South Asia update

South Asia Update
What a great day it has been! Again, we had many opportunities to minister in the name of our Lord Jesus. As we get ready to close out Awana's leadership training to South Asia missionaries I can't help but think about the theme God has put in my heart, "It's about reaching the children. There are sooooo many children!" I heard many times this week about the 4-14 window. We all have heard about 10/40 window, reaching the geographical area that has been closed to the gospel for so long, but the 4-14 window was totally foreign to me. It is the age group that is specifically targeted inside the 10-40 window, children and youth being reached for Jesus Christ. Obviously Awana is a perfect ministry to help the churches of South Asia reach their 4-14 widow.

We had a couple of hours of free time and went on a Safari. Lions, tigers, and bears! Lions , tigers, and bears! Want a fun time we had as Matthew, Awana missionary from Deli, was our guide. He kept Steve and I in stitches with his practical joking. Matthew is a godly single young man who works at the national office for India.

Last night we had a closing banquet for the missionaries. We had a great time of fellowship and sharing how God has worked in our lives the last few weeks. We had a cultural dinner and I can describe the food with two words, spicy and zesty! Its like dynamite between two pieces of bread with hot sauce! The cooks at the ministry compound looked out for Steve and I and made sure we had something to put the fire out. Seriously, the food was very good and I may put on a few pounds.

This morning we met with two missionaries that have a much needed ministry in South Asia. Doug Harstine and Rajpal Bhatkar of Faith Comes by Hearing ministries are committed to reaching the nations with the Word of God in Audio, offering the Bible in a format that will connect with the world's 50% illiterate population. To accomplish this enormous task, the Lord has assembled a group of committed leaders and dedicated servants of His Word to develop into a reality the vision of bringing His church together and making disciples. This bible audio box is powered with four different options built right in to the box; electrical, battery, solar, or by hand crank. It never runs out of juice!

I have to go for now. It's tea time! Till next time, may God be with you.

South Asia update

Report from South Asia
Yesterday was a busy and awesome day in Bangalore, India. It started off bright and early with devotion and leadership training at the Awana South Asia training with missionaries from all over the region. Then it was off to a church that Compassion International was sponsoring in a poverty stricken area in Bangalore. Awana and Compassion have a great partnership in this area. Compassion has started Awana clubs in the area and they're making an incredible impact in the lives of children and youth. Compassion has an after school program out of this church were they teach the youth proper hygiene and biblical principles. They also provide a great meal and of course a full Awana program. Compassion is very detailed in their labor with a stat sheet on every child so they may be sponsored by the more fortunate people of the world. It is great to see how this type of ministry is making an impact in the community. The pastor shared with me how twenty years earlier when his father pastored the church and Compassion Intl. began the sponsorship that the community was like Sodom and was morally bankrupt. But over the years the children's biblical lifestyle rubbed off on their parents and change slowly took place. Now those children in the beginning are now parents themselves and have their children in a biblical atmosphere. A whole new generation has emerged that is hearing about Jesus. We had the blessing of sharing the gospel with about 200 youth and many were saved. Rest assured Compassion was following up as soon as we were finished.

It was off to Baptist Hospital, one of the largest hospitals in Bangalore to meet up with a couple who have a mission near the hospital and we followed them to Rahab's Rope headquarters. This is a much needed ministry in the area to prostitutes. Rahab’s Rope Women’s Center is a place that provides food, shelter and protection; a place of education and training; a place where the whole person is ministered to spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, socially and financially. It is a place of hope, a place of transformed lives. It was founded in 2004 by Vicki Moore who is a member of Riverside Baptist Church in Gainesville, Ga. The Moore's said their vision is simple, "Rahab’s Rope is to give hope and opportunity to women and girls that have been forced into the commercial sex trade of India by providing a safe and loving environment that will enable them to grow and develop both physically and spiritually". Most of the ministry is funded by clothes and jewelry that the ladies learned through classes at the center. It is then brought back to Gainesville in a shop called Rahab's Rope on Bradford St. on the square in Gainesville. The money made at the store all goes back to running the ministry in Bangalore. Ladies of Hebron I implore you to go shopping at Rahab's Rope. It is quality Stuff!

I'll keep in touch!!

South Asia Update

Awana International Partnership
Five years ago there were less than 400 clubs/churches with with Awana children's ministry working in all of South Asia. Hebron members and Awana missionaries Steve and Debra Cohoon took their calling of reaching children for Christ to South Asia. Steve and I were traveling through Bangalore yesterday heading to appointments and there were kids everywhere you looked. Steve looking out the window said, "This is why I am here. You can't help but fall in love with these beautiful children. They need to learn about Jesus". Steve is the Director of South Asia were there are now 2,911 Awana Clubs and over 193,000 children that have already been reached in the past five years. But that is not even a drop in the bucket when you realize in the city of Bangalore itself has over 13 million citizens!

So what's been the difference? Leadership! "The new leader based strategy of ministry has allowed us to see God multiply the ministry in an area of the world that God is opening to the Gospel of Jesus Christ". There's right now 20 full time faith missionaries in South Asia (11 in India, 5 in Nepal, and 4 in Bangladesh). These missionaries are all from their perspective countries (not American missionaries) gathered in the city of Bangalore for three weeks of intensive leadership training.

