Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Our Readers Write

● Many new immigrants from Mainland China are finding their way to our church to enquire about the Christian faith. Many have never heard of God or Jesus before. God has given me the privilege (and challenge) to explain God’s Word to them. How to Find God is the first book I give to them, and they are very pleased to receive it. God bless!—Bette

● Our Women’s Ministry would like to get some Bibles for the kids in our youth group (high school). What would you recommend? Some of them don’t come from good homes and have very little Bible knowledge.—Susan

● Thank you so much for the prompt delivery of the Bibles I requested. One of them will be sent to a young boy I counselled at camp last summer.—Ron

● As a member of the newly formed Salvation Riders Motorcycle Club, an evangelistic outreach, I am looking for Bibles to distribute at motorcycle shows. We have seen the one used by the Christian Bikers Association and find that they are very pleased with it. Please send us information on how we can obtain a hundred of these Scriptures, as well as any related to truckers, police, firefighters, and others.—Carolyn

● Please send me a New Testament. I read my son’s Bible when I was staying with him. It’s easy to read and understand. I found I could “keep on reading” because of the easy translation and explanations, but I do not have one of my own.—Michelle

Bible Reading Program


Family Life Centre, a program of Union Gospel Mission in Winnipeg, hosts a Women’s Gospel Meeting every Wednesday at 12 noon. Lunch is served, followed by a Gospel presentation. Clothing and food bags are then distributed. Other Bible programs are conducted throughout the week.
The Word of God continues to be the main focus of the women’s ministries. Each of the thirty-four women who completed the six-week Bible Reading program received a diploma and a How to Find God New Testament (from LifeLight Ministries) We congratulate these women and celebrate with them the place that the Word of God has in each of their lives.

GOD MAKES A DIFFERENCE

Permanent or Temporary Change?
A scientist came to me the year he retired. He claimed to be an atheist, but he was in trouble because his son Stewart was going blind. He had lost most of his peripheral eyesight, and the doctor said his tunnel vision would also be gone and everything would be totally black by age thirty. His wife had become a Christian six year earlier, and he was angry with her. But now that the doctors had given up on Stewart, he said to her, “What will we do? It has been over two years, and Stewart will be blind.”
She asked him if he was willing to try anything, and he agreed that he would do anything for his son. She told him, “Go see Al Friesen.” He responded, “I will not go see him.” But, behind her back, he called me but didn’t really know what to ask. I told him he wanted change in his family, and he said, “Yes, that is what I want!”
I asked him whether he wanted permanent change or temporary change. He responded, “What kind of question is that! Of course I want permanent change. Everyone does!”
“There is one recipe for permanent change and about a million for temporary change,” I told him.”
“As a scientist, I would like the one recipe, please,” he answered. I suggested to him that he was not firing on all five cylinders—emotionally, socially, mentally, physically and spiritually.
“Spiritually?” he asked, “I am an atheist.” I told him that atheism is actually a religion!
“Let’s imagine,” I said, “you and I are on an escalator going down. Just in front of us is a woman on crutches. Because I hate crutches, I kick them out from under her and she goes tumbling down the stairs, taking others with her. What would you do?”
He said, “I would attack you and leave you in a puddle of blood!”
“Exactly,” I answered. “You have been kicking the crutches from your wife’s spiritual body for six years. If I would use your measure, I would rip off your ears, break your nose, carve up your tongue and poke out your eyes.” He just looked at me for a moment and then, with tears, in his eyes, asked me to lead him to Jesus.
His next question was, “Now, what do I do?” I gave him a Bible and told him to go home, wrap his arms around his sweetheart and ask for forgiveness for kicking the crutches from under her. “Then tell her, ‘Since God’s number one purpose for us is to honour Him and Jesus teaches us to present our needs to Him, let’s combine the two and pray.’ Tell the Lord to use Stewart’s blindness to honour His name in a huge way and to make your family strong enough for whatever that means.”
Three days later Stewart had his three-month check-up. It took a long time, but eventually the specialist came out and said, “Sir, sorry for the long wait, but my technology people have made some mistakes the past three times your son was here. His eyesight is better today than it was a year ago, and that is not how this kind of blindness works.” This new Christian scientist offered a humble explanation of how he had given his life to Jesus and that he suspected that the Master Physician had played into this.
I could you tell story after story of how I use the Scriptures from LifeLight Ministries. The ones I use most are How to Find God and The Living LifeLight. I really appreciate the description at the beginning of the NT of how a person can begin walking with God and how to use the Bible as a help in this new walk.
Al Friesen

