Letters from Myanmar - Continue to Pray

In my most recent correspondence I am amazed by their perspective. Regardless of circumstances they are praying to our faithful Father. Please join them and pray for them daily. Here is another letter from our partners on the ground:

“To get access to e-mail takes two to three hours with very low connection. I am very concern now that I have not heard from the neighboring region. Their area was one of the worst areas where the storm hit. Please continue to pray for them. The road is still blocked so we can’t send anyone by bus to see what happened there. [In "good" times it is about and 8 hour bus ride]. The rest of the outreach people are OK but need to fix their houses. One of the roofs is wide open and water is up to their knees now inside their house. Other houses are completely under water. Please continue to pray for that God will take care of us as He did in the past many years.”

Prayer:

Father, thank you for your faithfulness to your children throughout the ages. I pray that you would take care of the believers in Myanmar as they try to survive and help those in desperate need.

Letters from Myanmar – Latest Reports

Latest reports from our partners in Myanmar:

“All of the orphanages have sustained great damage but thankfully no injuries or loss of life. They have lost most of the outbuildings such as kitchen buildings, chicken coops (along with the chickens), rice barns (and the rice stored), etc. One orphanage lost many of their large beautiful fruit trees that provided fruit for all of the orphanages and were a means of making some extra income because they could sell the fruit that they couldn’t eat. The primary need for the orphanages right now is food. The price of all commodities has risen by four times in the past week. Eggs, one of their chief sources of protein, went from about 10 cents each to about 70 cents each.”

“Many have lost all their homes. No power, so there is no water. I heard it will take two months. We are glad that we can have candle light but we need to buy water every day and it is so high. As you know things are so high - four times higher than before and we are not sure how long we can take it. Some of our friends were so terrify by cyclone and beg us to talk to our Living F-ather. I believe that in everything our Father has a purpose for us and that He is always faithful to us. Thank you so much for your deep love and concern.”

Prayer:

Thank you God for allowing EvanTell to send funds directly to Myanmar to provide for the physical and spiritual needs of the people as they recover from the cyclone.

Letters from Myanmar – Eyewitness Account

Eyewitness account from one of our partners in Myanmar who heads one of the Bible Schools:

“Half of the orphanage building where the younger children and girls stay is destroyed. The roof are removed by cyclone and inside was flooded. The children abandonded their house and take refuge at the other orphanage building. Their house need much renovation. Many things are broken.

My house is affected and damaged. Everywhere rain is leaking and only one room is saved where we stay there. Besides, what we all face is the lack of foods and water. Every prices are lifted up to fourthfolds. Other teachers and leaders of the school and orphanage, their houses are also effected.and their families are also running to other house. Others friends. I am not yet able to visit them and do not know the situation in detail. I will try to find out soon. Now, although we were severely affected by cyclone, yet no one in our families is injured. We All are safe! This is our cry, Please SOS!”

Prayer:

Father, thank you for your promises throughout your Word that you care for those who are orphaned. I pray that you would show your love and grace to those devastated by the storm and provide for their needs.

Letters from Myanmar – First Contact

This was our first contact with our indigenous partners on the ground in Myanmar after the cyclone hit. Charles is the director of operations:
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

First of all, I thank God for His loving cares! Our family members are in good care of our father. Thank you for all of your prayers. I wish I could share you about the situation, but unfortunately, I am not able to do that for this time. Please for give me for that. Please continually pray for the homeless peoples. Please pray for them. Thank you.

In His Grace,

Charles

Prayer:
Father, thank you for keeping Charles and his family safe during the storm. I pray that you would use him and our other partners in Burma to help those in need and let them know of your great love and care for them.

Blankets of Hope and the Gospel of Grace

Today, we were allowed to visit several groups of orphans. I love children, so this was a highlight of my trip. At one location, we were told that we were the first “westerners” the children had ever seen. Some smiled, some bashfully hid their faces, and some shrieked in sheer terror, like children afraid to sit in Santa’s lap. I’m 6’6”, so I immediately got on my knees to look less intimidating.

We were also told that the government officials in this restricted country were suspicious of anyone who was interested in orphans. They are afraid that because the orphans are “hopeless,” outsiders might try to recruit them for suicidal missions against the government.

The irony was obvious. We had come indeed to reach the hopeless, not to exploit them, but to give them hope through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We gave each child a package of necessities (soap, toothpaste) as well as one of our blankets of hope. These blankets not only meet a physical need, but a spiritual one as well. Each blanket incorporates the 5 colors found in our Good News Wristband that give a clear and simple gospel presentation. These blankets and supplies were provided by the generous support of our donors who are committed to reaching the world with the gospel of grace.

Motorcycle Mayhem

Today, I am overwhelmed by the vast number of motorcycles I see. In the last 5 minutes, I bet I’ve seen over 5000 of them. There must be 300 motorcycles for every car on the street. At one intersection, we were surrounded by over 200 plus motorcycles within a 50 yard radius of our van.

Ladies were riding motorcycles in high heels and dresses. Men rode in suits and ties. Entire families were riding on one motorcycle with dad in the front, mom in the back, and 2 children in between them. Not one person was wearing leather, but everyone wore a helmet.

Under every helmet in this sea of motorcycles is a person; a person deeply loved by the Lord Jesus; a person needing to hear of His love and grace. God knows everyone of these people, but how many of them know Him?