Awana's vision is to keep multiplying leaders and clubs. "We plan to implement the Leadership Based Strategy in Sri Lanka (4 clubs have already started that have reached 270 children already) and Bhutan in 2010. We hope to see over 100 clubs/churches using Awana as an evangelistic tool in each of these countries by the end of the year".

You can make a difference on this side of the world by going with Hebron this summer to India and Nepal. Begin to pray today about what part you will play in reaching the children of South Asia for Christ.

Hello from South Asia!
I just wanted to give a small report from Banglore, India. It's 75 and sunny with low humidity! But truly the story here is about the children. There are so many children and they love to come to church. AWANA is reaching India for Christ one child at a time and their parents are one step behind following Christ also. I had the honor of preaching Sunday morning at one church and going to an Awana club at another church in the evening with South Asia Awana director and friend Steve Cahoon. He is doing an incredible job training Awana missionaries on this side of the world. This morning I had the blessing to do the devotion at the South Asia Awana International Mission Training Conference. I will send more pictures and updates soon.

New ESL Class!!!

We are adding a new adult Spanish Bible study class on Sunday mornings starting January 3, 2010. (This class will be taught only in Spanish)
One of our bilingual ESL teachers is going to be leading the class. (Monica Alexio - her husband Jose will be with her)

It will be at 11:00 am in Modular D, Room 6, following the English Lessons From the Bible class that meets at 9:30 in the same room.

Coming and Going part 3

North America Project

Kentucky

Hey! Sorry this edition is a little late.

We had such a great Thanksgiving at the Brent house. Everyone was home and my dad and I along with an old high school buddy, Rick Calcagno, played a little golf. I thank God for my dads recovery from cancer and he has a great wife, Wanda, who is such a wonderful godly lady. We had such fun time this Thanksgiving with a lot to be thankful . Did I tell you that my little girl is home where she belongs? Did I share with you my boy, Brian is going to graduate from college next semester? And did I tell you I am still madly in love with my best friend and high school sweetheart, my gorgeous wife, Tammy. I am so blessed with a great church family too! I bet you have a lot to be thankful for also.

There is an area and a people who have really struggled lately trying to figure out what they have to be thankful. Hebron's ladies were there to help them fix their eyes upon Jesus so they too could give thanks. The people of Appalachia was our ministry target last month and is today's partnership spotlight. Our ladies packed food and clothes and headed for the hills of Kentucky to the towns of Corbin and Williamsburg. While there they ministered to other ladies going through very hard times. The ladies also visited a homeless shelter and nursing home. Under the direction of Tammy Lawell, Hebron Women's ministry handed out everything they brought and also worked at a nursing home, school, and a ministry site that has some great potential for future work in Williamsburg. This site is under the direction of a great couple who are from the area and know the hard times the city is going through. The ministry is housed in an old RC Cola plant that needs some tender loving care and that's exactly what our ladies gave them. The ladies of Hebron have challenged the Hebron men to partner with them to take on this ministry project and help restore this old Cola plant to a well oiled ministry machine. When finished this plant will be able to house and feed 78 people. It will have a clothing ministry, food pantry, youth hall, multiple stall his/her bathhouse and ministry office. Guys lets step up to the challenge!

Coming and Going part 2

The Samaria Report for 2009 - North America

New York - Lake Placid

We have a great partnership with our North American Mission Board, (NAMB) in the Olympic Village of Lake Placid. Derek Spain, who was our former Student Ministry pastor, is the NAMB missionary for this region. The name of his ministry is North Country Ministries. Through this ministry Derek does outreach at all of the sport venues at the Olympic village in the Lake Placid area. He works with athletes from all over the world when there in the area training or competing at a world class events. Bible studies through out the week are a regular occurrence. Another ministry that has been born from his work in the Adirondack's is the Hospitality to the Internationals. This ministry is aimed at international athletes who are training in the area. Some of these athletes have sold everything they have and have left it all behind to chase their dream of becoming a world class athlete. Derek and his people offer everything from rides to a place to lay their tired bodies and something warm to eat.

Derek is also pastor of Lake Placid Baptist Church. He has a growing congregation that have sold out to help Derek reach their community. Two years ago Derek added an associate to help with his growing and challenging ministries. Dacula's own Jeff Grey has joined the ministry and has played a big part in helping Hebron feel welcomed when we have gone up to serve in the North Country.

This past winter Hebron went to Lake Placid to do sports outreach at the Wold Championship of Bobsledding and Luge. We also helped out with the ministries I just mentioned along with ministering to Derek's congregation. It is definitely hard soil to break with ministering to the athletes but so rewarding when you earn their trust enough were the ask you to pray for them right before their race.
I hope you will pray about going to the North Country and help Derek reach his world for Christ. You may ask, "Is it very cold?" Well let me just say you really can't tell the difference between 5 degrees and 25 below. It's a dryyyy colllllddddd. Just dress in layers and let the Holy Spirit warm you up!!!!

We will continue next week with more adventures in Samaria in part three in our series of Coming and Going 2009. See Ya, I'm Out!

Ron