shamilla | Beyond

The Lord said, “It is time.”

Oct 30, 2024 | South Asia, Stories

Arjun* went to visit a house church near his village. As this dedicated disciple-maker walked through the village on his way to the gathering, six young, strong men came up to him, grabbed him, and began to beat him. They then dragged him to a nearby house and locked him inside.

Miraculously, Arjun managed to escape and returned home. For three weeks, he did not go back to that village. He was so afraid. He never wanted to return!

Then, as Arjun was praying one day during his self-imposed exile, he heard the Lord say, “Go back.” He recoiled at the thought. “No, Lord!” He didn’t want to go. The Lord said, “It is time.”

So, Arjun went. He returned to the village where he’d been beaten and locked up. As he walked tentatively through the streets, he kept his eyes peeled for those young men. Would they find him again?

Finally, he safely entered the house church. The worship service had already begun. He walked to the side of the room opposite the door, and sat down. A wave of relief washed over him; he was safe.

His relief was short-lived though. To his horror and surprise, the very men who had beaten him entered the room shortly after had taken his seat. Locking eyes with Arjun, they advanced towards him.

He was so afraid. There was no escape! They were right in front of him. Then suddenly, one by one, those young men got down on their knees before Arjun. They begged for his forgiveness. They said that during the three weeks he’d been gone, they had become disciples of Jesus!

After the service, Arjun spent time with the young men. It turned out that none of them were from that village. They all lived in other villages in the area. They returned to their homes and in the following days, each young man started a church in his own household.

Arjun says: “I tell you the truth, my enemies have become my friends. They are helping me with the work. God has completely changed them. The ones who beat me now see me as their leader. Amazing work! In this way, God is helping us, and I give him all praise. Amen!”

*pseudonyms

RELATED STORIES

SHARE WHAT YOU KNOW
The Samaritan woman in John 4 had problems. She had been married and divorced five times, and was now living with a man who read more …

THE UNSEEN PURPOSE OF MONSOON SEASON
Lakshmi poured some of their precious water over John’s feet and wiped them with her hands. read more …

“MY LIP HAS FALLEN OFF”
Krish grew up in a devout Hindu family. For six years, he had been an active member of a radical pro-Hindu group. He persecuted followers of Jesus, read more …

Meera’s Momos: Empowerment and Faith

Oct 23, 2024 | South Asia, Stories

*Meera’s story is like many others the team in India often hear. She married young to a man her parents chose for her. They now have three children. Meera’s husband has a job. But whatever money he makes goes straight to pay for alcohol.

Alcoholism is a huge problem in India. Social drinking, historically, had no place in India. Alcohol had one purpose only – to get a person drunk. Today, social drinking might be on the rise for the urban elite, but everyone else drinks to get drunk.

One Sunday, Meera began crying during the Sunday worship service. *Sanjay asked why she was crying. Through her tears, Meera shared how tired she was of getting beaten by her alcoholic husband and then, about how hungry she and her children were. Since all the money was going to buy alcohol, they had no money for food.

The church gathered around Meera and prayed for her. Sanjay asked her about ways she could make some money. What about setting up some kind of roadside food stall? Meera admitted that, yes, she was good at making momos (the Tibetan version of Chinese dumplings) but she could not afford to buy a steamer.

Sanjay gleefully explained to us how the church members all pooled their money to buy Meera a momo steamer. These church members are poor. The small building where they meet for worship only has half a roof. Most of them live in one-room homes. In fact, many of the women live in the exact same circumstances as Meera. Yet, they gladly pooled their money until they had the amount necessary ($25.00) for Meera to buy a steamer.

This happened several months ago. Today, Meera’s husband still drinks. However, Meera has set up a momo stall right outside the door of her one-room home. Her sales each day total between $6.00-$9.00.

With no coercion from anyone, but simply out of sheer gratitude, Meera is paying a tithe of her earnings back into the fellowship of people who helped her when she so desperately needed it.

God is still in the business of stepping in and making a way. Meera is one such example. Please join us in praying for the Meera’s of India. As they are liberated, whole communities will be….and then states….and then the nation!

*pseudonyms

RELATED STORIES

THE CURSED SON
In North India, a young follower of Jesus tutors in the home of a neighboring Sikh family. She learned that one of the boys could not hear or speak read more …

BREAKING BARRIERS WITH THE GOSPEL
Sharitha* was the house helper of movement catalysts Ethan* and Nicole* while they lived in India. They remember the day Sharitha heard the story in read more …

SEVEN GENERATIONS OF DISCIPLES
In North India, some women have been trained in making disciples. They have been faithful to, read more …

From Gangster to Disciple Maker

Sep 30, 2024 | Austronesia, Stories

Pastor *Wint was from a mixed Muslim-and Hindu-background area of Bali, Indonesia. One of his concerns was the unreached tribe on the mountains bordering where he lived. He knew he couldn’t reach them. He didn’t speak their language and they were suspicious of outsiders. So he prayed.

And instead of asking “What can I do?” he pondered, “What must be done?” As he prayed and sought guidance and wisdom from God, Wint felt the Holy Spirit urging him to approach a man named *Phaing.

Phaing was notorious in the community, a feared gangster with a fierce appearance marked by tattoos and piercings. Despite Phaing’s intimidating exterior, Wint courageously shared the gospel with him.

Miraculously, Phaing accepted Jesus as his Savior and Lord. Although known for his excessive drinking, often downing a whole bottle of whiskey in one go, Phaing immediately gave up alcohol, believing God had healed him of that addiction. As his understanding of Jesus grew, so did his faith. He obeyed Scripture and was soon baptized.

