Thursday, March 29, 2012

Dear Faithful Prayer Warriors,

 I want to thank you so much for lifting up the last trip to the villages of Santa Clara and Santa Rosa a couple of weeks ago.  As a result the Lord moved mightily through our combined intercession and I am scheduled to go back April 6 – 12over the Easter weekend.

 I am excited to share with you that while in the village of Santa Rosa we had a small women’s meeting with 5 women who had some questions about the changes that they had seen in Maria, a strong Christian Shawi Indian that came with me to minister and was translating for me.  This eventually led us to discuss the women’s belief system and what practices they perform to complete their religious obligations.  It was revealed that they make sacrifices to Mother Earth, rain, certain trees believed to have power and some other things.  As we talked the women told Maria that they don’t sacrifice to the trees anymore since they’ve been hearing the Word of God from me and from the people that I’ve brought over the last five years, especially the Shawi pastors and their wives. Glory to God the Word is going forth!

 I was thrilled to be able to explain to the women that since all of them had prayed to ask Jesus into their hearts they now had to take the next step in ceasing the worship of idols and any other practice that is contrary to the Word of God.  They were very willing to do this and so I suggested that they gather up all their idols and everything they use to perform the sacrifices and burn them as an act of repentance and commitment to make the Lord their only God.  They wanted to do this but they said that they men are in charge of these things and they would have to agree to it first.  Apparently the women prepare the sacrifices but the men actually perform it.

 That evening in a combined service I presented this same challenge to the men since most, if not all had also prayed to ask Jesus into their hearts.  There was an affirmative answer from them, although not as strong as the women’s, and so I suggested that we do this on my return trip during Easter weekend and invite Santa Clara to do the same.  For all that will do this we will lead them in a prayer to renounce the practices and renew their commitment to Christ then have a baptism followed by communion at the evening service.

 I want to thank each of you so very much for standing with me in prayer for these communities. What a thrill to be able to work together to see such break throughs happen through our combined intercession so that the Kingdom of God can advance.  God bless you all for everything that you are doing for this work.

The prayer requests for this next trip (April 6-12) are:

1) That everyone, without exception in both villages will participate in this act.

2) That the Lord will move mightily through this and they will sense the presence of the Lord in their lives stronger than ever as a result of this act of obedience.

3) Protection over us as we travel.

4) That there be no rain during our travel back and forth or during the day so that the people come out for the meetings.

5) Wisdom to do all that the Lord has put in our hearts so that He will have His way in these villages.

6) Anything else that the Lord shows you.

PERUSING PERU

March, 2011
"Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest." John 4:35
 
This scripture couldn't be more true for the people in the village of Santa Clara as the Lord gloriously brought ten more of His loved ones into the Kingdom! This last trip to visit the two villages of Santa Rosa and Santa Clara proved to be an incredibly fruitful one, especially for this village.

Santa Clara is a small village of 11 families, several of which are the village leader's children and their families. The women in this village speak more Spanish than others and so they have had the advantage of hearing the Gospel presented in both Spanish and more recently in Shawi, several times over the past four years. Since November, however, they have been able to hear the Gospel in their own language on various occasions through the Shawi pastors who have been traveling with me since then. Although the Word has continued to go forth through the pastors' preaching, Christian films and an audio dramatized version of the Bible the hearts of these villagers were not moved enough to come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.that is until Monday, March 14.

On this night we showed a Christian film as we had done in the past, followed by a brief preaching by Pastor Algusto, whom they have heard before. When it was time to close the meeting Pastor Algusto asked me if I had anything that I would like to share and so feeling prompted by the Holy Spirit I asked if anyone would like to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Although we had done this before as well this time something of what they heard in the preaching clicked and before I could finish the invitation several hands went up! I thought for sure they couldn't have understood my Spanish so I repeated it again but this time with more detail and again before I could finish hands went up wanting to know Jesus!

Finally convinced that this was real we invited those who raised their hands to come forward so that we could pray with them individually and to my amazement it wasn't the men who responded at all. It was the women and the children! I knew I had seen a miracle in Santa Rosa when the first person to respond to a salvation message was a woman but this was just as incredible. A total of ten people, consisting of women and children finally came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ in the village of Santa Clara! God is truly at work in these villages and the time is now for the harvest to be brought in.
 
The next day the village leader (upper left hand corner in white tee shirt) and his son-in-law (blue tee shirt squating next to him) came back from hunting in the jungle all day with a wild boar and some other animals they had killed and invited us along with the rest of the village to feast on the kill. It was a special and joyful time since this much meat meant that everyone could have at least one healthy meal for the week (or weeks to come).

