Testimony after Mission Trip #2 - July 1-Aug.20, 2003
Many prayers in the book of Psalms include vows to praise God in anticipation of the expected answer to prayer.
Psalm 7:17 is a good example:
"I will give thanks to the LORD because of His righteousness and will sing praises to the name of the Lord Most High."
Psalm 13:6 is another quick example:
"I will sing to the LORD, for He has been good to me."
and finally, Psalm 52:9 as a last example:
"I will praise you forever for what you have done, in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints."
I strongly believe that praise MUST follow deliverance if God is to be TRULY honored.
I am here in front of you to thank God for being faithful and true once again, for keeping Mary and I as the apple of His eye and keeping us safe in the shadow of His wings.
I thank God also for the support of Neul-Sa-Rang church members, both financially and spiritually.
Your prayers were greatly appreciated and effective, and I am eternally grateful.
Mary already spoke a good deal about our trip so I want to share one main idea with you that I truly came to learn again on this trip:
That is, that God answers SPECIFIC prayers.
I had the privilege of seeing 3 specific important prayers answered.
First of all, I prayed that I would have more opportunities to give testimony and share my faith with others on this second trip and God gave me SO many chances to do that, both publicly, in class, and privately, in students' homes.
We taught a total of 64 detailed bible stories starting from the creation story all the way to the giving of The Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
God says that His Word does not return void. We can read this in Isaiah 55:10-11:
"As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."
We saw this to be true in Ethiopia as a large number of students from last year's English bible classes have become believers.
My 2nd answered prayer was for my Ethiopian family to know the truth of Christ and the Bible versus the traditions of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
The second time Mary and I went with them to their home, they asked us if we would regularly teach them the Bible while in Mekelle.
Mary and I went to their home no less than 2 or 3 times a week to sing hymns, read bible stories, share our faith and answer any questions they had.
My 3rd personal prayer was specifically for the salvation of my old student, Kibrom, wholives at an orphanage about 5 kilometers from Mekelle.
We developed a close friendship on my first trip and we continued that friendship through letters.
Our group went to his orphanage unexpectedly and 2 of us were asked to give our testimony on the spot in front of the 57 children.
I was one of the people asked and I was nervous but I was obedient to the Lord and shared.
I told them that I had more in common with them than they might have guessed because I too had been rejected by both my parents when I was young.
I shared with them how God took care of me throughout my life (as He would theirs) and how He gently pursued me until I accepted Jesus as my personal Saviour.
I pleaded with them to do the same while they are alive and have the opportunity.
A few days before leaving Mekelle, I learned that 9 children from the orphanage accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, including my old student, Kibrom.
Even now it amazes me.
Who am I that God would use even someone like me to change the eternal destiny of someone's soul?!
I plan to return next summer if it is God's will.
The English Bible classes are so popular that it is our hope to expand to 2 other cities beyond Mekelle.
One of the cities we hope to teach in is Axum, where Ethiopians believe they still have the Ark of The Covenant.
It is a spiritual stronghold of the Orthodox Church and it is my personal prayer that we might be able to bring the light of Christ to that city.
The problem is that we need to have many, many more people come if we expand.
Please pray that other members from SIBC (Seoul International Baptist Church) will join God in His work there next summer.
If anyone here believes that God is calling them to northern Ethiopia, please let me know, as there are many opportunities there, no matter what your field.
As Jesus says in Matthew 9:37-38 and Luke 10:2: "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field."
Thank you once again for your patience, your attention, your fellowship and your support.
Psalm 7:17 is a good example:
"I will give thanks to the LORD because of His righteousness and will sing praises to the name of the Lord Most High."
Psalm 13:6 is another quick example:
"I will sing to the LORD, for He has been good to me."
and finally, Psalm 52:9 as a last example:
"I will praise you forever for what you have done, in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints."
I strongly believe that praise MUST follow deliverance if God is to be TRULY honored.
I am here in front of you to thank God for being faithful and true once again, for keeping Mary and I as the apple of His eye and keeping us safe in the shadow of His wings.
I thank God also for the support of Neul-Sa-Rang church members, both financially and spiritually.
Your prayers were greatly appreciated and effective, and I am eternally grateful.
Mary already spoke a good deal about our trip so I want to share one main idea with you that I truly came to learn again on this trip:
That is, that God answers SPECIFIC prayers.
I had the privilege of seeing 3 specific important prayers answered.
First of all, I prayed that I would have more opportunities to give testimony and share my faith with others on this second trip and God gave me SO many chances to do that, both publicly, in class, and privately, in students' homes.
We taught a total of 64 detailed bible stories starting from the creation story all the way to the giving of The Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
God says that His Word does not return void. We can read this in Isaiah 55:10-11:
"As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."
We saw this to be true in Ethiopia as a large number of students from last year's English bible classes have become believers.
My 2nd answered prayer was for my Ethiopian family to know the truth of Christ and the Bible versus the traditions of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
The second time Mary and I went with them to their home, they asked us if we would regularly teach them the Bible while in Mekelle.
Mary and I went to their home no less than 2 or 3 times a week to sing hymns, read bible stories, share our faith and answer any questions they had.
My 3rd personal prayer was specifically for the salvation of my old student, Kibrom, wholives at an orphanage about 5 kilometers from Mekelle.
We developed a close friendship on my first trip and we continued that friendship through letters.
Our group went to his orphanage unexpectedly and 2 of us were asked to give our testimony on the spot in front of the 57 children.
I was one of the people asked and I was nervous but I was obedient to the Lord and shared.
I told them that I had more in common with them than they might have guessed because I too had been rejected by both my parents when I was young.
I shared with them how God took care of me throughout my life (as He would theirs) and how He gently pursued me until I accepted Jesus as my personal Saviour.
I pleaded with them to do the same while they are alive and have the opportunity.
A few days before leaving Mekelle, I learned that 9 children from the orphanage accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, including my old student, Kibrom.
Even now it amazes me.
Who am I that God would use even someone like me to change the eternal destiny of someone's soul?!
I plan to return next summer if it is God's will.
The English Bible classes are so popular that it is our hope to expand to 2 other cities beyond Mekelle.
One of the cities we hope to teach in is Axum, where Ethiopians believe they still have the Ark of The Covenant.
It is a spiritual stronghold of the Orthodox Church and it is my personal prayer that we might be able to bring the light of Christ to that city.
The problem is that we need to have many, many more people come if we expand.
Please pray that other members from SIBC (Seoul International Baptist Church) will join God in His work there next summer.
If anyone here believes that God is calling them to northern Ethiopia, please let me know, as there are many opportunities there, no matter what your field.
As Jesus says in Matthew 9:37-38 and Luke 10:2: "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field."
Thank you once again for your patience, your attention, your fellowship and your support.
posted by Andrew Brown at 7:20 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home