As Wint continued to disciple Phaing, he began to see potential in him for a unique mission. Maybe Phaing could reach that remote and insular tribe high up in the mountains of Bali that Wint knew he couldn’t reach. They were known for speaking an ancient version of Balinese and shunning outsiders. Wint believed that if anyone could connect with this tribe, it would be the fearless Phaing.

After more prayer, Wint challenged Phaing to introduce the tribe to Jesus. Phaing knew that this task required a unique approach. He prayed for wisdom and discernment, and during his prayer, he was reminded of his large Bible with an embossed cross on the cover.

With the Bible in hand, Phaing climbed the mountain. When he met the tribespeople, he held up the Bible and asked, “What symbol do you see on the hospitals where you go for healing? What symbol is on the packages of medicine you take? Yes, it’s the cross, the same cross you see on this Bible.” He then shared his own testimony of salvation and healing, and stories from the Bible.

Moved by Phaing’s testimony, the Bible stories, and the analogy of the cross, several tribe members came to faith in Jesus. Two families were baptized, and even the tribe’s leader became a believer. Phaing is now dedicated to discipling many more in the mountains. Pray for him as he continues equipping others to read, share, and obey the Scriptures.

*pseudonyms

READ OTHER STORIES FROM SOUTH EAST ASIA

HOW DO YOU EXPRESS YOUR FAITH?
*Thui was a Thai Buddhist when he got his job at an international school in Thailand. He began participating … read more

FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT
Ami found herself wasting away due to her struggles with alcohol abuse. Her days were consumed by … read more

IT MUST BE JESUS WHO DID THIS
*Uhn was the town drunk and the senior patriarch of his large extended family. Over a year ago, *Scott’s local partner, … read more

Persecutor Becomes a Disciplemaker

Sep 23, 2024 | South Asia, Stories

*Manosh and his family were once staunchly opposed to the disciples of Jesus and the work of God in their community. They couldn’t understand why some of their neighbors rejected idol worship. When followers of Christ were persecuted or even killed for their faith, Manosh believed they deserved it. He himself participated in persecuting disciples in his area.

However, in March, Manosh’s perspective began to change. He was deeply moved by witnessing a family of disciples endure severe persecution. Despite being beaten, deprived of food, and ostracized by the village, their unwavering faith in the Lord left a profound impact on him. Manosh observed that even as they suffered, the name of Jesus was spreading and becoming more known in the region.

This touched Manosh’s heart, leading him to place his faith in Jesus. Inspired by the strength and resilience of those he once persecuted, he invited a man he had previously beaten for being a disciple of Jesus to his home so he could learn more about Jesus. A month later, Manosh was leading his entire family in studying God’s Word. They began sharing their newfound faith with extended family members and have since started a new Discovery Bible Study group with two other families. Though they are simple, illiterate people, the Holy Spirit is empowering them to read, understand, and apply the Bible to their lives. Now, this entire family is following Jesus.

Please pray for Manosh and his family, that they would make other disciples who make disciples.

*pseudonym

Small Business Opens Doors to the Unreached

Sep 18, 2024 | Austronesia, Stories

*Charlie and *Sarah participated in a retreat with local church planting teams focused on reaching unreached people groups, in their province in Southeast Asia. They were honored to support young leaders by helping them develop and refine business platforms to enhance the effectiveness of their ministry.

These business platforms have the potential not only to generate income, to sustain their lives and ministry (much like Paul’s tent-making) but also to open doors for accessing new, unreached areas. Some platforms even allow ministry to happen within the business itself. Often, these platforms can achieve a combination of these goals.

Over the past 20 years, Charlie and Sarah have started and managed several businesses in Asia and the U.S., with the majority of their financial support still coming from one of these ventures. However, since arriving on their island in Southeast Asia, they hadn’t felt led to pursue this area—until now.

The meetings they attended sparked several ideas, one of which is gaining traction and shows potential for replication with other church planters.

One example is *Netra, a Muslim-background believer struggling to provide for her family. Her husband, handicapped by a stroke, is limited in his ability to help. Netra was making homemade snacks, selling them for 20 cents each, and earning no more than $6 a week. Despite being trained in Disciple Making Movement (DMM) principles, she was overwhelmed by the struggle to make ends meet and had little capacity left for ministry.

In response, Charlie and Sarah helped her start a used clothing business.

Now, each day, Netra travels from village to village, selling used clothes. As villagers browse through the clothing, she engages them in conversation, subtly weaving spiritual topics into the discussion, hoping to find “people of peace.” This new venture has increased her income to $10 or more per day. With her work taking only a few hours, she now has more time to follow up with those who show interest in the Good News, with the goal of starting groups of Jesus Followers.

Pray that Netra remains faithful in using her time for Kingdom work and that the Holy Spirit stirs the hearts of those she shares with.

Next month, Charlie and Sarah will travel to another city in their province to help another team establish another business platform, which has the potential to open doors into nearby villages.

This weekend retreat had rekindled a passion in Charlie and Sarah for using business to advance the Kingdom of God. Please pray for more ideas that will help Kingdom workers generate income and gain access to the unreached communities they serve.

*pseudonyms

READ OTHER STORIES FROM CHARLIE AND SARAH BELOW

GUNS, KNIVES, AND A MOTORCYCLE GANG
Charlie and Sarah met with Ali, who has shown great hunger for reading stories from the Bible about Jesus. Charlie and Sarah wanted to establish him in the pattern of reading read more …

JESUS HEALS AS IS WRITTEN IN THE QUR’AN
“This was the same lady, Ibu Muli, in whose home we now sat. She told us that immediately after the prayer, her back had been healed, and read more …

I TOLD HIM I WAS QUITTING
*Charlie worked in the IT industry. He specialized in indirect sales and marketing; he educated and supported hundreds of salesmen. He also led efforts to simplify read more …