“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”—I Corinthians 15:58
EVERYONE LIKES GOOD NEWS! When days seem long and the work seems hard and our spirits sag, it is often then that our Savior sends just what we need to encourage and sustain us. Recently World Missionary Press received a wonderful report from our national coordinator in the Republic of Cameroon, West Africa, which provided an extra surge of energy for the task of printing and shipping millions of Scripture booklets each month. Praise the Lord!
“We have an occasion once again,” wrote Brother Laurent T., “to share with you the marvelous works of the Lord in Cameroon through the help of the large quantity of literature you do not hesitate to provide us every two years. . . . We want to share with you the joy of seeing how putting those [booklets] at the disposal of numbers of people bore a lot of fruit.”
Challenges in Cameroon
In the North, terrorist attacks perpetrated by the Islamic sect Boco Haram have left many known victims, including a pastor and his whole family, not to mention those not broadcasted by the media. With the increase of terrorism in that part of the country, “evangelism has of course been threatened! Many churches closed their doors, and a curfew of 6 p.m. was imposed on the population in some border areas. A lot of brethren and volunteers no longer dared go to the streets and villages for outreach. Some strategy leaders had to reorient the work in some zones . . . because of the recurrent attacks in those areas.”
In the South, some churches have problems with doctrinal balance and need to be led back to the study of the Word of God. Some “are running after members and are not patient enough for disciple training groups.” Some churches are glad to participate because it will help them gain more members. But then, after the church is filled, evangelism is no longer a priority. Other churches feel they are well organized and already have their own plans.
Victories in Cameroon
Over the past two years, EHC Cameroon, in spite of the challenges, saw increases beyond all previous years. Twelve Mobile Training Centers became operational and collaboration with partner churches was consolidated. Homes reached were 1,012,192 with 2,667,956 pieces of literature distributed. Positive responses received were 122,471 with 1,978 Christ groups and disciple training groups created and 55,679 leaders trained. To God be the glory!
Though Islam is predominant in northern Cameroon, an “interesting number of Muslims are embracing the gospel, looking at the crimes perpetrated [in the name of] their religion and at the peace that Christianity inspires.” In an outreach in three Muslim areas, “1,315 homes were systematically visited with the gospel; 68 homes remained open to the gospel and two Christ groups were formed. Glory be to the Lord and Master Jesus Christ for this new open door.”
When one long-established church heard the EHC vision and received training, “the whole church went down in the street to practice what they had learned. The surprise was big: Many families accepted Christ and started coming to church! The church is experiencing numerical and spiritual growth. Moreover, evangelism is now the main activity in that church.”
“The Lord is watching over His work, continuing to raise up volunteers determined to overcome all the risks in order to reach the greatest number with the Good News.”
A Blind Man’s Desperation Has a Surprising Result
An old blind man, having no wife and children and feeling rejected by society, drank poison to end his days. “The population was alerted and discovered him dying. They ran after the missionary who was passing by to come and pray for him.” After prayer, the man recovered, opening the way “for the whole village to convert to Christ Jesus.”
The man said: “Though I can’t see physically, now I can say that I see the Lord, and I have a personal and deep relationship with Him.” As a result of the marvelous testimony of this desperate old man, “a new Christ group was formed. Today this Christ group has become a church!”
Evangelism Became Her Lifestyle
Sister C. had no burden for evangelism but accompanied a group which went out to preach the Good News. She thought evangelism was for others. But at the start of the Harvest Project, she was challenged by the words of EHC’s national director to her district and the way he presented the urgency of the Great Commission. Then she saw God work in amazing ways.
“In the field I faced a lot of opposition and hardened hearts,” she wrote. “But it was so unbelievable the way I was finding the words to overcome them with wisdom, so that the gospel could find its way. I can’t explain how I could find the right words at the right moment, as if I premeditated them. It was the Holy Spirit at work. I will not deny the fact that sometimes I was short of arguments, but you should have been there to see the miraculous way the Lord oriented the conversation, leading me.
“I found a woman in a hospital who could not be healed of her long disease and was discouraged. After a moment of discussion, we prayed with her, and she accepted to receive the Lord Jesus. After her conversion, some hours later, after we departed from the hospital, the woman died. This is how God led my steps towards somebody who was about to leave this world without being saved.”
In one village, the house where Sister C. was led to go rejected her. As she turned to leave, a young lady in the house next door saw how she had been cast out of the first house and called her to please come and talk to her about Jesus. She had been hearing of Jesus and wanted to know more. “After explaining to her the work of Jesus on the cross and the amazing plan of God for the salvation of her soul, the lady accepted to receive Jesus and to engage a new life with him.” Several days later, Sister C. visited the lady and was able to comfort her as she had gone through a lot of persecution with her child.
