#BeAmazedRHCC

For the Global Outreach conference this year, I had the opportunity to be part of the committed planning it. Searching for news about God at work in the world, here are some of the nuggets I found and posted on Facebook and Instagram.

#BeAmazedRHCC! God is at work in: TURKEY

Elections in October 2015 – “Amazingly the elections went peacefully with no protests and no terrorism! That's a HUGE answer to prayer. Thank you for praying and may the peace that came with the election make for greater peace to come in Jesus! (Even though 50% of the population is against the current government they still won!).”

#BeAmazedRHCC! God is at work in: THE PHILIPPINES 

In 2015, our Missionaries accomplished the following ministries:

Planted 3 house churches in 3 different villages. Have 6 on-going small groups (villages) that will soon be house churches. Another 5 on-going small groups where the people attending become church worshippers in an existing church. Have 3 village churches (with church buildings) that have regular weekend services. Baptized 86 new believers. Started a new campus ministry in another college. Have 2 on-going campus ministries and discipleship classes in Digos City. -Gwynn Lewis

#BeAmazedRHCC! God is at work in: VIETNAM Finally! The Vietnamese church is deeply divided and highly monitored. The officially recognized church and the underground church have virtually no collaboration. But things are changing! Read about it: http://tinyurl.com/hspj2su

#BeAmazedRHCC! In the USA, more than 80% believe God is real

If statistics are to be believed (which is a big “if”), the vast majority of adults in the United States believe in the existence of God. Despite all the hubbub about New Atheism and the rise of the Nones (those with no religious affiliation), between eighty and ninety percent of us still think God is real. For those committed to the mission of the gospel, this would appear to be good news. After all, having to convince people of God’s existence before persuading them to follow Jesus Christ is an uphill slog. – Skye Jethani, Editor, Christianity Today http://skyejethani.com/the-age-of-secular-pharisees/   

#BeAmazedRHCC! God is at work in: ROMANIA

After three and a half years of weekly visits to the orphanages, a youth football team, Christmas programs & sleep away summer camps, the children of Bucharest continue to deepen their relationship with Camilla Croxton (a missionary sent by RHCC) and most importantly, to grow in their relationship with God. Where have you seen God at work?

Where have you seen God at work?

#BeAmazedRHCC! Calming the Wind and the Waves in: MEXICO

October 2015 the category 5 Hurricane Patricia was the largest ever to hit the Western seaboard was headed toward Mexico. It most certainly would have wrecked havoc, taken lives, and by flooding and winds destroyed homes and infrastructure. God’s people were urged to pray as Jesus did to the wind and the waves, “Peace, be still.” Upon hitting land the hurricane lost it’s power, and took no lives and caused minimal damage for our poorer neighbors to the south.

Glory be to God for his mercy in this instance! http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2015/October/The-Mexico-Miracle-Prayer-Slows-Hurricane-in-Its-Tracks.  

#BeAmazedRHCC! The Gospel Has Been Spreading Among the Unreached!

Unreached People Groups (UPGs are ethnic groups around the world who have no known fellowship of Christians) are now down to about 6,600 (of 16,000). When research started in the 1980’s, it was about 7,200. God is definitely working and moving in the world to have established his church among 600 formerly Unreached People Groups. –RHCC Missionaries Jim & Sonya Witherspoon, Frontier Ventures

#BeAmazedRHCC by this miracle from the LIGHT AT THE LIGHTHOUSE Christian music festival in San Pedro. “The photo of a Honduran boy in need of heart surgery caught the eye of a woman at the . It turned out she was from the same small town in Honduras, and her cousins were all doctors there. She returned to the booth later in the day to say that she had called and arranged for the boy to be admitted to the hospital that night to receive his life-saving surgery at no cost.” Read more about LATL, (article written by Bill Fleury)

#BeAmazedRHCC! Former Muslim rebels in SE Asia have embraced the teachings of God and been baptized! Read more about it here.

