Ethiopians Drink Yogurt Jul-Oct
Praise & Prayer Report #3, 2010
Dear Friends of God’s Story,
It is with Thanksgiving that we send this report, the third letter we have sent this year! We are thanking the Lord for carrying us to many places with STS and God’s Story.
For three years we had a temporary web site for www.SimplyTheStory.org. Please take a moment to look at the NEW site.
As we assembled this site, we shed tears at times while reviewing the letters and reports from precious people who tell of being touched by God’s Word.
Now we have posted those reports on the site for you to see. New information is continually being added.
The Power of God’s Word
Just to give you a taste of stories on the site, here is one not yet posted that came to us from an African STS instructor. (A lady who is a mission leader attended an STS workshop in the USA, and afterwards she asked this African instructor to help her in three workshops in Ethiopia.)
“All the 35 attendees were MBBs [Musli.m background believers] from the XXX tribe in southwest of Ethiopia. I was telling the story of the One Leper, and how Jesus touched the leper-man who had suffered rejections. As we made applications, at that point, one man stood and talked of how he has suffered rejection from his family and the community for becoming a believer.
“Then the whole group, one person after the other, identified with the leper’s rejection. At that point God’s presence came into the room. The room was so electrified that all became silent. And Jesus was present, touching each person. Every one was weeping as they felt Jesus touch them and removing the feelings of rejection they had. It was a beautiful moment to see their faces after Jesus touched them.
“Here are some of their comments about the time we spent in the stories:
‘We like drinking yogurt very much in our tribe. Yogurt is a delicacy in our community. All the time we have been here in this training, it is like we have been drinking yogurt. We will tell the stories to our families and friends.’
‘Before this training, if we wanted to tell people about Isa, they persecuted us every time they saw us carrying the Bible, this is a very good way to make Jesus know to our people. We don’t have to carry the Bible again that caused persecution. We know the stories now by heart and you have taught us how to learn more stories. We will put many stories in the pocket of our hearts. Thank you for teaching this way.’”
Headquarters Report
In the last five months Andrea and I have traveled half of the time. We led workshops in countries new to STS and some advanced leadership trainings. Since June, our US instructors oversaw workshops in Lesotho, Brazil, Turkey, India, South Africa, Israel, and numerous states in the USA. (Many more were done worldwide by national instructors.)
Andrea just left NE India (2nd time in India in 3 months) and has now landed with a team in the Philippines to see the graduation of the second STS Oral Bible School held there! The team is set to do advanced instructor training for people gathered from three islands and then to lead a workshop and advanced training in Manila. On web site, see “Workshops-Upcoming” including one in Louisiana in Dec and in one Hemet, CA, January 24.
In August-September Andrea led teams (with outside observers along) in India and Africa that interviewed and documented the impact of STS and the oral Bible schools. The reports of their findings are found on the new web site in “Oral Bible School, Results” and in the film Africa Bush Fire, right side link under “Videos.”
For example, in Africa the team did random testing. They wanted to see if the students could tell a story the team picked off the list of stories the literate leaders said the students had learned. It was discovered that in four months of school, the student had learned 120 Bible stories and were able to share from the stories spiritual discoveries and applications for today.
We have completed the first set of recorded Bible stories and instructions for the Practitioner Audio Training (PAT). Strategic new versions of God’s Story are done, Norwegian, Fur (for Darfur) and Tajiki. Eight new languages are being recorded in Ghana and twenty-four of India and Africa are ready to record! (Recording is the last and quickest part of getting a new version done.)
Mexico
“We did the first Movie Night showing of "The God Story" in a slum area of San Jose del Cabo, Mexico. A local woman donated 7 huge jugs of punch and 4 huge bags of pre-popped pop corn plus 200 lollipops. We gave prizes to the one who brought the most guests (the winner brought 11!).
”One of our goals was to help the pastor get his church launched after very poor attendance for 2 years - the highest # in attendance has been 7 people attending his church.
”Well--as God would have it for the Gods Story- 73 people showed up out of a village of 300! Showed it in 2 parts.
