Behold! I Bring You Good Tidings…!

By Tamara Neely

YWAM Americas Field Director, Jim Stier, inspired this edition of the IY when he told me that he thought the Christian Magna Carta presented a perfect strategy for our goal of making disciples of all nations – it starts by changing lives and ends up changing nations.

A few months ago, YWAM’s Global Day of Prayer (www.prayerday.org) focused on the Christian Magna Carta, a document which declares YWAM’s commitment to work on behalf of all people that they might obtain those human rights which are implicit in the gospel. This includes the right of all people to hear the gospel of Jesus and to have a Bible translated into their own language, have fellowship with other believers, and acquire the basic necessities of life – food, water, clothing, shelter and health care, as well as the right to lead a productive, fulfilling life. (For the full text, see the documents library on old.ywam.org)

This issue of the IY explores how YWAM teams are keeping that commitment and demonstrating how God’s Kingdom comes on earth when His work is done. It was impossible to keep it short! Every submission was inspiring – each one will make you proud to be a YWAMer!

These stories echo in my head. When self-pity circles, they remind me how blessed I am to be in a position to serve others. When despair threatens, they throw hope at me. When doubt whispers, they shout FAITH! They bear witness to the fulfillment of God’s promise in

Isaiah 9:2 – “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned!”

Merry Christmas!

The Kingdom is Here!

The Right to a Healthy Community

by G. Stephen Goode.

Some Pharisees asked Jesus when God’s kingdom would come. He answered, “God’s kingdom isn’t something you can see. There is no use saying, `Look! Here it is’ or `Look! There it is.’ God’s kingdom is here with you.” Luke 17:20-21

What do the values of the Kingdom of God look like in a country where freedom of religion is restricted… with a government that is Communist… where the International Fund of Agricultural Development (IFAD) reports that 17.7 % of the population of 86 million people live on less than 1 US dollar per day … or where women have less education, little voice and fewer opportunities than men despite bearing heavy responsibilities?

YWAM team leader JR meets regularly with government leaders and local families in the Southeast Asia nation where she serves. Their goal is to assess the needs of the community, with the people who live in the community, and to empower them to pursue solutions. This is what Kingdom living looks like there…

…Animal excrement flowed openly through the village in one of the most polluted communes I have ever seen. JR and her team showed families how to turn this awful situation around through the use of more than 800 bio-gas units. Clean stalls for animals prevent disease and provide free methane gas for cooking. Other villages are learning from them as women and children save hours every day by not having to cut and transport wood.

…The team is also committed to influencing local families through early child care and development, whether their children are in school or not. The local preschool teachers organise concerts about early childhood care where the whole community takes part. Most of the village turned up for a recent concert where humour was used in songs, skits and dances to address difficult issues affecting families in the area. JR was delighted when the teachers came on stage in their beautiful national dress, singing, “YWAM is investing in our future. YWAM is helping us care for our children!”

…In a rubbish-strewn village which seemed to be beyond help, it was the village drunk who had a solution. He shared about his dream of making this village a clean village. I simply encouraged him in his dream while JR and the team facilitated a model of waste management which turned this into the cleanest village in the area, profiled on national TV. The village drunk is now a respected man who has shown the power of a dream being fulfilled.

JR recently had lunch with high government leaders from her nation and the nation in Southeast Asia where she serves. Their conversation was about the poor, women and children and the vulnerable and about what JR and YWAM are accomplishing as they champion the dreams and ideas of local people to help alleviate poverty in this country.

When I visit JR and her team, when I meet with government officials and community leaders who want to help their nations, I see the Kingdom of God has come and is coming. Through Kingdom living people feel valuable and empowered and they become a part of the process of improving their own lives. A simple idea but one that Jesus modeled.

Steve Goode is YWAM’s International Director for Mercy Ministries.

The Human Rights Controversy

The Right to Human Rights

by Philip S. Powell

On 23rd June 2007, a 43-year-old Indian woman from a Dalit (untouchable) caste background was beaten to death in the Indian state of Bihar. The crime she committed was resisting the theft of her crops by two upper caste men. A few months earlier in the same state, an upper caste man chopped off the fingers of a young Dalit girl because she had stolen some spinach from his field.

What should our response be to such barbarous acts of cruelty? Should the fight against oppression and the inhumane treatment of people be the concern of every Christian?

Our Lord Jesus commanded us to love our neighbours as ourselves (Matthew 22:39). We must ask ourselves – does the Bible make any exceptions to loving our neighbours? No. Can the act of protecting the life of another be considered an act of love? Yes. One of the ways we can love our neighbours, therefore, is by advocating for the protection and promotion of their human rights.