#BeAmazedRHCC! Indian Pastor, after 10 years in the USA returned to his homeland to carry on the work of his missionary father. Read the story: http://tinyurl.com/gwbjwcr

#BeAmazedRHCC! God is at work in: MONGOLIA

When we started in Mongolia, there were only about 5 pastors and for years we thought planting 1,000 churches in Japan would be a big audacious goal. Mongolia now has more than 6% of the nation following Christ with a goal of reaching 10% by 2020. -Joe Handley, Asian Access, 11 December letter to RHCC Missions Commission

#BeAmazedRHCC! : Building Bridges to Followers of Islam

Last year a seasoned RHCC missionary Jenny Kottke joined Crescent Project to inspire, equip and serve the Church to reach Ms with the Gospel of Christ. They work toward their vision of a day when fear is replaced with love and millions of Christians are actively sharing the truth of Christ with millions of Ms from the streets of Redondo to Riyadh and everywhere in between. www.crescentproject.org. 

God is moving mightily in the mid-east. We have a number of Bible studies going on among non-believers (so far). It is hard to keep track of all of them. I think that over 50 people are involved with quite a few more wanting to do studies. Pray that the people in these groups meet Jesus and are born again. Pray also that these people tell others and see the groupsmultiply into many groups. -name withheld

“Missionaries working in the Islamic world noted that more Muslims have converted to Christianity in the last 14 years…. The number of converts in the recent period, they said, is greater than during the entire 14 centuries of Islamic history.” -Christianity Today, June 8, 2015

#BeAmazedRHCC! : God is at work among Asian Immigrants

Our Father God has brought children from the East to the USA in order to become His own. Asian Americans are the fastest growing people group in America with about 90% unchurched. RHCC Missionary Tom Steers of Ohana Partners (formerly Asian American Ministries, The Navigators) mentors Ohana leaders across the country and has a local ministry among Cambodians in Long Beach.

#‎BeAmazedRHCC‬ @rollinghillscovenantchurch! Founders of @rosepublishing were long time active members our church. God has done amazing things (around the world!) through the Bible reference, Christian Living & childrens resources published by this local team. Use the 25% off anniversary coupon and $1 for each item you purchase will go to build wells for families through @compassioninternational. Go Gretchen Goldsmith and Wittes! So proud of you!

• Despite Vietnam being a strictly controlled Communist country, believers excited tell others about Jesus and the Churches are growing and planting new churches. One of the many pastors we are mentoring there had 1500 conversions in his church last year. Another has the goal of planting one new church every year for the next 10 years.
• 100,000 people per day come to faith in Jesus—Global Media Outreach
• 38,880 people attended Franklin Graham’s outreach in Japan in 2015 with 1,480 making decisions for Jesus.
• Mongolia had only a handful of believers in 1990, but nearly 170,000 today.
• Nepal had less than 300 believers in 1980, but 1.6 million today.
• RHCC supports about 80 missionaries in 28 countries around the world.
• By 2030 China will have the most Christians.  At least 100 million maybe even 150 million so far.
• The hospital which RHCC has adopted in Loko Congo is the primary (and only) hospital for a population of 123,407 people.   Loko Hospital treated 12,341 patients in 2015
• Through SAT 7 approx. 20 million per day view Christian programming in the M.E.
• Of the 108 clinics in the Congo, 102 have now been adopted by Covenant churches in the U.S. Just six more to go!!

#BeAmazedRHCC: Global poverty is in free fall. http://www.vox.com/2015/12/24/10651338/2015-poverty-decline

‪#‎BeAmazedRHCC‬ that so many of us are mistaken about where the Syrian refugees are! "Very few are in Europe or the US. Of roughly 4.6 million Syrian refugees, 2.5 million are in Turkey, another 1 million in Lebanon, 635,000 in Jordan." Also amazed at the surprising news about conversions to Christianity among refugees. PRAY for those displaced by war, wherever they are, and pray for their future security...especially their eternal security! http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.php 

#BeAmazedRHCC! Rwanda

The Bridge2Rwanda Scholars Program has opened new "on ramps" onto the Bridge!
We have been often urged to build a Bridge2Malawi or a Bridge2Burundi or a Bridge2SouthSudan or a Bridge2Ethiopa.

