God’s Changeless Word in our Changing World Producing Life-Changes in Many

 Isa. 55:11 “so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

This past week, I was reminded again of the power of

God’s Word as I completed editing “The Forbidden Book,” in preparation for it being reprinted. Initially published in 2014 by the Philippine Bible Society, it attempts to display God’s miraculous plan using Filipinos and expatriates in late 1800/early 1900 to translate and print the Bible in several Philippine languages, and then smuggle those printed Bibles into the country, sometimes at the cost of their lives. Toward the end of the 1800's, at an historic meeting in Manila, Filipino Nicolas Zamora proclaimed to lovers/readers of God’s Word “the lock is off this book,” (page 42, Forbidden Book). Now statistics reveal that about 14% of Filipinos are Evangelical Christians!

Fast forward to 2020/2021, Covid has restricted many, especially children, from exposure to God’s Word...but in no way has it "locked" God's Word or His power! Many, including VOICE Philippines and VOICE Africa, have expanded their ministry to include small group sessions and/or on-line platforms. And testimonies of changed lives continue! Here are two very brief but encouraging reports recently received from churches who partnered with VOICE Philippines (pre-Covid) revealing lasting fruit from Biblical Values classes.

• Students who started attending church while studying VOICE and who graduated a few year ago are still attending church.

• Our former VOICE students continue to attend Bible studies and church services.

Let’s be encouraged and continue sharing the unstoppable Word of God in any way that we can; there will be eternal fruit—God promises that!

ANSWERED PRAYER – FINALLY – Swahili Forgiveness and Purity Activity Sheets are Printed!

I was recently sharing with a friend a photo book Ruth put together showing highlights of our January-February, 2020, East Africa visit. Perhaps the peak of that trip was visiting Tanzania with Beth, meeting the Scripture Union leaders, being among the first to hold the newly published Swahili Forgiveness and Purity Curricula and then coaching a Training Team who conducted three Swahili VOICE Trainings while we were there.

BUT the Activity Sheets were missing. They were printed in Kenya (as was the rest of the curriculum), but a misunderstanding arose over the quoted price and the price they were charging for those sheets. For some reason, still unknown to us, God chose to say “no” to our request to reconcile the printer and Scripture Union. Instead He chose to have them reprinted in Tanzania, almost 1½ years later! Finally, those two Swahili VOICE Africa curriculum packs are COMPLETE!! This print job alone involved nearly 2 million sheets of paper! THANKS FOR STANDING WITH US IN PRAYER during all these many months! THANKS TOO to those who gave toward this project.

Now the National Director of Scripture Union Tanzania, Stellah, and her team are faced with the huge job of correlating, counting and packaging them with the Teacher’s Manual and Visual Aid book. We have heard of one Youth Camp that will be teaching either or maybe both of the Forgiveness and/or Purity Module next month! Pray for promotion, training events, and sale of the curriculum so that many hundreds of Tanzanian children/youth might be taught godly values and introduced to the Savior. Pray also as Beth makes plans to Tanzania, possibly in the next couple of months to encourage the Scripture Union staff as well as check out the possibility for printing the Truth Module, which is already translated into Swahili.

In Every Way...Christ is Preached

 “What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice. (Philippians 1:18)

Although the pandemic has continued to restrict almost everyone on the planet, "The Lord of the Harvest" continues His amazing work...including making us more dependent on Him. Due in part to limited local fellowship and outreach, I (Laura) have the time/opportunity to frequently connect to ministry in East Africa, especially via Beth B., our Ugandan colleague/friend, thanks to What’s App, Zoom, and cell phones. It’s been fascinating to hear how God opens the way for continued sharing of the Good News with students and others despite obstacles that hinder His servants from proceeding as they had in the past.

Just this month, there are at least four ways that Biblical Values are being taught in Uganda alone:

1. In schools – Previously this was almost exclusively the venue for teaching the standards of God’s righteousness. Recently, after almost one full year, most schools have finally reopened with the exception of the classes for the youngest children. In at least one school, the Head Teacher/Principal has asked VOICE volunteers to start teaching in the classrooms; this one particular school requested the Obedience Module.

2. In communities – Trained South Sudanese Christian refugees continue to teach Biblical Values to their fellow refugees using whatever place is available—sometimes a building and sometimes outside.

3. Online – As you know, both VOICE Philippines and VOICE Africa have been using digital means to connect with students in their own homes. Currently, VOICE Africa is teaching the newest module, Responsibility, online.