PETER’S TRAILS

Fisher River
A native pastor from Fisher River called me and invited me to attend the funeral of a 13-year-old boy and to hand out Scriptures. I was happy to go.
This was a very sad funeral. The boy who died had had an argument with his foster parents, and when they went to his room later, they found he had committed suicide. The boy’s father and uncle, who are both in prison in Alberta, were brought to the funeral, in chains, by four prison guards. After a visit with them, I offered each one a copy of The LifeLight, and all six of them gladly accepted it.
Following the funeral, the pastor requested that we go to the school at Fisher River, where we had not been previously, to hand out New Testaments. A month later Carl Whiteway and I returned and had the opportunity to distribute five hundred Scriptures in the school. The teachers were so happy, and one of them prayed aloud, thanking the Lord for these easy-to-read NTs.
Carl is a native, about sixty years old, and has a great love for the Lord and a desire to have his people to get to Him as well. He has gone with me on a number of trips to reserves and is waiting for the winter roads to freeze up so we can travel to the more isolated areas.
Peguis
Peguis claims to be the largest reserve in Manitoba. I met one of the Peguis councillors one day in Arborg, and he asked when we would bring New Testaments to their school. The Peguis School has about a hundred classrooms and approximately a thousand students. The students in Grade 4 and up each received a NT. I had been asked to bring nine hundred NTs: seven hundred for the students and two hundred for the staff. At the band office I left a box of Scriptures for the chief and councillors.
Jackhead
It had been three years since I had visited the Jackhead School, and Carl and I had a great time giving LifeLight NTs to the grades four to six students. One of the students welcomed us by saying, “I told you Pete was coming back, and here he is.” He turned to his brother and said, “Now you will have your own New Testament and don’t need to read mine anymore.”
Carl and I also visited Mr. Ross, a native pastor. He had asked me three years ago to come to the school. One time, when he came back after two weeks of holidays, he found that all his books at the church had been packed and a sign hung on the church door: “We don’t need you any longer.” Mr. Ross has a strong desire to serve the Lord, but now he has no church. Instead he teaches several weekly Bible studies and does a lot of personal witnessing. He asked for a case of The LifeLight to give away.
Pine Falls, Bissett, Sagkeeng
Henry Penner and I went to schools at Pine Falls and north of there. We distributed eight hundred Bibles that day. At Sagkeeng we handed out LifeLight NTs to grades four, five and six students. The teacher said he liked these Scriptures because they are easy to read and understand. At the high school the principal eventually accepted the NTs, although he was hesitant at first.
We left NTs at Pine Falls for the students in grades four to six. This was the first time we had been there. Since we had never been at the elementary school in Bissett, we gave New Testaments to all the students there.
Peter Loewen is on the LifeLight Ministries Board and travels to northern Manitoba regularly to distribute Bibles in the schools.

Not Enough Bibles

I am on the Board of Deacons at Rainbow Community Church in downtown Vancouver. I am writing to see if your organization would be able to assist us in our ministry of sharing the Good News with the poor and homeless in our area.
We have a worship service every Sunday at 6 p.m. and then serve a delicious home-cooked meal to about 150 people. Many of them are homeless, and many are dealing with HIV/AIDS, as well as drugs and alcohol addictions. We also serve a number of seniors and individuals with disabilities.
So many of these people are broken and hurting, and it warms my heart to see their hunger for the Word! Many have had their lives turned around after accepting Jesus as their Saviour and have been successful in getting off drugs and off the street, finding jobs and becoming productive citizens. But it grieves me that we can’t give a Bible to everyone who requests one.
We have a literature table set up in the dining room with a variety of inspirational materials, which we share with visitors. Every week we have many requests for Bibles, and we never seem to have enough to go around.
Peter Weir


Note: We frequently get requests like this from ministries that do not have the resources to purchase Scriptures. One of our goals is to provide these ministries with the Bibles they need, even if they are unable to give us a donation. In order to do this, we depend on the generosity of our many donors. If you would like to help us provide Scriptures specifically to those who are unable to give a donation, please mark your gift Free Scripture Fund.