The impact of the Word of God was so great on these people that as we were preparing to leave several people strongly asked the pastors if they would please stay in the village to teach them the Word of God. Even some of the teenage girls asked Pastor Jonas' daughter to live with them so that she could teach them about God! The hunger is so great in these communities and their hearts are so open to receive all that the Lord has for them. Our goal is to provide them with discipleship training and material that can be left for them to continue studying when the river is too dry for us to get in. As the Lord leads you please keep the villages of Santa Rosa and Santa Clara in your prayers so that leaders can be raised up from within the communities that can pastor their people.

With that in mind we are planning another trip to these same two villages on Tuesday, March 19 until Monday, March 26. My prayer is that since so  many families have been impacted with the Truth of God that this Easter will have a deeper meaning to them. Please join with me in praying for these new believers and for this trip according to the following points:

• Safety as we travel on the river.
• Wisdom to know how to minister according to the needs of the people as the Lord directs.
• The hearts and minds of the people will continue to be open and hungry for more of God.
• No opposition from the enemy in any form that would hinder God's Word from going forth.
• Anything else that the Lord lays on your heart to pray.

PERUSING PERU
February, 2011

Faith Becomes Sight in the Villages of the Shishinahua River! (See photos below)

Several God-appointed things happened on this last trip to the Shishinahua River. We went to minister the Word of God in two Shawi Indian villages named Santa Clara and Santa Rosa as well as check on the water filters that were done this past November. The answers to prayer came before we ever left the town that I live in, Yurimaguas, in the form of not one but two Shawi Indian pastors and their Shawi-speaking wives agreed to travel with me on this trip. One of the pastors also brought a new convert from his church, which made our team a total of five Shawi-speakers that could minister to the people in their own native tongue! I can't begin to express to you how tremendous this was since I have been praying for four years to have people travel with me that can minister in the Shawi language.

After the 12-hour boat ride it took to reach these villages we started our work in Santa Clara by visiting house to house to check on the water filters. This not only gave me the opportunity to see how well the water filters were being used but also gave us the opportunity to share the Gospel with each family. When we got to the house of Ruberto, an older gentleman that had just recently finished making his thatched-roof home, we checked his water filter and saw that it needed to have some adjustments. We explained that we would do this when we returned on the next trip and then proceeded to share the Gospel with him. The two pastors spoke to him in Shawi and then gave him the opportunity to respond by asking Jesus to come into his heart. Because he had heard this on different occasions through the Christian films that I had brought in the past, the audio New Testament, and my own sharing of the Gospel with the community he was very ready to make a commitment to the Lord and so on February 20, 2011 Ruberto became a son of God!

We continued to have church meetings in Santa Clara where the Word of God went forth in the same ways as mentioned above except instead of me preaching the Shawi pastors shared the Word in their language resulting in a hunger for more of God and teaching on Christian principles. We completed our time in Santa Clara and then made our way about 30 minutes down river to the village of Santa Rosa where we followed the same procedure of checking the water filters and presenting the Gospel house to house followed by church services in the afternoon. In this village however there was a much stronger response to the Gospel. The people in this community were very open and respectful when the Word was going forth and so allowed the Holy Spirit to touch their hearts with His Truth. Pastors Rufino and Algusto took turns preaching the Gospel and on alternate meetings we showed Christian evangelistic films.

On the last night of our stay Pastor Algusto preached a message on Lazarus and the rich man. He explained how real heaven and hell are and that when we die there is no possibility for one side to cross over to the other and then made the point that after death there is also no longer any opportunity to receive forgiveness or redemption. He shared many other things from this passage but this point seemed to be the one that pierced the hearts of the people.

As he was in the process of ending his message and giving an invitation to accept Christ a woman from the back of the room raised her hand before he could finish. My first response was concern because quite often when the women and children are disinterested in what is going on or don't understand what is being said they can be very disruptive and so I thought that she was going to distract from this very crucial moment. As I watched her try unsuccessfully to get Pastor Algusto's attention she finally leaned over to the wife of Pastor Rufino and whispered something in her ear. When I asked Eloisa what she said she explained to me that the woman wanted to know how to get saved! Eloisa told her to listen to the pastor and he will explain and sure enough in the next moment he invited anyone who wanted to ask Jesus into their hearts to raise their hand. Instantly her hand was up and so Pastor Algusto called her forward. In the Shawi Indian culture, like so many Indian groups, one does not draw attention to themselves but this is especially true for females. Therefore for this woman to be the only who raised her hand in a public meeting and then to respond by coming forward in front of all her peers is nothing short of a miracle and evidence that the Holy Spirit was truly working in her heart strong enough to cause her to do this. With just as much boldness she had when she raised her hand twice before she defiantly got up out of her seat and marched down front before all of her neighbors and friends risking their comments and snickering and patiently waited as Pastor Algusto completed his invitation. Instead of the expected teasing the woman's boldness triggered an avalanche of response from the others and immediately several other women also got up from their seats and came forward as did several of the men. The reception of the Word of God and the open hearts to His saving grace left all of us who where Christians speechless and awestruck over what the Lord was doing. Tears of joy filled our eyes as we watched a total of 11 Shawi Indians from the village of Santa Rosa invite Jesus Christ into their hearts as their personal Lord and Savior! What a moment. Although the five people who traveled with me were clearly effected by what they saw they could not begin to match the inexpressible, overwhelming joy I was experiencing at that moment as I watched faith become sight right before my eyes. Four years of plowing the field, planting the seeds and watering had now finally manifested into a ripe and golden harvest of souls. Can you rejoice with me my fellow labors in this glorious soul-gathering for the Kingdom? This is just as much your reward as it is mine for you too have labored in prayer to bring in the lost. It is for this that all the hardship that brought us to this point seems little compared to what is happening in heaven right now for all of our new brothers and sisters in Christ.