4. In churches – Many schools still hesitate to allow volunteers to teach their students, so Beth is exploring a new path. After presenting the idea to some churches who know her, at least two have opened their doors for students from near-by schools to come for the teaching of Biblical values...which begins this very week! Beth has also trained people from those churches to be the teachers! Stay tuned to hear what God will do.

Initial Opportunities for Resumed Face-to-Face Teaching of Biblical Values in Ugandan Schools

Although the Philippines continues under many restrictions, Uganda has been gradually loosening their pandemic guidelines. More school classrooms opened this month and plans are for others to do so next month, April. School authorities could easily use the pandemic to reject Scripture Union ministry, but instead some have invited them to speak to their current students. This includes a Catholic School who asked that an abbreviated version of the Purity be taught to their grade 7 students! It was well received and indications are they will explore options for more Biblical Values to be taught once other students are allowed to return to school!

Very soon after that opportunity, a Church of Uganda school welcomed the teaching of Obedience and Self-Control to 68 students from grade 6 – 13 during a 3-day Youth Conference. An indication of a “satisfied customer” came with a gift toward Scripture Union VOICE ministry plus a request for a future VOICE Training for their staff and the purchase of at least 12 VOICE curriculum packs! The “icing on the cake” was a 14-year old student's plea to one of the Scripture Union facilitators for guidance to trust in Christ as Savior! Praise God for these renewed opportunities and God’s evident blessing.

Prepare for Your Eternal Future

 “And I [Jesus] say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home.” (Luke 16:9)

If you’re like me, the meaning of the parable of the unjust steward (Luke 16:1-13) has been fuzzy. This past Sunday our pastor, as part of his series on the parables of Jesus, put some surprising (for me at least) pieces together and left me with great motivation to be faithful in using what is least (money) for eternal gain (Luke 16:10). If I were to loosely paraphrase (and amplify) the verse above, it would go something like this:

Make eternal future friends for yourselves by wisely/shrewdly using the money God has given to you to proclaim the Gospel to as many people as possible, so that when you die, the people who heard the Gospel and came to Christ due to your shrewd use of money will be there to welcome you into your eternal home/heaven ...even some friends unknown to you who were reached by missionaries you supported.

I hope that has given you food for thought as it has me! You who have invested in Laura, me, and the ministries God gave to us will have Filipino and East African friends (and more) to welcome you into your eternal home. “You can’t take your money with you when you die but you can send it ahead.”

And this week, our Ugandan friend, Beth B., is training representatives from five of the South Sudanese Refugee Camps in northern Uganda, to use both the Obedience and Purity modules as evangelism/discipleship tools in the camps they come from. And thanks to a generous donor who shrewdly used their money to pay for VOICE modules, those trained will return to their areas with a free copy of each module/curriculum to use to strengthen/extend God’s kingdom in their area. That donor will have South Sudanese refugees among their eternal friends to welcome them into heaven!

* * * * * *

Two SEND VOICE Africa projects extended to the end of 2022!

Just this month, the final signatures were affixed.

VOICE Africa/Uganda project- $24,125, of which $5,000 has already been receipted by SEND and soon will be forwarded to VOICE Africa. This project helps to cover salaries/love gifts to enable three Scripture Union Uganda workers to primarily focus on strengthening and extending the VOICE Africa program (teaching Biblical values to children/youth) throughout Uganda.

VOICE Africa/Tanzania/Swahili project - $35,000 of which $12,000 has already been receipted by SEND and will soon be forwarded to VOICE Africa. It will help cover the cost of printing Swahili Forgiveness and Purity Activity Sheets plus the publishing of the Swahili Truth module on all three age levels.

Pray for God's provision. 

Precious…is the death of His Saints

Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His saints.
(Psalm 116:15)

On January 4, 2021 as I was conversing with Beth B in Africa via Whats App, another call came in. When I saw it was from a friend in Moncton, I quickly ended the call with Beth. My friend informed me I could join her at her mother’s palliative care room at a nursing facility in Moncton. I packed up immediately and left to be with her. What an honour for the next hours to join her at her mother’s bedside singing, praying, reading Scripture and expressing love and appreciation. 

 

I knew her mother quite well, having met her (Marion) more than 35 years ago and enjoyed her hospitality--many times in New Brunswick and at least once in Florida--that time with both of my parents and an aunt. Marion was a hard worker, loved humor including “Ernie,” excelled in gardening, quilting, and loved eating fried green tomatoes, and Russet apples. Faithful to her church, she was usually present when Ruth and I gave our reports/presentations. At one point, years ago, we mentioned a support need. I will never forget after the church service, how Marion met me on the steps and assured me she would begin supporting our mission work. We were floored! She indeed became a faithful, generous donor as well as an ardent prayer partner.