Not Enough Bibles

I am on the Board of Deacons at Rainbow Community Church in downtown Vancouver. I am writing to see if your organization would be able to assist us in our ministry of sharing the Good News with the poor and homeless in our area.
We have a worship service every Sunday at 6 p.m. and then serve a delicious home-cooked meal to about 150 people. Many of them are homeless, and many are dealing with HIV/AIDS, as well as drugs and alcohol addictions. We also serve a number of seniors and individuals with disabilities.
So many of these people are broken and hurting, and it warms my heart to see their hunger for the Word! Many have had their lives turned around after accepting Jesus as their Saviour and have been successful in getting off drugs and off the street, finding jobs and becoming productive citizens. But it grieves me that we can’t give a Bible to everyone who requests one.
We have a literature table set up in the dining room with a variety of inspirational materials, which we share with visitors. Every week we have many requests for Bibles, and we never seem to have enough to go around.
Peter Weir

Note: We frequently get requests like this from ministries that do not have the resources to purchase Scriptures. One of our goals is to provide these ministries with the Bibles they need, even if they are unable to give us a donation. In order to do this, we depend on the generosity of our many donors. If you would like to help us provide Scriptures specifically to those who are unable to give a donation, please mark your gift Free Scripture Fund.

Offering New Life


Our association with LifeLight Ministries started three years ago when our youth group planned a yard sale. The young people were trained to share the gospel with those who came to browse or buy. It was a blessed day, and they gave out 176 LifeLight NTs and other Scripture portions. The $1200 that was raised was given to The Sanctuary, a Christian home for the homeless. We have used the easy-to-read LifeLight NTs since then for outreach.
In September we started a new assembly, New Life Bible Chapel, in Mississauga, Ontario. We are located in an area that has a large immigrant population, many of whom have never had the opportunity to hear the gospel. Our two main goals in starting this church are to reach out to the community with the gospel of Christ and to see Christians grow spiritually. Here again the Scriptures from LifeLight Ministries come in handy.
Prayerfully, we are putting together five hundred gift bags, each containing a copy of The LifeLight, a gospel CD, a Jesus DVD, a tract and our contact address.
As a church we are praying that we would be channels through whom God’s Word can reach the untouched hearts in our community, and we thank God for the faithful partnership of LifeLight Ministries in this important outreach. …my Word…shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it (Isaiah 55:11) is God’s attestation to the power of His Word.
Viji Roberts

Bibles Put to Good Use


We like to have plenty of Bibles on hand. Usually we order a case of the large-print NIV Bibles, which are used in the Bible study group that meets every Wednesday at the church. Invariably someone asks for a Bible, and it’s so good to have some on hand and simply give them away as gifts. We are so thankful for the opportunity to get Bibles from LifeLight Ministries for a small donation. If the recipients want to help with the costs, we suggest that they put a donation in the offering sometime.
We gave a Bible to a Christian woman who was very sick. As she lay dying in the hospital, we watched her son pick up her well-marked Bible, where she found the comfort needed during her last days on earth. The Lord called her home in September. It is good to see her son bring his mother’s Bible with him now when he comes to church.
We have also given Bibles for birthday gifts, Christmas gifts, or just as a gift to someone who needs one. They are much appreciated and put to good use.
Dennis & Amanda Anderson

Dennis and Amanda are missionaries in The Pas, Manitoba, with Northern Canada Evangelical Mission.

