Open Doors in North Africa

Open Doors in North Africa

Praise & Prayer Report #4, June-July 2024

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Open Doors in North Africa

When Satan chooses to steal, kill and destroy, people eventually know that their religion offers no hope. People need the hope that only comes from Jesus Christ. Jesus himself said the harvest is plenty; it’s the laborers that are few.

God’s Story and Simply The Story (STS) have been making their way across north Africa in incredible ways. In many of these countries across north Africa, people are coming together in STS Oral Bible Schools.

The excitement from the realized freedom in Christ has caused many others to want this same freedom.

Please pray for the believers across these difficult countries as they face persecution, arrest, and even death. Also pray for our leaders in this region, who have an amazing plan in place.

Mexico Kids Listen to God’s Story

While on a mission trip in Mexico, building a home for a family with meager means, one of the short-termers gave a MegaVoice solar audio player with God’s Story: From Creation to Eternity to the family’s children aged 6, 7, and 8, to listen to. None of them had ever heard any stories from the Bible before. The children loved the 80-minute program so much that they listened to it over and over and often asked the missionary to share more Bible stories.

The children would walk around with the solar player listening to Bible stories throughout the day. Other mothers and neighbors were thrilled to receive their own player.

The missionary wrote, “These three children do not attend school, cannot read, and they spend most days wandering the streets together. Three of the five kids wanted to pray and thank God for His forgiveness and grace.” They gladly accepted the solar player as a gift.

Uganda: A Country Growing in the Lord

We have not reported on the STS Oral Bible Schools in the refugee camps of East Africa for some time. Rest assured; they continue strong!

Teams are hosting children at the refugee centers in Kenya and Uganda. The children learn Bible stories and get to discuss what the Lord is showing them. They dig together!  What a change for these children, especially in Uganda, from 20 years ago when Joseph Kony of the Lord's Resistance Army would take the children and have them do unimaginable things. Now, God gives these children the Hope they need for all eternity.

God's Story continues to be shown alongside the Jesus Film. Both films serve a unique purpose and have a different impact. God's Story lays a necessary foundation to who Jesus is and why He came. This reduces and often eliminates syncretism where people add Jesus to their other gods. After laying this foundation, the Jesus Film presents much greater detail of Jesus' life from the book of Luke.

Even though we have 457 languages of God's Story completed, we need more help. We have languages waiting to be completed in Ethiopia, S. and N. Sudan, Nigeria and elsewhere. Many of these translation projects remain unfunded. As well, we are working as fast as possible to raise recording teams throughout Africa.

These recording teams focus on more than just the technical aspects of recording the God’s Story audio, they also spend time in many of the Bible passages with the translators and narrators. This gives the language teams an in-depth understanding of God's character, as well as enhances the quality and accuracy of the final recording.

When we premiere a new translation of God's Story, we also provide Bible recordings (if available), organize a Simply The Story training and provide other gospel resources. We often find that people in remote villages had no idea that the Bible was available in their language!                                                       Click here to donate.

God's Story Recording in Cameroon.

We praise the Lord for our recording team in Cameroon who are almost done recording 6 languages.  

African Missionary in the USA

Recently one of our African leaders was returning home from the Simply The Story International Office. While waiting for his flight at LAX, he spoke to a newly-wed couple from Canada on their way to their honeymoon. After sharing and discussing the Blind Bartimaeus story, this couple accepted Christ. This couple was so excited about their new found faith, they looked for a way to return home early so they could start growing in the Lord.

STS Reaches Madagascar

Our instructor on Mercy Ships continues raising others with STS skills throughout various places of Africa. Recently they told stories to the children of Madagascar.

The instructor forwarded this praise report from another STS trained day crew (edited slightly for better understanding). "I visited a family which had a problem yesterday. Instead of preaching, I did STS from the story of Jesus Walking on the Sea. We was 6 persons, and every one enjoyed it.

"The feedback is that the STS is very powerfull. This familly seems separated from Jesus, then they begin to have a big problem. But after hearing and discussing the story, they belived in Jesus and put their life under his hand. They took out of the story that their life was like the boat against the wind, but Jesus is coming and take care of them if they trust in him. They told also that they are like Peter, if they belive in him, they can walk on the sea like Jesus."

STS Trains in Benin

Several trainings took place in Benin over the past month with the goal to raise instructors. We thank the Lord for the team that worked tirelessly to see these advanced and regular trainings to fruition in South, Central and North Benin.

Coming up on Heart Pocket Podcast (HeartPocket.org)

• Darlene shares from her 50+ years of experience leading successful children’s ministries.
• Carol describes literate learners trying to teach oral learners and not reinventing the wheel.
• Larry goes in-depth on how he remembers all 1189 chapters of the Bible, and so much more.

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

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