Dig Deeper: Reports from Rwanda, Tom Allen (formerly RHCC member, Lawyer who took early retirement, doesn’t need financial support from GO) http://www.tomallen3.blogspot.com  http://bridge2rwanda.org

From Blog Bio: After 30 years as an attorney, I am now a typical Halftimer who is determined to move beyond success to significance. Inspired and convicted by three sons (Tommy, Nathan & Wesley) who live passionate and adventurous lives, I am now privileged to participate in the exciting social changes and development occurring in Rwanda and elsewhere in Africa, hoping to empower the desperately poor. But I must be very clear on this: I am just your average coward. Suffering and sacrifice are very foreign concepts to me. However, I now believe that life comfortably ensconced in a safe cocoon misses out on too much of what might be learned, experienced, and shared with others in the Majority World, many of whom are crying out in desperate need, and some of whom beam with smiles and contentment such as I have seldom seen. I want to know them and their lives.

#BeAmazedRHCC! God is on the move in Mozambique with spiritual openness to the word of God. Ten new churches were planted in 2015. Some gather for fellowship, singing and chanting without any understanding of God, but evangelists and pastors are sharing the truth of God’s Word in their midst. Alex & Melanie Viana grew up at RHCC and now serve as Covenant Missionaries.

#BeAmazedRHCC! Ending Treatable Diseases by 2020

More than half a billion children in the developing world have one of seven preventable diseases that keep children from going to school, parents from working and limit any chance families have of lifting themselves out of poverty. Without treatment, they can lead to lifelong disabilities, suffering or death. Only 50 cents can treat and protect one child against all seven diseases for one year! Formerly a member of RHCC, Michelle Brooks is currently the Policy Director, Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases in Washington DC. http://www.end7.org

Advice on Preparing for a Cross Cultural Marriage!

(written to my friend Shannon the Singaporean, marrying Rafael the Swiss this coming May)

Check out Marriage 365. Casey Caston was with CRM and traveled to Singapore to visit us. He’s done premarital counseling and officaited more weddings than any other officiant in Orange County California….then he keeps up with couples he’s married by way of Marriage 365. 

He’s really amazingly encouraging and so believes in helping marriages launch well and thrive (have not met Meygan but she seems pretty neat too). He left CRM because he could do this passion full time. I just wrote them to see what they recommend.

The one book I’ve heard the most people recommend as #1 is His Needs, Her Needs. 

Focus on the Family has a good book 

Your Intercultural Marriage 

Available from the Singapore Focus site

A short article you may have seen on cross cultural marriages:

When I look back THIRTY+ YEARS AGO, on our pre-marital counseling and prep, the best advice I can remember was:

1. Approach disagreements by sharing how you FEEL rather than blame. “Help me understand and process my feelings. As I look at the ____, it feels to me like… I know you are for me, and we are partners, but this feels wrong.” etc.
2. Agree on a maximum amount you as a couple can spend without checking with the other. It was a good way for us to grow in trust and accountblity in spending as a couple. AND turned out to be a GREAT excuse to use when people were trying to sell one of us something on the spot. “My husband and I have an agreement not to make any purchases over $50 without checking with the other.” Somewhere along the line we stopped doing this, but it was because we had learned we are both responsible with montha and pretty much in agreement on what we want to spend it on.
3. HEAD OFF potential IN-LAW issues re: Holidays and the time you will spend between families. 
4. Discuss between you two ahead of time where you would like to spend your holidays/time with family, when you are just a two-some and knowing it will change when/if you have children. Then manage THEIR expectations by letting your families know NOW what you’ve decided, so that you are not wearing yourselves out trying to please them all and not doing what is best for you. You can ask them if there’s anything in that plan they’d like for you to adjust, but at least you’ve set the precedent that YOU ARE A NEW FAMILY, and you are thinking ahead on these things that can cause great stress later. How you two expect to navigate your parents’ aging is also something you’ll need to talk about if you haven’t already. Big differences between family and cultural expectations with aging parents!