 

As the hour headed toward midnight, we continued the vigil together. Then her eyelid fluttered and fairly soon after that we realized she was gone. It was a hallowed moment and I can only imagine the Heavenly welcome she received. 

 

Marion, what an example in life and in death! Here on earth, due to COVID, there will be no funeral but...there in heaven a great celebration as one of God's saints arrived HOME!

Muted but…as found in the Christmas Story

Luke introduces us to Zechariah and Elizabeth, godly people whose prayers for a child seemed to be met with silence...God's apparent muteness. And then when told by an angel that they would have a child, Zechariah's faith in an omnipotent God struggled. His question to the angel brought instant, but temporary, muteness. When, in faith, he confirmed the child's name to be John, his speech was immediately restored.

With the pandemic-related restrictions, we have all felt “muted” in our usual routines and especially in the face-to-face ministries we’re involved in. Churches and global ministries have battled frustration with this forced muteness. VOICE ministries in both the Philippines and East Africa struggle with the closure of school classrooms where they used to have such a regular vibrant opportunity to invest in the students' lives. BUT, in faith, muteness has been at least partially overcome. God has enabled VOICE to focus on new platforms and share God’s truth in new ways.

• VOICE Philippines has produced and distributed a Devotional Book “Walk His Way” in both English and Tagalog.

• VOICE Africa has offered on-line Biblical values classes to families. Their latest module, Obedience, has just been completed and once again, the impact has been significant (see below for some testimonies).

• VOICE Africa is also producing video clips on the value of Moral Purity which they hope to air in the fairly near future.

• In Uganda, the government has allowed next year’s “grads” (elementary and high school) to return to school to prepare for upcoming national examinations. As only God could do it, several schools invited/urged Beth, Scripture Union Uganda missionary, to speak to their students this month. She began her sharing with her puppet, amid much laughter, and then challenged the students to consider trusting Christ as personal Savior by explaining the Gospel tract, CrossTalk. Dozens of students responded in faith and some have already been followed up and received literature to help in following Christ.

In God’s time, Zechariah saw God’s amazing fulfillment and purposes. His response was to praise God while prophesying that people would “find salvation through forgiveness of their sins.” (Luke 1:77) Let us continue to trust, pray, and serve while using opportunities to “un-mute” the Good News...all the while looking to our great God with expectancy to see what He is doing.

* * * * * *

Testimonies (a few among many) from the Recently Completed On-Line Teaching
of the Obedience Module in Uganda

Lower Primary:

• Austin: Thank you teacher for teaching us about Obedience.
• Austin’s parent: There is a definite change in behaviour and this is attributed to what Austin has been learning about obedience in the past weeks. Thank you so much for helping him grow and become more responsible.
  
• Abryl: I learnt to help my mother to cut the onions for cooking and my younger brother to do class work.
• Abryl’s parent: Yes, Abryl has been respectful and hard working.
• Tracy: It's the best--the Values Promises, the stories and what you teach us are the best.
  

Upper Primary:

• Passy - Obedience has helped me to obey my parents without complaining. Thank you for training me through this obedience exercise class.

• Passy’s parents: My daughter has followed all the Values Promises and chosen to obey immediately and wholeheartedly. Many thanks to Scripture Union.

• Elizabeth: Dear teacher I have improved in listening to my parents.

• Elizabeth’s parents: I realized a change in the lives of my children. They do things according to the way we have been telling them. They are quick to respond. Thank you Scripture Union teachers for the teachings. May God richly bless you.  

• Silver: I have learnt to be very obedient to my parents. It has changed my life. Like when today, my aunt asked me to help her hang clothes and I did it immediately and wholeheartedly.

Secondary:

• Joshua: I thank my teacher for these lessons and God above all. I am now more obedient and listening than before and have gained favour in the eyes of my parents and God. Like last week I did my best to be obedient to my parents and my mum really looked happy with me because of that; she even spared some time and we conversed though she was busy, so it's a very big testimony for me and I thank God.

• Joshua’s parents: Joshua has improved greatly spiritually, thanks to these lessons. And he nowadays sees that he obeys us and God. Continue with these lessons for a better future generation God fearing and obedient people. God bless you abundantly.

• Timothy: I thank God for enabling me to join these meetings. They helped me do the right thing.

• Timothy’s parents: Obedience class has been very insightful. Timothy has learnt some Bible verses that he always recites and have made him realize that God is always present in his life.

• Joy: It has changed my life totally to be obedient because Christ died for me yet He has never sinned.