Western Lifestyle Attracts People

The Way for Cowboys has been a tremendous outreach tool for us at The Cowboy Church in Sherwood Park, Alberta. I (pastor) carry a couple of them with me at all times, as do a number of other people from our group. I frequently encounter people who start a conversation based on my everyday dress, and before you know it, the Lord provides an opportunity for me to share the gospel, give them a copy of the New Testament and tell them about our church.
This past summer our house band was privileged to perform for one of the special event days at Alberta’s Ukrainian Heritage Cultural Village. People with no church background at all stopped to enjoy the music, and we gave away many copies of The Way for Cowboys.
A few months ago I was at a cowboy gospel concert put on by the Rawlings Brothers. At this event I met a teen with an interest in the western lifestyle. I gave him a New Testament, and last month he appeared at one of our youth group events.
During the Canadian Finals Rodeo week in Edmonton, we stopped at a local restaurant. The waitress was an unchurched rodeo fan. I did not have the opportunity to share the gospel with her, but she was thrilled to get a copy of the NT for cowboys.
Wherever and whenever I meet people with an interest in the western lifestyle, I look for the opportunity to share the gospel with them and give them a New Testament. Often small children are quite uninhibited and thrilled to see a “real cowboy.” Their excitement often leads to a conversation with the parents and an opportunity to present them with a NT. The photos and testimonies of cowboys make them an attractive giveaway.
Many unchurched people have preconceived notions about church. Having these Scriptures as giveaways often breaks down walls and preconceptions and paves the way for them to come and check us out. We also have a table at our church with these NTs, and we have given out hundreds of them over the past three years.
Kevin Corbin

Bridging the Gap


Bridging the Gap is an event takes place annually on the Siksika Reserve. It’s an opportunity to bring natives and white people in contact with other and bridge the gap between them and help the Blackfoot people understand the love of God. Singers are brought in and experiences are shared. More than five thousand people attend this event, most of whom do not attend a Christian church.
For me it’s also an opportunity to distribute Scriptures, and it’s thrilling to hear the favourable responses from those who receive them.
Peter Loewen and I visited the college (university classes) in Siksika. Some of the teachers there are Christians, and they said they could make use of eighty Bibles. Later we left 120 copies of the The LifeLight at the crisis centre. One of the women had already received this NT at the college. She showed the others how much she had already read and was excited about how easy it was to read and understand. .
We get many positive responses to the Scriptures from churches and individuals who have received NTs. It helps if we take time to show them the special features of these New Testaments and share with them the testimonies and reports in the LifeLight Ministries newsletter, The LifeLight.

Alvin Lepp

Alvin Lepp is a missionary with Native Ministries Outreach of the Mennonite Church of Canada. He regularly visits reserves in Alberta

Broken Lives Restored

Hannah’s Place, Siloam Mission’s emergency shelter, opened its doors on May 1, 2007, to Winnipeg’s homeless. Hannah’s Place is located on Princess Street in Winnipeg and offers a hundred emergency shelter beds to Winnipeg’s less fortunate. A woman who stayed at Hannah’s Place on the opening night, commented to shelter staff, “This was the best night’s sleep I have had in many months.”
Jack*, a solvent abuser, is often high. He visited our shelter a few weeks after it opened and asked for a place to stay. Siloam Mission is a dry shelter, and we have a firm rule of non-intoxication. I explained to Jack that we would love to have him but not in an intoxicated condition. Two days later, Jack returned. “I’m okay, I’m okay,” he said with a smile.
I knew he was clean and happily let him in. After Jack had a shower he requested one last item: a Bible. The next morning Jack volunteered to clean up the shelter with some others who had stayed overnight. Jack continues to spend some nights at the shelter. He has become cleaner and more talkative and is making positive changes. A new beginning!
At Siloam Mission we see many broken lives. We also see that brokenness is a way to create new beginnings and, every day, we see lives being restored and filled with new hope. Together we can help make change happen in the hearts of Winnipeg’s less fortunate.
Recently a volunteer asked if we could use some Bibles in our emergency shelter. I told her we could, and shortly after Christmas two cases of Bibles from LifeLight Ministries were dropped off. This blessing will be used with great appreciation. We have an area at our front desk where we have books and magazines for patrons to read before bedtime. They can return them or keep them if they wish. Included are these Bibles, and we are happy to tell them that they are welcome to take them and keep them.