The idea of human rights is based on the notion that all human beings everywhere have inherent dignity and worth given to them by God, and no human being, institution or state should ever be allowed to violate the human rights of a person. Proverbs 31:9 declares “Defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

A friend of mine once said in frustration, “Human rights are a great idea, it is just that humans get in the way of it.” In today’s world advocating for human rights has become a religion without god, and there is a real danger in using a human rights framework in the struggle against social injustice. So is the only option for Christians to reject advocating for human rights as idolatrous and a distraction from missionary work? The only Christians I have met who would agree are those who come from nations which enjoy the highest levels of civil and political rights.

The concept of human rights is a powerful tool, and as YWAM we must not be afraid of using it to fulfil the Great Commission. The Christian message to the world is that only God has the power to save us from our sin and only God is able to make it possible for us to live the ideals of human rights for all. As YWAMers, let us not simply make it our mission to reject the false religion of human rights, but instead let us make known to the world the God who became human to save humans, and let us be known in the world as people who love our neighbours as ourselves through advocating for the basic rights of all human beings.

In 1948, against the backdrop of the terrible devastations of World War II, all the nations of the world came together to affirm the inherent dignity and worth of all human beings. They adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the highest international standard for how governments and other institutions should treat people irrespective of gender, age, ethnicity or religion. This year is the 60th anniversary of the UDHR. YWAM’s Centre for International Justice and Reconciliation (CIJR) is hosting a day-long conference on December 13th to celebrate the achievements of the UDHR, and also to critically engage with the failures of human rights worldwide.

Over 100 years ago, Scottish author and minister, George MacDonald wrote, “Justice to be truly justice must be more than justice. Love is the law of our condition, without which we can no more render justice than a man can keep a straight line walking in the dark.” (From ‘Love Thine Enemies’, Unspoken Sermons, First Series, 1867).

May God use YWAM as an instrument to bring His justice into our world.

Philip Powell is the Director of the Centre for International Justice and Reconciliation (CIJR). CIJR is the public policy and advocacy ministry of Youth With A Mission – England, focused on being a voice for the voiceless at the United Nations. Visit their website at : www.cijr.org

Giving The Gospel With Two Hands

The Right to Water and the Gospel

by Richard Malabon

The idea of presenting the gospel in a rural part of Central Asia with two hands – meeting physical needs with one hand, and spiritual needs with the other – was our vision. So when God opened the door for our team to design and implement a drinking water and health education project we went through it, keeping in the front of our minds that God was interested in helping people physically and spiritually together. We were not drilling wells in order to share the gospel; we were drilling wells as part of sharing the gospel. And through prayer, words and deeds we tried to show that good news went far beyond clean water, pointing to Jesus himself.

Through this project we brought safer and more accessible drinking water to 25,000 people and provided relevant health education as well. The YWAM team consisted of both expat and national workers who established a working office which hired a number of local residents to help implement the project. None of them were believers in the beginning, but we saw God working through us, first among these local staff and then among the people who benefited from the project.

From the beginning, we emphasized to the staff that God wanted to help people through us and that their lives were important to him. So we prayed at staff meetings with believers and non-believers together. The local staff commented on how the atmosphere in the office was different and how they felt valued; they appreciated that their ideas were listened to. Other trainers came from the capital city to the site for the drilling and health education, all of whom were national believers. They too interacted with the local staff with respect and love. At times the trainers were able to openly share the gospel one-on-one and pray with some staff. Over time, a number of these local people came to know Jesus and were able to continue in the same ministry they had been doing, but now with the experience of God’s forgiveness. In this way, many were discipled in the faith, prior to accepting the Lord.

In the project work itself, we emphasized that good health involved our whole being: physical, mental, social and spiritual, and we facilitated many discussions about this. Due to the political situation in the country we were working in, we could not teach openly about Jesus, but we could introduce biblical truths along with lessons in physical health. We addressed topics such as disease transmission and basic hygiene, as well as gossip, forgiveness and good relationships. Participants commented that the spiritual lessons were the most interesting, as they had never really discussed these ideas before. One woman, after participating in the discussion on forgiveness announced that she had been estranged from her mother for 18 years, but that she would go to her that very day and be reconciled – and she was! By introducing such important topics we had opportunities to talk with participants outside of the formal lessons and we saw a handful of them come to know Christ. We know many others were touched by the truth of the gospel.

After a few years this project was forced to end, and the YWAM team eventually had to move out. But those that had come to the Lord were already formed into a growing house church with a vision to continue serving their community both physically as well as spiritually. The two-handed gospel lives on through them.

