servant's heart, as she served people both in our ministry and in her church. I never dreamed what an incredible blessing Yaeko would be when she answered our founder Dorothy Miller's call for office help in 2005 at our 100th language celebration.

Yaeko arrived with a smile on her face, and the Lord in her heart. She brought much joy to our staff and to our leaders around the world. She served faithfully even when we transitioned to new leadership. 

Yaeko's smile grew every time her church and our ministry worked together. She was doubly thrilled when her pastor and our ministry connected. She served the people of the church with the same faithfulness she brought to our office. 

Although she lived in America, her Japanese honor/shame culture would sneak into the picture when she did anything that might bring attention to her. Yaeko is even in our Simply The Story handbook as the Asian lady trying to learn a 10-verse Bible story in 10 minutes. If you have not read that story, you'll find it on pages 28-29. It is a cute story. You can download our handbook at https://simplythestory.org/index.php/resources/print/simply-the-story-handbook

Soon after Simply The Story began, Yaeko and I traveled together to Japan to lead a pair of STS trainings. For fun and to test our newly developed 5-minute story method, I asked our leaders to go share Bible stories with people in the community near the train station. Yaeko did so skittishly. At first I thought it was just her being fearful. But to my surprise, the entire crowd in the area of the train station disappeared in less than 5 minutes. I have never seen that happen when doing Bible stories in other countries. I realized we were facing the most challenging culture I had ever experienced. Apparently, due to the extreme nature of the honor/shame culture in Japan, Japanese people do not talk to other Japanese people they don't know.

The memory of Yaeko's laugh still warms my heart. She laughed freely when I told her about my midnight experience at the church in Japan. They had given us futons (1 inch mattresses) to sleep on in one of the church rooms. After waking up in the dark and going to the door, I panicked and thought we had been locked in that room, unable to get out until morning. The next morning she simply asked, "Why didn't you just turn the lock and open the door?"

Yaeko's touch can still be seen in our office and on some of the Japanese STS items. She is still that warm, quiet, beautiful, faithful servant that the Lord blessed her to be. Just now she serves our Savior in heaven.

Although she worked hard behind the scenes, and did not want any attention, after 20 years with Simply The Story, we notice the gaping hole she leaves in our ministry and in our hearts. Enjoy your rewards, dear Yaeko. 

Please pray for her husband Louis and daughter Aya, and their friends.

Also, please pray for trainings going on in Brazil, India, Mongolia and elsewhere around the world, along with several God's Story languages being recorded in Cameroon this week. 

Praise God, we are closing in on our 480th language. We expect to reach 500 languages of God's Story: From Creation to Eternity either this year or early in 2026. We thank the Lord for this amazing milestone.

We are a partner supported ministry. Thank you to all our praying partners, ministry partners, and our donor partners.

Andrea & The whole staff of The God's Story Project (TGSP)

Executive Director

Precious Partners

Praise & Prayer Report #6, October-November 2024

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God's Grace in Tough Regions

In the last 2 years, an organization has been distributing God's Story  accompanied by the full Bible audio, mostly on audio players, in key areas of Africa. Here are some amazing results.

More than 7300 copies have been distributed including Juba Arabic, Chadian Arabic, French, English, Dinka Rek, Bari, Tigrigna, Turkana, and Arabic languages.

In Chad, those receiving the audio devices are first-generation believers, largely unfamiliar with the Bible. They have greatly appreciated God's Story as an introduction and overview of the Bible. God's Story helps them better understand the full Bible.

This past year, a partner of our ministry working in Africa gave a South Sudanese bishop an audio player with God's Story  and the audio Bible. A woman in the area heard about his audio device and began pestering him for the player. Because of her persistence, the bishop gave her his only player, not telling her it was his personal device. Sometime later, the bishop went to visit this woman. On that visit, the woman shared that she had dreamt about God's Word on the device. What's more, she became an active believer and started attending church. When our ministry partner last visited his friend, the bishop, he was able to give him a new audio player. The bishop was overjoyed! 

Our ministry partner also shared with us that another pastor told him that Bible storytelling training, along with audio Bibles have had a significant impact on the church's ministry. Our partner wrote that God's Story  is an invaluable resource to include on audio devices alongside the full Bible. It offers the unchurched and oral learners an overarching narrative of the Bible, helping them connect the many individual stories to the larger Biblical story. This approach enhances the impact of the full Bible.