Wayne Smith

Soldiers Honoured


Two local heroes were honoured in Niverville, Manitoba, on January 6 at an event sponsored by Canada Awakening Ministries. Ringo Klassen and Gord May will be leaving for Afghanistan in February. A local band played the national anthem, and Pastor David Reimer opened the meeting in prayer. Greg Fehr welcomed the guests, and MLA Kelvin Goertzen brought greetings.
Roger Robert (Canadian Bible Society) presented Ringo and Gord with a special edition of the Bible specifically for those who are in the army. He also showed a powerful video clip, Operation Bible, which shows how eagerly Bibles are being requested and used by the Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan.
I had the privilege of presenting Bibles, Finding Hope Beyond the Battle, to three spouses of soldiers, as well as to several other relatives. This Bible, from LifeLight Ministries, is specifically designed for military families and has stories of military spouses and the fear, anger, loneliness and other challenges they face. These Bibles were gratefully received by family members who are believers, as well as some who are not yet believers.
Both Ringo and Gord gave a brief report on what their involvement will be in Afghanistan. Peter Braun, pastor of the Maranatha Good News Centre, the home church of Gord May’s family; and Nick Klassen, Ringo’s brother, led in prayer for the soldiers. They prayed for their protection and for peace between the various tribes in Afghanistan.
The final item on the program was a powerful prayer from Brian Doerksen's latest album, "Our Father in Heaven," a prayer for safety in the present and also for the ultimate permanent peace that will come with the coming of His Kingdom. Then the audience of two hundred, from all walks of life in Niverville, both churched and non-churched, prayed the Lord's Prayer together.
The families mixed and mingled for at least an hour afterwards, expressing support and the assurance of prayers to the family members.
We are so thankful for this opportunity to plant seeds in the hearts of people, and we know it will result in good fruit. A Bible especially for family members of people in the military is much more likely to be read than a generic edition of the Bible. Thank you to LifeLight Ministries for your part in this special evening.

Roger Armbruster

Roger and Marge Armbruster are bridge-builders who minister cross-culturally, Marge by teaching English to new immigrants in southern Manitoba, and Roger by helping to build the indigenous church in Canada’s North, particularly among the Inuit.

A Gentle Nudge

The idea came into my head in October, around the time of my birthday and Thanksgiving. First, it was like a nudge, a whisper, which I shrugged off as weird. Later, it became a persistent thought, one I could not shake. Then as the New Year dawned, it became a strong conviction that this venture was something God wanted me to just step into in faith
The idea was simple: Share about God with one unknown-to-me Canadian per month, chosen from a different province each month. I would simply pick a name from the phonebook, something I recall doing in Winnipeg during a Concert of Prayer for Canada. I would send the chosen person a “Good News Package” in the mail, though exactly what to put in it besides a personal letter and Christian music CD, I wasn’t sure yet.
No doubt, my church’s adult Sunday school series on witnessing provided some impetus for my plan. We were being challenged to get out of our comfort zones to reach non-Christians with the message of salvation in Christ.
We live in a country where people are more likely to know the names of ten brands of beer than the Ten Commandments. Does that concern us? Few Christians have a sense of urgency for the many lost souls who are unprepared for eternity. We are too much like that fireman in the US who was so busy fiddling around with the new radio in his fire truck that he was oblivious to the family trapped and perishing in the burning house beside him.
So January found me looking and praying for materials to put in the Good News surprise package for someone in Vancouver, B.C. It also found me at the optometrist’s office to get my glasses, which had been accidentally stepped on, fixed. As I was leaving, a sign on a nearby door caught my eye: Come in for your Free New Testament.
I recognized LifeLight Ministries as the organization that had provided Christian literature for our church to distribute after a Christmas concert. The word “vision” popped into my mind. Maybe I could find stuff for my mailings here! Sure enough, the lady at LifeLight was enthusiastic about my project. She helped me find all kinds of interesting resources, including a Who is Jesus? DVD and attractive pocket New Testaments. Now we trust God will match just the right person with the right materials each month.
I’m so glad our paths converged and that together we can share in this adventure of reaching people for Christ across Canada. Please pray for spiritual fruit as we carry out God’s mission. After all, it’s His idea!
Darlene Kaus