“The last night, we were competing with a very noisy birthday party across the street and the attendance fell to 43. However, we showed the final part and gave an invitation. 17 people came forward! Praise the Lord.”
“Thanks again for providing these wonderful tools for us --God is using them to expand His Kingdom even at the end of the Baja!
Alan and Carolee.”
Ghana, Africa
“Several years ago you sent MegaVoice solar players with the Farefare language on them. We placed them in several hard to reach parts of the Farefare population:
1) with the craft sellers in Tamale,
2) with the craft sellers in Accra, and
3) with the kebab makers on Labadi Beach in Accra.
“Most Farefare people are unreached traditionalists (animists), but these groups (plus those working on lorries as loaders, drivers mates, etc) live as Mus.lims because those who own the businesses in which they work are Mus.lims.
“On Monday we were at Labadi beach and the man in whose care we left the MegaVoice player came and showed us that it is still working. He thanked us again for leaving it with them to listen to and study. He said, ’You know we're fasting now, so we have time to listen.’ They don't have much choice in what they do each day, but at least they have God's Story to listen to while they do it!”
Senegal, Africa
“God's Story People, Greetings from Senegal!
We were blessed to have your excellent film "God's Story" produced in Wolof in 1999. The audio of this film is being used all over Senegal on MegaVoice players. Senegalese find the audio fits in very well to their oral culture and this program is an effective tool for sharing the story of God to the Senegalese.”
North Africa
“I went to the suk (market) this evening to show a DVD in Arabic called God's Story to the Arab traders that I recently started teaching English. We piled into a small "cafeteria" and I set the small DVD player up on a plastic jeri can. About 20 men began watching the film and over the next 90 minutes, they came and went. About half way through I found myself getting a bit discouraged thinking, "I wish they would all stay here and watch the film. Why does there always have to be so many interruptions to keep people away?"
”But then I began to encourage myself saying, ‘Even if only one hears the truth, then it is worth it." I turned my attention to 2 men, one Arab from the north and one local man. They stayed in the same place on the mat the whole time. One of them was regularly nodding his head in affirmation to the things he was learning from the film. Who knows how God's Spirit may speak to him about the things he learned today? PLEASE PRAY THAT THE SEEDS OF TRUTH WOULD BE PLANTED ON FERTILE SOIL.
"Yes, Lord, even if only one comes to know You, then it is all worth it!"
Impact of Simply The Story workshop in Brazil
- “This week was significant for a number of Brazilians and will certainly make a difference, at the very least, in the expansion of the Gospel among the Amazon River Communities.“
American missionary in Brazil who served as STS instructor
- “I am glad to contact you, and tell you the wonderful blessing that was to help in a workshop in Satarem, Brasil, there we had a two day, training for 9 Assistant Instructors, they would be prepared to help training more that 35 brothers from Wednesday to Friday. It was a huge blessing! Many brothers and sister were blessed as they received this tools for they ministry, some of them, work with (Riveriños) people who live near the Amazon river, and also with indigenas.
“They told us that this method would be of great Impact in their ministry.
A man told me that he has more that 25 years doing ministry, and that if he would know it before his ministry would be of more impact. And that from now on he will use it, in his reaching for indigenas.”
Instructor and wife who came from Dominican Republic as STS instructors
- “I was very impressed by the attending Brazilians, a dedicated group who arrived each day on time, ready to put in the full 8-hour workday. Most were missionaries. Three were “Riveirinos” working in the churches in their community and many were missionaries working in a variety of Riveirino communities. Most working in the communities were technically skilled (nurses, dentists, health care) and did evangelism as doors opened through their service. We had the whole workshop filmed and got some wonderful testimonies.”
Lead Instructor, Regina. Missionary Aviation Fellowship-Learning Technology Orality Specialist
(Note in Brazil, missionaries and workers are including STS as a way to accomplish their ministry goals.)
We thank God for the wonderful ways He carries us, and for your prayers and support.
In His service, Dorothy A. Miller