I am reminded of Jesus’ reaction in Matthew 9:36-38: “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were helpless like a sheep without a shepherd.” That is why I am here in Southeast Asia: to team with our indigenous partners to connect people to the Great Shepherd and let them know of His great love for them.

A Scene Out of the Book of Acts

I recently returned from Southeast Asia, training and equipping native missionaries for personal evangelism. The posts that follow detail some of my thoughts and experiences along the way:

A scene out of the book of Acts…

I feel like I had been transported to Ephesus, one of the major cities Paul visited as described in Acts 19. On the city square, there are several small temples full of man-made idols. People are lying prostrate before them, praying intently for blessings and the forgiveness of their sins. Merchants are all around, selling opportunities for people to have sins forgiven. Several of them had giant cages full of birds. To have your sins forgiven, you needed to buy a bird and then set it free along the river. The birds did not travel very far and gathered to roost on the edge of the temple roof and surrounding buildings. After a while, the merchants would lure the birds back with food and trap them for resale. It appeared to be a very profitable enterprise for the merchants. Many people stood in line waiting to buy their bird.

What a heartbreaking scene - people trusting in birds and man-made statues to relieve them of their guilt and connect them with a higher being and/or purpose. So futile. So hopeless.

(On the main square in a major city)

I am thankful to have the opportunity to partner with native missionaries in this country and around the world, equipping them to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. There is nothing to buy, Jesus paid it all. There is nothing to do but trust in Him and His finished work on the cross. Thank you, Lord, for allowing us to share the light of your grace, even in one of the darkest regions of the world.

Equipping Indigenous Believers to Share the Gospel

One of most efficient ways to communicate the gospel in other countries is to encourage and equip indigenous believers to share the message. EvanTell offers clear and simple tools and training to these indigenous believers throughout the world who already know the language and culture of their regions.

One of the ways we do this is through our You Can Tell It! seminar. Through our network of certified YCTI! instructors, EvanTell equips believers around the world to reach the lost in their own countries and beyond. Because of their clarity and simplicity, our materials for outreach and training have proven effective throughout the world in a variety of languages and settings.

In a recent trip to Cambodia, one of our certified instructors brought back this testimony from a local minister who attended the training:
“After finishing the “You Can Tell It!” seminar on personal evangelism, I shared Christ with three non-believers the very same day. When I asked them if they wanted to trust Christ, all three said yes. With this best result, I became more bold and continued to share Christ with another man and his daughter and two sisters. All of them trusted Christ as their Savior. So with this simple material and the Lord’s power, I will continue sharing Christ to those who are lost in my village after I return. Praise God, Amen.”

One Mission, One Message…

Everyone has significant moments in their life; moments that are so impactful they change you forever. My most impactful moment occurred when I first understood what Jesus Christ had done for me. I remember how I felt leading up to that day, isolated and burdened because of my sin, knowing that when I died, I would have to give an account to my Creator.

I knew that no matter how good I tried to be, no matter what I did, the guilt from my sin remained. God was perfect, heaven was perfect, but I wasn’t. How could God love someone as sinful as me? How could a perfect God even think about letting me in to heaven? I greatly feared death knowing that I would have to answer for my sin.

This was my mindset seconds before I heard a message that changed my life forever. Through a very simple gospel presentation, I came to understand the good news of Jesus Christ. As I listened, I saw myself before a holy God, ready to receive the guilty verdict and punishment for my sin.

I then saw in my mind Jesus on the cross, realizing for the first time that HE had taken that punishment for me. Wow! There was nothing left to be done. Jesus had paid it all and His resurrection proved it was true. My response was to trust in Him and what He had done for me.
My eyes were opened and my burden was lifted. I experienced the joy of knowing that I had a relationship with my Creator that would last forever, not because of what I had done, but because of what Christ had done for me.

My heart’s desire is to be used by God to share the good news I heard that day with the world and equip and encourage other believers to do the same. That is also the passion and calling of EvanTell, the ministry where I serve as Director of International Ministries. We believe that when the gospel is communicated clearly, it has the power to change the life of anyone, anywhere, at any time.

My prayer is that this blog would be an encouragement to you as I share my heart about evangelism and how God is working around the world to give people hope through the good news of Jesus Christ.

Worldwide Hope

For 35 years, EvanTell has impacted lives in over 70 foreign locations through the gospel, the good news of eternal life through Jesus Christ alone. EvanTell’s mission is to declare the gospel, clearly and simply; activate believers around the world; and prepare the next generation to reach the lost. Director of International Ministries, David Souther, follows a strategic plan to train and equip believers to share Christ in their own region, and as a result we are rapidly spreading of the gospel throughout the world.

Global Distribution
Our global distribution centers are located in strategic places around the world. They produce and distribute tools for evangelistist outreach, training, and follow-up. EvanTell’s desire is to launch a distribution center in every major section of the world, empowering nationals to evangelize within their own culture at a fraction of current costs.

Translations
Hearing the gospel in one’s native language can be life changing. EvanTell’s International Ministry is translating our evangelistic tracts, books, and follow-up material so more people around the world will be introduced to the gospel of Jesus Christ in their own languages.

Training
EvanTell provides seminary-quality education to native and foreign missionaries, empowering them to present the gospel at every opportunity and to equip other believers to do the same.

Partnerships
God has ministries in place around the world that are specifically called to reach target people groups. EvanTell partners with these ministries to train them to effectively share the gospel wherever God has called them to minister.

On the Worldwide Hope blog, David will share his passion for seeing the gospel of grace taken to the “ends of the earth.”

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