Kenya-Glorious Time of Reaping
Praise & Prayer Report #2, April-May 2011
Dear Friends of God’s Story,
God told us in His Word, of a time to plant and a time to reap. We just returned from celebrating the first Simply The Story Oral Bible School (STS-OBS) graduation in Africa. It proved to be a glorious time of reaping! We praise God for all the doors He is opening to spread His Word via STS and God’s Story. Thanks for your prayers and support!
Red dots on Kenya map show existing schools. Yellow are regions selected in northern Kenya where instructors hope to go to plant schools. See precedent-setting Kenya testimonies at end of this newsletter and home page, right side, Videos!-Stirring Testimony
California. Two “Upcomings”
If possible, do consider joining us in Hemet, CA July 11 for a 2 ½ (or 5) day experience in Simply The Story. Call USA for details, 951-658-1619, or see North America: Scheduled One-Stop Workshops
RADIO: Tuesday, May 17 at 4:00 PM Live! Rich Buhler interviews Dorothy Miller on STS world impact. KBRT (AM-740 on dial).
Closed Country, But Not Closed to God
“From watching GS DVD and then teaching, we see people converted. 20 people took baptism in river. Please pray for the newly saved people and for us, so we can continue the work in the coming days.” TGSP Leader
Surprise Pastors’ Training
While out of the US, we visited one of our God’s Story production partners. This lively, talented man creates media to reach unreached mus.lim people groups. (UPGs)
While we toured his studio, this man announced, “I just got an email from our in-country contact who works with the UPGs we did that God’s Story language for last year. The guy told me, ‘We are seeing new believers and we needed some way to disciple, but have very little material in their language. I thought you might like to know that we are now using GS for pastors’ training.’” We all laughed. “Yes,” we agreed. “We would like to know that!”
Unreached Jungle People … Now Reached
About ten years ago in India, a young married couple, active in church, well-settled in a home and having good jobs, experienced a tragedy. They lost their firstborn at birth.
After crying all night, the husband heard from God. This bereaved father asked his wife, “We are heart-broken over the loss of our son who we never knew and we think he is now with God. Millions are dying in India who will never see God. Why are we not mourning them? We must go now tell those who have never heard about Jesus.”
That same day, they left everything and went hundreds of miles north to the Koya people. The reclusive Koya hide in the jungle from the government and outside world. Only a few Christians had been reaching out to these nearly one million people. But God helped this man and his wife find the Koya. Slowly, trust was gained and some began coming to Jesus.
In 2005 our India leaders helped produce God’s Story in the Koya language. We sent God’s Story on many MegaVoice solar players to them, and the rate of salvations jumped!
In 2008, an India STS team visited the Koya and led a workshop for these young believers. The Koya stated, “Ministries tell us to come to the city to be trained, which is too hard for us. But you came to us. No one has done that.”
Just last week, the India STS team returned to give advanced STS training (inductive Bible study, oral style). Some of these growing believers are now trained and planning to use Bible stories to go to other Koya to evangelize and disciple! Five evangelists there now use the God’s Story flip charts and love the results they see!
As the workshop, the Koya leaders told our India team, “God’s Story and STS is a great tool from God for our mission field. It is very useful and great opportunity to learn from God through HIS word to our personal life and as well to make disciples.” During the workshop, six pastors working there recommitted their lives to the Lord in this workshop and 21 new souls came to Christ during the evening practicals.
The STS lead instructor reported, “During the 1st day evening practical work we met a lawyer. When she heard the story of Martha and Mary, she told that ‘I am working since 15 years as Advocate, I have earned lot of money, but I did not spend time with God and not done any good work.’ She accepted Jesus as her personal Saviour and requested us saying if she should attend STS. We told her please come and join.
“She attended next four days and she learned STS skills and she said that ‘Now I understand the Word of God well and now STS helped me to do my job according to God’s plan and I have learned how to ask questions to my opposite clients.’ She led 5 more people to Christ within those 4 days and now she is a great witness to the local Court. Please pray for her and her family.”
