Equipping Boot Camp instructs in the gospel. We hosted our first Equipping Boot Camp at our training center in August and September. We trained two women, Kersen* and Wulan*, in effective evangelism and discipleship. They also learned how to grow in spiritual maturity by working through unforgiveness, having daily time in God’s Word, and much more. In August, we worked out of the training center with a mix of classroom time and practice sessions. In September, we sent two teams, paired with some national teammates, to put into practice all they had learned. Seeing how both ladies grew over these two months was pure joy.
Since Boot Camp ended, we received word Kersen is already practicing what she learned. She has spoken at several churches to mobilize members to share their faith. We heard from her this week that she shared with two Catholic women in her city; neither had ever heard the gospel or even opened a Bible. These women repented and believed, and Kersen will begin discipling them soon.
Training seminary students produces fruit. The first week of October, we sent four nationals and a teammate to lead training at a seminary in another city. The group taught how to share the gospel, make disciples, plant healthy churches, and develop leaders to 55 seminary students. After three days of training, we went with the students into the community. Over the next two days, 218 people heard a full gospel presentation.
This event was the first in a three-year partnership with this school. We will return and lead similar training each semester, hoping to have previously trained students lead future sessions. We look forward to seeing God use the seminary trainings to spread His gospel and glory among the many people groups in these islands.
Join us in prayer.
Pray for the seminary students trained in October to apply what they learned. We challenged them to begin regularly (at least once a week) sharing the gospel; pray they put this into practice.
Multiplying results. Over the past few months, we hosted several training events. The January training was special because our national teammates led it almost exclusively (rather than foreigner led). How exciting to see growth in their training and disciple-making skills! We went out twice to practice sharing the gospel during that training, and the team met a few people who were open to hearing and learning more.
One man we shared Christ with, Jack, has since believed and was baptized at the end of January. Mr. A, who lives at the training center, is now regularly discipling him. A couple of weeks ago, Jack made a list of seven individuals he knows who are far from God, and he has begun praying for them and looking for opportunities to share Christ. Jack also asked Mr. A to go back through the early discipleship lessons with him so he could thoroughly understand the truth and learn to disciple others. We praise God that Jack is hungry for God’s Word and desires to grow in his walk with the Lord.
Expanding our reach. Recently, we partnered with a seminary in another city. We trained about 200 students in an evangelism strategy called the “Gospel Hand.” We hope to build a strong relationship with this seminary and others, gaining more opportunities to train, disciple, and equip national believers to share the gospel and plant healthy churches among the remaining UUPGs here. Ultimately, we desire to see a pipeline of spiritually healthy, effective students and young adults sent out of these seminaries and churches to do what God has called all of us to do. It is exciting watching God move in so many powerful ways!
Prayer Requests:
The space has five bedrooms: one used as the primary training room, one used by our Journeyman who lives there and tends to the property, two upstairs for current and future national teammates, and the fifth for a to-be-discovered husband-and-wife team who will act as "dorm parents" and keepers of the property and also lead some trainings. We are praying to find this couple in the coming weeks. So, we are currently renovating, furnishing the rooms, and preparing the building to host more trainings.
While we had to be patient to find this new property, we didn’t have to wait to host trainings. Here’s a snapshot of what we’ve been doing in 2022. This year, our team has trained more than 200 national believers in initiating gospel conversations.
April was our busiest month, as our national team members went to multiple churches in our area and led trainings.
Every Tuesday and Thursday, I meet with our national team members to train and disciple them in other ministry tools, spiritual disciplines, and personal holiness.
I was able to lead a training alongside another national teammate for 13 members of the church we attend. The following week, several of the trainees traveled three hours to do a multi-day mission trip, teaching the churches in that location about initiating gospel conversations. That’s putting learning and faith into action! Together, the pastor and assistant pastor led someone to faith using the training material, and that individual has already been baptized!
May through July, our team was out in unreached areas. We visited 25 UUPGs during those three months, and five of those groups received follow-up two weeks later by a second team. They went to Flores and connected with a pastor who has a big vision to see all of Flores reached with the gospel. From that connection, our team was invited to visit several local churches where they cast the vision for reaching unreached people groups and trained them in initiating gospel conversations, following up with those who are open and believe, and reaching out to those UUPGs their on their island.
I also had the privilege of going on a weeklong trip to another island with one of our national teammates and checking on two UUPGs. While there, we met with three pastors, cast the vision to them and led one training. Another pastor there wants our team to return and conduct training for his church members.
It's exciting to see so many local believers getting trained and going out and obeying God’s Word to make disciples of all nations. We look forward to seeing what is ahead and what all else God has planned for this training center. You are a part of this work! Thank you so much for your generosity and prayers! God is transforming lives here because of your partnership with us! 
From the skyscrapers of Hong Kong and vast plains of Mongolia to smoky rainforests hiding winding rivers edged by golden sands, the natural beauty and long history of these Asia-Pacific Rim countries testify to God’s creative hand. This vast region houses four of the most populous global cities, as well as the country with the world's largest nominal population of Muslims.
Spirituality swirls through cities and countryside like the smoke from temple incense sticks. Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, animists, Daoists and ancestor worshipers live here, comprising 851 unreached people groups who have never heard that freedom is found in Christ. Pray for divine appointments for Christian workers to share that Jesus is the way to peace with God and eternal life. Ask God to glorify His name among the peoples of the Asian Pacific Rim Peoples affinity.