Richard (not his real name) serves with a YWAM team in Central Asia.

Hope and Help to Earthquake Victims

The Right to Clothing, Food and Lip Balm.

by Barbara Russell

On October 5th, 2008, an earthquake shattered the village of Nura in southern Kyrgyzstan. 75 people died and over 150 were injured.

A YWAM response team partnered with other large international NGO’s who were overseeing the broad relief efforts in Nura. Their goal was to express the compassion of Jesus with hands and with words. The response team has several years of experience in community development and relief work in this region and was able to respond quickly to the earthquake and also receive emergency donations. A member of the team sends this report:

“The Lord had put it on my heart to buy 200 outfits. We didn’t have enough money for that, but each of the team kept coming back from the shops with the items required plus money left over! So we ended up with the 200 outfits plus extra vests, shampoos, soaps, and face cream and lip balm because I remembered how chapped the faces and lips of the ladies became when exposed to the cold weather. We also distributed food packages and cooking utensils.”

“We arrived in Nura and began to distribute the supplies. A local believer working with us spoke to the survivors, began to pray for them, and tell them the gifts were from Christians who care and who know what happened to them. Everyone was touched, particularly by the face cream and lip balm, which showed we had remembered their needs. “

“We spent time with the survivors in their village – they were living now in storage containers provided by the government. We prayed with them, and spoke to them of the love of God. The people were so thankful, and hungry for hope as much as the supplies, and were blessed as much by the Bibles as anything.”

“As we prepared to go, the village leader spoke to me. With tears in his eyes, he thanked us for coming. Then he said that they had received relief from other people, but only material goods. He said we were the only people who brought them spiritual food. He thanked me for the Bibles, and said that his wish and prayer was that every person would read the books we brought and would live by them.”

Teams in this region are engaged in other development projects. For information, please contact: CARO@ywam.org

Barbara (not her real name) serves with a YWAM team in Central Asia.

Why not Women – in Pakistan?

The Right to Education and Fulfilment

by Rosemary James

God loves women and wants to respond to the injustice and oppression many of them experience in nations like Pakistan where many women struggle to survive. Our YWAM Pakistan DTS started in September and it is evident that God wants to restore women into their sense of significance and destiny. Not that the young men are left out! Rather, they witness the way God respects, honours and blesses ALL people, including women.

Women leaders are few and far between in Pakistan, especially from the Christian community. Women are born into their religious group and suffer as members of a minority religion. They are told they are responsible for the sins of Adam and blamed for numerous problems. In some regions, domestic violence afflicts at least 80% of households and is held to be the ‘norm’. Health care and education for women are insufficient, resulting in a legacy of suffering for their children.

But times are changing. God is reaching out to a new generation. Saira, a DTS student, is someone who is responding to God’s love. Born into a very poor family with an abusive father who wanted her to work as a seamstress from age 10 to earn money to support his drug habit, Saira was sponsored by YWAM’s House of Shelter team in London, England. They provided finances for her school fees and other needs. Saira worked hard and excelled in her studies, despite the prejudice of educators and fellow students who believed that Christians did not pursue higher education – and certainly not women! Saira struggled on, taking notes for her studies in the empty spaces of a neighbour’s newspaper when paper was unaffordable. She rose at 4am every day to pray, help her mother and study.

Saira was accepted for a Master’s degree program in chemistry and qualified with distinction. She says, “Daily I was taunted by fellow students. They were all Muslim young men. They kept telling me women, particularly Christian women, should not study nuclear sciences. They insulted my faith and harassed me daily. I am so grateful to God who helped me through the YWAM team and allowed me to achieve my best.

I held onto my God. Now I am learning other things. The DTS has taught me God’s character, filled me with confidence and shown me the value of being a woman. I have already stood before crowds and managed small groups or work duty crews. I have put the boys to work!”

In addition to the DTS and her chemistry degree, Saira has been studying the new revision of the Gospel of Matthew in Urdu, with explanatory notes, which was completed last year by YWAM Pakistan chairman, Zafar Francis, and published by the UofN Press, UK. Saira says, “I now finally understand the Kingdom of God, I have forgiven my father and been healed inside. Women here do not believe they can be leaders, but God has a plan for each of us and I am included!”

YWAM Pakistan is a registered Christian social welfare Society in Pakistan

For information on how you can help YWAM Pakistan invest in the lives of women in Pakistan, email : mail@ywampakistan.com or visit : www.ywampakistan.com

A Moment in YWAM –

The January 1972 School of Evangelism admires the winter scenery at Chalet à Gobet, Lausanne, Switzerland. Were you in this SOE? Where are you now? Tell us about it at iy@ywam.org

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