From Closed Country in Asia
“I was wondering how effective our training time had been, I met with a key student two days before returning home last year. I offered him use of a solar audio player with God’s Story, Bible stories and the New Testament for while I was out of country. He took it, paused for about a minute, and then said, ‘I'd like at least another ten of these. We'd like to train villagers...’"
USA: What a Concept!
Excerpt from a note a pastor sent after attending an STS workshop. “… so, what did I have to lose. Obviously prior counseling didn’t quite help with a solution to the problem. I decided to try the STS method. I told her the story about Jesus walking on water. She, through the process, discovered that sometimes when we decide to be obedient we find ourselves in a rocky boat, maybe even doubting the choice to be obedient.
“She also discovered, and this was the good part, that if the disciples had not been obedient, they would have missed out on a miracle by Jesus – not an observation from any of us in our tribe. We talked about what that meant for her for a few minutes. She stood up and said she had to go, that she now knew what she had to do and she was going to go do it. I don’t know what ‘it’ was and I was too amazed to go any further. I didn’t do any counseling. The Bible did. What a Concept!”
Kenya-Glorious Time of Reaping (DVD on STS web site, home page, “Stirring Testimony.)
When Ann, a plucky five-foot, 65 year-old widow can’t get a ride to the daily Oral Bible School she attends, she walks 10 kilometers to get there. Ann cannot read! Surprisingly, she said, “Now when I go preaching, I do not have to carry my Bible, because I have the stories in my heart pocket!” Humm? If Ann cannot read, why did she bother before to carry her Bible? (You who have been to STS workshops have heard our instructors explain this oddity. We’ve discovered that non-literate people often carry Bibles and put pens in their pockets so they look “educated” and can gain credibility.)
Ann’s comment may reveal even more. Could it be that her perceived "need” to carry her Bible to give her credibility has now been replaced by her new-found ability to easily speak multiple stories by memory? Ann has boldness now to speak in front of anyone. In fact, consider the boldness it took for this non-literate villager to give her spontaneous testimony in front of 130 people, most strangers to her, Westerners included—while being filmed!
Seventeen leaders from outside Kenya, representing eight countries, came to observe this celebration and to listen to testimonies about the schools and STS impact. Thirty-plus
Kenyan STS instructors and leaders joined the 80 students from among the current 120 OBS students. All met together in this first ever, momentous occasion.
The ten graduates gave interesting reasons for committing to the hardships of one year of school. “We found in STS that we could go deeper into the Bible stories than anything we had ever experienced.” “The people don’t sleep in church any more.” What I learned in the traditional Bible school earned me a certificate, but it did not equip me to reach my people. The STS education is helping me to understand the Bible and has equipped me to teach in a way that people do understand.”
The Design of Oral Bible Schools
The ten schools in Kenya are locally supported by Kenyans! About two-thirds of the students actively serve as pastors or on a church staff and are literate. Nearly half of the students have been to Bible school. Many students were nominated to come to the OBS by their own pastors or bishops. The OBS education is seen by these ordained Christians as a way to create stronger leaders, pastors, teachers, church planters and evangelists. Students in all ten schools expressed their interest in learning to teach and in becoming school overseers.
Future Plans, “We Want to Go There!”
When the Kenyan STS instructors met before this graduation celebration, they looked at the map being prepared for attendees showing the locations of the current schools in operation. The instructors spoke in shock. “All of our schools are in the south. The work in the north is harder. People are spread out and know far less Bible. Many are unreached and in bondage to false worship. We must go there!” The STS web site gives the complete report on the Kenya graduation and schools on top tab, Training Info. Go to Oral Bible Schools and scroll down the page to “Fruit Bearing, First OBS Graduation in Africa.”
For all of the projects, plans and newly saved souls, we would appreciate your prayers.
In His service,
Dorothy A. Miller