Partnering with the Lutheran Braille Workers

In early February we met a gifted young lady who writes her own songs, plays banjo and other instruments. Brooke is the Director of Outreach for the Lutheran Braille Workers (the primary provider of free Braille and Large Print Bibles and other Christian materials to the blind around the world), she loves the Lord, working on her PhD, and is blind. In that meeting Brooke participated in two Bible stories, including the story of blind Bartimaeus. The impact from this story led her to completely rewrite one of her doctoral papers, and gave her an amazing understanding of how to equip and empower those she leads, most of whom are blind as well. She has since attended both an STS regular and an advanced training.

Brooke recently represented both Simply The Story and the Lutheran Braille Workers at two separate conferences in Kentucky. She wrote to tell us, "…I use and train others in STS in the service of Lutheran Braille Workers, I was amazed at the easy harmony that connected our two ministries." 

At the most recent conference Brooke had the following interaction with a pastor serving in Mexico. 

"After explaining the ministry of Lutheran Braille Workers, I demonstrated the STS method by telling a five-minute story:

"'And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?' (Exod 4:11). The conversation that followed saw this missionary's view on blindness shift from affliction to sacred calling, particularly for a young man in his home congregation. He explained that despite its best efforts to the contrary, the church had been taking care of this blind man rather than equipping him to serve God and neighbor, saying that,

"'He's part of the Body of Christ, and I realize now that we have not viewed or treated him as such.' As I explained a few ways to begin equipping and training blind individuals, the task seemed to him less daunting with the STS method and the continually increasing materials produced by Lutheran Braille Workers.

"I am far from the first blind person to be moved by Simply The Story, and based upon both my use of the method and these recent conferences, I am assured I will not be the last. I pray and believe that through Lutheran Braille Workers and other ministries, STS will be mightily used by God to bring more blind individuals to the church than ever before, and to raise many of them up as leaders, willingly led. As He proclaimed through the Prophet Isaiah, 'And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.'" (Isa 42:16)."

Girls in Asia, Flourishing!

A ministry in Asia has rescued more than 15,000 girls from sex trafficking. When this ministry's leader realized that about half of the ladies end up in the sex trade again, he went to prayer. God showed him it was a heart issue for these young women. At that point we began actively working with this organization to help address the spiritual root of the problem with God's Word using _Simply The Story_. This leader recently shared that 97% of the girls now come to faith as a result of the gospel reaching their hearts through the STS method. Many of these women go on to acquire business skills and contribute to their villages both spiritually and economically. The program this ministry has developed is replicable and available--simply contact us for more information.

Evangelist Backpack, Redesigned for a New Generation

Years ago, we introduced the evangelist backpack, which included a DVD player, solar panel, power source, and light, with optional features such as a waist-band PA system and village speaker. After thoughtful prayer and consideration, we are relaunching the evangelist backpack with significant improvements to better serve those in need.

Over the past few years as we premiered _God's Story: From Creation to Eternity_ we have valued the partnership with leaders from the local church body as well as the local villages. That combined with our historical success using the evangelist backpacks has led us to reintroduce this tool. 

We are offering two versions of the evangelist backpack. The House-to-House Backpack, with a portable tablet, power source, solar panel, and light, and the Village Backpack, which includes all the same resources except a light weight projector replaces the tablet.

For those who find themselves with opportunities to do both village and home outreach, we have a special price for the projector and tablet.

All of these versions range in price between $650 and $950. Call for more information.

If anyone would like to sponsor a backpack for any of our language premiers, please contact us or select "evangelist backpack" when donating online. We will select the appropriate version of the backpack to use based on the language and location situation.

Recording More Languages of God's Story 

A team of two of us are traveling to Central Asia this week to record 5 new languages. Please pray. The spiritual attacks started the moment we said yes. Seven recording specialists could not go for various reasons, leading us to reduce the languages from 7 to 5, and to travel with 2 recordists rather than the original 3 we planned.

Too Old? Don't think so

One of the ladies in our office continues holding signs as a way to minister to those on the streets and in cars. At more than 80 years old, we appreciate her love for people and her courage.

Thank you, dear friend

We met Alex Saks in 2006. For the last six and a half years, his voice has been heard opening and closing every Heart Pocket Podcast. He became one of our instructors traveling often to India, Mexico and other parts of Latin America blessing people with his kind demeanor and love of the Lord.

Alex graduated from this world to be with our Lord and Savior on November 1, 2024. Please be praying for his family and all those who love and miss him. Thank you, friend, for being a blessing to so many.

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We are a partner supported ministry. Thank you to all our praying partners, ministry partners, and our donor partners. May the Lord bless your Christmas and New Years with friends and family.

Andrea & The whole staff of The God's Story Project (TGSP)
Executive Director