Windows of Opportunities with Existing Partners

Over and over in Scripture God uses people whom the world looks down upon to expand His Kingdom. In 2 Kings 5, we read of God using a servant girl to send the powerful man Naaman to Elisha for healing. How often are housekeepers, taxi drivers, shop owners, and hairdressers overlooked in the Kingdom picture? What if believers in these often-unseen professions were trained to share the stories of Scripture and to be disciple-makers to those around them, including the rich and powerful? One SIU partner is using this strategy to start Kingdom work in otherwise in accessible places. As these believers are trained and equipped, they will be in strategic positions to share God’s story and to make disciples among the hard-to-reach.

The recently translated “Bridges” training materials are being used in many countries. Our existing partners are working hard to finish this year well and are looking forward to the new year. They are making plans to continue expanding their reach into new areas and countries.

The Arabic translation is allowing our partners to expand their work further into the Arabic speaking world. Partners in several African countries are equipped to engage new people groups and are developing plans to pioneer further efforts in these regions.

Storytelling Provides Access to Scripture

Despite severe unrest in one country, leaders continue to go and train believers, encouraging kingdom advancement among hard-to-reach people groups. These leaders are actively engaging many people groups beyond their own. Among each of these groups, there are strong believers fearlessly sharing stories and making disciples. Each of these people groups are considered unreached and are among the most challenging to engage with the gospel, especially through typical, western methods. Storytelling has allowed access to Scripture in places previously considered unreachable. The efforts in this country have overflowed into other countries. One key partner there has plans to go into surrounding countries over the next few years to coach and train specific women to champion storytelling in those areas. Several groups in their network are intentionally engaging the most difficult to reach, despite facing persecution. These efforts are taking them across boarders into additional countries. This is exciting news! We would like to continue this momentum while the windows and doors of opportunity are open. Our proven, existing partners need YOUR help to step into these opportunities.

It takes approx. $3,000 dollars (USD) to hold a Bridges training event for 25-30 Indigenous, grassroots participants. These training participants will experience a 3-day, 4-day, or 5-day training event that equips them with the tools (i.e., a toolkit) to become disciple makers and church-planters in their own language and culture. Some will immediately run back to their homes, towns, and villages, excited to share the Bible stories they have learned with family and friends. Usually in less than three months, conservatively, we see at least ten new storytelling groups/house churches and a hundred new believers from just this one training event…and it keeps going!

Please give any amount as the Lord leads. I give our Bridges training event cost only as a reference point. We are grateful for your consideration of investing either in an ongoing monthly financial gift or special donation to help us further the support of this Great Commission endeavor. We all have a part in finishing the task of the Great Commission.