“Harvest Project was a greater benefit to me than to any other person,” she concluded, “because evangelism has become a lifestyle for me. . . . I am thirsty to see other people experiencing the new birth. Praise the Lord!”
[You can help supply willing workers with the tools they need to evangelize and disciple lost souls! Each gift of $40 will provide for production of more than 1,000 power-packed Scripture booklets!]
Meet the Team
Alison B.
Freight Shipments
Several years ago I was doing a Google search for different ministries, when I found the website of World Missionary Press and was amazed that such a large operation was just a city away from where I lived! In early 2016, I knew God was leading me to a specific ministry. I went to the WMP website and was excited to see two job openings.
After touring the plant, I knew this was a ministry I wanted to be a part of. After being in the corporate workforce for many years, it’s been refreshing to be part of a team that is working for God! Working at WMP is an answer to my prayers, and I know God was preparing me for this even before I had the desire to work with a ministry. There is absolutely no doubt that God led me to WMP a little over a year ago!
I work mainly with the Freight Shipments Team. My job is to communicate with WMP’s national coordinators and distributors all over the world! I am privileged to walk them through the entire ordering and shipping process. I witness God’s provision of resources on a daily basis, and I love to hear the testimonies our distributors share. God is at work!
I also work with the Project India team to make Christian Indians here in the US aware of this initiative. I also communicate with people in India who are in desperate need of material.
What I like best about working at WMP is that I am working for the Lord—every day—very intentionally. I love that we must trust that God will bring in the funding needed to continue to print millions of Scripture booklets each month—and He never fails us! I love that I have a “family” here at WMP—a group of people who pray together, worship together, celebrate and mourn together.
I am an amateur gardener and even enjoy weeding! I also enjoy reading. My children have started softball, so right now we are busy chauffeuring them to practice and playing catch. There is the constant barrage of laundry needing to be done, dinners to be made, a house to be cleaned, homework to help with, etc.
My husband Matt and I have been married for 11½ years and have two daughters: Haley (10) and Nicole (8). We love the outdoors—when it’s warm! One of our favorite family outings is visiting different zoos.
WMP Partners Around the World
Brother Mak — Hong Kong
For many years World Missionary Press has worked with a ministry in Hong Kong and Macau which reaches thousands of Chinese tourists with a clear presentation of the gospel through WMP Scripture booklets in Simplified Chinese. This unique ministry makes it possible for Scripture booklets to travel back to families and friends in mainland China, reaching those who otherwise might not have an opportunity to hear the message of God’s love for them.
WMP: Brother Mak, could you please describe your current ministry?
Brother Mak: I have been involved in literature distribution ministry in China for 28 years. We teach, preach, and work with house churches in China and evangelise a few million people every year through our Hong Kong and Macau offices.
WMP: How long have you been involved in distributing WMP literature?
Brother Mak: I first heard about World Missionary Press in 1990 when I came across WMP materials being taken to China with Bibles and other teaching and evangelism books. I personally used How to Know God and other Scripture booklets to memorize Chinese Scriptures for my teaching and preaching.
WMP: How long does a supply from WMP last?
Brother Mak: Our offices in Hong Kong and Macau generally receive a container every quarter or so, and this lasts us well for that period of time. We are currently working at our maximum levels for distribution and really cannot handle increased numbers, plus the storage costs in Hong Kong are high; hence the quarterly or so shipments.*
WMP: What challenges face those who distribute the literature?
Brother Mak: China is a closed communist country, but more than 40 million tourists visit Hong Kong and Macau annually, so we have set up evangelism offices with full-time paid staff for distributing gospel messages to the tourists in gospel bags. If we were to try this in China, we would be arrested and the ministry closed down the same day! We are thankful to the Lord for this open door to us in Hong Kong and Macau, where we can operate freely.
WMP: Can you give us an example of the effectiveness of the Scripture booklets and Bible studies?
Brother Mak: Many Chinese non-believers and even believers do not have a personal copy of the Bible. We have found through our evangelism efforts that many Chinese believers and non-believers are excited to be able to read and study the Word through WMP Scripture booklets.
One recent testimony that stands out is of a Chinese Christian evangelist who takes photos on his smartphone of pages from the WMP Scripture booklets and sends them via a messaging app to spread the Word among his friends in the university. A pastor has the 300 people in his eight house churches memorize a Scripture every day using How to Know God. Last we heard, they had memorized 60 percent of the booklet! Praise God!
*The four quarterly shipments for Hong Kong along with four shipments for Macau provide an annual total of 7.6 million Scripture booklets and Bible Study on John booklets to help reach the 40 million tourists from mainland China who pass through each year.
[Would you like to help reach Chinese people in their own language? Every donated dollar will help print 27 Scripture booklets in Simplified Chinese. An investment of $100 will touch the lives of 2,700 people; $1,000 will impact 27,000 souls who need to know God!]