The blessings of what happened that day do not end here however. The woman's name, who was the first to respond, is Presentaciòn and is the wife of one of the village leaders named Miguel who also came forward to accept Christ. There were two other couples, another village leader and some men and women that were included in harvest that day. Potentially a total of three families have the Spirit of God working in their family unit and two of the three village leaders can now be influenced by the Holy Spirit as
they direct this community of 14 families. My prayer is for the growth and development of this community in their new found faith and that one day soon they will take on the burden of evangelizing their neighboring villages.

Will you continue to pray with me for the villages of Santa Clara, where Ruberto accepted Christ and several others were clearly affected, and Santa Rosa where 11 people accepted the Lord and countless others had seeds planted in their hearts? I will be returning to these villages on March 12 for 7 to 10 days to do follow-up on the conversions in the form of discipleship classes and preaching with another Shawi Indian pastor (not of the ones that traveled with me this last time) and his daughter. Please pray for the following prayer points as together we establish the Kingdom of God in these villages:

1) Strong safety as we travel as this is the rainy season and so makes river travel more risky.

2) Wisdom in preparing the discipleship material since most do not read well or read at all.

3) That the Spirit of God will continue to work in the minds and hearts of everyone in both villages to assure a full salvation with the clear conviction of the love of God for each one.

4) Any opposition from the enemy to stop or hinder the work of the Lord will be thwarted before it ever gets started. There are two strong religious groups on this river that could be used by the enemy to do this.

5) Anything else that the Lord shows you concerning this work.


Words seem too lame to express my deepest gratitude to all of you who have stood in the gap and sacrificed for this work through your prayers, love, encouragement and financial giving. Because we have joined together souls have been snatched out of the fires of hell and added to the Kingdom of God forever. God bless each of you in your labor of love for this ministry and thank you again for joining with me.

Together with you in the Harvest,
Sharon Malcolm

Dear Partners:

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! In a few weeks, this will be the theme in many communities across the world. While some may celebrate the reality of His coming into their lives as King, Lord and Savior, there
are yet many around us and in distant lands who desperately need to hear of Jesus the Christ. He alone deserves our total devotion. The impetus for our work remains the promise made by the Lord Jesus in John 8:12 "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" and we are grateful for the support you have provided towards this end.

Next month, Jonathan Young (MD), Jerrice Prince (RN), Sinthia Perez, Peter Akufongwe, Madison Ngafeeson and JNE will join our team in Cameroon for evangelistic and medical outreaches in the villages of Lysoka and Maumu, and the town of Muyuka. We have been warned of a prevailing forces of witchcraft and satanic worship in the areas we feel led to and we are confident that the Lion of Judah will roar once more and His Light will shine so bright and dispel darkness.

We will also be involved with the children at HOTPEC Orphanage. This month, the orphanage will be dedicating a new baby unit donated by a foundation in the UK. We would like to offer a Christmas meal to the entire HOTPEC family - please consider sending a Christmas gift for a child at HOTPEC.

We are happy to report that the two containers shipped to Cameroon arrived in good time. The first container was released within a week and the removal of the second container is underway. Customs officials have advised us that without the waiver granted by the Cameroon government, duty would have amounted to over $15,000 for the first container. Provisional estimates for the second container already exceed $10,000. We are thankful to all those
who prayed, donated items and assisted with loading them. The Lord also blessed us with 14 men in Buea who took 4 hours one night to empty the first container. Yeah God!!!

As we prepare to head to Cameroon, we need your committed prayers and your support towards expenses associated with air tickets for the team, funds for the outreaches, Christmas meal for HOTPEC and Pastors children ,etc. All gifts to HOIM are tax deductible. Online donations at www.hopeoutreachinternational.org are appreciated (Paypal deducts a fee), even better, gifts can be sent to:

HOIM
10993 N Harrell's Ferry Road
Baton Rouge, LA 70816

We are confident that the Lord will continue to watch over you and yours and we pray that you keep your focus on His unchanging faithfulness amid changes in and around us. May His love and compassion steady you and your family during these closing hours and may our hearts hunger for His return as we devote ourselves to the expansion of His Kingdom.

In His love, Julius N. Esunge