Cyber-Prayer Meetings
by Andrew Jones

Tuesday nights at 8:30 p.m. prompt, 24 people from four different towns meet in, or rather, on one place: the Internet.

Believers in Uruguay from the Grace Brethren Church of Montevideo have found a way to spend time praying together without having to gather in the same place. Skype, the popular web communication tool, has proven more than a telephone for these believers, but a room in which they can all hear each other.

“We firmly believe that prayer is an evangelistic tool,” says Daniel Barbitta, a missionary serving in Montevideo. He says that meeting on Sunday for worship is only part of the church’s priority. “This time,” he says of the Tuesday night cyber-gatherings, “has helped us to improve our commitment with prayer, which is the most important tool for winning spiritual battles.”

Reaching the Fulanis

In February 2009, Wilfried Dengler, a National Ministry Partner from Germany, began a three-year term in the Central African Republic working with the Fulanis.  “I am a gardener and work the soil alongside the Fulanis, not only planting seeds for their livelihood, but also planting seeds of faith,” says Wilfried. The Fulanis were always nomadic or semi-nomadic cattle herders. They were wealthy because most of the Central Africans, the Bantu, do not raise cattle and always relied on the Fulanis to provide them. But the 2002-2003 civil war changed all that when many Fulanis lost their cattle and way of living.

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Faithfulness

…a Journey of Trust
by Anna Boze

May the God of peace … equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ (Hebrews 13:20-21).

My journey toward trusting God with my finances began with His provision: the gift of redemption and everything needed for living according to His will. Through every unexpected turn, I see evidence of His mercy and faithfulness because His purposes are always higher than my own.

Tough experiences often demonstrate God’s faithfulness more clearly than when everything appears to make sense. Four years ago, I began losing weight rapidly without any clear explanation. continue reading

Nao Makino: Searching for Purpose, Discovering Relationship

by Andrew Jones

Nao Makino was looking for purpose...in Sitka, Alaska. Shortly after graduating from a university with a degree in economics, he left for a three-month backpacking trip to Alaska chasing an improbable dream. He was inspired by a documentary about Michio Hoshino, a Japanese photographer renowned for his breathtaking pictures of 
the Alaskan wilderness.

“I thought it would be better than what I was experiencing in Tokyo,” he said. What he was experiencing in Japan was a culture that pressured him to be materially successful. But Nao decided there must be more to life than universities and careers. As he would discover in Sitka, there was... continue reading